Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:08:45 -0700
From: Sapphire Tears Story <tbwcst@gemstoneeyes.com>
Subject: The boy who cried sappire tears - Chapter 12
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As always, I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter. Thanks, again.
The Boy Who Cried Sapphire Tears -- Part 12
The remaining days of Christine and Don's visit flew by.
Blake no longer had his cousins to introduce them to since they have
already moved to Los Angeles. So they spent the weekend they had together
just visiting the town of Missoula and looking through the antique shops,
something Christine enjoyed doing, but something Blake and Don only
tolerated. It made her happy, and that's what counted to both of them.
Sunday afternoon, Don and Christine packed everything that wasn't necessary
for the following day.
After dinner, Don and Blake went to the lake for a swim, and when
they returned, sat on the front porch with Mama, Papa and Christine. More
stories were told from Mama about many a time in the drag era of her life
that left everyone howling with laughter. Papa, on the other hand, told
stories from the audience's perspective before moving on to tell a couple
of interesting, yet edge-of-your-seat, war stories. Hearing one of their
stories was like stepping back in time. They gave so much detail that it
was hard for Blake to pull himself away to go to bed, but he knew he had to
go. After listening to the umpteenth story that night, Blake got up and
told everyone goodnight. Don and Christine wanted to be at the airport by
eight, and Blake said had he would take drive them.
When he got in his room, he had just settled down when Todd called
him.
"Hey, Puppy," Blake said, answering the phone.
"How are ya tonight?" Todd asked.
"Good, just tired. Had a great visit with Mom and Dad and now I
don't want them to leave. I miss them, and I miss home, but most of all, I
miss you," Blake said wearily.
"I know, Baby, I miss you, too. But you'll be here in a couple of
months. It's just around the corner," Todd said.
"Which reminds me: I need to let them know my vacation week. Let me
know what week works for you."
"I will," Todd said. "So, tell me what y'all did today."
Blake recounted his day with Christine and Don and then they moved
to other topics. The call didn't last long, they just wanted to hear each
other's voice, more than anything, and Todd promised to call on Monday, if
he didn't get a chance, explaining that he and Robert might go and catch a
movie and dinner tomorrow night. They said their "I love you's" and
hurried off to sleep.
Blake took Christine and Don to the airport, said goodbye to them,
wishing them a safe flight. As he walked back to his car, found he had
pools of tears in his eyes. He had missed them greatly, and was sad to see
them go. He gave a small laugh at the ridiculousness of his crying, seeing
as he just spent five days with his parents. He wiped his eyes with the
back of his hand, and moved off to watch the plane take off. When he could
no longer see it, he turned and headed back to work.
After work, he has just finished his shower and came back to his
room and found five missed calls—all from Todd. He immediately got
worried, because there was no voicemails or text messages. Thinking
something bad had happened to Christine and Don, he dialed Todd's number
and waited with baited breath.
"Oh, my God! You are not going to believe what happened!" Todd said
in lieu of a greeting.
"What? What?" Blake asked, fear melting into confusion at the
excitement he heard in Todd's voice.
"I was out playing basketball with Ro—"
"Does this have anything to do with Mom and Dad?" Blake asked,
getting to the heart of it.
"No, why?"
"You scared me half to death. Don't ever call me five times in ten
minutes and not leave a message or a text! I thought their plane went down
or something and you were frantic," Blake scolded.
"I'm sorry, Baby," Todd said, hearing Blake's concern. "I heard
from them earlier. They made it home okay. But this thing happened to
me."
Finally able to breathe properly, again, Blake said, "Okay, what
happened?"
"Okay, I was out playing basketball with Robert and a couple other
guys when..."
* * * * *
"Swish!" I said, looking at Lucky.
"Lucky shot," he told me, as he was on the other team.
"Bullshit!" I looked over at Tony and said, "That was skill, right?"
"Of course," Tony answered with a huge smile.
The four of us played for an hour or so, then this guy walked up to
the fence and started snapping pictures. We noticed him, but paid him no
mind. There we were, all four of us shirtless and sweating, and he was
taking pictures. At first, I thought he was just a dirty old man, but
after about ten minutes, he stopped shooting us and just watched. About
five minutes later, unbeknownst to Robert, one of his shoes came untied and
as he got the ball, he tried to move his left foot, only to find it
wouldn't go anywhere, and he fell over, throwing the ball toward the guy.
Keith went to get it, and when he stood up, he looked like he was
talking to the guy. Then a second later, he looked back at us, and then
came jogging over.
"That guy wants to talk to you," he said, looking at me.
"What for?" I asked.
"He said something about a job," Keith answered.
I looked between the guys, back to the man, and then back to the
guys. "No matter what money he offers, I'm not sleeping with him." They
started laughing.
I grabbed the ball from Keith and dribbled it for a second, watching
the guy. I couldn't decide if I wanted to find out what he wanted to tell
me, or continue playing ball. He started motioning me toward him, and
finally, curiosity got the better of me. Throwing the ball back, I said,
"If I'm not back in ten minutes, send a search party."
I walked the twenty or so feet, and when I was in earshot, he
greeted me and asked, "You got about ten minutes or so to spare? I want to
talk to you about a possible job. Name's Marvin Boggins."
"Has this got anything to do with sex?" I asked, getting straight to
the point.
"Are you kidding?" He asked, wide-eyed and flabbergasted. "My wife
would beat the shit outta me if she thought I was out looking for
sex...especially with a guy, seeing as how I'm straight."
"Then, whatcha want with me?" I asked, confused.
"I'm a scout. So, you got ten minutes, or what?" Marvin asked,
exasperated.
Curiosity, again, got the better of me and I nodded my head.
"Here, let's sit and talk for a minute," Marvin said, pointing to a
bench nearby.
I started walking down the fence to meet him and asked, "What kinda
scout?"
"Models," he answered.
"Models?" I repeated, still confused.
We got to the bench and sat. I straddled the stone bench as he sat
facing forward.
"I've been hired by a company who is looking for a fresh new face
for a clothing line. I've been traveling around the city looking for, as
they said it, `stunningly beautiful men with muscle.' Do you know how hard
it is to find that when you're a straight guy?"
Todd smiled and said, "Actually, it's pretty easy. I see tons of
'em every day."
"On the prowl, huh?" Marvin grunted.
"Nah, I gotta boyfriend, but it's still nice to look."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "Look at that honey there,"
he said, distracted. His eyes followed a twenty something girl in a sports
bra and very short shorts as she jogged past. Shaking his head, he looked
back. "Anyway, I've found a few guys here and there, and after getting a
few pictures, some of them were good, others not so much. I introduced
myself, like I'm doing with you and told them what I'm about to tell you."
He took a breath and started. "Like I said, a new company has hired
me to find some guys. They didn't tell me what the clothing line is, only
that they wanted fresh faces of `normal' people," he used air quotes as he
said the word normal. "They aren't looking for professional models—they
want a new face. They want their product to be seen as affordable for
everyone and I guess they think a `normal' everyday guy can help portray
that."
"Okay, you don't know what the clothing line is. Do you know the
salary?" I asked, questioning.
"Nope, only said it would be worth it. They're looking for one guy
now, exclusive to them for the first year, or something like that. Maybe
looking for a second one later. Guess they want to see if their product
takes off first."
"I've never modeled before," I said to Marvin.
"Doesn't matter," he said, grunting again.
He had two cameras hanging around his neck, both of them on the left
side of his very large belly. As I sat there and watched him, thinking
about what he was telling me, I saw him lick his lips. Thinking he saw
another girl, I turned, but realized it must have been food he was craving
at that point.
"So, whadda ya say?" Marvin asked, looking back at me.
"If I say yes, how does this work? What's next?"
"I'll be looking around for the rest of the week. They want me to
find at least twenty five possibilities. The more guys I find and bring
back to them, the more money I make, so you can best be sure, I'll be out
all week. Plus, I get a bonus if I bring in the winning guy."
"So, you're not the only scout then?" I asked.
"Nope. Got five of us lookin'. So...at least a hundred and twenty
five guys to show 'em. Don't expect any will be dups, so the field'll be
big. Anyway, next week, we turn in our finds and their information, and
that's all for us. Next, they'll be going through what we got and sortin'
`em into piles, I expect. Then in another week, I guess, if they want to
see you in person, they'll call you. How old are you, anyway?"
"Twenty one last month," I said, proudly.
"Good, perfect age," Marvin said. "So, you interested?"
I looked over at the other three, still shooting baskets and thought
about what it might mean. Then I thought of another question.
"Is it a national campaign?"
"'S far as I know."
Marvin kept his eyes on me and I thought about how cool it'd be to
be a model, just once. I never thought I was attractive enough, but Marvin
thought otherwise. Or maybe it's just my muscle talking. I looked around
again, thinking of Blake's reaction if he saw me in a magazine or something
and it made me smile.
`Holy shit, Todd. You're in "GQ"!' and then he'd go on telling me
how good looking I am, as he does often, while showing me my own picture in
some magazine as proof of what he's always been telling me. I would smile
at him, try to grab the magazine out of his hand, to which he would
promptly get up and get out of my arms' reach, while continuing to praise
me. Then, in the briefest of moments, where there was a lag in his
explanation, I would get up, tell him how he is much better looking than I
and how it should be him in that magazine instead of me. Before he could
protest, as I most certainly see he would do, I would grab him and silence
him with my lips against his own.
I wanted this moment.
"Yeah, I'm interested." `If only to see Blake's face!' I thought.
"What do I need to do?"
"Great!" He reached in his camera bag and pulled out a sheet of
paper. "Fill this out while I check my cameras."
I filled out the information and contact sheet and waited while he
refilled his Polaroid camera with film. When he was done, he asked me to
stand.
"No need to smile for this one, if you don't want. Just goes with
the sheet, there," he explained, snapping the picture.
When the instant picture fluttered out of the front, he grabbed it
and laid it on the sheet. Taking that camera off, he moved away from the
bench and had me stand on it. He took a couple of shots of me looking
around, acting normal. Then he had me look serious, which was hard to do
being shirtless and covered in sweat. A couple more, asking me to give a
sexy look, which I think I failed at, miserably. Put Blake in front of me,
and I'm sure I could have, but with Marvin my only focus, it was difficult.
"Want me to put my shirt on for a few?" I asked.
"Nah. They want muscle. Might as well show it to `em."
After a few more clicks, he told me he got what he needed. He
walked up next to me, turned his back on me and started flipping through
the pictures. Either Marvin knew how to work a camera, or I wasn't looking
half bad today. My hair was a mess, matted in some places because of the
sweat, and then spiky in every different direction in other places where I
ran my hand through it.
My yellow basketball shorts gave away a bulge that I wasn't
intending to show, but then, that's what boxer-briefs do for me. I hope it
doesn't turn them off to me as a candidate. My body shown fairly nice with
a tan and my flawless skin, to which I have always been thankful,
looked...well...flawless. All in all, I took some great pictures today.
And I think, if I'm chosen, it could be a lot of fun.
* * * * *
Blake had not said a word through Todd's entire story. He hung on
every syllable, wanting to hear more, and becoming more excited the more he
heard. When he finally realized that Todd finished, he could barely speak.
"They're gonna choose you. They have to!" Blake said,
enthusiastically.
"Well, I'm not getting my hopes up, just in case. Although, it
would be kinda exciting, I think."
"Yeah. Then I can show everyone an ad in some magazine and say,
`That's my boyfriend.'"
"You wouldn't," Todd said, teasingly.
"Hell yeah, I would. You wouldn't be embarrassed, would you?" Blake
asked, cautiously, thinking there wasn't any way possible that Todd would
be embarrassed about anything.
"Nah, probably not. I can just picture myself modeling suits."
"Yeah, well, you look sexy in a suit," Blake said, smiling as he
said it.
"When have you ever seen me in a suit? I never wore a jacket on our
dates," Todd asked.
"I know it was a sad day, but I couldn't help but notice—Bobby's
funeral."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. God, he'd never let me hear the
end of it. `You—a model? Who're they kiddin'?' That's what he'd say,"
Todd explained and gave a laugh.
"Well, I think they'd be crazy not to choose you. Especially if
it's underwear they want you to model."
"Oh, God. I don't know if I could do that. I'd be showing too
much."
"Yeah, right. If it's underwear, you got the perfect ass and cock
and balls for it. You fill out underwear superbly! Makes my mouth water
every time."
Instinctively, Blake's hand started running over his crotch,
remembering what Todd looks like in underwear...and less.
"You're touching yourself, aren't you?" Todd asked, laughing.
"Can't stop thinking of you. You get me so excited."
"Well, then, how about you imagine me with you in the bed, my hands
running over your body, finally grabbing you by your hard shaft and giving
you a few pumps."
Blake closed his eyes and imagined what Todd was saying, and trying
to remember the feel of Todd's hands over his skin.
"Please, don't stop," whispered Blake.
They talked for another twenty minutes, saying sexy and dirty things
to each other, helping each other to a wonderful climax. As soon as Todd
grunted his final grunt, Robert came in from the bathroom, drying his hair.
He smiled over at Todd and continued drying himself. They hung up three
minutes later—Blake in his empty bed and Todd with his arms wrapped
around Lucky.
As their sophomore year was coming to a close, Todd and Robert
mentioned their apartment to a few people and how they were looking for
roommates. Before the semester ended, and he headed off to Montana, Todd,
along with Robert, interviewed the possible candidates in preparation for
the next year. From the interviews they gave, Keith and Tony were their
first two picks—and a few problems followed with other
interviews—before they found the last two worthy candidates.
Keith was twenty, a sophomore at NYU studying law. He comes from a
very affluent family in Massachusetts, where his father is mayor of a small
town outside of Boston, with the ambition to move into state politics, then
maybe, just maybe, one day, he might be a United States Senator. His
mother is and always has been a stay at home wife. With him being the
youngest of three, an older brother and sister, both having graduated
college already, he was the last to leave the family nest. He is straight
and has a girlfriend back home. He stands about five foot eight inches with
blonde hair, brown eyes, swimmer's build and very athletic. Played
baseball, basketball and soccer in high school. He, like Todd, always
wanted to live in New York, and figured, why not do it going to school?
When Keith first walked in the apartment for the interview, he was
amazed at what he saw, but his amazement dispersed and he took control of
the meeting, at least, for the first few minutes. Having been told by
Robert about the place, Todd found he was a bit arrogant, but not in that
annoying kinda way. Todd could tell that Keith liked to be in control of
things, without controlling them, if that makes any sense.
"So, which room is for rent?" Keith asked.
Todd gave a smile and said, "We got two rooms for rent, but they're
both made for two guys. They're like dorms, only with a bigger common
room."
"You mean, you're charging a thousand to share a room?" Keith asked,
with a little attitude.
"This apartment costs $7500 a month. A friend of mine owns it and
the building. He's giving us a discount," Todd explained, keeping his
irritation under control. "How much is your dorm?"
"$13,500—"
"And that's for only nine months," Todd supplied, cutting Keith off.
"This is $12,000 for a full year. Over the summer, you won't have to move
out and Pax has agreed to a discount of half price for the three months."
"Really?" Keith asked, showing surprise for the first time.
"Yup," Robert piped up, and added, "and after Todd leaves, Pax has
offered us a discount if we stay in the city and wish to live in the
building."
Once Keith finally agreed that it was a fair deal he was being
offered, they continued with the interview. The only other time Todd found
Keith's arrogance coming through is when he wanted to be honest and let
Keith know about Blake.
"So, you're gay?" Keith asked.
"Yeah," Todd said. "Blake comes to visit every October for a week.
Are you gonna have a problem with any of this?"
"As long as you don't touch, we'll get along fine," Keith said.
At that point, Todd's boiling point was hit. Thinking he was giving
a low blow, he responded, "Yeah, like you're the one guy that every person
in the world wants to touch. Anyway, if I did, you'd be my bitch, whether
you liked it or not."
Todd stared, waiting for a retaliatory comment, but was surprised
when he saw Keith wearing a small smile. "I like you. You're tough, got a
good personality, and aren't afraid to say what you're thinking. I like
honesty, and if you both agree, I'd like to be considered as a roommate."
Robert was just as surprised with Keith as Todd was. They were both
expecting a completely different response, but instead, Keith kinda put
them in their place with his answer. They looked at each other and Todd
turned back to Keith and said, "We'll make a decision in a couple weeks.
We still got a few more interviews to give."
"Sounds good." Standing, Keith added, "It's good to meet you.
Robert's mentioned you a couple times. It's good to finally put a face
with the name."
Todd looked at Robert, puzzled, then reached for Keith's
outstretched hand. "Yeah, you too." Before Keith pulled away, Todd added,
"If we're being honest, try and lose the arrogance. We're both down to
earth guys looking for the same. There doesn't need to be any competition
between anyone here."
"Yeah, people have told me that, but it's not arrogance, it's
confidence."
"Confidence? You told me not to touch you just because you found
out I'm gay."
"Hell, I didn't mean it. I just did that to get a reaction, and
you're reaction was honest. That's what I was looking for."
"So," Todd said, thinking. "Does that mean I can touch you?"
For the first time, in Todd's and Robert's presence, at least, Keith
faltered and was speechless. He opened his mouth, but then closed it. As
he opened it again, Todd cut him off. "It's cool, dude. I was just
fuckin' with ya. I got Blake and that's all I need."
Relieved, Keith turned and headed to the elevator. After he left,
they were staring at each other, still looking confused.
Later that afternoon, they had an interview with another guy named
Tony. He was a friend of Todd's from his English class. Tall and black,
standing about six foot one inch with black hair and brown eyes. He was
also straight, but didn't have a girlfriend at home or in the city—as of
yet, he kept saying. He hailed from Detroit and wanted to get out of that
city. His dad works at the Ford factory and his mom is a secretary to an
accountant. Even though his parents brought in decent money, they could
never seem to move too far away from the ghetto, as he called it, until
recently. They caught up on all their bills and wanted to get somewhere
they weren't afraid to call home. In Tony's senior year of high school,
they moved to the suburbs of Detroit and Tony started applying for
scholarships and assistance for college. With his grades, his wish was
granted when he got accepted at NYU. He didn't know his major yet, but was
working on his core, thinking about a major and switching it, in his head,
at least, every other week.
His interview was pretty smooth. No bumps on Todd's or Robert's
end, but Tony felt he gave an awful impression to Robert. Knowing Todd, it
was easier to talk to him. He was a bit shy around Robert for the first
ten minutes, before he finally seemed to relax a bit. He understood the
arrangement and didn't have a problem with it. He only voiced that he
wanted a roommate who was courteous enough not to throw parties while he
was studying. The only hitch in the plan was the price. Todd really liked
Tony and Robert was beginning to like him too. In response to the price,
Tony's features fell with disappointment.
"Not sure I can afford that. My mom and dad only have to pay about
$6000 a year with all the assistance I get from the school. A thousand a
month will be too much."
Looking at Tony, Todd made a quick decision and said, "Let me talk
to Pax and see if there is anything he can do. Don't go signing any other
leases yet. I want you in this apartment. We get along great in class,
and I know we'd get along well as roommates."
"Okay. Any idea when you'll be able to get back to me?"
"This afternoon. I'll talk to Pax and as soon as I can get an
answer out of him, I'll give you a call back."
"Thanks, Todd," Tony said, reaching for his hand. "I really
appreciate this. I wanna live here...it's too awesome." Releasing Todd's
hand, he reached for Robert's. "I look forward to getting to know you
better, too."
"Yeah, bro, you too. You like basketball?" Robert asked.
"Is the Pope Catholic?" Tony asked, dripping with sarcasm.
Robert laughed. "Okay, I look forward to a little one on one down
at the courts after you move in."
"If I move in," Tony corrected.
"Like I said," interjected Todd, "I'll see what I can do with Pax."
After Tony left, Robert asked if he thought Pax would mind giving
Tony a discount.
"Nah. He basically told me to charge anything I wanted to the
roommates. Pax doesn't care about the money. He won't care that I'll
offer Tony a discount."
"How much are you thinking of?" Robert asked.
"I was thinking about halving it. Five hundred a month. That'll
equal his $6000 a year for the school."
"I like him. I hope his parents will say yes. He seems like a good
guy," Robert said.
"From what I know of him, he is," Todd answered.
Todd waited for two hours and gave Tony the call he promised. When
he told Tony the news, he called his parents straight away. After only
seven minutes, exactly, Todd's cell rang and it was Tony saying that his
parents agreed. All three of them got together that night for a quick bite
and to talk about the new arrangement.
Tony had mentioned that he had a friend who was looking to get out
of the dorm and that if it was okay with Todd and Robert, he'd like to tell
him about the apartment.
"What's he like?" Todd asked.
"Hard worker, determined. He wants to end up on Broadway. He loves
the theater and musicals most of all," Tony said.
Todd and Robert looked at each other with a glance that knew what
each other was thinking.
"Um, Tony, I really don't want another gay guy in the apartment. I
don't want any problems with anyone," Todd explained.
Tony looked at Todd and Robert and busted out laughing. His
laughter got the better of him so that he couldn't speak for a good five
minutes. When he finally calmed himself, he said, "Nicky isn't gay. I
know...Broadway...musicals. You'd think so, but he's totally straight."
"Oh, I just assumed..." Todd said.
"It's cool, Todd. I had the same reaction when he told me his
ambition. He clarified straight away that he wasn't gay."
A few days later, Todd got a call from a guy named Nicholas.
Nicholas, Nicky, as he likes to be called, wanted to get away from the
dorms because his first two years were hell. Both of the roommates he was
placed with were inconsiderate, noisy, nosy guys who always thought their
shit didn't stink. He didn't want to chance a third guy the same way.
Nicky is from Colorado, majoring in theater and acting. He was
about five feet eleven inches in height, red hair with green eyes and is
going to be twenty one in late November. He comes from a middle class
family, and was all about the theater and drama in high school. Not too
athletic, but he did enjoy watching sporting events instead of
participating in them.
"Forgive me for asking, but we've asked the other three guys,
including Tony, this question, so I'm just gonna ask. What is your sexual
orientation?" Todd asked. He didn't want any indication to get back to
Nicky of his and Robert's assumption, so he decided to be direct.
"Completely straight. Had a girlfriend back home, but we broke it
off after my first six months away. She said she found someone else,"
Nicky explained.
"Well, just so you know and it's not a surprise, I'm gay," Todd
volunteered.
"And you?" Nicky asked of Robert.
"Straight."
Nicky thought for a moment and decided to reveal a little extra he
usually didn't tell anyone. "I don't have a problem with anyone. When I
was in high school, I actually experimented a little with a couple of
guys."
"You experimented?" Robert asked.
"Yeah, just didn't seem to be my thing," Nicky said.
"Did you not like it after the first guy you tried it with?" Quizzed
Robert.
"Not really," Tony said nonchalantly.
"Then, why try it again?" Todd asked.
"Well, the first guy wasn't physically attractive. He was okay, I
guess, but I didn't see any attractive qualities in him, at least, for me.
The second guy was better looking, again, to me, and that maybe looks had
something to do with it. I figured out, when it was over, both times, that
looks of a man had nothing to do with it. I just couldn't perform because
I couldn't get excited."
"Does that mean you were catcher?" Todd asked, trying to be
discrete.
"Catcher?" Nicky asked, puzzled.
Todd smiled, wondering how he was going to explain this without
being too crude. He was saved from the explanation, however, when Nicky's
eyes got big and he quickly said, "Oh, HELL no!" He let that sink in for a
second, seeing as how Todd was laughing, and then added, "We never got past
blowjobs. Well, mainly he blew me. I tried, but I kept gagging."
Todd gave a quick glance at Robert and Robert looked away,
remembering how he did the same thing when he played with Todd and Blake.
`Keep practicing...you'll get better,' thought Robert.
The rest of the interview was smooth and the three of them got along
great. By the time Nicky pressed the call button for the elevator, Todd
offered him a place, to which he quickly accepted.
Todd and Robert had four other interviews, but they all went
horrible. The first guy, Devon, loved to party and when he realized it
wasn't going to be a party pad, he was no longer interested. Which was
good, because Robert and Todd had both decided he wasn't right for the
place.
Daniel was the second and when he revealed he was gay, Todd told him
kindly that they didn't want gay guys in the apartment.
"What?" Daniel asked with attitude, standing quickly. "Can't stand
fags?"
Todd and Robert both stood, but not as fast as Daniel. Todd smiled
and said, "Actually, no. I love them."
Daniel stood frozen, confused. "You love them but you don't want
any living here?"
"No. See, I'm gay, and I don't really want other gay guys in the
apartment."
"You're not gay!" was Daniel's retort.
By way of an answer, Todd reached over and pulled Robert into a
kiss. A few seconds later, he broke it and said, "Yes, I am, but I'm not
proving it any more than that, so don't ask for a blowjob."
Robert stood still, shocked at what had just occurred.
"And also, my boyfriend told me I couldn't have any other gay guys
in the house, at least to live. He's very jealous, you see. Big, huge
black guy who plays for the San Francisco Giants. His stature fits the
team name." Todd gave an `I'm sorry look' to Daniel and Robert looked
away, trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry, but I really can't let you live
here. My boyfriend wouldn't like it."
Daniel finally thawed and stormed out of the rec room and headed to
the elevator. Once Robert heard the doors close, he ran to the door and
looked down the hall to make sure Daniel was gone. Walking back to Todd,
he said, "Big black guy who plays for the Giants?"
"I had to do something to get rid of him," Todd said, laughing.
A minute later, Robert started to get nervous. "What if he tells
anyone about the kiss?"
"Who does he know that we know? Don't worry about it. He won't say
anything."
The third applicant was another Daniel, and he was too shy and
timid. Todd and Robert asked him questions and he gave short, one word
answers. Immediately they knew he wasn't for them. As the doors to the
elevator closed, Todd called, "I'll let you know soon."
The forth guy, well, he was probably the worst. His name was Paul,
he was a musician, and currently majoring in recorded music. The interview
seemed to go great until the orientation question was asked.
"Are you gay or straight?" Robert asked.
"Me? A fucking fag? You gotta be kidding me. I can't stand those
fudge packers. They get on my nerves. No, if you ask me, they should all
be shot. Don't leave one of them behind."
Todd immediately started to boil, but held in his anger for just a
bit longer. "You realize that if you shoot them all, there will be more.
Gay people are made by straight people, you know."
"No they aren't. It's a fucking choice. They choose to be that
way, to be...abnormal. And then they want us to respect them. You gotta
be kidding me." Shaking his head, he finished, "Nope, we need to get rid
of all of `em."
Standing, Todd looked over and said, "Here, let me introduce you to
the elevator. You're not getting the room, and I'm not sorry about it."
"What the fuck, man?" Paul asked. "Why not? This place is
bitchin'."
"Yeah, and it'll be bitchin' for someone else. I'm gay and I know
you and I wouldn't get along, so it's best you leave now."
"You? A faggot?" Paul asked, surprised.
"This is your last warning. Use that word again, and I'll introduce
your face to my fist, now get the fuck out," Todd declared, with his even
tone of voice. Anger was rising fast, but Todd was keeping it under
control.
"You people are the reason there's AIDS and other diseases in the
world. You all should be shot, bunch of unnatural faggots."
That was Todd's tipping point. He stepped forward, reared his fist
back and was about to make his first punch to Paul, but Paul, with all his
big talk, got scared and flinched backwards, tripping over his feet,
falling flat on his ass.
"Get the FUCK OUT!—or next time, I will hit you," Todd said,
finally showing his anger, while pointing to the elevator.
With a last look of disgust mixed with fear, Paul pressed the button
to call the elevator and the doors opened immediately. A moment later, he
was gone.
Robert picked up the house phone and called down to the lobby desk.
"Nigel, this is Robert in the penthouse. There's a man coming down
the elevator now. Can you please make sure he leaves the building?"
"Certainly, Mr. Robert. Is there a problem?"
"He tried to start some problems up here during his interview. If
he gives you a hard time, feel free to throw him out or call the cops."
"Thank you, sir. I'll take care of it."
Robert hung up the phone and turned to Todd. "Wow, what a prick."
"Yeah, he was. I can't stand people like him," Todd said, pulling
Robert close and draping an arm across Robert's back.
"I know, me, too," Robert agreed. "But I have to say, seeing you
about to hit him, well, that was kinda sexy. The anger in your face, the
muscles bulging, and that fist about to swing. Got me a little excited, to
be honest."
Todd smiled and glanced at Robert. "How about we get a shower and
then get in the bed for a little fun?" He asked, suddenly feeling horny.
For an answer, Robert took off his shirt and was working on his belt
and pants as they walked into their room, Todd closing the door behind
them.
About three days before the spring term ended, they had one last
interview to a guy named Ricky. He comes from Texas and his accent made
Todd sound like he was from the north. Ricky's drawl and country tone
spilling from his mouth when he talked was actually kinda sexy to both Todd
and Robert, though they never told him that. Ricky is Hispanic, nineteen
and was going to be a senior the following year. Through grade and middle
school, his teachers found out that he was actually bored in their classes
and he was making perfect grades in everything. With his parents approval,
he skipped fourth grade completely, going from third straight to fifth. It
also happened again in middle school. After his seventh year, his teachers
and parents agreed to let him skip his eight grade and go straight to high
school. He found it more difficult, but at least he wasn't bored anymore.
By the time he graduated, at sixteen, he was the youngest Valedictorian his
high school ever had, having graduated with a 4.36 GPA.
Like Keith, Ricky was also studying law. His ultimate dream was to
become the youngest person on the Supreme Court of the United States. He
knew he had a long way to go, but his ambition was his motivation and he
wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop him from doing everything he
can to make it there. Because of his ambition to learn all he could in
high school and college, he barely had time for a social life, and found no
time at all for a girlfriend. Though he did, once every third blue moon,
find a hookup, he couldn't find the right girl who could understand his
hard study habits. He wanted a girl who could be supportive and
understanding instead of nagging about not spending enough time with her.
He promised himself that this year, he was going to make more time and find
his first real girlfriend.
By the time the interview was over, Todd and Robert had already
offered him the last bed. He said he'd have to talk to his parents to find
out if they could afford it, and he'd get back to Todd. Todd told him if
the rent was too high, he might be able to talk to the owner and see what
he could do, so not to give up hope on the apartment yet. Ricky shook both
their hands and thanked them for the interview.
As he got in the elevator, Todd asked one last question, with his
hand on the door, holding it open.
"Is it true? That everything is bigger in Texas?"
Ricky looked puzzled for a moment, then saw Todd glance at his
crotch and immediately gave a huge smile. During his interview, Todd told
Ricky that he was gay, and Ricky had no problem with it at all. His
response was simple: "Maybe one day, you'll get to see for yourself...from
a distance, of course." He gave a wicked smile after his answer.
Todd removed his hand and smiled at Ricky as the doors closed. As
soon as he was on his way down, Todd and Robert started discussing if Ricky
was being honest or teasing. This discussion lasted into the night.
Before everyone left for the summer, they moved the things that they
would normally take home with them into their new rooms. All except Ricky.
He still had to get approval from his parents. When everyone was done
moving things in, Todd walked them down and got their finger prints in the
system to use the elevator.
A week into summer vacation, Ricky called Todd and told him that his
parents approved, and that if it was still available, he'd like the place.
Todd told him it was his and asked when he'd be back in New York so he
could move in before the semester.
When the summer was over and everyone made their way back to New
York, Todd and Robert knew they found the right fit for their apartment.
The guys could sometimes be rowdy, but after the semester started, they
found that the rowdiness usually only happened on the weekends, when the
studying was over—or on a game night, with Todd leading the charge.
Robert had made the decision, only when asked, to tell his roommates
that he was straight. He did this for Todd, because Robert didn't want the
other roommates thinking that he and Todd were sleeping together, knowing
Todd has Blake as a boyfriend. They might not understand the arrangement
that Todd and Blake had and he didn't want Todd in an awkward position of
having to explain anything, if he explained anything at all.
Three weeks had passed since the beginning of the Fall Semester and
Todd was too busy with school to even remember about Marvin Boggins and the
reason they met. That is, until he got a phone call from a number he
didn't recognize. He knew it was a New York number, so he thought maybe a
roommate lost their phone or something and picked it up.
"Hello," Todd said in a cool voice.
"Hi, may I please speak to Todd Blyth?" asked a female voice.
"This is he," Todd said puzzled.
"Hi, Todd. My name is Melony Fitzpatrick. I'm calling from
De-Briefs NYC."
"Yes, ma'am," Todd said, having never heard of them before.
"I'm calling regarding your model pictures we have from a Mr. Marvin
Boggins."
Immediately, a light bulb went off and Todd started to get excited.
"Oh, yeah. Hello, how are ya?"
"I'm good. The reason I'm calling," Melony began, "is because we've
looked through all the models that the scouts found for us and we've
narrowed down our search to five guys." Todd felt the excitement drain, he
knew he wasn't one of the lucky five. "I just wanted to let you know that,
if you're still interested, you're one of the five we've chosen to come in
for a photo shoot to pick our final model."
Todd's smile split his face in half. "Really?" He asked in
disbelief.
"Yes, sir." Melony hesitated for a moment. "You are still
interested, aren't you?"
"What? Oh, yeah, most definitely. This is so awesome. I
completely forgot about all this." He paused for a moment. "What do you
need me to do?"
"Are you free this Saturday? Around two?" Melony asked.
"The day after tomorrow? Uh, yeah. I don't have any plans," Todd
said.
"Good. Do you have a pen?"
Todd reached for a pen and some paper and said, "Ready."
"Okay, we're located at 550 Fifth Ave, suite 5A. You're over at
NYU, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am," Todd said, as he finished writing the address.
"Good. If you're coming by subway, take the `D' line, north to
Rockefeller Center. When you get up on the road, you wanna go east on 48th
Street for one block, then turn right down 5th Avenue. We'll be on the
third block, on your right hand side. Enter the building and come to the
fifth floor."
"Awesome!" said Todd. "I'll be there at two, right?" he asked,
writing it down next to the directions.
"That's it," Melony said.
"Do I need to bring anything?" Todd asked.
"Just you and your ID. This is just a test to see how you look and
perform for a professional camera. We'll tell you all about the company
when you arrive and give you an idea of our advertising plans. You're our
last call back. All the other's have already done theirs, so you'll know
in a day or two who we've chosen."
"That's awesome, thanks," Todd said, failing to lose his smile.
"Here's my number at the office just in case you're running late or
something."
She gave Todd her number and reminded him not to forget his ID. They
said their goodbyes, and Todd thanked her one last time. After he hung up,
he called Blake immediately to tell him the news.
"I told you they'd be stupid not to choose you," Blake said, smiling
just as big as Todd.
"Well I didn't want to get my hopes up. Still don't, just in case.
She said I'd know by Monday or Tuesday."
"Did she tell you what you're gonna be modeling yet?" Blake asked.
"Nope. She said they would tell me about the company and their
plans for advertising when I got there."
"Oh, this is so exciting," Blake said. "I bet you get the job.
You're too sexy not to."
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," Todd said.
Blake got quiet and Todd asked about it. "I miss our dates. I
wanna see you and to be honest, I'm a little horny too."
Todd's smile, if possible, got even bigger. "I know, me too. I
miss you so much, but October isn't too far off."
"It feels like forever," Blake said, gloomy.
"Now, don't do that. I'll feel bad if you start acting all sad,"
Todd said.
"Who's acting?" Blake retorted. "How about tonight, a date? I
haven't seen you in two weeks."
"I know," Todd said, looking at his watch. "I should be done with
my homework in about an hour or so, then I gotta get a shower. How about
ten, my time? I'll tell Robert I need the room for a little bit. He won't
care."
"He can be in the room, he just can't participate with you. Not
during one of my dates," Blake said, defiantly.
"A little jealous, are we?" Todd asked, teasing Blake.
"Not at all, but when I get such limited time with you, I want you
for me and only me. He can do whatever to you when I'm not there, so this
date time is only for me."
"I'll let him know. He might want to watch a game, if there's one
on, with the other guys."
"How's that going, by the way?" Blake asked.
"Great. No problems at all. The fridge is divided into six
sections, the pantry is too. We're responsible for our own food, unless we
have a guy's night, then we pitch in and get steaks or whatever. We pick
up after ourselves, and if someone leaves something out, we let them know.
Everybody is courteous with the others, especially when studying. We
couldn't have found any better roommates. Now this places feels more like
a home, instead of a lot of empty space."
"I'm glad it's working out, Puppy. Sounds like you're happy and
have made some new friends."
"I am and I have. These guys are great. Listen, let me finish my
homework. I'll be online and ready at ten, so just dial me up and click me
on."
"Okay, Todd. I love you," Blake said.
"Love you more, baby," Todd said, then hung up.
Their date was as romantic as it could be, being 2000 miles apart.
Robert did choose to enjoy a game with the other guys in the rec room,
instead of crowding Todd and Blake during their alone time. At eleven,
Robert received a text from Todd saying that the date was over. That was
all he was waiting for. He told the other guys goodnight and headed off to
bed.
Saturday rolled around and Todd was less excited than before, being
a lot more nervous. This job was down to him and four other guys. He
hoped they didn't have the pictures of the other guys out or hung up or
anything—he didn't want to feel intimidated by anyone. He left the
apartment at 1:15, just to be sure he had enough time to get to the office.
By the time he got to the Rockefeller Center subway stop, he had over half
an hour still to go. As he walked, he passed a Starbucks and decided to
stop in for a small iced coffee, just to have something to do. After
getting his coffee, he idly walked the three and a half blocks to the
office building, looking at the shops on either side as he did.
When he finally reached 550 5th Avenue, he looked at his watch and
saw that he had about ten minutes to go. Instead of waiting, he figured
that being a little early was so much better than being even a little late.
When he arrived at the entrance to their office, he saw on the door the
name of the company—De-Briefs NYC. The writing was all capital letters,
but they were all curvy. For instance, the `E' looked like a `C' with an
extra line sticking out of the middle of it. And the hyphen was the
letters `NYC', only in a smaller font, and in orange. The words "De' and
`Briefs' were in grey. Sadly, the logo still gave no indication as to the
nature of the product he would be modeling, but because of the company
name, he would guess it was briefs. He smiled to himself as he heard Blake
in his head: `Told you they were going to have to model underwear. This is
going to be awesome! You'll be all over the country—wait! What if
you're on the billboard in Time Square?' Todd smiled to himself with that
last thought, and then flushed, slightly, with embarrassment.
"Hi. Are you Todd Blyth?" The girl behind the counter asked.
"Yes, ma'am. Am I late?" Todd asked, thinking he might have mixed
up the time with something else.
"Not at all." Looking at her watch, she said, "A little early, in
fact. That's good. Melony told me to send you straight to her when you
get here."
"Okay, um, where should I go?" He asked.
"Down the hall, third door on the right."
"Okay, thanks." He started walking away, then stopped and turned
around. "Have you been here for the other four guys that came in?"
"Sure have. I really love my job," she said, a little dreamily.
"In your opinion, do I really have a chance, from what you've seen?"
The girl stood up and gave a quick look around and leaned in, to
which Todd stepped even closer. "So far, you blow the other guys outta the
water. Now, depending on whatcha got going on downstairs and the rest of
your body, I'd say, in my opinion, which counts for nothing in this office,
mind you, well, if it was up to me, you got the job, hands down."
Todd smiled, feeling a little better, and said, "Thanks. I needed
that little boost."
The girl behind the counter smiled as her eyes started to glaze over
with lust taking over her heart.
He turned and headed down the hall. The third door came up and he
looked inside the open door and saw a woman talking with a guy sitting on
opposite sides of a very large wooden desk. When she saw Todd, she looked
up and asked, "Todd? Todd Blyth?"
Todd smiled and stepped in the office. "Yes, ma'am. Are you
Melony?"
"That's me," she said, standing, and reaching for his hand. He
stepped up and shook it and she introduced the gentleman sitting with her.
"Todd, this is D'Wayne," she said, pronouncing it `D' and then `Wayne'.
"But we all call him `D'. He's our photographer. This man is what turns
you into art."
D'Wayne stood and looked at Melony and then at Todd and said, "Don't
listen to her. I just hit a button, while moving around the subject. The
camera does all the work."
"Right," Todd said. "I bet you do more than you're letting on. I
have a friend who's a photographer. I know the patience it takes for that
perfect shot. But the modesty is refreshing in this town. Kinda reminds
me of home."
"Which is where?" D asked Todd.
"Atlanta, Georgia. Home of the Braves, Stone Mountain and
Coca-Cola."
"Love Atlanta. Done a few photo shoots down there in the city
park..." D snapped his fingers, looking for the name of the park.
"Piedmont?" Todd asked helping him out.
"Yes, exactly. Beautiful park, and I love the skyline over the
trees."
"Yeah, I like that too, but it's nothing compared to Central Park
with the New York skyline, though," Todd said.
"True," D said and then looked at Melony.
"Remembered I'm here, didja?" Her smile let them both know she
wasn't serious. "Todd, why don't you have a seat and let us tell you a
little about the company."
Todd took a seat next to D and waited for Melony to start.
"De-Briefs NYC has been up and running for about six months now. If
you haven't guessed by the name, we do underwear for men. Athletic
looking, everyday wear underwear for men. We got three slogans for the
ads. Depending on the pictures we use, depends on the slogan. `Doing is
better than telling. Doing is better than touching. Doing is better than
seeing.'" Melony explained.
A moment passed. "I'm afraid I don't get it," Todd said, confused.
"Debriefing is better than telling, touching or seeing. Picture a
guy in underwear on a page, under it, our name, De-Briefs NYC. Below that,
one of the three slogans. Something like that."
"Okay, I think I understand," Todd said, imagining what she
explained. "But what makes your underwear different from all the others?"
"Well, first off, the sexiness of the look. The fabric and the
better hygienic qualities. You see, our underwear is all cotton around the
butt and legs, except for the pouch. That's made out of a Bamboo/Nylon
mix. It's about 95% bamboo, which allows the fabric to breath a lot better
than cotton. And the nylon is to help it keep its shape against the
package as it's being worn."
"Sounds...different," Todd said, but he was intrigued.
"Well, we've worked hard to get the product just right. D wears
De-Briefs. How would you describe them, D?" Melony asked.
"They're more comfortable than any other underwear I own." Looking
at Todd, he asked, "You know that underwear that conforms around your junk
and it's pushed where ever the underwear take it?"
"Yeah," Todd said, understanding.
"This leaves your junk where it's supposed to be—up front. You
put everything in the front pouch and it feels great. No more sittin' on
your balls, or squishing them between your legs. Once you try on a pair,
you'll understand," D concluded.
"Now, that sounds interesting. What's your ad ideas for the
product?" Todd asked Melony.
"Print, billboards, magazines, online, and maybe in a year or so,
television. Our target audience, as you know, is men, but we're making two
different ads. We want to target straight and gay men. Straight men will
get it when their girlfriends or wives say they like it. Gay men will get
it because they think it looks sexy or cool. To be honest, I think they
will be our main target, but we want all guys to buy our product."
"So, what ideas did you have in mind for the model for these two
ads?" Todd asked.
Melony gave a flick of her eyes to D, unsure if she should go into
the full details, before she answered. If Todd was chosen, he was going to
find out eventually, so she told him everything. "The way we were going to
target the straight man is with a hot girl in the picture too, maybe
wearing her boyfriend's underwear and his work shirt, buttoned about half
way up with her hands on the waistband of his underwear, looking like she's
about to take them off. The only way to get straight guys to look at an
underwear ad with another scantily clad man in it, is to have a hot chick,"
Melony explained.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Todd said, picturing himself rolling
around on a bed with a girl, and imagining Blake's face. `Get away from
her! Todd! She's a girl!' At that thought, Todd had to smile, but kept
in a laugh, because Melony continued.
"As for the gay side, well, just about the same thing, but with
another guy. Two guys, both in our underwear, in everyday situations at
home. Getting ready for bed, waking up and reading the paper, relaxing on
the weekend. That type of thing," Melony hurriedly finished.
"Okay," was all Todd could think to say.
"Listen, we've already had one guy pull out of consideration because
he couldn't get past the gay thing. He flat out refused, so he's no longer
up for consideration. Two other guys had to get talked into it, telling
them what to expect. The last guy, well, he didn't care, but said his
girlfriend might," D explained, adding a laugh after his explanation of the
girlfriend.
"So, you gonna have a problem with the gay thing?" Melony asked.
"Not at all, but the straight thing, well, that'll be new to me, at
least in underwear," Todd said.
"I don't get it," D said.
Before realization hit him, Melony, visually shocked, asked, "You
mean...you're gay?"
"Yup. Completely out of the closet and locked the door behind me."
Shock fading from Melony, she asked, in all seriousness, "Do you
have a boyfriend?"
"Yeah. Blake. He lives in Montana."
"Is he gonna have a problem with you and another model acting in
your underwear?" Melony asked.
"Not a bit. He was more excited about the possibility of this job.
And somehow, he knew it was going to be underwear," Todd said, smiling.
"Well, that's a relief," Melony said.
There was a silence that engulfed the room, and before it became
uncomfortable, Todd asked, "So, when do I get to try on the underwear?"
Looking over her notes, Melony said, "Looks like everything is
covered. Oh, nope. I need your ID...to get a copy. The salary we'll talk
about if you're hired, and the contract will be signed then, too."
"What contract?" Todd asked, handing over his ID.
As Melony scanned it into her computer, she answered. "It's a
contract with all negotiations we'll discuss, and an exclusivity clause as
well."
"Exclusivity clause? For what?" Todd asked.
"It means, you can't go and model for anyone else for two years."
She handed Todd his ID back. "You'll be, if you're hired, an exclusive
De-Briefs NYC model. You'll be the face of De-Briefs for two years. As of
now, we're looking for one guy, just to get the brand started, and if it
goes well, we're hoping to get a couple more within a year, but you will,
again, if you're hired, still be the main face of the brand. You'll get
most of the ads, you'll get the first and last spots on the runway, and if
we get to TV before you're contract is up, you'll be the first we offer the
spot to."
"This all sounds too good to be true," Todd said, running through
the possibilities in his mind.
"It's all true, at least, for one guy right now," Melony said. "But
first, I need to get you to sign this. It just states that you give us
permission to take your pictures and to use them for decision making
purposes, but we're not allowed to use them for anything else, unless
you're the one that's hired as our model."
Todd read it over, as best he could, because of the legalese, and
signed his name. Nothing stood out to him that sounded fishy, so he put
his trust in Melony. Handing it back to Melony, D said, "Well, if you're
ready, sir, shall we?" D stood, looking at Todd.
"Yeah. I'm excited to see the brand," Todd said, joining D.
"Excellent. I'll let Roger know you're here," Melony said, as D led
Todd to the studio.
Melony practically ran to Roger's office as soon as D and Todd were
out of sight. When she arrived, she was practically out of breath.
"Roger, he's here," Melony said, breathing deeply.
"And?" Roger asked, swiveling his chair around to look at her.
"He's more beautiful than the others, and he's about to get in the
underwear. Oh, God, I bet he's gonna look sexy. I wish I could see the
shoot. Damn that D! He wants them to be comfortable without any girls
around."
"Girl," Roger said, in a drawn out voice, "you know I'll give you
all the details when I get back. But, if he's as good looking in person as
he is in his pictures, I might have to make a detour to the bathroom first.
You know, to spank one out."
Melony smiled and slapped Roger on the butt. "You are twisted."
"No, I'm a single gay man who's horny."
"Well, he's not. He's gotta boyfriend in Montana," Melony
explained. "So, hands off."
Roger looked at her, then at the wall, like he was looking through
it to the studio, then back at her, and took off running. Melony couldn't
help but smile at his eagerness.
When Todd and D arrived at the studio, Todd saw the professional
setup. Three big light stands with white coverings. He'd seen these in TV
shows and movies and such. They were facing a black wall and there was a
chair sitting on the floor in front of the wall. Outside the ring of the
actual shooting place, lay a table, full of underwear of different colors
and patterns.
As they arrived, D said, "Are you shy?"
"Not really," Todd answered.
"Well, you can change here, if you like, or there's a dressing room
at the end of the room, over there," D explained, pointing to the opposite
wall from where they entered.
"Oh, no, this is cool," Todd said, starting to remove his shirt.
"Just put your things in that chair, there." D indicated a chair
about five feet away.
As Todd stood in his own underwear, he came back to the table and
looked through the underwear laid out before him. "Which one do you want
me to put on first?"
"Doesn't matter. Pick your favorite," D said, playing with his
camera, not looking at Todd.
Todd looked through the fabric and decided on the solid white one
first. Stripping his own underwear off, he slipped the new underwear on,
and was amazed at the feel of the fresh fabric against his skin. After he
placed his package in the front pouch, he let out a sigh.
"Everything okay?" D asked.
"This feels awesome. I know what you mean now. Everything up
front—fantastic."
"Yeah, they are comfortable," D said. A moment later, the door
opened and in walked a medium height man with a beer belly on him. Todd
gave a nod, and heard D speak. "Todd, this is Roger. He's our lead ad
advisor. He's the one that talks to the ad companies. Roger, this is Todd
Blyth, our last model."
"Great to finally meet you, Todd. You took some good pictures with
the scout. I was impressed."
"Thank you, sir," Todd said.
"Oh, please, call me Roger. I'm just a few years older than you,"
he said, smiling. He knew he just told a lie and he was sure Todd knew
too. At forty seven, that was almost a couple decades.
Todd smiled, and kept his thoughts to himself. A moment later, D
called him.
"You ready?"
"Uh, yeah. I don't know what I'm doing though, so please be a
little patient with me."
"Don't worry. You'll be fine. Let's just start with you facing the
camera. I want smiles and regular faces. Don't try to act or look
surprised. If I want or need a look, I'll let you know. Might even pose
you in a few. But let's just start out slow."
"Cool," Todd said, moving over to the black wall.
The first few minutes had Todd looking at the camera. Some he was
smiling in, others he wasn't. When that first round was over, he was
afraid he was going to see spots in his eyes from the flashes for the rest
of his life. The next round had D put Todd in a few poses, and he told
Todd of the facial expressions he was looking for. The chair was used as a
prop in this round. He was standing in front of it, then behind it, then
sitting in it, all to D's direction. When that was over with, D asked Todd
to choose another pair of underwear for the next round.
As he stripped down, he was facing Roger, who was trying to take as
many mental pictures as his mind would allow. He was also trying to
remember every succulent detail to report back to Melony—which caused
him to feel a stirring in his pants. Watching Todd put on a camouflage
pair of boxer briefs next, he walked back to the spot and awaited D's
direction.
After another thirty minutes, D told Todd to change again and this
time, he asked Roger what his favorite underwear was. It was all the same
to him; he just wanted someone else to pick out a pair for him. Roger
walked over and looked through the selection and picked out a solid yellow
brief and handed it to Todd.
"Yellow's always been my favorite color," he said, trying to sound
nonchalant.
But Todd caught something that he couldn't identify right away.
Without another thought, he stripped down out of the camouflage and slipped
on the solid yellow underwear, then walked back to the photo area and
waited.
"Okay, I want you to do your thing. Act sexy, or silly, or angry.
I don't care, but I want to see you come out through the lens," D
explained.
"Sexy?" Todd asked, a little skeptical.
"Yeah. Act like the camera is your boyfriend. What kinda
come-hither looks would you give him? That's what I want to see. Give me
sexy you."
Todd gave a little smile, and a flash surrounded him.
"Beautiful. Give me more," D called out.
Todd lowered his head—FLASH—looking at the
floor—FLASH—then lifted it just enough to show one eye peaking
through his hair. FLASH. FLASH. FLASH
"Fantastic."
Todd lifted his left hand and ran his fingers through his
hair—FLASH—and held it up on top of his head—FLASH—while giving
a snarl to the camera—FLASH.
"God, you're a natural. Come on, give me more sexy," D yelled out.
Todd put his left hand on the waist band of the
underwear—FLASH—and hooked a thumb inside—FLASH—and gave a
small tug down—FLASH—showing how far down his oblique muscles went.
FLASH. FLASH.
After showing a little too much pubic hair, he pulled the underwear
back up and turned around and showed his ass, while looking over his
shoulder, all the while, the flashes were filling the studio. A few more
poses later, whatever he could think of, he ended up in the chair. At
first, his legs were spread open, nonchalantly, and then he closed them,
leaned back and crossed his ankles. Then, right before D called it quits,
Todd's final pose was his right leg hanging over the arm of the chair, left
leg spilling off the front of the chair, and his head back with his right
arm around back of the chair, holding onto the opposite side, while his
left fingers were slowly sliding under the waistband of the underwear.
"We're done?" Todd asked disappointed.
"Yup. I think we got what we need. You've never modeled before?" D
asked Todd.
"Nope," Todd said, walking over to the chair with his clothes in it.
"It must be in your blood then. None of the other guys were this
relaxed. You just let it flow."
"I just did like you told me," Todd said, about to strip out of the
underwear.
"Keep 'em. And the other two you modeled, if you want them. You'll
be one of the first."
Five feet away, Roger's face fell with disappointment.
"Awesome. Thanks, D."
"No problem. Finish getting dressed. I'm gonna get these
downloaded to the computer, and I'll show you the pictures before you
leave. Roger, you'll show him to my office, won't you?"
"Of course, D. Go on. I can handle him...I mean, it." Roger
turned the color of a ripe beet. As much as he was thinking about Todd,
and what he would love to do to him in a horizontal position, he couldn't
believe he had just made a slip like that. He couldn't look Todd in the
eye after that.
And finally, Todd understood what it was that he couldn't identify.
He caught the slip, and knew that Roger's presence wasn't just for the
photo shoot. He had other interests that Todd hoped he was able to help
Roger with...if only in fantasy.
When Todd finished dressing, Roger led to the way to D's office. On
his desk sat three computer monitors. Above his desk, on the wall, was a
huge flat screen TV, which showed what the middle monitor showed on his
computer.
"Todd, these look great," Melony said, bending over D's shoulder,
looking at the smaller pictures, and pointing to the ones she wanted to see
full screen.
As they flipped through the pictures, Todd was actually impressed
with what he saw. His modesty always got the better of him, when it came
to his looks. He knew he was cute, even though Blake corrected him and
told him how fantastic looking he really was, but Todd always thought
that's what a boyfriend was supposed to do—lift you up higher than you
think you are. But as he looked at his pictures, he couldn't help but
think that he looked damn good, which made him feel weird inside. What he
felt inside was confidence, coming out, full force, and he liked it.
"So, whadda think?" D asked Todd.
Searching his memory bank for words, he finally said, "They're
amazing. I can't believe that's me."
"They are, buddy. You think you might like this?" D asked.
"I could get used to it," Todd said, smiling.
"Well, we'll be calling you by Tuesday to let you know one way or
the other," Melony said.
"Sounds great," Todd said, standing. "Is there any way I could get
a couple of those pictures? My boyfriend's gonna shit a brick when he sees
this," Todd asked, a little apprehensively.
D turned around, grabbed a memory stick and plugged it in his
computer. A couple of mouse clicks later, he pulled the memory stick out
and handed it to Todd. "That's all of `em. Just don't go showing a lot of
people yet. The underwear is still a secret until the big reveal."
"Oh, yeah. Of course. Just Blake. I still gotta get used to
seeing me in underwear in pictures before I could show anyone else," Todd
said, trying to sound convincing. He already had plans to email a few to
Tristian for his profession opinion, to which he would surely show Pax.
And then, of course, Robert and the roommates, and then maybe even surprise
his mom and dad. Yeah, there were a few people who were going to see the
pictures.
As Todd pocketed the memory stick, Melony asked, "Do you have class
on Tuesday?"
"I do. I get out at 3:30."
"I'll call you at four with our decision."
"Awesome! Well, thanks again," Todd said, shaking each of their
hands.
"It's our pleasure," Melony said.
As Todd walked out of the office, Roger opened his mouth to speak,
but Melony put up her hand to keep him quite. She listened until she heard
Allison, the girl at the front, tell Todd goodbye, then the door closed.
"Tell me everything," Melony said, attacking Roger.
"Baby girl, you won't believe it. Fucking perfect in every
way—and in every place."
D smiled and shook his head as he turned his attention back to his
monitors as Roger told Melony everything.
To be continued...