Author's note - Posted after several kicks up the arse from various people. As always, reviews happily and gratefully received.

All the best,

~Swordy x

 

 

Young Dogs

 

Chapter 9 - Look Ahead, Not Behind

 

The teacher's voice had long since ceased to command his attention. He continued to make the pretence of listening, but in reality his mind was playing over the three weeks since he had first slept with Derek. They'd met up five times since, sometimes to socialise together, but always to fuck. After their first time together, he had returned to The Sugarcube, full of questions for Alex. Amused by his companion's enthusiastic retelling of that fateful evening, Alex had, over a few beers back at his apartment after the club had closed for the night, helped Dee understand the workings of the body. He talked of stimulating the prostate, leading Dee to the conclusion that he had done just that when Derek had cried out and wanted to know what exactly Dee had done that had felt so good.

 

“Mr Laytner, would you be so good as to read the next passage to us?”

 

Startled, Dee glanced down at his book, realising he had no idea where they were up to. He was saved at the last moment by his neighbour, Shelley, who pointed out the appropriate passage while smiling coquettishly in the hope that her support would curry favour with him. He completed the task required of him, then returned to his thoughts when another student was instructed to take over.

 

Alex's teachings had made him eager to try again. Derek had been more than happy to oblige, especially when he explained he wanted to try and give him the mother of all orgasms by finding the elusive male G-spot.

 

Then there had been Rob.

 

And the guy he'd met at a party at Alex's place. Glen… or was it Glynn?

 

The last few weeks had been reduced to a hedonistic blur of testosterone-fuelled encounters. There had been other offers too, but Dee had politely turned them down - one guy was too old; the other insisted that he hated using condoms. Several other men had approached him, but he knew from Alex that, like him, they only wanted to top, and so he'd rejected them too.

 

Alex had tried to talk him out of some of the encounters and then, when sensing his concerns were falling on deaf ears, had settled for reiterating his advice about safe sex. On that front, Dee had been a model pupil.

 

With classes over for a two week vacation, Dee returned to the orphanage to complete the list of chores Penguin had given him. She had expressed happiness at his change in mood over the last few weeks, although typically had not pried about what had brought about the change. He couldn't help but think life was starting to look pretty damn good. Now almost a permanent fixture at The Sugarcube, Alex had allowed him to earn a little extra cash there, helping out around the place before it opened and it was there he headed to once Penguin was satisfied that he had completed all the jobs she had given him.

 

He walked with a spring in his step, after successfully convincing a curious Tommy that he wasn't going anywhere interesting. Occasionally he felt a pang of regret that his new life and his old life had to be two separate entities and that ultimately giving attention to the former meant sacrificing time for the latter, but he quelled such discomfort by telling himself that his friends had brought it on themselves. They were the ones that had made him feel like he couldn't tell them. They wouldn't understand, and he hated the thought that they would think less of him, or worse, hate him as a result.

 

A couple of times he'd thought his friends suspected something. On those occasions, when his stomach had done that weird thing that often accompanied sudden worry he would find himself wishing that his life hadn't changed. But it had, and he now knew that any return to that old life would be a lie.

 

At the back entrance to The Sugarcube Dee ran into Jay. Of all the staff at the club, Jay was the one who seemed most aggrieved by his presence. Only a few years older than Dee himself, the barman had taken exception to the fact that Alex and the other members of staff had taken him under their wings so enthusiastically. Personally, he couldn't see the attraction.

 

“Hey.” He greeted Dee without looking up from the empty crates he was stacking.

 

“Hey. Is Alex around?”

 

Jay scowled, although he was careful to hide his irritation from the other man. He wasn't one for trouble and this guy looked liked he could handle it in spades. “No, he's not. But he left some jobs he wants you to do.”

 

“Cool. You want a hand with those?”

 

Jay faltered, suddenly feeling guilty for his less than favourable thoughts about the other man. “Thanks.”

 

As Dee was about to lift the first crate, the phone began to ring inside the building. They exchanged glances, silently agreeing that the one with empty hands should go. Dee crossed the threshold, narrowly avoiding three stools stacked atop each other outside the office door.

 

“The Sugarcube. Can I help you?”

 

The caller hesitated, obviously not hearing the voice expected. “Oh, hi. Is Alex there?” The voice was male with a deep timbre.

 

“Uh, no. He's out. Can I take a message?”

 

Hesitation again. Just as Dee was about to ask again, the caller said, “Tell Alex it's Simon.” He proceeded to give Dee a cell phone number before hanging up. The young man pondered the call for a moment, trying to make sense of the gaps between the caller's words. Giving up, he pocketed the scrap of paper he'd written on and returned to helping Jay outside.

 

“Who was it?” Jay asked as he handed him a crate full of bottled beer.

 

“Dunno. Some guy called Simon.”

 

He saw Jay still but the other man said nothing. They carried on stocking up for the evening then Jay ran out to get them some takeout. The other bar staff arrived while they were eating, and then it was time to open up. Dee stayed in the backroom, as per Alex's wishes. Although he was now known in the club as a regular, Alex didn't want it to be common knowledge that he was working there, given that he was underage and his fake ID was unlikely to cut it with the authorities. Dee didn't mind - he'd done under the table work before, and at places nowhere near as fun as this. Tonight he didn't intend to stay but before he knew it, the club was emptying and he went out front to help clean up.

 

As he swiped a cloth across the drink-stained tables he realised he hadn't told Alex about his phone call earlier that day. The man in question was currently restocking the bottled beers, his head inside one of the refrigerated cabinets behind the bar.

 

“Hey, Alex.”

 

“Uh huh?”

 

Dee wandered around the bar. “There was a phone call for you today. Guy called Simon?”

 

If he'd been looking away, he wouldn't have seen Jay flinch. But he saw it, milliseconds before Alex withdrew his head from the cabinet sharply, banging his head on the shelf, making the bottles he'd just stacked there rattle violently. If the boss was trying to look nonchalant he'd failed miserably.

 

“Oh yeah?” he said, rubbing his head gingerly.

 

Dee could feel all eyes upon him and he fidgeted self-consciously. “Yeah. He just left his number and asked you to call him.” He produced the scrap of paper from his pocket and shuffled forward to hand it to the boss. The others were spurred to life by the movement and suddenly pretended not to be watching the exchange.

 

“Thanks,” Alex replied, stuffing the paper into his pocket and stalking into the back office. Dee caught Jay's eye briefly before the young man resumed his duties, making it explicitly clear that he wasn't about to shed any light on what had just transpired.

 

He realised Jay had looked uncomfortable when he'd mentioned Simon's name earlier on and it angered him to know that a heads up might have prevented Alex's obvious discomfort, especially in front of his staff. He kept quiet and said his farewells to the guys but didn't head back to the orphanage straight away. Most of the staff left with him, until only Alex and Jay remained.

 

Ten minutes passed until he heard the engine of Alex's car splutter to life. The manager occasionally brought his battered Toyota when he had things to bring from home and Dee had spotted it out back as he was leaving. He ducked out of view until it passed. For a brief moment he thought his wait might have been for nothing if Alex had given Jay a ride home, but he was reassured by the sound of footsteps coming towards him.

 

“Okay, so what in the hell was that all about?” Dee demanded.

 

“Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me!” Jay gasped as the other young man emerged from the shadows in the alleyway that led from the back entrance of the club to stand in his path. His glare was barely discernable in the darkness. “Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack?”

 

Dee glowered in return as he shook a cigarette out of the carton he was holding and then handed it to Jay who took one too. They lit their cigarettes and started to walk together, silence prevailing for a full minute until Dee spoke.

 

“Back then, Alex went weird and you know it. I saw everyone's faces, including yours.” He glanced over at Jay, whose expression revealed nothing. “So who's Simon?”

 

His companion was silent for a moment, as if he was weighing up whether to share what he knew. Just as Dee thought he would have to apply a little pressure, Jay let out a sigh, simultaneously blowing out a long stream of smoke.

 

“Simon is Alex's partner.”

 

“Is?”

 

“Is, was, I don't really know. Put it like this, it's not really something you want to ask Alex about.”

 

“Why?”

 

Jay made a face. “Don't be dense, Dee. You saw how he reacted and you only mentioned his name.”

 

“So you don't know then?”

 

The response made Jay laugh. He shook his head, suddenly seeing the youth in a different light. “You're not as stupid as you look.”

 

Dee grinned. “That's a step up from you then.” Silence descended again, this time companionable rather than hostile. The streets were quiet, the sudden cold keeping people indoors. The people they did pass paid them no heed.

 

“You're right that I don't know the ins and outs of it, but Simon's been enough of a sore point for Alex that you learn not to mention him.”

 

“Have you met him?”

 

“Once.” Jay shrugged. “He seemed a nice enough guy to me, but I guess you should never judge a book an' all that...”

 

Dee studied his companion with a smile, his previous annoyance long since dissipated. “I guess not.”

 

Jay made a face, feigning annoyance although his eyes mirrored Dee's smile. “Alex thinks a lot of you, you know.”

 

“Thanks. He's a cool guy and he says good things about you too.”

 

Jay nodded. “He's a good boss.” They reached the street where they would part company. “Look, Dee. If you wanna ask him about Simon go ahead. I get the feeling he might talk to you.” He smirked. “Dunno why.”

 

Dee grinned. “Fuck you.”

 

Jay didn't respond and for a moment a silence developed that neither knew how to break. Somewhat awkwardly, they said their goodbyes and separated. Dee lit himself another cigarette while pondering what had just transpired. Jay's normally acerbic manner had previously prevented Dee from realising that the other man wasn't all that bad - and if he wasn't mistaken he'd recognised the stirrings of attraction within himself as they'd talked - which would undoubtedly be met by snorts of derision from the barman should he ever say anything. The dark sky started to spill droplets of rain that quickly grew into an all-out downpour. Dee cursed and pulled up the collar of his jacket, knowing there was little he could do but accept that he was going to get very, very wet.

 

“Dee.”

 

The voice behind him called him back. He squinted through the rain to see Jay approaching, his expression once again unreadable.

 

“Jay? What's up?”

 

The other man said nothing as he blinked against the water running down his face. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them and before Dee could speak or act, Jay had captured his lips and was kissing him soundly, his hands gripping the front of the teenager's sodden jacket. For a brief second Dee was too stunned to react, but hormones didn't leave him floundering for long. He responded in kind until Jay pulled back with a wry smile.

 

“Sorry. Just wanted to do that.”

 

Dee had about a million questions, but asked none of them, instead settling for: “Well, fuck.”

 

“Which means?”

 

Dee grinned. “It means that was totally unexpected…”

 

“But?”

 

“But nothing.” And to prove his point he kissed him back, hard.

 

Now it was Jay's turn to grin, an expression that lasted mere seconds before their lips joined once more, pressed against each other's with unabashed desire. The rain battered them but did not distract them. Their hands groped each other's clothing, pulling, frustrated that it did not melt away from mere touch alone. Their actions grew more aggressive until laughter bubbled from their lips. This was an act of madness carried out by madmen consumed by lust and the world and its dog could just go fuck itself if it didn't like it.

 

In the shadows across the street a man stopped, features pinched in recognition of one of these lunatics. He waited a moment, fearful he may have been seen, even though nothing short of World War Three could have pried the two young men off each other.

 

Lip-locked once more, Jay manoeuvred them into an alleyway, until Dee's back hit a wall. Although wiry in build and shorter than Dee, he was strong and Dee found himself excited by this sexually-charged grappling match. Hands mirrored in movement pulled at jeans, freeing matching erections. Rain provided the slickness they needed to work each others' bodies and their kisses were interspersed with grunts of pleasure. The noises quickly turned to gasps as first Jay and then Dee came. The whole performance - from conception to denouement was over in a matter of minutes.

 

Panting, Jay studied Dee as he zipped up his jeans. “See you tomorrow,” he said with a grin before turning and walking away. The rain quickly swallowed him, leaving Dee alone.

 

Furnished with a similar expression, Dee shook his head at the suddenness of the encounter before making himself presentable and heading home. The night hadn't been bad to start with but now it brimmed with new possibilities. Life - this new life he'd recently discovered - was starting to look pretty fucking good.

 

In actual fact, he had about ten minutes left to enjoy this new-found euphoria before it all came crashing down around his ears.

 

TBC…