What, do you have a surveillance camera? Nick thought.
“He must have forgotten he had let Shelby out. Poor thing,” she added bending down to pet the dog once again.
“Do you have their phone numbers? I could call to find out when Denny and Jesse are due back and let them know I have Shelby.”
“I only have their regular number. I don’t believe in cell phones myself. They rot your brain, you know. Wait here and I’ll get the number for you.”
Mrs. Kloswick went into her condo and returned with a slip of paper with Jesse’s landline number.
“By the way, Nicholas, you remember my mentioning my niece, Angela?”
“Uh, yes, sure,” Nick said, looking at the number and feeling a bit of time pressure to get to his new job.
“Well, her fall term at the University of Chicago is beginning next week. She’ll be coming back to town this weekend. I was thinking it’d be nice for you two to meet, being teachers and all.”
Nick suppressed a sigh and nodded.
“I was planning a little dinner party sometime this weekend, if that’s agreeable?”
“Um, that would be okay,” Nick said, wondering if maybe an earring in his right ear would help with situations like this.
“Wonderful,” Mrs. Kloswick gushed. “Any day better for you?”
Nick looked at his watch. If he didn’t leave soon he would be late for his first day at work. “Any time is fine with me. You’ll have to excuse me. I’m on my way to my school right now.”
“Oh, isn’t this exciting,” his neighbor said, beaming at him. “I’ll check with Angela and get back to you on a time. Good luck today. Oh, my, your first day as a teacher.”
“Thanks,” Nick said. “Come, you two,” he addressed the patiently waiting dogs. “’Bye, Mrs. Kloswick.”
She waved and he strode off to his condo. He deposited the dogs inside, making sure they had water. He took time to call Jesse’s number, remembering Chicago had an ordinance against cell phone use while driving. He left a message for Denny saying Shelby was at his house. Still wondering why Jesse had gone when he had had other plans, Nick left for new teacher orientation.
* * * “Oh, God! Fuck! Carter, yeah! Fuck!” Denny moaned and writhed under his lover on the bed of Carter’s hotel room. Denny’s legs and arms were wrapped tightly around him.
Carter’s dick was buried to the hilt in Denny’s ass and was stroking his prostate with every thrust. Denny’s hard cock, trapped between their abs, was about ready to explode.
Carter leaned down and mashed his mouth against Denny’s, groaning out, “I love you.”
He shuddered, strained and then began a spasmodic pumping as he squirted his semen inside Denny’s body.
Denny, for his part, pressed against the muscular walls that trapped his dick and shot his load between them.
The older man went limp and lay heavily on top of his partner, breathing in heaves. Denny kept him firmly inside and kissed the side of his head, running his hands up and down his back while he did.
The ring of Denny’s cell startled both men.
“Shit.” Denny reached for the phone. “Don’t you move,” he said squeezing Carter with his legs, not wanting to break the union. He’d never thought he would be a bottom boy.
Not checking the ID he said, “Hello.”
“Hi.”
It was Jesse. Denny closed his eyes. Double shit!
“I called you at home, but it went to voicemail. Guess you’re out?”
Duh! “Yeah, I am, I’m…uh…at the gym.”
Carter raised his head, furrowing his brow.
Jesse, Denny mouthed.
Carter grimaced and slipped out of Denny’s ass, got up and walked to the bathroom. Denny watched his shapely behind as he did.
“I gave the teachers a break. I wanted to call and see how you are. You miss me?”
“Yeah, of course, yeah.” Denny still lay on his back, his eyes closed, hand resting on his head.
“You sound funny. Everything all right?”
“Sure, ah, yeah everything’s fine. You just caught me between heavy sets.” The words seemed ironic.
“Okay. How’s Shel?”
Holy fuck, the God damned dog! I left her outside.
“She’s…uh…fine. I know she misses you.” Denny was panicky.
“Well, tell her I miss her, too. Give her a kiss for me. Let her kiss you from me, all right?” Jesse said with a chuckle.
Denny knew his boyfriend was aware that dog kisses were not his idea of affection.
“Look, I’ll let you go. I know you’re not supposed to be on the phone at the gym. I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay. ’Bye,” Denny said quickly, just wanting to get off the phone and get home to find the fuckin’ mutt. Jesse would kill him if something happened to her.
“Just bye?” Jesse sounded funny. “Denny?”
“Yeah? What?”
“I love you.”
“Oh, right…love you, too. ’Bye.”
He hung up and tossed the phone to the side. He got out of bed, frantically trying to find and don his clothing, which had been hurriedly discarded in the men’s furious need to get at each other.
“What’s going on?” Carter asked as he came out of the bathroom.
“I let the fuckin’ dog outside this morning. Jesse asked me to kiss it for him, and I remembered I didn’t bring her in. I gotta go and find her.”
Carter laughed.
“It’s not funny,” Denny said angrily, hopping on one foot, trying to get his sock on.
“It will be one day,” Carter said still chuckling. “I’ll come with you.” He started to pull on his underwear.
“No!” Denny yelled.
Carter stopped dressing and looked at him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout at you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. We have this nosey neighbor. She watches everything.”
“But I’d like to see your place so I can picture you there when we can’t be together.”
“No, we can’t take the chance.” Denny was dressed now. He walked over to the man who was clad only in his boxers. He ran his hands over the firm pecs covered in short salt-and-pepper hairs. He kissed him. “I’ll be right back as soon as I find Shelby. Promise.”
Carter reached around and cupped Denny’s ass. “Okay, but don’t take too long. Call me if you run into trouble finding her.”
* * * All the way to the house Denny kicked himself for letting his horny dickhead do his thinking. What if something happened to Shelby? How would he explain it to Jesse? It wasn’t that he cared about the mutt very much, although he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. It was more that he would have to come up with a logical explanation for how he could let her out and forget her.
Oh, I was so hot to get into the pants of the guy I’m cheating on you with that I forgot to bring your dog in. God, let her be sitting on the porch waiting for me.
She wasn’t. Denny slammed the car into park and bolted for the door.
“Hello, Dennis,” Mrs. Kloswick called from her flower bed in front of her condo. “If you’re looking for Shel—”
Dennis didn’t listen. Nosey old bat! He just waved over his shoulder and barged into the house. He ran through the living room and out onto the patio calling, “Shelby, Shelby.”
He continued out into the common area, still calling her name.
Frantic now, he ran down the row of condos. Where could she have got to? The dog park? Fuck, Christopoulos. This is bad…really bad.
“Shelby, Shelby.”
Just then he heard a familiar but muffled crooning bark. He stopped dead in his tracks trying to locate the source of the sound. He turned to see Shelby and Clyde standing inside Nick’s patio door. Shelby’s tail was wagging furiously and she was singing her hound song at high volume. He ran to the door and dropped to his knees before it, pressing his head and hands against the glass. The two dogs fairly writhed with happiness at see
ing him there.
Thank you, God!
As he knelt, the thought crossed his mind there were only two times he called upon the Almighty—in situations like this when he had screwed up and when he was in the throes of sexual ecstasy. He wondered briefly what God thought about that. Maybe he should try to pray more.
Mrs. Kloswick came up behind him. “I tried to let you know, Dennis. Nicolas said Shelby had come over here this morning.”
Denny got up and turned to her. She continued, “But you were in such a hurry. Just like this morning when you left for…well, for wherever you were off to.”
“Thanks, Mrs. K. I’m sorry. It’s just when I remembered I’d forgotten Shelby, I kind of freaked out.”
“Yes, well that nice new neighbor of ours was Johnny-on-thespot and took care of it for you. You be sure to thank him when he comes home tonight, won’t you? He’s such a nice young man. I’m going to introduce him to my niece Angela this weekend at a dinner party.”
Denny was only half listening. “I guess she’ll be all right until I can pick her up tonight.” An idea came to him. “Er…I am gonna be a little late.” This might just be a blessing in disguise. “Could you ask Nick if he’d mind watching Shelby for me until I get home?”
“I guess I could do that. If I see him that is. Well, yes, I could make a point of watching for him, Dennis.”
Like you miss anyone coming or going. “Thanks Mrs. K. I appreciate it.”
The two walked back to their respective dwellings.
“Oh, and Mrs. K.?”
“Yes, Dennis?”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention to Jesse I forgot to bring Shelby in. I don’t want to upset him. And I don’t want to answer any questions about how I could’ve done such a thing.
“Well, it isn’t really any of my business anyway…but…my lips are sealed,” she said in a conspiratorial tone, inclining her head toward him and placing a finger on her pursed lips. “Have a nice day, Dennis.”
Denny said goodbye after thanking her again and went inside. He locked the patio door. As he walked through the living room, he saw the light flashing on the answering machine. He ignored it. Probably just Jesse’s call from earlier, he thought. Besides, no one ever called him on the landline. Only calls on that were for Jesse. Denny didn’t know why they bothered with a landline. Cells were so much better anyway. Although he vaguely remembered someone, he couldn’t remember who, telling him they rotted your brain.
He hopped in his car and headed back to the hotel and Carter.
On Tuesday evening, Jesse came in the front door and threw his keys in the dish in the entryway. As he turned toward the living room, he was nearly bowled over by a quivering mass of jubilant fur-covered animal.
“Hello, Shel,” Jesse said, laughing as the dog cavorted around him, crooning and wagging her tail furiously. “I guess you missed me.”
He dropped to his knees and let the hound bury her face into his chest.
“Did you have fun with Daddy Denny?” he asked, roughing her ears and kissing her forehead.
Probably not, but at least you survived, he thought.
He got up and walked into the bedroom, throwing his suitcase and garment bag on the bed. Shelby was right behind him. He then went to the living room and let the dog out through the sliding door to the patio. She tolerated the separation only long enough to do her business, then returned to the door, pleading to be let back in.
Jesse smiled as he sat down on the couch, allowing his canine companion the rare privilege of joining him since Denny wasn’t there. She snuggled appreciatively against him. He picked up the mail Denny had stacked on the end table and began to sort through it. Not really ready to tackle day-to-day stuff, he dropped the letters and leaned his head back against the sofa with a sigh.
Idly rubbing Shelby’s head he said aloud, “Well, this week sure didn’t turn out the way I hoped it would.”
Shelby raised her head and cocked it to one side. Then she whined and nuzzled Jesse’s hand, encouraging further stroking.
Denny had called him as Jesse was leaving the hotel for the airport in Cincinnati.
“You’re gonna hate me,” he had said with a hang dog sound in his voice.
“I won’t hate you,” Jesse had replied. “But, if you tell me what I think you’re gonna tell me, I may be mad at you.”
“I’m really sorry, Jess. It’s just an overnight to Detroit. I’ll be back in the morning…early.”
As if that made it all right.
Jesse hadn’t argued with him. He knew it was useless. So here he was. Not only had his planned two days with his man gone awry, the homecoming he had hoped for was non-existent.
He got up off the couch and, followed by Shelby, went to the bedroom to unpack. Taking his suit coat out of his luggage, he went to hang it in the closet. Opening the doors, he stopped.
Huh? Denny must’ve gotten a new uniform. All three of his are here.
Finished with unpacking, Jesse returned to the living room. There he saw the red light flashing on the machine.
Probably just my call to Denny, he thought, remembering he had tried to contact Denny during his break on Monday.
“You have two new messages,” the pleasant but mechanical voice said.
The first was indeed his message, but the second, also left on Monday…
“Hi, Denny this is Nick. Uh…Shelby was at my back door this morning. I brought her home, but you were gone. She’s with me. She can keep Clyde company while I’m at orientation. I’ll check later and bring her home when you are.”
“What the hell?” Jesse said, looking down at Shelby as if she could explain this mystery.
Jesse stood on the stoop outside Nick’s condo. Shelby sat by his side. The door opened and Nick smiled broadly at his guests. “Glad you could make it. Come on in.”
Jesse had called earlier, but before he could ask about Shelby, Nick invited Jesse, Denny and Shelby for supper. Jesse had accepted for himself and the pooch, explaining Denny had been called in for a flight. Jesse was anxious to hear what Nick had to say about Shelby showing up unattended at his door.
“I didn’t mean to barge in on your dinner,” Jesse said, entering the house and kneeling to greet Clyde.
“What’re you talking about? Like I didn’t barge in on your anniversary, no less. Besides, I hate to eat alone.” Clyde looked up reproachfully. “Sorry, ole buddy, present company excepted,” Nick said. “Come on out on the patio while I cook the brats. There’s beer in the fridge. Grab us a couple if you will.”
Jesse went to the kitchen to get the brews and then joined Nick, who was turning the food on the grill. He sat down after handing a bottle to the cook.
“Okay, tell me. What’s the story behind Shelby showing up on your doorstep Monday morning?”
Nick turned to his guest. “He decided to tell you then? Denny asked me not to mention it to you.”
“No, he didn’t tell me,” Jesse said, taking a draw on his beer. “I got the news from you on my answering machine.”
“Oops,” Nick said with a chuckle, turning back to the sizzling sausages. “Not much to tell. Shel was outside here on the patio, I took her home and Denny was gone, so I kept her here all day. End of story. Except he asked me not to tell you…and, oh, yeah, he asked through Mrs. K. if I could keep an eye on her until he got home. He was out until about ten Monday night.” Nick put some buns on the top rack of the grill to toast and looked over his shoulder at Jesse.
Jesse sat with his brows knitted.
“Something wrong?” Nick asked.
“No…I don’t think so.” Jesse decided not to air his uneasiness with Denny’s lie about Shelby and the uniforms hanging in his closet. He changed the subject. “Tell me about school.”
Nick put the brats in the buns, placed them on plates and set them on the table. He broke one in half and, once it cooled a bit, fed the overjoyed dogs. He sat down and passed the salad to Jesse. As the men ate, he told Jesse he
had been assigned to Ames Middle School, the only grade seven-eight school in the district. Since he was the newbie at the school in the math department, he would be teaching five different subjects. Jesse tried to pay attention, but his mind kept drifting to the several puzzling things that had gone on this week.
An ice cream brownie dessert and a couple of beers later he was able to put his concerns aside and enjoy the late summer evening with his handsome new neighbor. As they sat quietly talking together on the patio, the two hounds, who had been dozing between them, leapt to their feet and, baying for all they were worth, ran off into the darkness.
“What the hell?” Nick said, jumping to his feet.
Jesse followed, but before the men had gone more than a few steps, they heard the baying turn to yelps and whines.
“Shelby,” Jesse cried out, as Nick echoed with his own call to Clyde.
The hounds returned to the pool of light from the patio. They were whining, rolling and rubbing themselves on the ground. Jesse was assailed by a telltale stench.
“Holy fuck,” said Nick with a moan. “Skunk!”
The dogs ran for the men, who sidestepped them, yet still tried to keep them out in the yard and away from the patio and the furniture.
“What do we do?” Jesse asked, holding Shelby at arm’s length.
“Clyde got into skunk back home. I think I still got some of the stuff I used on him. Can you hold them both?”
“Do I have a choice?” Jesse said with a sardonic laugh.
Nick grimaced and chuckled. He turned and ran into the house. It seemed to Jesse he was gone forever. When he finally returned, he had a large bowl and several towels.
“Shelby got it worse. She’s drooling and her eyes are just slits,” Jesse said with concern.
“Not a surprise,” was Nick’s reply. “Old Clyde with those peg legs… Hold onto them.”
Nick poured the contents of the bowl over the two canines. He handed Jesse a towel and they began rubbing the solution into their fur. They repeated this process three times with Jesse holding the dogs as Nick went to replenish the skunk cure.
“I only have enough for one more treatment,” Nick announced. “If this doesn’t take care of it, we’ll have to wait till tomorrow and get more.”
Second Thoughts Page 8
