Текст книги "Games Frat Boys Play "

Автор книги: Todd Gregory

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Interregnum

“So, the very next day I went to work.” Jordy smiled a little sadly. “I was very determined. Once I make up my mind, there’s no stopping me.”

“So, you’re telling me you weren’t attractive,” Palladino replied dubiously. “No offense, but I find that a little hard to believe.” As soon as the words came out, he regretted them. Slow down there, cowboy, you’re letting the fact he’s good looking affect your professional judgment. But they were true. Sitting there looking at the handsome young man, it wasn’t possible to believe he had ever been unattractive. The face was so handsome, for example. You don’t change your face through diet and exercise.

Without saying another word, Jordy got out of his chair and walked over to the scroll-top writing desk pushed up against a far wall. He started rummaging around in the top drawer, moving aside papers and envelopes and a roll of stamps. Palladino couldn’t stop staring at his ass inside the tight shorts. The shirt had crept up again, exposing the two dimples just above the curve. It was an exceptional ass, and Palladino considered himself to be a connoisseur of the male ass. He pictured what it must look like naked. He imagined it was white and smooth, the untanned skin contrasting with the deeply tanned torso and legs above and below.

I knew I was gay when I saw an amazing ass, he remembered.

It was in high school, at Polk West. He’d been a freshman and gone out for the freshman football team. He hadn’t wanted to, but his father had played football in high school and so had his older brothers. There wasn’t any real pressure put on him, it was just expected. And on the first day of practice, bruised and exhausted, he’d stripped down to shower. He’d carried his towel over his shoulder, and when he reached the communal shower area he’d stopped dead in his tracks. Right in front of him, another player was standing with his head under the stream of water coming out of the showerhead. His broad tanned back rippled with muscle, and it tapered down to the biggest, hardest, roundest ass he’d ever seen. He just stood there for a moment, gawking at it, before someone flicked him with a towel and startled him out of his frozen state. He got under his own shower but kept stealing glances over at Jim Delevan’s extraordinary ass. He wondered what it would feel like to put his dick in there, or what it would taste like. And later that night, at home, he jacked off remembering Jim Delevan’s magnificent ass, with the hot water cascading down over it.

For the next four years, his crush on Jim Delevan never abated. He took every opportunity he had to stare at Jim’s naked body in the locker room. Whenever he ran into Jim in the halls, he couldn’t help but watch that mighty ass encased in jeans. He never had the nerve to talk to Jim, but he fantasized about him every night before he went to sleep, using Vaseline on his cock as he stroked himself and dreamed about what it would be like to be Jim’s boyfriend.

Jim got a football scholarship to San Diego State, and Joe never saw him again.

But this kid’s ass rivaled Jim’s, and that was saying something.

Jordy found what he was looking for and shut the drawer, standing up and walking back across the room. “Here,” he said, holding out a photograph. “This is what I used to look like.”

Startled out of his reverie, Palladino took the picture and stared at it. “This is you?”

“From a car wash we did as pledges to raise money to buy the class gift.” Jordy stood there, his arms crossed and his legs spread, his left eyebrow slightly raised as he waited for Joe to look at the picture and agree with him.

Palladino struggled to keep from smiling as he looked at the picture. Granted, Jordy now had an absolutely amazing body, but he was hardly the fat, unattractive loser he’d been describing. “Jordy, there was nothing wrong with you.” He looked up and met his eyes.

Joe wasn’t lying. The picture was actually quite adorable. Jordy was soaking wet, because someone out of the picture had trained a hose on him. The water glistened as it soaked him. He was wearing a white T-shirt that clung to his body, and his soaked jeans shorts were sliding off his hips. Sure, he wasn’t in as good physical condition then as he was now, but he wasn’t disgusting to look at.

“Are you blind?” Jordy’s eyes widened, his lip curled in scorn. “Look at those spaghetti thin arms! Can’t you see the belly and the saggy boobs?” He shook his head, curls bouncing. “It was no wonder no one wanted me then.”

“What I see is a really cute young man,” Palladino said, putting the picture down on the coffee table, “who had absolutely no reason to be down on himself.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Jordy replied. “But it isn’t true.”

Joe shrugged. “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there for others to see.” He smiled to himself. Someone had told him that once, a long time ago, back when he was Jordy’s age. “We are all our own worst critics, Jordy. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a bit of a break, you know?”

Jordy’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. After a moment, he said, “Well, that’s very sweet of you to say, Detective, but I wouldn’t have wanted me, either. I can’t blame Chad for not wanting me—but I did then.” His smile was brittle. “Besides, if you don’t find yourself attractive, how can anyone else?” He shrugged. “And I was used to people looking right through me whenever I went to Fusions. I’m not making that up, Detective.” He shook his head again. “There was this one guy—I really thought he was cute. Chad introduced me to him three times. I was so repulsive he forgot about me every time. Each Wednesday it was like meeting him for the first time. You know how soul-destroying that is? And if I wasn’t with Chad, the guy wouldn’t even say hello.” He made a face. “And Chad found me repulsive. He’d told me so. It was the only reason we couldn’t be together. So, I needed to change. I made up my mind.” His face tightened. “No one was ever going to make me feel like that again, Detective. No one was ever going to make me feel like a worthless loser ever again.”

Joe stared at the pretty young man. It’s what’s inside that matters, was what he wanted to say, but he didn’t. It might be true, but it wasn’t always. Hadn’t he himself complained regularly about the shallowness of the gay community, how muscles and bodies and handsome faces were the only currency that mattered, while personality and intelligence ran a far second? Didn’t he go to the gym himself regularly, to keep his own body fit and trim? It would be hypocritical to argue about the value of inner beauty with this kid. It wasn’t his inner beauty that had drawn Sean to him, after all. Sean thought he was a hot daddy. But deep pockets had proven more desirable to Sean than a hot body.

“This was all, what, six months ago?” Joe glanced down at the picture again. The boy in the picture was adorable, with his big smile and water dripping off of him. But the physical transformation was extraordinary. Sure, his face wasn’t quite as fleshed out as it had been—there were no dimples in that face, or visible cheekbones, but it was quite obviously the same person. The warm eyes, the shape of the jaw, and the full lips hadn’t changed. “That’s pretty amazing.” The arms in the picture were not “spaghetti arms” by any stretch of the imagination, but they weren’t tanned or developed, either. He glanced back at Jordy.

“Thank you.” Jordy inclined his head slightly. “But like I said, the morning after Hell Night I went to work. I came back here and cleaned myself up, and I took a good, long look at myself in a full-length mirror. Naked. Clothes can hide flaws, but nudity is the great equalizer.” He laughed. “I took notes on all of my physical flaws and started doing research. I joined a gym and hired a trainer. Two hours a day, five days a week. I hired a nutritionist, and she designed a bodybuilding diet for me, designed to build muscle and burn fat. And I kept doing research—supplements, workout programs.” He smiled faintly. “When I put my mind to something, I can become a bit obsessed. I wanted to know about the latest developments in muscle-building technology, whether it was exercise programs or supplements. I read everything I could, and of course my trainer was the best that money could buy here in Polk.” He laughed. “While everyone else was studying for finals I was working on myself. Finals were just a slight distraction for me.”

“You didn’t have to study?”

“Of course not.” He gave Joe a strange look. “I had so many points in some of my classes I didn’t even need to take the final to get an A. I knew my coursework inside and out. I just reviewed everything an hour or so before the tests, and I knew I could ace them. And I did. I made the dean’s list that semester—and I will again this semester.” He shrugged. “This isn’t a hard school, Detective. Anyway, I also had the five-week Christmas break to get myself into shape. So I had almost two full months before the next semester started to transform myself into a new person.”

“You didn’t go home for Christmas?” Joe knew he was letting the interview get off track and was glad his partner wasn’t with him. Grace Rivera was a great partner, and the two of them got along well. Grace was a “just the facts” kind of detective, though, while Joe veered more along the “let the subject talk” school. Joe theorized it was a better methodology—you got a lot more insight about people by letting them talk, letting their prejudices and weaknesses come out in conversation. That way you could get a better sense of how trustworthy they were. And Jordy’s story was captivating him. It’s not just because he’s beautiful, he told himself again as he waited for Jordy to answer. This is a deeply damaged young man.

“My parents wanted me to join them in Africa, but I told them I wanted to stay here and get a jump on next semester.” Jordy shrugged. “It’s not like we ever had a traditional Christmas with lights and a tree and all that, anyway. Mom and Dad are always somewhere exotic. They were bummed, but they were cool with it. I knew they would be, and I didn’t mind being alone at Christmas.”

“Really?” Joe couldn’t imagine not spending Christmas with his family. He also couldn’t imagine his parents being okay with him skipping out on the holidays, for that matter.

“There were times when I was at St. Bernard when I couldn’t get to where they were. It’s not a big deal. It’s just another day, really. But two weeks in Africa would have fucked up my schedule, and I couldn’t afford to lose that time. My life became highly regimented. Up every morning at six, eat breakfast, head to the gym for two hours with my trainer, then another hour of cardio, and then a post-workout snack, high in protein. I stuck to my eating program—five small meals a day, low in fat and carbs, high in protein. And what was really strange was that after that first week—which was hell, I might add, I’ve never been so exhausted in my life—I started loving working out.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “My off days from the gym—I felt like I wasn’t myself on those days. I also started getting a weekly massage to keep my muscles loose and ready for more work. Even now, it’s my favorite part of the day, you know. I love going into the gym, putting on the headphones, just going deep inside myself and pushing myself really hard. You work out, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Joe nodded. He knew exactly what Jordy was talking about. He cleared his throat. “And where was Chad during all this?”

“Chad went home for the break. Most of the brothers were gone, and I didn’t go anywhere near the house. I wanted my return to the house to be dramatic. I wanted to walk in and have everyone’s jaw drop. And after a couple of weeks I started to see changes. My pants were getting looser. I was starting to see bigger muscles, more definition, even my abs were starting to show—and that convinced me to work even harder, to stay focused. Chad was going to see me and he was going to want me. But I couldn’t wait.” He cracked a smile. “I wanted to see how people—gay guys—would react to the new me. So, I decided to give my body a test run.”

“What did you do?” Joe asked, but he suspected he knew the answer.

“I went to Fusions on New Year’s Eve, to see how people would react to me.” He smiled again. “I bought a new outfit. Boy, was I nervous! I had my hair styled and had the highlights put in.” He ran a finger through his curls. “I’d gotten contact lenses, too.” He inhaled deeply. “And so, the new Jordy strolled into Fusions that night.”

“And?”

“It was like I owned the place.” Jordy’s eyes softened as he remembered. “I walked into the bar and couldn’t believe it. Hot guys who’d looked right through me all the other times I’d been there were checking me out. It was crowded. I walked up to the bar. Usually Chad got drinks for us because it took forever for the bartender to wait on me. As soon as I stood at the bar, the bartender was right there. I couldn’t believe it. He actually flirted with me. And while he was making my drink, another hot guy came up to me and started hitting on me. It was incredible, and I knew I was doing the right thing, had made the right decision. The whole night was amazing. That first drink was the only one I paid for all night long. I went out on the dance floor and took off my shirt. Guys kept checking me out, touching me, kissing me, dancing with me. I had power for the first time in my life, and it was awesome.” He shook his head. “I got picked up for the first time. I think his name was Matt, I don’t remember. But he was gorgeous, and we went back to his place. All he could do was tell me how beautiful I was. I fucked him senseless. He had a great ass.” Jordy shot a glance at Joe. “I’m sorry, does that bother you?”

Joe shook his own head. “Doesn’t bother me in the least,” he replied in a monotone.

“It was awesome.” Jordy’s face lit up with a smile. “I mean, being with Roger was okay, but sex with a hot guy? It was like every fantasy I’d ever had came true. Matt had no body fat.” His eyes got a distant look as he remembered. “His abs looked like they’d been carved from stone. His arms were huge. And that ass . . . my God, he did like getting fucked, and I loved fucking him. I was worried, you know, that I wouldn’t be any good at sex, but turns out I was a natural.” He winked. “And I discovered I really enjoyed sucking cock.”

Joe swallowed, trying to keep his own face expressionless, trying not to imagine what it would be like to have this hot young man on his knees worshipping Joe’s cock. I need to get laid, he told himself. I’m horny and it’s been too long. That’s why this kid is having this effect on me.

“I liked it a lot,” Jordy went on. “I couldn’t get enough of it. I went back out the next night and went home with someone else. I discovered how easy it was to find someone to fuck on the Internet. For the last three weeks before school started, I was having sex sometimes two or three times a day. I was like a kid in a candy store.... I couldn’t get enough. Sure, some of the guys from online weren’t as hot as their pictures, but I didn’t care. They all loved me, wanted me, wanted to feel my muscles and lick me, kiss me, worship me.” He frowned. “I know how bad that sounds . . . but you have to understand, it was all new to me. I wasn’t used to it, and it did kind of go to my head a little bit. I couldn’t believe the way men were reacting to the new me. It did bother me a little, you know. I mean, I was the same person I was before . . . the only thing that changed was the way I looked.”

“The gay community can be superficial,” Joe replied.

One of Jordy’s eyebrows went up. “You’re gay?”

Joe nodded, thinking What the hell. “Yeah.”

Jordy smiled. “Well, damn, I’m sorry I never ran into you before.”

Careful, Joe. Stay professional. “I don’t get out much.”

Jordy nodded. “You probably have a boyfriend, don’t you?” He sighed. “Guys like you always do.”

Guys like me? In spite of himself he was flattered. Get a hold of yourself, Detective. This is an interrogation, not a goddamned pickup. Thank God Grace is not here. I’d never hear the end of this. He cleared his throat. “Actually, I don’t.” He struggled to keep his voice noncommittal.

“Well, maybe after all this is over we could have dinner or something?” Jordy practically purred.

A gorgeous, sexy young man who also happens to be filthy rich and loves to have sex—what a serious slap in the face to Sean that would be!

An image of Jordy naked and lying on his back flashed through his head, a big smile on his face, cooing, Fuck me, Detective, come on and give it to me, you big stud, I want that big fat cock in my ass, come on put me through the goddamned headboard, ride me you big fucking stud—

He shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Why not?” Jordy sounded surprised. “I didn’t push Chad out that window, no matter what my asshole brothers might have said. I mean, sure, I get that you’re here on official police business, but once you’re done questioning me, there’s no reason why we can’t see each other socially, is there?”

I’m not entirely convinced you didn’t push him.

A knock on the door kept him from answering. Jordy excused himself and walked to the front door.

You’re allowing your attraction to cloud your judgment, Joe chided himself. Yes, he’s a good-looking guy. It would be fun to fuck him. But it’s clear he has strong feelings about Chad York. It’s not impossible he pushed him. Sure, being rejected by someone you’re attracted to is painful—God knows it’s happened to you plenty of times, and will happen again, and it does suck—but it’s hardly a motivation for attempted murder. But then again, you’ve investigated murders committed for a lot less. People are capable of anything—and he still hasn’t told you what they argued about. In the heat of passion people do things they’d never do—and you can’t forget this kid is really, really smart, and very emotionally vulnerable. He could have lost his head, shoved Chad out the window, and come back here to figure out how he was going to get away with it.

“I’m sorry, Detective.” Jordy walked back into the living room. “This is my neighbor—I told you about him. Jeff Morgan. Jeff, this is Detective Palladino with the Polk Police Department.”

Joe stood up and shook hands with a handsome young man he recognized but couldn’t place.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jeff said with a slight midwestern accent. He frowned. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to make sure Jordy was okay.” He turned his attention to Jordy. “Eric called me and told me what happened.”

“Some of the brothers think I pushed him,” Jordy replied sourly. “Which is why the nice police detective is here.”

“Well, Eric doesn’t think so, and neither does anyone with a brain!” Jeff replied, his blue eyes flashing. “What a bunch of gossipy bitches.” He turned back to Joe. “You can’t believe Jordy did this!” He frowned. “I’m sorry, but you look familiar. Have we met?”

Joe stared at him, trying to place him. He was about to say Jeff looked familiar to him as well when an image of Jeff wearing a yellow thong, shaking his ass on the bar at Fusions, flashed through his mind. “I don’t believe so,” Joe replied, keeping his face immobile. Joe had tipped him more than once, managing to grope his legs and touch his perfectly chiseled chest. Sean had been crazy about him, unable to take his eyes off him as he moved around on top of the bar. “Look at that package,” Sean had said. “It would be worth seeing if he’s a hustler, don’t you think, Joe? I mean, most of them are, right?”

He pushed those thoughts out of his head.

“I just can’t shake this feeling I know you from somewhere.” Jeff shook his head.

Joe shrugged. “Maybe the grocery store or the gym.”

“Maybe.” Jeff frowned and turned back to Jordy. “Well, I probably should leave you two alone.” Jeff touched Jordy on the shoulder. “Sorry, I wouldn’t have interrupted had I known.... Jordy, come over when you’re done. Are you going to be okay?”

Jordy nodded. “I think so. I mean, it’s such a shock. . . .”

“Well, if you need anything, or just to talk, come on over. Blair’s going to be home from rehearsal soon, and we should be home the rest of the night.” He pulled Jordy into a big hug, and Joe bit his lower lip.

They’re both so gorgeous, it would be hot to watch them—

“It was nice meeting you, Detective.” Jeff shook his hand. “Just sorry it’s under these circumstances. And if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m just right across the hall.” His face darkened. “I always knew Chad York was going to be more trouble than he was worth.”

Jordy walked him to the door, and Joe could hear them murmuring to each other. He heard the door open and shut before Jordy came back and plopped down in his chair. “Sorry, Detective.” He spread his hands sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure if I should have just gotten rid of him.”

Joe shook his head. “Not a problem.”

“Jeff is a great friend,” Jordy went on. “Him and Blair both. They’ve always been great to me.” He grinned. “You should have seen the looks on their faces when they came back from Christmas break! They couldn’t believe how much I’d changed. . . .” His voice trailed off. “I guess that’s where I left off, right?”

Joe nodded.

“The Saturday before the first Monday of school, the house always has a welcome-back party,” Jordy went on, “and that’s the first time the brothers saw the new me. . . .”