by Gerald Lopez
“This bed is high, we’d better be careful not to fall off,” I said.
“Don’t worry I’ll hold you tight and keep you safe,” Alex said.
I turned him around, kissed the back of his neck and then worked my way down to his ass and legs and cute feet. When I turned him around we were in the perfect position to sixty-nine so we did. His mouth was incredible.
“Oh God, Layton. This is too good, I’m close.”
Hi comment made me hungrier for him and more eager to please him. I could tell we were both getting close but I didn’t want to pull off him. “I want it, all of it,” I said. Our earlier conversation in the car had left us both feeling free to be intimate.
He groaned loudly and I felt his body start to shake.
“I’m close too, hun,” I said.
“I want it too, Layton.”
Both our bodies shook fiercely as we exploded into one another. I’d never felt like this. My body trembled and kept thrusting again and again almost involuntarily and I groaned and groaned loudly. A tear came down my eye as I felt wave after wave of pure pleasure shoot through my body. Alex got up so he could hold me and I buried my face in his shoulder as tears came gushing from my eyes.
“Layton! Layton! What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t even talk, just hold him for a moment.
“Oh my God, Alex. Alex, holy shit,”
“What?” Alex said worried.
I ran my hand down the side of his face and just pulled him to me. After kissing his forehead and taking a deep breath I was able to speak.
“Shit. I have never ever in my fucking life felt an orgasm that extreme. I didn’t think it was gonna stop, I didn’t want it to stop. Shit. Fuck. Oh God that was fucking great!”
We both looked at each other and laughed. That night, in his arms I had the best and most restful sleep I’d had in years.
* * * *
I felt him starting to sit up but pulled him back down and wrapped my arms around him then nipped at his earlobe.
“Aren’t you hungry, Layton? And didn’t you get enough last night?”
“No, I can never get enough of you.”
We kissed then Alex got out of bed and opened the plantation shutters in front of us. Sunlight bathed the room and my arm went up to cover my eyes. My eyes adjusted and I looked at him naked and glowing in the sunlight. It was reminiscent of the day I’d first met him. He was made to shine in the sun like an angel.
“The sunlight makes it all real, doesn’t it,” Alex said. “Last night everything felt like it was a dream but reality rears its head in the day.”
“Reality doesn’t look so bad from where I’m sitting. The man I love is naked in front of me, what else do I need?”
Alex ran back to the bed, jumped in and hugged me hard before kissing me.
“I love you too, Layton. Now, what do you want for breakfast?”
“Surprise me.”
“Okay,” he said before kissing me again and then leaving.
Wow that was easy, I thought. The “L” word had just slipped out of my mouth without even thinking, and more importantly the sentiment was returned. I got up and noticed my luggage was in the sitting area. Opening my bag I took out a pair of brown, cotton shorts, and a light beige, ribbed V-neck Liz Claiborne for Men brand shirt that my fashion conscious cousin had bought me one Christmas. Finding my kit which contained my toothbrush and other essentials I picked it up and walked into the bathroom. When I’d finished brushing my teeth and taking care of other morning necessities I exited the bathroom. That’s when Alex walked in still naked with a food tray.
“I wanted to have breakfast in bed,” he said sounding disappointed.
“We still can,” I said getting back in bed and laying on top of the sheets.
“You look better than breakfast does,” Alex said.
Resisting other urges, we behaved ourselves and ate the scrambled eggs, toast and juice he’d brought.
“Thanks for the delicious breakfast, babe,” I said. “Why don’t we have dessert in that fancy shower I left my dirty clothes in last night.”
“Now that sounds good.”
We walked hand in hand to the shower I’d used last night. Once we’d gotten each other thoroughly clean we returned to Alex’s bedroom and dressed in between kisses.
“Alex, as fun as this is, I do have a case to work on. I was wondering if by any chance you have pictures or family histories here that I can look at that might help me feel things out.”
“There are no portraits or anything else like that here, they’re all at the old mansion in Shelby. But I do have something that you might find interesting.”
He took my hand and we walked barefoot into the hall and to the room directly across from his bedroom.
It was a nice-sized library with floor to ceiling bookshelves on two walls and a large fireplace on the wall in between. Above the fireplace was a painting of downtown New Orleans. There was a burgundy leather couch in the center of the room and a wood table in front of it. There was also a leather arm chair and a small table to the side of it which had a drawer and a key hanging out of it. Alex turned the key, opened the drawer, and took out an old book which he handed to me.
“It’s the Kennedy founder’s diary—well one of his many diaries. There are more of them at the old mansion. I brought it with me last time I was here so that Margo could show it to one of her guests.”
“It’s awfully old to just have in a drawer.”
“I meant to take it back home with me and forgot. Careless of me, I know, but fortunate for you maybe. I’ve got a few calls to make, so you can browse through it without me disturbing you.”
“You’d never be a disturbance to me, a distraction maybe, but never a disturbance.”
I kissed him then sat back on the couch with the diary. Alex opened the plantation shutters over windows on either side of the fireplace before leaving the library. The couch was comfortable so I sat back and began reading hoping to discover something illuminating.
Chapter 15
Excerpts From a Life
I’ve known the entirety of my life that God had called me, Jamison Kennedy, to spread his word. And I am dutiful to that calling upon me, though at times even I grow weary. My contentment in life comes simply from riding my steady steed about these lands and preaching to my fellow man.
I skipped ahead in Kennedy’s diary and read another passage.
It may be true what the visiting preacher told me, this very morn. Indeed even in the good book it states that it is not good for man to be alone. It may be time for me to find a helpmate. Tomorrow I will pay a visit to the preacher and see if he knows of any suitable woman I might marry.
It was a shame there were no portraits around so I could see the man who wrote what I was reading. Anxious to read about Mrs. Kennedy, I once again skipped ahead.
The girl Brigitte is indeed a beauty as they have previously said to me. But what does a man such as I need with a beauty such as she possesses. Her dowry is large though and she says that it can help me greatly in my calling. She may indeed be the helpmate I seek. I have decided that I will seek her hand in marriage.
It seemed like the marriage started off well enough.
I question Brigitte’s motives in wanting to build a large estate on my family land. But she claims that with a new home we could welcome in visitors who would be a help to me in my ministry. She also says that we can help her poor relatives and friends in Germany by sending for them to work on the building. Her heart is soft when it comes to the plight of the poor and I have no doubt of her strong desire to help those from her homeland. I give in as I have before.
Alex walked into the room and brought me a glass of orange juice.
“How’s it going, babe, discovered any of my family’s secrets?”
“Not yet,” I said taking the drink from him and tasting it. “Thanks, babe. How soon do we need to leave here for the gallery?”
“No rush. But I did
think you might want to go out for some beignets on the way to the gallery.”
“You thought right. I can’t come to New Orleans and not have beignets. Give me another twenty minutes with this diary and then we can leave.”
“Remember I’m taking the diary back to the old mansion so you’ll have plenty of chances to read it, and there’s always later tonight.”
“I had other plans for later tonight,” I said.
“Oh yeah, and what might those be.”
“Why don’t I give you a preview?” I didn’t wait for an answer before putting the glass down on a coaster that was on the side table, standing and taking Alex in my arms and kissing him. I sucked lightly on his lower lip before sitting back down.
“I like your plans,” Alex said before sitting on my lap and putting his forehead to mine.
I moved the diary to the table in front of us then turned and got on top of Alex. We got hot and heavy making out. He slid my shirt off over my head and unbuttoned my shorts which I took off and threw on the floor along with my underwear. My fingers fussed with the buttons on Alex’s shirt before I got fed up, ripped it open, and started sucking on his bare flesh. Then I pulled his shorts and underwear down. I kissed his belly before making my way downward and turning around so we were in a better position to sixty-nine. Knowing our time for this was limited I gave in to the heat of the moment and Alex followed suit. After all was done I lay back down and Alex lay on his side on top of and next to me with my arm around him. I sighed contentedly.
“I guess you were right before,” Alex said.
“About what?”
“About how I was a distraction.”
“Yeah, well I wasn’t complaining about that. You’re a very nice distraction. By the way, I’m sorry about the shirt.”
“I never cared for it much anyway,” Alex said as he tried to get up.
I held him down with one arm then patted his bare ass and kissed him.
“Do you have somewhere to rush off to,” I said.
“No.”
I picked up the diary and opened it up before speaking again. “Good, then you can keep me company while I’m reading, just be good and don’t distract me too much.”
I stretched my legs out and hung my feet off the end of the couch. It was long and almost fit my body full length. Alex wrapped his arms around my stomach, his legs around mine, and laid his head on my shoulder. It was nice.
My wife is overly close to her brethren , but I suppose it is understandable as she carries our first child. I pray to God it is a strong boy to carry on the family name. But this is not the place for a woman to birth a child. Our fine home is not yet done and this site is not safe for a woman in her condition, as the midwife has suggested to me. My lands and her money provide us with enough income to buy a safe and suitable home in New Orleans, so that is where she shall go. I shall send the midwife as well as a few servants and her brother and I will take turns visiting her.
“Pick a place, any place to read from, Alex,” I said.
Alex reached over and turned some pages and I read from where he stopped.
Because of the early birth of my first son, I have sent Brigitte to New Orleans early on in the second pregnancy. God blessed us with a healthy boy the first time, hopefully it will be so a second time. Our new home is coming along nicely, though a bit too extravagant for my humble taste. And in truth I do worry that my wife has grown too accustomed to New Orleans and its hedonistic atmosphere. I am also growing disturbed as to the strange customs of the workmen she has brought here. But I was moved by their desire to bring the bones of their ancestors here to rest on our lands. My poor misguided wife asked for the small island across the marsh to use as a cemetery for the bones of her ancestors. It touched me to hear that some of the workers also wanted to send for the bones of their departed brethren to move there as well. I told my wife that any mausoleums built on that land would sink. But she is a determined woman and said that she would have the workers build up the island. I laughed but that only made her more determined, so much so that I gave in to her. What does the island matter to me, and it gives her pleasure to think of it.
Alex skipped ahead for me, turning to another entry.
The home is done and in what I think to be too grand a scale, even if we are to use it for God’s will. Brigitte is back in New Orleans shopping while the nursemaid looks after our third son. My wife has grown too fond of that town and its excesses. I fear she will go through any inheritance left to her quickly, leaving my sons with nothing, so earlier today I visited my solicitor and wrote my will. All of these lands and the entirety of the estate will be first left to my blood heirs or should I have none alive at my death then the entirety of it will go to the Roman Catholic Church. That way Brigitte will never be able to squander it. Should anything occur to my sons then it will be safely in the hands of the holy church and not these German-Italian heathens.
“Whoa,” Alex said. “Those are strong words calling them heathens.”
“Haven’t you read this before, Alex?”
“No, not really. My mother always referred to great-great-whatever, grandpa Kennedy as an old kook and told me not to bother with his diaries or they might make me crazy too. You hear things enough times when you’re young and you start believing them.”
“Do you really believe reading this will make you crazy, babe?” I laughed, but saw how serious Alex looked and stopped.
“It’s not that I believe it,” he said.
He looked sad so I held him close and set the diary on the floor.
“When someone like your mom tells you stuff like that it kind of makes you nervous about doing it,” he said. “I’m an adult and I know I can’t go crazy reading it, but I still feel like I’m doing something bad.”
“I know what you’re saying, but you’re not doing anything bad. I’m the one reading it. You’re just keeping me company. And I think it’s time we get dressed and go do something really bad.”
Chapter 16
A Fun Day Out
After getting dressed again and putting on our flip-flops, Alex and I walked to the original Café Du Monde for beignets. Eating those calorie-laden desserts would be really bad. We sat outside at a table under the green and white awning and I stared at my triangular fried dough pieces piled high with powdered sugar. I tried to pick one up without making a mess.
Alex was smiling at me as I ate one, so I blew some of the powdered sugar on him and got a little on his shirt.
“Why are you messing up another one of my shirts?” he said, jokingly. “I can’t walk around shirtless or naked you know.”
“I don’t think anyone would complain if you did. You wouldn’t hear a complaint from me.” I took my napkin and wiped the front of his shirt, giving his nipple a quick and discreet pinch as I finished.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Layton?”
“Yes. The beignets are good, but I kind of expected more. They sort of remind me of the fried dough you get at fairs. Still, when in New Orleans one has to go to Café Du Monde for beignets, or so I’ve always heard.”
Once we’d finished eating we walked to the gallery that was showing Alex’s work. It was in a strip of buildings near the main street. A very high-end and impressive area. I stopped to look at Alex’s name in the front window and couldn’t resist putting my arm around his shoulder and squeezing. He looked at me and smiled. Inside we were greeted by an elegant looking older man of medium build with gray hair who was dressed in a very nice suit. Alex walked up to him and was immediately greeted with a kiss on each cheek. After I was similarly greeted upon introduction, we were left on our own to see Alex’s exhibit. We passed colorful glass vases and paintings in the first room then entered a room to the right where his photographs were on display.
“My photographs will be up until tomorrow when they’ll be shipped to the people who bought them,” Alex said.
“How’d you do?” I said.
“Sold out show.”
He said it matter of factly, but I was excited for him and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek.
“A sold out show may be run of the mill for you but I think that’s awesome, babe!” I said.
Alex smiled and put his arm around me.
“No one’s ever been that excited for me. Most people think this is all just a hobby for a rich guy’s kid. Take a look and let me know what you think, I’ve got to check some things in back.”
I looked up at the title of the exhibit which was “Family of Man” then I started looking at the photographs of various sizes. Some were black and white and some were color, but all were incredible. They weren’t mere photographs but as much works of art as a drawing or painting might be. A few photos showed native tribesmen in Africa, others looked like Indians in Peru and there were men from India and Asia. I spotted a picture of a nude Alex next to a nude African of similar build as well as numerous pictures of him nude with other men of various ethnicities. He noticed me looking at the pictures and must’ve thought I was a pervert when I walked up to the black and white picture of him and the nude African.
“You’re very good, Alex. I’m captivated by this black and white photo. The composition for this picture is excellent, especially the play of light and shade between the two similar figures. It’s sensuous, not because of the nudity, but because of the many shades of black and white found in the two bodies which make it seem almost like it’s in color.”
“Thank you,” Alex said.
“It’s also very clever. The theme I mean, the way you show mankind as a family across all cultures.”
He grabbed my hand and led me to a picture in the corner. It was of a simple cross in the middle of a vast desert. It too, was in black and white except for a ray of light from the rising sun. The light in the midst of the darkness bringing life to the emptiness, I thought. The photo moved me profoundly and I brushed a tear from my eye.
