High Society

While the boys had greeted him with a few whoops and catcalls, Casey didn’t mind--especially when Danny rushed over to him with an incredulous expression. After grabbing his arm, the boy leaned into Casey’s ear.



“One hundred dollars. A hundred. That’s what that fucker paid for your virgin ass,” he hissed.



“Wha…” Casey was astounded and unsure if he was supposed to know this detail. Seeing Stephen far enough away to not overhear them, he blinked and shook his head. “There’s no way.”



“Saw it myself. I knew Denny was insane with money, but holy Christ,” Danny said. A sly smile crossed his lips. “He said it was worth every penny, too.”



“Oh?” He looked around the room, finding the sitting-on-laps, kissing and secret whispers going on, just as he’d left it. He couldn’t find Dennis, however. “Where is he?”



“He took Jose to the parlor,” Danny said. He leaned back to sip his drink and smile wider. “He usually has three-goes in a night.”



“Ah,” Casey said.



“Go on, mingle more… shit, you’re going to make a whole load of cash for the house tonight,” Danny said. Making his voice a whisper, Danny leaned in quick to say, “I suppose I’m entertaining the ‘cheapies’ tonight.”



“Hey, crazy-boy,” a man Casey hadn’t met yet said, now putting an arm around Danny’s waist. “Come on with me to the poker table. I need some my lucky-lad in my lap.”



“Ooh, ‘lucky-lad’, eh?” Danny coyly replied before setting off for the felt-covered tables on the far side of the room. Casey smiled and watched them go, then looked to the bar. He expected to Zeke there, but when he didn’t he remembered--upstairs, with that man, Fred. Someone who’d made Casey’s blood go cold in their tiny encounter. Sighing, he went to walk over when someone put his arm around his waist from behind.



“Miss me?”



Cal. Casey had to grin; he turned his head over his shoulder where Cal was resting his chin. “Back again?”



“Yes. I figured you’d need a shoulder to cry on after being with Dennis. I would have been much better for you.”



“Hah, now, now,” Casey said. He turned to the man, sliding against his hold to keep close. “So you’re still interested in me, then?”



“Of course. I wasn’t accosting you just because I wanted your first time,” Cal replied. He stroked Casey’s cheek with his thumb. “In fact… having you just a titch more experienced might be even better. First times always hurt; I can tell by the way you walk.”



Blushing, Casey glanced away and made a shy smile. “It’s that obvious?”



“Only a little. But that’s no matter. Your second time will leave you quite pleasured, I can promise that.”



“Well, I’m not to be--taken, in that way. Not after my first. And I must say I’m a little relieved,” Casey said.



“No, I know.” Cal moved his nose to the side of Casey’s face and made a low hum. “But you can play.”



“I can,” Casey breathily replied. He had to admit… Cal was cool, smooth and could probably give pleasure in spades.



“Well… I want to play with you, sweet boy.”



The words spoken directly in his ear made something deep within it tremble and hum. “I’ll play with you. Gladly.”



Cal beamed and bent away to take Casey’s arm. He brought them both over to Stephen, who was chatting with Robert at the bar. “Excuse me, Stephen--but I wish to take this lovely little treat with me into the parlor,” he said.



Stephen gave Casey raised eyebrows, but when Casey smiled the man nodded and smiled back. “That’s just fine. Anything but the fucking… he’s had enough for tonight,” Stephen said.



“Oh, not bothered by that in the slightest,” Cal said.



“Good, good. It’ll be the ‘Everything-But’ rate…. And Casey, go ahead and have a glass of wine once in there. It always helps.”



Cal nodded, reached into his pocket and drew out a five. Stephen took it and waved them towards the door. While Casey had seen the room, along with a small glimpse of the ‘going-on’, he was about to see everything, with himself right in the mix. The curtain was drawn back by Oscar, one of the guards letting them walk through.



The lamplight was low with candles upon the corner tables to make the mood of the room ambient and warm. Casey saw Jamie and Henry tangled in a mess of movement and moans with Clint and another man, all of them naked on the large couch. Casey saw Jose--who was on his knees in front of the chair holding Dennis, sucking his cock with fervor. It was decadent and overt; Casey’s insides quaked with both awe and nervousness. Perhaps everyone was too preoccupied to stare at Casey and what he and Cal were about to do, but he was still self-conscious.



“Here,” Cal said. Casey looked to him and saw him standing by a cart which held an ice bucket, wine and glasses. Two servings were poured; Cal handed Casey his and clinked their glasses together. “To a good first night.”



Casey smiled and sipped; once the liquid was past his lips, he felt his taste buds exploding. “Oh… this is good,” he said.



“Stephen always gets the best. Makes everything worth the money you pay,” Cal said. He then nodded towards the piles of large pillows near the lit, glowing fireplace. “By the fire. Let’s go relax.”



“All right,” Casey replied. He let Cal take his hand to lead him over. Still feeling a tingling in his ass and thighs, Casey took a deep breath and settled into a large patch of the cushions. He felt immediate comfort when he moved onto his side and propped his head up onto his hand. While he swirled the contents of his glass around, Cal lay down as well, facing the boy. “You’re the romantic type, aren’t you?” Casey coyly asked.



“Mmm, try to be,” Cal replied, his voice echoing in the glass he put to his lips. “I’m afraid my affections are wasted on other people… ones who don’t appreciate them.”



Casey nodded slowly, recalling the ‘wife’ remarks Dennis had made. “Yes, that’s right… you have someone at home,” Casey said, though he regretted it. Should it have been brought up? Before he could worry, Cal smiled.



“No, there’s no one at home. No one important, anyway,” the man replied. “My wife… well, let’s just say that an arranged marriage is outdated and boring.”



“‘Arranged’--how eighteenth-century,” Casey said.



“Yes, yes. I know. Believe me, I do.”



“You didn’t pay to talk about a frigid wife though, did you?” Casey decided to recover the reason they were there. Cal smiled, licked his lips and took Casey’s hip to bring their bodies together. Without a word, he took up Casey’s chin to plant a kiss on his lips. ‘Oh… my…’ Casey’s thoughts were mere breaths in his mind, feeling overcome by the expert kiss he was receiving. Cal turned his head to deepen it, parting Casey’s lips with his tongue while Casey was moved onto his back. When the man pulled away, Casey let out a shaky sigh.



“I want to give you pleasure. It’s my favorite thing to do,” Cal said. The look he wore was intense; Casey felt hypnotized by it, barely noticing how his pants were becoming undone by Cal’s deft fingers. The fabric started going down his thighs, exposing Casey’s cock for all to see. Cal moved down lower to pull them down and off of Casey, leaving them in a pool just past his feet. “You’re so very beautiful… like a white rose.”



“Oh…” Casey moaned when Cal slowly trailed his hands up one leg, up to his knee, thigh, until it was placed between Casey’s legs.



“Open them for me, darling.”



Casey’s knees shook open until he couldn’t part them any further. Cal took advantage of his position and put the boy’s hardening cock in his palm, starting to stroke it with a gentle hand. “Do you like this, Casey?” he asked.



“Y-Yes,” Casey answered.



“Do you hurt too much--for me to touch you there?”



“No,” Casey answered immediately.



“I just want to touch it. I won’t enter you,” Cal said. Sure enough, he let his hand go to his mouth, spit, then his dipped it down again until a fingertip was placed over Casey’s hot, sore hole. Casey winced and furrowed his brow; there was still a little pain, but it disappeared as Cal encircled it and made it pucker up. “It’s so very hot. So smooth. How I’d love to fuck it.”



“I--I want you to,” Casey said, not quite believing that he’d said the words.



“Hmm, not tonight. Not tonight…” Cal put his mouth back to Casey’s ear and kissed it. “I’m going to come back tomorrow after you’ve had a rest. I’m staking a claim on you right this minute--I’m at that door before anyone else to make sure you’re mine tomorrow. It hurt too much to let you go the first time.”



It was unbelievable; Casey had gone from a man like Dennis to this, where he wasn’t just touched, but romanced. Even if it was under these pretenses--where Casey would have to spread his legs for anyone and everyone’s money, he enjoyed Cal’s sweetness and touch.



“It feels like you washed quite well… perhaps a bit of that special lotion Stephen orders…” Cal said, moving to sit up a little. “It’s an exquisite one. I’ve tasted it before.”



Casey opened his eyes in slits to look up at the man. “Tasted?” he echoed.



“Like I said, special,” Cal said. “Turn over, Casey.”



Unsure of what Cal was getting at, Casey blinked and moved onto his stomach. He tried watching Cal as he sat up, shimmied over to Casey’s legs and parted them to crawl between. Realization came when he took Casey’s hips and lowered his face to the small of his back. “I… are you sure, I j-just--OH,” Casey went to say, but when Cal dragged his tongue down past the crevice of his ass and began licking his anus, he felt hollowed-out and wordless. “Cal… oh dear god…”



“Mmm,” Cal hummed, making Casey throw back his head with the vibration of his voice against the oversensitive skin. Casey gripped the pillows and throw blankets, fisting them as he rode waves of pleasure coursing through him. Cal spread his cheeks to bury his mouth and chin into Casey’s flesh then let one of his hands crawl between Casey’s legs again. Through bleary eyes, Casey looked to the other side of the room.



The images before him were only making him hotter. Jose was moaning and muttering in Spanish as Dennis thrust into him--the man’s eyes were set on Casey however, a secret smile on his face. The next sight made Casey’s heart skip a beat; Jamie and Henry were receiving a nice, solid fucking, facing each other and kissing wildly as the men also pumped into them. Their tongues tangled, glistening under the lamplight as they moved. It was an overwhelming sight; Casey closed his eyes tight and concentrated on what was happening below. Cal was holding Casey’s ass open, while the other still worked upon Casey’s hardening shaft. For the first time in his life, Casey was going to climax by someone else’s hand instead of his own. “Cal, p-please… don’t st-stop…” he said in a stammer. Another hum arrived and Casey tossed his head back to yelp; he didn’t care if he was being loud as he came. He punched his hips forward enough to pull away from Cal’s mouth, making cool air find his stimulated skin. This only heightened his orgasm to its peak before it began fading. Casey felt as if he was melting into the cushions; he sank down upon them and groaned, sated and spent.



“That was gorgeous,” Cal said in a whisper by Casey’s ear. “You really liked that, didn’t you?”



“God, yes,” Casey replied. Admitting such a thing made him giggle. “Was I loud?”



Cal chuckled under his breath. “You earned a few looks our way, yes.”



“Oh dear,” Casey said. He looked towards the others, who were also lying in heaps of satisfied lust. If they’d paid attention to him before, they were all off in their own little worlds, now. Casey sighed and moved onto his back; looking down on himself, he had to cringe. “I’m a mess.”



“I’ll help with that,” Cal told him. With a sly grin, he slid his face down to Casey’s navel and began lapping up the strings of Casey’s seed. Casey watched on, entranced and dizzy, until all that was left upon him was traces of Cal’s saliva. The man pushed himself up onto his arms and stared down at Casey. “Tomorrow is my turn… I’m going to fuck you, sweet boy.”



“I… I can pleasure you now, if you want,” Casey said while running his thighs in small motions against Cal’s arms.



“Oh, no. No. I’m going to let it all out tomorrow. Just you wait,” Cal said. He bent down to kiss Casey, gentle and smooth as before. Casey’s own musk filled his nose and mouth… it was strange, but he found himself feeling high.





~*~





The night had passed, leaving Casey in his room and lying on his bed. He still couldn’t believe that he was here, that he’d had not one but two showers, along with a bath in the last twelve hours alone. He’d grown used to weekly showers, IF that, for so very long. The bidet had been put to use after Cal, then another after the third man Casey had serviced. After his fourth--a man who enjoyed having a naked boy in his lap and calling him his ‘pet’, Casey had been tired and in need of another washing. He’d thought that he’d go to bed feeling uneasy--unclean, but he felt fresh and new… even good.



There were no more questions or issues. He’d been well-fucked then treated to a night full of odd but wonderful pleasures. He was enjoying one of them now; his third customer, another ‘John’ had given Casey a cigarette, extremely pleased with the blowjob he’d received. When he’d learned that Casey didn’t have any smokes, he’d smiled and left the rest of his with him. They were the same brand as Zeke’s--perhaps John was the same man who’d introduced them to him.



‘Where IS he, anyway?’ Casey thought. He hadn’t seen Zeke since running into him in the hallway, and that had been hours ago. Just as he started wondering what had become of him, the bedroom door opened and Zeke stepped inside. He was bare from the waist up, a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants covering his lower half. Judging by the damp look of his hair, he’d had a shower as well. “I was wondering where you were,” Casey said.



Zeke frowned a little. “Why?”



“I just hadn’t seen you. Don’t mind me and my slight concern,” Casey sarcastically replied.



“Right,” Zeke said, now wearing a small smile. He walked over to the bureau and began rifling around in it. “You didn’t move my shirts, did you?”



“No, why would--”



“Never mind, found ‘em. Sorry,” Zeke said. The apology seemed sincere; Casey nodded and took a slow drag off of his cigarette. Zeke pulled a white t-shirt from the drawer and unfolded it. “How was your first night?”



Smiling, Casey shrugged. “It was all right.”



“You can sit without screaming?”



“Hah, yes, yes,” Casey replied. He went to turn to Zeke and keep talking, but the sight before him made him freeze up. Zeke hadn’t put on the shirt yet, allowing Casey to see his back--it looked horribly bruised and red. “Zeke, what happened?”



“Huh?”



“Your back.”



Zeke twisted his head around to look over his shoulder. After a moment of silence, he shrugged and said, “Freddy likes to bite. It’s no big deal.”



“Bite? You look like you were mauled by a wild animal,” Casey said, now sitting up and staring at Zeke’s marred skin until the shirt was put over it. Zeke turned to him with a cocky grin.



“‘Wild animal’… yea, that’d be Freddy,” he said.



“But they… Stephen, he allows this?”



“’Course he does. Noah’s a specialty, so am I,” Zeke said. He sat on his bed with a groan and wince; Casey didn’t doubt that he was sore and hurting, which sobered him as Zeke continued speaking. “It’s like this… you’re a boy that gets the ‘sweetheart’ treatment. You’ll be wined, dined and fucked every which way ‘til Sunday. Even if some guys wanna bruise and abuse you, they won’t be allowed to. Me?” Zeke stopped to chuckle and shake his head. “I’m your ‘relief man’, in a way.”



Casey blinked slowly; guilt crept into him, even though he knew that this had probably been going on long before he showed up. But the idea of Zeke being the ‘whipping boy’ as Danny had put it… “I’m sorry,” Casey said.



“Huh?” Zeke muttered. He gave Casey a look that made Casey feel like he’d said something terribly wrong. “Don’t say ‘sorry’. I volunteered for this--I can take it.”



“Okay,” Casey quickly replied, hoping that he wouldn’t anger the young man. Zeke made a quick nod then went to lie down; this caused him to frown and irk out a small groan, concerning Casey. “Hey, um… maybe some cream would help, right? I could, y’know, put some on you--”



“Stephen covered that, always does. Why… wanna get some action with me?”



Casey snorted, half-annoyed, half-amused. “No. Just trying to be helpful.”



With another groan, Zeke turned onto his side to face Casey. The low-lamplight shadowed the features and contours of his face; his eyes, lashes and eyebrows looked darker with the pensive expression he wore. “What made you want to be a whore, anyway?” the young man asked.



“Well… needed the money, I suppose. The city isn’t very receptive to starving artists at the moment,” Casey said.



“Uh huh.” Zeke ‘humphed’ and rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.”



“Why? Are you an artist, too?” Casey asked. He watched as Zeke waved a hand to the wall where the pencil art and paintings were displayed. “Oh--those are yours?”



“Mmhmm.”



Casey wore a smile filled with awe as he stared at each piece. One of them struck him in particular; watercolor, depicting a field of green and yellow grasses lining long rows of corn. The sky above was a deep azure at the top, light blue at the horizon and dotted with thin clouds. “It’s gorgeous. A lot better than what I could come up with. I worked with oils sometimes, but watercolors always escaped me,” Casey said.



“Oils escaped me, so I guess we’re even,” Zeke replied.



“Maybe. So… you didn’t ‘make it’ either, huh?”



Zeke pursed his lips a moment and shrugged. “I did at first, just a little. Enough to support a shit-apartment in Greenwich. Then this goddamned Depression hit, and nothing,” he explained. “So I tried my hand at street-walking… worked out at first, again, but… well, let’s just say that Stephen got to me at a good time.”



“Why?”



“Eh… not gonna talk about it.”



As much as Casey wanted to press on for more information, he knew that he could push a few buttons with Zeke doing so… unpleasant ones. He let it go with a nod then reached up to switch off the lamp when he saw Zeke’s eyes flutter closed. “G’night,” Casey said.



“Mmm,” Zeke hummed before drifting off entirely.





~*~





Breakfast was just as grand as the dinner had been. Platters full of bacon, fluffy pancakes, fresh fruit and pitchers of juice and milk were laid out before them all, making Casey’s mouth water. After plates were filled, passed around and everyone was served, they all dug in. Casey was sore and achy, but the warm food in his belly helped.



The conversation was pleasant and easy, involving what they planned on doing the next day, Sunday, their one day off. Casey grew excited in thinking about it. He’d get to do something he’d never done before; five whole dollars, none of it needing to go towards rent, food or clothing. A trip to an art supply shop was in order, along with a tobacconist. He’d ask Zeke where he got his, as regular cigarettes wouldn’t do after getting a taste of the sweet smoke the boy had shared with him.



Jose was the first to leave the table and head out, not saying a word to anyone. James sighed and stood up next. “Who’s up for a game of poker?” he said. Both Zeke and Henry nodded; James smiled. “Nice, let’s go kill some time.”



The three of them left the room; Casey watched them go then turned to the other boys. “What do we do in the afternoons?” he asked.



“Whatever we want, really. Sometimes we have a meeting with Stephen after lunch on Saturdays, but until then we can relax and have fun,” Jamie told him. “I’m probably going to go upstairs and have a read.”



“Boooring,” Danny drawled at the end of the table, then he slapped his napkin down by his plate and stood. “I’m gonna see about cleaning house with the others. I got an extra dollar last night.”



Jamie smirked and shook his head. “Why not?” he said, then joined Danny. This left Casey and Noah alone at the table. With a smile, Casey nudged Noah’s arm; the boy looked up and raised his eyebrows.



“Hi,” Casey said and waved a little.



Noah smiled and nodded, then made a few motions of his fingers. “Ha-I,” Noah said.



This seemed to be as far as they could get, at this point. Casey bit his lip and looked around as if trying to find a way to communicate, but Noah grabbed his attention in standing up and patting his shoulder. He then pointed to the door; Casey nodded, stood and followed.



They ended up in the main parlor where everyone else was. A poker game between Zeke, Jamie, Henry and Danny was in full swing, while Jose… “Wow,” Casey muttered, watching the young man sitting at the nearby piano. He played expertly, making beautiful tinkling sounds with every pass of his hand along the keys. Casey almost recognized the song--it was most likely Beethoven.



Noah tugged at his sleeve and walked over to a chessboard along the far side of the wall. He then made another hand motion. “Pay,” he said.



“Play?” Casey asked. At Noah’s nod and repeated sign, Casey mimed it. Noah smiled and sat down at the board.



“Chefs.” Noah made yet another sign, and Casey returned it. He was in no way memorizing things, not yet…



“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jamie called out to Casey.



“Why… not?” Casey asked.



“At least don’t bet money. You’ll lose,” Zeke said. “Noah’s a chess-shark.”



“He took me for a few bucks, the bastard,” Danny said with a grumble. Raising his voice, he nodded to Noah. “Noah, you’re a fucking bastard! Say nothing if you’re a fucking bastard!”



Casey sighed as the three boys chortled to themselves. ‘Let them make fun, whatever,’ he thought.





~*~





Casey groaned; he knew what Noah had just signed: ‘Check-mate’, he said with his hands, a wide smile on his face. With a sad smile, Casey fought to sign back.



“Good,” he said, forming the word letter-by-letter. Never mind the game; he was greatly pleased with himself and his memorizing the signs for the alphabet. Even better, he was able to follow Noah’s next signs: ‘I win, I win!’ Casey laughed and went to sign something back when Danny leaned on the wall behind Noah.



“What’s going on here?” he asked.



“Nothing. He beat me at chess.”



“Hmm, like I said. But what’s all this?” Danny made exaggerated movements with his fingers and hands. “Don’t tell me you’re ‘talking’ to each other.”



“We are, why? Is that a problem?” Casey asked, feeling a little defensive.



Noah noticed the exchange and he glanced to Danny, who made a snide smile at him. Danny then looked to the others who were packing up their poker game. “Get this, fellows--these two are having secret conversations.”



“Oh yea?” Henry said. “Passing love-signs, are they?”



“Stop it. We’re doing nothing of the sort,” Casey said. “He’s simply teaching me how to sign the alphabet and… things.”



The boys chuckled; Danny shook his head. “I wonder what it’d be like, him signing instead of screaming with a john. He’d lose money, and fast.”



“There’s nothing wrong with learning how to communicate with him,” Casey said.



Danny sighed and rolled his eyes. “Riiight…”



Stephen then appeared in the doorway, wearing a small smile. “Boys? It’s lunch time. Set off for the dining hall, then we’ll have a small meeting in here afterwards.”



Glad for the interruption, Casey stood up, nodded to Noah with a smile and signed the word ‘Eat’. Noah smiled and nodded back, while Danny watched on with a small scowl.



“Right,” Danny said.





~*~





Before the meeting had started, Noah and Jose had been given a few pages of paper. Casey was between Zeke and Noah, allowing him a few glances at Noah’s. Since no one here knew sign language, he was given notes on the meeting to be sure he was caught up on events and instructions. Jose had probably been given his notes in Spanish, so he understood as well.



The meeting began; it was very basic, with Stephen giving everyone reminders of keeping good manners, discussing the last week in general. Since Casey hadn’t joined them until the end of the week, he allowed himself to drift off a little and stare out the window at the buildings across the street. It was a bright sunny day, making him wish that they could go out to enjoy the afternoon. He hoped the weather held up until the next day at least, when they’d be going out for the day.



It wasn’t long before Stephen ended the discussion and brought out his books and papers. “You’ve all done really well this week, boys. I’ve been given many compliments on how we’ve run things lately,” Stephen said, smiling from his desk at them. He lowered his eyes to the paper he jotted notes on and nodded. “Payday today; I’ve figured out how much goes to who.”



Casey watched as Stephen stood up with a small stack of envelopes and approached everyone one at a time. They stayed unopened; Casey figured that they all received different amounts according to the work they’d done, and perhaps they weren’t supposed to tell one another how much they’d earned. He began picking at a loose thread on the corner of the cushion he was leaning on. The five dollars he’d been given the night before was enough, for now…



“Casey?”



The boy snapped out of his reverie and looked up. He found Stephen extending an envelope to him. “Oh…” Casey said. He glanced from side-to-side at the rest of them, who were looking back at him. In taking the offering from Stephen, there was a clinking sound of the coins it held. Casey smiled and sat back.



“Now then, a few quick things about tonight…” Stephen said. He returned to his desk and began putting folders and books away. “It should be a busy Saturday. I ran into a couple of customers that haven’t been around for a while; they said that they were going to come tonight. With them and the other regulars, we’ll be bustling around more than usual. So I’m having our doors open an hour earlier, seven o’clock. I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Are there any questions?”



The boys shook their heads. Noah, of course, was busying himself with the notes. Stephen looked over at him and cleared his throat. “Oh, I hadn’t mentioned the early night on your paper,” he muttered to himself. Casey watched as Stephen went looking for a pen; he nudged Noah’s arm, grabbing his attention. Noah looked over and raised his eyebrows; with the letters of the alphabet now memorized, Casey signed out the word, ‘early’ and lifted seven fingers to imply the time.



“Stah eh-ly?” Noah asked, signing back.



Casey nodded then turned back to Stephen. In doing so, he caught the looks he was getting from the others. Cocked-eyebrows and smirks made Casey stare ahead. Stephen, however, looked pleased.



“All right, boys. Enjoy your afternoon, relax, and get ready for tonight. See you in the parlor at quarter to seven,” the man said. Everyone rose from their seats and left quickly, each one staring at their envelopes. Before Casey could get halfway to the door, Stephen cleared his throat. “Casey, can you stay behind a moment to talk?”



Casey stopped and looked to Stephen. “Um… sure.”



Again, looks were exchanged between the boys. Once they were gone, Stephen rounded around his desk and walked over to Casey. “I just wanted to let you know--there was a request for you last night, from Cal. He’d like to have you first tonight, and was willing to pay for you to be ‘reserved’,” Stephen explained. “Judging by the way you were courted last night, it’s probably be best for you to come a little later than the others, until Cal arrives.”



“Oh,” Casey uttered. Casey couldn’t help a flutter deep in his stomach. He’d hoped that Cal would indeed get to him before anyone else; now that he was assured of that, he felt light and happy. Someone wanted him this badly. “That’s fine by me.”



“Good, good.”



“All right. I suppose I’ll join the… oh, wait,” Casey said. “Why did I get more money? I thought the five dollars from last night was going to be it.”



“Ah, that. It isn’t much in there,” Stephen replied, nodding to the envelope. “That’s just a small bit from the other jobs you’d done.”



“Oh, okay. Fine by me,” Casey replied. Stephen chuckled and ruffled his hair.



“Go on now and enjoy the day,” he said.





~*~





When Casey emptied the coins into his coin satchel, Zeke scoffed. “Steve’s usually not THAT cheap.”



“Huh?”



“What have you got there, ten cents? You made a ton last night. ‘Should’ve gotten more than that,” Zeke said.



“Oh. No, he already paid me for that.”



“Yea?” Zeke smiled deviously, sucked back a drag from his cigarette and put his arm behind his head. “How much?”



Casey smirked back. “Why should I tell you?”



“I got two-fifty.”



“Hah… just because you tell me yours doesn’t mean I have to tell you mine.”



“C’mooon…”



“Ugh. Five,” Casey replied.



“Dollars? Serious?” Zeke raised his eyebrows and made a low whistle. “Steve apparently wants to keep your ass around.”



“Can you blame him?”



“Pssh, shut up.”



Casey smiled and sat back on his bed. Looking at Zeke’s artwork, he couldn’t help a sigh. “I can’t wait until tomorrow. I plan on getting some art supplies. It broke my heart to give it up and sell off my things… it’ll be nice to rebuild my collection.”



“Mmhmm,” Zeke hummed past the cigarette in his lips.



“How about you?” Casey asked.



“Me what?”



“You know--art. Do you have anything special?”



Zeke frowned and sat up on his bed. With his back and head against the wall, he stared at Casey through slits of eyes. “I haven’t made any ‘works of art’ the last year or so. I’m kind of… done with it.”



“But…” Casey looked past him to the painting again. “You’re incredibly talented.”



“Not anymore. Things happen,” Zeke replied.



“What things?”



Chuckling, Zeke shook his head then stood. “You’re nosy as hell. I’m gonna go grab a snack from the kitchens. Alice usually lets us sneak a bit from time to time.”



“Oh. Okay.”



“You comin’?”



“N’aw. I’m not that hungry,” Casey replied. Zeke shrugged.



“Suit yourself,” he said, then left to head to the stairs.



Once Casey was sure that he was gone, he stood up and padded over to Zeke’s side of the room. Getting close enough to see the most minute details, he found himself in awe; the brush strokes and stippling were done to perfection, creating real, true beauty. Every blade of grass looked real, flawless against the blues and deep greens. Casey glanced down to where Zeke had put his initials: EPT. Looking below that he discovered the painting’s title.



Ohio Summer



Casey’s breath halted a moment. Zeke was from Ohio? As silly as it was, Casey wondered if they’d grown up in the same county, if not the same town. It was highly doubtful, as Ohio was a large state. Still, the idea of it made Casey smile.





~*~





After a shower and some cream to his still-somewhat-sore behind, Casey slipped on the velvet trousers; he sighed with pleasure. The clothing he wore, both shirt and pants, felt luxurious. He made sure to leave the top few buttons of his top undone, just enough to show off his chest, almost down to the nipples. One look in the mirror and he was convinced that he made the perfect tease.



‘They like you. They want you,’ Casey thought of the patrons, feeling warmth deep in his belly. Now that he was ‘broken-in’, he wondered how many men he’d need to please tonight. Two? Three? More? How long would Cal take? “Mmm,” he hummed aloud--Cal. If last night said anything, the man was a genius in bed. The idea of him arranging what he had with Stephen, making sure he had ‘first dibs’ when it came to Casey… it not only made Casey squirm with delight. A small fire had been stoked in his loins, his cock tingling with anticipation. The man was young, attractive and talented. It was a sure bet that he was lusted after by many women and men. Casey wondered how his wife could be so frigid and unyielding.



Casey checked the clock; seven-ten. He had five more minutes before he made his entrance. Cal was probably in the parlor, perhaps wringing his hands with impatience. Casey chuckled to himself--never would he have thought that he, a Midwestern, scrawny-nothing could attract anyone, let alone a gorgeous man who could have anyone he wanted. He became lost in thought, letting the last few minutes pass by quickly. After a quick tuck and sigh, Casey exited the bedroom and headed to the stairs. He took both flights quickly and entered the parlor, where many men were ambling around with the boys, playing cards, pool and sitting at the bar. Casey scanned the area and bit his lip. It didn’t look as if Cal had arrived yet, and two men he didn’t know were now eyeing him with interest. Hoping he didn’t look rude, the boy made his way over to Stephen, who talked with another older, bald man. “Hello, Stephen,” Casey said.



The man turned from the conversation and raised his eyebrows. “Casey, hello… one moment, Arthur,” he said to the man, who nodded and began looking around the room. Stephen took Casey’s arm and stepped away with him. “Cal isn’t here just yet. He sometimes runs late; I have to say, if he isn’t here by seven-thirty, I may have to rescind the request he’d made.”



“All right,” Casey said with a note of disappointment.



“So don’t advertise very much. Go off and sit by Noah, perhaps. It looked as if you two have been learning how to communicate with each other… very nice,” Stephen said with a smile. “Go on.”



Casey nodded and went across the room to where Noah was sitting. In seeing Casey walking over, the usual blank look he wore faded into a smile. He signed, Hello! Casey signed it back and sat down next to him.



How R U?



Good. Noah replied. He then pointed to his almost-empty drink then gave Casey a thumb’s up. “Sharry… so-da,” he mumbled. He stood up and pointed to the bar. “Wan me gef one, fo you?”



Cherry soda--that sounded delicious. Casey nodded emphatically, and Noah left with a smile. Feeling a bit listless, Casey sank back against the couch and watched everyone mingle. Jamie was being fed a strawberry by a man wearing all black, sucking it with fervor. Two men standing with them watched on with sly smiles, one of them pushing a finger past the waist of Jamie’s pants. The cute young man was certainly putting on a show. Just then, Casey felt a dip on the cushion next to him; he looked to find a man with rosy cheeks and a thick white beard sitting down. ‘He looks like Santa,’ Casey thought, almost giggling.



“Hello.” The man swirled his drink around, keeping his eyes on Casey. “Yer new.”



“Um, yes. Casey,” Casey introduced himself. He put out his hand to shake, but the man took it and turned his palm up. He traced a finger around the line in the middle of Casey’s palm.



“I like hands,” he said. This reply was odd, but Casey kept his smile on. “Bruce’s my name.”



“Hello,” Casey said. He shot a glance to the clock… seven-twenty-five, and Cal still wasn’t here. It wouldn’t be long before he’d have to service someone, perhaps Bruce. While he didn’t look that menacing, Casey had his preferences, of course.



“You’ve got a pretty, pretty face. So milky-white, angelic. ‘Wonder what it would look like, all creamed-up,” Bruce said. The brashness of his words made Casey shiver, noticeable enough that Bruce chuckled. “Yea, you can put on the innocent act, if ye like. I got to talkin’ to Dennis, you know. He said you were a great fuck… a bit like a scared rabbit, but that’s a good thing.”



As strange--and a little disgusting--as this was, Casey did feel more warmth climb into his body. If Cal didn’t show up, he’d have to accept it and get on with the night. Figuring that he needed to get in the mood, a wicked grin came over Casey’s lips. “No, I can handle it.”



Bruce put on his own eager smile. “Mmm. Me, you and Petie should get along nicely.”



“Um… Petie? Who’s that?”



“Not telling--I like giving boys surprises.”



“Hmm… is it a good surprise?” Casey coyly asked.



“I think so. Even if you didn’t like it, I pay a bit extra for the room to GIVE it. Let’s just say that it’s a private thing,” Bruce said. He looked Casey up and down then nodded. “Yea. Yea, I want you.”



“Right now?” Casey asked; he sneaked another glance to the front and sighed to himself. No Cal.



“Why not?”



“Bruce… it’s been a while.”



They both looked up; Zeke stood in front of them sipping what looked to be another vanilla drink. “Ah, Zeke. How’s it going?” Bruce asked.



“All right. You here for the usual?”



Bruce nodded slowly, his smile widening. “’You think this thing can handle it?” he asked, nodding to Casey.



“Eh, dunno. But I can. In fact…” Zeke leaned in close; after a quick dart of his eyes Casey’s way, he turned all attention to the man. “I’ve missed it the last few weeks.”



“Ah. I don’t know… I wanna see his face.” Bruce looked to Casey. “Petie would like him.”



“Not as much as he likes me. C’mon, now…”



Casey grew confused as Zeke started to make obvious advances; he was pressing his leg against Bruce’s, sliding his knee along Bruce’s thigh. Bruce looked like he was getting worked-up, judging by the sheen of sweat forming on his brow. Zeke then leaned down entirely, put his hands on Bruce’s knees and squeezed them. “C’mon. You know how I do things.”



“Yea. Yea,” Bruce said. The man was easy to sway, apparently. A small pang of annoyance nagged at Casey as Bruce stood and sidled up to Zeke. “You always take it, real good, don’t you?”



“You know it,” Zeke replied. He made a snide smile at Casey. “Sorry, kid. He’s mine.”



It was easy to hear Zeke’s taunting tone; Bruce even chuckled as he slipped his hand around to Zeke’s back and led him over to where Stephen was standing. ‘How--COULD he?’ Casey thought. As much as he wanted Cal to come through the door, someone else had shown interest in him. He was sure that Zeke’s behavior would be frowned upon; they weren’t here to create competition for each other, after all. Casey slouched back just as Noah returned with their drinks. He handed Casey his and sat down on the couch again. Though they clinked glasses and Casey forced a smile on his face, they stayed quiet and watched everyone mill around the room. Just as Casey felt like bursting with frustration, he saw someone walk in. ‘Cal,’ he thought, excitement swelling within him. Perhaps he’d forgive Zeke for his rude, intrusive behavior… perhaps.





~*~





“Please forgive my tardiness. My drunk of a brother stopped in this afternoon, and I couldn’t get rid of him,” Cal told Casey as he opened the door to their private room. It wasn’t the huge, grandiose one from Casey’s time with Dennis, but it was wonderful enough. Another fire had been lit, making Casey’s skin prickle with heat.



“It’s all right--stop apologizing,” Casey said. When the door was closed behind them, Casey moved to him. He snaked his arms around the man’s shoulders and stood on tiptoe to come face-to-face. “You came. That’s what matters.”



“Mmm… were you eager to see me, angel?” Cal asked in a smooth, sweet voice.



Casey giggled. “Let’s just say that I was quite impressed that you’d reserved me like you had,” he replied. “And I’ll admit… I DID look forward to seeing you again. Very much so.”



Cal hummed in pleasure again and put their lips together. A soft kiss started, Casey almost unable to keep standing. Cal tasted sweet and spicy at the same time, pure man. When they broke apart, Cal looked over at the bed. “If you don’t mind… I rather enjoyed having you by the fireplace last night. The one in here is even better.”



“Yes, it is,” Casey said, looking to the glowing hearth.



“You don’t mind?”



Casey laughed. “Whatever you want, it’s yours. I’m yours.”



Cal’s eyes flared open and narrowed again, obviously excited by the light coo in Casey’s voice. “Let’s bring the blankets and pillows over, make a nice little love-nest,” he said, winking. Casey giggled again and followed Cal to the bed, where they gathered the thick blankets and pillows to bring over to the fireplace. The flask of oil was grabbed as well, Casey glad that it hadn’t been forgotten. Their ‘nest’ was laid out and they settled upon it. Cal slipped his hand between his own legs to gave his cock a squeeze. “Sorry--I’m just very, very excited. I thought about you all day.”



“Really?” Casey asked. The man nodded, and Casey smiled wide. “I thought about you, too.”



“Did you, now? Well, that please me to no end,” Cal said. He lay on his side, facing Casey; their faces were a mere breath apart. Cal looked upon him with the dreamiest expression Casey had ever seen. With his hand rising to cup Casey’s face, Cal sighed deeply. “You’re one of those boys I can fall dangerously in love with, you know.”



As wonderful as all of this was, a tiny bit of unease washed over Casey. He put on a winning smile, however and cocked an eyebrow. “You should be very careful, Mr. Calvin Jessup,” Casey said.



“Ah, I’m tired of being careful. Perhaps I’d enjoy walking the line with you,” Cal replied. He moved in again, turned Casey’s head to the side then began suckling just under Casey’s ear. His mouth was gentle, warm; Casey felt as if his hair stood on end.



“That’s so nice,” he murmured. He almost jolted when Cal’s tongue emerged to lick a long, wet line down the column of his neck. “Oh… ahh…”



“You taste so good. So good,” Cal said in a breathy murmur. He moved to hover over Casey, one hand holding him up, the other reaching down between Casey’s legs. He fondled him for a few moments, allowing Casey to sink into the pleasure Cal was giving. “Hmm, no. No… I want you to sit up and undress for me, slowly. Show me your beautiful body.”



While undressing for Dennis had been exciting, it’d had that callous edge to it. At the moment, Casey felt nothing but want and desire stemming from Cal, whose eyes spoke of nothing but reverence. Casey’s body was revered by the man, which made him want nothing more than to please him. He sat up slowly, got on his knees and began unbuttoning his shirt. He kept a slow pace, just as Cal wanted it; buttons slipped free, revealing porcelain-like skin. Casey’s nipples were already hard, almost red in color. Blood pumped at a hard, steady rate as he became exposed. The pants came next; with a few twists of his hips and legs, he was made nude. Cal’s lower lip trembled, his eyes drinking in the sight of the boy before him. “You’re so beautiful. I can’t say that enough.”



“Thank you,” Casey said in a whisper. He then closed the distance between them with a crawl and nuzzled his nose against Cal’s cheek. “May I see you?”



The man swallowed, clenched and unclenched his jaw then sat up straighter to undress. Casey stared at every movement; cufflinks and buttons being undone, the shimmy of Cal’s shoulders shrugging his shirt away… the white undershirt he wore was thin enough to allow the sight of barely-there chest hairs, which poked up past the top. That was removed with the pants coming off next. He too wore no underwear; his cock was thick and long, looking strong, able to fuck. Casey breathed faster. “You’re quite… well-endowed,” he said.



Cal shrugged and smiled. “Will you suck it?” he asked.



“I was about to beg for that,” Casey replied with a mischievous grin. He licked his lips and sank down; Cal pulled his legs out from underneath himself, arched back onto his hands and parted his knees. The invitation given in full, Casey placed his hands on Cal’s waist and opened his mouth wide. The moment his lips were wrapped around the head of Cal’s prick, the man moaned, deep and long.



“Casey…” Cal said, sounding lost. He hissed in hard breaths through his nose, able to be heard over the crackling fire. Casey put his stomach to the floor, keeping his head up with the force of his sucking. He longed to take Cal completely inside, but knew he couldn’t rush things. He chose to lean to the side against Cal’s thigh, bring his hand up and hold the firm shaft at the base. This seemed to please Cal immensely, judging by the choking groan he made. He splayed his hand over Casey’s shoulder and rubbed down to the middle of his back, up, down… “You’re a gift from God. Oh Christ, you are.”



Casey closed his eyes and worked on taking more in; he needed to move back to prevent his gag reflex from taking over, but it became easier to keep going with every downward stroke. Casey started rolling Cal’s balls together with his other hand… ‘I want to please him, make him want me even more, please him,’ he thought in a mantra-like manner. He found himself practically impaling himself now, letting his throat ease completely as the man’s cock went as deep as it could. It only lasted for a moment before Casey had to bend back quick and let the organ fall from his mouth. He took a few desperate breaths and looked up at Cal’s face. “Sorry,” he said.



“Good god, don’t be!” Cal said through a round of chuckles. He sank his fingers into Casey’s hair, tugging it gently. “Come here. I want to kiss you half to death.”



Casey smiled, sat up and crawled into Cal’s lap. He was hoisted up against the man and they started to kiss. It turned into desperation, with Cal gripping Casey tight with his arms, hands squeezing his side and shoulder. “I want you, sweet boy,” he said past both their mouths, growls accentuating the words. “I want to take you--make you mine.”



“Do… whatever you want to me,” Casey breathily replied. He left the man to lay back and prop himself onto his elbows. Panting, Casey opened his legs wide. “Rut me.”



A strange, sympathetic look came over Cal’s face. He went down to make one light kiss on Casey’s lips. “Let’s get one thing straight, young man,” he said. He put their foreheads together and wore a soft smile. “When we’re together, we don’t ‘rut’. We don’t even fuck. We make love.”



“Oh,” Casey murmured. Perhaps he could fall dangerously in love, as well. “I like that.”



“Mmm.” Cal rubbed his hands on Casey’s knees and stared at him, his expression firm and determined. “In my mind, right now… I didn’t pay for you. You’re mine to have, as if we were lovers. Is that all right?”



“More… than all right,” Casey said. He shuddered with emotion--it was almost too much. “Please… go inside me.”



Cal nodded, took up the oil and opened it. He let it trickle out and pool into his palm before capping it, setting it aside and coming back to start massaging the liquid over and into Casey’s hole. It was much different this time; Casey knew what to expect, and it was much better thus far. “Cal,” Casey said in a mindless voice. He fought to keep his knees from knocking, to give Cal all the room that he needed. After a few moments of teasing-preparation, Cal lifted Casey’s legs, put them upon his shoulders and began digging a finger inside. Casey stiffened and shut his eyes tight.



“Anytime you say… and I’ll stop. I don’t want to hurt you,” Cal said.



“You w-won’t.”



“Just… anytime, Casey.”



With Cal being so gentle, it was easy to find calm, easy to ease up. Casey sank his head onto the pillows and arched it back, starting to enjoy the intrusion. He stiffened again when another finger began going inside, but unlike Dennis, it became obvious that Cal was working hard to give mutual pleasure. His fingers went around the inner walls, rubbing against Casey’s prostate. When Casey moaned in a jolt, the man smiled. “Right there,” he said, then continued pushing against it. Mind-blowing ecstasy came forth, bursting in Casey’s brain.



“Oh--oh, oh--C-Cal…” Casey said. His breaths came even faster when three fingers were pushed in. He felt stretched, open and ready. As if Cal could feel it, he withdrew his fingers, then took up the bottle again. He brought it up to Casey’s chest and tipped it just a little. One drop fell on a nipple; Casey cooed, watching the liquid start to trickle to the middle of his chest. Another dip of the bottle and his other nub was oiled. Cal put the bottle aside, slid his hands up from Casey’s stomach and ended at the slicked-up, erect nipples. His thumbs made circles upon them; Casey moaned, over and over again, turning his head to the side while running his thighs over Cal’s hips. “Feels so good,” he said after a series of flicks.



“I like making you feel good,” Cal replied. “You’re so gorgeous, breathless and lost in pleasure.”



As wonderful as the stimulation was, Casey was eager to be taken in full. “I w-want it,” he said, opening his eyes to give Cal a firm expression, even if he felt like he was wandering in a haze of mindless pleasure. “Take me.”



Cal hummed in agreement, nodded and grabbed the oil yet again. He handed it to Casey. “Get me ready, lovely boy,” he said.



Casey smiled, opened the bottle then let it trickle out to pool in his palm. He moved to sit up grunting as he moved, then knelt in front of the man. While staring into his eyes, Casey slipped his slick hand around Cal’s cock and stroked it. His thumb flicked to the head with every pass to excite Cal further, and judging by the man’s flinching and moaning, it was working. Cal took a deep, shuddering breath then took the back of Casey’s head, pulled him closer and ran his tongue over Casey’s lips. Casey went still and opened his mouth a little, but didn’t kiss back. The feel of Cal’s wet tongue running over the sensitive skin was thrilling--a loving molestation, and Casey wanted more. Cal soon took a hard suck of his mouth, however, and Casey began reacting. Cal moved to a full kneel, grazing his mouth against Casey’s forehead. He soon nudged the boy to arch his head back and began kissing him again. It was faster, more desperate. Casey seemed to melt; his back found the blankets again and he let go of Cal’s rock-solid shaft.



The man hoisted Casey’s legs further up onto his shoulders. Casey stared up at his feet, which dangled in the air, down to his knees which framed Cal’s head. After a quick positioning, Casey felt Cal’s hard, needy cock start to press inside. “Oh god…”



“Gentle… gentle,” Cal seemed to be reminding himself more than anything as he edged his way inside. Once halfway, he stopped and kissed Casey’s knee. “All right?”



“Yes.” Casey said, obviously impatient. “Pl-Please, Cal. Please.”



There was no more talking or doubt. Cal tightened his jaw and sank in, all the way. Casey’s toes curled as if on their own and he nearly howled with both pain and lust. He held back, choosing to swallow and gasp, over and over again. Now at the absolute hilt, Cal stayed still. His body was tense and firmed all over as he stared down on Casey, the gone-askew hairs over his forehead and by his temples trembling. “Keep g-going?” he asked in a shaky voice.



Casey nodded emphatically and accentuated his want by grabbing at Cal’s arms to pull him down even closer. “Please,” Casey said.



With that, Cal began moving back and forth, going slow the first few times. Casey’s body became looser and more relaxed; this encouraged Cal to move faster, pound harder. The man was all grunts and hisses, while Casey kept gasping and letting out strangled moans. Cal grabbed Casey’s thighs and held them tight. “Casey… oh, Casey…” he said. He put his head back and let out long, throaty moans. “You feel so good inside--hot, tight… fuck…”



Casey scrunched his eyes shut tight, slipped his legs from Cal’s shoulders and took hold of the man by his arms. Cal sank down enough to have Casey wrap his arms over his shoulders to his back, where he held his wrists together to squeeze in close. His lower half was lifted up to take Cal’s pounding full-force. Now at the edge of orgasm, Casey’s eyes crossed behind the lids and he rode the wave that finally crashed down over him. “Cal!” he cried before he came. It was a surprising event, seeing as Cal hadn’t been jerking him off. White-hot-wet covered his belly, which in turn smoothed over Cal’s. Once he was through, his limbs turned into jelly and his body sank even further into the blankets. It allowed Cal to manipulate him even more as he started fucking him with abandon. He too was reaching his peak; after a series of hard, quick thrusts, his expression shifted from deep concentration to bliss.



“Yes… yes,” he said. He cried out once, furrowed his brow and sent liquid heat into Casey. It felt like fire, one that Casey would dive into anytime. He smiled as Cal slowed to a stop, then slapped his hands down to hold himself up, framing Casey’s shoulders. Cal looked down, panting heavily. “So good. So very good.”



“Mmm,” Casey said in a murmur. He put his arms up above his head and stretched. “Good exercise.”



Cal chuckled; he exited Casey’s body in a slow slide then lay on his side, facing Casey. “Now tell me… compared to Dennis…?”



“Huh? Ohh…” Casey had to giggle and shake his head. “I can’t tell you that; that wouldn’t be fair.”



“Oh, c’mon now,” Cal said. He ran a finger along Casey’s temple and jaw-line, stroking up and down. “I won’t tell anyone?”



It couldn’t be helped. Casey turned onto his side as well and pecked Cal’s lips. “Fine. Dennis was good, but… mmm,” was all he could say before kissing Cal deeper. He figured it was answer enough when Cal put a gentle hand on his hip and pulled him in even closer. That was all they did for the last fifteen minutes allotted to them; it was sweet and blissful, letting Casey feel satisfied and warm.





~*~





Good--very good, Casey signed. Noah smiled and began signing back.



Never been with him. Heard he’s really nice.



Casey nodded emphatically, smiling wide. Yes, yes.



Noah raised his eyebrows. You’re blushing, he replied.



“Oh,” Casey said aloud. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged while Noah gave him a knowing grin. Casey returned to sipping his drink and looking around the room. He could only find one of the boys amongst the crowd. Jamie hadn’t drawn anyone in to go into the parlor, it seemed. Casey brought his knees up and sat facing Noah. He went to ‘talk’ when someone approached them--Bruce, from before.



“Hey,” he said to Noah. Though the boy couldn’t hear his greeting, he was looking right at him with a blank expression. “Couldn’t find you before.”



It annoyed Casey, how he spoke as if Noah knew what he was saying. The man then motioned for Noah to stand up. “Got another hour to play with. Let’s go.”



Noah knew what this meant, of course. He glanced to Casey, smiled weakly then signed: Later. Casey said bye, then watched him walk off. His curiosity was piqued now; Noah hadn’t looked pleased that he’d been bought by Bruce, but Zeke had done all he could to snag him away from Casey--something that still nagged at him. Everyone had their own personal kinks, but… who was ‘Petie’, anyway? He decided to find out. He walked over to Jamie, who was chatting away with Clark--James’ favorite. It must have been odd for James, having an attachment to the man but needing to share him. Just as Clark was running a hand over Jamie’s back, Casey got to his side and cleared his throat. “Hi,” he said.



“Hi there,” Jamie replied. “How’s your second night?”



“Good, good.”



“Mmm, I’ll bet. Saw you go with Cal, stars in your eyes and all,” Jamie said. The light teasing heated Casey’s cheeks again; Jamie chuckled. “Don’t get too wrapped up, young man.”



“Perhaps I wouldn’t mind two-at-a-time,” Clark interrupted. He now slid his other hand around Casey’s waist as if his arm was a snake. “That could get pretty creative.”



“You’re a wicked thing,” Jamie said in a cooing voice. He nuzzled Clark’s cheek with his nose and sighed. “Shall we go talk to Stephen?”



Casey looked between them--a menage a trois--something he’d wondered about since seeing Jamie and Henry in the parlor the night before. Would he have to do things with Jamie? That could make an awkward atmosphere later on, though Henry and Jamie hadn’t acted strange around each other that morning. Hoping for the best, Casey went over to Stephen with them and followed along.





~*~





Not only had Clark wanted to see the two boys ‘together’, he’d wanted to be left out to simply watch them at many points. Casey felt a small shiver as he put his shirt on, feeling odd. Clark had left moments before, letting Casey be alone with Jamie--if you didn’t count Henry and Danny, who were chatting idly on the couch between the two men that had been all over them when Casey had entered the room. They were just as quiet as Casey and Jamie were.



The cigarette Jamie smoked crackled and sent strings of white into the air. He’d only glanced once to Casey, wearing a tiny smile. Casey didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. “Should we go wash up?” he finally broke the silence.



“Yes, let’s. Clark was a little too… excited.”



Casey had to smile and nod. The two of them got up from their spots, headed into the main parlor then set off to the hall. While going up the stairs, Casey turned to Jamie and coughed into his hand. “Just curious--was I all right?”



“Yes, you were. A little over-eager at times.” Jamie winked at him. “But Clark liked it. ‘Likes to talk, too.”



“Yea,” Casey replied. There’d been a lot of talking on Clark’s end. It’d been strange, getting called ‘cute little bitches’ while they’d had their tongues extended to slide them together. As strange as it was, Casey had to admit… “YOU were good.”



Jamie laughed out loud. “I’ve been here longest--three years, so I know what I’m doing. You’re damned fine yourself, already. Don’t worry.”



They now approached the next set of stairs that led to the third floor; before they got halfway up, Casey heard Noah’s distinct yelling. It didn’t sound as if he was being pleasured--not in pain, either, but… odd. Casey looked over his shoulder, bit his lip then turned with Jamie at the top to head down to the shower room. After a deep sigh, he went on. “I was approached by Bruce.”



“Oh?”



“Yea.”



“I see. He does like a new boy from time to time.”



Jamie’s voice sounded tense. They undressed, went over to the showers and turned two of them on. The water was chilled at first, but it soon turned nice and hot. It felt good on Casey’s skin, clearing away the thin sheen of sweat and ‘leavings’. After a few moments of enjoyment, Casey decided to ask the more pressing questions. “He seemed strange--Bruce, meaning. Who exactly is ‘Petie’?”



The smile Jamie wore was a bit snide. “It’s not ‘who’, but what. Petie is what he calls his pistol. ‘Petie the Pistol’.”



“A… gun?”



“Mmhmm.”



Casey stared at Jamie a moment. “But… they ALLOW that here?”



“As long as it’s unloaded, sure,” Jamie said.



“So what exactly is it for?”



Jamie cocked his eyebrow and paused in his lathering-up. “Take a few guesses.”



“I…” Casey went to say, but couldn’t come up with words for a moment. “What--he, um…”



“Yea. He likes ass-play with the thing especially. I had him once, but he hasn’t bothered me since. Glad for that. I can take some kinks, but it was just too, too strange. He likes running it all over you, makes you suck it…”



Jamie’s descriptions made Casey’s eardrums shudder a little, his pulse picking up. He had to admit that the ‘surprise’ wouldn’t have been very pleasant; even if he had to put up with some strange things, it might have been too early for him.



Perhaps Zeke had picked up on that.





~*~





The men had taken their leave at around two o’clock, and Casey was glad for it. His last two customers, the ‘John’ that had almost fought for him the first night and another man--Marcus--had been quick and boring. Casey had been all coy smiles and sweetness while giving them deep-throat sessions, but couldn’t help a roll of his eyes when both of them has left the parlor. Just another job--nothing fancy or even good, but he HAD been spoiled by Cal. He almost smiled about him on the way from the showers to his and Zeke’s bedroom, but the thought of Zeke made him grow pensive again.



He walked in and found the young man sitting on his bed, rooting through a bag. Casey heard the clinking of coins. “Get a tip?” he asked.



“Yea, my last guy. He really liked the rimming I gave him,” Zeke replied.



“Rimming?”



Zeke smiled slyly. “Y’know, like when Cal buried his face in your ass yesterday.”



Casey had to be blushing, severely. “You weren’t even there,” he defensively replied.



“’Didn’t have to be. Jose told me all about it. Said it had to be a kink of yours, the way you went on,” Zeke said.



“Uh huh,” Casey said in a mutter. He then crinkled his brow in confusion. “Wait, Jose? How could he tell you anything? He doesn’t speak English.”



The smile on Zeke’s face faded. He then groaned and sat back on the bed. “Don’t say anything--I know Spanish. Me and Jose can talk sometimes, when no one’s looking.”



“Why, I mean… no one knows?”



“Nope. Jose likes it that way. He gets to name-call and bitch all he wants that way. He’s said some serious shit when the others tease him. It’s funny as hell.”



“Hmm, guess so. Hope he hasn’t said anything about me,” Casey said.



“Hah, he has. Nothing serious; just that you’re a pretty princess or some shit,” Zeke told him.



“Right…” Casey drifted off as he walked over to his bed. After grabbed a nightshirt from the drawer and put the towel on his bed, he turned back to Zeke. “How do you know Spanish?”



“I took it in my senior year of high school,” Zeke replied.



“Oh--wait, high school? Did you graduate or something?”



“Yea.”



“Then what the heck are you doing here?” Casey asked in amusement.



“Casey… Jesus, stop being so damned nosy.”



“Sorry,” Casey snappishly replied. “Just asking.”



Zeke lit a cigarette and sank onto his bed. “Whatever. It’s okay.”



Casey nodded, slipped his nightshirt on then put his towel in the hall-hamper to be washed. He crept back to his bed and laid down upon it. Yet again, he needed to ask questions. “Zeke?”



“Mmm?”



“Why did you jump into--what was going on, with Bruce?”



Zeke turned his eyes to look at him, then went back to staring at the ceiling. “He’s hard to take. Strange.”



“I found out about ‘Petie’.”



“Oh yea?” Zeke said. Casey nodded slowly and the young man sighed. “Yea. You weren’t ready for that shit.”



“Well… if I gotta do it, I gotta do it. Anyway, I wouldn’t ask you to volunteer for that,” Casey replied.



“Like I’d said, though--I’m the ‘relief man’ around here. And seriously, it’s fuckin’ weird. Creeps you out. He always saves it as a ‘surprise’ for the new boys.”



“So… he like, does things with it, huh?”



Zeke chuckled. “You’ve been here two nights and you can’t say ‘fucks you up the ass with a gun’?”



“Well…”



“Really, Case. It’s not a big deal.”



“Do you like it? The--pistol stuff?”



“It’s not a question of ‘liking’ something. I put up with it, because I can. I don’t care,” Zeke said.



The answer made Casey feel sad; he supposed that Zeke had SOME sort of affection for what he was doing, perhaps enjoying the pain he’d experience, but for him to feel forced into helping Casey out like he had was sobering. “After you, he got Noah,” Casey said.



“Yea, he likes Noah.”



“Yea.”



Zeke turned to him; he took a long drag off of his cigarette and raised his eyebrows. “Don’t worry about him, either. He’s a strong guy, he can take shit.”



“’Still makes me sad.,” Casey said.



“Mmhmm,” Zeke said. He snuffed his finished cigarette in his ashtray then shimmied under his sheets. Casey decided to do the same; he shut off the lamp, got under his covers and closed his eyes. Before he could fall asleep… “So what’s going on with you and Cal?”



Casey froze. “Huh?”



“’Word’s going around that you’re his favorite--willing to pay for a nice, private room to get with ya.”



“Well… that’s not THAT rare, is it?”



“No. He’s done it before, but his choices of boys have varied. Now he’s all about you,” Zeke said.



It was hard for Casey to keep himself from making a pleased sigh. “Yea,” was all he could say, the sigh escaping within the word.



“You’re not getting too into him, are you?”



“No. Well… maybe a little.”



“Gotta watch out for that. It never works out,” Zeke told him.



“I’m not gonna marry him, or anything,” Casey said. “We’re just--having fun.”



“Keep it at that. ’K? It’s not just because you might get hurt, but Stephen’ll notice and be annoyed by it. Cal ain’t even that great.”



“Pfft, he’s fine by me. Why, have you had him?”



“Once.”



Casey rolled his eyes while fluffing his pillow. He settled onto it, then huffed a breath through his nose. He was so tempted to start in on how maybe Zeke simply ‘liked it rough’, and having someone be slow and smooth wasn’t his thing. That could touch on a few nerves however, so he held back. “Well, he’s my favorite. So what?” he finally replied.



“Just watch it. S’all that I’m sayin’.”



“Whatever. Brat.”



“Jerk.”



“Loser.”



“Whore.”



Casey had to laugh. “Ooh, big insult--you’re one, too, y’know,” he said. He was pleased to hear Zeke chuckling.



“Shut up and go to bed,” Zeke said, still tittering away. “We’ll have our fun tomorrow.”



Sunday… free day. Casey smiled wide and let himself finally fall asleep.





~*~