To Serve and Protect

By: BJ Williams
(© 2013 by the author)
Edited by: Gerry Young

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 4

Andy got into his car and drove away. Everything that Thom had told him was racing through his mind. Andy knew that his parents were having some serious problems, because he had heard them fighting. But a divorce, he just couldn’t fathom his parent’s marriage so problematic that they would consider a divorce.

“Oh, God, Dad, why didn’t you ever confide in me?” Andy shouted into the air, as if expecting an answer. “You knew I was gay, so why Thom and not me?”

'He wouldn’t do anything to taint the love that you have for your mother. He could live with you thinking it was his entire fault, and not your mother's.'  Thom’s words came flooding back to him and he knew it was true; his father always assumed responsibility whenever a blame was needed, whether it was or wasn’t his to accept.

It had been nearly a half hour since Andy had left Thom’s house and he felt horribly guilty. Guilty because of how rude he had been and also how he had accused Thom. He looked in his rear-view mirror and saw that there were no cars, made a U-Turn, and drove back to Thom’s house.

He pulled into the driveway, slammed the car into park, turned off the engine, and hurried out. He deliberately marched up the front porch steps and banged on the door. It took several moments, but the door opened and Thom stood there in his boxers.

“Andy, now what’s wrong,” a stunned Thom asked as Andy rushed past him into the house.

Thom closed the door and turned to Andy, stunned to see him back there.

“Listen, Andy, if you…”

“No, you listen to me,” he began and then calmed down. “Please Sully, let me get this out while I still have the nerve,” Andy asked and Thom nodded.

“Ok, I’m listening, sport,” Thom said, calling him a name that he’d not used in years.

“Sport. … I always felt special when you called me that,” Andy said with a bittersweet smile on his face. “Anyway, I was wrong for how I handled what you told me about you and Dad. I am sorry and you didn’t deserve it or my wrath,” he said.

Andy turned away from Thom and looked out the window as he dragged up the last of his courage to continue.

“I did hear them fighting, Thom, fighting a lot more than they thought I knew.  But the sad thing is, I remember my mother telling Dad just before he was killed, that if he didn’t like his life with her, he was quite free to get a divorce,” he revealed, causing Thom, to suddenly fall to a chair.

“Really, you mother gave your dad an ultimatum?” he asked and Andy nodded.

“They’d been fighting in the kitchen and thought I was still at the academy. But I arrived home early and I could hear Dad telling her that she was as much the loving woman now, as when he had first married her, and that her operation didn’t change how he felt about her. But Mom refused to listen and it was then that she turned to Dad, demanding that she wanted out of their marriage, and then all I heard was the slamming of the door.”

“When was this, Andy,” Thom asked.

“Two days before he was murdered. Like I told you, I had arrived home from the academy for the Fourth of July break early. I hadn’t called them, because I thought I would surprise them when I showed up. I guess the surprise was on me. So I quietly slipped out the front door and then noisily re-entered. Dad was already gone and Mom acted as if all was right with them.”

“Oh, God, now I understand why he was so willing to give her a divorce and be with me. It was because she had already asked him for one. But why didn’t he tell me this, instead of making me feel as though I had a huge part in him asking her for one?”

“Well I think you already know the answer, Sully,” Andy said, using Thom’s words on him.

“He didn’t want to taint my opinion of your mom,” Thom whispered and looked over at Andy, who eyes showed he'd been crying.

“I need to go now and grab a shower and eat,” Andy said as he stood up.

“You can take one here and then we can go grab a bite before work,” Thom suggested. “Come on, I’ll show you to the bathroom,” Thom told him and paused to really look at Andy. “I still have a few of your father’s jeans and shirts here, from when he would shower after we worked on the truck or some other project. He kept a few changes of clothes here so that he never went home dirty.”

“I never did get a shower after Michael … yeah, a shower sounds good,” he replied.

Andy stripped and stepped into Thom’s private shower, while Thom rummaged in his closet for some clothes. He found Travis’ jeans and a button up shirt hanging right where he had hung them. He held the shirt to his nose and it still had Travis’ scent on it. He closed his eyes and sighed before he moved to his bureau, where he grabbed a pair of Travis’ boxer briefs from a drawer and headed into the bathroom.

“I’ll set the clothes on the chair here,” he said and when he turned towards the shower, he saw Andy standing naked in the open doorway.

“Come on, Sully, join me,” Andy suggested.

“Oh, God, I can’t Andy, I can’t possibly be with you,” he added turning away from Andy, and Andy leaned out and placed his hand upon the man’s shoulder.

“Sully, look at me,” Andy asked, but Thom stubbornly stood his ground, shaking his head …

“Don’t Andy … don’t do this to me,” he pleaded as his eyes drank in the beauty of Andy’s form. “I said look at me, Sully,” he firmly said again and turned Thom to face him.

Andy looked down and he saw that Thom’s boxers were tenting out.

“See, Andy, you do this to me just suggesting we shower together,” Thom said, throatily and unable to look at him. “You have always tugged at my heart_”

“Tugged at your heart? It looks like I tugged at more than your heart,” Andy mused, not surprised that he had affected Thom so, especially after what they had admitted earlier. “Look at me, Sully … please,” Andy whispered and used his finger under Thom’s chin to lift his head up.

For what seemed like eternity, they stood there frozen in time, staring at each other. Then Andy slowly raised his hands up and cupped Thom’s face, pulling Thom’s face down and kissed him. Hesitantly and then instinctively, Thom wrapped his muscular arms around Andy, pulled him firmly against him, and kissed him back. Without another word being spoken, Thom lowered his boxers and stepped into the shower with Andy.

Andy had always admired Thom, for his fairness and the respect he showed to him and others.  Thom had always been willing to help Andy out. Whether it was with some high school project or when Andy had started on the force, he just jumped in and gave his help. He was also the one constant, when his father had been murdered, that held him together. Thom had called him nightly while he was at the academy and would talk for hours, consoling each other.

Although, Thom was in his early forties, he didn’t show it. He still had a great body and extremely good looks, because he worked out daily and watched what he ate.  His arms and legs were pillars of pure muscle, his chest, rock hard and looked like it had been carved of granite. His abdomen was tight, defined and had the hint of a six-pack. They showered, kissed and showered again, but neither took it further than washing each other. 

“I can’t believe that I’m doing this with Sully, the man that my dad had been best friends with and had slept with,” Andy thought as Thom led him from the shower, dried them both off and then took him into his bedroom.   

Thom turned and pulled Andy’s body against his, lifting his head up and storming his mouth with a sensuous kiss. Thom stood away and watched as Andy slid onto the bed and held out his arms to Thom. 

"You look so much like your dad, Andy, when I first met him at the academy,” Thom said, and Andy could see Thom’s eyes glossing over. “I miss that man so much." He said, overwhelmed with emotion.  

Thom slipped in beside Andy and they embraced, and kissed deeply. Thom broke the kiss and looked into Andy’s eyes. 

“I can’t do this with you,” it was in each other’s embrace that Thom suddenly got cold feet. "Because all that I see before me is Travis," Thom said and tossed his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, with his back to Andy.  

Andy rose to his knees and leaned against Thom’s back. “Why? Is it because of Dad?” he asked. 

“Maybe that, and it's also the fact that I am old enough to be your father… ” he stopped talking and stood to his feet, walking over to the window, gazing out into the morning. 

"Sully, I don’t give a shit about age, and as for your feelings for Dad…” Thom looked over his shoulder, nodded but did not return to bed. “Listen, Sully, I know that you and dad were best friends, and that you both shared something special together, but he’s gone and now it’s our turn to be friends and share.” 

“But Andy, look at us,” he said turning to face Andy. “I’m forty-one years old and you are twenty-one; my God, sweet boy, what was I thinking,” Thom asked and turned back to the window and gazed out. 

“Sully, like I said, age doesn’t matter to me, so it shouldn’t for you. If you’re worried about what other people might think, don’t. Besides, it’s not like we are going to run out and tell the world that we had sex together and are getting married. My dad was all man and yes, his marriage was over, so you two would have grown to be lovers had Dad lived.” Andy paused as he got up from the bed. “But the thing is, Sully, Dad is gone and he’s not coming back. Let’s just have an afternoon of sex, Sully, and lets not look at our age difference; ok?"  

Andy came up behind him, pulled him back to bed, and brought Thom down beside him, where he kissed him passionately. The sun’s light coming in between the partially opened drapes cast a soft golden tone on Thom.  Andy broke the kiss and kissed and caressed a nipple with his tongue, as his fingers enticed the other.  Thom moaned in pleasure, which told Andy that he was doing just fine. 

Andy wanted nothing more than to satisfy Thom and take him to a place Thom had seldom been to.  He abandoned Thom’s nipples and slowly kissed his way to his manhood, drinking the intoxicating aroma of his scent. It was the scent of a man’s man, musky and heady, with the lingering scent of soap. It intoxicated Andy’s senses, like an expensive wine. 

“Mmmmm,” Thom moaned when Andy lifted Thom’s manhood and admired its beauty before he extended his tongue, licked around the base of its head, and then took it into his mouth.  Thom thrust his hips upward as pleasure enveloped him and his senses.  Andy slowly slid down his love tool until his nose was buried in Thom’s nicely trimmed pubes, and once again he inhaled his scent.  Andy’s heart leapt with excitement, and he drew pleasure from sucking Thom, because he knew that he was pleasing him. 

Thom’s hands found Andy’s head and he brushed them over Andy’s hair as Andy slowly made love to his cock. Andy could feel Thom’s excitement rising, as his cock began to swell, so he pulled off because he wanted this to last as long as he could.   

“Oh, fuck, Andy, you have me dancing on the edge here,” Thom groaned as he felt his climax easing back.  

Andy said nothing; instead, he slowly kissed his way back up to his lips and crushed his against Thom’s in a heated kiss. Joined at their lips, their tongues danced feverishly together as their hearts kept time to the dance.  Andy rose up, moved upward so that he now sat just beyond Thom’s groin, he leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of lube that he saw sitting on the bedside table. 

With his eyes linked with Thom’s, he applied some to his ass and then to Thom’s manhood. With both men holding their stare, Andy rose up, moved back and slowly impaled himself on Thom’s blood swollen cock.  Thom’s eyes rolled back from the sensation, his hands on Andy’s hips as Andy slowly slid down his cock. Andy began to make love with a slow rhythm, all the while Thom watched him with tears in his eyes. 

‘Is he thinking of Dad or is he thinking of me? I really don’t care,’ Andy thought as he rose and fell, and ground his ass around Thom’s swollen member.   

With Thom’s hands holding him, they found their rhythm and made love. Andy moved Thom’s hands, entwined his fingers with Thom’s, and moved up and down on his cock. Thom’s hips rose each time Andy’s ass gyrated around his cock, thrusting it as deep into Andy’s heat as possible. Andy looked at him, and Thom looked back. 

If ever two people could be one, it was those two, mind, body, and soul. It was their realization of their feelings for each other that created it — the new bond.   

“I’m coming, Andy, oh, fuck yeah … ride that cock!” Thom crowed as he gripped Andy’s hips and thrust upward as Andy rode him. 

“Me, too,” Andy called out and when they climaxed, there was such an explosion of passion, that they shouted in ecstasy as their senses filled to capacity.   

With both men sated, Thom tightly embraced Andy and they kissed for what seemed hours, with their hearts pounding as one. Andy rose up and off Thom, collapsing beside him, turning to be engulfed in Thom’s strong arms. Finally, they returned to normalcy, taking slow, effortless breaths. 

"Wow … and I do mean … wow! … Travis," he said to Andy … and then cringed … when he realized the name he had used. “Oh, God, Andy…” 

"It’s ok, Sully, and had my dad been alive I would not be lying here with you; he would be.  I know how much you loved him and he, you. But the truth is, Dad’s gone and calling me his name is alright,” he said, but it did bother him inside that Thom, in his mind, had been making love with his dad and not with him. 

Thom glanced over at the clock and saw that time was fleeting by.  

“If we're going to grab something to eat, we’d best get a move on,” he told Andy as he quickly rose from the bed and hurried into the bathroom. 

They showered and totally forgot about eating as they made love again in the shower. When they had finally gotten dressed and headed to work, it was after six. 

*        *        *

“What the fuck is that matter with me,” Andy yelled out as he drove to work. “First, I let Michael Brady sweet talk me into bed, and when I go to Thom to talk, I end up in bed with him. What the fuck, Butler, you need to get your head on straight before you get to work,” he told himself.

As he drove along, he could see Thom in his rearview mirror, driving behind him, and he asked himself, ‘Do I love him?’ as he alternated looking, from the road ahead, to the rear view mirror and then back to the road. He knew that he loved Thom, but not ‘love, love’ him as a person would a possible mate, but as the surrogate uncle that he had been while Andy grew up.

“At least that puts into perspective Sully, he’s not what I want for a boyfriend,” he reasoned aloud. “I’m sure he’s of the same mind, if he were to be honest with himself. But then, what the fuck do I do about Michael Brady?” he asked as he hurriedly slammed on the breaks for a red light. “That’s it, Butler, get yourself killed over a man,” he snapped at himself.

He looked in the mirror and Thom’s hands were flailing in the air, as if he were asking Andy, 'Where the fuck is your head?' Andy shrugged his shoulders and shot Thom a smile, even though he doubted Thom saw it. He glanced over at a woman; she had stopped beside him and angrily pointed to the traffic light.

“Fuck off, bitch,” he yelled and was sure that she had read his lips, because she instantly gave him the finger.

Andy felt guilty about having said it, but then, she was a stranger he thought.

“Ok man, let’s put Brady into perspective now,” he said, as he stepped on the gas when the light turned green and drove off. “What attributes makes him a keeper,” he asked aloud and glanced over to his right.

The same lady was still beside him and she was looking at him with a look that said, 'Who in hell are you talking to?' Andy gave her a look that said mind your own business and then sped up, leaving her, as well as Thom, in his dust.

“Well, he’s handsome,” he listed first, and again, he nearly ran a light because he had not paid attention. “He’s fucking distracting as all hell and is going to get me killed,” he added as a fault.

Andy looked to his right and saw the same woman looking at him, but she was scolding him for nearly running a second red light, by wagging her finger at him. He mouthed another obscenity, and sped off once the light turned green. He did not dare to look at Thom in the mirror, because he knew what to expect.

“Where the fuck was I … oh yeah, summing up Michael Brady and his endearing qualities. Let me see … he’s sinfully handsome,” he said and then frowned, “You already said that, moron, so move on,” he scolded himself.  “Ok … I got a good one, he’s hung like a stallion,” he shouted, as if he had wanted that irritating lady beside him again, to hear him. “What the fuck is her problem,” he asked smugly when he noticed that she was still beside him.

He had been so deep in thought about Michael that he blew right by the turn for the precinct’s parking yard, which caused Thom to lay on the horn. Andy jumped; he gazed into the mirror and saw Thom’s arm out the window, as he pointed to where Andy should have turned. Andy looked around and made a quick u-turn and then when he got to the parking lot’s entrance, he turned. He saw Thom ahead; he stood with one hand on his hip and with the other he pointed to the empty space beside his own car.

“What in hell was that all about?” he yelled, as if he were Andy’s father. “You nearly blow two red lights and then you completely drive by the entrance to the lot?”

‘Yeah, definitely not a hubby type for me,’ he thought as he looked at a face that looked as if he were about to ground him.

“Well?” he asked again and waited. “Where is your head, Andy,” he inquired as he stood with both hands resting on his hips.

Standing like that, Thom looked very intimidating to Andy. “Sorry Sully, but my mind was a million miles away on all that happened between Michael, my argument with him, and then when you and … I just wasn’t paying attention as I should have been.”

“You think, well you had better get your act together kid, because if you head out on to the streets like this, you will not only hurt someone, but might very well hurt yourself.”

“Yes sir; sorry sir,” Andy shamefully said, and he felt like he did back in junior high when his dad had scolded him for not thinking before acting.

Thom felt it, too; he saw the sudden change in Andy’s demeanor when he had scolded him. They had just come from making love less than an hour ago, and he had acted more like a parent to Andy, than as a lover.

‘Is this how it’s going to be between us — me the parent and constantly reprimanding him when he doesn’t live up to my expectations?’  he mentally asked as he followed Andy to the building. ‘And look how he reacted to me, to my scolding, like he did whenever, Travis, had scolded him. No, that is not how it should be between lovers,’  he told himself and hurried to catch Andy before he entered the building.

“Andy, wait up a second,” he yelled and Andy turned, his face reflected what he thought, ‘Oh, God, here comes another ass chewing’.

“What!” he snapped and Thom knew that Andy was on the defensive, because that ‘what’ was his customary response whenever he was ready to argue.

“I’m sorry, sweetie; I was wrong to yell at you like I did,” Thom apologized, which caught Andy off guard. “I’m not your dad and I should have remembered that your mind was not entirely thinking clearly,” he added, which calmed the argumentative beast in Andy.

“No, Sully, you were right; my mind nearly caused me to run two red lights, as well as miss the turn into the yard. I need to put all the crap behind me until when I am home later,” he said. “And to make matters worse, I had that dumb bitch beside me, acting as if she were my mother.”

“I agree, but I was still wrong to treat you like a kid, instead of … well … I was wrong.”

“Well, my mind is one hundred percent here now and ready to kick ass tonight,” Andy said as they walked together into the building.

“Ah, Butler, quickly change and meet me in my office when you’re done,” Craig said, having caught him and Thom as they were about to walk into the locker room.

“Did I do something wrong, sir,” he asked and Craig shook his head.

“Go change and meet me; we’ll discuss it in my office. Evening Thom,” he added, as if he had just noticed him standing there.

“Craig,” Thom nodded and walked into the locker room.

“What do you think he wants,” Andy nervously asked, and he felt as he did when he had to go before the principal for something he had done.

“Had it been bad, Craig would have demanded that you go immediately with him to his office, Andy. So hurry up and change and go see what he wants,” he added as he opened his locker and tossed his gym bag inside.

Andy walked over to his locker and when he saw that Jonas was not there, he looked around the room. Jonas had always been there when Andy arrived at work, he glanced at the clock, six thirty-five it read and again, he looked around for Jonas. He shrugged his shoulders and within six minutes, he was changed and headed off to the captain’s office.

As he approached Craig’s office, he saw a woman sitting before Craig’s desk. He could not see her face, and other than the fact that she was black and wearing a police uniform, there was nothing else that he could tell about her.

“Ah, Butler, come in, come in, and take a seat,” Craig said.

When Andy entered the room, the woman turned and her face turned from a smiling one to that of the woman that had been driving beside him with a frown.

“You … you’re a police officer,” she said in shock as she rose from the chair she had been sitting in.

“You two know one another,” a surprised Craig asked.

“NO!” they both said together as they turned towards Craig.

“Well, whatever you two have going between you, stifle it and sit down,” Craig demanded, not needing more problems than he already had. “Butler, I’m making a change in the roster and assigning you to Judy,” he said and he could tell by Andy’s face that he was not happy about his decision. “As you know, I need to assign you to a seasoned officer, and this is where Judy comes in …”

Andy looked at her and she shot him a look that said, ‘Your ass is so mine!’ and then turned back her attention to Craig.

“You can’t be serious, sir, you are putting me with a woman? What happened to me and Jonas?” Andy asked a little too harshly as he interrupted Craig, which caused Craig to raise a brow.

“Excuse me, rookie, but you are not in a position to say who and who not I can place you with. Because, as a rookie you are in a probationary period, where you’ll be assessed at the end of it, as to whether or not you move up to a full fledged officer,” Craig told him. “Now, as I said, Jonas had some personal reasons for asking me to reassign you, so, as I was saying before you interrupted me, Judy just returned from a sick leave and needs a partner, so she graciously said that she would take you.”

“That was before I knew the rookie as an asshole who didn’t know how to drive,” she grumbled under her breath.

“Did you say something, Parker,” Craig asked.

“No, sir, I just said it’ll be a pleasure to whip this boy into a man and officer,” she said and turned to give Andy a devilish grin.

“Well, I guess that’s about it, good luck you two,” Craig paused as he rose from his chair. “Please try not to kill each other,” he added as he dismissed them.

Judy had already been through two other partners, and Craig hoped the number three was a charm. Andy, on the other hand, knew that his life was going to be hell for the next eight weeks.

“I need to grab something from my locker, so I’ll meet you at roll call,” Andy said over his shoulder and ran off before Judy could give him any shit about his driving or otherwise.

He hurried over to Jonas who had been talking with another officer and pulled him aside.

“What’s wrong with me, Jonas, you have a problem with me? Why did you ask the captain to reassign me?”

“You cramp my style if you must know, unless you changed your mind about … you know,” he said and made a motion as the two were fucking.

“No, and you know what, you’re so fucking fat and disgusting that unless you paid for sex, you’ll never get a dude to be with you,” Andy told him with his face a breath away from Jonas.

“And like you are God’s gift to fags,” Jonas told him, but Andy just raised a finger to him over his shoulder as he left the room.

He ran into Thom outside the door. Andy told him about Jonas, and then about Judy, as well as about her being the woman that had been driving beside him on his way to work.

“She looks like she could make Attila the Hun look like Mr. Rodgers.”

“Well, Andy, it’s not my place to talk, especially about the personal matters of other officers, but just beware how you talk and act around her,” Thom warned. “She’s been through two partners already and has a reputation as a man hater.”

“That’s just fucking great, a liberated bitch with an axe to grind,” Andy sputtered as he walked off.

Roll call went as it always did; Craig told the officers what was on the agenda while giving personal assignments to the detectives. He glanced across the room to where Judy sat and she had been taking notes while Craig spoke.

“That’s it for tonight, so stay safe,” Craig dismissed them and they all stood and walked off.

Andy, who had been closest to the door, waited for Judy. He had promised himself that he would remain quiet unless spoken too, and if push came to shove, he would simply agree with any and all that she said.

“I’ll check out our cruiser, rookie, so stay put,” Judy instructed as she wandered by him.

“You want me to stay put, then stay put I will do,” he grumbled stubbornly as he watched her walk away.

To be continued...

Posted: 12/13/13