“Nice to meet you,” Jody replied, amused by the mischievous look and demeanor of this brother. He was undoubtedly everything Clark accused him of.
“Hey, you’re the doc, huh?”
“Jody Williams,” he replied.
“Jody? Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
“Mike!” Everyone in the room screamed at him.
“It’s okay.” Jody laughed, setting everyone at ease. “I’ve been called worse.”
“Jeez, bro,” Clark said, frowning at Mike.
“What? Isn’t it a girl’s name though?”
“My real name is Jude.”
“Then why the fuck don’t they call you that?”
Clark turned to Jody and said, “Didn’t I just tell you he was a pain in the ass?”
“It’s fine.”
Everyone seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief when Jody didn’t react to Mike’s big mouth. Mary handed the baby back to Linda and moved to the sink to peel potatoes. “Okay, everyone out of here. Dinner will be ready in two hours. Linda, you can stay if you want to help. Robby, take the baby to the family room.”
“Yes, drill sergeant!” All four boys answered at the same time, laughing when she flipped them a finger.
WE WERE gathered around the dining room table, the extra leaves in place to accommodate all nine of us, with a little room left over. I looked at Jody, across from me, checking to see if he was okay. The past two hours had been all about football, with everyone crowding around the set to watch the end of the Denver-Dallas game. It was pretty standard fare for Thanksgiving at the Stevens’ home. They would have been at one of my games if I hadn’t been injured, but instead, we were told to spend as much time together while we had the chance. There’d be plenty of Thanksgivings in the future when it wouldn’t be possible.
“You okay?” I asked, low enough so no one really paid much attention.
“I’m good.”
His eyes warmed upon hearing the concern in my voice and he smiled gratefully. I wanted to leap across the table and kiss him on the lips, but I didn’t want to start World War III, so I nodded back, glad that he seemed content. Everything was going smoothly, the family seemed to be comfortable around Jody, and I was starting to finally relax when the doorbell rang. “Are you expecting anyone?” I asked.
“No,” my mother replied, equally as surprised.
I stood up and went to open the door. Nikki Bartlett stood there, dressed in a short, pink skirt and a white tank top. I stared at her stupidly, wondering why the fuck she was here.
“Hi!”
“Hi,” I answered, on automatic. “What are you doing here?”
“Your dad invited me over.”
Chapter 13
MY BLOOD pressure shot up, watching Nikki bounce into the room, passing around hugs. I was furious at my father for presuming that I wanted her to spend Thanksgiving with us.
Mom rushed to get another place setting for her and naturally, my parents insisted that she sit beside me, which pissed me off even more.
“Doc, you know Nikki, don’t you? She’s Clark’s girl,” my dad pronounced.
“No,” Jody replied with a smile that never reached his eyes. “We’ve never met.”
“Pleased to meet you,” she said, her perky cheerleading personality shining through as her head bobbed up and down.
I focused on my plate and clenched my thighs with both hands, willing myself to calm down. Everything had been going so well; Jody was comfortable, the family welcoming. Now, all my defenses were back up again, expecting the worst.
“Likewise,” Jody replied. I looked up at him and was confronted with a stranger. My gentle Jo-Jo had disappeared, and in his place sat a ferocious pit bull, poised to attack.
“How come I’ve never met you before?” Nikki asked, sitting down and reaching for the glass of wine that my mother had put in front of her.
“I don’t know.”
“How do you know Clark?”
“I’m his doctor.”
“Doctor?”
I interrupted. “You remember when I broke my arm?”
“Yeah.”
“Jody treated me, and we’ve become friends.”
“Oh! That’s weird.”
“Why’s that?” Jody asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Clark’s never mentioned you,” she replied, shifting in her chair.
“Dr. Williams is tutoring Clark in English,” my mother interjected.
“I didn’t realize doctors had time to do that.”
“I have a life outside of the hospital.”
“I’m sure you do, but isn’t this above and beyond the call of duty?”
“Not really.”
“I tried tutoring Clark at one time, but it didn’t work out,” Nikki stated.
“I’ve had some experience with this,” Jody replied, not offering any more details.
“Yes, I’m sure you’re much more qualified than me.”
I felt like I was watching a tennis match between rival players. The animosity between them was very obvious.
“How come you’re here with Clark? Don’t you have a family?”
“Nikki.” I glared at her, willing her to shut up.
“He’s from Chicago,” my brother Zach answered. Everyone in the family stopped eating and took in the postgame exchange with obvious interest.
“Don’t you have a wife or girlfriend?” Nikki asked.
Jody stood abruptly. “Clark, will you show me where the bathroom is?”
“Sure.” I rocketed to my feet and walked out of the dining room with Jody following closely behind.
We entered my room and I shut the door gently, looking at him beseechingly. “Jo, I’m really sorry.”
“This is fucked!”
“Please… just cool it, okay? Don’t say anything or this place will explode.”
Jody was shaking, he was so pissed. I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Please, Jo-Jo… for me.”
“I’m not lying, Clark. If she asks me again, I’ll tell her the truth.”
“She wouldn’t dare.”
“I hope not, for your sake. Now kiss me so I can go back and face that cunt.”
I put my mouth on his, tasting his tongue as it forced itself into me. “You’re mine,” he growled.
“Jo—”
He grabbed me again, kissing me deeper this time, his erection pressing hard against mine. “Your jealous side is very sexy,” I whispered, reluctant to pull away.
“You owe me a blow job, all the way up I-80.”
“You got it,” I promised, adjusting myself.
By the time we returned, Nikki was being entertained by Mike and Jason, her entire line of questioning forgotten. The dinner passed with no more incidents, and afterwards I stood at the kitchen sink, passing dishes to my mother as she dried them and put them away. It was tradition in our family that the boys did the cleanup after a big dinner like this, but Mom insisted on drying the china, always worried that we’d chip or break something.
“Are you and Jody planning on spending the night?”
“No, we’ll drive back. He’s got to work tomorrow.”
“He seems like a very nice man. Is the tutoring really helping?”
“Yes, he is, and yes, it’s helping.”
“That’s nice. I’m glad it’s working out for you, sweetheart. It will be good when this is all over, won’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“YOU don’t have to,” Jody said, nudging Clark away, stewing over the turn of events at the dinner. They’d switched places because Clark wanted to make good on his promise to blow Jody, but he was no longer in the mood. The whole outing had been spoiled by Nikki’s sudden appearance. Jody was almost sullen as he barreled the car up the freeway, heading home toward Berkeley. Clark kept asking him what was wrong, and he answered him in monosyllables, insisting that everything was fine when in fact, nothing was. Seeing Nikki with Clark and his family had only reminded him that he was living in a
dream world. The chances of Clark coming out and making a life with him were zero to none.
It had been a wonderful interlude, something he’d treasure for the rest of his life, but it was time to face reality and end it. He knew staying in this relationship would only cause them both pain, so the epiphany hit him that it would be best to say good-bye while they were still on good terms. Clark’s exams were next week, and Jody was pretty confident that he’d pass English with flying colors. There really was no more need for any kind of contact between them.
Jody had shocked himself and Clark with his jealousy. He couldn’t remember ever acting this way, and he realized how deeply he was caught under Clark’s spell. The thought of Clark with anyone else was a gnawing ache in his gut. He’d not been in love like this in years, and even then, it was nothing compared to this. Clark brought out emotions in him that he never knew he had. He became territorial and fiercely protective, even though he knew that he had no rights whatsoever. Jody was afraid that staying with Clark would only increase this infatuation to the point where he’d lose himself completely. He’d never lied about his lifestyle. He was proud to be gay and a huge advocate for his community, yet this afternoon, he would have lied for Clark’s sake despite his brave words in Clark’s bedroom. He would have denied who he was, and that thought alone was scaring the crap out of him. He looked over at Clark, who slept leaning up against the door, looking so beautiful and innocent in repose. The thought of never being able to kiss him again made him groan out loud.
He pulled up to his house and turned off the engine. The sudden silence must have woken Clark because he stirred, and Jody reached over and touched him gently.
“We’re home?” Clark asked, blinking awake. He reached for Jody and practically dragged him out of his seat, moving around to accommodate him. He embraced him fiercely, refusing to let him go even as Jody struggled to pull away.
“Please, just let me hold you for a second.”
“Okay,” Jody replied, giving in once again. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Clark shuddered, and Jody heard the sob that escaped from Clark’s lips. He pulled back suddenly and was shocked by the tears that were leaking out of the beautiful eyes.
“Clark—”
“I’m so sorry.”
Jody watched as Clark attempted to get control, but with little success. The tears kept on coming, and Jody’s weren’t that far behind, so he just embraced him again, feeling their hearts beating steadily against each other.
“I’m sorry about today,” Clark said again, pushing away from him. “I know that must have hurt.”
“It did.”
“I had no idea she would show up.”
“I know you didn’t.”
“You’re disappointed in me.”
Jody shrugged, completely at a loss for words.
“What did you expect me to do?”
“It doesn’t matter, Clark. Let’s drop it for now.”
“Did you like my family?” Clark asked, as if the answer would make a difference.
“They were very nice.”
“The truth?”
Jody smiled sadly and said, “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. What you feel?”
“What I feel is completely out of control. The truth of the matter is that your family would hate me if they found out I was gay.”
“They’ll never find out!”
Jody shook his head and got out of the car.
I FOLLOWED in silence, surprised when he didn’t even bother to turn on the lights. He was standing at the picture window in his living room, leaning against the glass. The lights of San Francisco were easily visible, as well as those of the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge. I moved over to where he stood, and I put my arms around him and pulled him toward my chest. He leaned his head back, and I sniffed the scent of his cologne, the new one that he’d bought the other day, with the outrageous price tag. It smelled like a football field after the grass is newly mowed; a fresh, citrus-like smell that would forever remind me of him.
He turned toward me, and we started to kiss, slow and easy, a gradual exploration of two mouths still getting to know each other. He tasted so good, probably because he was a nonsmoker and a little anal about his oral hygiene. Two things about him I’d learned over the past few weeks.
He was a great kisser, able to reduce me to a trembling wreck in mere seconds as he sucked on my tongue and bit my lower lip aggressively. His hands began their slow dance, lifting off my shirt and tossing it aside so that he could run them gently over my chest, toying with my nipples, bringing them to a peak, turning my knees to jelly, and unleashing a million butterflies in my stomach.
I was hard as a rock, rutting gently against his erection as he continued to fondle my nipples, all the while teasing me with his tongue.
“You’re driving me crazy,” he whispered, moaning as his mouth left mine and made its way gradually down my chest, past my stomach and finally stopping at my groin.
My pants were off in seconds, and he took me in his mouth, consuming me with wet, sucking heat. “Jo, I….” I stopped. How could I tell him how I really felt when we’d only been together such a short time? He would think I was insane, a virgin falling for his first fuck. I pulled him up my body, saying, “I want you,” instead of “I love you,” which would have been much more accurate.
He grabbed my hand, and we made our way into his bedroom, leaving the lights off.
We lay down on the bed and kissed again, soft, tender kisses that left us both breathless. “You’re torturing me,” I whispered.
“Not torture, my love. Just adoring every part of you.” He drifted down and when he got to my groin, he pushed my legs up and apart, putting his mouth where no one had ever been before, and I bucked in surprise, pushing him away. “Don’t!”
“It’s okay, Clark. Just calm down. Let me love you.”
I’d heard about this, read about it, seen it in porn videos, but never experienced it myself. I tried to pull away, freaked out that anyone would actually want to put their tongue on my asshole, but he held me down, soothing me with his hands, talking in a slow, gentle voice, telling me I was beautiful. Finally, I started to relax, and this time when he put his mouth down there I froze, but I didn’t push him away.
It was erotica to the umpteenth degree. Jody destroyed me with his tongue, making me whimper out loud as he turned more aggressive, pushing into me with determined strokes. I was writhing and bucking in seconds, opening my legs wantonly, letting him have me without any shame.
He turned away for a minute and pulled open the drawer of his nightstand, fishing around for the condom and the lube, and he straddled me, looking at me questioningly, waiting to see if I’d let him, but I shook my head vigorously, not ready for that final step. What he’d done just now was intense. I didn’t think I could handle any more surprises tonight, so I pushed him off me, laid him flat on the bed as I took the condom from his hand and rolled it on myself instead, spreading the lube on both of us. I sighed deeply as I sank into his tightness, feeling him clench around me. “God, you feel so good.”
“You too.”
I moved slowly, loving the sensation of his tight channel squeezing my cock. I couldn’t help but compare the difference between this joining and one I’d shared with Nikki months ago. There was no contest. Being with her felt like jacking off, while sex with Jody was as close to heaven as I’d ever get. “I love being inside you,” I shared, resting my head on his forehead.
“This is who you are, Clark.”
I kissed him greedily, not wanting to hear the message. I wanted to forget every bad thing that had happened today. All I wanted to do was be with this man and not have to worry about consequences, or repercussions, or life-changing decisions.
JODY shut his eyes, savoring Clark’s deliberate moves as he thrust in and out, providing the exquisite burn he craved. He knew he was in trouble. Lost to a man who’d never be comfortable in his own skin.
He should have sent him home tonight; all his resolve had gone by the wayside as soon as he saw the tears. He’d allowed his feelings to commandeer his logic, choosing to make love rather than fight it. His reality was completely eclipsed by Clark.
“Feel good, Jo-Jo?”
“Yes,” Jody answered breathlessly. Clark once said he loved to watch Jody’s face when they made love. The feeling was mutual because seeing Clark’s features in the throes of passion was the ultimate aphrodisiac. Knowing that he gave him so much pleasure was extremely satisfying.
Clark paused for a second to shift position, changing the angle of his penetration. He grazed Jody’s gland with the next push, unaware of this magical spot but quite taken with his partner’s reaction.
“There,” Jody gasped, “don’t stop.”
He began to thrash and moan and Clark picked up the pace and brought him to a shuddering climax.
Clark dropped in an exhausted heap and commented, “That was as rewarding as catching a Hail Mary pass.”
“I’ll say,” Jody concurred. “You’re getting better with each try.”
Their bodies remained joined long after they were spent, and Jody lay in the dark, listening to the soft huffing of Clark’s breath as he dozed. Jody wondered how much longer this would last before the whole thing blew up in their faces. All he could do was pray nothing and no one would ever keep them apart.
Chapter 14
THE days following Thanksgiving were idyllic in many ways. Jody and I seemed to have found a tentative truce, keeping our doubts under wraps and just relishing our time together. I practically lived at his place, only running home to my apartment for a change of clothes, or to check mail. The rest of the time we spent lazing around doing absolutely nothing. The most pressing things on our minds were food and sex. Jody never mentioned my English class, so I didn’t ask about his job. We were like two people on vacation savoring every second of our time together, because we knew that come Monday, reality would be back with a vengeance.
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