A Cascade of Rueful Incidences

Chapter 3 - Enigmatic Escort

Rhett dug his phone out of a pocket and updated his Facebook wall, making the message available to Wade and Ronny. Even though he hadn't had any intention to fuck the cute, little teen – for a virgin like him, to take things that far with a trick was just a dream – he wanted the older boys to know that he had almost scored, and he also told them about his close encounter with a fist of the trick's father. In no time both guys commented on his story, wanting to know all the details. He was happy to indulge. Rhett read appreciation, even respect, into the comments, and it stroked his self-confidence, but to his great disappointment, his friends also told him that they wouldn't be coming to Liberty Avenue anytime soon.

As before the incident, Rhett was left to his own devices. As he pushed the phone into a pocket, he was getting irritated with his friends. The guys were always bugging him to come with them to the gay Mecca of the town. They wanted to hang out there every single night, regardless of the assignments they had from school. Rhett who wanted to get good grades was less enthusiastic. Wade and Ronny made fun of him and basically told him that such academic ambitions ranked very low on their scale. Therefore, Rhett didn't take their stalling at home at face value. What could be so important at home just now, at Halloween, that they couldn't sneak out and come to Liberty Avenue? In a bout of anger, Rhett fished his phone from the pocket and turned it off. Try to find me now, fuckers, he thought as he tucked the device deep into the pocket. I bet you're somewhere, with some other, older guys.

Wind blew down the alley, and Rhett shivered. His jacket was perfect for the weather of brisk, late fall days, but the evenings of the season were considerably colder. He tucked his hands as deep into his pockets as he could and pulled his shoulders up to his ears. He wouldn't be able to stay on the streets for much longer, but where could he go? Home? Not for a million bucks. The diner was out of question, too. While it was likely that Mr. Gold had already left the place, there would be people there that had witnessed the whole sorry incident, including his shameful escape. Unfortunately, the almost heroic story that could be found on his FB-wall did not perfectly match the reality.

"Hi there!" somebody called from the darkness of the alley, scaring Rhett out of his pants.

"Is everything alright?"

The man that appeared from the darkness was of medium height, slightly built and sandy haired, and seemed to be in his early to mid twenties. Despite the whereabouts of Rhett's pants, there was nothing scary about the apparition. It was the guy from the diner: the one that had caused the disturbance that let Rhett melt away.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Rhett said, carefully keeping his face in shadow. Maybe the guy would go away without recognizing him.

"That crazy man with his boy left."

Rhett winced. No such luck.

"You can go back in if you want," the stranger went on.

"I don't know," he muttered. "Thanks for letting me know, anyway."

"You're welcome," the man said lightly. "I'm Tanner; what should I call you?"

"Rhett," he said reluctantly.

"Rhett. A good, butch name," Tanner said smiling at him. "But, you seem to be freezing out here. If you really don't want to go back to the diner, maybe I need to save your ass again."

"Again?"

"You didn't think I really am an Ethan Gold fan, did you?" Tanner said with an evil smirk.

"You fooled Mr. Gold," Rhett said carefully. Suddenly, he got the feeling that he was missing a piece or few of the puzzle called Tanner.

"Seems like I did, doesn't it?" the man chuckled. "But back to your dilemma. This alley doesn't offer any kind of entertainment for you, and you didn't seem to be taking a shortcut through it either. So, what are you doing here? It seems to me that you were trying to decide where to go. Am I right?"

Feeling foolish, Rhett nodded in agreement.

Tanner took a moment to think. "The fact that you're alone is most likely at the root of your dilemma. You were waiting for your friends in the diner?"

Rhett nodded again. It didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that.

"That suggests that you aren't used to hanging out in bars, drinking. More likely, you're a club-boy. But, you don't want to go clubbing by yourself," Tanner went on with his chain of thought.

Rhett didn't comment on Tanner's assumptions. What could he say? Tell the truth and let the man know that he was just a wannabe club-boy who definitely wasn't going in any club by himself? Hide the truth and let the man think that he was just too shy to go alone. Hell, no, to both! He had been laughed at enough for one evening.

Before Rhett could come up with any smart response, Tanner had moved on to the next link in the chain. "Were you going to BoyToy with your friends?" he asked but, without waiting for Rhett's answer, went on, "Of course you were. I'm on my way there, too. You could tag along. I could keep you company until your friends show up, if that's okay with you."

"Really?" Rhett couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice.

Of course Rhett wanted to go to BoyToy. Ronny and Wade talked about the club all the time. It wasn't the best club on Liberty Avenue, that would be Babylon, but it was the only one that welcomed a teen of their age. The age of Ronny and Wade, that was. As his father guessed in the quarrel that ended with Rhett storming out of the house, his friends thought that he was of the same age, and his lie would have been blown to pieces at the entrance. For weeks, Ronny and Wade had been wondering why he wouldn't visit the place with them, and he was running out of excuses.

"I don't know," he hurried to add. "I've never been there. I'd like to come, but..." Rhett stopped, wanting to kick himself. Fuck! There's no chance he won't guess...

"Not yet eighteen?" Tanner asked with a raised eyebrow.

Damn. Damn. DAMN. I'm so screwed.

"No matter," Tanner chuckled. "With me you'll get in. Let's go. Your friends can find their own way there."

Thanking the powers on the upper floor for his good fortune, Rhett took the offer and followed Tanner to the club of many daytime dreams. 

*****

BoyToy was not far from the alley. As they walked the distance, Tanner pointed out a few people.

"Do you recognize that fellow?" he asked Rhett, pointing with his chin to the direction of a handsome, tall man with reddish blond hair.

Rhett shook his head, staring at the good looking man. "He seems a bit too old for me," he said with a feeling of regret. The beautiful stranger seemed to be about the same age as Tanner.

"Maybe," Tanner said with a crooked little smile.

"I didn't mean..." Rhett stammered, blushing.

"Maybe," Tanner chuckled. "But, it's not always smart to refuse a man just because he's a bit older than you."

"Speaking of experience?"

"Oh, yeah... and, in a certain case, of lack of experience, too: one of my greatest regrets. If only I had been born a few years earlier!" Whatever was in Tanner's mind, it made him smile crookedly. After a little break, he explained, "With age comes experience. That fellow is quite experienced; he's Quinn."

"The Wannabe?" Rhett breathed.

He had heard a lot about the man. At the end of summer, only a few weeks after he made friends with Wade and Ronny and started to explore the wonderful, previously unimagined world of gay Pittsburgh, the whole community was set in turmoil by the arrival of Quinn Stoakes. The man had moved to town from the glittering grandness of New York and thought that, in such a backward little town as the Pitts, the status of the hottest stud in town was his for the taking. The reigning stud, Alec Finnegan, did not agree. For the last seven months, Alec had held the title, and he had no intention of stepping aside for "some clown from the Big Apple".

In Pittsburgh, the status of the stud of Liberty Avenue was coveted by many, and the place on the top of the pecking order was windy to the extreme. Alec had won the title from the previous stud in a fierce war waged over the lust of the masses. According to Wade, it had taken Alec more than two months to topple the former stud from the pedestal. That he had been able to keep on the top for seven months spoke volumes about his prowess, but with the arrival of Quinn, the battle had started again.

"Yes, the Wannabe. In the flesh," Tanner said with a little grin. "Let the better man win."

"Do you think he'll be able to win?"

"He's desired by many. I don't know if his allure is strong enough, though. Alec has had more time to work on his reputation."

"As far as I'm concerned, Alec is hotter," Rhett said with a little, shy smile. "But, Quinn is almost as hot as Alec. If I was older, I would sample them both."

"If you were older and if you were lucky they would sample you, my friend."

Rhett blushed.

"Is it for them to choose, really, who they fuck, the studs of Liberty Avenue, I mean?" he ventured to ask after a moment of hesitation. "It would seem that, to keep up the number of tricks, they would have to do anyone willing."

"You really are wet behind the ears, lad!" Tanner laughed. "Of course the numbers count, but the number of tricks alone is not what makes a stud stand out among all the others. I was younger than you when I was introduced to the wonders of Liberty Avenue, and back then, the stud that rose above everybody else was Brian Kinney. In him..."

"I've heard about a Brian Kinney: the owner of the club Babylon; are you referring to the same guy?" Rhett chimed in.

"The one and only. The Stud."

"The Stud!" Rhett exclaimed.

He had heard about a man that, according to the rumors, had had such sex-appeal and fucked such a number of tricks that, even if several years had gone since his time as the reigning stud ended, he held the honorary title of the Stud with the capital S. Talking about him with Wade and Ronny, he had shared their regret of never meeting such a man. They had had no idea that the man was still around and even less idea of the fact that the legendary stud and the club-owner Brian Kinney were the same man. About Kinney Wade and Ronny had known very little, and they had never pointed him out to Rhett.

"Is it true that he held the status for more than a decade?" he asked with an obvious doubt.

"It is true," Tanner said to his surprise. "Kinney was a legend already when I first met him about eight years ago."

"You know him?!"

Suddenly, Tanner staggered and almost stopped. He shook his head in irritation. "Damn! I have to be more careful," he muttered.

"The tiles of the pavement are uneven," Rhett commented carefully, wondering why Tanner was so upset.

"Shit happens."

"You said you knew the Stud," Rhett ventured to remind Tanner after a moment of silence.

"Ah... Kinney. I've met him, yes. Around these parts, most people my age and older know him to some extent and could tell you stories about him. But, do they really know the man? I doubt that. I don't. But, I do know that he's a class A bastard."

"How so?"

"Kinney held to this policy of his: he would never fuck a guy twice. After the fuck, he kicked the trick to the curb and moved to the next. He hurt feelings and broke hearts and never cared."

"He doesn't sound like someone I'd like to fuck," Rhett muttered with red cheeks. He wasn't used to talking about fucking in such a manner: like they were discussing weather.

"You're right. He doesn't sound like a desirable guy. Not at all." Tanner grinned.

"And still, the Stud?"

"As I said earlier, the number of tricks is just one aspect of what makes a stud of Liberty Avenue. One of the other aspects is the quality of the guys the stud is able to attract. The aspiring stud has to attract most of the good looking men. Another aspect is the level of control the stud is able of to wield over his tricks. With most tricks, the stud wannabe has to be capable of taking control of the situation: of deciding what happens between him and the trick. He has to be a believable top. Those two aspects alone are a lot to ask for, but there is yet another aspect: the most critical one. It isn't enough that the man attracts a lot of good-looking guys, and it's not enough that he tops even the most exclusive tops among them. The aspirer has to deliver. The stud of Liberty Avenue has to be the best fuck in town: a fuck that leaves men craving more and willing to spread the word around the block. The reputation as a fuck worth going after is essential to the process of becoming the reigning stud and in keeping the status. In Brian Kinney, all the aspects were perfectly balanced: he had the looks and sex-appeal to attract even the pickiest fellows, he could turn ultimate tops into nelly bottoms, and time after time, his tricks validated his reputation as the best fuck in town."

"And he was capable of keeping the status for ten years?"

"About ten, yes."

"But... he had to be quite old... at the end..."

"He was about 35 when he stepped down from the pedestal. So, yes, in comparison with his predecessors and successors, he was very old."

"Alec is 23, and some people consider him old."

"Yup. Tells you something about Kinney, does it not?"

"How long ago was it?"

"When he stepped aside?" Rhett nodded a yes. "About five years."

"Was he really still hot? At that age?"

"Oh, boy. He still is in his 40s!"

"Would you fuck him?" Rhett found himself asking before he could bite his tongue.

"If he crooked a finger to me, I wouldn't think twice: I'd go, running," Tanner laughed.

"The Stud." Rhett shook his head in dismay as they reached their destination, the club.

"Hi, Bishop," Tanner greeted the bouncer at the door. "How's the night going?"

"More tricks than treats, as usual," Bishop laughed. "Our Halloween party is in full swing. But what are you hiding behind your back, Montgomery? I don't think I've seen your friend before."

"This is Rhett," Tanner said stepping aside. "I'm showing him the place."

The man cocked his head to the side as he measured Rhett with his eyes. "Your first time?" he asked.

Rhett didn't trust his voice, so he just nodded,

"Be careful not to get lost from your escort. BoyToy is no place for lost little boys."

Tanner took a peek behind Bishop's wide shoulders. "Is the club packed?"

"Very."

"Just the way I like it," Tanner said and walked in, leaving Rhett to wonder whether he should follow in his wake or not.

 "Go in, grasshopper," Bishop said with a wide grin. "I just hope you know what you're getting into with that rascal."

Like a tail follows a dog, Rhett followed Tanner into the club. Afraid that he would lose sight of Tanner in the crowd, he was almost running and, therefore, had no time to look around or really to get confused. Tanner strutted right to the coat check. Shrugging out of his jacket, the man turned to ask for Rhett's coat, too. Getting it, he handed both garments over to the person behind the counter: the ticket went into his pocket.

"Ready?" Tanner asked with a little smile.

"Y-yes," Rhett stammered as Tanner turned around and walked towards the big, double doors that greedily swallowed people in more or less Halloweeny garb.

As before, Rhett tailed Tanner. Everything was strange to his eyes: the layout of the place, the functions of the spaces, even the people looked different. Rhett admitted to himself that the place was quite intimidating, but he did his best to keep the lack of self-confidence from showing on his face. As they moved closer to the doors, the music got louder and the lights dimmed. At the threshold, Rhett felt that he had reached a border. Behind him, there was his life as he knew it; ahead of him, everything would be strange. He took a deep breath and stepped from childhood to manhood.

Inside, Tanner didn't even glance in Rhett's direction. He didn't stop to talk with people that greeted him, either. He just walked right through the crowd to the dance floor and only then turned to look at his shadow – and smiled. Physically, Rhett was right behind him, but mentally, he was somewhere else. With the flickering strobe lights in the otherwise dark room, the milling crowd of more or less naked bodies jostling him, the mixed smells of smoke from cigarettes and sweat and cologne from warm bodies, the rhythm of the bass loudspeakers that vibrated in the floor and could be felt through the soles of his shoes, and the overwhelmingly loud music, the boy was suffering from sensory overload.

"Dance with me," Tanner ordered.

Taking his hand, Tanner drew the startled Rhett into the writhing mass of bodies. Rhett felt completely out of place. His experiences of dancing were limited to a few awkward steps at weddings with some of his female relatives of various ages. The way Tanner danced was nothing like those dances, and he had never even seen two men dancing together.

With his awkward, stiff moves, Rhett danced a few feet away from Tanner, watching him. He couldn't imagine moving like his dance partner. Tanner's every move oozed sex. The sight made Rhett feel a strange mix of discomfort, embarrassment and interest. As Tanner was hidden behind a much bigger man, Rhett was more disappointed than relieved.

The man that had positioned himself between Rhett and Tanner showed no inclination of moving away. He turned a bit - giving Rhett an unhindered view - and pulled Tanner against his chest, and attuning his steps and moves to Tanner's, he made the scene in front of Rhett even more provocative. Rhett didn't know if he was seeing something completely normal or something completely inappropriate. His gut told him that what he witnessed was way too intimate for an audience, but he couldn't turn away.

Suddenly, Rhett felt some guy, taller than him and wider of shoulders, pressing against him from behind. Startled, and a bit afraid, he jumped forward. It was to no avail. The man followed in step.

"Aren't you a skittish, little twink!" the stranger purred in his ear, wrapping an impressively muscular arm around his torso.

Rhett tried to squirm out of the man's grip but couldn't get away. The man laughed at his attempts.

"Bolt. Get your hands off. Now."

Suddenly, Tanner was standing in front of them, almost close enough to touch Rhett's chest with his own. His gaze was locked somewhere above Rhett's head.

The arm around Rhett stiffened. "Mind your own business, Montgomery," Bolt growled.

"I am."

Even though Tanner was not talking to Rhett, the tone of his voice made a shiver run down the boy's spine. Bolt was somewhat taller than Tanner and considerably more sturdy, but Tanner was not cowed. He held his ground and somehow, despite his smaller stature, looked and sounded more menacing than Bolt. Inspired by his example, Rhett renewed his attempts to free himself.

"Fuck off, Bolt. The lad is not interested," Tanner said, still keeping his voice calm and cold.

"I think he is," Bolt claimed despite all the evidence to the contrary. "I think this chick is ready to get his feathers ruffled."

"Not with you, Bolt. Let him go. Now."

"Or what, little man?"

"Don't test me. You know what I'm capable of. You know what could happen to you if you go too far with me. You have your warning. There won't be another."

"Fuck you, Montgomery!" Bolt yelled but let Rhett go. "Watch your back, you bag of slime! One day you'll get what you deserve. You won't even know what hit you until it's too late."

"Get off."

Tanner took Rhett by the arm and drew him into the crowd. Soon, the loud music swallowed the yelling of the irate man.

"You better keep out off his radar, Rhett," Tanner said as he stopped at a bar close to the dance floor. "Bolt is one of the notorious chicken hawks hunting in this club."

"Chicken hawks?"

"You chicken, him hawk. Get the picture?" Tanner tried to get the attention of the bartender.

"I guess," Rhett said in thought. He wasn't happy to be called a chicken, but compared to the older guys, he was a youngling, so the term fit.

"Some men like to fuck inexperienced young boys," Tanner explained after ordering a drink. "A lad like you draws such guys like a magnet."

How many greedy pairs of eyes were directed on him? Rhett didn't like that image. "Thanks for rescuing me," he said from the heart.

"Don't thank me," Tanner said with a crooked, little grin. "You're too good to waste on a guy like Bolt. And, I should give you credit for not getting lost in the crowd. You better keep me in sight all the time. There are more creeps like him, and of course, you don't know them yet."

"Thanks, Tanner," Rhett said intending to do exactly as he was told.

The bartender set a bottle of beer in front of Tanner. To Rhett's surprise, he set another in front of him.

"Did you...? For me?" Rhett asked pointing a finger at the bottle, and Tanner nodded a "yes" before emptying his bottle in one go.

Rhett eyed his bottle with some hesitation. He had tasted the brew a few times, and he didn't like it much. It was too bitter. He preferred his drinks sweet. But, I can't tell him that. He would think that I'm nothing but a child. Hiding his dislike, Rhett wetted his tongue with the beer.

"I need to reach a pal, and it's too noisy to call from here. Will you keep your ass parked here, under the eye of Kevin," Tanner nodded towards the bartender, "while I go to the foyer to make the call?"

Rhett promised, and Tanner took off at a quick pace. While he waited, Rhett watched the men on the dance floor, without a conscious thought sipping the beer. Tanner was away for quite a while, and Rhett's bottle was all but empty before he came back.

Tanner emptied Rhett's bottle and pulled the boy up from the stool. "Let's take another turn on the floor," he said with a grin and led the way.

*****

While Tanner kept Rhett busy in BoyToy, two young men arrived at Liberty Avenue, looking for a friend. First, they went to the Liberty Diner, expecting to find him there, but the friend wasn't there. He had left some time ago, and nobody knew where he had gone. The guys stepped out of the diner, quarreling a bit about the direction they should take.

"Why would Rhett go there?" the taller one asked in exasperation as the other suggested that they should walk towards BoyToy. "Use your brains, Wade! He wouldn't come there with us; don't you think it highly unlikely that he would go there by himself?"

"I guess," Wade admitted. "But, Ronny, maybe somebody has seen him; we could ask around there..."

"Around there, around here: what does it matter? Let's walk towards the club and ask people on the way."

The men did that but couldn't find a person who knew Rhett's whereabouts. They widened the search area to the streets and alleys close to the club. All their hard work was in vain. Nobody had seen Rhett. In fifteen minutes, Wade and Ronny were ready to give up on the search.

"It's too cold out here," Ronny complained. "Rhett can't be lurking in here, in these alleys: he would be freezing his balls off."

"Like we are," Wade sneezed.

"I bet the snotty, little bookworm is holed up in some place warm right now."

"And hasn't got the decency to tell us where."

"I don't get why he isn't updating his FB. And why can't the operator find his cell? Do you think he might be in trouble?"

"He must be really busy," Wade drawled.

"Let's get in some place warm, too," Ronny said with irritation.

"BoyToy?"

"Why the Hell not! It's as good a place to look for him as any other place. He might even be there. Let's go."

Wade and Ronny arrived at the door of BoyToy in less than five minutes and walked right to the bouncer.

"Hi, Bishop," Wade greeted the man. "How's the night?"

"Nothing to complain, so far. But, I hope you weren't thinking of spending Halloween in BoyToy, boys."

"Wh-hat?" Ronny was taken aback.

"Why would you wish...?" Wade stared at Bishop, understanding nothing.

"I don't know what the two of you did last time here, but since then, you both are on the list of unwanted people, so..."

"But we didn't do nothing!" both Wade and Ronny exclaimed. "This is some kind of a mix-up. You know it is!"

"If you think you're on the list by mistake, take your complaints to Mr. Randolph. Unfortunately, I can't help you with that."

"Mr. Randolph? But... Is he in the club?" Ronny asked with little hope. The man was straight and rarely visited his gay club.

"No, not at the moment," Bishop admitted. "He should be available tomorrow."

"But... Tonight? You couldn't... like... call him?"

"Sorry, boys. Tonight, you'll need to find some other place to go."

Bishop turned away from the two dumbfounded young men, leaving them staring at his back, robbed of voice.

*****

Rhett was having a blast. Since Tanner led him to the dance floor for the second time, he hadn't taken a break. He had danced with a lot of guys but never far from Tanner who didn't let Rhett out of his sight. Whenever Tanner took a break, he kept close to the dance floor, and Rhett danced in his close vicinity. After an hour or so, Rhett was dancing in the middle of the floor with a cute, blond boy, and a lanky, Asian-looking guy was wrapped around Tanner. As far as Rhett was concerned, life couldn't get better than this!

"Come, Rhett," Tanner said, suddenly appearing at Rhett's side. "There's someone I'd like to talk to."

With regret, Rhett left the delicious blond to other guys and followed Tanner to a door he hadn't noticed before. A big man that stood at the door stopped Tanner before he could enter.

"How's it going, Tanner?" he greeted and wrapped a muscular arm around Tanner. He was a head taller and considerably older: in his 40s in Rhett's opinion. "It seems to be a busy night," the man went on.

"Busy, busy, but I always have time for you, Ken," Tanner said with a wide, friendly smile. "Let's get in, so we can talk in private, and you can get acquainted with my new friend, Rhett."

"You've got a tasty bit of boy ass there," Ken drawled as he blatantly checked Rhett out. "But you're right. We better get in."

Tanner gave Rhett a little push to encourage him to enter the room and followed him with Ken.

Rhett stopped right inside, trying to make sense of the place. The space was very dark. The only well-lighted area was the tiny dance floor in the middle. A bunch of guys danced to a fast, hypnotic techno-beat. Every one of them had shed his shirt, and one had taken off even his pants. The hips of the young men gyrated in a way that made Rhett's cheeks fire up. For a moment, Rhett couldn't see what was hidden in the shadows beside the dance floor; then the barred, little cubicles that surrounded the dance floor started to become distinct from the darkness. There were about a dozen cubicles, and there were people inside them, but Rhett couldn't understand what they were doing. There were no tables or chairs – those he expected to see in a club – instead, there were benches and sofas and some other pieces of furniture and decoration that he had never seen before. The lights were dim, red and directed at the benches and strange structures. Men were lying on the lighted items, but they seemed odd, somehow. Some were fully clad, others were as scantily clad as the dancing guys. A completely naked boy was squeezing himself between the bars of one. Rhett stared, mouth open.

Rhett hadn't figured out the meaning of the sight in front of him when Tanner took him by the arm and pulled him aside and into a corridor right behind the door. Tanner didn't let go of his arm as he walked on. Rhett didn't want to make a spectacle of himself, so he followed. The corridor curved gently to the right, and there were doors situated at regular intervals on the right wall.

Doors into the cubicles! Rhett understood just as Tanner opened one and roughly pushed him in. Ken followed Rhett, and Tanner came in last, closing the door behind them. As he turned on the red lights, Rhett saw two plump, black sofas, a bench covered with blood red leather, and a metal circle taller than him, glistening in the lights.

"Let's get down to business," Tanner said taking a seat on a sofa.

Ken took a seat on the other. Lifting his legs on the seat, he made himself comfortable against the tall armrest. "There's a cabinet on the wall," he said to Rhett, pointing at the door wall. "Pour a drink for me and Tanner, boy."

Wondering whether he should obey the man or not, Rhett took a quick glance at Tanner who nodded. The cabinet was easy to find. He poured the two drinks without even contemplating pouring one for himself. The amber liquid was whiskey – he knew the scent of his father's favorite drink – and he didn't think it a smart move to muddle his brains with the strong beverage. Despite Tanner's presence, the situation was making him increasingly nervous. At first, he didn't like the way Ken was looking at him, and soon after, the conversation in progress behind his back took a turn into an alarming direction, to put it lightly. 

"And the boy is young," Ken was saying, looking at Rhett with greedy eyes.

"He is," Tanner smirked, his tongue in a cheek. "Younger even than his looks. I knew you'd like him."

"Okay, Tanner. Let's say I'm interested: the next question would be, how much?"

Suddenly, Rhett saw the men in quite a different light. Before, Tanner seemed harmless and Ken only slightly rough around the edges. Now, he saw something very different: they were adult, experienced men with no qualms about using him for their own purposes, as they pleased. His heart choking him, Rhett sneaked towards the door. If he didn't leave right now, he would find out what Tanner and Ken were talking about, and it would be in a way that was far too clear for his taste. The hazy images in his head were scary enough.

“That’s quite a sum, Tanner!” Ken exclaimed, hearing Tanner’s price. “He can’t possibly be worth that much!”

“I promise you: he is worth every cent.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Well… your services have never left me unsatisfied in the past…” Ken said, cocking his head to one side as his greedy eyes once more measured Rhett from head to toe. “Okay. It’s a deal.”

Rhett’s fingers found the door, but not the handle. Frantically, he tried to locate it in the darkness, but before he found it, Tanner turned to look at him. His eyes glittered in the red light.

"Forget it, boy. To open that door you'd need a code," Tanner said without a hint of his earlier friendliness.

Tanner's betrayal had hit Rhett hard, but even harder to deal with was his self-disgust. I mean nothing to Tanner but a chance of making a few bucks, he thought. He never was my friend. He just acted like he was, to lure me in, into this damned mess. Like an idiot, I walked right into the trap, suspecting nothing. How could I be so blind? 

Whatever it is he has planned for me, I made it possible.

Whatever? Am I such a wuss that I can’t say the word even in my mind? Rape. I’m going to lose my cherry to that brute.

“Get your ass here, now! And don't forget the drinks!" Tanner’s order cracked like a whiplash.

"Not too eager, is he?" Ken mumbled into the silence.

"I'm losing patience, boy. You don't want me to come get you, believe me!" Tanner growled.

"Let me go, Tanner," Rhett begged, sounding every bit as young as he was. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"No, Rhett, my pretty. You owe me. Without me you would still be freezing your balls out there, on the streets. Without me, you wouldn't have got in."

"But..." Rhett tried to chime in, but Tanner silenced him with a glance that made his heart jump from his throat down to his gut.

"And, it cost me quite a load of cash to persuade Bishop to forget to check your age," Tanner said brusquely. "And, the caretaker of this backroom had to be bought to look the other way, too. So, don't you think the least you can do for your benefactor is to pay for your debts?"

"I didn't ask you to pay for anything!" Rhett shouted.

"You didn't?" Tanner mocked. "I don't remember you telling me not to bring you in here, or into the club. Instead, I remember you being quite willing, lad."

“I never wanted to come in here!”

"Stop acting like a child, Rhett. Take some responsibility for your actions."

"I owe you nothing!"

“You owe me a lot, boy. And to pay me, you’ll do exactly as I say.”

"No, you can't make me!"

"Of course I can, and I will. I sold your services to my best customer: Ken here. You won’t dissatisfy him: I tell you.”

“No!” Rhett screamed.

“Don’t be such a child, Rhett. Ken won't hurt you; you'll like it with him, I quite think."

“Let me go,” Rhett whimpered, pressing his back against the unyielding door. He felt the trap closing around him.

"Where did you find this little princess, Tanner? Is he always as skittish as this?" Ken chuckled. “For a rent boy, he’s making a fine act of being a virgin.”

“It’s not an act,” Tanner said with a smug smile.

“He's never been mounted?” Ken said with obvious delight.

"I guarantee it: the boy is a virgin. Young, clean, and eager. Just like you like them, Kenneth."

“I should’ve known that I could trust you, Tanner. You’re the best in your business.”

“I know,” Tanner said with a self-satisfied, little grin. Then he turned his devilish gaze on Rhett. “Rhett, we’re waiting…” He pointed at the cabinet with one slender finger.

On stiff legs, Rhett walked back to the cabinet, stalling a bit with putting the bottle back onto a shelf and shutting the door.

“Still waiting,” Tanner growled.

His knees turning into jelly, Rhett carried the glasses to the men. As he handed Tanner a glass, he sloshed some of the whiskey on his hand; as he handed the other to Ken, the man grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his lap. Rhett tried to squirm out of his grip, but the man was too strong.

“I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening,” Tanner said standing up. “Just return him to me when you’ve finished with him, will you?”

“I will, I will,” Ken said absentmindedly, as his hand found a way inside Rhett’s shirt. “Just go already.”

Laughing, Tanner walked to the door. As the door opened, Rhett made one last, feeble attempt at escape, but it was to no avail. He was trapped in a nightmare from which he could not hope to awaken.

Suddenly, the door flew completely open, sending Tanner sprawling on the floor. A man rushed in, leaped over the momentarily stunned Tanner, and slammed into Ken.

“Let that boy go, you son of a bitch!” the man yelled at the top of his lungs and pulled Rhett out of Ken’s loosened grip. “I won’t let you infect him, too!”

“What the fuck!” Tanner and Ken exclaimed. Rhett just stared, his jaw on the floor.

“You remember me, Ken Kutchner? You remember the circuit party in May, in the baths?” the irate man spit into his face. “You remember the guy you fucked raw, by accident, as you claimed? You fucking infected me! I’m fucking positive because of you! You killed me, you bastard!”

Before Rhett, Tanner or Ken could react, the man was rushing out of the door. Since Rhett’s arm was still in his firm grip, the dumbfounded boy followed him.

As soon as they were out of the cubicle, the man made a sudden turn away from the door of the backroom. When he felt Rhett’s slight resistance, he hissed, “Follow me, boy. If we go that way they will find us for sure. Kutchner is notorious for never letting go of his prey: in this case, you. He’s a chicken hawk of the worst kind. And filthy rich, too, so he can do pretty much as he pleases. And Tanner has his reputation to save, so he’ll join the hunt. We must hide.”

A few more steps, and they stopped at a door to a cubicle. The stranger opened it and pulled Rhett in; then he quickly but quietly closed it again.

“Now, be quiet as a mouse,” he whispered as he pressed Rhett down on the floor close to the back wall: the darkest nook in the space. He laid himself beside Rhett.

“Don’t worry, boy; I’ll get you out of here.”

Rhett couldn’t say a word. A huge lump was lodged in his throat, and tears flew down his cheeks.

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