Protecting David-Alex’s Story 26

I woke in the middle of the night or what I thought was the middle of the night. I glanced at the nightstand and the red digital readout said, 12:34. I had an odd feeling and I rolled over onto my back. My left hand brushed up against someone and I figured that it had to be Larry. I turned my head to look at him and couldn’t understand at first why he was still dressed. And then I understood.

Mark turned on his side and put his hand flat on my chest. His voice was a soft husky whisper filled with concern. “Don’t be upset with me, Alex. Are you okay?”

I was confused and said, “Oh God…………I dunno.” I felt kinda vague and then I remembered and my heart sank. “I feel like a fucking asshole.” I could feel tears running down my face.

I knew that he couldn’t really see in that light but maybe somehow he knew because he put one hand behind my head and pulled me towards him saying, “Comere.”

I rolled towards him and laid my face on his shoulder while his arms came around me and held me. “I feel like I’m just this enormous fuckup and I do nothing but cause problems for everybody.” I was totally into this crying and being held by my dad thing.

He bent his head and kissed my forehead. “Oh, Kiddo, everyone’s a fuckup. I’ve fuckup more than I could ever tell you.” His hand was rubbing my back gently. “I did today with you and Larry. I shoulda known how you’d feel about us finding you like that. The thing is if you’d been somebody like your Uncle Mike or almost anyone older you probably wouldn’t have felt the way you did, well at least not as intensely. I guess that in my mind I was thinking of you more as one of my buddies than as my son. That was a major fuck up.”

“I know that you were embarrassed at us seeing you and Larry like that but you know, you caught David and I having sex a couple of times and we were doing exactly what you guys were doing. You were just too young to know it.” While his right hand continued to work on my back his left held my head gently to his chest. “I don’t care about the sex, Alex. I would be worried if you weren’t having any, but not that you are. I just want you to remember that I love you, I’m your dad,” he laughed, “or one of em anyway and there isn’t a thing on this planet that you can’t talk to me about. And today not withstanding, I won’t be a jerk about it either. If you had a kid of your own, and maybe some day you will, you’d understand, because in my eyes you’re perfect.”

I said, “I dunno what it is. I have like this crying thing happening and it isn’t something that I seem to be able to control. I bet you never figured that when I was nineteen you’d have to be holding me while I cried like a fucking baby.”

He kissed my forehead and said, “You think this is a chore? Believe me it’s not. You never stop being a parent but your kids stop needing one. I used to hold you like this all the time.” He kissed the top of my head. “I hate it that you’re hurting, it makes me crazy but I wouldn’t trade these moments with you for anything.”

“But the crying thing and that flashback thing that you had today are warnings, warnings that you’ve got stuff to deal with that you haven’t taken care of yet. And it isn’t only people who’ve had happen to them what you have that get stuff like this. Years ago when I was in the service me and another guy used to have to drive this truck from base to an outlying camp. It was a really long way in the middle of this flat miserable scrub land and it was always at night and we were always fucking exhausted and this other guy………..I think his name was Bill, not that it matters. Anyway, he never rested during the day and so he was always too tired at night and a number of times when he was driving and we were in the middle of fucking nowhere he yelled and slammed on the damn brakes and we fishtailed to a stop. See, when he got so tired that he couldn’t drive anymore he’d start seeing people in the road. The first couple of times it scared the crap outta me and used the search light cause I figured the people actually had been there and now they were hiding but it really was just something his mind dreamed up to let him know he shouldn’t be doing what he was doing. It was a warning and that’s what you’re getting now.”

He raised his head and looked at the clock. “Larry’s gonna kill me. He wants to be in here and that boy gets pretty intense.”

I laughed and said, “Tell me about it. Intense is his middle name. It’s probably all the coffee he drinks.”

Mark laughed. “He drinks that much coffee all the time? He’s had about ten cups. Does he sleep okay?”

“Like a baby.”

“I like him, Alex, I like em a lot. You know where he stands and it’s obvious how much he loves you. I like that he’s totally on your side and he’s like ready to kill anyone who isn’t.” He laughed.

I was a little worried. “He didn’t get on your case about this stuff did he?”

Mark laughed. “A little, okay maybe more than a little but that’s good. First of all he was mostly right and second that’s the kind of guy you want. Where you’re concerned he isn’t gonna take any shit from anyone. That’s fucking great!”

He gently pulled his arm from around me and started to get up. He bent down and kissed me again. “It’s okay for Larry to come in? I mean not like you could keep him out.”

I laughed and said, “Yeah, besides this is pretty much past his bedtime.”

Mark squeezed my hand. “We just told Emma about the flashback, nothing else. She knew about those anyway so while she was upset that it happened it wasn’t like a big shock or anything. We didn’t tell her anything else. I wouldn’t even have told her that but her security people saw it and they would have told her anyway. She decided to have the party as planned but she’s gonna make it a little low key. I’m not sure what she means by that but if it gets to be too much you can always just come up to your room, nobody is gonna say anything or think that it’s strange.”

He dropped back down on the bed and put his hand on my forehead pushing my hair back. He said softly, “We okay now?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. “We’re great and thanks.”

He kissed me and said quietly, “I love you. I love you more than you could ever know.”

“I love you too.”

A few minutes after Mark left the door opened slowly and Larry slid in and quietly shut the door. He toed off his shoes by the door and then peeled off his shirt and dropped his pants. He stood by his side of the bed stepped out of his boxers and got into bed very quietly. Then he just lay there staring at the ceiling.

I said quietly, “You’re not gonna spoon me?” and he jumped like a foot.

“Alex, I thought you were asleep! I was afraid that I was gonna wake you up.” He slid over as I turned on my side and he wrapped his arms around me.

He said, “Okay now I don’t want you thinking about a freakin thing! Go to sleep!” And I did.

As usual I woke to the smell of coffee. Larry bent down and kissed me and then held out a cup to me.

“They don’t have mugs, just these fancy cups. This would drive me crazy.” I pushed myself up to the point where I was more or less leaning against the headboard took a sip and looked at Larry. He said, “The kitchen is full of people. Shit, there must be twenty people down there cooking. At first I thought that I was gonna have trouble getting coffee, you know, getting someone to stop what they were doing but then that chef guy came over and said that he had the coffee all ready for us.” Larry turned and pointed at a tray. “See, he had everything ready. He wanted to have someone carry it up for me but I told him I figured I could make it on my own.”

I was kinda embarrassed and said, “I’m sorry about yesterday, Larry. I mean the last part I didn’t have any control over but still you shouldn’t have to worry about shit like that.”

He looked at me for a moment and then said, “Don’t give me that shit! I’m not somebody that you invited along for a weekend of screwing.” He set his cup on the nightstand and then did the same with mine. He slid in next to me. “We’re like fucking married! You got that? This isn’t something I’m doin for kicks. What hurts you hurts me so don’t fucking apologize for something that you couldn’t help. That’s just fucking life and that’s what we’re in together.”

I rolled over and buried my face in his chest. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say. He wrapped his arms around me.

Larry laughed and said, “You sure attracted some attention when you started to drop. I caught you but I lost my balance and we both ended up going over and then I looked up and there’s this little Asian chick in a short leather skirt and she whips a big ass gun outta her back pack and she like turning and scanning the crowd and yelling at people to get back. Like anyone was gonna try anything with her swingin that gun around. Then this van screeches to a halt at the curb and at the same time Mark comes running up and he lifts you like you weighed maybe a pound and a half and puts you into the van. I thought they were gonna take off without me but David came running up then and Mark jumped outta the van and pushed us both in. Your dad is fucking strong.”

“And man Robert was awesome! You know that dude, that doctor guy that looked at you? He’s like the top” he waved his hands around, “the top fucking whatever at some really important place and Robert dragged his ass outta some really big meeting thing he had goin and got em over here! He was soooo cool!”

That kinda bothered me. It bothered me that everyone’s life was overturned because of me. I said, “Geez, I hope he didn’t stir everybody up because of me.”

Larry didn’t like that and it got him stirred up again. “Why the fuck not?” He paused and stared at me. “Seriously, Alex! Why the fuck not? Who’s more important than you? You’re the most important person in my life! Stir em up? I want em launching fucking missiles or some goddamn thing! Flash the fucking lights in the Empire State Building! I want em doing every damn thing they can do!”

He must have been reading my mind because he swung over straddled my waist and took my face in his hands. “If it was me who was sick you’d want em to do it! You’d be doin exactly what Robert was doin and nothing’d be too good…………….so why the fuck not for you, Alex? Why the fuck not?”

“I dunno, Larry, I dunno. I…..I gotta work on that. You’re right and I’ll take care of it. I told Mark I would and I will. Don’t be mad at me.”

Larry dropped his hands from my face and held my hands. “I’m not mad mad. I’m in love mad.” He sat back on my legs. “But you are gonna see that shrink, cause if I got any doubts about whether you’re goin or not I’m gonna drive you there myself.”

Emma’s bedroom was a great deal more than that. There was of course an actual room for sleeping but there was also a study, bath, innumerable closets, dressing room, sitting room and a small dining room. While the dining room was considered small it was only small in relation to the formal dining room downstairs. You could still comfortably seat eight in the small dining room and it was the room in which we were having lunch.

I was trying to get her to not feel so bad about this. “Really, Emma, it’s something that I’ve gotten used to and that’s probably why I didn’t go see the therapist. Plus it did seem to be getting better but I promised Mark that I’d go and I absolutely will.” I smiled at Larry. “Larry isn’t giving much wiggle room in that regard.”

She reached over and squeezed Larry’s arm. “Good for you, Larry! I want you to keep an eye on him and see that he goes.”

I said, “The other thing is that………..well it seems like the sort of thing that you should just be able to deal with by yourself. Going to a therapist seems like the weak thing to do.”

Larry groaned softly but said nothing.

Her voice was sharp. “That’s nonsense, Alex and you know it.” She smiled faintly. “It is however a typical masculine attitude. Monty was like that too…….about too many things. But you’re part of a younger generation and I expect it to be a more enlightened one.”

She changed her tone. “After lunch I want to show you the old carriage house. We’ve been working on it and it’s beginning to actually look like it. Robert found this wonderful designer in New York and he’s been working with the architect during the renovation. It never occurred to me to bring a designer in so early but Robert insisted and you know how he gets but it’s turned out to be much the best thing.”

I glanced up and saw Larry with a faint smile on his face and he looked so fucking handsome and I had like this instant hardon for him. That happens at the weirdest times, I’m like not even thinking about sex and I’ll see the muscles working in his shoulders or the way that his butt moves in a pair of jeans and suddenly my dick is a fucking rock and I want him in me so bad.

Emma continued. “I was going to take you over to the Senate office building and introduce you fellows to a few people but you need your rest and most of them will be here this evening anyway.” That was a break.

The carriage house was someplace that I used to explore when I was little, usually with Robert because he was afraid I was gonna fall thru the floor or something. It looked huge to me as a kid and while maybe it didn’t look totally huge now it was still big but it wasn’t a carriage house anymore. Now it was really just more like a house, a really gorgeous house.

Emma had us walk around to the front of the house, which was on another street from the front of her house. She pointed at the front of the house. “It’s pretty much a Georgian style although it’s got a bit of everything in it but it does seem to work. It wasn’t built at the exact same time as the main house.”

We walk up the circular drive and climbed the stairs. She turned to Robert.
“ Do you have the key? I thought I had it.”

He stepped forward and opened the door. We walked into a large foyer with a spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

Emma said, “Now off to your right is the dining room.” It was beautiful, the whole house was beautiful and almost finished. The living room was immense and painted in a slightly darker than ivory color that looked rich and inviting.

“You boys can look upstairs. Those stairs are a little too much for me these days.” There were four huge bedrooms upstairs and three baths.

I looked at Emma. “So whadya gonna do when it’s finished, rent it out?”

She smiled. “I’ve been approached by dozens of people wanting to buy it. I don’t know, it needed to either be torn down or fixed up but if I sell it this land is no longer part of the estate. There’d be strangers living here. I’m not sure that I’m ready for that.”

I straightened Larry’s tie and looked into his eyes. “Damn you look hot!” And he did. There was something about the way that the hair at the back of his neck feathered over his white shirt collar that made me want to lick him.

“That’s cause I am hot. I hate wearing a tie!” He leaned forward and kissed me. “You’re pretty hot yourself.” He put his hands on my waist and pulled our crotches together, he was kissing my temple while I turned my head slowly giving him access. He murmured, “Tomorrow night at this time we’ll be home and I’ll have you all to myself. I’m gonna work you over soooooo slowly and the last thing I’m gonna get to is gonna be that beautiful ass of yours and you’re gonna be begging me to fuck ya and when I do it’s gonna be really slow at first and you’re gonna be all, “Fuck me hard, Babe!” and I’m gonna just ignore it till you’re like totally insane with need and then I’m sliding it all the way home and I’m gonna fuck you like crazy till you fucking explode your cum all over both of us.”

I was entranced by his words and then returned abruptly to reality and shoved him away. “Larry! Man look at what you’re doin to me!” My cock was pushing the front of my pants straight out. “I’m gonna have precum running down my leg during the party!”

He jerked me back to him and kissed me hard. His voice was his soft throaty sex voice. “I could fuck you now, kinda take the edge off?” His hands had drifted down to my ass. “We could be walkin around the party and only we’d know. Your ass’d be all warm from the fuck and you’d be like you get, you know, wantin it again and I’d be like bird doggin ya cause I’d be wantin it again.” He does this to me all the time, he gets me to the point where I’m ready to shoot in my pants. He’s got this sex voice that he uses when he’s horny that makes me completely insane.

I pushed him away grinned and shook my head slowly. “You are a nasty boy.”

He moved in again and kissed my neck. He whispered, “You love it.”

“Larry! I’m gonna have to beat off it you don’t stop and there’s no time!”

He bit my ear lobe. “You don’t need to beat off, Baby, you never need to beat off.” His hands were back to grabbing my ass. “Think how good it’d feel. You need me in you, you know you do.”

I laughed and pushed him away. “You really are a prick.” But he was right too.

His shoulders slumped. “Okay I gave it my best shot.” He leered at me. “But every time you look at me tonight you’re gonna know what I’m thinking.”

Emma’s parties are always glittering in a low key way, all soft lights and women wearing diamonds that they’ve had for decades and their hair and tans are perfect and their men all look like they’ve had power for a very long time. It’s really a lousy party for young people but what can you do?

Larry and I were standing with Emma when I saw a familiar face and body approaching that I hadn’t seen in a while.

I held out my hand. “Uncle Frank!” He shook my hand and wrapped another around my shoulders. “This is Larry Donovan, Larry this is Frank Connelly. He used to be Mark’s boss.” Larry smiled and shook Frank’s hand.

Larry grinned and said, “It’s hard to picture Mark with a boss.”

Frank put an unlit cigar in his mouth grinned and said, “It was no picnic to be it.”

Hearing Frank’s name Emma had turned and smiled broadly. “Frank! Oh, I’m so happy that you could make it. You look wonderful.” And actually he did. Frank had been heavy but then he lost the weight but in my opinion he lost too much but now he didn’t look skinny but he looked healthy and he had the smile of a troublemaker on his face.

He took her hand and kissed it. “Emma, I would hate to miss one of your parties.”

Seeing a waiter Frank waved him over and asked for a Scotch on the rocks. “Black Label, if you’ve got it and make it a double.”

He turned to me with a twinkle in his eye. “You’ve been a busy boy.” He looked Larry up and down. “Probably more than I can imagine.”

Larry grinned and said, “I do all I can.”

Frank smiled and looked from Larry to me. “I bet that’s a lot.”

Over Frank’s shoulder I saw David and Mark walking through the tall open doors that were the entrance to this room. They were both dressed in dark suits with conservative ties and they both looked spectacularly handsome. The white of their shirts against the dark fabric of the suits gave them a crisp new look. David’s black hair was long and down over his collar in the back like Larry’s. Mark’s hair was much shorter. They moved with an easy grace. Both exuded confidence.

David stood on my left and Mark on my right. Mark’s left hand was on the back of my neck and although it was unlikely that anyone could see it his thumb was lightly rubbed the nape of my neck. It was a gesture I remember from when I was a kid and it relaxed me now as it did then. My mind flashed back to them seeing me getting fucked and it felt to me like they were trying to tell me that I shouldn’t feel bad about that but I did, I mean but how could I not be weirded out.

I hadn’t spoken to David since that mess at their condo and his right hand was under my upper arm holding it lightly. I smiled because it occurred to me that with them on each side of me and Larry in front of me that I was about as protected as I could get, now if they could only protect me from me.

David turned towards me and said in a low voice, “There’s someone that I want you to meet. His name is Gerhardt Mueller. He speaks fluent English but he may want to speak to you in German. Pay close attention to him, listen closely to what he says and if he suggests something agree to it. I’ll explain later.

David pulled me away from the others and we walked across the room to where a tall partially bald man was standing. He was impeccably dressed and his hands were clasped behind his back.

He smiled when he saw David and me walking towards him. He held out his hand to David and they greeted each other warmly.

“David it’s wonderful to see you.” He turned and looked at me with a strange look on his face.

He held out his hand to me and said to me in English, “You look so like your father. Alex, I’ve waited many years to see you.” He sighed. “A couple of months ago I thought that I might never get the opportunity. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that everything went well.”

David said, “Gerhardt was a close personal friend of Helmut, your father.”

Mr. Mueller said, “Do you remember your father at all, Alex?”

I smiled. “Only the vaguest memories and I’m not sure if they are real or if I’m making them up.”

Mr. Mueller continued but in German, “Alex, I am the Managing Director of The Bank Haussman in Salzburg. I was hoping to convince you to come to Europe this summer. Your father was a great friend and before his death he entrusted to me some business that needs to be addressed.

The bank would be honored to send a plane for you and your friend and of course all expenses would be paid. June would be a perfect month if it could be arranged and I can guarantee that you young men would have the vacation of a lifetime.”

Thank god David warned me. I answered in German, “Sir, I would be honored and the month of June is good. If it would be possible to make the arrangements with David I will do as he suggests.”