The List

Part 4

To know him is to...like him.

Feeling energized (it must have been the guava juice…), Brian worked hard all morning, getting a huge amount accomplished and making Cynthia very happy. Then once again, braving the icy November wind, he left for the diner at 11:30. When he walked in, he was pleased to see Sunshine coming in from the kitchen with a turkey sandwich on whole wheat, no mayo, and a chicken salad sandwich with more salad than chicken.

The cute blond greeted Brian with a luminous smile. For some reason, Brian’s stomach seemed to do a little flip. Obviously, he was hungrier than he’d thought. They sat at the counter again, in ‘their’ seats, Sunshine pouring Brian a cup of coffee that had just finished brewing.

“Had a good morning?” asked Brian.

“Almost $200.00 in tips,” answered Sunshine, showing Brian a thick wad of rolled up bills he pulled out of his jacket pocket. The origami bowtie fell out. Sunshine picked it up, blushing and slid it in the back pocket of his jeans.

“Wow,” Brian said, “That’s quite a haul…” He was ridiculously pleased that Sunshine had not unfolded his bill and added it to his stash… though he refused to give that fact, or his reaction to it, any further thought.

“Yeah. That’s more than four times what I make during my normal shift, in the evening. And let me tell you, the late crowd is generally way less pleasant. The young hustlers who come in from the cold just to eat soup or drink coffee are OK, though they can’t really afford to tip. But so many of the guys coming out of the clubs are drunk or tweaked. They can be so obnoxious: a lot of them seem to assume my ass is on the menu…” He made a face and sighed. “I wish I could work breakfasts all the time, or at least work the afternoon shift. I could always go to The Vic Grassi House in the evenings, but truthfully, in the afternoon, the diner is pretty dead, which means even less tips…” He shrugged philosophically. “I guess I’ll enjoy this bounty while it lasts.”

“What do you do at the hospice?” asked Brian curious.

“Oh, whatever needs to be done. I volunteer there. Some patients are scared or lonely and they just need to talk and have someone hold their hand. Some are bored and want to be read to, or discuss current events. Some are really sick and, well, you know, sometimes the nurse’s aides need a little help with the more… messy care, because it’s important not to rush it, to make the patients feel that no matter what, they are still people and can still be treated with dignity. Truthfully, I think for a lot of them that’s the hardest part of the disease, the humiliation they feel when they are no longer in control of their… basic body functions, you know?”

Brian was just amazed by this kid, who was so calmly discussing doing something that he knew for a fact he would be completely incapable of doing, especially for complete strangers.

“I originally went there to teach a weekly drawing class to the few of the patients that are still ambulatory. It seems that being creative does wonders for the human spirit, that as long as you can do that, you still feel alive… but the hospice lost some funding and they can’t replace the nurses and nurse’s aides who have left. They are so damn short handed. So now I’m there almost every day, doing this other stuff, learning on the job, so to speak.

“I shouldn’t though, because I really need to use any extra time I have earning some money for supplies, school books and well…food, or I should be working on my art, painting or sketching, but there are so few volunteers.” He grinned sheepishly. “They know I’m a sucker… They just have to ask and it’s hard for me to say no. But it’s really rewarding, you know?” He obviously didn’t want Brian to think he was a complete pushover. “To know that in some small way, you’ve made a positive difference? It’s kind of selfish really. I get so much out of it…feeling needed, having people looking forward to seeing me…”

The last two sentences he said in a very low dreamy voice, as if he were talking to himself, and Brian suddenly wanted to hold him, to make him feel… wanted. What kind of life had that kid had to feel so down on himself?

Sunshine seemed to shake himself and asked, “So, what do you do when you’re not working?”

Brian was not going to lie to him. “I work out, go to Woody’s, go to Babylon, drink, get high, and fuck as many tricks as I can. On the weekends, I work at home, spend half the day Saturdays with my son before hitting Woody’s. Then on Sundays I usually have dinner at Deb’s before Babylon, though I often make it an early night, staying only long enough for a quick fuck.”

Sunshine’s blue eyes were round with surprise, his lips slightly apart, looking oh, so kissable. His complete astonishment made Brian want to laugh.

“That’s it? You just… work and fuck? Doesn’t it get old after a while?”

As if fucking could ever get old… Well, the boy was a virgin. What did he know? “It might someday,” replied Brian doubtfully. “But for now, I can’t think of anything I’d rather do. I love fucking. Even when I work out, I usually manage to get a blowjob in the steam room. I’ve even been known to fuck clients in the men's room at Vangard…” he added with a grin.

Sunshine’s shocked giggle was a sound he could learn to enjoy. The boy’s blue eyes were dancing in amusement. “A fucking machine! You are so unapologetic. I love that about you.” He made a face. “You must think I am such an idiot with all my romantic notions…” Then he looked at Brian, narrowing his eyes. “Do you actually really fuck clients or are you pulling my leg?”

“Well,” said Brian, quite seriously, “not all of them…” They both cracked up.

For the rest of the meal, Brian regaled Sunshine with some of his most outrageous fuck-at-work stories, making them as funny as possible, and they laughed their asses off. He just loved to make the kid giggle (and blush). Without being crass, he nonetheless made sure to add sexy details, just to see that lovely pink glow bloom on his cheeks as he secretly wished that Sunshine’s jacket did not hide his crotch. It would have pleased him to no end to make Sunshine hard and he ached to see the outline of his dick through his pants…

It was the best time Brian had had in a long time. He looked at the clock and realized he had better get moving, or Cynthia would have his balls. He had a preliminary meeting with a lucrative new client in thirty minutes.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, getting up. Sunshine nodded, looking at him, eyes shining with remembered glee, still smiling slightly. For an instant, Brian was stuck mid motion, staring at him. The young man was so fucking beautiful.

He covered it up with a question. “Lunch tomorrow?”

Sunshine’s smile grew to full wattage again. “Yeah. Definitely.”

Walking back, Brian berated himself. Why the fuck would he want to eat diner food for lunch three days in a row? Yet, he was smiling the whole way back and was in a terrific mood the rest of the day, feeling somehow that whatever he was doing, he did only to pass the time until lunch the next day.

Brian totally kicked ass at his presentation and even got another new client that afternoon by cold-calling Diamaline Cosmetics, which had been rumored to be dissatisfied with the last campaign by their present advertising company. Brian felt unbeatable.

It also translated into an amazing night. He got a blow job at Woody’s and brought two blond tricks back to the loft at around eleven, after one of them had sucked him rather well while the other rimmed his ass in the backroom at Babylon. At the loft, it started as a wild threesome, but then Brian fucked them individually, as the tricks took turns recuperating. He was so fucking horny he just couldn’t get enough. By the time he kicked them out at 2:30, he felt his dick was about to fall off. He could not even remember how many times he’d gotten off. Life didn’t get any better than this.

Except… he still hadn’t found out who Justin fucking Taylor was.
 

***********
 

The next day was Friday. Before leaving the loft to go have breakfast at the diner, Brian checked the Internet and learned a new bit of money origami. He folded a twenty to look like a shirt, copying a three minute tutorial on YouTube.

Sunshine looked cuter than ever, wearing a faded, slightly short-in-the-sleeves red sweatshirt that he must have owned since tenth grade. Apparently Debbie had let it slip to Michael that the young man had the night off, so when Sunshine brought them their breakfast, Michael asked him if he had any plans for the evening. Sunshine took a few seconds too long to come up with a credible answer.

Emmett grinned, and clapping his hands said, “You’re coming with us! You’re coming with us!”

“Yes, Sunshine. Woody’s and Babylon. It’ll be fun!” said Blake encouragingly.

Sunshine threw Brian a pleading look, but only got a pleased smirk in response, so he reluctantly accepted the invitation. Brian felt the evening was definitely looking up.

By the time Brian arrived for lunch that day, very much looking forward to some one on one time with Sunshine, the young man had vegetarian sandwiches on the counter for the both of them and he welcomed Brian with his usual smile. “I thought you might be tired of turkey,” he explained when Brian raised a doubtful eyebrow at the new lunch fare.

“There are egg whites for protein, and no fat,” insisted Sunshine. “Try it…”

The sandwiches were actually really tasty and packed with tomato, cucumber and lettuce as well as low fat feta. They savored them in silence for a minute, until Sunshine confessed, “I don’t really want to go tonight, Brian. I don’t drink, I can’t play pool, I don’t do drugs and I can’t afford the cover charge at Babylon…”

Brian chuckled at his tale of woe. “Poor Sunshine!” he teased. He himself was so much looking forward to it… He decided to do his best to change the kid’s mind. “First of all, I’ll teach you how to play pool. It’s not brain surgery. I’m sure you’ll be good at it. And there won’t be a cover charge at Babylon because you’ll be with me and I haven’t paid since… Actually, you know what? I don’t think I ever paid! I used to blow the bouncer to get in when I was underage and then I kind of became ‘the Stud of Liberty Avenue’ and that was that.” He added pensively, “Man, I’ve sure saved a lot of cash through the years…”

He focused on Sunshine again. “You don’t have to drink or do drugs to enjoy the experience. Hell, Ted, Blake and the Professor never do. Though, while we are on the topic, never take anything, ever, unless Emmett or I give it to you. Never, ever leave your drink unattended and if you get a bottle of water from the bar, make sure you feel the seal break before you drink it, OK?”

Sunshine laughed at him. “Oh, that’s reassuring! Now I really want to go…”

Brian grinned. “The only truly important question here is, Sunshine: can you dance?”

“Uh… Yeah. I’m a pretty good dancer actually, I think.” It was a good thing Sunshine looked so ador… attractive when he blushed, because he sure blushed a lot. “My friend Daphne and I used to dance around her living room all the time and I took dance classes like hip-hop and stuff like that in college to fulfill my PE requirements… I don’t really do sports.”

Brian smiled. “Good. Then you can help me out. I can’t dance for shit, even though I love it. I have zero rhythm and I count on my partners to make me look good.” He frowned. “You will dance with me, won’t you, Sunshine? With that ass of yours men are going to be after you like wolves after a lamb. Save a couple for me?”

Sunshine looked at him with a smile. “Well, if I had my choice, I’d only dance with you all night…” Oops! Bright red again… “I mean, uh…”

Brian chuckled. Though for some reason he would have liked that to be true, he understood what Sunshine had actually meant. He didn’t tease him; the poor kid was anxious enough.

“I know what you mean. With all of us there, Ted, Blake, Mikey, Ben, Emmett… You won’t need to dance with any strangers if you don’t want to. But you should, you know? Have some fun. We’ll keep an eye on you. If someone gets frisky, just tell them loud and clear to ‘Fuck off’ and if they don’t, one of us will be around. Emmett and I will be in the back room part of the night, but you’ll never be on your own and if you save the last dance for me, I’ll be glad to take you home afterwards.”

Which immediately caused images of a naked Sunshine at the loft to pop into his head. Fuck. Not what he meant. “I’ll take you home to your place, I mean.” A naked Sunshine in his room, above the tattoo parlor. Uh… still could be misinterpreted. He corrected himself again. “Whatever. I’ll give you a ride back to your door.”

Now it was Sunshine’s turn to laugh at him, and Brian, grinning, bumped shoulders with him. Sunshine happily reciprocated.

“All right,” admitted Sunshine. “I feel a little better. I’m still nervous, though.”

“You’ll be fine. Hey, be at Woody’s at eight. We’ll start on your first pool lesson…”

On the way back to work, Brian passed a kid playing something classical on the violin. Violin music was definitely not his favorite, but this didn’t sound too bad, and the fiddler looked like he was really into it, really doing what he liked. Brian was in a good mood. He dropped five bucks in the violin case. The kid smiled at him, a nice smile. He might have almost been fuckable too, if it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t seem to have much of a body and that he had a ridiculous little patch of beard under his lower lip.

********
 

Brian had only been sitting at the bar for ten minutes when Sunshine strode in, looking like he was walking the green mile. The relief on his face when he saw Brian was funny. Brian got up, and met him at one of the pool tables with a smile, a bottle of water for him in one hand and a double J&B for himself in the other. He did his best to ignore the fact that Sunshine’s 501s fit him incredibly well and that his tight sleeveless T-shirt was the exact shade of blue as his eyes by immediately starting to lecture on the basic rules of pool.

He explained about breaking and demonstrated how to hold the cue, the proper stance to shoot, and how to line up a shot. He went into the geometry behind some shots and was glad Sunshine seemed to have aced that class in college. Finally, he was impressed with Sunshine’s hand-eye coordination, until he remembered the young man was an artist. Over all, Sunshine was a natural, already better than Emmett on a bad day, which, let’s face it, was basically Emmett on any day…

The guys trickled in between 9:30 and 10:00. They played a few games together where Brian teamed with Sunshine against Ted and Blake, who were both very good, then against Mikey and Ben. Mikey was a so-so player, but Ben could almost have played professionally if he wanted. Though Sunshine and Brian lost all of those games, they did so rather honorably.

The boys were a little intrigued that Brian and Sunshine seemed so at ease with each other though it was obvious that, by some miracle, Brian was not planning to fuck the young man. They were all glad. They liked the kid and didn’t want him to disappear from the radar like all of Brian’s tricks. Michael relayed to Sunshine an invitation from Debbie to join them all for Sunday dinner. He had been officially adopted. When Sunshine went to the john, Brian only had to exchange a look with Ben for the buff professor to announce that he needed the bathroom too and quickly follow behind Sunshine.

While they were gone Brian made sure they were all on the same page. “Sunshine has no experience in clubs,” he said. “Let’s keep an eye on him, OK? I told him to only take shit from either me or Emmett, and to watch his drinks, but you know how it can get in there… And if someone seems to be getting a little too friendly, give him a hand.”

“Well, aren’t you gonna be there?” asked Mikey.

“Mikey, I’m in the fucking backroom half the time…” Brian reminded his friend.

“No, Brian. You’re in the backroom fucking half the time…” Emmett joked.

“Yes, Emmy Lou, and so are you. We can tag team him, but the rest of us can help.”

“That’s nice that you’ve adopted the kid, Brian, but what if he feels like going to the backroom? He’s 21. It’s not our business,” said Ted.

“The kid’s a virgin, Ted. I am quite sure he doesn’t want his cherry popped in the backroom of Babylon…”

“And you know that how?” inquired Ted, much intrigued.

“I know that like I know Blake has an 8 inch dick, uncut, though I’ve certainly never seen it and you don’t talk about it. Look, you know everything there is to know about Opera, Mikey knows everything there is to know about comics, and I know… well… cock. It’s a gift.”

Blake looked a bit perturbed, having no idea how Brian could know something so intimate about him, but they all agreed. Brian was pleased. Sunshine would be safe. (He was also glad that two years ago, when Ted and Blake’s condo was being repainted and they had been staying at the Munchers, he had quietly backed out of the house after seeing Blake walking naked around the living room - with a hard on. Blake had been joking with Ted, who must have been in the kitchen, about having a high protein breakfast that did not require any cooking, all ready for him right there in the living room. Obviously Lindz and Gus had not been around and that’s whom Brian had come to visit. So he’d seen no reason to interrupt the men… And checking out Blake’s package had been a completely automatic reflex. )

They headed to Babylon around 10:30, talking and joking along the way. Emmett had a reassuring arm wrapped over Sunshine’s shoulder, and was warning him not to pay any mind to Brian if he glued their groins together while they danced because the poor man was rhythm deficient. Sunshine laughed, unsure if Emmett was serious. He looked at Brian, who grinned back and winked at him.

Emmett, holding Sunshine even closer, his arm now around the boy's neck, also told him tall stories about the different events, Studs and Suds, the King of Babylon contest, Fab Abs night and so on. Brian was enjoying listening to Em, and hardly cared at all that Emmett felt comfortable being so affectionate with Sunshine, and cared even less that Sunshine did not seem to be bothered by it at all. He did not have to resist the urge to smack Em’s arm off. Not at all.

TBC...

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