Jack and Ethan brought EJ and Jackie Chris to Connor and Jamel’s first annual Fourth of July barbecue at their home in West Warwick. They planned to make it a tradition for their friends and family members to enjoy every year. Afia and her husband Tyrell brought Afia’s niece Imani with them, who is the same age as EJ, and they instantly gravitated toward each other as they have done in the past.
Mina and June came and took JC from them and said, “Go play with your friends and not be parents.”
Connor walked over to them holding his nephew’s hand. Ethan narrowed his eyes at Connor who smirked at him as they came over. He said, “Go on, Freddie. Ask Mr. Ethan.”
Freddie said in a low voice but looking Ethan in the eyes, “Mr. Ethan, is it ok if I play with EJ?”
Ethan glared at Connor who was still smiling. He said, “So Freddie and I had a talk about families and how some families are different than others. Where he has a mom and a dad, some families like EJ’s have two dads and some families like Jamel’s niece Kimberly have two moms. But just because families look different, it does not make them worse or better. Just different. I told him just because his father has a problem with it does not mean he has to too. And Freddie said he’s cool with EJ having two dads.”
“I really am! Honest!” Freddie said earnestly.
Ethan and Jack looked at each other. Jack turned to Freddie and said, “Go play with EJ, little bud. It’s fine.”
“Yay, thank you, Uncle Jack!” Freddie yelled and ran to catch up to EJ and Imani in the backyard with the other kids their age there.
Ethan looked at Jack. “Why the fuck am I Mr. Ethan but you’re Uncle Jack to all the kids?”
Jack laughed. “Sometimes you have this old man vibe to you. Maybe roll around with them on the floor more.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. He looked at Connor and started, “Connor-”
But Connor interjected, “Ethan, a lot has changed in these last few weeks for my family. But the most important thing you need to know is, I will not let Freddie become his father. That kid loves me and looks up to me. I’m always going to be in his life as his gay uncle and so is Jamel, his gay, black other uncle.
“So even though his father is a prejudice asshole and his mother is an enabling bitch, he has a good heart and strong willed, just like I was at that age. If I survived my father and came out accepting of others, he will too.”
“But what is Matty going to say when they start hanging out?” Ethan asked. “Even if I allow it, he won’t.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of that. EJ is one of his best friends. They’ve been together since diapers at Just In Time. And they’re going to be in the same first grade class in the fall too. The kid got a spanking for yelling at his dad when he was told he couldn’t be friends with EJ anymore, basically telling his dad to fuck off in that way kids do. That’s how much he’s missed EJ, he took an ass whipping.
“He’s never going to turn his back on his best friend. Just like my best friend never turned his back on me, despite who my father is. He’s six, Ethan. Don’t punish the kids for the sins of their fathers. And grandfathers.”
Ethan rolled his eyes and sighed. “You better stay in that kid’s life forever, Connor,” he told him. “I will hold you personally responsible if one homophobic or racist remark comes out of that kid’s mouth.”
Connor smiled. “I will. And more importantly, I promise to always have a good influence on him. Jamel and I both will. I’ve cut my father and brother off and Matty is never allowed in my house. But Freddie and my nieces are here with my mom and my sisters, both are cool with who I am and who I love and they will bring them by. So we all will be a good influence on him.”
Ethan nodded. Connor reached out for a hug and Ethan gave him one. Jack smiled and joined in the hug. As Connor walked away Jack wrapped one arm around Ethan’s waist. “You’re doing great, Dad. EJ will be fine and so will Freddie.”
Ethan was quiet for a moment watching Connor, then said, “I never really noticed but he really does have a great ass.”
Jack’s mouth dropped and he shoved Ethan hard who laughed out loud. “Fucking asshole,” Jack growled at him feigning anger.
Ethan laughed and wrapped both arms around Jack. “C’mon, you know you got the best ass in all of Rhode Island.” He kissed his face a few times and palmed his bottom until Jack relented and kissed him back.
Ethan said in his ear, “I want you. Now.”
Jack laughed. “Yea? How is that going to happen? You gonna take me home now? Or you gonna bend me over somewhere here?”
“No. I want to bend you over a few somewheres.” Ethan kissed his ear, talking into it. “The bathroom. The laundry room. Connor’s bed.” Jack laughed out loud. Ethan continued kissing his neck. “The garage. The upstairs hallway. The office.”
Jack laughed again. “I’m not going to say no if you’re leading.”
Ethan looked up at the crowd in the backyard, both of his children occupied and the music playing loudly. He took Jack’s hand and led him through the house that they have visited many times hanging out with Connor and Jamel. They went upstairs to the main part of the house which was off limits to their guests today.
They started in the laundry room. Ethan sat Jack on the washing machine and turned it on. Jack watched him as he opened up Jack’s jeans and pull out his cock which was quickly becoming hard in his hands as he stroked it. Ethan wrapped his lips around Jack’s dick and deep throated him repeatedly until he was ready to cum, then stroked him with his slit pointed to his tongue and Jack watched his Irish cream fill Ethan’s mouth. Ethan stood up to kiss him and they played with his cream together. They left their shoes and socks there.
They moved to the living room, but Jack stopped by the kitchen to grab the olive oil first. Ethan made him kneel on the couch and took Jack from behind right on Connor’s pewter blue loveseat, hard and fast. They moaned loudly with the music downstairs drowning out their sounds until Ethan came, thankfully just short of Jack cumming again to avoid jizzing all over their friends’ couch. They left their pants and underwear there.
They moved upstairs to the hallway and took off their shirts. They sat facing each other naked, legs over one another and kissed and stroked the other until their erections were hard again. Ethan considered Connor and Jamel’s bed but Jack opted not to, not really wanting to have sex there just in case they didn’t change the sheets.
Jack led Ethan to the second bedroom and told him to sit on the dresser with his knees up and cheeks hanging off, and proceeded to get on his knees and lick his hole for a long while until Ethan protested. Jack then inserted his cock inside of Ethan standing up and thrusting until he came inside of his husband.
Afterwards Jack laid Ethan on the bed and gave him a slow blow job until Ethan filled up his mouth with Irish cream. Jack kissed him and again they played with Ethan’s cream until it dissolved between them. Naked and exhausted, they fell asleep until Jamel knocked on the door waking them up.
“Um boys, you do know this is not your house, right? But don’t worry, there will be payback.” They laughed at Jamel’s threat. “Your clothes are right outside the door. Get dressed, we’re heading out soon for the fireworks in Rockville.”
Ethan and Jack said ok but laid there a little longer, holding onto each other. Jack said, “If this was your way of making me feel desired, you succeeded.” Ethan didn’t answer at first. They kissed and held each other a little while longer watching the sun set in silence.
In the evening they all went over to Wincheck pond for the annual fireworks. JC fell asleep in the car but woke up to the sound of the fireworks which she did not like and cried, so he put on the baby carrier and they decided to leave. EJ, looking happy between Freddie and Imani, insisted on staying until the end, so they asked Mina and June to both keep an eye on EJ and bring him home later or take him to his grandmother’s house if he wanted.
As Jack and Ethan made their way back up the hill, they passed by Connor and Jamel sitting on a blanket, holding hands and making out like no one was around. They smiled at each other then walked up to them. Ethan cleared his throat. They regretfully pulled their lips from each other and looked up at them.
Ethan teased, “You two look cozy.” They looked at each other and smiled, then kissed again.
“We’re heading out now. Jackie doesn’t like the booms,” Jack said. “Not bad for your first annual barbecue, guys. It was a fun day so thanks for that. We’ll do it all again next year.”
Connor scoffed and said, “I’m pretty sure you don’t know a fucking thing that happened at the barbecue today.” Jamel laughed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ethan said innocently. “We’re still on for dinner Friday night?”
“Yea, we’ll come to you,” Jamel said.
“Cool.” Ethan reached over and took Jack’s hand. “See you at work tomorrow, Connor. Good night, guys.”
As they started walking away Connor called after them, “Are you at least going to tell me which rooms I have to bleach and disinfect?”
Jack and Ethan laughed out loud and kept walking. As the sound of the fireworks faded in the background, Ethan said, “Remember my first Fourth of July here, when it was you, me and EJ sitting on a blanket?”
“Yeah?”
“I wanted to kiss you then,” Ethan confessed.
“Why didn’t you?” Jack asked. “I would have kissed you back.”
“I think I was afraid you wouldn’t.”
“Then you obviously weren’t paying attention,” Jack said. “Because I already started having feelings for you by then.”
“Good thing it was just two months later when we actually got together, so we didn’t waste a whole lot of time dancing around our feelings,” Ethan said. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I wanted you way back then. That I’ve always desired you. Even before I loved you, I desired you. And that has never changed. And it never will.”
They were quiet, then Jack said, “Thanks for telling me that. I love you, Ethan.” He squeezed his hand.
Ethan squeezed it back. “I love you too, Jack.”
~~~~~
Jack really wanted to walk his sister down the aisle, but he respected her decision to have her father Henry do it, as he’s raised her since she was two and a half years old, and he is the only father she knows. So he stood at the end of St. Cecilia’s Church dressed in his black tux with Liam, waiting for his baby sister to be brought before the altar. Three of Liam’s brothers stood next to him. Henrietta, Mina, Stacy and June’s best friend Alma were on the other side.
Liam bounced on the balls of his feet a little. Jack could tell his best friend was nervous. He reached out and touched his shoulder, and did a small squeeze. Liam exhaled and reached up to touch Jack’s hand on his shoulder.
Liam looked over and whispered to him, “Thank you for giving her to me. I promise, I’ll take care of her. She makes me so happy. And I’m happy to be finally be your brother for life.”
Jack nodded. “You already are my brother, Liam,” he confirmed. “My best friend and my brother.” They smiled at each other as the church doors opened.
Jack brought his hand down to his side as he heard Liam gasp. June walked down the aisle holding tightly to her father’s hand in a pure white lace dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline, long sleeved with a tulle skirt. Her jet black hair was pulled up in a crown accentuated by her birth mother’s Celtic tiara.
June’s siblings were kind enough to have her borrow a little bit of everything that came from their Aunt Lizzy in Ireland. From her mother’s wedding day she wore the veil that was passed down to Henrietta, the sapphire necklace that was given to Mina and clipped one of her birth father’s cufflinks to the inside of her dress.
When June and Henry made it to the front of the church, he handed Liam June’s hand. They stared at each other for a moment, then June smiled and tears started falling out of Liam’s eyes. She reached over and wiped them with her thumb and he started chuckling.
Father O’Donnell asked them quietly, “Are you ready?”
For some reason June thought of her brother in that moment. Jack, the one that has always cared for her and protected her, even from herself. Jack, who taught her how to read at four years old, before she started school. Jack, who taught her how to ride a bike and throw a punch. Jack, who chased off every single boyfriend she’s had before Liam. Jack, who took their birth father’s advice literally, that she would always be his responsibility to protect.
She knew that this was going to be hard for him but suddenly she realized how hard, with her getting married and moving away from home permanently. She was certainly ready to move on with her life, but she wasn’t so sure he was fully ready to let her go.
So when Father O’Donnell asked, “Are you ready?”, she looked beyond Liam at her older brother and asked him with her eyes, Are you ready?
Jack did a small intake of breath, surprised at his sister’s questioning. He gave her a soft smile and nodded his head. She smiled back at him and turned to the priest. “Yes. We’re ready.”
~~~
The wedding party left the long table up front for one of the round tables near the dance floor that most of their friends occupied. Brayden, Henrietta, Connor, Jamel, Afia, who was seven months pregnant and showing, and her husband Tyrell sat together. As Mina sat in Sam’s lap he said jokingly, “You and me are next, babe.”
Mina laughed. “Not a chance. Connor and Jamel are next.” She winked at them.
Jamel laughed as Connor made a sour face. “Just because the rest of you at the table drank the crazy juice doesn’t mean Mel and I have to.”
Jack teased him, “Join us on the dark side, you’ll love it over here.”
“I think y’all gonna have to give Connor a few more years,” said Ethan. “He stepped out of the closet but his bedroom door is still closed.” Ethan winked at him.
“Ooooh, fuck off, Ethan,” Connor said amusingly, making them all laugh again.
The first chords of Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet came on and Afia started screaming out of nowhere, “So one, two, three, take my hand and come with me because you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine!” She started dancing in her seat.
Everyone looked at her but then they turned as Connor started also screaming out the song, “Oh, four, five, six c’mon and get your kicks now you don’t need the money when you look like that, do ya honey!”
He started moving his shoulders up and down to the beat. Jamel was the first to laugh. “Here we go!”
“Oh my God,” Tyrell groaned and shook his head in embarrassment.
Ethan’s mouth was in shock. He asked, “What the fuck is happening?”
Jack started laughing as Afia and Connor continued belting out the song. “Big black boots! Long brown hair! She’s so sweet with her… get back stare!”
Connor stood up abruptly and reached for her hand. Afia jumped up and took it. He spun her around and they started dancing their way to the middle of the floor screaming, “Before I let you get awaaaaaay, yeah! duh duh duh duh duh duuuuuuuh…. I said are you gonna be my girl?”
“No really, what the fuck is happening!?” Ethan asked again laughing. Jamel laughed again.
Jamel asked, “You’ve never seen the Connor and Afia Show? They didn’t dance like this at your wedding?”
“Fuck, no,” Ethan said incredulously.
Jack told him, “We had a wedding reception at an art gallery, not a party reception. Ethan wanted to be sophisticated.”
Ethan’s mouth dropped. “I thought you wanted it too. I thought you loved our reception.”
Jack comforted him, “I did, I absolutely did. It was truly one of the best nights of my life.” He rubbed his hand.
“Look at you, all sensitive,” Brayden teased him.
“Shut up,” Ethan told his friend and they all laughed.
They watched the two friends continue to dance wildly to the song making others move out of their way and as they spun, dipped and moved around, still screaming the song at the top of their lungs. Ethan started chuckling. “Seriously, your friend Chris was right. I don’t know how you guys all didn’t see it.”
“See what?” Jack asked.
“That Connor is gay. Look at him.” He pointed at Connor waving his arms and shaking his hips around and Jamel laughed again.
“I’m gonna need you to leave my boyfriend alone, man,” Jamel said. “He’s just really happy right now.”
Ethan laughed and threw his hands up. “Hey, I’m not saying anything is wrong, I’m just saying. They all grew up with him and none of them saw it? C’mon,” he said in disbelief.
“Well Connor was also fucking a lot of girls in high school,” Sam said. “So it wasn’t obvious at all. And we always had girls around. We were jocks and popular so everybody loved to be around us and wanted to… you know.”
“Yea, Connor was everybody’s first love,” Mina said, looking knowingly at Jack.
Jack raised an eyebrow and said, “Yours too?”
Mina made a face and shook her head. “No. Connor and I have always been just friends.”
“With benefits? In high school?” Jack asked.
Mina hesitated, then asked, “What?”
“Because you did sleep with him in high school, right? In your senior year?” Jack challenged her.
It got quiet at the table. Mina leaned back in Sam’s lap and said calmly, “Whatever your after, Jack, let it go. It was a long time ago.” They stared at each other and then Jack relented with a nod.
The table continued to be quiet until Ethan said, “Jamel, I feel like you just wanted a reason to say the words, ‘my boyfriend’ out loud just now.”
They all laughed but Jamel laughed the loudest mimicking Connor’s words earlier, “Ooooh fuck off, Ethan!”
~~~
In the car ride home, EJ and JC instantly fell asleep. Ethan asked him, “So what was up with that exchange tonight? Between you and Mina?”
“What do you mean?” Jack said, concentrating very hard on the three mile drive from the reception to their home.
Ethan smiled. “Why do you get like that with anything having to do with you and Connor as a couple? I know he was your boyfriend in high school and then you left it as friends that’s about all I know because you’re so closed up about it.”
“I’m not closed up about it,” Jack said defensively. “I asked you one time if you wanted to know and you said no.”
“Actually you asked me on our wedding day if I really wanted to know about your past and of course I didn’t want to know then, and you didn’t really want to tell me anyway. Honestly I don’t really give a shit now. I’m just curious why you react this way when your past with Connor is brought up.”
Jack was exasperated. “I don’t act any kind of way. It just doesn’t make any sense to talk about it. We were kids.”
“So were me and Carlos, that doesn’t mean it didn’t mean anything. I still loved him for many years after that.”
“I don’t love Connor,” Jack said abruptly. “I mean, I do, but as a friend.”
“Okay, I get that, and I’m not saying you’re still carrying a torch for him, but if he was like your first love-”
“He wasn’t my first love,” Jack cut him off. “Chris was. You know that.”
“Okaaay, well maybe he was your second love, or the one that got away.” Jack didn’t answer. Ethan almost laughed. “Holy shit, that’s it. He’s the one that got away.”
“He’s not… can we just… not…”
“Okay, okay,” Ethan said quickly. “I get it now. It’s all good, I won’t ask about it again.” They drove in silence for another moment, and then Ethan said, “I got one. A totga.”
Jack glanced over at him and smirked. “Totga?”
“Yea, man. The One That Got Away? Everyone has one.”
“Who, Carlos?” Jack said bitterly.
But Ethan surprised him and said unequivocally, “No.” Jack glanced over then back at the road. Ethan leaned back in his chair and told him.
“I was in my junior year of college and I met Dr. Justin Vaccaro at a bar. An anesthesiologist at St. Mercy’s Hospital in Bridgeport. He was dropping off his nephew at the university and stopped in for a drink. I didn’t even know he was gay. We just started talking and stayed for hours, first about sports and then other things. We closed the bar out at 3am. Then he took me to his home all the way in Bridgeport and we didn’t sleep.”
Jack laughed as Ethan smiled. “We didn’t learn last names or ages until the morning. I had just turned 20 and he was 32. I think I needed a break from Hutch anyway, needed something different. We agreed to keep it casual and it was mostly. But I made the mistake of introducing him to Carlos at a dinner we had for one of our other friends. And Carlos did what he does best, made all these dumb ass comments and at one point grabbed my crotch and told Justin it belonged to him.”
Jack scoffed. “He’s a fucking asshole, Ethan.”
“Yea, I know.” He sighed. “Anyway, that night we had our first and only serious talk about having a relationship, six months after we started messing around. He never wanted to put pressure on me because I was young but he knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was me. He gave me a choice right then and there: to end it with Hutch, leave Carlos behind, and commit to him, or he’d have to walk away completely to save his heart. And I chose wrong. Or right, I guess.” Ethan smiled slyly.
Jack laughed. “Yea? It’s never too late to go back.”
Ethan laughed back. “I’m just saying, a few years later Hutch and I crashed and burned, Trish happened and my life was going head first off a cliff in a burning car, and all I kept thinking was, Why the fuck didn’t I tell Justin yes?”
He let a moment pass. “Anyway, I obviously don’t think like that anymore, I love my life with you and our family. So everything happens for a reason and I have no regrets. But he’s still my Totga. The ‘what if I had chosen differently’ of my past.”
Jack pulled into the parking space in front of the Inn. Ethan moved his hand to the doorknob and Jack started talking while staring out the front window.
“I broke up with him in high school because I was tired of hiding. I had made this big announcement coming out to my friends and family and then I couldn’t even tell anyone who I was with, and it was killing me inside. And we were so toxic to each other, we’d have these explosive breakups and falling back in bed together without addressing anything. And obviously he was cheating on me, so… but I loved him. I really did. I just never knew if he actually loved me.
“After a year and half it just got to be too much so I ended it, permanently. But I didn’t realize back then how bad it was for him at home, why he couldn’t come out. Why he couldn’t love me back. Maybe if I understood…I don’t know. When he came home from the Marines I thought maybe we would try again but he was heartbroken over his secret boyfriend dying in his arms during the war.”
“Holy shit,” Ethan said shocked.
“Right. So I gave him the space he needed to heal. And in that time we just grew apart, especially since he went back to fucking everything that moved, but this time it was men instead of females. A year later I met you and I fell in love with you. And I have no regrets about falling in love with you.
“So is he my totga?” Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it like that. The truth is, I try not to think about it at all. The ‘what ifs’ are too great, because there would have been a lot of hurdles to cross for us to really have been happy together. So I’m glad we maintained our friendship and I’m so happy for him, that he’s out and in love with a man that understands him more than I ever did.”
He looked over at his husband. “So there you have it. Connor and I were more like a Shakespeare love tragedy than a totga situation. I loved him, he loved me, he lost me, then I lost him. Now we love other people. And we’re both more than okay with that.”
Ethan reached his hand over and pulled Jack by his neck toward him, pressing his lips onto his husband. Jack hummed and grabbed his neck back. They kissed passionately, massaging their tongues together, running their hands through each other’s hair. After a few minutes of kissing, Ethan slowed down first, giving Jack lighter, softer taps on his lips.
“Thank you for telling me,” he said softly. “I’m so glad you chose wrong. Or right.” He kissed him one more time on the lips, then opened the car door to bring their children inside.
~~~~~
Jack had been distracted for a few weeks and Ethan noticed. A week after their two year anniversary in September, they were laying on their backs that night looking at the ceiling, and Jack reached over and took his hand. Ethan wanted to start the conversation and didn’t know how, but then Jack started talking first.
“Ethan I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to freak out.”
Ethan turned to him. “I’m listening.”
Jack stayed on his back and would not look at him. “I asked Jamel to let me know when the next time he is going into Massachusetts for the day to do housing inspections and he’s going tomorrow. I’m going to take the ride up with him but I’m not coming back down with him. I will be back in two days.”
“Ok,” Ethan said, curious about the conversation. “What are you going to Massachusetts for?” he asked, but as soon as he said it, somewhere deep down inside he knew.
Jack sighed. Then he said, “I have a real problem with people who hurt people, especially kids. People who intentionally put their selfish desires before the needs of others, especially the smallest and most vulnerable among us. Those who think they can get away with harming other people with no consequences. It gives them free range to do it again and again and more people just get hurt. They need to be stopped. There needs to be consequences. Someone needs to make sure that they pay for what they have done.”
Ethan was quiet for a moment before he asked, “And that someone has to be you?”
“When they have hurt someone I love, yes. It has to be me.”
“Claire,” Ethan said her name out loud. Jack didn’t affirm it but he didn’t need to.
Ethan stayed quiet, letting Jack continue. “I know what you’re going to say, E. You’re going to say, I need to let someone else handle it. The police. God. Karma. Anyone else. I don’t need to put myself and my life in danger. I have a family. It’s not worth it. Find another way, a non-violent way. I need to let this part of me die. I know what you’re going to say, Ethan.”
Ethan caressed his thumb against his hand and said, “And you’re going tell me, it’s who you are. It’s in your blood. That it’s been hurting you since Claire told you what happened to her. That you love her like she was your own daughter or little sister, and that you need to avenge the hurt and pain that was done to her.”
“And you’re going to tell me not to,” Jack said, still looking up at the ceiling, afraid to look into Ethan’s eyes.
Ethan did not say anything at first. For some reason Charlie’s words came back to him, about how falling in love with your best friend means accepting the parts of them that aren’t the greatest, and yet you love and accept them anyway. About giving them the freedom to be who they are, within reason. He knows that this will always be a part of him, and he knew it when he married him. So even though it scared him tremendously to do so, he gave Jack what he needed to hear: permission.
“Actually, I’m going to tell you two things,” Ethan said.
“First. Our daughter at some point is going to have questions about who her parents are. There is tragedy already in her story and with the age of Google and social media, she will easily find out who they are and what happened to them. I wouldn’t want her to Google that her birth father, no matter how evil he is, ended up in a gruesome death. A clean one, maybe. An accident more likely. But I have a feeling what you’re planning will not be an accident, but a message.”
Jack smiled at the ceiling. “Fuck, Ethan,” he said softly, surprised at how well Ethan knows the way he thinks. But not really surprised, as the closer they have gotten over the years, the more Ethan knows how to read him.
“I’m just giving you something to think about. I won’t tell you what to do, because you don’t listen anyway. But we will have the honor of telling her her story about her remarkable, strong and beautiful mother, and who her father was and how he died. So you know, think about what you want that story to be. Because we’ll never lie to her.”
Jack nodded. “And the second thing?”
Ethan let go of his hand and laid his head on Jack’s chest. Jack instinctively started running his hands through his hair. Ethan closed his eyes and let a few heartbeats pass. Then he said, “Just come back to me, Jackie Bear. I need you. We need you.”
Jack said softly, “I will. 48 hours tops. I will be back in your arms.”
“When do you leave?” Ethan asked.
“In the morning. Before you wake up.”
They again laid quietly in the dark. Then Ethan said, “Thanks for telling me, Jack. For not having any secrets between us. For being being honest and open with me. For trusting me with all the parts of you, even the parts the scare me. For not just disappearing on me.”
“I’ll never do that,” Jack said. “I’ll never leave you like that again. And I swear on my life, I’ll come back to you.”
“Well that’s not really fair, is it? To swear on your life that you’ll come back. Because if you don’t come back it will only be because you’ll be dead so I can’t kill you myself.” They both hesitated, then started laughing. “God, we are so fucked up,” Ethan said.
When their laughter died down, Jack said again, “48 hours. I’ll come back to you. I promise.”
Ethan didn’t respond, just let the sound of Jack’s heartbeat lull him to sleep.
~~~~~
Jack was quiet and deep in thought on the ride up to Worcester, which Jamel did not seem to mind at all. Unlike the last time when he had tried to shut out all thoughts of Ethan during his time in Ireland, instead he allowed his thoughts and love for him to consume him. Never in a million years did he think Ethan was going to respond the way he did. He thought it was going to end up in a nasty fight. But Ethan surprised him with his understanding and acceptance, making him love him all the more.
He remembered his Uncle Nate’s words to him when discussing his own father’s temper, who they use to call Red Jamie, and how his mother Betsy changed him. “That’s what the love of a good woman can do, change you for the better. Or in your case, a good man.” Jack didn’t know if Ethan would ever quell all of Red Jackie, but his love was certainly changing him for the better. So he decided to heed Ethan’s words and change his mind about what he had intended to do.
His plan was to indeed send a message. It was to be bloody and brilliant, and possibly make national news. But considering how Claire would feel reading it now, or how JC would feel reading it 15 years from now, he realized it did not need to be a public message, but a private one. As they got closer, Jack closed his mind off from thoughts of Ethan and went over the new plan in his head repeatedly.
Jack asked Jamel to drop him off at the state university, under the guise of attending a free psychology lecture. As Jamel pulled over to the front entrance, he turned to his friend. “Hey, Jack?”
“Yea?”
“You know I was a Sergeant in the Army for over seven years. I trained soldiers and led units into battle. So I know the look on a man’s face when he is ready to go war. I know the look of a trained killer.” Jamel looked at Jack knowingly. Jack held his gaze and did not respond.
He continued. “You got a lot of people that love you, starting with one, your husband and my friend, and two, my partner and your friend. I don’t know what you are about to get yourself into but just be smart and safe. And you call me if you need a hand or an out. You get me?”
Jamel held up a small piece of paper and put it in Jack’s hands. Jack didn’t respond at first, then said, “Don’t mention this trip to anyone, not even Connor.”
Jamel said casually, “Mention what? I drove by myself to Grafton Hill today, did two home inspections and went home.”
He smiled a bit. “Thanks, Mel.” Jack grabbed his bag and left Jamel’s truck.
Jamel called after him, “Don’t hesitate if you need me, Jack. I mean that.”
“I know,” Jack said. “Thanks again.”
~~~
David Vitalis enjoyed a good massage that came with a happy ending, and more. He settled into his room in the back of the massage parlor, far away from the regular guest and room. He paid handsomely for privacy and that was what he was going to get.
And everyone at Chai Khop Khun Day and Night Spa knows that no matter what they heard, he was not to be disturbed for the full three hours. Hell, he became a stakeholder at the spa for this very reason. It was a thriving gym and spa by day, a bathhouse for men like him with a certain proclivity for young women and men at night.
They were smuggled from southeast Asia, Africa or South America, all who had a debt to pay off, and he was happy to help them do it. And nothing was better than a sweet and tight ass to be at his beck and call. The younger the better, because the older they are the more they resist. He learned that lesson more than a few times.
David hopped onto the massage table ready for his masseuse to service him, excited about his new prize. Rose, was the new girl, just “transferred” from Thailand. His regular girl Emerald was getting too old so he asked them to send him a different girl. Rose, the 18-year-old girl had been massaging him for the last five months, and she’s getting better at it.
Of course he had to break her in first, make her understand who was the boss and that saying no was not an option. Now he belongs to her. Her trip was expensive so she had a lot of years to work off before she would be considered for anything but the back rooms. He had a hard time breaking down her will but suddenly last month she stopped fighting him.
She had grown despondent, like he was with a dead body, but it was better than the snarling, biting, kicking and scratching that she did for the first eight months. At first he wondered what changed but then he just resolved that his dominating tactics worked. She learned that she was his to do what she wanted, and there was no use fighting. He smiled at that thought.
The attendant came in to set up the room. “Hello, Mr. Vitalis. I’m Jamie, yer attending.” He busied himself with preparing the oils and loading up fresh towels.
David had never seen this one before but it didn’t matter. They were always finding new boys to help out. This one was clean shaven, platinum blond hair, brown eyes, and tight white pants that showed off his round bottom. He could see how this one would be selected. He also wore latex gloves, which in itself was unusual. David has been known to break in a boy or two as well, he just preferred girls. But he certainly wouldn’t mind a piece of this one, with his sexy Irish accent.
“Thank you, Jamie. Make sure Rose doesn’t keep me waiting long.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Vitalis. We are here to serve. Yer all set. Rose will be in within the next two minutes. Enjoy ya time, sir.”
Cute kid, David thought as the young man smiled a delicious sideways smile that showed off his dimples. As he walked past David couldn’t help himself. He reached out and grabbed a handful of his ass. The young man stopped and gasped, but did not turn around.
David continued to massage his ass, then said, “Maybe when I’m done with Rose I can give you spin, yeah?”
Jamie took a moment then said with his face still turned away, “Like I said, we’re here to serve. I’ll go get Rose for ya.”
David let him go and Jamie let himself out of the room. He smiled to himself. It was going to be a great night.
After he stripped to nothing and wrapped a towel around his waist for pretenses only, he waited. There was a soft knock, then a petite Thai girl came into the room. looking stoic. She hated him for what he had done to her.
She did not talk, she got right to work, getting the massage oil and rubbing it on her hands, then gently massaging the old man’s back. After she worked his entire backside of his body from his shoulders to his legs, she said quietly, “Please turn around.”
David did and removed the towel as he did so. His erection was hard and stiff. He positioned his head on the small pillow extension on the massage table that exposed his neck and smiled at her.
“I missed you, Rose. Now do what you did last time, and remember, I like it rough.”
She resisted the urge to snarl at him and instead said, “I will get more oil.”
Rose walked back over to the table and as she passed the door she turned the knob, then grabbed a hand towel and gently draped it over his eyes. “Like this?” she said sweetly. The sweetest she had ever been with him.
David was pleased. By now he would have had to tell her about her tone, teach her about being gracious and grateful to the clients. He assumed his training was working on her.
“Yes, like that. Now get to work,” he ordered her.
“Yes, Mr. David.”
David was so engrossed in the anticipation of getting a handjob, he did not notice the sound of the door opening and closing with a soft click. When he felt hands touch him and begin to stroke him he sighed. His wife couldn’t give a handjob to save her life, and a blow job was way out of the question. This was heaven on earth.
It was only a minute into the handjob that he realized that the hands he was feeling were not soft hands but stronger. Manlier. He was just about to say something when the next thing he felt was a prick at the top of his spine, like someone stuck a needle in him.
“What the fuck!” He sat up and the towel fell off his eyes.
It took him a minute to survey the scene. In front of him was the young man Jamie, giving him a handjob, albeit a good one, but still, not Rose. He looked over and Rose was in the corner by the door, with a smug look on her face, holding a syringe.
David was confused. He looked at Jamie who had an unreadable expression on his face, then back at Rose. He touched the back of his neck.
“What the fuuuuu….”
Suddenly David felt lightheaded and it was like all the limbs on his body gave out at the same time. He fell backwards against the bed. The sensation continued to spread, from his face to his back, down his shoulders and down his leg to his feet. He couldn’t even feel the handjob anymore.
Rose came over and adjusted the pillow section of the massage table upward so that David would be able to see what was going to happen. David could barely move his mouth muscles, but he managed to get out a few words. “What did you do to me?”
“It’s a sufentanil and fentanyl mix,” the boy named Jamie told him in his Irish accent. “The strongest dose that I coulda put together that would paralyze ya, make ya immobile.
“I thought about adding Ketamine but I didn’t wanta knock yer out completely. I wanted yer to be able to see every single thing I’m gonna do to yer and not be able ta do anything about it. Because that’s how yer like it, right? When someone just lays there and takes it for as long as yer wanta keep them there? Well David, yer gonna lay there and take it, because I’m in charge now.”
Jack stopped rubbing on his penis and pulled out a sharp knife instead, that was hidden in the towels. He started carving into his chest, deep enough for lines of blood to form. Rose continued to watch with fascination. Jack talked calmly as he wrote.
“How many lassies, David? How many have yer raped, molested, assaulted in your 43 years on this earth? I know about at least 10 of them. Anastacia. Katelin. Priscilla. Danielle.”
He swallowed. “Claire. Maya. Bethann. Jade. Maria. Isabel. And that’s just the ones I found on social media. That’s not counting the ones here that yer never bothered to learn their names, like Hyun, Chitra and Ka’eo. That’s her name by the way, the one yer call Rose. Her name is Ka’eo. Her name means victorious, strong. Her father back in Thailand named her.”
Ka’eo smiled at him as he said, “Yer would never break a lass with a name like that.”
Jack continued, “But it stops today. You will never harm another another human for as long as yer live. I’m going to make sure of that. And I’m going to make sure everybody knows why.”
David tried desperately to move but couldn’t. He couldn’t even move his face anymore as Jack finished the first word that he carved into his chest: PEDOPHILE. David was in pain and unable to cry out.
“Please. Don’t,” he pleaded through his unmovable lips.
Jack reached out and grabbed his throat, saying nastily, “Did yer listen when they pleaded for yer not to hurt them? Rape them? Burn them? Sodomize them with objects?” He squeezed tighter, cutting off his air supply completely. It took all of his will power not to end his life right then and there.
“It’s yer lucky day. I made a promise ta someone that I intend ta keep. Yer won’t die, but yer will wish yer had when I’m done with ya.” He let his neck go.
Jack went to the next word. MOLESTER. After it was carved deep into his chest, Jack took out a lighter pen and sealed up his artwork, burning the words into his skin. David cried and moaned as best as he could, the pain unbearable. When he was all done, he walked over to the towels he left earlier and pulled out large gardening scissors.
As he passed by David the businessman began making noises that sounded like a “noooo” but came out more like a long grunt.
Rose stood on one side while Jack stood on the other. When it was done, Jack turned to Ka’eo. “Let’s go.”
“Xị̂ lew, (nasty fucker)” she spat at him, then she spit on his face.
Jack held his hand out and she took it, then led them both out of the room, through the door and out the back entrance where he had a car waiting. It would be at least two hours before anyone came looking for David and four hours before the numbing medication wore off, and by then they would be long gone.
~~~
Ka’eo was getting nervous. Her sister told Jack she would be there on the college campus by 10pm but it was close to midnight and she was not there. Jack too was getting nervous but tried not to show it. He had already missed his bus back to Providence and had to find a way to get home before 4am, like he promised Ethan. But there was no way he was leaving Ka’eo alone.
Finally a blue sedan showed up behind the campus rec center. Jack hid Ka’eo behind him, although she was already disguised with a blonde wig, a blue and gold school sweater and blue hat, looking just like one of the college kids roaming around. A petite Thai woman came out of the driver’s side before the car barely stopped.
“N̂xng s̄āw k̄hxng c̄hạn! Xô phracêā! Ka’eo!” (Ka’eo, my sister! Oh my God!)
Ka’eo burst into tears and ran around Jack to grab a hold of her sister’s already outstretched hands. The two women hugged tightly and cried. A man came out to shake Jack’s hand.
“You must be Jamie,” he said in a thick accent. “Thank you. I am Somboon. My wife Nan and I have been worried sick about Ka’eo. She was taken off the streets of Bangkok a year ago and no one has seen her since. We had no idea if your message was real or not but Nan insisted we needed to try. So we drove up from Philadelphia right away.”
Jack nodded and gave Somboon an envelope full of cash. “There is ten thousand dollars in there, a new name, birth certificate and social security number so they will never be able to find her.”
Somboon was shocked. He tried to give it back saying, “It’s too much money! You have already done enough, we can’t take this.”
“You can, and you will. And you will forget you ever saw my face,” Jack said seriously. He pushed the money back into the man’s hands and stepped back.
Nan was listening and grabbed her husband’s hand, still holding onto her sister. “Thank you. Thank you for saving her.”
Jack nodded, unable to speak as he was overwhelmed with emotions. All three turned to get into the car, but Ka’eo turned back around. She hugged him tight and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Jack,” she whispered.
He hugged her back just as tightly. “Don’t forget to make the anonymous call about the spa. We need to shut it down.” She nodded with tears in her dark brown eyes.”You’re going to be just fine, K,” he assured her. “Now go on to live a normal, happy life. You can, I promise you that.”
She hugged him once more and went to sit in the backseat with her sister. Jack watched them drive away, then looked at the time. 12:16am. “Fuck!” he cursed out loud.
His plan was complete shit at this point. There was no way he was going to make it home on time. He had long since ditched his blond wig and brown contact lenses at a nearby frat house. Remembering the last time he played the role of Jamier Edmond, he was thankful he had his sisters with him, but this time he was all alone.
He groaned but he knew he only had one option. He took out his disposable cell phone and the paper Jamel put in his hands and dialed the number.
Jamel answered groggily after a couple of rings. “Hello?”
“Jamel. It’s Jack.”
He heard Jamel shuffle around, probably to get up and out the bed. “Where are you?”
“Where you left me. But your car can’t be seen here. Just in case.”
“Can you get to Grafton Hill?” Jamel asked.
“I think so,” Jack said. “It will probably take me about an hour and a half but I can get there.”
Jack heard Connor in the background ask, “Who is it?”
The mouthpiece muffled as Jamel spoke to Connor. “Just Dante, he’s having some car trouble so I’m going to pick him up. Go back to sleep, baby.” Jamel came back into the phone. “It will take me an hour at least, so that’s fine. Stay on Grafton Street, there’s a Taco Bell on the corner of Grafton and Jennings Street. I’ll meet you there.”
Jack smiled at the Jennings reference. It was like a sign. “Yea, I’ll be there. Thanks, Mel.”
“Anytime, man.”
Jack hung up and broke the phone into pieces, then started jogging.
~~~
Ethan heard the front door open. He sat up in the bed and waited. Ethan had not been sleeping deeply since Jack left. He did not call his cell phone and he did not expect to hear from him the whole time he was away. But Jack said 48 hours and this was day two. He looked at the time and it was 2:27am, and Jack left at 4am two days ago, so he was cutting it close.
Jack came into the bedroom and did not look surprised to see Ethan sitting up in the bed. He closed the door and the only light was the soft yellow nightlight star underneath the crib on the other side of the room where JC was sleeping. They stared at each other for a moment.
He stood at the bottom of the bed and started to take off his clothes, not taking his eyes off of Ethan. He lifted off his black t-shirt revealing his defined chest and abs that Ethan loves so much. Ethan’s cock immediately rose. Jack slid out of his black Reebok sneakers and undid his belt buckle, then unzipped his pants and let them drop. He pulled his feet out of each pant leg, then reached down to take off his socks. He stood up in his burgundy colored boxer briefs and Ethan could see the outline of his long and hard dick.
Jack grabbed himself first and stroked through the fabric and Ethan absentmindedly found himself touching himself above the sheet, also gently stroking himself, as they stared at each other. After a couple of strokes Jack used his thumbs to pull his underwear down and took them off, his hard penis bouncing out and standing straight in front of him, happily free from the restriction of cotton. He moved slowly onto the bed.
Ethan moved the sheet aside as he was also naked. Jack crawled between his legs as Ethan backed up a little. He came face to face with him and brushed his lips against his but did not kiss him. Instead he put his palm on Ethan’s chest and pushed him gently until he was laid flat on his back.
Jack kissed his neck and down the middle of his chest, stopped to lick and flick his tongue at each nipple, put his tongue in his belly button and put kisses all along the side of his dick tracing his vein before putting Ethan in his mouth and sucking him.
Ethan gasped in his throat and tried not to make a sound as Jack deep throated him repeatedly. But then Jack let him fall out of his mouth and made his way further south, sucking on each of his balls then licking his hole.
“Jack,” Ethan whispered, then moaned in his throat as quietly as he could.
He leaned up into the headboard bookshelf and grabbed the lube to hand to him. Jack sat up and back on his hind legs and took it from him. He lubed Ethan and stroked himself, then entered Ethan’s waiting hole. Ethan lifted his legs to give Jack more entrance and wrapped his arms around him. He thrusted all the way in until he was to the hilt, making Ethan moan in his throat again, then grabbed Jack by his face. Jack came closer but then turned his head into Ethan’s neck instead of kissing him.
Jack began to move rhythmically. Afraid to make a noise they breathed out their sounds in each other’s ear. He moved faster and Ethan’s body reacted instinctively to Jack’s, moving faster with him. Ethan came first, wanting and needing Jack more, feeling his orgasm from the bottom of his spine to the top and back down again as he released his cream between them.
Jack kept thrusting into him, as if he was running from something. It reminded Ethan of years ago when Jack ran into Danny Riley in New York and how Jack had fucked him that night. It was impersonal and distant as if he was trying not to feel. Everything changed after that and it scared Ethan to think everything could change again.
Jack went on pumping another few minutes before he came inside of Ethan silently, then stopped moving altogether abruptly. They felt each other’s heartbeats. Jack moved off him to the side and laid on his back. They laid side by side for a few moments, then Jack reached for Ethan’s hand, wanting Ethan to anchor him.
Ethan sat up and grabbed the lube instead. He moved to sit between Jack’s legs and Jack watched him glisten his dick back up into a full erection. He put lube on his fingers and pushed them inside Jack’s anus. He slowly guided himself inside of Jack who closed his eyes and made a small noise.
Ethan leaned over and kissed his neck, then said in his ear, “Don’t wake the baby.” Jack nodded.
Jack wrapped his legs around him, digging his heels into his back, then his arms followed. Ethan moved incredibly slow, all the way in, then pulled almost all the way out. Jack was tight, and not just physically. Ethan could feel the tension all through his body, feel him holding back. He ran his hand through Jack’s hair and put wet kisses all along his neck. He continued to slowly make love Jack, driving him crazy with lust and passion.
Jack tried to move him faster but Ethan ignored his squirming beneath him. He lifted himself out of Jack’s neck and looked at Jack whose eyes were closed. He touched his face.
“Look at me,” Ethan whispered. Jack opened his eyes. His green eyes glittered in the soft yellow light.
“Come back to me, Jackie Bear,” he said softly, his own brown eyes looking golden, still moving slowly in and out of Jack’s rectum, running his hands through his hair gently.
They stared at each other. Ethan continued his slow stride. He moved down to lay in Jack’s neck, kissed him there and whispered again, “Come back to me, Jackie Bear.” He started kissing Jack and sucking on his neck, gently.
Jack closed his eyes again and exhaled slowly until he had no air left. Then he began to breathe. He held onto Ethan a little tighter but otherwise let his body relax and melt in Ethan’s arms.
Ethan continued to kiss his neck, ears and shoulder. Suddenly his cheek against Jack’s started feeling wet. He leaned up and saw tears running down the sides of Jack’s closed eyes. He kissed his eyelids, then his lips a few times softly and Jack returned his soft closed mouthed kisses. Ethan continued to move in and out of Jack slowly, intentionally.
They stayed that way for minutes, hours, days, centuries it felt like, the slowest they had ever made love, until they heard JC stir. They stopped moving automatically and both looked toward the crib. They waited 30 seconds but all they heard after that was her sigh. They looked at each other and smiled, then kissed. They began to move again slowly, lovingly, staring into each other’s eyes for a while.
“I’m so close,” Ethan whispered in Jack’s ear.
“Cum for me,” Jack whispered back.
“Cum with me,” Ethan breathed back to him. “Together, babe.”
Ethan leaned up putting Jack’s legs on his shoulders as Jack held onto himself. Ethan moved faster and Jack stroked himself at the same pace. Ethan gasped and Jack felt his warm love begin to fill up his insides. He didn’t need to stroke anymore as his penis reacted automatically and started spurting Irish cream all over his chest, some landing on his chin and the pillow behind him.
They both kept cumming over and over again, feeling like they had not came that hard and long in a while. They kissed again, passionately this time with all tongue, their bodies continued to tingle long after their orgasms subsided.
Ethan moved off Jack to the side of him, slid onto his stomach and laid his head on Jack’s shoulder. He left his leg over Jack’s with his soft penis against his thigh, and stretched his arm across Jack’s torso to lay his hand on top of Jack’s, each finger resting between his lover’s. Jack’s hand rested on Ethan’s lower back and they laid that way for a few silent moments.
Ethan asked quietly, “Did you kill him?”
Jack said back quietly, “No. I just…deeply injured him. Took away his toy. He’ll never harm another person with it again.”
Ethan kissed his cheek. “Thank you. For me. For Claire. For Jackie.” Jack squeezed his hand and did not respond. He closed his eyes and fell asleep first, feeling safe again.
~~~~~
Ethan woke up and was alone. He got dressed and stepped out of the room, and stopped in the hallway right in the entrance way at the scene before him and watched.
Jack was in the dining area serving EJ breakfast while baby-wearing JC who enjoyed being bounced around to his dancing to the K-pop music playing in the background. He sat down across from EJ, who was already dressed for school. Ethan saw him take a very small piece of pancake and put it in JC’s mouth, who thoroughly enjoyed her taste of real food, before he took a bit of his own. There was a plate to the right of him, in front of an empty seat between him and EJ.
Jack suddenly looked up as he realized Ethan was standing there. Jack smiled at him, with the light in his green eyes, and those damn dimples that still make Ethan’s stomach do a butterfly flip. Ethan found himself smiling back, his heart bursting with love for his family. He left the hallway and went to join them.
~~~ End of Part 3~~~