Summer in the City

Chapter 17

“Hot town, summer in the city,
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.”

July 4th and the Kinney-Taylor clan were heading for Battery Park. D-day for Gus. He was hoping that his elusive and impetuous Cole would stand still long enough to meet his dads. Back in Pittsburgh Melanie and Lindsay were doing their last minute preparations for their party. They had planned a sophisticated afternoon ‘tea’ party with a very select guest list. Melanie was hoping to cultivate a better class of friends. Lindsay was hoping to make it through the day without embarrassment.

“Damn, it’s hot!” Brian griped. He was slathering sunscreen on Bree and adjusting her sunhat. Her pale skin was very vulnerable to the burning sun and it was too hot to wear long sleeves. Of course that didn’t stop Brian from wearing a long sleeve gauzy shirt over a white wife-beater and his jeans. He was without a doubt the sexiest man at the party but he was beginning to feel the heat as well.

“I told you to wear something else,” Justin retorted. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

Brian made a face then quoted something he read a long time ago. “Some of us prefer to sacrifice comfort for style,” Brian snarked as he applied sunscreen to Bree’s legs. She was wearing her favorite pink and lavender short set with matching hat and sneakers.

Justin gave his spouse a double take then had to ask. “Who said that?” Justin asked daring Brian.

“Snoopy!” Brian replied then sent Bree off to join the rest of the children who were playing in a special cordoned area that was surrounded by watchful parents and grandparents. Joan stood among them holding a parasol to protect herself from the sun.

“Snoopy?” Justin asked incredulously, Brian smirked making Justin laugh. “You’re a freak, you know that, don’t you?” Brian nodded then leaned over to give Justin a kiss. “Come on, big guy, it looks like Barbara is having some grilling difficulties.”

“Barbara? Grilling difficulties? What are you talking about?” Justin pointed to where Barbara Carter, the woman he had met at the GLC dance, was standing by the grills. It was the heat of the day, hungry party goers were quietly demanding to be fed and the grills that the lesbians had set up were not cooperating. Brian, the king of the barbecue grill, quickly sized up the problem. He stripped off his gauze shirt, shoved it at Justin then sprinted over to the grills to offer his services.

Justin watched as Brian charmed the overheated women and gently took charge. Justin smiled as he held Brian’s shirt close to his face, inhaling the heady scent of his husband. It was something Justin would never tire of. Before Brian’s scent could start up something in Justin’s shorts, he folded up the shirt and placed it in his messenger bag.

Brian made short work of the simple fare that was offered. Hot dogs, hamburgers, spicy sausage and chicken were no match for the king of the grills. The women had large aluminum pans at the ready to receive the perfectly grilled meat. At one point, Brian stepped back from the grills to get himself a bottle of water. He quickly drank half of it then poured the rest over his head. Justin gasped at the sight. Brian looked exactly like the man who had stolen his heart so long ago. Justin stared as his husband shook off the excess water then quickly slicked back his hair and returned to the grills. Every gay man from age 15 to 102 was completely enamored.

“Dude, you are one hell of a lucky man,” Justin heard Simon say as he felt the large paw pat his back. All Justin could do was nod in agreement. He knew he was a very, very lucky man.

 

*****
 

“Well this is nice,” Ted whispered to Allen.

“Mmm,” Allen mumbled in agreement. They were among the few ‘family’ members to receive an invitation to Mel and Lindsay’s ‘do’.

There were several mutual acquaintances at the party, so Ted and Allen as well as Michael and Ben had people to talk to. However, Ted kept an eye on the time. Debbie was doing her own party later that evening and they had promised to go. Teddy had every intention of keeping his promise.

Emmett had kept the menu simple, cool and elegant. Under a gazebo on a long table were small bite sized fruit tarts, robust and crisp salads strong enough to hold up under the heat and cool summer tea sandwiches in neatly trimmed triangles. A couple of waiters were circulating offering a variety of beverages. Soft chamber music played in the background. The only harsh noises to mar the atmosphere were the occasional firecrackers. Melanie was very pleased; however, Michael had a difficult time identifying what he was eating. Ben had no problem with the mostly vegetarian fare so Michael coped.

While Ben was speaking with a fellow professor from Carnegie-Mellon, Michael decided to seek out his daughter. Raphael and Hector were also invited, so Curtis was there spending time with the only other youngster at the party, JR.

“Hiya, Sweetpea. Hey, Curtis. How’s it going?”

“Fine,” both said at the same time. They were both bored to tears.

“You guys want something to eat?”

“Dad, there’s nothing out there I like. It’s all weird stuff,” JR stated. Not wanting to be rude, Curtis kept silent but Michael knew he felt the same way. Michael glanced at his watch. It was some time before his mother’s barbecue. He was going to take JR; Curtis and his dads were also planning to attend.

“Okay, wait here,” Michael instructed the kids. They watched from the side door as Michael quickly went into the garden, had a brief word with Ben, Raph and Lindsay then came back. With car keys in hand, Michael ushered the kids out the front door.

“Where we going?” JR asked as she sprinted to keep up.

“Yeah,” Curtis said not knowing what to make of everything.

“To get the best fried chicken in town and in air-conditioning!” Michael replied as he waited for the kids to buckle up, and off they drove.

Several minutes later they pulled up near the Liberty diner. Debbie wasn’t on duty but Lacy was. The diner wasn’t that busy but there were a few people having lunch. Not everyone had the day off for the holiday. The local beat cops were sitting at the counter having lunch. Katerina, who was about to work the three to eleven shift at the hospital was there for ‘breakfast.’ As was Dr. Nick who was going to pull a few hours in the emergency room before going over to Deb’s party later on.

“What can I get ya?” Lacy asked with smiles for her friends and family.

“Three orders of chicken in a basket and three colas!” Michael answered with enthusiasm.

“Three cluckers in a nest coming right up!” Lacy quipped then went off to turn in her order and bring back their drinks. Michael and the kids laughed then sat back to enjoy the afternoon.

 

*****
 

“Hey,” a voice whispered in Gus’ ear. Gus was sitting on a bench staring at his father cooking up a storm on the grills. He was hungry and would have liked to have had a burger or a hotdog, but his stomach was doing back flips.

Was Cole going to come?

Would he stick around long enough to meet his father and Justin?

Would Cole like his parents?

Would his parents like Cole?

Would Bree like Cole?

Would his grandmother embarrass him?

Worse, would his father embarrass him?

Would this fucking day ever be over?

The voice in his ear and the hot breath against his neck made Gus jump. He turned to see Cole smiling at him.

“Hey,” Gus grinned. “You came.”

“I always come,” Cole smirked.

Gus shivered. That looked and sounded so much like his father that it gave him chills. He shook himself mentally. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show,” Gus said uncertainly.

“I told you I’d be here. I always keep my word.”

Gus studied the young man with the auburn hair. He found Cole totally attractive. His dick stood up and took notice every time Cole was nearby. This was no exception. “Would you like to meet my dads now?” Gus asked praying Cole would say yes.

“I thought maybe we could find an empty restroom first.”

Gus blanched. He remembered what almost happened in the restroom at Coney Island. “There’s some port-a-john’s over there,” Gus told Cole.

“And you could come with me,” Cole added, stressing the word ‘come’.

“Um … I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Gus glanced over his shoulder to see if his father was still at the grills. He was. Gus breathed a sigh of relief. “Look, Cole, I told my father you’d be here today and he could meet you. That really needs to happen.”

“Fuck! Parents are the pits,” Cole replied letting out an annoyed breath. “How about a kiss first?”

“That might be arranged,” Gus said with a big smile before Cole yanked him forward and planted a hot one on his lips.

“Burger?” someone said.

“Huh?” Gus muttered as Cole released him from the kiss. Gus turned to see his father and Justin standing behind them. They each had a paper plate with a burger and salad on it.

“I asked if you’d like a burger,” Brian said sternly. “I assume the kiss is over.”

Gus looked from his father to Cole. Neither one of them seemed very happy. Gus felt his heart rate increase. This meeting had not got off to a very good start. He had to do something to make things better. “Um … Pop, Justin, this is Cole. Cole, this is my father, Brian Kinney, and his husband, Justin Taylor.”

“Cole what?” Brian asked handing his burger to Gus and extending his hand to shake Cole’s.

Cole looked startled and hesitated to take Brian’s hand. “I’m Cole Adams,” he said speaking very stiffly. “Sir,” he added as an afterthought.

“So, Cole Adams, what do you think you’re doing with my son?”

“Pop,” Gus cautioned.

“It’s okay,” Cole said quickly, as he decided to shake Brian’s hand. He made sure to shake very firmly. He wanted Gus’ old man to know that he was strong and independent and not intimidated by Brian Kinney, even if he was … just a bit. “It’s a real pleasure to finally meet you…sir.”

“Would you like a burger?” Justin asked extending the plate he was holding towards Cole.

“Sure,” Cole said, glad for an excuse to drop Brian’s hand, although he could imagine that hand running up and down his spine or wrapped around his dick. Cole cleared his throat. “Thanks,” he said hoping he sounded sincere.

“I’m Justin. It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”

“Yeah, nice,” Brian repeated, the sarcasm all too clear in his voice.

“I’ve been wanting to meet both of you … for quite a while,” Cole said hoping he could make that seem like the truth. Unfortunately there was a tinge of sarcasm to his words. He hadn’t been able to prevent it.

Brian raised an eyebrow. He looked at Cole more closely. “How old did Gus say you were?”

“Nineteen,” Cole replied smoothly. That was the age he always used these days.

“Hm,” Brian said.

“Pop,” Gus pleaded, asking his father to lighten up.

“Enjoy your burgers,” Justin said taking Brian’s arm. He pulled his husband away. “Behave,” Justin whispered to Brian when they were out of earshot.

“I don’t like him,” Brian said through clenched teeth.

Justin snorted. “Are we surprised? I don’t think you’d like anyone Gus brought home, and I don’t know what will happen when Bree starts to date.”

“Bree is not dating.”

“She will eventually. You won’t be able to stop it.”

Brian frowned. “This Cole squeezed my hand too tight,” he said changing the subject back to what was bothering him. “That’s a classic sign of over-compensation. I don’t like that in people.”

“Brian…”

“I learned that in business, Justin. People who shake hands like Cole just did were either hiding something or were out to make my life a misery.”

Justin sighed. “Try to give the kid the benefit of the doubt.”

“That’s another thing. I don’t think Cole’s quite the teenager he wants us to think he is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I bet he’s more than nineteen.”

“Why would he lie about his age?” Justin asked with a frown. “Most kids want to be older not younger. I know I did.”

“Says the guy who still looks nineteen,” Brian snarked.

“Hey, when did I graduate from seventeen?” It was their standing joke that Justin was still Brian’s seventeen year old twink.

“A year or two ago. I didn’t know how to tell you the sad news,” Brian smirked.

Justin punched him in the upper arm as Brian went back to flipping burgers. “I think you should ease up on Cole. We don’t know him yet, and Gus really seems to like him.” They watched Gus and Cole sitting on the planter eating their burgers.

“I’ll try, but I have definite reservations about this guy,” Brian asserted.

“I get that,” Justin sighed. “But give him a chance. That’s all I ask.”

Brian nodded as he continued to work his grills.

 

*****
 

“Your father doesn’t like me,” Cole said as he took a bite of his burger.

“Pop’s a little hard on people he doesn’t know … and harder on those he does know,” Gus said with a wry chuckle.

Cole looked at the young Kinney. He wanted to fuck him. He wanted to fuck Brian Kinney too. He wanted to see what he could get out of this wealthy family. If his cousin was right about who and what the Kinneys were, they were worth a fortune. He would have to play this carefully, especially since the old man seemed to have taken an instant dislike to him. Cole wondered what he had done that had made Kinney react that way. Usually Cole was able to snow anybody he met. He hadn’t done too badly with Justin Taylor, but the old man was something else.

Looking over at the grills, Cole studied Brian Kinney. He was one fine looking man, even if he was well past it in gay years. He watched Brian’s muscles flex as he flipped burgers. A sheen of sweat showed every ripple glistening in the hot sun. Cole licked his lips watching the man.

“He won’t like you any better if you stare at him,” Gus said noting the direction of Cole’s line of sight.

Cole snorted. “I don’t think he’ll ever like me. I thought I was being pretty … gracious.”

“Gracious?” Gus chuckled. “Well, maybe you could call it that.”

“What would you call it?”

“I thought you were trying to ingratiate yourself too much,” Gus said honestly.

“Didn’t you want me to be nice to your old man?”

“Yeah, but he knows when it’s too much.”

“Too much?”

“Come on, Cole. Even I could feel that you were being too nice.”

“Hm,” was all Cole said.

“Good burger,” Gus said with his mouth full.

“Not bad,” Cole agreed. “Is that one of your father’s many talents?”

“Yeah, he always barbecues at home. He makes a great steak on the grill.”

Cole took in the steak reference. This family had nothing but the best. They lived just the kind of life that Cole wanted to live. Maybe he could have that if he played his cards right.

 

*****
 

“Gus!” Bree squealed as she broke free of her grandmother’s hand and ran over to her brother.

Gus had been dumping the now empty paper plates into a trash can. He scooped up his sister and spun her around watching her giggle in delight. “Hey, short stuff, what ya been doing?”

“Playing over there,” Bree said pointing to the play area.

“Did you make some new friends?”

Bree frowned. “I played with Susie. She was okay.”

“Just okay?”

“I’d rather play with Ashley,” Bree sighed.

“Are you getting homesick?” Gus asked.

Joan arrived behind Bree as Gus set her down. She shook her head at Gus. Gus realized he should be careful about mentioning being homesick. “Grandma, Bree, would you like to meet my friend Cole?”

“Certainly,” Joan replied quickly, before Bree had a chance to answer Gus’ question.

They walked over to where Cole was still sitting on the planter. He had been talking on his cell phone. He snapped it shut when he saw them approaching.

“Cole, this is the rest of my family that’s here in New York. My grandmother, Joan Kinney.”

“How do you do, Mrs. Kinney,” Cole said taking Joan’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Joan merely nodded in acknowledgement.

“And my sister…”

“I’m Briana Victoria Kinney-Taylor,” Bree said holding out her hand to shake with Cole.

Cole looked down at the little blonde. “Hello,” he said reluctantly, but he didn’t shake her hand.

Bree frowned and dropped her hand. She took a step back so that Gus was mostly between her and this man. “Gamma,” she said, “where’s my daddies?”

“Over there, Briana. Would you like to go see them?” Joan asked.

“Yes,” Bree said emphatically. She looked up through her lashes at this man she didn’t know. She didn’t like him very much when he wouldn’t shake hands with her.

Joan took Bree’s hand and they walked towards the grills.

“Why didn’t you shake Bree’s hand?” Gus asked.

“Are you kidding? I don’t like kids. And she’s what … four? I don’t shake hands with infants.”

“She’s not an infant. She’s my sister, and she’s a very smart little girl.”

Cole snorted. “Where was that port-a-john you mentioned earlier?”

Gus watched Cole head towards the portable toilets. He didn’t follow him.

 

*****
 

“Daddy,” Bree said as Justin picked her up.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Why is that man with Gus?”

“You mean Cole?”

“Yeah.”

“Gus … likes Cole.”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t?” Justin asked in surprise. “Why is that?”

“He wouldn’t shake my hand.”

“How rude of him,” Justin said with a frown. Maybe Brian was right about this guy.

Bree nodded her head in agreement. “I don’t think Gus should be friends with Cole.”

“You too?” Justin asked, knowing that was certainly Brian’s opinion.

“Don’t like Cole,” Bree repeated.

“That seems to be the general consensus,” Justin sighed. “Unfortunately Gus does.”
 

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