An Idol for Others (32 page)

“Why don’t you go ahead, Herb?” he said, looking into Mark’s eyes. “I have some ideas I’d like to talk to Mark about, if that’s OK with him.”

“Yes, sure,” Mark agreed, his gaze growing limpid and peaceful. He turned, and they stood side by side, facing Herbie.

He snapped his case shut and stood. “Some folks can talk the day away. I’ve got to get going.” He looked around him and spotted his clothes. He clamped his hat on his head, with hair straggling out from under it. He heaved himself into his jacket. Walter knew he should go to him and perform his duties as host, but he couldn’t force himself to move. He and Mark had imperceptibly eased themselves closer so that they were almost leaning against each other. His arms ached to hold the body that he felt now belonged to him. By moving only his fingers, he could lightly stroke the curve of buttocks. He was trembling slightly. Mark shifted his weight to encourage the caress.

Their proximity emphasized the difference in their height and filled Walter with a sense of domination and power. He was aware that his expression was frozen on his face as he blindly watched Herbie struggle into his raincoat and pull it around him, the collar catching under the collar of his jacket. He picked up the awkward cases.

“OK, Walter. I’ll call you in a few days. You’re great, kid. Be seeing you.” He lurched toward the door, an absurdly disheveled figure. Walter was confident that he had noticed nothing. The door slammed behind him.

In one swift move Walter pulled away the cloak and took Mark in his arms. Their mouths met and opened to each other. Walter’s senses sang as his hands discovered the feel of the back that had so entranced his eyes. His fingers strayed along the cleft between the buttocks, and muscles worked in welcome. Mark made a deep humming sound in his throat. His hands had worked through layers of cloth and found Walter’s erection. They moved over it and lifted it against his belly and continued up over his chest under his shirt.

Walter broke away and pulled off his clothes with all his old elation, but his exhibitionism was curbed by the glory of his partner’s body. He ran his hand thought the thick hair and took his mouth again. He dropped his hands to the graceful shoulders and down over his rib cage to the supple waist. Mark’s hands covered his and moved them back to his buttocks. He thrust his body up against Walter’s and arched his back and clung to him. Walter released his mouth. Mark’s heavy breathing stretched the muscles over his chest. His thick lids were lowered in a face that had become a dark mask of passionate acquiescence.

“Christ,” Walter muttered. “Come on.” He put his arm around him and led him through the bedroom to the bathroom. He continued to hold him close while he fumbled about in the medicine cupboard and found the lubricant Clara sometimes used. They remained as close to each other as movement permitted, arms encircling each other, hands exploring, breathing each other’s breath.

Mark kissed Walter’s face and neck and took the lubricant and stroked it onto Walter’s sex, his head averted over it. Walter took some and ran his hand between Mark’s buttocks. His eyes avoided the gross virility of genitalia. He was ruled by his sense of touch. His hands reveled in the exquisite texture of muscle and skin. They moved rapturously over chest and abdomen and thighs. He lifted Mark’s chin, and their tongues met again as they sank to their knees together. The bodies tangled and found the position they were seeking. Mark uttered little cries and groans as Walter entered him slowly. They thrashed about on the floor and quickly drove each other to orgasm. They lay together taking long, shuddering breaths. Their breathing slowly returned to normal.

“Are we gong to see each other again, or is this–” Mark began in a muted voice.

The unfinished question took Walter by surprise. He had assumed this would be written off as the passion of a moment. He answered with his body still singing with conquest. “That was too quick to count. I want you for hours. Where do you live?”

“That doesn’t matter. I never stay in one place for long. Would you like me to move down here somewhere?”

“Could you?” It occurred to Walter that having this magnificent creature easily available might prove more of a distraction than his busy life would permit. An irresistible distraction. “That would be wonderful. Would you?”

“Sure, all I need is a furnished room. I can find one around here.”

They were apparently laying the groundwork for a continuing affair. Words were being spoken at the prompting of their joined bodies; they would seem less binding when lust abated. “I won’t always be able to see you when I want to,” Walter said, forcing a note of moderation.

“I know. You’re married. That’s why I thought it would be easier if I’m nearby.”

“Are you interested only in guys?”

“I’m interested only in you, Mr. Makin. At least for the time being. Don’t worry about it.”

“What’s your name?”

“Mark Travere.” He said it so that it sounded like “Travery.” He spelled it out.

“That’s good. I’ve never heard a name like it. I’ve never seen a guy like you. How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven. You?”

“Two years older.”

“I thought you must be, but you don’t look it. The Boy Wonder.” He laughed softly. “You’re the sexiest-looking kid I’ve ever seen. You look like a kid.”

“You have a certain modicum of sex appeal yourself.”

“Does this happen to you often? I mean, the boys? It’s none of my business, but I can’t help wondering.”

Walter’s first impulse was to resent the question–everybody knew that Walter Makin was straight–but he realized that he’d given him the right to ask. “No, only a few times in my life. I think this is the first time I’d have made a pass at a guy even at the risk of getting socked.”

Mark laughed again. “That may be the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”

Walter hugged him and kissed the corner of his mouth. “We better get going. I must be squashing you.”

“You are. I like it. It’s hard to believe I’m being squashed by Walter Makin.”

“Maybe you’ll learn to love me for myself.”

“I may, but you’re awfully damn glamorous, even on a bathroom floor.”

“I’m sorry about that. It just happened.”

“I’ll say. There was a modicum of urgency about it.”

They laughed together. Walter felt power accumulating in him again. In a few moments, he would be able to repeat the performance. The superb body beneath him communicated desire. Muscles moved insinuatingly. Walter remembered his promise to join Clara by 1 o’clock and withdrew from him carefully, reluctantly. He sprang up and crossed quickly to the shower. As he turned on the tap, he waited to feel the distaste he remembered at having to wash away the traces of his pleasure. He felt only that he wanted a shower. He didn’t expect to be overcome by guilt, but he was surprised that none of the brakes seemed to be functioning. Until now the memory of Frank Farley had been sufficient to restrain him when he’d been tempted. That specter remained close to the surface of his consciousness, but he supposed enough time had passed for it to have lost its immediacy. Perhaps, like Aleck, he was taking a delayed revenge on Clara, revenge for the abortion, revenge for the loss of David. He knew that their sterile coupling had slowly changed his attitude toward his few adventures with boys. The body in his bed might just as well have been male for all practical purposes. The enormous danger remained, but he wasn’t frightened of it in this case. He thought of Mark’s smile and felt completely safe. What had just taken place had crackled with the excitement of rejuvenation. He hadn’t been so deeply aroused in years.

As soon as he had soaped himself, he called to him. “Do you want a shower? Come on in.” He was transfixed as Mark appeared around the curtain. He saw him for the first time with the eyes of a lover. He was above all astonished, astonished at having wanted the beautiful body, astonished at being allowed to have it. Now that he knew Mark physically, he was captivated by his head. He wanted to know what went on behind the gravity of the strong, well-balanced features. He put his hand on his neck and looked into the dark, reassuring eyes and pulled him closer and held their heads together. His cock stirred with unabated desire.

“God, Mark. You’re something.” He drew his head back and opened Mark’s mouth with his tongue and ran it over his teeth. He spoke with their lips lightly touching. “I want it all over again. Please don’t let me. I’m hideously late already.” He glanced down and saw that they were similarly affected. He reached down and held heavy flesh. It filled his hand. He smiled. “It’s good to know we still want each other.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. You don’t have to touch me there if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to. It’s fantastic, like all of you. It takes a bit of getting used to, though.”

“I don’t know if you’re interested, but that was the first time it’s happened to me like that.”

“The first time? You mean–”

“I’ve never been had like that before. I’ve thought about it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted it. When I noticed the way you were looking at me, I thought,
If that’s what he wants, I’m all for it.
Of course, I didn’t know about this.” He ran his fingers along Walter’s sex and closed his hand on it. “I admit, I was scared when I saw it.”

“Was it all right? I didn’t hurt you?”

Mark’s sweet smile spread across his face. “Agony. Don’t be silly. It hurt at first, probably because I didn’t know what to expect. Then it was sublime. You know that. When you came in me, I felt as if my life was just beginning. And a lot of other things I’d better not go into now.”

“No. Please help me go. I’ve really got to.” He turned on the cold tap, but they continued to hold each other, which counteracted any calming effect the water might have had. They were both erect when they emerged from the shower. Walter pulled a towel off the rack. “Do you mind if we share? Clara would notice if–”

“Sure. I wiped up the floor where I splashed.”

“Thanks.” They stood close together and used opposite ends of the towel to dry themselves. “Did you mean it about moving?”

“Of course. If you’d like me to.”

“I want you to, but we’re going to have to be careful until … well, until we figure a few things out.”

“I understand. Even if you weren’t married, I should think being Walter Makin would make for difficulties.”

“Mostly it takes a lot of time. How soon do you think you can find something?”

“I’ll look around today. I want to find something decent so you’ll like dropping in. That’s the idea, isn’t it? You’ll come to see me?”

“Yes. God knows how or when. At least my wife and I are independent during the day. Are you very busy?”

“I average about four jobs a day. That leaves plenty of spare time.”

“You must make good money.”

“Not bad.”

“So how soon do you think we’ll be neighbors?”

“Tomorrow, maybe. Or the next day.”

“Oh, good.” He didn’t want too much time to think it over, or he’d talk himself out of it. “I was afraid you were going to say a week or two.” The towel seemed to draw them together so that within moments they were in each other’s arms.

“I promised to help you get out,” Mark said. “This isn’t a very good beginning.”

“You can’t help the way you look. You feel so wonderful too. I do have to go, damn it.” He ran his hands slowly over the hard chest and abdomen and, with less reluctance now, down to the thick, rigid sex. “God, what a handful.”

Mark reached for Walter’s. “I’m afraid we’re built so differently. Mutt and Jeff. It makes us go together somehow. It’ll be interesting to see how we get these things into our pants.”

“Jesus. It’s too good to do it on the floor again, and we can’t use the bed. Nothing in the world would stop me otherwise. Hurry and find that room.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

Walter put his arm around him and led him into the bedroom. He touched his hair. He ran the back of his hand over his cheeks. He put it flat on his chest, savoring the fathomless thrill of possession and intimacy. “I want time with you. It’s a problem. Things seem to be happening that I’d like to find out more about.”

“I’m glad you think so too. There won’t be any difficulties as far as I’m concerned. It’s been quite a modeling session. Did you know right away how much I wanted you?”

“No, I wouldn’t have dared make a pass at you. There’s nothing about you that … well, you know. Thank God you got tangled up in that cloak.”

“I was horrified. What if Herbie had seen? You didn’t guess I was queer?”

“No.”

“I’m glad. I suppose everybody tells you you’ve got one of the most sensational bodies in town.”

“Not many people have had the opportunity to.”

“That’s right. I keep forgetting I’m not just one in a long series. Why has it happened with me, Walter?”

“I thought you’d never call me by my name.” Walter ran his hands lightly over his shoulders and down his arms to his hands and lifted them so that he could study them. He kissed one and then the other. “Beautiful. I think I fell for you when I saw your hands. Do you know the
Apollo
at Olympia?”

“Is that the one called the
Apollo Belvedere
?”

“No, that’s the pretty one. The one at Olympia isn’t pretty at all. Very handsome, very much a god, superb. You look like him.”

Something happened in Mark’s face. His mouth and jaw tightened. The intensity of his eyes sharpened. “I should’ve known Walter Makin would provide some dramatic surprises.”

Walter unfolded their hands so that they stood palm to palm, sex lifted to sex, touching. “What about me? Am I one in a long series?”

“Well, sure, in a sense. I’ve been going to bed with guys for the last six or seven years, preferably a new one every night. There’s no point in denying it.”

“Does that mean I’ve got to fight off the competition?”

“There’s no competition, Walter, not for the moment. I’ve made that clear. You don’t want me to say any more, do you?”

“No.” He spread their arms and stepped closer and released his hands. They wrapped their arms around each other and leaned their foreheads together, holding each other lightly so that their bodies were free to move against each other. “It’s ridiculous to get dressed when we feel like this, but we’ve got to. If it can’t go on all day, we might as well stop. Oh, God, Mark, you feel so divine.”