Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2015 16:54:03 -0700
From: Sellar Dhor <sellardhor@gmail.com>
Subject: Evil is a Man: Blood In Blood Out chapter 20

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

If you like what you're reading, let me know: SellarDhor@gmail.com.
And let me know where you want the story to go and who you want Jake to end
up with. 
And if you have any ideas for the future, let me know, I might include them.


       JANUARY 22nd


       I woke up sometime in the morning still just as we went to bed, with
him holding onto me just as tightly as before, even though he was fast
asleep.  His dick was as hard as ever, ands still buried inside me.
Feeling completely contented, I fell right back asleep.

       *****

       I felt warmth on my body, and the light shade of my eyelids told me
the warmth was coming from sunlight.  I opened my eyes, feeling beyond
refreshed.
       I was lying on my back on top of the covers of our beautiful bed,
naked.  The octagonal shaped room was practically all windows.  The night
before, it felt like we were making love under the stars.  In the morning,
it felt like were outside, our bodies being caressed by the sweet sunlight.
       Parker was laying naked to my left.  He was on his right side, his
body tucked against me.  He had his strong left hand on my chest, and his
huge dick was draped over his body.  He noticed my eyes opening, and he
looked straight into them with the sweetest smile imaginable.
       "Good morning, my love," he said to me.  "Don't feel like you have
to get up just because I'm awake.  You could sleep all day long, and I'd
never get tired of watching you."
       "That's very romantic, and I'm tempted to fall back asleep here in
your arms, but I feel completely refreshed this morning."
       "Well, you slept a long time," Parker said.  "I was worried that I
might have tired you out last night."
       "Absolutely not," I said.  "Last night was incredible, Parker."
       He smiled with sweet relief.  "I promise I didn't nefariously pull
these covers off of you just to enjoy the glorious splendors of your naked
body.  Believe it or not, you threw the covers off as soon as the sun came
in.  Oh, I made us breakfast in bed," he said, motioning to a tray of
nicely presented food on the nightstand.  "It was unbearably hard forcing
myself out your touch in order to accomplish this.  It took so much
willpower, now that I'm holding you once more, I may never be able to let
go again."
       "Thanks for breakfast, that's so sweet of you.  But you know you'll
have to give me some love, Parker, before I can eat anything."
       I turned over onto my left side, pressing my naked body into his,
feeling his marvelous warmth.  I put my arms around him and kissed him,
while he used his manly hands to cradle me ever so sweetly.
       "Mmm, I have more love for you than you'll ever be able to stand,
Jake.  And it's all here for your taking."
       He kissed me again, with such adoration, as we held each other in
our arms.  Before long, both of us were had major erections, Parker's of
course, was leaking.
       But Parker pulled away from the embrace with a slightly worried look
on his face.  "I inspected the front of your body while you were sleeping,
but didn't get to check the back."
       I rolled over onto my stomach.  "What are you looking for?"
       "Any marks that might indicate I was too rough with you last night."
       Once I heard what he was looking for, I rolled my eyes and tried to
get off my stomach.  "Parker, I'm fine, really."
       "Just let me have a look at you," he said.
       "Alright, but don't mistake any marks I had before for something you
caused."
       I felt his hands move over my center back half, touching me lightly
and sweetly.  Finally, they settled on my butt, and he winced.
       He very gently touched my butthole with the tip of his finger.
       "Mmm, sweetheart, your beautiful little hole looks swollen and raw.
See?  I knew I hurt you."  He had real hurt in his voice.
       "It barely hurts at all, Parker," I said.
       He rubbed it gently with his fingers, trying to soothe it.  "Ah,
sweet, adorable hole, I'm so sorry I was so rough with you in the night
prior.  I most certainly didn't mean to hurt you.  I know you were never
built to have something so large and unyielding inside you.  You gave me so
much pleasure, and all I gave you was pain."
       He leaned in and kissed me there gently with his lips.
       "I promise not to hurt you ever again, little hole.  There's no need
for me ever to do this a second time."
       "Parker," I said.  "It really doesn't hurt that bad.  I don't want
you beating yourself up over this."
       "But Syd tells me beating myself up is what I do best," he joked.
       "He's absolutely right for once," I said.  "Last night was
wonderful, and I don't want you to blame yourself for anything that
happened, because it was me pushing you into all of it all along.  I'm the
only one to blame for any after-effects I have this morning."
       "I'm not agreeing with you, but I'll agree to put it out of my mind
and just enjoy the morning with you."
       "Great.  What did you bring for breakfast?" I asked.
       He jumped over to the nightstand, and brought out a tray filled with
egg-filled crepes and fresh, sliced fruit. "I'm glad you made something
healthy this morning after last night's decadence.  You know me perfectly."
       "Of course I do, my love.  But, I hate to tell you, there's a Logan
law in effect in the Territory that you are flagrantly ignorant about."
       "Uh-oh, what is it?"
       "Once a man willingly submits himself to be used as his partner's
human serving dish, he must serve that purpose forever and ever.  By
consenting to have me eat chocolate off you last night, I'm afraid you've
inadvertently sold yourself as my permanent food plate."
       Smiling huge playfully, he grabbed some of the sliced fruit and lay
it down on my stomach.
       "Hmm, given that Cornelius is the resident legal expert in
Mareshead, I wonder what he would say if I asked him about your
interpretation of this peculiar Logan law?"
       "Oh, Cornelius would be the first to concur with me."
       He licked a blueberry into his mouth from my abdomen, and then
kissed me sweetly there before swallowing the berry.
       "Well, if I'm fated to a life as a human serving dish, I hope you
consider me something a bit more refined than a paper plate."
       "You are a one of a kind, my love.  Vastly superior to the finest
gold dish ever crafted by man."  He ate the rest of the fruit off of me.
       "How much time do I get to have you before Della starts demanding
your presence in the lab?" I asked as I bit into the crepe, which was
simple and very delicious.
       "I cleared my schedule to spend the day with you," he said.  "I'm
supposed to have a late dinner with Della, and that's it.  You see?  When I
threatened to stay here in bed with you all day long, it by no means was an
empty one.  Just tell me how you'd like to spend the day with me, my love."
       "Well, given that certain events have kept me from practicing for
the rodeo recently, I wanted to devote the entire day to one hardcore
training, to make up for it."
       "Yes, of course," he said.  "Look, I'm in heaven being with you, and
sometimes it can make me forget that there's anything else in this world
but the two of us.  I'm bringing my head back down to the ground right now,
and of course I'd be the first person to tell you that the most important
thing for you to do with your time is to practice rodeo, for your family's
sake.  No, let's go out there and get you trained."
       "But there's no need for you to be with me all day, Parker," I said.
"How about if you join me for an hour or something, and then you let me
train on my own?"
       "If you'd rather not have me around the whole time, I totally
understand," he said.  "I am not someone who would ever be offended when a
loved one tells me they need space."
       "That goes for me too, Parker, but no, I don't need space, I just
don't want to bore you to death all day long for nothing."
       "No, Jake.  We could be eating dirt all day long, and I'd still
enjoy myself just getting to do some activity with you."
       "That's sweet.  Gross, but sweet."
       "I mean it."
       "And if you work so hard to train me all day long, how can I ever
repay you?" I asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow.
       "The entire day will belong to the horses," he said.  "Just let our
lunch hour belong to me.  That's all I ask."
       "Sounds nice," I said, and kissed him.  "I don't even know why I'm
bothering to train.  With Syd dying, what good will it do me?"
       Parker lost his smile.  "My brother is not going to die."
       "But he has AIDS!  Della said the virus is fatal in vampires."
       "But Syd isn't like most vampires.  He's a resilient survivor.  Just
watch, I promise you, he'll be the first vampire to survive the disease.
And he'll be there to compete with you in the rodeo, when that day comes."
       "Alright," I said, but I really didn't agree with him at all.
Clearly Syd was dying, and clearly Parker was just going through some
serious denial.  I supposed it wasn't unusual, considering how close he was
to his brother, but it was the first time I had ever heard him say anything
the least bit irrational.  "I'll give you that he's anything if not a
resilient survivor.  Not unlike a cockroach, in that regard."
       "Sadly, I'm afraid my brother has more in common with a cockroach
than just the creature's imperviousness.  Including some of his choice
cleanliness skills."
       I laughed.  "Yes.  And I have to say, anytime I can remember talking
to Syd about cockroaches, he somehow turned that into a dirty word.  But
like I was saying, he's a survivor.  Heck, he managed to survive fake
integrating into the lives of my crazy family without killing all of us.
Parker, how come it couldn't have been you assigned to investigate my
family instead of him?  It would have been a dream having you in my life
then."
       "Well, first of all, my father knew he could play on Syd's pride to
do that job by telling him ahead of time that he didn't think Syd was good
looking enough or charming enough to succeed.  And then, of course my
brother made it his mission to prove my father wrong.  Those kinds of mind
games would have never worked on me.  And heavens, even it had been me,
that idea doesn't appeal at all to me.  Because if I had known you as a
minor, I never could have fallen in love with you romantically as an adult.
I'm incapable of ever developing anything beyond paternal love for anyone
I've known as a child, it just seems wrong to me.  That's why I can't
figure out how Syd could ever be attracted to you now."
       "It's because Syd only plays the part of a caring adult for minors,
but he doesn't really care about anyone but himself," I said.  "He never
even really knows the minor, though he pretends to.  So when the minor
becomes an attractive adult, he never looks at them and sees who they used
to be when they were young and unattractive, because those are faded
memories."
       "Anyway, if I had been assigned that job, you know I wouldn't have
been able to lie to your family.  All I would have been able to do is use
my invisibility to spy on your father, hoping I would see some sign that he
was bisexual.  You would have never known I was there."
       "You're right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe it was
best having Syd there after all."
       After breakfast, we got dressed, Parker put together a picnic basket
for lunch, and we went outside.
       "Whew, it's warm out here," I said.
       "Feels like a summer day, practically.  We've been having some
bizarrely warm days here recently."
       "Maybe it's global warming," I said.
       "I wouldn't doubt it."
       The stables had managed to sink into an even worse kind of decay
than from before Polly was brought in to clean things up, with manure
everywhere, hay all over the place, and the horses in sad, hungry shape.
Patches looked like he hadn't been fed in days, and it was good for Donnie
that he was nowhere to be found, because I might have picked a fight with
him.  Abderhalden was almost as neglected.  We got them fed and cleaned up
before we did anything else.
       We spent the morning training, and it was interesting to me how
little Parker's techniques changed from the last time we practiced
together.  Even though we had spend the night being as intimate as two men
can get, he didn't ask me to start practicing in the nude, like Boyd had,
and he never undressed himself either.  He certainly was a gentleman; that
much I knew already.
       When it was time for lunch, Parker hooked his picnic basket to the
back of Patches and I followed him on horseback towards the creek.  "If
we're going back to our fishing stream, you'd better have packed this
picnic basket with guns instead of food, in case the Pawnee are looking for
a rematch."
       "The Pawnee live to the east of Mareshead.  We're going west today,
to a part of the creek that makes for horrible fishing and therefore is the
one the only spots that no one goes to but me.  We'll be totally safe
there."
       We rode for a half hour or more along the banks of the stream, and
it actually led to a place where the water had carved a little canyon for
itself into the plains.  We traversed along the streamside deeper and
deeper into that canyon, and Parker told me that our way would end up in a
dead-end, and that anyone who was traveling along this part of the creek
would know to stay up on the plateau and quickly bypass the impassible
canyon floor.
       I heard our destination before I saw it, and at the same time, could
see a subtly pleased smile on Parker's face.  "Here we are," he said
finally as he led the horses over a pile of rocks.
       "Oh wow, we're at the top of a waterfall!  It's gorgeous here," I
said as soon as I saw it.  The water here was separated into two sections:
on the opposite side of the water from us, to the south, the water went
over swift, white rapids as it tumbled over the high cliff into the canyons
down below.  On the north side, closest to us, there was an idyllic blue
pool carved out from the waterfall by stone walls, a perfect swimming hole,
and the creek banks were dry and sandy here instead of wet and muddy like
the rest of the creek.  The water collecting in the pool seemed to just
blend into the horizon.
       "I love it here," he said, getting off Abderhalden.  He pointed at
the calm pool.  "That's nature's take on an infinity pool."
       "It's so beautiful," I said, getting off Patches.  I knew I didn't
need to tie him up; he was too loyal to run off.  "Why didn't you show me
this the first day I was here?"
       "Because you seemed to me like someone who liked partaking in some
activity with your excursions.  And there's really just one reason to come
here.  Let me show you."
       He opened his picnic basket and pulled out a blanket.  I helped him
spread it neatly over one of the soft, sandy banks.  He lay on the ground
over the blanket.
       "It requires you lying down and looking skyward."
       I lay down next to him on the blanket, and he put his arm under my
head as a pillow, which I thought was very gentlemanly.  I looked up, just
as he was doing.  "What are we looking at?"
       "The sky," he said.  "Nothing more beautiful in Texas than the big,
open, blue sky."
       "It's very beautiful," I said, meaning it.
       "My favorite thing to do in this canyon is just to look up at that
marvelous creation up there, sometimes for hours at a time.  You're the
first person I've ever done this with."  He used his free hand to grab
mine, holding onto it lovingly, and I knew that unlike when Boyd had made
similar false promises, Parker was completely genuine.
       "That's real sweet of you, Parker.  I could get real used to this."
       After a few minutes of lying there looking up together, holding
hands, I rolled over and started to kiss him.
       "Mmm, you taste so good, my love," he said.
       "Aren't you hot in all those clothes?  I'm going to get you more
comfortable."  I started unbuttoning his dress shirt.
       "Better not, I'm all dirty from the riding this morning," he said.
       "I don't care how dirty you are.  I care about you too much to let
trivial things like that get in the way.  But, since I'm just as dirty as
you are, I have a brilliant solution.  It's a hot day, and we have this
beautiful pool all to ourselves.  Let's get washed up together."
       I pulled off his dress shirt, leaving his wonderful upper body
unobstructed.
       "I'd love nothing more than to do that with you, my love.  And
before my accident, I would have gone for it in a heartbeat.  But I can't
take my false leg in the water."
       "We'll leave it here then," I said.
       "Are you sure that wouldn't bother you?"
       "Totally sure."
       I pulled my own clothes off quickly, and Parker looked down at my
body.  "Did I ever tell you have the most splendidly radiant naked body
I've ever seen?"
       "Time to get these pants off," I said.
       He removed his shoes, and I undid his belt.  I pulled down his
trousers, and he stepped out of them, leaving him only in his white boxers,
which totally showed off his huge package underneath.  I happily grabbed
them and pulled them down, his wonderful, flaccid penis bobbing out at me,
looking irresistible.
       "Time to take off the leg, Parker," I said.
       "Here it comes, my dear."
       He unfastened his false leg and set it aside, his face turning just
the slightest shade of pink.
       "Much better," I said.  "Let me help you to the water."
       He put his naked arm around my neck, and I led him straight for the
pool.  The water had turned pretty warm and actually felt inviting as we
stepped into it.  Once we got until the water was up to my chest, he pulled
his arm off of me.
       "I can actually swim pretty well when there's enough water like
this," he said, splashing around, clearly enjoying himself.
       "When was the last time you went swimming?" I asked.
       "There's a swimming pool at Mareshead that's only open in the
summer," he said.
       "Oh, do you go there often?"
       "That's where I went swimming once not long after my accident," he
said.  By the tone of his voice, I could tell there was something he wasn't
telling me.
       "What happened?"
       "Well, a group of women heckled me so much about my leg, I never
went back."
       I groaned.  "That's because ninety-nine out of a hundred people in
Mareshead are bat-crap crazy, Parker.  If you went out into the real world,
people wouldn't treat you like that."  At least, I hoped they wouldn't.
       "I'm the last person you need to sell the riches of the outside
world to; I've experienced all of it firsthand."
       I swam toward him and wrapped my arms around his thick, warm upper
body.  "Let's escape from all this.  Just you and me."
       I kissed him deeply.
       "You don't know how much I'd love for us to have a life together,
far away from the madness of this life.  I want so badly to show you all my
favorite old cities.  Boston, New York, London, Paris, Rome."
       "Yes, I want you to show me every nook and cranny.  I want to see it
all through your eyes.
       I felt his gigantic dick get firm in between our bodies, and mine
quickly followed suit.
       "In a week, when you've beaten Jericho in the rodeo, your family
will be secured.  Then, you'll call off your engagement, and I'll make my
deal with Jericho to save your life as well.  You'll be free then to leave
the Territory for good."
       "What about you?" I asked.  "I'm not leaving you here."
       He kissed me.  "You won't have to, my love.  Jericho used to require
I stay in Mareshead, but my use to him has long since passed.  Being around
is just a painful thorn in his side.  He won't care if I leave with you,
and we'll be free.  Just the two of us.  If ever the Governorship should
fall into my hands, I'll let you decide what we should do.  I could refuse
it, and spend eternity alone with you.  Or, we could come back here if
you'd like, to try to improve affairs.  As my partner, we'd make every
decision together.  We'd think everything through thoroughly, two minds
jointly."
       "I promise you, I will never get tired of you or desire you any
less," I said.  I reached down between us in the water, and took both of
our dicks in my hand, stroking them together with both hands.  "See how
crazy I am about you, Parker?"
       "If hardness was a true measure of one's desire, I'd venture to
guess I desired you more, my love," he joked.  "You've got me so hard, my
phallus could cut through diamond.  I never knew I could get so rigid until
you came along."
       I kissed him again, and while I did, I moved my hands all over his
wonderful body underwater.  He had been rubbing my back and shoulders with
his hands sweetly the entire time he had been holding me, but I pushed his
hands down to my butt, letting him know I was okay with him touching me
there.  His kisses turned even more impassioned as his strong hands began
cupping my buttcheeks, which clearly exciting him to no end.
       My hands moved down to his legs in the water, and this time, instead
of finding his false leg, I got to his stump, just past his knee.  I put my
fingers there.
       He broke off the kiss.  "You don't have to touch me there, Jake."
       "I know I never have to touch you anywhere, Parker.  You'd never
make me do anything I didn't want to.  And right now, I want nothing more
than to touch you here.  Because I love this part of you just as much as I
love the rest of you."
       I rubbed my fingers into his stump, and he shut his eyes and groaned
in delight, giving in to me.  I left my hand there, and he kissed me again,
harder than before.  "I love you so, so much," he said to me in between
kisses.
       I noticed that we had been drifting closer and closer to the edge of
the waterfall.  "Let's not get carried away with each other and end up
going over the cliff," I said.
       "You can't," he said.  "I've swum this hole hundreds of times, and
there's actually a wall at the edge that keeps you from going off.  Come
on, I'll show you.  I promise you'll be safe with me.  You know I'd never,
ever let anything happen to you."
       I certainly wouldn't ever have explored such a pool on my own, but
with Parker pushing me back towards the edge of the cliff, I absolutely
knew I was safe as could be.  Parker was a safe person by nature,
especially concerning humans, and when it came to my safety, he was doubly
precautionary.  In fact, he might have crossed the line into
overprotectiveness.
       Parker pushed me until he had my back pressed against the rock wall
that kept this pool from falling over the cliff.  "See?  It's like we're
swimming at the edge of the world."
       I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him passionately.  He
continued to cup my butt with his hands.  I could feel his rock hard
erection searching my buttcrack, giving me shivers.
       As swept away by Parker's love as I was, I wanted to get a better
view of the cliff, so I turned around in his arms until I was facing the
edge.
       "My goodness," I said, losing my breath for a moment as the view hit
me.  The cliff ahead fell down perhaps fifty feet into the canyon below.
The waterline in the pool we were in went up to the very top of the
protective rock wall, making it appear quite dangerous, as if there was no
wall there at all, when it was in reality totally safe.  "The view is
incredible."
       "Yes.  But no majesty of nature could ever compare with the once in
a lifetime beauty of you, my love, and I'm referring to your body, mind,
and soul.  All three."
       "I feel the exact same way, Parker.  Your loving touch is better
than any of this, but it doesn't compete with it, it heightens it somehow."
       "Yes, I've been here many times before by myself," he said.  "Now
that you're here with me, its magic seems quadrupled."
       As I floated at the end of the cliff, Parker embraced me from
behind.  He held me lovingly with his arms, but kept his dickhead a good
distance from my hole, as if he was still unsure if that kind of contact
would be appreciated by me.  I wanted to answer the question for him, so I
pushed back against his hard manhood.
       He realized what I wanted, and he leaned forward and stuck his face
just to the left of mine.  I turned my head to the left to meet his sweet
lips, while at the same time, I felt his dick rubbing up and down against
my crack.
       "I want you so bad," I moaned.  "Take me, Parker."
       But he pulled back instead of being urged on.  "I feel a little odd,
us doing this now, when I know you promised yourself to my brother tonight.
I know it's petty of me, and I don't blame you for doing what you're doing,
I support you in all your decisions.  I just feel like I can't give every
last part of me today, the way you absolutely deserve, because a piece of
me feels bothered by this."
       "Parker, I totally understand.  Listen, just this one more night,
and then I'm through with Syd.  I'm all yours.  I've wanted to be in a
monogamous relationship with you from the second I got to know you, and I
knew beyond a doubt we were absolutely perfect for each other."
       He looked at me with his eyes getting misty.  "You don't know how
much that means to me," he said.  "Tomorrow, we'll start our life together.
And the first thing we'll do as a new couple is we'll come back here, and
I'll give your body every ounce of love I held back today.  Deal?"
       "I'm already counting the minutes."
       "Now, we have a lunch to eat and an afternoon of rodeo ahead of us,"
he said, and started swimming towards the shore.
       Instead of following him, I went to the side of the pool that
bordered the top of the waterfall, and looked down over the rock wall to
where the water poured over the cliff just a few feet down from the safety
of the pool.  It was quite beautiful.
       "Whoa!" I said, feeling a large boulder that I was leaning against
in the pool tremble under my weight.
       "What is it?" Parker asked, concerned, swimming over to where I was,
       "I just feel like this boulder is about to fall over."
       I started to move back, and the boulder again shifted, this time
feeling like it was about to break free off into the pool.  Since the
boulder formed a huge chunk of the barrier that held this pool up, that
would not be a good thing.
       Parker quickly moved in and used his strength to keep the boulder
from falling.  "I'd say we shouldn't swim on this side in the future," he
said, concerned.
       "I agree."
       Crisis averted, we swam out back to the sandy creek shore.  I was
happy when Parker didn't bother putting his clothes back on once we were
back on our picnic blanket, and I certainly wasn't about to put my own on
either.
       Parker pulled out a nice assortment of healthy culinary delights
from his picnic basket, including some meats that he was able to keep in a
small cooler.  As we began the fine feast, he pulled out a bottle of
champagne and extracted two fine glasses for us.  He poured us each a
glass.
       "To our new life starting tomorrow," he said.
       "Yes," I said, clicking his glass and taking a drink.  "Hmm."
       "What is it, my love?"
       "Either there's no alcohol in this, or I've been drinking so much
lately, I can't taste it anymore."
       He laughed.  "It's sparkling grape juice.  Do you think I would let
my greatest love drink and then ride a horse?  Not likely."
       As we ate, I asked, "Parker, how come you never brought Annie here?"
       "Because she never would come," he said.  "She always hated nature."
Something came over his face.  "Come here, I need to hold you," he said.
       I turned around and sat up in between his legs.  He sat there with
me, holding me in his arms, and I sat back into him, feeling my naked body
totally surrounded by his from behind, leaning back into him like he was my
personal chair.
       "That's better," he whispered into my ear.  "Look, I want to pledge
to you that what ensued between Annie and I will on no account happen
between us.  I know from the bottom of my heart that I was meant to be with
you.  With Annie, even at the start, I had a strong intuition that I was
making a bad choice.  We were wrong for each other from the very launch on
so many levels."
       "Was it like that with all your past relationships?" I asked.
       "No," he said.  "Before Jericho took over as Governor, when I was
free and roaming around all my favorite cities, all of my relationships
were well matched and healthy.  Syd described the women as all being
painfully dull, of course, but I loved them dearly.  Back then, we didn't
have the blood packets like we do now, so vampires were left with four
options.  Most chose to stay in their Blood's domain, where they'd have
access to human blood daily "
       "Either willing or unwilling, I'm sure," I said.
       "Quite right.  Vampires who were in the outside world didn't have
that convenience.  Some would hunt their victims, feed on them, and kill
them to keep them from talking.  These vampires I most despised."
       "Are there still vampires like that in the world?"
       "Oh yes," he said.  "Thirdly, we could be like Syd, who seduced a
new human every night, drank their blood, and then glamoured them into
forgetting the feeding.  But I was never cut out to be a playboy, so that
meant if I were to survive out in the world, I would require a human
companion--usually a girlfriend--that knew about my true nature and was
fine donating their blood to me daily."
       "So, what changed after Jericho took over?" I asked.
       "He made me come to Mareshead and serve his needs, as I told you.
And during all those years, no matter how much I longed to love again, I
knew it was too foolish to start anything with anyone.  I was not my own
person, I belonged to him.  And how could I offer myself like that to
someone else?"
       "I understand."
       "And after my accident, then my life turned upside down.  For the
first time in decades, I no longer was owned by my father, and I was free
again to love.  But at the same time, I was lost in depression and
self-loathing then due to my disability.  Even after I pulled myself out of
the depression, others looked at me completely differently.  No one would
touch me with a ten foot pole, it seemed.  And I didn't blame them."
       "They were all crazy.  They didn't know what they were missing."
       "When Annie came along, she was the first person to show any shred
of affection towards me.  I had given up on love, and then she inserted
herself into my life.  Of course, in hindsight, I knew she never truly
loved me, even though she lied and told me she did.  I sensed how wrong we
were for each other, of course, but I was seduced by the possibility of
love.  I had previously believed I would never get to love again, but I was
absolutely certain I had so, so much love to give.  So, I gave her all my
love in spite of her faults.  The whole time, she treated me like half a
man, reminding me of my disability every second we were together.  And I
just loved her back, knowing I had chosen her as my partner, for better or
worse, and nothing could make me stop giving her love."
       I felt myself growing spiteful towards Annie as I heard Parker's
confession.  Even though I personally never saw her selfish side, I had
heard enough about it from others to rethink any desire to be friends with
the woman, and now that I felt Parker was my guy, I got the urge to protect
him from this clear abuser.  "You should have known that you can't love
enough for both partners of a relationship on your own."
       "Yes, precisely.  But we all have our breaking points, and mine came
only recently.  She and I are through now, as it should have been long
before we ever said our vows.  And I've learned from my mistake, and it
will never happen again.  You are the total opposite of Annie in every way,
and I don't want you to doubt for an instant that you and I will ever go
down a similar path."
       "That's nice of you to say, but something here really makes me
worry," I said.  "And I need to make sure of something before I commit to
you.  I'm concerned that the only reason you think you love me is because
I'm so much nicer to you than Annie, or because I seem to be the only one
who doesn't have any problem loving you with or without your disability.
Because as soon as we leave the Territory, I think you'll find plenty of
very good people who would love nothing better than to be your partner.
You very well could end up feeling like one of them is better suited for
you."
       "I'm glad you brought this up and didn't let doubt fester inside
your heart," he said.  "I need to assure of two things."
       I swore he was going to try and refute me about the likelihood that
attractive, available people would be throwing themselves at a man with a
missing leg, which I knew was wrong.
       "First, I'm not just fond of you because you can stand to be around
me.  That's the exact same trap I fell into with Annie, and like I said,
I'm not ever going to fall for that one again.  I know for the rest of my
life, if the person isn't an excellent match to me personality-wise, I'm
not interested.  There are plenty of kind people out there who I might have
dated before I had my Annie experience, but that would have been a mistake,
because although kindness is a great quality, it alone does not build a
lasting relationship."
       "Okay, but you're talking about people whose only strength is that
they are kind.  What if we left here and you were to meet someone with all
the strengths you could ever dream of?  What if you were to meet your
absolute perfect match?"
       "Sweetie, you don't understand," he said.  "I've already met my
absolute perfect match.  You're him.  I know that from the bottom of my
soul.  Enough said."
       I felt myself melting at his sweet words.  "And what if you met
someone more perfect for you?"
       "Impossible," he said.
       "Well, what if you met someone just as perfect as me, then?" I
asked, not letting him sidestep my question.
       "Though I think that's impossible, I don't want you to worry about
me ever developing feelings for someone else.  That's the second part I
needed you to know.  Once I pick you, my sweet, I shut off any possible
desire for anyone else.  It's like I don't even see them.  If anyone were
to make a move on me, they would be quickly stopped and dissuaded."
       "Somehow I know deep inside me the truth in your words, Parker.  I
accept you, totally."
       We kissed for a long time, tenderly and sweetly, and I was so, so
happy as I felt all my reservations melt away.  I knew for sure that he was
my ideal match, and now I knew that he felt the exact same way about me.
       He held me for a long time before urging me back to Mareshead.  We
put our clothes back on and mounted our horses, and rode back to the
training grounds.  We practiced until the last moment of sunlight, fed and
comforted our horses before putting them away, and went into the mansion.
       As we entered the Great Room on our way back up to the new
apartment, I realized the room was occupied with a number of people,
including Jericho on his throne, Cornelius, and oddly enough, Della.  We
seemed to interrupt a heated argument between the two siblings.
       "...all sorts of maladies," Della was saying.  "Many of them haven't
even had their inoculations."
       "I told ya before, any quick fix ya can keep them from getting
viruses, I'm for."
       "Uh-huh, we both know if they get sick with something contagious,
you won't treat them humanly and quarantine them, you'll just kill them."
       "Damn right," Jericho said.  "And so I support them gettin' their
HPV shots, or whatever.  But my folks found you treatin' injuries,
stitching up wounds.  They got no right to that shit, they're just goddamn
slaves."
       "Look, we both know I think you destroyed this Blood the second you
legalized slavery, that I absolutely detest the practice.  And, way I see
it, unless ya want your entire slave contingent to die off, you'll let me
treat them.  Hell, prisoners are given more medical care that your slaves,
and these poor folks never were guilty of no crime."
       "Fine, as long as you are here, you can do what you want," he said.
       Cornelius caught my eye.  "Oh, Mr. Groves, I've been looking for you
all day," he said.  "I have something of serious urgency to report."
       "Hi Cornelius, what is it?"
       "The Governor assembled the Cabinet this morning to take a vote over
a matter he suggested.  They decreed by majority decision to agree with the
Governor's directive.  That is, because Syd's illness is imminently fatal,
it was decided that my earlier motion to delay the rodeo event until Syd
was in better health would be terminated and reversed immediately."
       "No, that's not fair!" Parker said.
       "It's not up for debate.  It's been decided."
       "So, that means we'll be competing on the same date that was
originally assigned?" I asked.
       "Yup, tomorrow morning," Jericho said.  "Hope you're as ready as me
and Donnie.  `Course, ya can always back out now if ya want, and I'll just
go ahead and have yer family killed tonight."
       "No, I'm not backing down," I said.
       "But Syd can't even get out of bed, let alone compete in a rodeo,"
Della said.
       "Given the circumstances," Cornelius said, "Syd wouldn't have to.
The contract only names Mr.  Groves by name, and just as the Governor has,
he's free to choose any partner he wants for tomorrow."
       "Anyone I want?"
       "Well, anyone who agrees to it," Cornelius said.  "And as this is a
couples' competition, it is expected that the two of you display physical
intimacy which would suggest an established couple.  I already spoke with
Syd earlier, and he suggested you pick Boyd as an alternate."
       "Boyd Slade?" I asked for clarification, not able to think of any
reason Boyd would ever help me.  "He's married."
       "Yes, but his vows do not prevent him from being physically close to
you," Cornelius said.  "Syd said some tidbit about you having something to
offer Boyd that he might not be able to resist."
       I saw Parker shudder in disgust, and I realized that Syd was
suggesting I agree to prostitute myself out to Boyd, for who knows how
long, so that he would agree to be my rodeo partner.  It made logical
sense.
       "Absolutely not," I said, remembering that I had just told Parker
that this night would be the last time I slept with anyone besides him.  "I
choose Parker."
       I heard Jericho guffaw.
       Parker gasped.  "No, out of the question," he said.  "I'm missing a
leg, remember?"
       "I'm fine with that."
       "No, it's idiotic," he said.  "Pick someone with two legs."
       "What about you, Cornelius?" I asked.
       "I've never performed any of the rodeo events in my entire life," he
said.  "Not me."
       "What about Arlene?" Parker suggested.
       "Ha, like anyone would ever believe anything physical would go on
between those two," said Jericho, clearly making some sort of dig at my
strict preference for men.
       "She already lost to one Logan," I said.  "She doesn't have what it
takes to win.  No, I pick Parker."
       "What's wrong with Parker?" Della asked.
       "This ain't the Special Olympics, ya moron," Jericho said.
       "Parker's not your average disabled person, either," Della said.
       "Parker, I've practiced with you more than anyone."
       "But I was training you during those practices," he said.  "We
weren't practicing together."
       "I'm sorry, Cornelius, whose decision is this?" I asked.
       "Yours," he replied.
       "Then I pick Parker.  Enough said."
       "And what if I refuse to participate?" Parker asked.
       "Then Jake will be forced to forfeit," he replied.
       Parker shook his head angrily.
       "Oh, I think you'll be fine," Della said.
       "Well, I guess with Parker competing, I won't exactly be needing to
burn the midnight oil tonight preparing myself for the rodeo," Jericho
said, laughing.  "Oh, and I'm telling you right now, there's a slight
change being made to the Bull Ridin' and Pole Bendin' events."
       "Wait a second, that's not fair," I said.  "I thought he had to tell
us about the changes at the same time he learned of them."
       "That's only if the changes will affect the game play or the safety
of the contestant," he growled back.  "I got the Cabinet to agree that my
changes are purely cosmetic, so it's fine not to give advanced notice."  He
looked like he was trying to hold back a smile.
       Della, Parker, and I walked out of the Great Room and into one of
the hallways.
       "You should not have chosen me," Parker said.  "The smart thing
would have been to pick Boyd."
       "I shudder to think what kind of deal with the devil I'd have to
make to get Boyd on my side," I said.  "And even if I had sold myself to
him, I'd still never really trust him.  Parker, you're the only one I
trust."
       "Well, all the trust in the world isn't going to make my leg heal,"
he said.
       "I thought it was a damn fine choice, Jake," Della said.  "Parker,
you owe me dinner, you ready?  I figured we could eat in our lab, away from
all these fools.  Jake, you coming?"
       I wanted nothing more than to eat dinner with Della and Parker, but
I remembered that those two were probably still grieving and processing
Syd's condition.  I didn't want to get in the way.  "I'll pass," I said.
       "Suit yourself, kid, I can't force you," she said.  "Oh, that's
right, I think Syd is waiting for you.  Got me to promise not to bother him
for the entire night, or the nurse.  But since you'll be there, if he needs
anything at all, you come get me, ya hear?"
       "Yes, of course," I told her.
       I grabbed a quick dinner at the mess hall, trying not to be nervous
about importance of the next day's events.  Then I went back up to the
apartment and took a long bath, getting all cleaned up from the long day's
practice.
       I decided to use the time to myself to call my family.  I called
first my mother, who was mad at me again for not calling her sooner, and
then Ahmad, who still seemed doubtful about the truth of my whole Montana
excuse.  Both of them wished me happy birthday, and I told them that I had
an absolutely wonderful birthday, but missed them a lot.  It felt so good
to hear their voices and have them fill me in on their lives, and I got
teary eyed a couple times with homesickness.  But when they asked me what I
was doing, I kept things as succinct as possible, absolutely hating that I
needed to lie to them.
       I pulled out one of Ahmad's books and read for a long while, not
wanting to leave the apartment at all.  Finally, as it started to get late,
I knew I couldn't delay any longer.
       Knowing I'd be gone for the night, I knelt down and said a prayer,
asking God to look after Parker and me the next day.  I packed an overnight
bag, and headed to Syd's apartment.  Like Della had said, there wasn't any
sign of anyone being nearby.  No guards or nurses in the halls.
       I knocked gently on the door.
       "Come in," I heard Syd's sick voice say.
       I let myself into the dimly lit apartment and shut the door behind
me.  He was in his bed, under the covers, the medical equipment beeping
away.
       His eyes met mine.  "It's about time, Jakey.  Way to keep a dyin'
man waiting."
       "What do you want me to do?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from
showing any agitation.
       "You won't be needing any of those clothes tonight," he told me.
       I started to remove my clothes, while he ripped off his heart and
breathing monitors from his chest.  He had an IV line going into the back
of his hand, and he kept the needle taped to his hand but detached it from
the tubing, until he was totally free.
       "Get yer beautiful body over here, Jakey," he said.
       As I walked over to his bed, I almost didn't recognize his face.  It
was sad to see: bizarrely gaunt, deathly pale, a light beard due to him not
shaving, and his skin covered with reddish purple blotches.
       "What was that look ya gave me, Jakey?" he asked.  "Somethin' the
matter with my face?"
       "No, it was nothing," I said, angry at myself for being so
transparent.
       "Hand me a mirror."
       "There's no reason to--."
       "Please don't make me quote Jack Nicholson anymore than I already
did.  Just give me the mirror."
       Syd had more mirrors littered around his room than he usually had
used condoms.  I grabbed a hand mirror from his dresser and gave it to him.
       "Hello handsome!" he said ironically.  "Oh my lordy, when did all
these sores appear?"
       "I think it's a possible symptom of the late stage virus, Syd," I
said.
       "Jakey, Jakey, always using reason to make it easier to accept the
severely sucky."  He set the mirror down.  "Well, I'm sorry I went from
havin' the world's most handsome mug to the ugliest motherfuck in
Mareshead, but let's not pretend that you didn't have all the opportunities
in the world to get fucked by me for weeks, when you'd a been able to look
up into my Adonis face.  I'm sorry I can't offer that anymore for our first
fuck, but you'll just have to shut your eyes and try to remember me as I
was.  Now, get in here."
       He pushed his covers back, and this time I tried to hide my shock as
I saw his naked body.  His skin had gone from hot, sweaty, and red to cold,
clammy, and sickly yellow.  He must have lost thirty pounds since I saw him
last, which would have put him around one sixty to one seventy, just a bit
heavier than I was.  He had never had any fat on his body to lose, so it
was all muscle he had burned away.  His muscles had always been vascular,
but his skin was so tight now, showing every little vein on him, that it
looked like he had been starved for weeks.
       Worst of all, those purplish blemishes covered his entire body as
well; only his hands, feet, and genitals seemed unaffected.  His huge dick
lay limp between his legs, looking mostly normal.
       "Yeah, my body ain't exactly what it once was.  Lucky for you, there
ain't any sores on my Johnson yet, and that's the most important part of
me.  Now get in before I freeze to death!"
       I jumped in the bed next to him, and pulled the covers back over the
two of us.  One comfort was that his sheet and blanket were no longer wet
with sweat; at least his fever seemed gone.  But when he touched me with
his hands, I realized how sickly cold they were.  It was like being touched
by a dead person.
       "Let me just hold you for a while," he said.
       He turned me on my side, facing away from me, and spooned me from
behind, his floppy, sweaty dick slapping against my butt.  His skin pressed
against my back and the rear of my legs, and it felt strangely cold.  I
could feel the texture of his sores against my smooth skin.  His breathing
was labored and wheezy.
       "Oh, you feel sooo good, Jakey.  I've been waiting for this forever.
I know you have yer doubts `bout my intentions here, I know ya think my
make a wish was just a screwed up way to manipulate ya into bed with me,
`cause that's always what I did before.  But I swear to you, this is the
one and only thing I want before I die."
       "How could the one and only thing be sex?" I asked.
       "I don't expect ya to understand, Jakey.  You'll just have to
believe me.  Oh, Jakey, the lube.  We don't wanna make this any harder for
you than necessary, do we?  It's on your side in the nightstand."
       I pulled off the covers, reached over and extracted his bottle from
the drawer.
       "Good, why doncha rub it on my huge Johnson, wake up the sleepin'
dragon for me."
       I poured some lube in my hand, and then rubbed it into his soft dick
vigorously.  But no matter how long I stroked, his dick continued to show
almost no response to my touch.
        "This ain't workin,' and damn, my cock's too greased up now for you
to suck on.  Just turn around and let me play with yer world class hole,
that always gets the juices flowin' fer me."
       He spun me around again so I was lying on my side away from him.
Next thing I knew, I felt his short beard on my buttcheeks, and I felt his
lips on my hole, and soon, his tongue inside me.
       I heard him squeeze lube onto his hand, and next thing I knew, I
felt his slimy fingers moisten my hole.
        "This still ain't workin, Jakey."
       I felt him spoon me from behind, felt his still soft dick inside my
crack, his soft dickhead pushing against my hole with nothing but futility.
       "Come on, little Syd, you never let me down before," he said.  "And
look what's being presented to you, right before your one eye.  The
prettiest hole you ever laid eye on.  Just harden up enough to get in."
       Somehow, I started to feel sorry for him.  "Even soft, I bet I could
get you inside me, Syd."
       "You can?"
       I turned so I was face down and he was on top of me, I reached
behind me with both my hands, grabbed onto his hefty flaccid penis head,
and started to push it inside me manually.
       Once I had accomplished that, Syd was able to push the rest of the
way himself, and I could feel his sizable but flaccid unit inside me.
        "Oh my lord, that feels so good," he said.  "God, how long I've
lusted after this, and now it's finally all mine."
       He started pulling inwards and outwards with his unit, but I could
feel that even after more than a dozen thrusts, he still wasn't hard inside
me.
       "No, Jakey, this can't be happening.  No, no, no.  I do NOT do this,
I am not made like this.  Goddamn, my dick is dead, Jakey, it's dead!"
       Then the impossible started to happen.  The man who I thought was
incapable of any emotions save for self-satisfaction and lust started to
cry.  I had never heard or seen him get close to crying, ever.  Not even
when I was a kid.  I wouldn't have been surprised if this WAS the first
time he cried.  He hadn't even shown the slightest bit of depression about
the prospect of dying of AIDS or leaving his loved ones behind.
       And yet here he was, in tears not because he was facing his death,
but because he couldn't get an erection.
       "The one thing I always could count on has left me, Jakey," he said
in between tears.
       "I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but why don't you try biting
me, Syd?  That always seemed to get you excited before."
       I heard him sniffle and stop his tears.  "Okay, let's try."
       I braced myself for being bit into, but nothing happened.
       "It's no use, Jakey, I can't get my fangs to come out," he said,
crying all the more.
       His crying was too much for me to take, I could feel his tears on
the back of my neck.  I noticed a sharp looking pair of scissors on his
nightstand, and picked those up.  I looked away as I used the blade to cut
into the skin of my hand.  People on the shows Jerry had always watched
were always cutting their palm like it was nothing, but doing it hurt like
crazy and knowing I was bleeding disturbed me and made me feel woozy.
Luckily, I was lying down.
       I tossed the scissors aside and then reached my bloody palm behind
me towards Syd.
       "Oh, Jakey, yer blood tastes so, so good," he said as he lapped up
the blood, closing the wound.  "Wait, there they go, there are my fangs!"
       Before they disappeared again for good this time, he quickly sank
them into the side of my neck as he spooned me from behind, with us both on
our sides.
       And that was apparently the magic touch: as soon as he was drinking
my blood, as soon as that euphoric pleasure started to pulse through me, I
could feel his dick inside me start to twitch and pulse to life.
        "Oh yeah, lil' Syd, I knew ya had it in ya!" Syd hollered.  "All ya
needed was a taste of the sweetest blood in the world."
       Syd's mouth returned to my wound, and his dick got ever harder, soon
so big that it painfully stretched my insides.  Soon, he added in thrusts,
and started to screw me with more ferociousness than Parker ever had.
Thank goodness he was biting me, or I'd be in serious pain.
       By the time he finished drinking my blood and licked my wound clean,
his thrusts still came fast and steady.  As the euphoria left my body, the
pain became sharper, and his callous treatment became hard to bear.
       Luckily, I didn't have to bear it long, for all of the sudden, Syd
stopped thrusting.
       "Syd?" I asked, nudging his body behind me.
       The only response I got back was his snores.
       Since he hadn't climaxed, I figured he had just worn himself out
temporarily and would resume the session.  But when his dick softened and
fell out of me, I gave up on him for good, and fell asleep along with him.