by Nikko Lee
It was the longest five minutes of Jaime’s life. When he was dressed, he grabbed his bag and headed toward the door. He had to do something. So he did the only thing he could think of.
“I’m sorry.”
The glare Sempai Tyler shot Jaime was full of daggers. There was no doubt Jaime had fucked up. Only he didn’t know how.
“For what?” Sempai Tyler spoke the words with such harshness Jaime knew nothing he could say would make things better.
Sempai Tyler wasn’t in any mood to share the cause of the upset, but Jaime knew he’d disappointed the man. How? The testing had gone well. Jaime had even taken Steve down a peg. Sure, Steve had caused a scene in the changing room. Sempai Tyler couldn’t blame Jaime for that. Could he?
Chapter 4
By the time they arrived at Chummy’s, Tyler still wasn’t done being angry with Jaime. And Tyler was no closer to figuring out why. Instead, he kept his distance and talked to Sarah about law school. Randy found them a table in the back, and they settled in for a few drinks. Tyler was content to focus on anything other than Jaime.
It took a couple of beers and an hour of conversation Tyler was only half paying attention to, before his funk departed. In the meantime, Jaime hadn’t said a word except to excuse himself from the table to go to the restroom. As Tyler watched him walk away, he felt a twinge of guilt for giving the guy the cold shoulder. He’d been acting like an asshole for no good reason, and he needed to explain to Jaime that he wasn’t angry with the guy—at least not anymore. All Tyler wanted was for Jaime to see in himself the qualities Tyler saw plainly. Jaime didn’t need to back down from Steve or anyone—certainly not about being himself.
That confused expression Jaime had worn in the changing room when Tyler snapped at him haunted Tyler’s thoughts. He needed to apologize. Once he’d figured that out, the only problem was Jaime still hadn’t come back to the table. Tyler needed to go find him.
“I should call Jenny before she gets worried.” Tyler rose from the table where Sarah and Randy were digging into a heaping plate of potato skins. “Save me one.”
“No guarantees,” Randy said through a mouthful of potato. “And if you see Jaime, tell him the next round is on him.”
“Don’t tell me you are already getting tired of being my sugar daddy.” Sarah nudged Randy.
“I might be supporting you while you go to law school,” Randy replied with a big grin. “But I’m not going to be anyone else’s sugar daddy. Tyler’s not that pretty. Maybe Jaime.”
Tyler left the two celebrating Sarah’s acceptance into law school. In the dojo, there was no hint of their relationship other than friendship. But once the uniforms and ranks were shed, they were no different than any other couple, except the passion they shared for karate. Tyler envied them. Every woman he had ever dated had started out barely tolerating his karate habit. A month or two later, his dedication and diligence—once seen as a good quality—quickly became a fault.
Jenny had lasted the longest. She’d been with Tyler for nearly a year now. It wasn’t that Tyler didn’t do the things boyfriends were supposed to do. He bought the flowers. He made the dinner reservations. He even humored the overbearing parents eager for their daughter to settle down. The problem wasn’t that Tyler wasn’t interested in commitment. But when it came down to a choice between a woman and karate, karate always won.
* * * *
It only took an hour of the cold-shoulder treatment for Jaime to start looking around the bar for a distraction. Obsessing over Sempai Tyler was just too easy and did nothing for Jaime’s attitude or his self-esteem. After a couple of beers, he wasn’t feeling any better, and Sempai Tyler seemed perfectly content to ignore him. If that’s the way he was going to be, Jaime could find all the attention he wanted in the arms of someone who would appreciate him, even if it were just for a night.
“I’m going to use the facilities,” Jaime said when he couldn’t sit at the table anymore pretending to pay attention to the conversation when he was really evaluating every man within range for preference—his and theirs.
“Don’t get lost,” Sarah said with a laugh that made Jaime wonder if she knew he wouldn’t be coming back.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a pretty good idea where I’m going.”
Jaime couldn’t resist exchanging a little banter. Now that he’d decided to relax his no one-night stands rule, he was feeling frisky. Sarah might be interesting to take clubbing. Sempai Randy looked clueless and Sempai Tyler didn’t even look as he stood to leave. It made walking away all that much easier.
A quick scan of the bar and Jaime had a good gauge on who was a likely playmate and who would deck him if he made the proposition. It was a kind of queer-dar Jaime had honed over the years. The super-gay guys were always easy to spot. From the way they dressed to the way they held their drink, everything about them screamed queer. Jaime considered himself just a few shades shy of queer. He was out and proud but wasn’t about to scream it from the rafters. Besides, Jaime was particular about the men he bedded, preferring the strong and aggressive type. Topping a man who looked like he could take down a charging bull just for fun gave Jaime a hard-on like nothing else. The problem was figuring out which way a man like that swung before he could take a swing at Jaime.
A few poor choices in that arena had been enough to convince Jaime the subtle game was far safer than simply walking up to a guy and asking him if he wanted to fuck. That kind of proposition might make an ultra-queer cream his pants, but it would send a closet-queer into a full-blown testosterone-rage.
On his second trip to the bar, Jaime spotted a tall, well-built man in a leather coat sipping a beer while some blonde-haired woman in a dress two sizes too small shamelessly flirted with him. There was a readiness to his stance with one hand on his beer the other lingered near his hip as if searching for a firearm that he was used to relying on. The high and tight haircut meant military or cop. Jaime guessed military because the man looked barely old enough to get into the bar legally, despite his confident attitude. The man’s eyes scanned the room even as he politely nodded at the woman’s chatter. With a puffed out chest and batting eyelashes, she did everything but mount him to get his attention. The military man was too polite to turn the woman down but definitely not interested. Jaime saw his opening.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Jaime shouted as he neared the pair.
“Thanks, but I’ve already got what I need.” The blond waved him away and turned back to her desired prey, who continued to ignore her and Jaime.
“You misunderstood, I wasn’t asking you.”
This got the man’s attention. He glared at Jaime in a way that made him wonder if his queer-dar was a little rusty. With one look, the man-sized Jaime up. From head to toe and back, Jaime could feel his eyes. The rush of excitement that came before a good fuck or a fistfight sent his body into over-drive.
“Unless you’d rather take it outside.” Jaime felt all his shyness and insecurity melt away whenever he was on the prowl. What was the worst that could happen? He’d get threatened or pushed around. Only the real assholes took it beyond that if they weren’t interested. So far he wasn’t getting that vibe from Mr. Military.
“Yeah, outside.”
With a few dollars tossed on the bar, the man brushed by Jaime and headed out of the bar. Relieved that he hadn’t been out of the game for too long, Jaime followed and hoped for the best while preparing for the worst.
Chummy’s was at the far end of a large and poorly lit parking lot that served the downtown businesses. Jaime followed Mr. Military into an alley that led back to Main Street. He definitely cut a fine form in those faded jeans and leather coat. As soon as Jaime turned into the alley he was shoved against the far wall. Mr. Military grabbed Jaime’s shoulders and held him at arm’s length.
“What the big idea? You want to get your ass kicked?”
Despite the threat in his voice, Mr. Military kept his eyes low. Tension seeped from his body like a powerful
aphrodisiac. Jaime drank it in with anticipation and wondered how glorious Mr. Military looked naked.
“Just trying to help,” Jaime replied and tried not to sound excited. “It looked like you could use some entertainment.”
“What makes you think I’d find being hit on by a guy like you entertaining?”
This time Mr. Military Man looked up. Jaime nearly melted when he saw that mixture of hunger and uncertainty in his eyes.
“What kind of man do you like?” Jaime reached out carefully watching Mr. Military’s reaction. When his hand landed on a cleanly shaven cheek and stroked, the tension drained from Mr. Military’s shoulder. “I’m sure I could find some way of entertaining you.”
Jaime leaned in until his body was flush with rock hard abs. Mr. Military was all sharp edges and hard surfaces including the length that throbbed against Jaime’s thigh.
“Give me what I want and I’ll make sure you enjoy it too.” Jaime whispered the words so softly that he felt a shiver raced through Mr. Military’s frame.
“I’ve got a place a few blocks from here.” Mr. Military ground his hips into Jaime’s. “But I’m not looking for anything more than tonight.”
“Lube, condom, and no names. Can you handle that, soldier?”
Mr. Military’s lips curled into an affirmative smile before Jaime pulled him into a rough kiss.
* * * *
The cool air outside the bar was chilly and quiet compared to inside the packed bar. The sounds of the music carried far enough that Tyler had to walk down the block before he could even hear himself think. Just as he started to dial Jenny’s number, Tyler spotted two figures on the edge of an alley halfway between the bar and the dojo.
Tyler’s defenses kicked into gear. He wasn’t looking for trouble, but he wasn’t about to let someone get rolled for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He closed his phone and took in the situation. A larger, leather jacketed man hovered over a smaller frame. As they shifted, Tyler recognized Jaime pressed against the alley wall. As Tyler hurried toward the two, he calculated how he would disable the guy. Kick to the knee and a backhand to the temple should distract him long enough for Jaime to get away. Then Tyler would have to see how much fight the tough guy had in him.
Then Jaime reached up and caressed the man’s cheek. It was the possessive, soliciting movement of a predator. Curiosity brought Tyler to a dead stop, and he watched the larger man tensed then relax. Jaime leaned in and pressed his lips to the man’s ear. Tyler was too far away to hear what Jaime said, but the way the larger man ground his hips against Jaime’s left little doubt that this was a willing interaction on both parts.
Tyler felt like a pervert watching two guys get it on. He knew he should go back inside or, at least, keep walking. He should just go over to Jenny’s and spend the night with her. But his feet refused to move. His eyes wouldn’t look away.
He was captivated by the light touch of Jaime’s hand on the man’s muscular shoulder that rose and fell with a quickening breath. Jaime’s other hand was nowhere in sight, but Tyler’s imagination filled in the blanks as the two men’s lips met in a ferocious kiss. There was nothing tender about it. Raw sexuality sparked from the contact.
It wasn’t the first time Tyler had seen two guys kissing. He had accidently skimmed over the gay porn sites that sometimes popped up on his computer those late nights when he was alone and horny. Those men always looked so fake. Too pretty and fragile. Now he was watching a man he knew, a man he’d been wrapped up and pinned by. The mild-mannered Jaime who always bowed low and thanked everyone with the highest level of politeness was gone. In his place was an assertive man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go for it. It was the same confidence Tyler saw in Jaime when he pinned Tyler.
The drunken laughter of a couple of college coeds stumbling away from the bar broke the silence. Tyler turned to head back to the bar before he was spotted. When he looked behind him, he saw Jaime leading the man from the alley toward the parking lot. Tyler tried not to think about what Jaime would do to the man or what it would feel like to be completely in Jaime’s control. The former was just too confusing. The latter was something he knew first hand. Instead, he pushed his way through the bar back to where Sarah and Randy were sitting.
“Are you in the dog house?” Sarah asked when Tyler finally made his way back to their table.
“What?” Tyler had to force visions of naked men intertwined from his head.
“Jenny must have given you an earful again for being out so late.” Sarah tried again. When Tyler’s blank look did not change she continued, “That phone call took a while.”
“I couldn’t reach her.” Tyler hoped he was forming coherent words. All he could think about was how glorious Jaime would look naked and triumphant.
“You all right?” Randy asked. He gave Tyler a curious and concern look.
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
“You look like you took a wrong turn at the carnival and saw something you didn’t pay to see,” Randy kicked out a chair for Tyler to take. “Don’t think that just because you’re giving me the captain’s salute that I’m going to buy the next round.”
“What?”
Randy’s eyes trailed down to the bulge in Tyler’s pants. Tyler dropped into the chair so fast he nearly missed. Embarrassment burned his cheeks all the more because Randy had no idea who had caused his hard-on. Tyler didn’t even want to think about what Randy would say if he knew. They’d been friends for years, but there were just some things you didn’t tell another guy. Especially if it involved a hard-on and two guys making out.
“When do you get your class schedule?” Tyler asked Sarah as he finally remembered why they were at the bar.
* * * *
Anonymous sex wasn’t nearly as awkward as the post-sex semi-familiar conversation.
“I don’t really have much to offer you for drink,” Mr. Military said, as he stood shirtless in the half-kitchen of the one-bedroom apartment. He was halfway toward the door but too polite to tell Jaime to get out. “Besides I’ve got to get up pretty early tomorrow. Got to make the most of my leave. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good time.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t plan on staying long.” Jaime grabbed his coat.
Looking around the bachelor pad with the Goodwill sofa and big screen TV, Jaime longed for the organized comfort of his own home. When he was flesh to flesh with another man, all that mattered was the moment. It didn’t matter what he did for a living or if he loved his mother. In fact, the less Jaime knew about the men he was with the better. As soon as the sweat and other bodily fluids started to dry, Jaime was ready to part ways.
Mr. Military walked Jaime to the door but didn’t seem to know how to say good-bye. At the same time as he moved in for a kiss, Jaime stuck out his hand for a shake. An awkward dance between the two resulted in a stilted embrace.
“Maybe next time I’m on leave,” Mr. Military let the sentence die in the silence of two complete strangers who knew how to pleasure each other and little else.
“Maybe.” Jaime gave a half-hearted smile.
He knew he’d never see Mr. Military again. It was his policy never to sleep with the same guy twice. As soon as he got home, Jaime spent the next half hour in the shower. The scent of Mr. Military’s sweat and cologne on his skin only reminded Jaime how alone he was. Just once he wanted to find a man he wouldn’t mind spending the entire night with. Just once he wanted to know what it was like to wake up beside someone he wanted to see again.
* * * *
By the time Tyler arrived at his apartment, he was too keyed up to sleep. Even the beer buzz wasn’t enough to lull him to bed. His erection only seemed to get worse the harder he tried not to think of what Jaime was doing. Not that that kind of thing interested him. It was more a matter of curiosity for him. None of Tyler’s friends were gay, or at least they’d never said so. He himself had been turned on by girls since puberty awakened his body to that possibility.
&n
bsp; As horndog teenagers, Tyler and his childhood friends, Elliot and Ben, had spent many summer afternoons watching Ms. Mallard sunbathe topless from up high in an old oak tree. That was until they’d were caught by Mr. Tarrant, the nosy neighbor who owned that old oak tree. Tyler had gotten a good switching for it, but his father still patted him on the back when he was done.
That summer, when Tyler was sixteen, he’d spent most of it trying to see as much skin as he could. Elliot always knew whose bedrooms and bathrooms didn’t have any curtains. Only Ben seemed to think it was a bad idea. To this day, Tyler will never forget the look in his best friend’s eyes when Elliot called him a fag for not wanting to go peaking after the first time they had been caught. When Ben had tried to convince Tyler to just go back to his place to play video games, Elliot had called Ben Tyler’s girlfriend. Tyler had nearly slugged Ben for daring to imply he was gay. He would have except that there was no denial in Ben’s eyes. Just a sickening shame Tyler never admitted he understood.
After that, Ben stopped hanging out with Tyler. The few times Tyler tried to talk to Ben alone, Ben had always pushed Tyler away.
Tyler was glancing at his computer with a glass of water in hand and a raging hard-on in his pants, he swallowed the understanding of his own sexuality he didn’t want to admit along with a couple of aspirins. He didn’t want to think about Ben or even Jaime. Instead, he sat at the computer, intent on finding some good old heterosexual porn to jerk off to. That would get him ready to sleep. In the morning, he’d have a clear head, and the thoughts flooding his mind wouldn’t be so confusing.
The flash of tits and asses were as familiar to Tyler as the feeling he got from stroking himself. With reassuring spit-slicked fingers, he flipped through his favorite websites. Redheads with their carrot-haloed pussies bared. A brunette on her knees taking a guy’s cock into her mouth. Tyler’s own cock was red hot in his fingers. The harder he stroked, the closer he got to release. Only release wouldn’t come. Instead, the tension grew to a painful throb. Now he had to get off. The need was undeniable, yet none of his favorite images and videos could take him that last step.
