“Hey, aside from Yu—that’s the Asian guy I met last month, I don’t mean ‘you’ as in the pronoun…all of my sexual encounters have been substantive, physically satisfying, and they’ve lasted weeks at least.”
“What about Nevil?”
“God, Sandy, and you call me OCD?” Jake said with an embarrassed laugh. “Steel trap memory you’ve got. Nevil I’d like to forget, that was just an early, drunken mistake, a way to help me get acclimated. Even though I didn’t know I was being played, I knew sex with Nevil was a bad idea. Still, I get your point. Fine, lesson learned, I’m richer for the experiences, and not just in financial terms. You’re basically saying I need to just exhale, see the sun for the bright orb that it is, not shun its warm advances?”
“What did you tell me the other night?” Sandy asked. “Those sunny days made writing difficult. You loved when rain coated London.”
“I got much more accomplished, that’s true.”
“Well, at least you’ve adapted to the English philosophy. Rain is no deterrent to life.”
Jake, continuing to stare upwards at the ceiling, thought about the words he’d just heard, let them sink deep into his sweaty pores. Sure, he put pressure on himself, but he was ambitious and wanted…no, expected much from life. Life didn’t come to you, not in his experience, you had to go out and chase it, find it, plan for it…
Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy to let go. Jake Westbury was who he was, just as Hunter was himself, and Nevil and Sandy and heck, even the ominous, silent Junior. Changing your life was not an easy thing to accomplish, and when it came to yourself, your heart and your soul and your very being, it was next to impossible to achieve. But Sandy’s point was taken. One step at a time, adapt to the situation, accept what you have to, change what you can.
Jake slid his hands over Sandy’s chest, brushing the dark pelt. He felt his cock stir.
“Ah, looks like someone has returned to the world of the living,” Sandy said, responding to his lover’s touch. “You want me again?”
“No,” Jake said, rolling onto his back and lifting his legs. “I want you.”
While the afternoon sunshine waned and the night began to settle over London, Jake and Sandy indulged their passions for one last night, Jake happily receiving Sandy’s cock now, later, again, again, eyes closed to the world outside, luxuriating in the lush forest in his bed, his thickly haired lover, his piercing, thrusting cock. Tomorrow was another day, and while it may be his last one in London, there was nothing on the agenda but a parcel delivery. He would see where the day took him. For now, the night, this lover, this furry man who so fed his fetish, took him to new heights, and for the first time in a long time he allowed his mind to shut down, to stop thinking, to just live, just enjoy.
* * *
New heights indeed. Jake Westbury had finally made it to the London Eye, nearly three months since his arrival, and wasn’t it about time? His feet shuffled forward in the long, orderly line, where both Londoners and tourists alike waiting to gaze upon the city at night. He stared up at the magnificent wheel, at its glass capsules and spokes, still amazed at the technology and engineering behind such an attraction. He knew it had originally been intended to be taken down after the arrival of the millennium, but it had prove too popular and profitable to do, much like the Eiffel Tower after the World’s Fair more than a century ago. He neared the “take off” platform, as it was referred to, noticing the people ahead of him. A family of four, two couples, a woman who seemed to be traveling on her own, a few teenagers who were loud and obnoxious. Please don’t let me spend an hour in an enclosed capsule with them…
Sandy had offered to come with him, but Jake and he had already said their goodbye this morning, after they had spent the night screwing each other’s brains out. A morning session had capped their summertime fling, and so, with a parting kiss and a half-hearted exchange of email addresses and keeping in touch, the two men parted. Now, Jake was alone, just like at the start of his trip, and he thought it ideal that he end it this way. Soaring 500 feet into the air and getting this rare, bird’s-eye view of the great capital, he thought it was the perfect way to leave behind a city he’d fallen in love.
Wasn’t that ironic. It was the destination that had truly captured his heart, not the men whom he’d met, shared, lusted after, seduced, fucked and fantasized about. And now he prepared to see the city from a fabulous, soaring viewpoint. Winding his way around the metal walkway, he at last emerged onto the platform, watched as one of the glass capsules gently glided down. First the passengers cleared out, then came a quick scan inside from security before the capsule was allowed to load a fresh group of flyers. The rowdy kids had gotten on the earlier one, so Jake joined the family of four and the two happy couples and a few other quiet foreigners who stood behind him. In all, 12 people boarded his capsule, and at last the doors closed and they began the slow progression to the top.
Jake could not have had a more perfect night. The bright sun had slipped below the horizon and a lush, full moon emerged from behind the few darkened clouds, highlighting an already beautifully lit city with the sparkle of nature. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament glowed in gold, and in the distance the BT tower jutted high into the dark sky. Buckingham Palace was aglow, quiet, regal, surrounded by green, plush gardens closed down for the night. As his fellow fliers photographed the beautiful sights, muttering and pointing, Jake contentedly peered against the glass, taking in the stunning world spread out before him. He didn’t need photos to remember such a moment, he didn’t need company in which to share it. It felt good to just be alone with his thoughts, with himself, taking stock one last time of his life, his journey, his adventure.
As he reached the eye’s zenith, a full 500 feet above the Thames, Jake noticed that in one of the capsules below him, a man and woman sat alone, a bucket of ice and chilling champagne between them, a lone candle casting a glow inside their pod. A London Eye employee stood inside with them for safety reasons, but he looked away, allowing the couple their privacy. The man popped the bubbly and he handed the lovely looking woman a glass. She nearly jumped for joy a second later. Jake wasn’t sure, but he was fairly certain she was pulling a ring from out of the golden bubbles of the champagne. Suddenly people in capsules all around them began to applaud, and Jake joined in the celebration, envious of the newly engaged couple, of this experience, of their life ahead of them, of a future held with promise that began high in the sky above a city known for it rich past.
Someday, Jake though, someday I will have that, too.
But he wasn’t going to put a timetable on it. No plan this time. Just let it happen.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Well, old chap, hope you had a fun stay with us,” Steven said, shaking Jake’s hand while the two of them stood in the flower-rich back yard one last time. “I don’t quite know all went down with you this summer, you know, that kayak business and all that happened over in Newbury, but you don’t seem any the worse for wear.”
“It’s been quite an adventure,” Jake said, smiling.
Jennie reached out and gave him a big hug, kissing his cheek. “I’d apologize for all those noisy nights Steven and I kept you awake while we…well, you know…but the last few weeks, you and Sandy kind of even-up the score. He’s a cute fellow. Are you going to continue to see him? Nice, trouble-free. Unlike…”
“Please don’t say his name,” Jake said, holding up his hand in mock defense. “You first mentioned him here, let’s leave the memory where it belongs. No need to come full circle, as they say. As for Sandy, no, his life is complicated to say the least, we had our good times. Me, I’ve just got to get back to New York and see what awaits me there. At least I have a new perspective on matters of the heart, something Sandy and…that other guy taught me.”
Just then they heard the rumble of a car as it pulled into the driveway. Jennie said she’d go alert the cabbie that he’d be right out, giving Jake and Steven a moment to themselves.
> “Come on, I want to show you something,” Jake said, leading his friend and landlord to the edge of the yard. The waters of the Thames flowed gently, sparking a memory in Jake’s mind. He pointed down to the river, where two brand new kayaks were bobbing in the water, tethered to the small wooden dock. “Maybe you can show Jennie the pleasures of paddling along the Thames. It’s a beautiful sight to share, it would be good for you both.”
“You didn’t have to replace my kayak,” Steven said.
“Yeah, I did. It’s the least I could do.”
Quite honestly, a small dent in Hunter’s money had paid for the new kayaks, but Jake wasn’t about to explain. He’d just been happy to find them online the other day, had them delivered yesterday while Steven and Jennie were out running errands. He was glad they hadn’t discovered them, he enjoyed showing off his gift.
The two men shook hands again, then embraced with a manly hug. “A nice going away present, Jake. We both thank you. Come back anytime.”
As Jake made his way around the front of the house on Deodar Road, an unexpected sight welcomed him. A black stretch limousine was waiting in the driveway, and Jennie was chatting up Charles the Chauffeur. As always, he was dressed in traditional black, very formal, very proper.
“What’s going on?” Jake asked.
“Charles here tells me he has instructions to drive you to Heathrow,” Jennie said.
“Courtesy of Mr. Berenson,” Charles said with a curt nod.
“He didn’t have to do that,” Jake said, but he wasn’t going to turn the offer down. He excused himself to grab his bags, and when he came down the steps, Charles took command of them, loading them into the trunk. Jake gave his friends one last hug before approaching the limo. He stole one last look at his home for the last few months, holding his hand over his heart. Then Charles opened the door and Jake slid inside. The door closed, Jake settled into the plush leather seats…and discovered he wasn’t alone.
“Hello, Jake.”
He paused, unable to speak. Heck, he could barely breathe.
“Surprised to see me?” asked Hunter Abbott.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
The partition separating driver from passengers slid down. “Mr. Abbott?”
“Yes, Charles, we’re good to go.”
“Where are we going?” Jake asked.
“Heathrow,” Hunter said, and then when he saw the worried expression on Jake’s face, he patted his knee to reassure him. “Fear not, Jake, I’m merely along for the ride. It really was Sandy’s idea to send Charles after you, but I happened to be privy to inside information and convinced old Charles here to allow me to tag along.”
“Ah,” Jake said, following that up with studied silence. Just what did Hunter want? His money back? Was this that feared other shoe dropping, finally? For Jake, the notion of keeping all that cash had seemed pure fantasy anyway, which is why he’d hadn’t spent any of it (kayak aside). He’d always feared that before his plane lifted off British soil, he’d have to face up to the fact that he had, literally, stolen nearly $100,00. Now, as he looked at Hunter, it wasn’t the potential loss of the money he was really thinking about it. It was the loss of Hunter himself. He was as handsome as ever, his face freshly shaved, his body strong, tan, worry-free. Of course, his customary tight jeans showed off his sizable package, though Jake supposed that had been done on purpose, as was the shirt undone three buttons. The triangle of thick, chestnut-colored hair that had initially drawn Jake to him nearly called to him: come, touch me like you used to, like you know you want to. Lick me, kiss me, seek out my nipples amidst my dark fur. How many times had he heard Hunter’s pleas, his cries of pleasure, as Jake had fully explored his manly, hairy body, before the point of entry, during, afterwards as they basked in the glow of satisfaction, when again Hunter would slide his huge cock inside him, pound him long into the dark night.
That wasn’t going to happen now.
Not in the limo.
Not with Hunter.
This, despite the fact that Jake’s cock had grown, pressing against his jeans.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Jake asked.
“Just wanted to say good-bye.”
“That’s it? You couldn’t have called?”
“Come on, Jake, you realize I couldn’t let you leave London without seeing you one last time,” he said.
“This isn’t about the money then?”
Hunter actually grinned, a curious response to say the least. “Nah, keep it, enjoy it. The whole poker game, it was never about the money. I can always get more from Patsy. She always bails me out. And before you pass judgment on that, Jake, remember, I’m the family fuck-up, it’s expected of me to be so needy. Lowered expectations and all that, it only increases your potential. Like with you that night at Voignier House after the poker game. The last thing I expected you to do was leave and take all that money with you. You know, you could have taken all of it—you only took half. Why?”
“Nevil never did anything to me, why should I make him pay?”
“So just me? I’m the one who betrayed you?”
“Can we not do this, Hunter? Look, I’m realistic about what happened. You and Nevil had a big fight, you used me against each other, and along the way you each got to fuck me. Literally, figuratively, and sadly, emotionally. Sure, I had my fun, and in the end, I suppose I got my reward. I still like to think I would have returned the money…in exchange for you.”
Hunter looked away, realized he couldn’t see out the tinted windows. Or he couldn’t face Jake right now. He slid the pane down, fresh air washing in to the back of the limo. They were somewhere along the A4 highway, London far behind them, the runways of Heathrow and the world beyond just miles away. Not much time left for sorry. Finally, Hunter rolled the window back up. Then he simply began to undress. First the remainder of the buttons of his shirt came undone. With his hairy chest fully exposed, Jake was trying his hardest to resist the man.
“Hunter, don’t…”
“You know you want me. You just said it, Jake. You would have given back the money if you could have had me…all of me, again. Best of both worlds, I don’t want the money back. But I do want you back. What we shared, that’s as close to love as I’ve ever come”
“What about Nevil?”
“Nevil doesn’t love me. He just wants to possess me.”
“Hunter, I can’t do this. I never said anything about love.”
“You didn’t have to,” he said. “The way you cried out during orgasm, when I made hard love to you, the way you kissed me after we shot our loads…come on, Jake. You don’t have to return to New York. Stay with me, remain here in London.”
As if to further his point, Hunter slid his zipper down and reached inside for his cock. He pulled it out, the thick piece seemingly larger in the confines of the rear of the limo. Jake stared at it, couldn’t help but admire its size, its power. How hard would it be to drop to his knees and take that hot cock into his mouth, suck it till it exploded, allow soothing come to slip down his throat? Would it mean a commitment, that he would indeed instruct Charles to turn the limo around and find some flat, some hotel, and let Hunter fuck him all night, every night? Or maybe just take it one last time, a parting gift from London?
“No thanks,” Jake said with sudden resolve.
“No way…you’re turning me…this, down?”
Jake nodded firmly. “First time a guy’s said no to you? Maybe you should have thought about it first. Did you really think you could just strip down and show off your chest, your cock, and I’d fall under your intoxicating spell again? Hunter, you’re the one who talks about expectations from people. People don’t expect much from you, so they can’t be surprised when you do something that defies your hard-earned character. Trouble is, you don’t give other people the same respect. Some of us have higher expectations of ourselves, and it’s that battle between desire and control that usually leads us either to better things—
or a repeat of bad choices. I’m strong, Hunter, perhaps stronger than you ever gave me credit for. Heck, maybe more than I ever gave myself. So, no, Hunter, as sexually attracted to you as I am, I do not wish to indulge that desire. Button up that fur, you’re only embarrassing yourself.”
Hunter said nothing for a long while. Neither did Jake.
Finally Charles broke the silence, announcing their pending arrival at Terminal 4. Hunter stuffed his cock back inside his jeans, closed his shirt.
Finally, Hunter said, clapping, “Well done, Jake.”
“What does that mean?”
“You didn’t really think I was going to follow through on that, did you?”
“You didn’t want me to suck you?”
“No.”
“So you were testing me.”
“I guess I wanted to know if you really did love me. Whether it was possible for anyone to love me.”
Another fucking game. “You know, Hunter, this ride has been very enlightening. You speak of love, even while you’re using your body to make a point. Whether you were testing me or not, I suppose I’ll never truly know. But this trip to London has taught me a lot—about myself and about this crazy notion called love. We all want it, we all crave it, and to get it we all do wild, stupid things. We steal boats, money, moments, and we steal hearts. And then we use them, too, boats, money, moments, and yes, hearts. Did I love you? I’m not sure. I sure as hell lusted after you. There were those early days at Voignier House that I could barely believe what was happening between us. I think I was more in love with the idea of being in love, and because of that, I got easily sucked all you could give. Once I made my escape though, I realized that my quest for love in London had gone all wrong, it wasn’t some sexy man with a hairy chest and big, thick dick that I was looking for. I wanted companionship, someone to share my life and my desires, and my ambitions.”
English Lads Page 15
