by Gerald Lopez
“Thank you for being direct,” Bart said. “I’ve been hearing stories about what happened to me, and—”
“And you’re trying to find out the truth,” Mr. Orion said, sitting up and helping Bart to sit up. “I like you, Jeremy, and I can understand you wanting to find out what happened—if for no other reason than you don’t want it to happen again. The truth of the matter is last time you were here you made quite a few enemies. You tended to stick your nose too deeply into where it didn’t belong.”
“Did I stick my nose too deeply into your business?”
“Yes, you did, as a matter of fact—but you’ve never scared me,” Mr. Orion said. “I liked you before with your high sense of morality, but I like you now even better. You’ve allowed your feet to touch the same ground that we mere mortals inhabit.”
Bart laughed. “Was I that bad before?”
“You weren’t bad enough, I’d say. But like I’ve said, you’ve changed. The old Jeremy would never have taken up with Reese.”
“As I said earlier, he’s a little young for my taste,” Bart said, letting his hand glide across Mr. Orion’s nipple. “I do seem to have come back with a ravenous appetite of sorts.” He kissed Mr. Orion, and was surprised to find him respond in kind.
“I have the feeling our fates are intertwined together… why is that?” Mr. Orion said.
“I don’t know, but I’d say to trust your gut,” Bart said. “I’m trusting mine by being here with you.”
“Are you?” Mr. Orion said. “Here I thought you were just looking for information and taking advantage of a dying old man, who’s pumped up on all sorts of painkillers.”
“Oh, I haven’t even started to take advantage of you yet,” Bart said, lying back and pulling Mr. Orion down on top of him.
“The thing is, Jeremy, that as much as I’m enjoying your attempted seduction of me, I really don’t have any information to give you,” Mr. Orion said. “I’m merely an investor in what’s happening here,” he kissed Bart. “I’m enjoying this thing with you, which is surprising. My head is clearer, but you still remind me of my general… so…. so much and, no matter what anyone would say, I do miss him. Who knows, maybe I have what they call Stockholm syndrome, or some such thing?
“It’s hard to imagine you as just an investor in anything,” Bart said.
“I’ve slowed down in my retirement, but I do enjoy living in luxury, and I’m always looking for investments. I decided early on to invest in Rachel’s sideline business—the girl’s none too bright though. She’s never even met the people providing the goods she’s selling.”
“How can that be?” Bart said.
Mr. Orion lightly bit Bart’s nipple, then responded. “Her man drops the money off at a specified point and picks up the goods—it’s all standard procedure. Rachel’s a good salesperson—she’s popular, pretty, and a socialite, so the people running things like her. In the beginning, the merchandise was good stuff too; so good, I thought it was coming from one of my old friends.”
“Really—but wouldn’t they have told you?” Bart said.
“Not necessarily,” Mr. Orion said. “We’re old friends, but we still have our secrets. Those in command don’t show up at the scene unless something happens to their line of distribution, or their investors.”
“I see,” Bart said, putting his arms around Mr. Orion’s neck and kissing him on the lips.
“Why am I telling you all these things, Jeremy?” Mr. Orion said.
“It’s the medication, the fact I remind you of someone you loved, and maybe a deep inner need to share,” Bart said. “Besides, I’m just a ‘bug you can squash’ at any point.”
Bart surprised himself by how he was playing at things with Mr. Orion; especially, since this was anything but a game. Still, he wanted to push the boundaries even more. He reached for Mr. Orion’s hands and held them firmly in his.
“You can kill me or love me, Ernesto… I’m completely in your hands,” Bart said, placing Mr. Orion’s hands on his neck.
Mr. Orion applied a small amount of pressure to Bart’s neck, and felt him respond by moaning and arching his back upward. He looked down into the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen since his general. The blue eyes looked back at him full of nothing—no malice, no hate, just openness and… could it be? he thought. Could it be honesty and love? Letting go of Bart’s neck, he reached down and pulled Bart up to him, then hugged him tightly. Their bodies were soon wrapped around one another—legs around legs and chests close together. They kissed passionately; both breathing hard. Then Mr. Orion pushed Bart away. He spoke between heavy breaths.
“I’ve never reacted to any man like this—like I am with you. It’s no good… it’s too late for this—I won’t be with a man… not after everything men have done to me.” He sat up, put his elbows on his knees, and rested his head in his hands.”
“I’m sorry, truly sorry for what they did to you, Ernesto,” Bart said. He had to go for it—the time was now or never. “Ask me for something, Ernesto. Let me do something to make up for what’s happened to you. What do you desire above everything? Let me give it to you.” He sat up and put his arm around Mr. Orion’s shoulder.
“That is one thing I’m not prepared to tell you just yet,” Mr. Orion said. “Not that I don’t think you already know. You wouldn’t have asked, if you didn’t already know. Serafina mentioned you to Magdalena too—at least, I think it was you. The mysterious man, who’d release me from the things that had me bound up in this world.”
“Only we can release ourselves from such burdens,” Bart said. “But sometimes others can help.”
“And by giving me my desires, you’ll gain something you desire as well.”
“All I really want,” Bart said, “is for you to have what you’ve always really wanted… then I’ll be happy.”
“I believe you, Jeremy,” Mr. Orion said. “I truly believe you can give me what I want… and it frightens me.”
Bart held him tightly from behind, then whispered in his ear. “Don’t be afraid, Ernesto.” He could feel his heart beating fast, and wondered if Mr. Orion could feel it too. They were close to forming an alliance, which they both knew would have a terrible consequence—Bart was sure of that, even while trying hard not to think about what the final outcome would be. Kissing Mr. Orion’s neck, Bart almost felt sorry for the man, but made himself think of the atrocities Mr. Orion must’ve committed back in his country. Lisa made sure he wasn’t molesting actual underage boys while at the resort, but there was probably no equivalent to her in Mr. Orion’s homeland. It was important to put that out of his mind for now and keep up the charade.
“Rachel’s the connection to what happened to you,” Mr. Orion said, “even if she doesn’t know it herself, Jeremy. Sometimes to get to the fruit and nuts high up in a tree—you must shake the tree fiercely, even to the point of breaking some of the lower branches off. Shake the tree, but be careful not to get bruised by any falling fruit.”
Bart laughed. “I’ll be careful, Ernesto, thank you.”
“I love you, Jeremy,” Mr. Orion said.
“No, you don’t,” Bart said. “You love the general I remind you so much of… I’m just his stand in.”
“You’re probably right, and there’s something terribly sad about that,” Mr. Orion said. “Well, I think it’s time to call the boys in and put you to the test, Jeremy.”
Chapter 19
Test Taking Time
“SIT BACK and relax, my friend,” Mr. Orion said to Bart, who did as he asked. He then turned toward the back doors. “Boys, we’re ready for you.”
Mr. Orion sat back next to Bart, put an arm around him, then kissed him.
“This thing between us is a fantasy and I need to come back to reality, Jeremy. Share this with me, so know I can trust you enough to tell you afterward what it is I desire most.”
The two blond boys from the hot tub entered the room; both were still wet and might as well have been naked for al
l that their wet white Speedos showed. Bart looked at them and, even knowing they weren’t underage, he felt uncomfortable—they looked so young, but then that was the point.
“Take off your Speedos, toss them out on the patio, then come meet my friend,” Mr. Orion said.
The boys did as instructed, then walked back into the room completely nude. Bart could see how Mr. Orion could be fooled about their ages. Both had slender, smooth bodies with no muscle. Their cocks were long, even when soft, but there wasn’t even the slightest sign of pubic hair on either one—they definitely knew what they were doing.
“Don’t be shy, boys,” Mr. Orion said. “This is my friend, Jeremy. We’ve been having a pleasant conversation and some fun… but I think it’s time we finished things off with your help.”
The boys walked up to Mr. Orion and Bart, knelt down in front of them, and began sucking on their cocks.
“There’s nothing like doing something illegal together to build trust between two people—and we’re definitely doing something illegal with these two,” Mr. Orion said.
“I told you I prefer older men,” Bart said.
“Are you saying your not interested in this ‘test’ of our friendship,” Mr. Orion said.
Bart was well aware it was a test and knew he had to pass it by letting the fake twink, underage imposter in front of him get him off, so he responded accordingly. “I’m just asking if you’d mind helping me a little, Ernesto.”
“I don’t mind at all, Jeremy,” Mr. Orion said. He leaned over and began kissing Bart on the lips. His tongue parted Bart’s lips and worked its way inside.
Unnerved by the young-looking man giving him a blow job, Bart decided to lose himself in Ernesto’s kisses. The sooner he came the sooner this would be over, so he commanded his body to feel and react to everything that was going on. He felt Mr. Orion pinching and tweaking his nipples, before chewing and biting them. Not wanting to hold back in the least, Bart gave in and moaned in pleasure louder and louder.
Mr. Orion looked at Bart and found himself getting intensely turned on watching him. He moaned when Bart moaned, then kissed him, hard and sloppily. He wanted to melt into the man and forget who he was and who he’d been—but that was impossible to do.
“Oh God!” Bart said. “I’m close!”
Mr. Orion pushed the boy off Bart’s cock with his foot then took his place; draining Bart of his cum then moving back up, kissing Bart, and feeding him his own cum. While they were kissing, Mr. Orion came, then he looked at both boys and barked out an order.
“Go shower, then afterward stay in your room.”
The boys left and Mr. Orion and Bart continued kissing. After a few moments, Mr. Orion stood, grabbed his robe, and used it to clean himself before tossing it to Bart.
“You did a good job cleaning me off—and didn’t waste a drop of cum,” Bart said.
“It was too good to waste,” Mr. Orion said, stretching his hand out to Bart to help him off the sofa. Without letting go of Bart’s hand, he led him outside to the hot tub, and they got in.
Moments went by in silence as both men relaxed in each other’s arms in the warm water as they looked up at the now night sky and admired the stars. Bart had managed to so completely lose himself in Mr. Orion during ‘the test’ that he had to shake himself back to reality.
“I haven’t been with a man since before I became a man myself,” Mr. Orion said, looking down at Bart who was leaning against him with his head on his chest. “You look tired, Jeremy.”
“I am,” Bart said. “It feels like it’s been such a long day.” He put his arms around Mr. Orion’s waist. “Did I pass your test?”
“Yes you did, thank you,” Mr. Orion said. “I’m a villain, but you know that already. Tonight for a moment—with you… I almost fooled myself into thinking I could be redeemed.”
Bart was about to say something, but Mr. Orion put his finger on his lips and hushed him. “Let’s not lie anymore tonight, there’s been enough of that,” Mr. Orion said.
“Was it all lies—I wonder?” Bart said before he felt himself squeezing Mr. Orion, almost as if trying to will something to happen, but he wasn’t sure what.
“Most of tonight was lies, pleasant though they were. If you weren’t you and I wasn’t me maybe, just maybe we could’ve been lovers… at least for a short while.”
There was silence again. And during that silence Bart had a strange feeling that he and Mr. Orion really knew one another and truly had been brought together almost by fate.
“What I desire most is to be able to go back and change what happened that night at the orphanage when the first soldier raped me while he held his gun to my head,” Mr. Orion said. “The feelings of helplessness never leave me. I want to change what happened that night and have the ten-year-old be victorious.”
Looking up at Mr. Orion, Bart spoke. “But to be victorious the boy would have to kill the soldier. The younger man would have to kill the older one.”
“The boys here, my so-called grandsons represent my time with my general—the happier times.” He laughed and held tightly to Bart. “I said no more lies, didn’t I. The general was a child molesting rapist… a beautiful monster, just like I am. Only I’m not as beautiful—I never was as beautiful as him. He kept me with him always, but stopped bedding me when I reached puberty—he wouldn’t bed with a man. I was his creation and followed in his ways in all things. My escape was in my fantasy of loving him and the truth is there were worse men than him—he never beat me or tortured me.”
“No, he only raped you for your entire childhood,” Bart said. “That was bad enough, don’t you think?”
“I can’t look at the whole picture of my life at one time or I’d fall into despair,” Mr. Orion said. “I’ve asked myself why I became the monster instead of trying to become a hero. At times I’d even convinced myself I had no choice in who I became, but the truth is I could’ve become the good man that my homeland needed… and I didn’t. None of us did… the three of us all ended up monsters just like the men before us.”
“Even Magdalena?” Bart said.
“She’s just one more victim among hundreds,” Mr. Orion said. “Because of the medication I take, I’ll have forgotten most of what we discussed tonight, Jeremy—please don’t take offense at that.”
“I won’t,” Bart said. “I guess it’s time for me to go.”
“Yes, but don’t forget the important things we’ve discussed.”
Bart started to rise, but Mr. Orion grabbed his hand. “Don’t become a monster in order to fight monsters; do what you have to do, but for the right reasons.” He kissed Bart’s hand then pulled him close and held him so his face rested against Bart’s belly. “Serafina was right about you—thank you.” He let go and watched him leave the hot tub. Then he saw him stop and look back at him.
“Good night, Ernesto,” Bart said. “I’m going to get dressed, then go back to my apartment. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to calling you Hank or Mr. Orion again.”
WALKING almost as if he was a zombie, Bart slowly made his way back to his apartment. He opened his door and was about to turn on the light when someone spoke.
“Leave it off.”
Chapter 20
Reacting to Things
“IT’S ME, Frank… and Jenna’s here too,” Frank said.
“Oh, God, just turn the light on,” Jenna said. “Nobody’s around, they’re all at the club, and someone’s bound to see us when we leave here, anyway.”
“You don’t look too good, Bart,” Frank said.
Bart ran past them to the bathroom, where he threw up in the toilet. Within seconds, Jenna was behind him checking on him, while Frank stood in the doorway ready to be of help. Jenna was about to say something when Bart held his hand up, turned back to the toilet and threw up again. He had to do it one more time before flushing the toilet and sitting down on the floor in front of it.
“Sorry, guys,” Bart said.
“There’s nothing to
be sorry about… we saw the whole thing on the monitors,” Frank said. “I don’t know how you held it in this long.”
“Let’s help him to his bed, Frank,” Jenna said. “Are you through here, Jer?”
“Yeah, I… I uh, think so, but I need a shower first after everything,” Bart said.
“Frank, help him; he looks really unsteady on his feet,” Jenna said. “I’ll go get his bed ready.”
Jenna left, and Frank helped Bart out of his clothes, then removed his own clothes and got them both into the shower. There were a few times he had to help Bart keep from falling, but they were done fairly quickly and without injury. After drying off, Frank put an arm around Bart and walked him to his bed where Jenna helped get him tucked in. Once Bart was settled in, Frank and Jenna lay down on either side of him.
“It was horrible,” Bart said. “What they did to Mr. Orion was unforgivable and I actually almost felt sorry for him—but then he turned around and did the same thing. What the hell kind of thing is that to do? He knew… he knew the horror of what it felt like to be abused; and yet, he did it to others as innocent as he’d been.”
“He did what he had to in order to survive, I guess,” Frank said. “It’s understandable when he was a kid, but you’re right—how could he have done it to others?”
“Remember, he thinks he’s still doing it, and that he got you to do it tonight too,” Jenna said.
“Oh, man, I hope he didn’t videotape me like he did Reese,” Bart said.
“No chance of that,” Frank said. “I took care of that lil problem when I installed a surprise of my own in his rooms—one that’ll keep his hidden cameras for functioning unless I want them to. Was Mr. Orion talking about suicide tonight with that desire of his he mentioned?”
