Black Hearts Dance

by Gerald Lopez

  “Some of the homes are on at least a couple of acres,” Alex said. “They’re taking a right, Layton.”

  “You are a great navigator, honey.” I quickly kissed the side of Alex’s neck—he tasted real damn good.

  Alex’s cell phone rang and he answered it, then turned to me. “Layton, the shoulder-high brick wall coming up marks the start of the Carson property, it goes around the entire estate.” Alex focused on his cell phone again. “Thank you, Mrs. Carson, I’ll tell him.” He closed his cell phone. “We need to park in the side driveway.”

  “This brick wall is nice,” I said. “It’s only shoulder height, but look how it goes from solid bricks along the top rows then to a sort of open work design in the middle, then solid again at the bottom. Holy shit! This freakin’ house must sit on at least fifty acres… and in the city. Oh my God! Look at the porch!” I pulled over on the curb for a moment to check out the view.

  “The white gravel pathway to the house is so long!” Alex said.

  “Look at the freakin’ house!” I was too excited to hide how I felt. “The old red brick on that two-story beauty looks in perfect shape and the white wood porch across the front and the second floor balcony are mind-boggling. Stop me if I’m drooling.”

  “This place is impressive,” Alex said. “I’m ‘drooling’ myself. The grounds are really nice too, with big mature trees and a decent lawn.”

  “I’m in serious lust here, Alex.”

  “I think we’re both about to orgasm,” Alex said. “We’d better go park.”

  My insides were excited. I’d seen great homes before, but this one was really having an effect on me… and Alex too. I turned left and started pulling into the wide driveway on the side of the house.

  “Stop!” Alex said.

  I slammed on the brakes causing Alex and myself to be thrown forward. Thankfully we always wore our seatbelts.

  “What?” Then I saw him looking up at us in the driveway… a three-legged little brown and white dog, who I would’ve hit if not for Alex. I turned to Alex and squeezed his hand tightly. “Thanks—you OK.”

  “Yeah,” Alex said. “That dog owes me!”

  By the time Alex and I got out of the car, Elise had the dog in her arms and Mrs. Carson was standing next to her.

  “Are you two, OK?” Mrs. Carson said.

  “A bit sore, but I think we’ll heal,” I said. “How’s the little three-legged baby dog?”

  “You’d think this stupid dog would’ve learned his lesson after having been run over by his last owner,” Mrs. Carson said. “He lost his leg that time and he still runs out in the driveway and the street like a damn fool!” She raised her cane and shook it at the dog.

  Elise looked down at the dog and rubbed his tummy with one hand while she held him in the crook of her other arm. “Lucky, you should know better by this time.”

  Lucky growled, then leaned back as if enjoying the tummy rub.

  “His name’s lucky?” Alex said.

  “Fancy that,” Mrs. Carson said. “A three-legged dog named lucky. Lucky Tuck is his full name, his old family were plain old crazy people who used to live in this area. All sorts of unlucky things happened to those folks. The stupid dog picked the wrong family to live with when he chose them.”

  “Lucky is famous around here,” Elise said.

  “Not for getting hit by a car, I hope,” Alex said.

  “No,” Mrs. Carson said. “One of the local boys wrote a song about Tuck and how he never had much luck and came from a crazy household. That’s why we call Tuck by his first name, which is Lucky. In hopes some luck actually rubs off on him. Heck, I think the local boy became some sort of drag queen and sings the song about Tuck and the crazy family that used to own Tuck as part of his routine.”

  “That sounds pretty crazy to me,” Alex said. “A drag queen singing about a three-legged dog and the family that ran him over.”

  “It was an accident that poor Lucky was run over,” Elise said. “His owner was a sweet girl who was having a bad day and then had to deal with rushing Lucky to the vet.”

  “Well, I for one think Lucky earned his name,” I said. “He survived, didn’t he? And look where he’s living now—in the lap of luxury. And I didn’t run him over, so there ya go. How much luckier can you get?”

  “You do have a point there, Layton,” Mrs. Carson said. “I can see I’ve hired the right man for the job. You definitely have a unique way of looking at things, which can only help you around this place.”

  “You two can walk back around to the front of the house and come in that way, if you want,” Elise said. “People always ask if they can walk in through the front, along the gravel path. I figured I’d mention the idea first for once.”

  “Funnily enough, I would like to do that,” I said, then walked up to Lucky, who was still in Elise’s arms, and rubbed his tummy.

  As we walked around the side of the property toward the front, Alex chuckled.

  “OK, what’s so funny you can’t hold it in,” I said.

  “This is definitely the start of another crazy Layton Shayne adventure,” Alex said.

  Chapter 4

  A Sexy Carson Court Welcome

  EVEN THE small section of sidewalk directly in front of Carson Court was made of bricks which matched those in the wall around the property. Alex and I walked up three steps, past two short, brick columns, and onto the property. We both breathed out loud in unison.

  “I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath,” Alex said.

  “I hadn’t noticed I’d been holding mine,” I said, while staring straight ahead.

  As I crouched down and picked up a handful of white gravel then dropped it back down, Alex took pictures of the house and the walkway.

  “I’m glad I thought to bring the camera. Layton, look at how this gravel walkway is outlined by a single row of bricks on either side.”

  “It’s a perfectly straight path to the front of the house,” I said. “As a gay man, I can’t help feeling it’s too straight.” I couldn’t resist chuckling. “The plants are so interesting.” We continued onward and I pointed out a small brick outbuilding to the right of the house.

  “That looks like it could be a potting shed of some sort,” Alex said.

  “Mighty fancy potting shed, in my humble opinion,” I said, before spotting Elise and Lucky on the porch along with Mrs. Carson.

  “Those trees in front frame the house perfectly, Layton,” Alex said, while snapping more pictures.

  “Welcome to Carson Court,” Mrs. Carson said, with arms open wide.

  Alex and I walked several steps up to the porch where Mrs. Carson greeted us each with a hug and kiss on the cheek, while Lucky growled our way.

  “Stop and rest your feet a while,” Mrs. Carson said.

  “This is my idea of Heaven,” I said, then looked around the wide porch with its wood floor, and hanging baskets full of greenery. Best of all, there were several white rocking chairs. I sat in one to the right, bent down to remove my sandals, tossed them in a corner, and stretched my feet out. “Freedom!” I stretched my toes and heard everyone laugh. The loudest laugh came from Mrs. Carson who walked over to me and slapped my shoulder in a friendly way.

  “I love a man who makes himself right at home,” Mrs. Carson said. “All you need is a cigar in one hand and glass of bourbon in the other.” She sat in the rocking chair next to mine.

  “Layton prefers sweets to liquor,” Alex said.

  “I don’t blame him, so do I,” Elise said, as she crouched and put Lucky down on the porch floor.

  “Layton is a happy man when he can sit barefoot in a rocking chair and rock,” I said, then grinned. My mood was definitely cheery and I was even feeling slightly silly which was very rare for me.

  “Well said,” Mrs. Carson said.

  Alex crouched to floor level and petted Lucky. “This is an incredible property, Mrs. Carson,” he said, looking up at her.

  “Isn’t it, though?” Mrs. Car
son said. “The house dates back to the late 1700s. That young writer lady who’s coming this afternoon to stay for a few days knows more of those sort of details than I do. At my age, I’ve forgotten more than I can remember. I can live in yesterday or today, so I choose to live in the here and now as much as possible.”

  “Good for you,” I said, stretching back and yawning.

  “I didn’t mean to put you to sleep with my talk, Layton.”

  “You’re not, Ma’am,” I said. “It’s just so damn peaceful here. You wouldn’t know there were other houses around.”

  “Having that empty field directly across from this property helps,” Mrs. Carson said. “It’s the same width as the court property, and fairly deep, then there are houses on both sides. Some of the young families in the neighborhood use the field to play sports. And I was teasing you about my putting you to sleep.”

  “Can I get anyone something to drink or eat?” Elise said.

  “No, thank you,” Alex said, still playing with the dog. “Lucky gets along pretty well with only three legs.”

  “Yes he does,” Elise said. “The vet did wonders for our Lucky boy.”

  “Luck is something I didn’t have this morning,” Mrs. Carson said.

  “Why do you say that, Grandma?” Elise said.

  “Look at me, Elise, honey! The sweet girl who usually helps me with my makeup is out of town for a funeral and the beauty parlor is closed today, so my choices for help doing my face were very limited.”

  “I told you I’d do your makeup when I got here,” Elise said.

  “Yes, I know,” Mrs. Carson said, taking off her hat and fluffing her short white hair with her hands. “You were busy preparing the guesthouse for that writer woman and I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “Who did your makeup?” Elise said.

  “Who do you think?” Mrs. Carson said. “Henrietta, the drag queen next door. It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but she made me look like Cruella De Vil! All I need is a black streak in my white hair!”

  Alex shot me a look, and it took all that was inside me not to laugh, the same with Alex.

  “OK, men, let it out,” Mrs. Carson said. “I’m not having you two exploding all over my nice, clean porch.

  I laughed louder than I expected and was surprised that Alex and Elise were laughing just as loud.

  “I’m gonna need a damn chisel to take this makeup off my face,” Mrs. Carson said. “Poor Alex won’t even recognize me without the packed on mess.”

  “You don’t look that bad,” Alex said.

  “The hell I don’t!” Mrs. Carson said, then laughed. “The stroke left me looking better than this makeup job did.” She laughed some more and so did we. “I’m surprised poor Lucky didn’t run away for fear I’d turn him into a coat.”

  Once we’d stopped laughing, Alex stood and looked toward me. “We’re getting way too comfortable considering we need to unpack the truck, Layton.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to put my shoes on, does it?” I said.

  “No, that doesn’t mean you have to put your sandals back on,” Mrs. Carson said. “My late husband hated wearing shoes of any sort, even sandals. He liked feeling the dirt between his toes. Me—I’ve never liked dirt, but if it made my man happy to be barefoot all the time, it made me happy. Alex and Layton, follow Elise and me, we’ll show you a way around the house to your truck that bypasses that hard gravel. Those little rocks can be tough on bare feet.”

  “Lead on,” I said.

  Mrs. Carson took my arm and we walked slowly down the steps followed by Alex, Elise, and Lucky. I silently admired the plants across the front of the house as we rounded the corner. To the left, facing the front of the house, was a clear grassy path with rows of tall, overhanging trees on either side. Further down the path, on the right, was a one room brick building with open doorways but no doors, just curtains.

  “That’s the Indian pavilion, as in ‘India’ not Native American,” Mrs. Carson said. There’s an Indian bed in there, a table, and chairs. We’ll go inside later.”

  She’d left her cane on the porch and was using my arm to steady herself as she walked—and was doing surprisingly well on the uneven terrain. Another turn took us behind a large seating area, consisting of an outdoor sofa, two chairs, and a table in a small brick courtyard.

  “Oh, this is just too much,” I said. “This area and the porch are all I’d need.”

  “And a bathroom,” Alex said. “Don’t forget porcelain.”

  “I was a soldier… a hole in the ground is good enough for me,” I said. “But, don’t worry I’ll always make sure you have a toilet nearby.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “I know you’re joking, Layton,” Alex said. “But, I’ll have you know that when I was in Africa, taking photos for my last exhibit, I made do with just a hole in the ground in some places.”

  “Is that a shower I hear?” I said, as we neared the back corner of the house.

  “That Rory must’ve left the outside shower on again,” Mrs. Carson said. “We use it to clean Lucky off if he’s gotten especially muddy.”

  She pulled me forward in a headstrong and determined way, then gasped when we got to the outdoor shower, which was just a showerhead connected to a metal pole that was secured against the wall of the house.

  Standing in front of us was a handsome man with short black hair, and golden hazel eyes wearing a mischievous smile… and nothing else. His body was of medium size but not flabby at all. The man wasn’t muscular, but he looked good—he had a full, meaty ass and a nice allover tan.

  “Rory Hanson!” Mrs. Carson said. “What are you doing standing there all naked and wet in front of my guests with that ‘thing’ dangling our way?”

  “It’s a nice dangle,” I said, earning myself a glare from Alex. I blew him a discreet kiss and to my surprise he caught it in his hand and put that same hand against his crotch—very hot.

  “No worries, everybody,” Rory said. “Today you can look all you want for free… I won’t charge a cover. I’m Rory Hanson, as you’ve probably heard, gentlemen. Hey stud, you’re already barefoot.” He looked toward me. “Why not finish undressing and you can wash my back? Your cute sidekick is welcome to join us—the more the merrier.”

  “As tempting as that offer is—” I started to say.

  “Layton, don’t let us stop you,” Alex said, then a sly grin appeared on his face. “I’m sure I can unload the truck by myself.”

  “I’m heartbroken,” I said, clutching my heart. “Truly heartbroken. You’re so quick to just give me away like that… and to a perfect stranger.”

  “Introductions were made,” Alex said. “That’s just good ole’ Rory naked in front of us—he of the wondrous dangle.”

  I laughed loudly. God I loved my Alex. Then I turned to Rory with a silly sad face. “Sorry, I’d better help unload the truck.”

  Rory splashed water toward Lucky who barked and jumped back.

  “Even you don’t want to join me, huh Lucky Tuck?” Rory said.

  “And you, Rory, put a sign out or something when you’re out here in your nude, as some people say,” Mrs. Carson said.

  “Sorry, Ma’am,” Rory said. “I didn’t realize you were bringing company back with you. Hell, it’s not like you and Elise haven’t seen me naked around here before.”

  “It’s easier to count the number of times we’ve seen you dressed,” Elise said.

  “Come on now,” Rory said, turning slowly around to show off the wares. “I’m not that bad to look at, am I?”

  “If I didn’t like looking at you… and your ‘dangle’ from time to time, you wouldn’t be living in the pool house,” Mrs. Carson said.

  “Wow!” I said, before I’d caught myself.

  “Well, I can hire any handyman to live here and help around the house,” Mrs. Carson said, replying to my exclamation. “Why not get a good-looking one who’s a practicing nudist… when he can be. And he shouldn’t be practicing his
nudeness when we’re expecting a sweet writer woman. She might not be as cosmopolitan or understanding as I am about the beauty of the naked human form.”

  “She might not be appreciative either, huh?” Rory said.

  “She’d have to be blind not to be appreciative, but that’s neither here nor there,” Mrs. Carson said. “I’m appreciative and I write your checks, that’s all that matters.”

  My love for Mrs. Carson was growing with every word she uttered.

  “Come along everyone,” Mrs. Carson said. “We need to get Alex and Layton settled in before the writer arrives. Make sure to get everything squeaky clean, Rory.”

  “Whatever you say, Ma’am,” Rory said, then saluted Mrs. Carson.

  His salute stopped me dead in my tracks—what wasn’t I remembering?”

  We walked on and Mrs. Carson spoke while holding my arm tightly to get my attention. “I can be a naughty woman sometimes, Layton. I hope I didn’t shock you too much. I’ve always been fond of beautiful… creatures. But, I’ve never felt the need for action to accompany admiration, if you get my meaning. Those days have been over for a while now.”

  “Or for at least two weeks, which is about how long ago you broke Count Almundo’s heart,” Elise said.

  “Yes, well, I can’t abide a man with bad table manners,” Mrs. Carson said. “He may have been hung like a horse, but he didn’t have to eat like one. And, Elise, darling, two weeks ago to an old woman like me is a lifetime. Let’s get moving, we’ve lots to do before company arrives, then much to talk about if we’re going to uncover the secrets of Carson Court.

  Chapter 5

  Mysterious Newcomer

  “THE PORCH back here isn’t as big as the one in the front of the house,” I said. “But this brick courtyard is huge. I love all the brick used around here—on the house, in the paths, and now the courtyard.”