"Wow, I really wonder if they ARE gay," Eric said after Reese and Blake had gone once more. "They're going to a conservative Christian university. I knew a guy from my high school that's going there and he's a really right-wing Christian. Do you know for sure that they are?"
"I'm pretty certain because of their body language. Blake can't take his eyes off of Reese and Reese has an eye for every `body' he sees, and I do mean body. I don't think they're going to be happy together unless Reese can quit flirting with everyone or Blake can accept an open relationship."
"Do you want an open relationship?" Eric asked quietly.
"I don't think so, but you might. We're pretty young to settle down and you didn't really come out to yourself until recently. You may want to explore..."
"What's to explore? A dick is a dick is a dick."
"Okay, Gertrude Stein, you know what I mean. You have no idea if Reese has a big dick or a little dick, cut or uncut, but you're attracted to him. Don't lie and say you're not."
"Yeah, I think he's attractive, but so do you. That doesn't mean either of us is going to find out, or even want to find out, his, um, dimensions. And his friendliness doesn't necessarily mean he's into guys."
The boys dallied in the gazebo knowing that the college guys would be back soon. It was pointless to return to their projects only to stop again in a few minutes. They wouldn't be expected to help, but they were going to.
It wasn't too long before the ancient pickup came sputtering into the drive once more and the unloading began for the last time. To speed things up, the guys lifted everything out of the truck's bed and placed them on the drive. Reese left with it as soon as it was empty so he could return it to its "lucky" owner. The boys hung around a bit longer helping Blake carry up the remaining boxes and items.
"Thanks guys. It would have taken us a lot longer without your help. I know I'm going to like living here. By the way, could you please not tell anyone about how Reese acted? He'd get ostracized at school if anyone thought he was gay, and I'm not sure how Ben would react either."
"Dad would be fine with it," Josh assured him.
"Do your families know about you?" Blake asked.
"Yeah," Eric said. "We came out to our dads last month. My mom doesn't know and I'm in no hurry to tell her, but she lives near Chicago and I won't be seeing her anytime soon. Josh's mom is in heaven and he's pretty sure she knew."
"You guys amaze me," Blake confessed. "If my parents even thought I was gay, I'd lose the little financial support I get from them. My dad's so homophobic that he'd probably kill me. Reese's dad left before he was born and I don't know how his mom would react."
Having sweated a lot that day, Eric and Josh felt that another shower wouldn't be a bad idea, so they took one before bedtime. The evening temperature had cooled enough to turn off the AC as long as they didn't use any blankets.
Both guys were hard the moment they got under the water.
"Any chance of a date tonight?" Josh grinned.
"Any chance of NOT having one?" Eric snickered. "It's a perfect, clear night. Wouldn't it be great if we could make love under the stars?'
"Hey, why don't we?"
"I know the backyard's pretty secluded and private, but we have neighbors who can see us now. They know we're gay and we suspect that they might be, but I'd be embarrassed if they caught us." Eric blushed.
"There is a way," Josh assured him. "I'll dig out an air mattress and we can use the fire escape platform by the studio. It's dark and no one can see us up there."
"Cool!"
With only towels wrapped around their waists, the teens carried out their plans. They lay naked on the towels which they had spread against the plastic surface of the mattress. It was a tight fit, but that was fine. Several stars and a planet were visible despite the light pollution of the metropolitan area.
"Did you make a wish on the first star you saw?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, did you?"
"I did, but I've already got my big wish," Josh whispered as he caressed Eric's warm tool.
Their mood was momentarily interrupted by the bright rays of the motion detector lamp at the front of the garage apartment. It had been activated by the return of Blake and Reese. They seemed to be in an animated discussion.
"I know you aren't going after those high school boys, but you really need to be careful. I'll bet they suspect. It's not as bad for you because I think your mom can handle it. But I don't have the scholarships you have."
"What makes you think we wouldn't both be kicked out?"
"You're right. What the hell are we going to do?"
"Not say "hell" for one thing. Those prudes would probably boot us for that!"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Josh whispered.
"Yeah! I'm thinking you hit the nail on the head when you said they're gay. I don't know what else they could be talking about."
The light went back out, but the boys continued to lie very still for a while. Then Josh peeked over the edge of the platform to see if anyone was around.
"Look!" he said excitedly.
Eric raised his head up to see what was arousing Josh's interest.
"Whoa!"
From that angle, they could see down into the main room and the front bedroom of the apartment. Their neighbors hadn't closed the blinds, so the view was nearly unobstructed.
Reese was on his knees in front of his housemate who was evidently naked. It looked like he was swallowing Blake's meat completely.
Fascinated, the boys sat up to get a better look.
"I've got binoculars in the studio somewhere, but I'd probably mess things up if I turned on a light. Do you think we're perverts?"
"No, I think we're just curious to see how other guys do it. I've never seen anyone else do that stuff in real life!"
After a few minutes, Blake thrust his hips forward and gave a cry that the boys could faintly hear through the open window. Then his rigid body relaxed as he stroked Reese's hair.
Reese arose and kissed Blake before ushering him into the bedroom. Blake undressed his lover and lay down on his back on the bed with his knees pulled up toward his chest.
"Shit, Reese is going to fuck him!" Eric exclaimed.
Reese turned off the light, and the show was over. The effects of it were not over, however. Eric and Josh made out with abandon, their libidos at the boiling point. Mere moments later, they were both receiving copious amounts of boy nectar.
They awakened around 1:30 a.m. briefly wondering where they were. Together, they stumbled back down to the second floor and Eric's bed where they cuddled together again after a quick pit stop.
Norm Hadley, owner of "La Galleria D'Arte Moderna" was a tall, elegant gentleman who had a talent for charming many wealthy older ladies and a few men as well. His reputation for selling quality pieces of art had earned him respect from his clients. His moderate fees and fairness made him popular with artists to the point that he never had to go searching for new ones to represent – they came to him, humbly hoping he'd agree to handle their work.
He would not have considered looking at the art work of an unknown 16 year-old had it not been that the boy's father had saved his butt in a sexual harassment lawsuit brought about by a disgruntled assistant. Norm felt that he owed Ben Brady more than the legal fees he had paid.
He hadn't initiated the affair with Jill, but had fallen into the trap all too easily. Even though he wasn't guilty of anything more than consensual sex, the very hint of scandal could have cost him several, if not all, of his very conservative clients. Jill had tried to blackmail Norm. When that didn't work, she consulted a lawyer to try another method of getting money.
Ben had dug into Jill's past and found that she'd pulled a similar scam in New York. The suit had been withdrawn quietly before it could go to trial. Norm could have had her charged with attempted extortion, but chose not to because of the gossip it would have created.
So it was that Mr. Hadley found himself ringing the doorbell of the stately brick home belonging to the Brady/Larson household. He had waited a full minute, and was about to leave, when a good looking teen answered the door.
"Hi, you must be Mr. Hadley. I'm Eric Larson. Please come in and I'll take you up to the studio. Josh is expecting you," he said offering his hand.
Norm followed the young man up the stairs enjoying the view of the boy's firm butt as it flexed in his shorts. God, he was cute. Perhaps the other one would be too. If so, it would be really difficult to tell him that he had no future in the art world. Males didn't excite him as much as females, but he could go either way with the right person. Jeez, he felt horny today.
Josh strode across the room and met Mr. Hadley with the same kind of firm handshake and confident air. He too was easy on the eyes.
Norm felt overly warm suddenly. He wished that there were an adult present. He didn't want to find himself in the position that he had with Jill. If either of these boys wanted to use their charms to sway his opinions of Josh's work, he would have a difficult time resisting.
Josh had chosen to show his paintings two at a time for the most part. He wanted each individual work to have its own impact, but he didn't want to take up too much of the agent's time. He knew that the man was busy and used to dealing with professional artists. A person of this stature wouldn't be here if he didn't feel indebted.
Josh had planned the order of presentation rather like one might a portfolio viewing - beginning with a couple of very strong pieces - landscapes, then going to some "okay" ones, and finally showing his figure work, ending with the first painting Josh had done of Eric.
Norm had been working on the right words to use to let the boy down easy when he suddenly realized that he didn't need them.
"These are quite good," he said with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I know people who are very into realistic landscapes. I'm sure that I could sell these two at a pretty good price if you weren't unknown.
The problem with getting a decent price for your work is that you need to have a reputation. In order to get one, you have to show your work. To have a show, you need to have a body of work large enough to have an exhibition in a quality gallery. Most large galleries won't touch you unless you have a reputation. As you can see, it's a `catch 22'."
"I know that my stuff is amateurish, but I had to show you in order to make my dad happy," Josh said. "You know how parents can be. Gypsy Rose Lee wasn't the only kid with a stage mother."
"Don't put yourself down, young man. This is very good work. It's fresh, unspoiled."
The boys took down the first two painting and set them against a wall. They replaced them on the easels with a couple more. Norman Hadley kept looking thoughtfully without making further comments as the show progressed.
When the first pair of figures came up, the expression on his face let Josh know that he was impressed. He seemed more enthusiastic as each new group appeared.
"As much as I like your landscapes, I have to say that I think your talent lies in figure work. These are great. I assume that Eric is your model?"
"Yes. He's really patient at holding long poses."
"You're lucky to have someone who has nicely defined muscles and isn't afraid to pose partially clothed and even nude."
For the final painting, Josh chose to show only one – the first thing he had done of Eric kneeling by the water. He held his breath as he stepped back to reveal it.
"Oh my God, your father wasn't exaggerating. This is marvelous! I know a man who would pay $2,000 for it without questioning your reputation. He has a whole collection of handsome youths."
"So, you think that he'd be interested in it for prurient reasons if nothing else?" Eric asked.
"Yes, and I commend your vocabulary as well as your sophistication."
"Well, it's not for sale for some old pervert to lust over," Josh stated firmly. "I painted it for Eric and it belongs to him."
"Understood. But is there a possibility that you would allow it to be shown with a `sold' sign on it Eric? This would be an ideal focal point for a show."
"I guess, if it would help Josh," Eric smiled.
Turning back toward Josh, Norm said, "I have a two-week slot in February that will be free because the artist signed an exclusive contract with another gallery after he'd reserved the time. I would feel okay about hanging most of these, but it would be best if you could come up with another dozen good ones by then so that we'd have more choices."
"Are you serious?" Josh asked. "I mean, you don't have to do this just because you're a friend of my dad's."
"I'm making this offer because I think you have talent. No, I KNOW you have talent. About once a year, I introduce an unknown artist to give him, or her, the chance to gain a reputation. It's my way of paying forward the favors I received from people who took a chance in backing me when I started."
"Wow! How much will it cost me?"
"Very little. You should have your paintings professionally framed, but that's all the investment you have to make. It's possible that you guys can learn to do that eventually, but I'd go with a pro to start with."
"I'll pay for the reception and I'll get 40% of the sale price of your work. You'll find that most galleries take 50%, but I feel that's exorbitant. If my overhead weren't so steep, I'd do it for less than that."
Scott came up to the studio from his second-floor office in time to hear Josh's excited expression of "Way cool!" Eric immediately introduced his father to Mr. Hadley. The two men exchanged smiles at Josh's elation.
"Mr. Hadley..."
"Please call me `Norm', Scott. I'm more comfortable with that outside of the gallery."
"Okay, Norm. Do you have time for iced tea, lemonade, or something stronger?"
"I'd enjoy that. I'd go for the `something stronger' if I didn't have an important appointment after I leave here. Lemonade sounds great."
Norm was impressed with the taste of the lemonade. The boys had made it from fresh lemons that morning. He also had two almond bars even though they would mess up his calorie count for the day. The bars had been baked by Josh and Eric as Scott proudly revealed. Norm was surprised, and again pleased. What he had been dreading had turned out to be a delightful afternoon.
Ben entered the back door around five sounding like a father in a 1950's sitcom: "Honey, I'm home!" Scott turned from the counter where he was starting dinner preparations to give Ben a big kiss.
"Well, how did it go with Norman Hadley today?" Ben asked.
"Okay, I guess," Scott answered keeping a straight face. "You'll have to ask your son for the details."
Josh and Eric came in from the hall on cue, looking rather somber.
"Hi Dad," he said. "How was work today?"
"Fine. Did things go okay here?"
"Yeah, but my exhibition won't happen until the second week of February." Josh grinned in spite of himself.
"He's showing your work?!" Ben exclaimed.
"Yup," Josh admitted.
"Oh my God! See, I told you that you have talent. This calls for a celebration.
"There's a bottle of chardonnay already chilling," Scott told him. "I'm also attempting to make Josh's favorite linguini dinner. Could you help me with the clam sauce after you get changed? I'm following the recipe from your cookbook, but Josh says you take some liberties with it."
Ben returned in a few minutes to help Scott put the finishing touches on dinner. Then the four sat down to enjoy their celebratory meal. Ben was really pleased that everyone seemed to be as excited about Josh's good fortune as he was. It made him even surer that being with Scott again was meant to be.
Author's notes: Hey, there's a bit of hopeful news. A committee of ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church is discussing the possibility of including gays in the clergy. It still has to go up for a vote and might not pass, but it is a step in the right direction. Changes are coming!
Thanks to all who wrote to me since the last posting. These include: Jim We, Jim C, Ken W, Vann, Guy C, Baruch, Paul L, and Paul R. Thanks guys.
As always, I need to thank my faithful editors. Yes, they realize that they missed a couple of errors in the last chapter. Thanks to those who caught them. I have fixed the master copy. Anyway, I hope that you love my editors, David and Tom, as much as I do. They give me advice as well as catch typos and the like.
David