From
Part 22,
“Brent, bottom line is
that I’m in the talent business. With your fucking looks, wholesome attitude, a
brain that rises to the occasion, and possible acting chops that are genetic, I
think that I could mold you to be a very hot talent here in Hollywood. There
are a lot of pretty faces. Dime a dozen. What you offer as a package doesn’t
come very often.”
“Wow that’s a mouthful.
This isn’t just bullshit, is it?”
“On my Father’s grave,
and on your Mother’s, I swear that if you have faith in me, we can make a great
future for you.”
______________________________________________
BRENT
“I’m not opposed to discussing this. I did ‘Little
Theater’ at the 92nd Street ‘Y’ for several years. It was fun. And I
was in some drama workshops at Columbia. But I also want to get my degree.”
“If you’re patient, I can get you jobs that shoot
around your school year. If I’m correct, the only problem you’ll have is trying
to go to school while your name is above the title two blocks away at the Fox
in Westwood.”
I laughed nervously. “Sam, if you have a game
plan, I would love to know it.”
“Ok, this is not the time to lay out everything.
After we have successfully taken care of this weekend, I’m going to find a
drama coach in Memphis who can prep you for a career. When you get out here
next year, I want you to hit the bricks running.” With that, he brought his
hand out of the water to offer it to me as a handshake.
“Sam. I don’t know you very well. But if you’re
like your Dad, a handshake is all that is needed.”
“One final thought. In your escort job, be
extra-discreet. Above all, do not be in any casual photos that may crop up
later to embarrass you.”
“I understand completely. From what we’ve talked
about, it’s probably wise to think about retiring.”
Seeing Abe and the other guys coming over to the
Jacuzzi, Sam said, “Wise decision. I’ll call you next week.”
*****
DOUG
Saturday, after midnight supper and another
successful role-playing session, we returned to the Peninsula early afternoon.
Chuck told us that he would return for us around seven. Because there would be
six of us, we’d use a limousine. He requested that we be at the hotel entrance
at seven. I noticed a respectful attitude from Chuck. Sam had obviously
confided in him the success of last night.
We both booked massages in the Spa. Okay, maybe
this was going a little overboard. But we deserved it. Our bodies needed to be
finely tuned for the rest of the weekend. About 1530, we returned to the suite
and crashed in the nearest bed. All we wanted to do was snuggle and sleep.
At 1700, the wake up service called. We turned on
the local news and listened semi-awake. About 1730, Brent rolled over and
tweaked my nipple.
“Ouch. Babe, that hurt.”
“Not as much as I’d like to hurt you if we weren’t
on this assignment.” We both knew that we needed to save the ‘goods’ for the
clients. We kissed and went into the shower. Other than groping and allowing a
finger to venture into the ‘dark’ area, we were ready to move forward at 1845.
Drinking Pellegrino water, we looked at each other
and smiled. We looked sharp in our Armani wardrobes.
“After we get this gig behind us, are you ready to
meet your folks?”
“Babe, I’m ready if you are.”
“I spoke with Mom before
we left. She says Dad is cool with it. He discovered I was probably gay while I
was still in college. Apparently I left some magazines in the pickup I drove.
One day he had to borrow my truck and voila. Funny I vaguely remember missing
those magazines. God. With all the sucking and fucking photographs, my Dad must
have gotten a real education.”
As requested, we went down to the lobby and auto
entrance just before 1900. Almost on the dot, a long, black Mercedes Limousine
pulled up. I noticed the personalized plates “CAM.” As the Peninsula doorman
opened the door, we got into this elegant carriage.
Inside, we were among new friends. This time,
there was a professional driver. All of us – Sam, Chuck, Abe, Fred, Brent and
me – were dressed in variations on a theme of jackets, open-collared shirts,
slacks, and slip-on shoes sans socks.
“Did you two get a little shut eye?” Sam asked.
“Absolutely. We’re ready for later tonight.” Brent
was the up-front guy tonight. I noticed that he subtly squeezed Abe’s thigh.
Sitting next to Fred, I casually kneaded his neck and kissed his cheek. Sam and
Chuck smiled.
It didn’t take us long to arrive at Spago. This
was a favorite haunt of the Hollywood crowd for the past ten years. When we
walked in, faces out of People magazine were at various seats in the
restaurant. Michael the Maitre d’ immediately brought us to the corner table
for ten overlooking Sunset Boulevard below. This was the pinnacle point of the
room. Seated were four beautiful women, all represented by CAM.
We were all introduced. Jennifer Aniston and Lisa
Kudrow had just completed the smash first season of a new sit-com on NBC. Teri
Hatcher was Lois on the current “Superman” series. As the “house mom” of the
group, a large but lovely Kirstie Alley rounded out the party. She was still
looking for her next role after “Cheers.” I noticed Kirk Douglas and his party,
Susanne Pleshette and a date, David Hyde Pierce with a cute blond guy, and Dick
Clark with two businessmen. But we were the focal point of the evening.
Through the course of the dinner, the conversation
sparkled. Abe and Fred looked as if they were watching tennis match while
following the discussion. I was proud of my man. The women were clearly
intrigued about this new face.
____
BRENT
Over the next 36 hours, Doug and I literally
worked the two Arabs’ butts off. They relished our role-playing in bed. And
they enjoyed our company at the informal social occasions. By Monday morning,
we each embraced our paired mate for the weekend. There was no emotional
attachment on Abe’s part. I was curious at the way Fred looked caringly at
Doug. They had really enjoyed our company. Sam was pleased. Very pleased.
Before departing from the home, Sam gave me the
name of an acting coach in Memphis and all of his personal numbers. Not only
was he thrilled about Doug’s and my role in this successful weekend, he saw
something in me that he wanted to draw out professionally. I had the feeling
that doors would open for Doug at the proper time.
Back at the suite, we
both were ready to return to our normal roles. Doug was going to have lunch
with the folks. If all went well, I would join them at Muse on Beverly
Boulevard for an early dinner. I smiled at his selection. This hot restaurant
was known to cater to a very ‘mixed’ crowd. Very West Hollywood. We got out of
our ‘working’ clothes post haste.
Lying down, we assumed a ‘cuddle mode’, enjoyed
typical of two males who are very familiar with each other. It was only 1000.
With Doug on his back, and me lying on my stomach, I straddled one of his legs
with one of mine. Very naturally, I nuzzled my head in his armpit and shoulder
while draping my arm over his chest. I started licking his armpit and
surrounding area.
Guttural purring was the best description of the
sound Doug was making. I replaced the licking with some gentle biting. At the
same time, I brought down my free hand to caress his not so soft dick. In the
process, he achieved the hardness that I associated with my lover and best
friend.
“Uhhh, oh babe, this is terrific.” I started
massaging his balls. “What are you doing…Ahhh.”
“Just giving you a little pleasure that I hid away
from those Arabs.”
“This has been an intense weekend. Profitable
however.” Doug had no idea how profitable.
“Just rest and get your second breath. You are
expected at Casa Di Marco in about an hour. How do you feel?”
“Like a guy who going to enter a new relationship
with his family. I think everything will work out.”
“Babe, it will work out. I’ve got good feelings
about this.” With that, I rotated my body so that my face was looking at this
beautiful cock. I inhaled the musky aroma coming from his crotch. Taking his
cock head in my mouth, I worked my tongue to excite him. I didn’t have to wait
long.
Now aware of our positions, he proceeded to take
me completely. He had trained his throat to respond. I knew he was happy when
his nose was buried in my pubes. We both appreciated each other’s sexual
prowess. Within moments, we were both sucking in earnest, responding by
shooting a load in a few minutes. I rotated back and leaned in to kiss my lover
and my soul mate.
After cleaning up, he left by cab to journey to
his home and lunch with the folks. I had instructions to go over to Robinson’s
department store, located behind the Beverly Hilton, and buy some luggage to
pack our expanded wardrobe.
DOUG
The trip to my childhood home on 6th
Street off San Vicente didn’t take long. I rolled up at noon. After paying the
cab driver, I walked up to the front door of this familiar stucco structure.
While ringing the bell, I looked up to the second floor window that had been my
bedroom. I now felt uncomfortable walking in unannounced.
The door slowly opened and I was suddenly looking
into the smiling, warm face of this older Italian woman who had been Ma or Mom
to me all my life. She raised her hands to my face and pulled me down for a big
kiss. “Dougie, it’s been too long,” she said as she released me.
I entered the hallway and put my arms around her.
I gave her a gentle squeeze. “Two years. Yeah, it has been too long.” I had not
been home since entering the Navy on active status. Being the junior officer, I
pulled duty on almost every holiday my first year and the extra job took most
of my spare time.
As we walked out to the kitchen, she said, “Your father
will be here in a few minutes. He had a few details at the office to iron out.”
“Sit. Do you want some coffee?” In her kitchen,
there was a perpetual coffee pot going.
“Being in the Navy has taught me to never turn
down a good cup of coffee. Black.”
She poured two cups and joined me. Looking at the
bubbles in her cup she said, “Do I get to make a wish?”
“If the wish is for Brent’s and my happiness,
please.” I smiled sincerely with a determined look in my face.
“Doug. Actually that’s what I’m going to do.” She
brought the cup to her lips and took a short sip while she studied me. “I’m not
going to lie and tell you that I was completely happy when you called. But I’ve
had time to consider what you said. You’re still our son. You have never done
anything to make us feel anything but pride. And, with your other brother and
sisters marrying someday, we’ll be blessed with many grandchildren. Your Dad
and I will try very hard to accept this man into our lives as, what, another
son?”
I placed my hand over hers. “Thanks, Mom. That’ll
do just fine. You won’t be disappointed.”
“So, we’re going to meet your Brent at dinner?”
“Yes. I made early reservations at a nice
restaurant not too far from here. I know Dad needs to be at the market early. I
made reservations for 6:00 pm.”
“Did I hear something about reservations at six?”
The voice from the hallway announced the arrival of my father. I stood as he
entered the kitchen and offered my hand for a shake. He would have none of
that. He embraced me the way Di Marco men have shown male affection as long as
I can remember.
“Hey, Dad.” Urmph. This guy was still a
powerhouse.
After kissing me on my cheeks, he said, “Doug,
it’s so good to see you here.” Mom had already poured another cup of coffee.
“We’ve both missed you,” Dad concluded as we sat down.
“Dougie and I were just discussing the schedule
for this evening. His…do you call him your boyfriend?”
“Brent is my partner. That’s probably the best way
to describe it.”
“Anyway, Doug wants us to meet his partner, Brent,
for an early dinner. Where are we going?”
“Muse. It’s on Beverly just before La Brea.”
Dad added, “I know Muse. We sell them all their
produce.”
“Great. Some brownie points for Di Marco Produce.
I made a good decision.”
“I’ll bring a flat of strawberries for the owner.
Seriously, I want to know about your partner, Brent. Brent Williams. Where does
he come from?”
“He’s from New York. Brent’s Mom died when he was
very young. His Dad was a baseball player for the Yankees until he had a
serious sports injury.” I could see my Dad’s mind at work feverishly. He had a
memory for detail when it came to baseball. He was a true blue Dodger fan.
“Williams? Ty Williams. Good RBI average. Was
shortstop and was clobbered when someone was stealing a base from 2nd
to 3rd. Got real nasty when they collided. That had to be 12 or 13
years ago? Ended his career.”
“You’ll have to ask Brent at dinner. He doesn’t
get into many details where his Dad is involved.”
“Why is that?” Mom had a very curious expression
on her face.
“What we are discussing today never went well with
Brent and his Dad. When Mr. Williams found out that Brent was gay, he threw him
out of the house and cut him off financially.” I didn’t want to go into how his
Dad found out Brent was gay.
Putting his large, calloused paws on top of mine,
Dad said, “This will never happen in this household. We don’t want to lose you.
And, it sounds like Brent may need a family. He’s more than welcome.”
“Thanks, Dad.” A few tears were forming. All
around. “How about the rest of the family?”
“Let me work on them. Your Dad and I will get them
together for a family conference. I don’t expect any problems.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Just why are you out here, Doug? It’s nice to see
you and meet Brent. But you said you are here on business.”
‘Okay,’ I thought. ‘Hope my nose doesn’t grow
longer.’ “As you know, I’ll be out of the Navy in less than six months. I’m out
here interviewing with some potential job leads. I thought this would be a good
time to see you and introduce you to Brent.”
“Any success?” Dad was always a no-nonsense guy.
“I think so. I had an interesting interview this
weekend.” ‘If Brent was in the room, he would have burst into laughter,’ I
thought, with a smile.
The rest of the afternoon was very pleasant. Whatever
worries I had went out the window. Except for some edits, I gave Mom and Dad a
rundown of my last couple of years. Mike would have liked my stories about the
Carnival Memphis and the recent July 4th celebration. Dad asked me
to come down to the warehouse and say hello to all the staff who were still
there. He also wanted to hand-select the strawberries for tonight.
We arrived back at the house around five. Mom had spent the time to outfit herself in a
terrific dinner dress. I was already to go. Dad just wanted to freshen up a
tad. For him, that meant splashing some cold water on the face and changing
shirts. We all convened in the living room, a room that was so full of many
memories. She had opened a bottle of champagne. Pouring three glasses, we toasted.
Dad said, “To you, to Brent, to us.” Wow. We clinked the glasses and drank the
sparkling wine.
BRENT
Not hearing anything contrary, I took a taxi to
Muse for our dinner. Walking into this trendy, white-on-white interior, I was
impressed by the martini bar just inside the entrance. The menu had endless
selections. I ordered a Cosmopolitan. I’m not much for cocktails, but the
vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice sounded great.
Looking around, it seemed that the crowd was
Spago, 20 years removed. These were young movers and shakers. I recognized a
few younger guys at the bar from some lame TV shows I had seen on Fox and the
WB. It was interesting to watch these young actors. They were very hungry for
attention. And they all had the same look on a variation of designer tees,
jeans, and sunglasses pushed above their foreheads. I wore my old casual
clothes: A polo shirt and chinos.
Hearing my name, I turned to see the man of my
universe enter the bar with this very attractive woman, dressed to the ‘nines,’
and an older man – looking very much like an older Di Marco – carrying some
sort of box. Strawberries? ‘What the fuck is his dad doing giving the
strawberries to a manager?’ I wondered.
As Doug and his folks approached, I stood and smiled.
“Brent. I want you to meet my parents. Mom. Dad.
This is Brent Williams.” Mr. Di Marco grabbed my hand while Mrs. Di Marco
kissed me on the cheek.
“First of all, Brent,” Mrs. Di Marco led off with,
“My name is Sophie and my husband of 27 years is Louie.” With that said, she
gave me a big hug. After she disengaged, Louie grabbed my hand and firmly shook
it.
“Well, I’m overwhelmed. Your welcome tonight is
more than I expected.”
“Brent, when someone joins our family we
demonstrate with passion. It’s an Italian thing.” Sophie had a way of stating
the obvious. “I hope you’ll think of us as another mother and father.”
“And, son,’ Louie added, “You are going to be a
part of our family.” Aw shit, was I going to cry? At that point, the manager
came over to us and said that our table was ready.
“Mr. Di Marco, the chef asked me to thank you for
the strawberries. He’s going to use them for a special dessert tonight.”
The rest of the evening was upbeat. They were
curious about my goals. When Louie asked about my dad, I was very sketchy. I
did verify that Ty Williams was my father. About 8:00 p.m. we finished dinner.
The manager had sent over a complimentary dessert – featuring strawberries, of
course – and Cognac.
“A good Cognac deserves a good toast, boys,”
offered Louie Di Marco. “Doug, your mother and I had a long discussion after
lunch today. Every question we had about this man in your life has been
answered tonight.”
“Louie and I are absolutely delighted that you are
in Doug’s life. Any fears I had about my son’s well-being have disappeared,”
added Sophie.
“Brent, Doug, your mother and I raise the glasses
high and wish you both many happy years together. Our hearts are open to you
both. Our home will always be a safe harbor and our family will always be your
rock. Count on us. Cheers,” Mr. Di Marco said in conclusion as everyone sipped
the French brandy.
“Thanks…Dad…Mom,” Brent replied. “I happily accept
your kind words.”
We all said our good-byes at the restaurant. The
senior Di Marco couple got into their car. The junior Di Marco couple got a
taxi back to the Peninsula.
Back in the suite, we both took stock at what had
happened this weekend. The success of our assignment was completely
overshadowed by the past few hours with Doug’s mom and dad.
“Babe, you are so lucky to have parents like
that.” We were both nude in bed. There would be a wake-up call at 0630.
“I…no, we are lucky. You’ve been marked as one of
their own. Trust me. Life as you know it will be different. You are now very
much part of the Di Marco family.”
I couldn’t help but feel tremendous pride swelling
inside me. “I like that, babe,” I whispered in his ear before sticking my
tongue in it. Oh fuck, I was crying.
Doug looked at me and wiped away the tears.
“Okay?”
“Just so happy tonight with you and my new
family.” With that I moved my lips and
tongue to his for some deep tongue-dueling action.
After getting aroused, he said, “Let’s get a
little rest and continue this back in Memphis tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me.” With that, I turned out the
lights and eased into our traditional spoon cuddle with my chest pressed
against his back. I squeezed him with my arm around his chest. “You’re the most
important person in my life.” He
squeezed my hand. With that, we drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are interested in seeing pictures of the
main characters as I imagine them, go to The Rainbow Community Writing Project
- www.rcwp.homestead.com - and
click on the “Continuing Stories” section. Continue to “Splash in the Pool.”