I Got You | A Gay Romance: A Boyfriend for Rent Book | Gay For You (5 page)

The power of the man exuded from his pores, the scent of him filled Jake’s nostrils and he wanted to drink him in, every morsel. Benjamin's power on top of him, pumping him from behind would feel good, deep and strong.

“Fuck, yeah,” he said, breathlessly. Jake’s cock was so hard, he wanted nothing more than to have Benjamin turnover, rip his clothes off and fuck him right then and there.

The man moaned which Jake took as an invitation to go even lower, but the moment he dipped below the belt, Benjamin’s hand came back and grabbed his wrist.

“No,” he said sharply.

His cheeks burned in embarrassment. The response shocked Jake like a wet slap across the face. He guessed he misunderstood Benjamin’s messages completely.

“You should probably get going. It’s getting late.” It wasn’t a suggestion. By the way his eyes cut at Jake’s it was a direct order.

“Yeah, sure,” Jake said, offering a weak smile to hide his embarrassment. He hoped that it wouldn’t cause any other ripples. This was a small town and the last thing he needed was rumors about him being gay, even though it was true as it may be.

He didn’t bother saying bye as he unlocked the door. Benjamin sat up, his hands clasped as if he were in thought. He hoped that he wasn’t so pissed that he wouldn’t back out of his end of the bargain. Jake gave him the rub down he wanted, even if he had taken it a bit too far and read more into it than his step-brother offered him.

CHAPTER 8

“Well, maybe he just doesn’t like his ass touched,” his sister offered as they washed dishes. He felt like a kid again, doing chores. They hadn’t seen their dad much since he moved back into the house, but the man still treated them both like they were ten.

“You shouldn’t read too much into it. Who was this guy anyway?”

Jake swallowed. The last thing he wanted his sister to know was he was massaging their step-brother. “Just this guy,” Jake said dismissively.

“Well, does this guy have a name?” his sister asked, blowing out some breath to get her red hair away from her face as she washed up. The soapy suds ran up to her wrists and Jake looked at them as they gleamed in the light. He took the dishes from her and wiped them over with a cloth and sighed. She wasn’t going to let this go until he told her something.

“B-Sam.”

“B-Sam?” she asked and chuckled. “That’s an interesting name.”

“Anyway, he was just giving me all the signals.” Jake didn’t even want to talk about what had happened, but his sister nagged him until he’d given her a morsel. That wasn’t enough though she wanted every detail. He rinsed off the dish she handed him and set it in the drainer. Outside the window, a stray dog leapt about. He wished he could be that free and untroubled.

“Signals?” she said, arching an eyebrow, “Like did he say, ‘touch my ass, man’ or something?”

“No, but … you wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“It’s just … you just know when someone’s giving you the vibe and he was definitely giving me the vibe.”

“Well, if that’s true, he’ll make his move when he’s ready. Just be careful Jake, you don’t want to end up back in the hospital.” There was genuine concern in her voice and Jake appreciated it. They didn't always get along, but he knew she had his back. However, he didn't know how she would react if he told her that the man he was talking about was their step-brother, so he had to keep it a secret for now.
Damn.
There were too many secrets in his world and it gnawed at him inside, but he didn't see any alternative.

“I know, I know.”

“And worse yet, if dad finds out ….”

“Don’t you think I’ve thought about that? Jeeze,” he said, hating the idea of his dad knowing.

“Well, damn. Is it that time of the month already?” she asked.

“I hate you,” Jake said.

“Hate you, too.”

“Slut.”

“Homo.”

He shook his head. “I missed you, you know. All those years I was gone.”

“Missed you, too. Why didn’t you keep in touch?” she asked. He sighed, thinking about how all those years with just Alberto and him together was tough. He missed his family.

“I just ... I didn’t think ... I was worried you wouldn’t love me anymore, if you knew.”

“Of course, I’d love you. How could you even think that you pinhead? You’re my little brother. Even if you do get on my last nerve.”

“Thanks for your loving support,” he said, cracking a smile.  He sighed as if what he had to ask was difficult. “Do you ever think about our dad?”

“What do you mean think about him? We’re living with him.”

“No, I mean our real dad, our biological one,” he said.

She sighed. “If he wanted anything to do with us he wouldn’t have abandoned us when we were toddlers, Jake. What happened, happened. Our dad, our step-dad may not be perfect, but even in his drunken dark days, he was a hell of a lot better than our biological one would have been. He may have been distant, he may have been cold, he may have been like talking to slab of baloney half the time, but at least he wasn’t physically abusive like our biological one.”

“What are you guys bickering about?” his step-dad asked, stepping in and tossing his hat and jacket on the kitchen table. Jake froze.

“Uh, nothing,” Jake said. Tension instantly filled the room as his father stalked into the kitchen, kissing Genie on the cheek.

“Dad, did you take your heart medicine?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” he answered.

His father studied Jake. “How’s Alberto doing?”

“He’s ... you know.”

“I’m going to pop in and check on him again.”

“Appreciate it,” Jake said. Why was he so concerned about his best friend? He wished his dad had spent that much attention to him in his times of need growing up.

“Son, you get the basement all cleaned out like I asked you to?” he asked, rubbing the silver goatee that framed his chin.

“Yes, sir,” Jake said.

“Good, son. Everybody earns their keep around here,” his dad said.

“Yes, sir,” Jake said. He hated being treated like a kid. He hadn’t seen his dad is so many years and yet, he lorded over him. But Jake held his tongue.

He was grateful to have a place to stay, even if it were temporary and even if the place brought back more sad memories than good ones. The echoes of his mom’s cries, the broken glass on the floor, the speckles of blood. It haunted him. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind. His dad tried to make their relationship anew, and Jake gave him the benefit of the doubt.

The house was beautiful too, especially compared with Alberto’s dorm he’d been crashing in at the fraternity. The wide windows let in a lot of light. The kitchen was clean. The bed was comfortable. The nicest home he could have asked for, and yet it didn't sit right with his gut.

“Glad you’re getting better, son,” his dad said. His dad had no idea how to communicate with him. So many years they hadn't spoken and Jake didn't know if their relationship could be repaired, or if he wanted it to.

He placed another plate down. The trickle of water seeped down his arm. As he saw the drop slide over his slender forearm an image of his step-brother flashed through his mind. Jake's eyes followed a bead of sweat trickling down Benjamin's back. He closed his eyes, trying to stop the dark desires.

“Thanks, dad.” he said, showing appreciation. His dad slapped a hand across his back and ruffled his thick brown hair as a sign of encouragement, which made Jake feel about six-years-old. It was all he could do not to roll his eyes.

He cleared his throat and shuffled down the hall.

“What a great auteur,” Jake said. Genie giggled.

He sighed. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He gazed out of the window again. The world outside was calm, peaceful, and yet his soul ached with so much angst he didn’t know how to handle it. The lemon scent of the dish soap was strangely soothing, only bringing him back to the smell of Benjamin's skin. Everything reminded him of his step-brother.

“I know. Look, I’ve got to go. You going to see Alberto tonight?”

“Every night I can.” Jake said. Seeing him was harder than ever. College was starting soon. The possibility of running into Steve again, made his stomach churn, but Alberto would have wanted him to go. It was better to go back anyway. To show the bully he didn't win. That's what all the advice columns said anyway. What they didn't say was how hard it was to live with the fear spidering under your skin and no way to get rid of it.

“Tell him I said, ‘Hi’.”

“He can’t understand anyone.”

“You don’t know that. There are lots of stories about people that came out of comas and they say they could hear every word people said around them.”

“Sure, yeah. I’ll tell him,” Jake said.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Jake shrugged.

"Hey, did you get a hold of our step-brother?" she asked.

"Oh, I
—
" His voice went up an octave as an image of Benjamin's body came to his mind. A flush of arousal swept through him. "I tried to call a few times, but never heard back." He didn't want to lie to his sister, but he had to. Did she know? She didn't let on if she did, but paranoia nagged at him and twisted in his gut.

"Well, keep trying," she said.

"He's supposed to have a class tomorrow,” Jake explained. “So, I’ll just show up like everybody else and hope everything falls into place.”

“Sounds good to me. You cheer up. And use your head with that B-Sam man. I mean, your big head, not your little one.”

“Get out of here,” Jake laughed, then bit his lip as he thought about what he'd like to do with Benjamin. The forbidden nature turned him on.

CHAPTER 9

“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Benjamin told the mixed martial arts class while directing his gaze at Jake.

The entire class did exercises in the park. It was a calm day and a slight breeze wafted in the air. If Jake were taking a stroll, he would have found it pleasant, though a little chilly, but he was completely lost. There were a good twenty of them, of all ages and all sizes. He was by far the most uncoordinated person in America. What he was thinking that he’d be able to keep up with everybody else? He was insane. They passed a pagoda-like structure. Thin trees stood like soldiers, guarding the park, and lush green foliage rested around the winding path.

The class jogged in a long line and Jake was lagging behind. His lungs burned and every breath were daggers of air that passed through his throat. His shoulders hunched and his head hung.

He looked with envy at the people relaxing with books as spots danced in front of his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he pushed his body this hard.

He was exhausted to say the least. His body ached all over, even muscles that he didn't know he had ached. It was almost as much pain as when Steve had beaten him. He wondered if it was all worth it.

Benjamin had made the entire class run at least a few miles in and around the park track that surrounded the gym. His whistle dangled around his neck and he'd used it enough times to give Jake a headache.

Too many bad memories of being in P.E., he thought, but he had to keep working. Seeing Alberto last night only motivated Jake more. He didn’t look any better. In fact, his best friend looked worse. He just had to step it up, and learn what he needed to do. It was only a matter of time before he ran across Steve again and he wanted to be prepared.

Somehow, someway he’d kick Steve's ass, once and for all. If he couldn't call the cops, if he couldn't trust anyone enough to tell them what happened, then he had to do something about it himself.

"Move it!" Benjamin yelled in his ear as he jogged along side him, then he sped up to the front of the line, leading them all through the winding path.  The cold air froze Jake's lungs trying to force its way through. "Jab, jab, right hook!" Benjamin said, demonstrating to the class their next boxing combination.

He made it look so easy, but Jake could barely lift his arms, let alone do another combination. His arms were lead weights and if Benjamin pushed them any further, any faster, he’d puke. Benjamin circled back, narrowing his focus back to Jake. "Come on, dude.”

“It’s just …” Jake said between gasps, “I didn’t expect to be put in an advanced class.”

“Advanced?” Benjamin asked. “This is their first week. Two or three of them are grandparents. Pathetic.” He almost spat out the words. The look he gave Jake was more concerned. Those beautiful eyes filled with disappointment and it was the worst feeling in the world. All his fantasies were for naught if Benjamin saw him as a helpless little pup.

The words made Jake’s heart sink. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he was angry. Benjamin shook his head at him as if he couldn’t stand the sight of him. It only made Jake feel more like shit than he already did because of the whole massage thing. Fuck him. It was a simple mistake. It’s not like he tried to suck his cock or something. His feet scraped against the ground and his cheeks puffed out.