Pretty Man

by Ryan Field

  “It is what it is,” Josh said, shrugging. He carefully measured teaspoons of ground coffee into the aluminum filter with his large fingers. It was finely ground gourmet coffee in a neat little gold package: a gift sent to the house that morning from Donna as a thank-you to Roland for meeting with her on Monday. Josh filled the pot with water, placed it on the burner, and turned on the stove. “Here goes,” he said. “I never made coffee like this before.”

  Roland smiled and shook his head. Moments like these accentuated their age difference. Roland stared at the old coffee pot. “There are some things Russell just can’t get used to, and coffee machines are one of them. And DVD players.” He sat down on a stool in front of the center island very carefully. He didn’t want to mention that the backs of his legs were a little sore that day because Josh and his rough, young buddies had fucked him so violently the previous night. But he wasn’t complaining—he couldn’t think of worse ways to get bruises on the backs of his legs.

  Josh found two mugs above the stove and set them on the island. “Do you mind if I use the phone for a minute?” he asked. “I promised Hillary I’d check in once a day.”

  “You don’t have to ask,” Roland said. “Just use the phone.”

  The dented old pot started to perk, filling the room with the aroma of rich, expensive coffee. Josh hung up the phone and scratched the back of his head.

  “Hillary has a problem. She said she forgot that Justin’s summer school gets out early today because of a teachers’ meeting. She was wondering if I’d pick him up in an hour and drop him off at the shop. She sounded pretty desperate. If I don’t get him she’ll have to close up and the guy who owns the place lives upstairs and never misses anything.”

  Roland shrugged. “I don’t see a problem. Call her back and tell her we’ll pick him up.” He stood from the counter and crossed to the stove so he could pour the coffee.

  The school was only a few blocks away. The building was old, with a red brick façade and yard fenced in by black wrought iron. Groups of small children stood outside waiting for their parents.

  “Hey, buddy!” Josh yelled across the schoolyard. “Justin! Over here!”

  A small boy with fair hair turned without a word and walked toward them. He carried a red backpack that was almost half his size. Little lights blinked in the heels of his tiny sneakers. He looked Roland up and down. “Where’s Mom?” he asked Josh.

  “She’s at the shop,” Josh said. “We’re going to drop you off there. This is my friend, Roland. He’s going to walk with us.” Josh didn’t slip into that forced, sing-song voice that so many adults used with small children. He spoke to Justin as if he were an adult friend.

  Justin looked at Roland and forced a smile before quickly looking down at his sneakers.

  “Nice to meet you Justin,” Roland said. He was about to reach out to shake the little boy’s hand, when he heard someone call his name from the other side of the schoolyard. He looked up and saw Donna loping across the yard, waving her right hand back and forth. A small boy walked by her side, carrying a dark blue backpack.

  Donna wore a beige suit and fawn leather pumps that matched her briefcase. “What are you doing here?” she asked, leaning forward to shake Roland’s hand.

  “I just came with a friend to pick up his son.” Roland forced a smile and shook Donna’s hand. He would have avoided running into her if he could have.

  “Hi Donna,” Josh interjected. “This early dismissal had Hillary all worried because she couldn’t get off work.”

  “Tell me about it,” Donna said. “I had to leave my office so I could drop Ansel off with my mother, and then I’m running back uptown to another meeting.”

  “You two know each other?” Roland asked incredulously. He looked down at Justin and Ansel. Ansel was casually pulling small cards from his backpack and Justin was looking them over carefully.

  “Only through school,” Josh said. “Justin and Ansel are in the same class, and we’ve been on a few committees.” His voice became steady and serious; the sound of a dedicated parent interested in his son’s education.

  Roland smiled and shook his head. “Small world. Donna was the person I had a lunch meeting with yesterday.” He put his left hand in his pocket and rubbed his chin with his right.

  “Ah, well,” Josh said. He looked into Roland’s eyes and smiled.

  Donna raised her arm and looked at her watch. “Look guys, I have to run if I’m ever going to get back to the office. But it was good seeing you two.” She reached down for Ansel’s hand and crossed through the gate. He’d already put the little cards back into his backpack. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you, Roland,” she cried over her shoulder.

  Roland laughed as he watched Donna lope toward the street in her high heels. “I really like her,” he said to Josh.

  “She’s a cool lady,” Josh agreed. He reached down and held Justin’s hand. The three of them walked back to Bleecker Street.

  Hillary thanked Roland for letting Josh take a few minutes of his time. But her arms were folded across her chest as she spoke, and she wouldn’t look Roland in the eye.

  “You know,” Roland said, stepping back and smiling, “I’m not holding Josh prisoner. He’s free to come and go as he pleases. Besides, Justin seems like a really cool kid. I don’t mind.” He wondered, briefly, how all these strangers had just popped into his life in less than a week’s time.

  Hillary sighed. “Well, thank you.”

  Josh and Roland left the shop and walked back toward Roland’s brownstone. But when they reached the corner of Perry Street, Josh said, “I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Let’s take a walk over to the East Village,” he said. “There’s a really cool sex shop that sells all kinds of kinky things. We can buy some cock rings.”

  “Cock rings?”

  Josh shrugged. “C’mon. It’ll be fun.”

  Shopping with Josh in the East Village was different from any shopping experience Roland had had been on. He was used to shopping in places like Versace and Gucci, where people ran to assist him and everything was brand new and perfect. There were times, if he was in a hurry, when all he had to do was walk into any one of his favorite stores and nod. He’d look down at a sweater, or a shirt, or a pair shoes, nod his head once, and sales clerks would actually bow. He rarely ever walked far, and never waited in any long lines. Even the salespeople in his favorite funky kitchen store, Mackenzie Childs on 57th Street, ran to his side the moment he walked through the door.

  Good thing Josh knew his way around the East Village; Roland hadn’t been there in years and would have been lost the minute they crossed through Washington Square Park. They reached the entrance of a small shop sandwiched between a Hungarian bakery and used clothing store. “I think you’ll like this place,” Josh said, opening the door. “It’s not Dungeon Alley, but it’s really cool.” The outside of the shop was painted black. A small pink sign on the front window read “Kinky Boiz.”

  “What’s Dungeon Alley?”

  “It’s between Chelsea and Midtown, and there are tons of fetish clubs. You’ve never heard of it?”

  “Ah, well,” Roland said, shaking his head. “Not really.”

  Josh laughed and pressed his hand on the small of Roland’s back. “You’ll like this more, trust me.”

  The inside of Kinky Boiz was painted black, too. The counters, walls and even the floors were all black. If you stood in the center and spread your arms out wide you could almost touch the walls. A handsome young man with jet black hair approached Josh and Roland.

  “Good afternoon,” he said. He wore a black shirt and matching skin-tight hot shorts. His fingernails were long and painted with bright white polish. Roland looked down and saw that the man had on two black leather garter belts and six-inch stilettos with chrome-tipped heels. “Is there anything I can help you with?” He looked Roland up and down and licked his bottom lip.

  “Ah, well,” Roland said. He put hi
s hands in the pockets of his khakis.

  “We’re here for cock rings,” Josh said nonchalantly.

  The store clerk winked at Josh, “Follow me, boys.”

  He led Josh and Roland to the back of the shop, passing mannequins dressed with leather, rows of kinky shoes and a wall lined with whips and chains. The young guy walked well in his high heels, even wiggling his ass a few times for them. They came to a thick, black door against the back wall. He opened it slowly and held it while Josh and Roland crossed into another room with more black walls. Roland had to look down; it was so dark he was afraid he’d trip over something. He heard techno music with deep bass coming from overhead speakers. The whole space smelled of musty old jock straps. When he looked up again, Roland saw that the small back room was not empty. In one corner was a naked man suspended in a leather sling from the ceiling, his legs spread wide. An older guy with salt and pepper hair pulled a large, black dildo in and out of his ass. In another area of the room, two naked young men watched porn on an overhead screen while making out on a long leather sofa. Roland looked up at the ceiling and his jaw dropped. There were dildos, in every size, color and shape hanging from the ceiling.

  The store clerk closed the door before leading Josh and Roland to a long glass counter illuminated by a red spotlight. On display were a myriad of cock rings, more dildos and leather gear. “We’re not very busy today, as you can see,” the man said, “So I’ll personally be able to help fit you both with the perfect cock rings.” He reached for Roland’s zipper.

  Roland jumped back. Josh chuckled. “Just relax, Man. This is why he took us back here. It’s a playroom.” Roland took a deep breath and lowered his arms to his sides while the guy in heels ran long, white fingernails gently across Roland’s forearm.

  “Yeah, handsome, I won’t bite you.” The clerk reached down and unzipped Roland’s pants to pull his dick out. Roland spread his legs and leaned back while the man gently pulled his semi-erect dick out of his pants. He cupped Roland’s ball sack in the palm of his left hand and ran the tips of his right hand’s white fingernails up and down Roland’s shaft. He had a light, gentle touch; the long fingernails barely touched Roland’s skin.

  Everyone in the room stared at Roland as he had his balls played with by a total stranger. Roland’s heart raced and his stomach turned. Blood rushed through his veins in spurts and waves and his pupils dilated as he slowly kicked off his loafers and pulled off his pants. The store clerk lifted Roland’s polo shirt up over his head and put it on the counter. Roland wasn’t wearing any underwear and was now completely naked except for his black socks. Roland’s cock was fully erect. The store clerk licked his lips.

  “Wait here while I get the cock rings,” he said.

  When he slipped behind the counter, Josh removed his clothes, too—everything but his socks. He’d become fully erect watching Roland strip. He pressed his dick into Roland’s ass. “I think we have an audience,” he said.

  Roland blinked a few times. The young guys on the sofa had stretched out, legs spread wide, slowly jerking their cocks while waiting for Josh and Roland’s next move.

  Roland leaned back into Josh’s strong body and sighed. Josh ran his hands under Roland’s arms, cupped his chest muscles, and squeezed tightly.

  The store clerk returned with a box of cock rings and a long leather leash hooked to a thick, black collar studded with silver spikes. He placed the box on the counter and fastened the collar around Roland’s neck so the leash fell down the front of his body. When the man’s long fingernails brushed Roland’s neck, he felt a chill run down his spine. The clerk pulled a thick, black leather cock ring studded with more silver spikes out of the box. He wrapped his fingers around Roland’s erection, shoved the cock ring under Roland’s balls with his other hand, and fastened the snaps. Blood rushed to Roland’s dick; it grew at least a third larger and the head became round and shiny. The clerk ran the tips of his nails up and down the bulging shaft. Roland closed his eyes and leaned forward slightly so Josh’s dick would fall into his ass crack, wiggled his hips a few times, and asked Josh to tug on the leash.

  Josh smiled and grabbed the leash. “Gladly.”

  He pulled, sending Roland’s body forward. His cock pulsed. “Now you’re my cock slave,” Josh said. He bit his shoulder and yanked the leash again.

  The heeled store clerk got down on his knees and put another cock ring around Josh’s big dick, pressing his nose into Josh’s balls to make sure the cock ring was properly situated. He took deep breaths so he could inhale the tangy smell between Josh’s legs. When the cock ring was snapped tightly, he stared back and forth between Roland and Josh’s erections. “I think these are perfect. But there’s really only one way to know for sure. Why don’t you boys go over to the sofa and try them out?”

  Josh grabbed the leather leash and pulled Roland across the room toward the sofa. The two young guys moved closer together so half the couch was empty. When Josh sat down, Roland reached into a large red bowl on the coffee table and pulled out a lubricated condom. Josh stretched his long legs out and rested them on the laps of the two naked guys. They watched while Roland climbed up on Josh’s lap, covered the young man’s cock with a condom, and slowly slid it all the way inside. When Roland arched his back and lifted his ass slightly, the other men could see Josh’s dick fill his hole.

  The two guys at the sling weren’t paying attention anymore. They were fucking hard by then, the top’s balls slapping against the other guy’s ass.

  Josh grabbed Roland’s waist with one hand and tugged on the leash with the other. “Ride my cock now. Let these guys see how a real bottom takes dick.”

  Roland closed his eyes and lifted his ass up and down with careful, circular movements. The cock ring made it feel even bigger and harder. The young guys leaned forward so they could watch Josh’s huge dick slip in and out of Roland’s tight, pink hole. Roland sat up, enjoying the attention, then engorged Josh’s dick again until the only thing the guys could see were Josh’s balls pressed up against Roland’s ass. One of the guys on the couch grabbed Roland’s ass and guided the older man up and down faster along Josh’s cock. Roland moaned. “Fuck me, yeah, fuck me harder.”

  “Ride that cock with that tight pussy-hole,” Josh groaned. He tugged on the leash. “Are you my cock slave?”

  “Yeah,” Roland said, “I’m your fucking cock slave.”

  “Beg for my dick.”

  “Please, give me your dick. Please, can I have your dick?”

  The store clerk stripped, except for his high heels and black garter belts, and approached Josh and Roland. He reached down between Roland’s legs and wrapped his fingers around Roland’s cock. Roland rode the long pole fast now, thanks to the other guy who was helping his ass go up and down from behind. When Roland looked down and saw the long white fingernails jerking his dick, he felt the beginning of what promised to be an outrageous orgasm. He heard the guy in the sling shout, “Fuck me!” from across the room and felt Josh’s hips buck faster.

  Josh tugged the leash hard. “I’m close. I’m really close. You want me to come?” His big legs were moving around now, rubbing all over the two guys on the sofa who were jerking off with their jaws dropped.

  “Go,” Roland said. “Fuck me, fuck me hard. Blow that load all the way up my ass.” He clamped down on Josh’s cock, which filled the condom with three loud, intense slams. Roland sat down so that the entire dick was inside his body, threw his arms up in the air while the guy with the fingernails jerked him off, and came with such power he actually felt the come pass through his penis and shoot over Josh’s head. It splashed on the black wall not far from the sofa.

  The store clerk came next, followed by one of the couch guys who was still pinned to the sofa by Josh’s long legs. When the last man in the group was on the edge, he shouted to Josh: “Can I suck your toes?”

  Josh smiled and lifted his socked foot toward the young guy’s hungry, open mouth. “Knock yourself out,” he said. “Blow
that load.” The moment Josh’s toes touched the tongue, the man shot a load all over his chest.

  The store clerk stood up and wiggled his naked ass back to the counter to get a roll of paper towels so they could clean up. When Roland lifted his body from Josh’s dick, the two guys leaned forward so they could see it slide all the way out. One of them reached forward and squeezed Roland’s ass a few times. “Thanks,” he whispered. “Good show, guys.”

  Roland looked down at Josh and smiled. “Are you okay?”

  “Never been better,” Josh said, taking a wad of paper towels from the clerk and pulling the used condom off his cock.

  * * *

  When they were dressed and back on the street, Roland looked down at the bag in his hand and smiled. He’d purchased the cock rings, leash and collar; a few leather garter belts (he liked the way they looked on the store clerk); and a peculiar contraption that resembled a leather hospital mask, but with an opening at the mouth. Roland assumed it was for blow jobs.

  “We put on some show back there,” Josh said as the men walked underneath the huge arch in Washington Square Park. “Those two guys couldn’t get over the way your ass swallowed my dick.” He put his arm around Roland’s shoulders and smiled.

  “Yes we did,” Roland said. He’d lingered for so long back at the sex shop, waiting until the very last minute to put his clothes back on, enjoying the pleasure of showing off his naked body even when the sex was over. He would never have done anything like that alone, or even with Kenneth for that matter (definitely not with Kenneth). But with Josh it felt natural and safe. Roland smiled. “You know what’s really weird?”

  “What?”

  “In the last five days I’ve had the best, most-fun sex of my life.”

  Josh laughed and pulled him closer. “Me, too, my man.”

  “I say we go to Magnolia’s now and have cupcakes for dinner. I love that place. It reminds me of home.” As soon as the words left his mouth, it occurred to Roland that home had been a big empty yacht off the coast of Florida for more than a year. He looked down at the sidewalk and frowned.