Dating Rules And Pretty Fools Ch. 03

Hudson increased the grip on his erection until the itch went away. He had work to do; getting hard over his pretty neighbor was not part of it.

***

Otis clenched his hand into a fist over his chest. His heart was hammering. He was sweating so much that his shirt clung to his back, and his cheeks were burning in shame. What had just happened? Why? His brain struggled within the confines of his skull, searching for a way out. Was that what a real kiss felt like? And people weren't instantly dying or combusting from them? How was it possible?

Without actually doing any thinking, he began undressing, decided that he needed a cold shower. His entire body was burning. He stepped under the spray and gasped when he felt the water on his skin. The shock alone helped him focus a little. He put both hands on the wall and stayed there.

Hudson, his neighbor -- what was his last name? -- had just kissed him. Otis touched his lips briefly. There was nothing left there, but Otis couldn't shake off the overwhelming sensations washing over him, not entirely. He let his forehead rest on the cool tile wall and took deep breaths.

His very handsome, very sexy neighbor, had kissed him. Did he kiss all the men coming into his apartment? What kind of work did he do, again? Otis squeezed his eyes shut, but it wasn't helping. His imagination worked in unbecoming ways. Otis pressed between his legs; his neighbor made him have sex thoughts, strange thoughts that involved him spread naked on the man's sofa, wearing nothing except for maybe one of those leashes on the wall. Hudson would bring a hand to caress his back slowly until he reached lower.

That was just as far as he could go. Otis was only dimly aware of his breathing growing ragged, harsher, as the tension in his body gave in. The cold water carried everything away, even the signs of that shameful release. He shuddered, his eyes still close. Hudson should never know that he had been thinking of him like that. It was wrong; Otis knew it, and yet, he couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it. His body trembled for a while, first from the slowly fading eddies of pleasure, and then from how cold he felt.

He turned off the water and walked back into the room, using a towel to dry his hair and rub it against his skin. He needed to be careful about not catching cold, especially now that he had just gotten a promotion at work.

That had been a kiss, he thought, as he lay on the bed, his arms spread out to his sides, his eyes on the ceiling. "Grandma, someone kissed me today," he whispered, as his cheeks began to burn. Of course, he wouldn't tell her about what that kiss did to him, but he could tell her something else. "It was like nothing I've ever felt in my life. It was amazing."

***

Finding The Bouncing Bunny hadn't been an easy feat. The place wasn't listed anywhere, Internet research hadn't produced much, and if those weren't signs that something was very wrong about the place, Hudson didn't know what else it could be. However, his street smarts didn't let him down. He knew how he looked, with his tattoos and rough appearance. He had led a different kind of life before becoming a detective, running wild, doing whatever he believed would make him feel free until, quite soon, he had come to the realization that so-called freedom was overrated.

Asking here and there as he walked through rundown neighborhoods finally brought him to the front of what looked like a door leading into a cave. It was quite apropos; shady dealings weren't meant for sunlight. He entered without being challenged by anyone, but once he was inside a heavyset man on the north side of two hundred and fifty pounds put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, pal."

Hudson took in the long stage that was probably meant for some type of striptease entertainment. There was no one dancing in skimpy clothes on the elevated dais at the moment. There were very few clients, too, and they were all nursing drinks.

He waited for a moment to reply to the brute palming his shoulder just enough to prove that he was someone people didn't usually mess with. "Hi," he said and turned his head to face the man. "I've heard good things about this place," he added. "Although it looks kind of empty."

"You here for boys?" the brute asked.

Straight to the point. Hudson nodded.

"They don't happen until later. Go to the bar. Drink."

What a pleasant welcome, Hudson thought dryly and obeyed. This kind of place was probably concealing its usual source of income by providing outrageously expensive drinks to the patrons. He took a place at one of the tables around the stage and waited as his eyes began scanning his surroundings.

***

A couple of hours later, and what would count as an enormous expense as far as drinks went -- Hudson had chosen the path of moderation while trying not to come across as frugal -- the show started rolling in front of his eyes. The boys, because they could hardly be called men, presented themselves with languid moves that appeared to whet the appetite of those watching at a snail's pace. Hudson pondered. He had gotten into the place without any problem. That meant that the owners who ran the club weren't worried about the police. It also meant that, most probably, they had some solid fake ID business helping them, to prove that their employees were of legal age. That was one theory. Hudson was all the more intrigued.

"Hey, family man," someone called for him. Jasper stretched on his belly and came level with Hudson's eyes. "I thought you were too good for the likes of me."

Hudson smiled and waved a bill in front of the young man, watching how his eyes followed it avidly. "I thought I'd try it out. Say, what's the usual MO around here? Who do I ask for a special lap dance or something?"

Jasper pouted but grabbed the bill from Hudson's hand, putting it carefully into his skimpy underwear. "You could have had me for free. Don't tell me you want to pay now."

"Maybe I'm here for the atmosphere," Hudson joked. "How about you and a friend? How does that sound?"

Jasper turned his head, and it took Hudson only a moment to realize that he was searching for someone with his eyes. "I'll go ask and arrange something," he said, all business-like. And then, as if he had just remembered that he was supposed to be in this for pleasure, too, he offered Hudson the same toothy grin as before. Just like then, it was lackluster, and only a sign that something important had been lost some time ago.

The brute from before came to escort him down a long hallway, his attitude somewhat deferential now that Hudson was a paying customer. "Do you like'em young?" he joked and neighed like a horse.

"The younger, the better," Hudson said with a shrug.

"We got all kinds here," the brute said and opened the door to a red room, in which a round bed was placed in the middle with a couple of chairs around it. Despite the shocking crimson color, upon a closer inspection, the appointments appeared cheap as if they had been shopped for at a discount store for used things.

Hudson made a show of trying the bed springs and nodded as if he was satisfied with it. He had his back to the brute and wasn't in the least surprised when the man grabbed his arms and began searching his pockets. "Hey, man, what the hell?" he protested for show.

"A photographer? Like for newspapers and shit?" the brute asked.

"No. I'm an artist," Hudson said with self-importance. "Erotic photography."

"Is anyone paying for it?"

"Yes."

"So, you here to take photos of them boys?"

"Yes. I will pay."

"You be damn sure you pay," the brute said and pushed him away. Then, he pushed the stolen card into Hudson's chest. "But no funny business. No newspapers and shit. We don't need that kind around."

"I'm not a reporter." He was someone much worse than that for the kind of business they ran at The Bouncing Bunny. But he wasn't keen on volunteering that information.

The brute seemed convinced. "Well, enjoy yourself, photographer. No funny business," he repeated and wagged his finger at Hudson.

Hudson put his hands up and offered a grin full of teeth. "No funny business," he promised.

TBC