House-Sitting with a Homosexual Pt. 04

~~~

On the drive to the tuxedo rental store, Daniel and I attempted a conversation.

"So, how's New York?" I asked tentatively.

I didn't even really know how to talk to Daniel any more. What do you say to someone after you've been inside them? After you haven't stopped thinking about it for years? What if they desperately want to forget everything that happened?

"Crowded, busy, expensive," Daniel answered as he navigated the road with the steering wheel. I could tell he didn't drive very often these days. Not that he drove poorly, but rather that he seemed unnecessarily cautious.

"It can't be all that bad," I said as I leaned back in my seat. "So many people there and so much to do. Probably lots of guys to meet."

Daniel barked a laugh and admitted, "Yeah, I suppose there are. So how about you? All ready for your big day?"

"I suppose," I answered as I rested my head against my arms crossed be. "I should be pretty happy. Nice job, about to marry a beautiful girl, gonna buy a house soon."

"You are happy, aren't you?" Daniel asked with a critical eye.

"Of course," I said a little too quickly.

As Daniel and I drove down the main strip of our town, we discussed some of the landmarks we passed by and I pointed out different ways the city had changed since Daniel had been here last. His parents had spent last Christmas with him in New York so he hadn't been back home for nearly two years.

After a moment of quietude, I asked slyly, "So, you seeing anybody right now?"

Daniel looked a bit annoyed and said, "As a matter of fact, my boyfriend and I broke up two weeks ago after being together for over six months."

"Oh, I see," I replied. "Sorry."

Then I couldn't help myself.

"So I guess you're available then?" I inquired.

Daniel turned toward me and said firmly in a raised voice, "Don't do this, Eric. We can't. End of discussion. As far as I'm concerned there was nothing that ever happened between us so I don't want to talk about it."

I sat there stunned, shocked by the vehemence of Daniel's dismissal. I just wanted to reconnect with him after being apart for so long. I had missed him so much. I wrongfully assumed a little bit of innocent flirting wouldn't hurt anything but Daniel wasn't having any of it. I turned to look out the window and stare in silence at the city streets as they passed by. I glanced back at Daniel and saw him looking at me with sadness in his eyes. I had to admit that I truly hoped he felt shitty over how he just treated me.

"Just a few questions," I said hoarsely.

"Okay..." Daniel replied hesitantly.

"Do you still smoke?" I asked. "And if so, can I bum a cigarette and smoke it in your parent's car?"

Daniel chuckled and said, "You know me too well."

Daniel shifted in his seat so he could reach into his pants pocket and pull out a pack of cigarettes and a green lighter. He handed me the pack of Camel Lights and I brought one of the smokes to my lips before igniting the tip of the cigarette with the lighter and inhaling softly. It was the first time I'd smoked a cigarette in over two years. I handed the lighter and Camels back to Daniel and he withdrew a cigarette to smoke for himself. I rolled the windows down and let the chilly autumn air pour inside the car. The buzz from the nicotine hit me after only the second drag and for a moment everything felt perfect again.

"Sorry about before," Daniel said quietly as his cigarette dangled daintily between his fingertips resting on the steering wheel. "I still want to have a fun time with you tonight. But with the wedding and Elena... It's just for the best that we don't mention anything that's happened before. We both need to move on."

"Fair enough," I said with a light cough as I took another drag. "I'm just hoping we can still be friends because I really do enjoy your company."

"We're good," Daniel said with a cute smile on his face. "I enjoy your company too."

The awkward silence grew again as we smoked quietly and Daniel sliced through the thick tension by saying, "Hey look, we're at the rental place already."

We ditched our cigarettes as we pulled into the parking lot outside of the tuxedo store where the rest of my groomsmen were already waiting. My brothers and Devin had expressed some reservations about me inviting Daniel along since he was outside our circle of friends. I made no secret of the fact that he was gay when I informed them that there would be an addition to our party. I hoped they would be kind enough not to give Daniel or I a hard time about it. But these were my brothers after all. However, this was my bachelor's party so I was going to invite whoever I damn well pleased.

Our party entered the store and announced the name of the wedding we were renting tuxedos for. The store clerks gave us a short demonstration of all the different parts to the tuxedo and what order each piece of the attire should be assembled in. After taking quick measurements for all of us, the clerks directed us to the changing rooms so we could try on our tuxes. However there weren't enough dressing rooms for all of us to change at once. We debated who should go first.

My oldest brother Kevin commented with a shit-eating grin, "Sorry, but I ain't sharing a dressing room with Dan."

"Shut the fuck up, Kevin," I said as I punched his shoulder. "Daniel is good people."

Daniel didn't mess a beat before purring, "Don't worry Kevin, you're nowhere near good looking enough to be my type. Bryan, however..." Daniel reached over and grabbed my twin brother's shoulder, giving his arm a gentle queeze.

Bryan's face flushed red and he grabbed his tuxedo and shoes and scurried to the nearest changing room as quickly as possible. We all got a good laugh out of his embarrassment since Bryan had always been the shyest and most introverted of us siblings. I couldn't help reading something into the fact that of all those present Daniel had fixated on my identical twin. Was he subtly saying that he was still attracted to me?

Once we all tried on our tuxedos and allowed the clerks to inspect the fit and make adjustments we quickly departed so we could move on to the fun part of the evening. We took a pair of cars including Daniel's downtown where we were meeting more of my old high school friends for dinner at the best grillpub in town.

The guys all expressed surprise that Daniel ordered a huge steak at dinner like the rest of us, which only further displayed their gross ignorance. It's not like Daniel was any less masculine or manly just because he was gay. Kevin made a snide remark about how much Daniel enjoyed meat and I had to shut him down again. It was amazing that of my brothers, the oldest was the least mature by far.

Daniel knew the bartender working tonight who looked to be about the same age as us. Right after we sat down Daniel went to go speak with the barkeep. I couldn't help feeling a bit jealous since the bartender was a cute guy and the casual flirtation of Daniel's interaction with him made it plain that the two of them had some sort of history. When Daniel sat back down with us he advised that we all order Cokes for our drinks and said it with a wink. When we got our drink orders back, we discovered that the bartender had added a triple shot of Crown Royal to every drink while charging us just for the price of soda. The night was starting off perfectly.

After dinner, we started our bar crawl down the main strip of downtown. I of course would not be paying for any drinks tonight. We only stayed for one drink at each bar while slowly making our way toward some unrevealed location at the end of the strip. After we stopped for drinks twice my second oldest brother Tom diverted the group into an alleyway where he pulled a one-hitter filled with marijuana out of a pocket in his cargo pants. We each took a couple hits off it, including Daniel.

"Ah, that's good shit," Daniel said as he exhaled the acrid smoke through his nostrils. "Way better than the stuff you find in New York."

"Hey, aren't you the DD for Eric tonight?" Kevin asked Daniel as he took a puff.

Daniel held up his hand and said, "I swear to God no drop of alcohol will touch these lips. But I'll be damned if I pass up a chance to toke."

Already a well-poured Crown and Coke, two beers, and a few hits of weed in, I was feeling mighty good. God, I was already forgetting the two glasses of wine and two cocktails I drank earlier this afternoon. It wasn't even 9pm yet. My mind felt like it was floating two meters above my head and I knew I had a big stupid grin showing on my face as I walked down the sidewalk but didn't care in the slightest who saw it. We continued topping at every bar we passed by for another drink and I could already tell this night wouldn't end well but I was far too drunk and high to care at this point.

Daniel was the life of the party. While he didn't imbibe any alcohol, at every bar he was buying drinks and shots for people in our party and bumming cigarettes to anyone who asked for one. When Daniel ran out of smokes he went to the nearest convenience store across the street and bought another pack for everyone to share. It seemed there wasn't a single bar in town where Daniel didn't know some cute girls from back when he lived here and he made sure to always introduce my friends and brothers to these ladies.

Bryan and I sipped our latest beers as we played pool. This was right after shooting down shots of whiskey that Daniel had purchased for us. I had already lost count of how many bars we'd been to. Was this the fourth or fifth?

Bryan leaned over and elbowed me as he exclaimed, "Daniel is fucking awesome, bro!"

"He is, isn't he?" I said as I looked at Daniel grabbing more drinks at the bar for my brothers.

Daniel's jeans were nice and tight and I hadn't noticed until now the way his hips swayed as he walked. I gritted my teeth to help control the intense desire I felt as I watched his sexy bottom moving back and forth. It was hard to forget that that ass had once been mine to do with as I pleased. I brought my beer to my lips and used the glass to cover my blushing.

After leaving the next bar we finally reached the end of the strip where we arrived at our final destination. I lost track of how many drinks I had imbibed during the trek down here but I seemed to be keeping it together pretty well considering. I squinted as I looked at the neon sign hanging above the steel door before us. The name of this establishment read "Evening Ladies". I turned back toward the rest of my party incredulously.

"Oh no you didn't," I groaned as I slapped the palm of my hand against my forehead.

"Oh yes we fucking did," Kevin replied with a mischievous grin. "Enjoy being a bachelor for one last night and get in there."

The guys practically had to force me inside the strip club. I hadn't been in a place like this since my eighteenth birthday when Bryan and I went to a strip joint that allowed minors because they served juice instead of alcohol. We had to pay a modest charge to enter Evening Ladies which my brothers so graciously covered.

The inside of the club was fairly seedy looking with red lighting, rickety wooden walls, pictures of naked women plastered everywhere, and softcore pornography playing on a television monitor. Tall round tables surrounded the raised dance floor while leather-cushioned booths lined the perimeter of the club for those who preferred to watch the entertainment from a distance. The fully stocked bar was located near the entrance to keep any of the long lines for drinks from intruding on the area around the dance floor. It appeared there were rooms in the very back reserved for private dances as well. The club was modestly crowded with twenty or so patrons, probably average for a Thursday night.

A middle-aged blond woman with long hair who wore nothing but a cowboy hat and boots was bent over with her hands wrapped around a pole on the stage as "Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" played over the loudspeakers. I had always hated this fake country song and the music so far did not give me a favorable impression of this establishment. The cowgirl stripper shook her large, naked ass at a group of leering old men who howled and threw dollar bills at her. The dancer tipped her hat at the men closest to her and teased them by using her cowboy hat to cover her naughtiest bits as she danced for them.

My boys all chipped in to pay for my entry and then sat me down at the table closest to the stage after they were all paid up. Bryan bought a round of drinks for everyone but Daniel at the bar and carried the bottles of beer over to our table. I sipped my drink and just felt bad for the dancer who was on the wrong side of middle-aged and had rolls of fat on her tummy. She seemed to be trying too hard but the rowdy older men who crowded around her were loving it as she tickled her slit with her middle finger for their enjoyment.

"Milkshake" by Kelis began playing too loudly over the speakers and the next dancer came out greeted by flashing strobe lights and fog pouring out of a machine near the entrance from the dancer's dressing room. The new stripper got on stage and high-fived the blonde cowgirl before giving her a full-tongued kiss on the mouth. The newcomer slapped the blonde on her rear as the cowgirl walked off the stage.

The announcer's cheesy voiceover interrupted the music as it screamed over the loudspeakers, "Our next dancer is the dark, beautiful Aloe Vera! She'll soothe whatever is ailing ya! Give a round of applause for the sexy, ravishing Aloe!"

Aloe (that had to be a stage name) was a small but very pretty African-American girl with light tan skin that belied a biracial heritage. Aloe had long, curly hair that was as black as night. She couldn't have been more than a few inches over five feet tall. Aloe appeared to be a few olders than I, probably in her late twenties or maybe even her early thirties. She wore what looked like a diamond studded bra and skimpy thong which showed off her sizable bosom and the large cheeks of her ass. I had to imagine Aloe made a decent wage at this job considering she had a fantastic body. She had curves and fat in all the right places but still managed to keep a skinny waist and tummy.

Aloe danced around the stage to the beat of the music, swinging around each pole as she strutted back and forth while looking at each audience member enticingly. After surveying the room for a few moments to determine who in the audience would actually be spending money tonight she sauntered seductively over to my table.

My entourage yelled and jeered like jackasses as Aloe danced in place next to us and ran her hands over the curves of her body. Her pelvis worked back and forth as she gyrated her hips along with the beat. The Kelis song ended and was replaced by the familiar riff of "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve and Gwen Stefani. The song's heavy bass rocked the club as Aloe jerked her hips and snapped her fingers to the songs rhythm. Aloe turned around and shook her bottom back and forth as she unclasped her bra from behind. She turned and reversed position while balanced only on her toes. Aloe's hands covered her breasts at first but then they slowly peeled the front of her bra downward to unveil the lightly colored flesh of her breasts that surrounded her dark brown nipples. Aloe draped her bra over my head and swayed back over to grind her crotch against the stripper pole and show off her large ass. Not knowing what else to do with it I tossed the bra back onstage.

Aloe pulled her underwear down to her feet in a single quick motion and kicked the thong to another group of men sitting nearby. She strutted across the stage, showing off her bare buttocks and offering teasing glimpses of the secrets residing between her legs. Aloe revealed enough during her dancing for me to notice she was shaved completely bare but I couldn't see much more than that. Aloe walked in a circle around the stage, occasionally bending over or splaying out on all fours to proudly display her nakedness. When audience members held cash out to her she would stop and pull their heads to her chest, rubbing her breasts against their faces before claiming their money.

Aloe finally came back around to our end of the stage and she grinned at us before turning around and bending over. Despite her diminutive stature, Aloe had large, meaty buttocks that rippled as she shook her booty. Aloe reached behind her back and smacked herself on the ass hard enough to leave a mark before using her fingers to spread the lips of her pussy open so everyone at my table could see inside the tunnel of her vagina.

"Gross," Daniel muttered, which made the rest of us chuckle.

It was quite a lewd display and I was beginning to remember why I disliked going to these sorts of clubs. I couldn't detach from reality enough to keep myself from thinking of the dancers as real people rather than just a piece of flesh stripping for male enjoyment. I wondered whether Aloe was doing this job to pay for school or if she had children at home she was trying to support. Contemplating these possibilities made this experience far less enjoyable for me.

"I think it's time for Eric to get some titties in his face," Daniel announced as he stood up and brandished a five-dollar bill.

The rest of our party cheered as I turned red in the face. I shook my head and tried to refuse but there were too many punches on my arm and shouts of encouragement to dissuade the pressure from my peers. Daniel handed Aloe the money and spoke softly to her, indicating with a nod of his head that I should be the recipient of her offering. Aloe reached down and took me by the hands to pull me to my feet. She smiled at me warmly and her look indicated she could tell I was uncomfortable and that she would try and make me feel the best I could about this situation.

"Enjoy this, sugar," said Aloe with a sultry tone. "From what your friend tells me you ain't gonna feel more than one other pairs of these ever again."

I shrugged and grinned awkwardly as she tousled my hair and pulled my head to her chest. The skin of her bosom felt soft and smooth and had been scented with lotion that had a hint of vanilla in it.

"You smell nice," I said awkwardly, not really knowing what else to say to a woman when my face was smashed between her breasts.

"Thank you!" Aloe said cheerily as she cradled my head to her bosom and shimmied against my face.

Aloe's soft nipples poked me in the face as her breasts glided back and forth. Her large chest enveloped me and I found myself sinking between her mounds and losing breath as I was smothered. I idly hoped that my beard didn't feel too scratchy against her chest. As soon as I began wondering how long this would last, Aloe pulled my head from her bosom and allowed me to gasp for air.

When it was over, Aloe relinquished her hold upon my scalp and winked at me as she blew me a kiss. The rest of my party clapped me on the back and laughed as I sat back in my seat with a flushed face. Even Daniel was grinning at my discomfort.

Feeling a thirst for revenge, I stood back up and pulled a ten note out of my wallet. I held it out to Aloe and told her this one was for Daniel.

"Oh no no no no," Daniel said as he shook his head and waved his arms back and forth. "No no no no no no."

But we were already pushing Daniel up to the stage into Aloe's inviting arms. Aloe pulled Daniel to her chest and squeezed his head against her breasts. Since he was already trapped, Daniel decided to just go with it. He growled like a tiger and began motorboating Aloe's breasts, shaking them against his face absurdly. Aloe threw her head back and cackled gleefully before letting Daniel go.

Daniel fell back into his seat, breathing heavily as he laughed uncontrollably and said, "Guess there's a first time for everything. Well played, Eric."