“Yes. Like you.”
“Like me?” Theodore asked, stopping suddenly. Well, of course, even though he hadn’t thought this through, obviously Jasper was seeing something in him. “What makes you think that I—”
“The way you look at me. The way you look at the male customers when they don’t know you’re studying them. I know what to look for.”
Theodore’s hand was shaking as he raised it toward Jasper; he was hesitant and anxious at the same time. With one final momentary pause, one final moment of hesitation, Jasper and Theodore both moved forward at the same time. And from that point, it was mutual.
As he did when greeting any other man, Theodore extended his right hand to Jasper. But unlike his usually greeting, he cupped Jasper’s hand between both of his own. When Jasper did the same and held Theodore’s hand with both of his own, Theodore felt electricity sparking between them. Theodore wasn’t sure who actually initiated it, but their lips came together slowly in a first, tentative kiss.
“I think my heart is going to beat right out of my chest,” Jasper whispered to Theodore, their heads only inches apart.
“Mine too.”
Theodore was so excited he smiled joyously at Jasper. They tried a second kiss. This kiss was unlike the first and had an animalistic intensity that spread quickly throughout Theodore’s body. He and Jasper allowed their hands to roam over each other’s backsides. Theodore carded his fingers through Jasper’s hair as Jasper explored his muscles before moving to loosen Theodore’s tie.
They were both panting for breath when the kiss ended. But like a child with a new toy, Theodore wanted to play some more. For fully ten minutes, they stood in the aisle of the empty store, kissing, caressing, stroking each other, both their shirts unbuttoned and hanging loose. They’d unfastened each other’s belts enough to allow further explorations. But it wasn’t enough. They wanted more.
“Stairs,” Theodore moaned.
“What?” Jasper said between kisses.
“Stairs. Up. Now.”
Finally getting what Theodore was telling him, they turned and practically raced up the stairs, both being careful not to trip over their loosened pants. Theodore led the way to his bedroom, a room that had never seen the presence of another man—until that night. Not only was there another man, but that man was someone he knew, an incredibly handsome man, and he had Theodore so hard his pants, though loosened, were painful the way they constricted his erection.
After making sure the window blinds were tightly closed, Theodore lit a single lamp and set it on a very low flame. With the soft glow of light, he returned to Jasper and helped him to slip out of his clothes.
Theodore still wore his own clothing, in a fashion, but he had Jasper completely naked. Standing still, his mouth open, he tried desperately to take in the entire picture.
“You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen,” he whispered to Jasper before rushing forward to crash into him and kiss him again. He wanted so desperately to touch Jasper.
When Jasper reached out to caress Theodore’s still clothed back, Theodore took that as permission to touch Jasper as well, even though Jasper was unclothed. Just the merest touch of his hands on Jasper’s back and backside was electrifying. Theodore could have happily just explored, just stroked Jasper’s beautiful body.
They brought their hands back to each other’s chests tentatively, carefully, delicately coasting over the muscles and the nipples of the other. Theodore was the first to do more than brush over the nipples, pausing to gently tweak one of Jasper’s nipples.
When Jasper responded to that move by dropping his head back slightly, his mouth opening, his eyes closing, and a soft moan escaping from his lips, Theodore knew he had to do something more. Gently he pushed Jasper back against the bed, the back of his legs bumping into the bed and causing him to fall backward onto the mattress. Theodore followed almost immediately, his tongue darting out and teasing the nipple his fingers had just toyed with a moment earlier. And if Theodore thought that Jasper’s response to his fingers was positive, his response to Theodore’s tongue was tenfold more powerful.
Jasper’s back arched off the bed, thrusting his chest into greater contact with Theodore’s lips and tongue. He pulled Theodore higher until their lips found one another once again. If possible, their kiss that time was more intense than any of their earlier kisses had been. Since he was on the bottom at the moment, Jasper naturally spread his legs to allow Theodore room to lie fully atop his body. Without even thinking, Theodore took hold of Jasper’s legs and pulled them up to rub his obviously very erect penis along Jasper’s ass.
“Clothes,” Jasper gasped.
“What?” Theodore whispered.
“You. Clothes. None,” Jasper said between kisses. “Need you out of your clothes. Now.”
Theodore didn’t need to be told twice. He jumped up from the bed and practically ripped off his clothes until he was as naked as Jasper. He moved quickly, partly so Jasper wouldn’t have time to see his body.
His intention had been to return to the top of Jasper’s body, but when Theodore caught sight of the beautiful man lying prone on his bed, with one arm raised above his head, resting on the pillow, Theodore stopped to take in the view before him. Jasper’s penis looking so swollen and aroused caught his attention, and without thinking he moved there and licked his way along the shaft of the penis, then teased the head of the shaft with his tongue.
Jasper made approving sounds at the feel of Theodore’s tongue on his member. When Theodore used his mouth and throat to envelope all of Jasper’s rigid rod, Jasper appeared very close to screaming. The pillow that had been under his head a moment earlier was quickly pulled over his face to muffle his sounds.
Theodore was out of practice. At one time he could have easily managed to suck the entire member into his mouth and into the back of his throat, but it had been so long since he’d last done that. Jasper didn’t seem to be opposed to serving as a test subject. As Theodore bobbed his head up and down on Jasper’s erect penis, Jasper gripped the sides of Theodore’s head, as if concerned that Theodore was going to suddenly stop—a move he simply had to prevent.
Suddenly Jasper gasped a huge lungful of air, and thrust his body upward, driving his erection deep into Theodore’s hot mouth. His body went rigid, and Theodore’s mouth was flooded by a salty wetness. Jasper grabbed the pillow to cover his face again as he jerked, thrashed, moaned, groaned, and cried out with his release. Through it all, Theodore held on, never once losing his connection with Jasper’s rigidness.
With one final gasp and a total body shudder from Theodore swiping his tongue over the supersensitive head of Jasper’s penis, Jasper collapsed back onto the bed, panting. Theodore pulled off from Jasper’s wilting erection and moved up to lie beside him, their heads close together.
“That… was…,” Jasper started.
“Wonderful,” Theodore said.
“Theodore. That was the best thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life,” Jasper told him, which made Theodore smile with great delight.
Chapter Twenty—Jasper
JASPER AND Theodore dozed lightly, but then Jasper stirred and pushed himself up from the bed.
“What’s wrong?” Theodore asked drowsily.
“I need to get dressed and go home.”
“Why don’t you stay?” Theodore invited him.
“My family will worry if I don’t come home.”
“I hate the thought of you going all that way home in the dark. Are you sure they wouldn’t understand?”
“I… I really should go home.”
“But it’s late… and cold,” Theodore tried.
“Theodore, you are making this very difficult for me.”
“Good,” Theodore said with an impish smile as he rose to his knees on the bed, his nude body once again in front of Jasper.
Jasper’s mouth opened and a soft moan escaped.
“Okay,” Jasper said. “You talked me into it, bu
t my mother may never speak to me again.”
“I’ll explain to her—”
“What?” Jasper asked. “Just what are you possibly going to tell her?”
“I’ll explain that I required you to stay late to help me unpack a huge order, but that in good conscience I could not send you out into the dark and cold so late at night. I’ll tell her that I simply insisted.”
“And I agreed so easily?” Jasper asked, getting into the spirit of Theodore’s play.
“Of course. You are a very good boy, after all,” Theodore said.
“I am the best boy,” Jasper said, thumping his chest.
“Looks like you’re all man from this perspective. And in terms of you being the best, I will need more data to make that judgment,” Theodore said.
“Well, then, by all means, in the name of exploration, let’s get to it.”
“Wait. Are you hungry?” Theodore asked.
“Starving, actually,” Jasper told him.
“Food first. Come with me.”
“Let me find my clothes first.”
“Why?” Theodore asked. “You don’t need yours, and I don’t need mine.”
“Theodore!” Jasper scolded. “Someone could see.”
“Who?” Theodore asked. “Notice the curtains I have at all of the windows. It is impossible to see inside here unless I want someone to see.”
Jasper nodded in agreement after inspecting the windows.
“What about the cold?” Jasper asked.
“I’ll go stoke the fire in the kitchen stove. The room will be toasty warm in no time. But if it will make you feel better,” Theodore offered, “here, drape this blanket across your shoulders.” He also provided Jasper with a pair of warm, woolen socks to keep his feet warm.
True to his word, in no time at all, Theodore had the kitchen toasty warm. They shed their blankets and sat nude in the kitchen, enjoying their food and their time together before returning to the bedroom to continue their earlier explorations.
THE FOLLOWING day, at midmorning after he’d run upstairs to fetch something, Theodore stopped halfway down the stairs as he was returning. For once the store was quiet with only one customer. Jasper was tending to that customer while Theodore watched.
The beauty of the man across the room behind the counter was unrivaled by any other man in the county. Jasper was tall, well-bodied, fuller in form than Theodore, and had a head of jet-black hair. Theodore had discovered the previous evening how good it had felt to run his fingers through that hair, grabbing it when he wanted to make Jasper move faster or slower.
Jasper had, in addition to physical beauty, a personality that was radiant. Theodore could not believe his good fortune. It took a very particular personality to be able to work well with the many and varied customers that came into the store, and Jasper had that character.
Theodore watched the way Jasper smiled at the woman he was waiting on at the moment. Jasper had charm that was naturally on display most of the time.
As he watched the vibrancy of the man, his physical characteristics, his obvious joy for life, the sound of his laughter, the twinkle in his eye, not to mention the way he filled out the shirt he wore beneath his store apron, Theodore had to quickly move down the stairs in order to hide his arousal. He had never had to contend with such things before Jasper arrived.
Theodore had been devastated when he had loved Martin only to have him move away, and he was determined to not make the same mistake with Jasper. Even though it went against every instinct to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself, he didn’t want to do that with Jasper. He wanted to tell him just how much he had come to appreciate him and enjoy his company over the months.
Safely positioned behind a display table about twenty feet away from Jasper, Theodore’s eyes were drawn to the man’s beauty once again by default. He hadn’t noticed the shadow of a beard that graced Jasper’s jaw, but his new angle gave him a perfect view.
That morning they’d both been distracted with each other and had had to hurry to get the store open on time. Jasper had obviously not taken the time to shave. Theodore wanted to go up to him and rub his hand, his cheek, over Jasper’s stubbly jaw. The jaw that was so masculine, so perfect, so very arousing.
Repeatedly that day, Theodore’s attention returned to Jasper, catching him climbing a ladder to retrieve something from a top shelf. The man wore his pants very well. Another time he spied Jasper leaning over to retrieve something from a cabinet at floor level. That time was the worst and was the closest Theodore came to being noticed.
That afternoon, once the store doors were locked, Jasper leaned back against the door and focused on Theodore, who stood about ten feet away.
“So, Theodore, did you like what you were looking at today?”
“What?” Theodore asked.
“You are not very subtle, my friend.”
“You… you saw?” Theodore asked.
“Oh, yes, I saw. It also nearly made me embarrass myself a couple of times. And that would not be good for business.”
“I understand and shared the problem,” Theodore said.
“You did?” Jasper asked, walking toward Theodore.
“Yes, I did,” Theodore answered, making his own move toward Jasper.
“Why did you have that problem?” Jasper asked with a smile, now directly in front of Theodore.
“Why? Well, let me see. It was this,” Theodore said, lightly kissing Jasper. “Your lips. And then it was this,” Theodore said, running his hands along Jasper’s sides, helping him to slip his apron off. “And these.” Theodore gently ran the back of his hands over Jasper’s nipples.
Jasper’s nipples were surprisingly sensitive, and Theodore had quickly learned they were a way to immediately get a moan out of Jasper.
“It was this,” Theodore said, slipping his hands around to cup Jasper’s ass, at the same time pulling him in for another kiss.
AS THE year came to a close, Theodore’s feelings for Jasper chased away the shadows of his experiences in New York City. He continued to receive letters from Martin.
January 1, 1905
My dearest Teddy—
The governor has once again declined my request for pardon. I don’t understand it, but I guess somehow I am still guilty, even though the person with whom I supposedly committed a crime is not guilty. Perhaps I was engaged with a ghost. Who knows? I am resigned to sitting here while life out there goes on. Be well, my friend.
Martin
Several times Theodore checked the envelope to look for additional pages, convinced that there had to be more than just the few words he found on that one sheet of thin paper. But there was nothing he had missed. The sum total of Martin’s correspondence was one page with those few words.
UNABLE TO do anything for Martin, Theodore focused on his relationship with Jasper. The typical routine became closing down the store and then quickly adjourning upstairs to Theodore’s bedroom for half an hour before Jasper had to mount his horse and head for home. The situation frustrated Theodore. He was in love with Jasper and it pained him every night when he had to watch the man dress and then ride off to sleep somewhere else. He resolved to do something about the situation, even though potential solutions were not necessarily easy or inexpensive.
After a number of weeks of feeling frustrated at Jasper having to leave so late to go home, Theodore decided the time was right for a conversation. One morning before opening the store, Theodore said, “Jasper, I need to speak with you. I’ve been thinking.”
“Should I be worried?” Jasper joked.
“Hush. Listen. I’ve been thinking. Every night when we are apart, I ache for your presence in my bed.”
Jasper sighed and looked away. “But you know it would not be looked upon as acceptable for two unrelated men to be sharing living quarters. And everyone would know. You cannot tell me otherwise. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. I do not see how it is possible to do anything else.”
�
�That’s why I’ve been thinking. The building next door is vacant now that the business there closed.”
“Yes, I’ve wondered what was to become of the space.”
“I can answer that now. I’ve purchased it and plan to connect the main floor of that building with the store floor here in this building, making the store significantly bigger.”
“That would double the size of your store space.”
“Yes, it would. But that’s not the key point.”
“It’s not? This I need to hear,” Jasper said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking expectantly at Theodore.
“The entire building is vacant. That building is the mirror image of this one. I propose we combine the store spaces and build an apartment above that floor for you.”
“What? For me?”
“Yes. But I suppose technically it is more for us.”
“Explain, please.”
“I want it to appear to the outside world that there are two separate apartments, but I want to build a private passage from the one apartment to the other. The two apartments will be linked privately from within.”
“You mean… we can go from one to the other without anyone seeing.”
“Precisely. That would allow us to maintain public appearances as two merchants and yet still be able to be together. I hate it when you have to leave each night. Will you please live with me if I do this?”
Jasper was nearly speechless, but finally managed to utter, “Yes.”
“Thank you,” Theodore practically shouted. That same day, Theodore hired a team of carpenters to begin work making the structural changes he wanted.
Four weeks later, after much noise, dust, and commotion, the construction was finished. When Theodore excitedly showed the space to Jasper, he asked, “So, what do you think? Was it worth all of the disruption?”
“I love it,” Jasper said with a smile. The changes they had made were significant and it all looked so fresh and new.
A Night at the Ariston Baths Page 17
