Chase of a Lifetime (4 page)

“I’m sorry, Jim,” Len said. “I just hate
being alone in an empty house. I’ve hated it since I was a child. Can’t you
just wait until my wife gets home?”

“When is that?” Jim was getting anxious.
This was getting creepier by the moment and he had a sinking feeling in his
stomach. And this business about Len being afraid to be alone didn’t sound
real. Len Mayfield didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

“Who knows?” Len said, as he covered the
martini shaker and lifted it over his shoulder to shake it. “When she’s out
with her tennis instructor this late at night on a Saturday she sometimes stays
out all night.”

“Well I certainly can’t spend the night
here, Mr. Mayfield.” He wouldn’t even know how to explain that to his parents.
He’d never been out all night before, not even in college.

Len filled two martini glasses and walked
back to where Jim was standing. His shirt had opened wider and most of his
torso was exposed.
 
Jim said, “No,” to
the martini, but Len handed him the drink anyway, and then walked over to a
bookshelf beside a huge flat screen television.

As Len lit up another cigarette, Jim sighed
and said, “Are you always this terrified to be alone? Seriously, Mr. Mayfield.
I’m starting to think you’re kidding around with me.”

Len took a long drag and said, “I’m kind of
quirky. We all have our quirks, Jim. I’m sure you have your quirks, too.” Then
he winked and said, “I’ll bet I can think of at least one thing you’re
terrified of.”

Jim let that remark go; he wasn’t sure what
Len was talking about. When Jim sat down on a black leather chair next to a
marble fireplace, Len turned to the bookcase next to the TV and pulled out a
pile of magazines. He sifted through them for a moment and picked one magazine
out of the pile. He opened it up without having to search long and set the
magazine down on a glass table next to Jim’s chair. When Jim glanced down at
the magazine, he pressed his palm to his chest and gasped out loud.

“
Mr. Mayfield
,” Jim said. It was an
old copy of a Playgirl magazine. Len had opened it to the infamous nude
centerfold he’d done when he was in college. He could have been Cain’s
identical twin brother back then. They had the same slightly hairy legs and
large round biceps. Len must have been about Jim’s age when he posed for the
photo. He was stretched out on black sheets, stark naked, holding an erection
in his fist that was so large there had to be four inches sticking out of the
top of his fist.

Len ignored Jim’s reaction. He took a long
drag and asked, “I’m curious, Jim. What’s your impression of me? What do you
see when you look at me?” He opened his shirt all the way and pulled it out of
his pants.

Jim glanced at the large chest muscles and
the ripples on his abdomen. This was the kind of body Jim had always wished he
had. He looked down at the naked photo and took a deep breath. “I don’t
understand, Mr. Mayfield.” Aside from a few wrinkles that only gave him more
character now, Len looked almost exactly as he did when he’d posed nude in
college.

“I want to know what you see when you look
at me.”

Jim shrugged. He took a large gulp of martini
and said, “You’re a cool dad.”

“Would you be surprised if I told you my
wife and I haven’t had sex in more than ten years? I know she’s been seeing the
tennis instructor and I turn my head the other way.”

Jim gulped his martini that time. “I think
that’s too much information, Mr. Mayfield. You’re my best friend’s dad. I’m not
sure I should be privy to that kind of personal information.” The martini was
kicking in and he tried hard not to stare at Len’s naked torso. He tried even
harder not to gape at the bulge between his legs. Len had hiked up his tight
stucco chinos and his dick was pointing to the right. If Jim looked close
enough he could see the outline of the head.

Len spread his legs wider and leaned back.
“Did you know my wife is having an affair with her tennis instructor? Would you
have guessed that I can fully understand why my wife finds her tennis
instructor so appealing? I can’t blame her at all. You should see what he looks
like in those tight white tennis shorts. He’s got an ass you could bury your
face in for a week without coming up for air.” He laughed. “Of course he
doesn’t have a brain in his head, which is a shame. He’s not smart
and
adorable like you, Jim.”

Jim’s chest tightened and he heard his heart
beating in his ears. He stood up fast and said, “I think it’s time for me to
leave, Mr. Mayfield. You’re starting to really freak me out now.” Though he
wasn’t completely certain, he had a feeling Len Mayfield, his best friend’s
father, was trying to seduce him. Or worse, maybe he was trying to find out if Jim
was gay so he could make fun of him.

“We have the entire house to ourselves, Jim.
It’s just you and me, two grown men, consenting legal adults who find each
other attractive.”

Jim felt his face flush; he did find Len
Mayfield attractive. He started to perspire at his temples. “Ah well, Mr.
Mayfield. I think I know what you’re doing. This is wrong. You’ve been friends
with my parents for years. We can’t do something like that. You’re a married
man. I’m best friends with your son. My God, we went to baseball bible camp
together.” Len felt like running out the door with his arms in the air. Of all
the things he could have predicted that night, he never thought his best
friend’s dad would do something like this.

Len rubbed his crotch and laughed. “I’m not
sure I know what you’re talking about, Jim.”

“Oh, you know,” Jim said. “I’m not an idiot.
Please stop playing with me. I might not be the most experienced guy in the
world. But I think I know what you’re doing right now.”

Len shrugged. “I’m lost. You’re not making
sense anymore.” Then he unbuckled his belt and opened his pants until his pubic
hair was exposed. He couldn’t stop laughing; he seemed amused at Jim’s
reaction.

When Jim saw that Len’s penis was almost fully
erect and ready to tent out of his slacks, he looked up at the ceiling and
said, “Give me a break, Mr. Mayfield. You know what you’re doing and I’ve never
been so embarrassed in my life. You tell me all kinds of things. You’re all
like, ‘My wife is having an affair with the tennis instructor.’ And then you’re
all like, ‘I think the tennis instructor is a hot guy.’ I think you’re trying
to get into my pants, Mr. Mayfield. And I have to tell you that I’m stunned,
simply stunned.”

“Would that offend you?” Len asked. “Would
you be disgusted if I were trying to get into your pants? Do you find the
thought of making love to me that repulsive?”

“Well, I’m not offended,” Jim said. “I’d be
shocked. You’ve known me since I was a child.”

“Would it make a difference if we’d just met
for the first time?”

Jim didn’t think this time before he spoke.
“In that case, it wouldn’t make a difference. And yes, I’d find you very
attractive. But that’s not the point, Mr. Mayfield. What would Cain think? What
would my mom and dad think?”

“Such drama,” Len said. “Of course I’m not
trying to get into your pants, Jim. Would I do something like that to you?”

It dawned on Jim that he may have
overreacted. Maybe he was so confused about everything in his life he’d assumed
the worse about Len Mayfield. He lowered his voice and stared down at the
floor. “Now I feel awful. Please forgive me, Mr. Mayfield. I don’t know what I
was thinking. I’m an asshole. I really am. This is my problem in life. I never
say or do the right thing. I’m not suggesting you’re gay or anything. I’m not
admitting I’m gay or anything. Please let’s keep this between us. Please don’t
repeat this to anyone.” The thought of Len Mayfield telling Jim’s father that
Jim was gay made Jim want to vomit.

Len couldn’t stop laughing. “You’re not an
asshole. You’re adorable, Jim. I’m actually flattered that you’d be attracted
to a man my age. And, if you are gay, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with
that.”

“Ah well, I didn’t say that I was gay, Mr.
Mayfield. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not sure what I am to be honest with you. I
do think you are a very attractive man. You’re gorgeous, in fact. But I don’t
want you to get the wrong idea or anything. I’m not the kind of person who
would seduce his best friend’s dad, my God.” He moved closer to Len and said,
“Please forgive me for being such an asshole. I’m not myself right now. I
didn’t mean to insult you.”

Jim would have babbled on all night if Len
hadn’t said, “Have you ever seen the photo wall in Cain’s bedroom?”

The last time Jim had been in Cain’s bedroom
was back when they were both in high school. He remembered how it smelled like
Cain, a combination of soap and sweaty young man. “No. I’ve never seen the
photo wall.”

“Then you’re in for a treat. My wife filled
an entire wall in Cain’s bedroom with photos of him. There are photos of Cain
playing football, photos of Cain on the beach, and photos of him during college
debates.” He zipped up his pants; he adjusted his erection. “Follow me. I’ll
show them to you.”

Jim followed Len up to the second floor and
down the hall to the last door on the right. Jim knew this was Cain’s bedroom.
Though he hadn’t been up there in years, he and Cain had shared more than a few
sleepovers there when they were kids. The bunk beds were gone now, replaced
with a queen sized bed that had a black tufted leather headboard. The
Star
Wars
bed-in-a-bag comforter and sheet set were gone and now there was a
shiny black duvet and large square black pillows that matched the duvet.

Len gestured to the far right wall and said,
“There you go. The entire wall is devoted to Cain.” Then he crossed to the
right side of the bed toward a window that looked out over the swimming pool.

The only sound in the room was Jim’s heels
clicking against the hardwood floors. He’d worn a new pair of Italian shoes he
hadn’t broken in yet…part of his new sophisticated look. He crossed to a long
white wall and glanced up and down at photos of Cain. His entire life was up
there, from his kindergarten class photo to his college football team photo. Jim
leaned forward and rubbed his chin. He smiled at the photo of Cain in swimming
trunks. He must have been about thirteen there; he’d just started to grow hair
on his legs and every time he came close Jim got an erection. He was carrying a
surfboard and his hair was wet and messy. Even then, he looked absolutely
perfect.

When Jim spotted a photo of himself standing
with Cain next to a small dinghy, he smiled and said, “I don’t even remember
when that was taken. It must have been at summer camp I guess.” He’d spent many
a frustrated night sharing a small cabin with his old friend and a few other
guys. Cain would lie in the cot next to his, in his underwear and no cover, and
Jim would have to sleep on his stomach to conceal his erection. Sometimes he
jacked off when he knew Cain and the other guys were sleeping. Sometimes he
fell asleep with blue balls and a dick so hard he could have cracked marble
with it.

Len smiled and said, “Did anyone ever tell
you how much you look like Adam Levine, the rock star. I just saw him on TV the
other night. If your hair was darker you could be his twin brother.”

Jim frowned. “I get that a lot. Some people
even tell me I should dye my hair darker.”

“Don’t you touch a hair on your head,” Len
said. “You’re perfect just the way you are. I like the changes you’ve made,
too. The last time we met you were a messy kid in baggy pants and sweat shirts.
Now you’re a sleek grown up guy with a more sophisticated look.”

Jim gulped. He’d never learned how to take
compliments well. And that’s because he’d never had to deal with taking
compliments up until now. Most of his life he’d been plain and ordinary. It
wasn’t until recently, when it seemed as if people started to notice him and
compliment his looks. Maybe the new short haircut and contact lenses had been a
mistake. Things were easier when no one noticed him.

“Would you come over here and help me open
this window,” Len said. “It’s a little stuffy in here and I feel like getting
into bed.”

When Jim turned to face him, he saw that Len
had removed his shirt and his pants were open again and hanging so low on his
thin waist those sexy muscles near his pelvis were showing. He wondered once
again how a man in his forties could look so good; he felt another sensation
between his legs and sighed out loud. Why if Len’s pants had been a fraction of
an inch lower Jim would have seen the base of his dick. “Ah well, Mr. Mayfield.
Maybe you should sleep in your own room.”

Len shrugged; his chest muscles bounced. He
rubbed his abdomen and said, “Cain’s with some girl from Austin. And my wife
won’t be home until morning. I’d rather sleep in here. Besides, my wife and I
don’t share the same bedroom. I either sleep here or in one of the guest rooms.
Would you please come over and help me open the window.”

Jim didn’t like the sound of this. He didn’t
want to get too close to his best friend’s half naked dad in an empty house.
But he took a quick breath and walked to the other side of the room anyway. He
kept his head down and his eyes fixed on his shoes.

When he reached the window where Len was
standing, Len stepped back and set his palm on the small of Jim’s back. He gave
him a gentle shove and guided him to the window. Then he leaned into Jim’s
back, thrust his arms forward as if he were going to wrap them around Jim’s
torso, and reached for the handles on the bottom of the window. “You push the
top and I’ll pull from the bottom. This window sticks sometimes. I’ve been
meaning to get it fixed.”

Len was so close now Jim could feel his
breath brush against his neck. His deep smooth voice hummed in Jim’s left ear. Jim’s
face grew warm again and his heart began to thump. In a moment, he knew he
would perspire. He pressed the heels of his palms at the top of the window and
gave it a sturdy shove. The faster he opened the window the faster he could get
out of that house.