The Wrong Man
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...
Part 1
2
Thanksgiving week…
“But Bryan, you promised me that you would accompany me to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving,” Jackson Beauregard adamantly said.
“I know, babe, but I have three cases in court on Friday, and I still have to prepare my opening statements. I don’t see how I can go, honey,” Maxwell Brewster replied. “Besides, there’s always Christmas, and I promise you that, come hell or high water, I will accompany you then.”
“You told me the same thing about Thanksgiving,” Maxwell gave him his best ‘I promise’ look, which placated Jackson for the moment.
Jackson and Maxwell had been together for two years and Maxwell had yet to set a date for their wedding. Jackson had always dreamt of a Christmas wedding, so he was determined to nail down a date with Maxwell.
“Max, honey … when are we ever going to set a date for our wedding,” Jackson casually asked, and noticed that Maxwell gave a slight cringe at the question.
“Soon, babe … very soon,” he replied and pulled Jackson to him and kissed him lightly.
Great; first, you bail out on me for Thanksgiving, and then you refuse to set a date for our wedding … and what was that, surely it wasn’t a kiss.
“Now I need to go, I have a custody hearing in an hour. I’ll see you tonight at Dennison’s,” he said as he hurried towards the door.
“Remember, Max, reservations are at seven,” Jackson reminded him, but he doubted that he even heard him.
He looked at his watch and decided that he had shopping to do for his family, and he was determined that this year, he would not be sending out Christmas gifts by UPS. He hopped in the shower and washed quickly, dried and dressed as fast. He had donned his coat and was about to leave, when the phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was his mother … again.
“Hi, Mom, what is it now?” he asked.
“I remembered that you told me that Max was lactose intolerant, so does that mean I cannot use any dairy products in my cooking?”
That was his mother, always looking out for the welfare of others. Her first call had been about the arrival time of his flight, then came the call about whether she should make up the guest room or would they sleep together, which was not a problem for his family, and finally she had called about Maxwell’s allergy issues.
“As long as you don’t go overboard, some dairy products are fine, Mom. Now I really need to go, I have a ton of gifts to finish shopping for, if I want to bring them with me. I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow night at nine-fifteen.”
“American Airlines … right?” she asked in confirmation.
“Yes, Mother, American Airlines and our flight arrives there at nine-fifteen.”
“I love you, son, and your father and I are looking forward to finally meeting the young man who has stolen your heart.” And then she added, “We are going to meet him, Jackson … right?”
“Yes you are, Mother, now I really must go.” They said their goodbyes and then hung up.
‘That’s just great! I lied to Mom about finally meeting Maxwell, and he isn’t coming … again this year,’ he thought as he set the receiver in its cradle.
The day was hectic for Jackson, but he managed to finish up his Christmas shopping in time to meet Maxwell at Dennison’s, their favorite restaurant.
“Good evening, sir,” the maître d' said in greeting.
“I have a reservation for seven o’clock and the name is Jackson Beauregard,” he said and watched as the man scanned his list and gave him a wide smile when he saw his name.
“Right this way, Mr. Beauregard,” he said and grabbed two menus before he escorted Jackson to his favorite table.
“My party should be arriving shortly,” he told the man, who nodded as he pulled out the chair for Jackson.
Jackson was absently staring out the window as he hoped to see Maxwell’s arrival, and never saw as his waiter came up to the table.
“Good evening, sir,” he greeted him, and Jackson startled. “I’m sorry, sir; I did not mean to startle you.”
“Not a problem … Jason,” he said as he read the young man’s name tag.
“May I get you a cocktail while you’re waiting for your party?” he asked.
“Yes, do you have Sartori di Verona; it’s a Delle Venezie pinot Grigio?”
“Yes, sir, and an excellent choice,” Jason told him. “We have a 2010; will that be agreeable, sir?”
“Yes, Jason … and thank you,” he said.
Jackson watched the young man as he walked away and smiled.
‘Nice ass and firm muscular legs … I bet he doesn’t keep his special someone waiting,’ he thought.
He glanced at this watch … seven-ten, it read, and he let out a sigh, as he pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket. He punched in Maxwell’s number and waited for him to pick up.
“Hello, you have reached Maxwell Brewster’s cell, but I am not able to pick up at the moment. If you’ll leave your name and number, I’ll be sure to return your call,” the recording said and Jackson growled irritably as he waited for the beep.
“Max … Jackson, where in hell are you? I told you that we had seven o’clock reservations at Dennison’s, which, by the way, is where I am.”
He hung up and watched Jason’s approach.
‘Hmmm, nice package, Jason, and would you look at those pecks,’ he thought.
“Your wine, sir,” he said and set the glass on the table.
“Thank you, Jason, and I’m afraid that my party is running late,” Jackson offered up as an excuse as to why the chair opposite him was vacant.
“Shall I get you an appetizer while you wait?”
Jackson held up a finger to ask him to wait, while he answered his phone. “It’s my party,” he mouthed as he connected to the call.
“Max, where are you, it’s almost seven-thirty,” he snapped as he glanced at his watch.
Jason stood patiently waiting and pretending not to listen as Jackson talked to Maxwell.
“I’m sorry, babe, but Mr. Harrison demanded that I submit my opening remarks to the court so that he could review them. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to make it, tonight.”
“Whatever, Max,” he replied coldly. “While you have the old man there, how about asking for a delay until Monday on your hearings so that you can join me at my folks’ home for Thanksgiving?” he asked once again, as he hoped against hope that he would agree.
“No can do, Jackson,” he said. “Also, and please remember where you are, but I’m afraid that I won’t be home until tomorrow after court,” he added quickly. “I’ll be up well into the night writing, babe, so instead of coming home, I’ll crash here on the sofa.”
“What? You know how much I hate it when you do that,” Jackson said.
Maxwell had done that to him several times before, and he had a very good reason why he detested him sleeping at the office — because he had caught him cheating. Jackson had wanted to surprise Maxwell with dinner at the office the last time he had pulled an all nighter, and it was then that he had caught Maxwell naked with another attorney. It had taken Jackson two months to forgive him, and Maxwell had promised that it would never happen again.
“What else can I do babe?” he asked.
“You can come home and work,” he replied coldly.
“But all my reference books are here at the office,” he countered.
“Fine … but there best be no hanky-panky going on,” he demanded.
“Are you ever going to stop throwing that up in my face, Jackson?” he bitterly asked.
“Not until I feel assured that you have eyes for me, alone. Goodnight,” he said coldly and disconnected the call, before he turned to Jason. “I’ll be dining alone,” he curtly said as he looked over the menu.
Jason removed the other place setting and when he returned, Jackson gave him, his order. Jason could see that Jackson was furious at this man, Maxwell, and leaned closer as he spoke.
“I know that it’s none of my business, sir, but a man like you should not be dining alone,” he said with a slight blush.
“I know, but Max is a lawyer and very busy,” he said in Maxwell’s defense.
“All night busy, sir?” he whispered. “As I said, it is none of my business, sir,” he said apologetically.
“Thank you for your concern, Jason, but it’s not just the missed engagement here that has me so angry, but he’s my fiancé and was supposed to go home with me for Thanksgiving, and he baled out … again … for work reasons. He’s managed to avoid going home with me for the last two years. My parents are beginning to think that I made him up.”
“If you were my fiancé, I would certainly accompany you home to meet your parents,” he said and blushed when he realized what he had done. “I really don’t know this Max, but from an innocent bystander’s point of view, I’d say that he’s got another fish on the line.”
‘Hmmm, don’t you think that I’ve already considered that?’ he mentally asked and glanced up at him.
Jason was handsome — long brown hair that he had tied back, emerald eyes, and those lips — full pouting lips that demanded to be kissed.
“I’ll place your order, sir, and shall I get you another wine?”
“Please, and please bring me the bottle, I have a lot of problems to drown,” Jason nodded and walked away.
When his order arrived, Jason ate in silence, but his mind was working overtime, as he tried to devise an excuse for why Maxwell was not with him … well, an excuse that his mother would buy. She had been very clear that she and his father were going to meet Maxwell this year.
When Jason returned with the check, Jackson had an epiphany.
“Jason, what are you doing for the next four days?” he asked him.
“I was supposed to go home to Vermont for Thanksgiving, but at the last minute my parents decided to take a trip to Aruba. So now I’m here and alone … why?” he asked.
“How would you like to make … say … five hundred dollars?” he asked, which caught Jason off guard.
“I do not hustle, sir,” he adamantly stated.
“I wasn’t inferring that you did, but I need a fiancé for the Thanksgiving weekend and you seem to be available…”
“I am … but what will your parents say, if and when they finally meet the real Max?” he asked.
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, because at the moment, I need to appease my mother. Sooooo…”
“I can always use five hundred dollars… Sure; why not … honey?” he remarked with a blush.
“Great! Now, how about I pick you up after work and we’ll get you up to speed on me, as well as about my family?”
“How about I catch a ride to your place when I finish for the night? With Thanksgiving a day away, things have been rather slow tonight. I had hoped to get off early, anyway, so … it would be easier for me to come to you.”
“That works,” he said as he jotted down his address on a napkin.
“I’ll see you whenever, then,” Jason smiled and it seemed to ease Jackson’s foul mood.
* * *
It was close to ten when the doorbell rang. Jackson opened the door and saw a smiling Jason standing there. He had apparently gone home and showered as well as changed clothes, because Jackson could see that his hair was still damp and he looked absolutely scrumptious in the jeans he wore.
“I hope it’s not too late … uhhh…” he paused for a name.
“Oh, my God; I completely forgot to give you my name; it’s Jackson,” he said as he extended his hand out to Jason.
“Jackson, huh? That’s a very Southern name?”
“It’s actually Jackson Calhoun Beauregard, and I came from Atlanta, as a matter of fact,” he said, holding his hand and when he realized it, he released it quickly. “Come in,” he said and stepped aside to allow him to enter.
“Wow … what a nice place you have! This Max must make quite a salary, to afford this place,” he said.
“Actually, it’s mine, Jason; Max moved in with me and not the other way around. It belonged to my grandparents, and when they passed away, it was left to me.”
“Well it’s a lot larger than my one room … and would you look at the view!” he exclaimed as he gazed out the window onto Central Park.
“Can I get you something before we begin? Wine, coffee, or whatever else you might like?”
“Coffee will be fine, because we might well be up most of the night,” he told him, and Jackson nodded in agreement.
With coffee in hand, they sat at opposite ends on the sofa and Jackson began to run through the names of his family, as well as what Jason should know about Maxwell. When they had finished, it was nearly four in the morning.
“If you like, you can crash for a few hours in the guest room,” Jackson offered.
“I’d love to, but I should be home packing if I’m to be ready for the flight,” he said, and stood up.
“I guess,” he said and was disappointed to see him go.
It wasn’t that he had expected romance; after all, he had never once cheated on his man, but he felt comfortable with Jason. He was handsome and had a great personality as well as a fabulous sense of humor.
“I’ll swing by at noon to pick you up, and then we can head directly to JFK for our two o’clock flight.”
“I’ll be ready and waiting for you,” he promised, as Jackson walked him to the door.
They shook hands and once Jason departed, Jackson wondered if he had maybe made a mistake in asking him to pose as Maxwell. He decided that a few hours sleep was worse than not sleeping at all, so he took a long, leisurely shower and finished packing.
“I wonder,” he said as he looked at one of Maxwell’s Armani suits. “I think he’s about Max’s size,” he assured himself and took the suit and slipped in with his own suit. “Besides, the color will bring out the radiance of Jason’s green eyes,” he added, happy that he thought of it.
* * *
As promised, Jason was standing at the curb when the taxi pulled up. The driver opened the trunk and set the suitcase in while Jason got into the cab.
“Did you sleep at all,” Jackson asked.
“No … did you?” he asked in return.
“No; I decided on a shower and then finished packing.”
“Who’s Beau?” Jackson suddenly asked, hoping to catch Jason off guard.
“He’s your younger brother and Melanie is your older sister. Clark is your dad and Helen is your mother,” he proudly said. “I’m a junior partner at Shuster, Brown and Brown law firm. I’m twenty-nine and come from up-state New York — Albany to be exact.”
“How long have we been together,” Jackson asked.
“It’ll be two years this coming New Year’s Eve, having met at the Waldorf-Astoria’s New Year’s Eve party.”
“I think we can pull it off,” Jackson nervously said.
“I’ll just follow your lead, and if I have to improvise, then follow mine,” he said with a smile that went directly to Jackson’s heart.
“You know, Jason, I never once asked if you had a boyfriend,” Jackson said.
“I did, but I caught him cheating on me with his boss and instead of forgiving him, I left him. It’s not that I’m against forgiving someone, but this wasn’t the first time that he had cheated on me. In fact, he had done it twice before.”
“You are definitely more forgiving than I am.” Jackson noticed that the hurt was still a part of Jason; it showed when he spoke about his ex-lover.
“I believe in honesty and fidelity, because if you don’t have that in a relationship, what have you got?”
“Oh, I so agree, Jay, and I believe that each person in the relationship needs his own space also, not to seek out other men, but to give them sort of breathing room; am I being silly here?” he asked.
“Not at all, JC … uhhh … I can call you that, can’t I?” Jackson had not heard that name for him since he was a boy and his younger brother had tagged him with it.
JFK was a zoo when they arrived, which Jackson had assumed it would be, what with the holiday travel and all. They waited to check their luggage; they waited again as they slowly made their way through the metal detectors and arrived at their gate in time for boarding.
“That’s for first class,” Jason whispered.
“I know. It’s the only way to fly,” he said.
They gave their tickets to the lady at the door; she pulled out the boarding pass for that part of the trip and allowed them on.
“I’ve never flown first class before,” he whispered to Jackson as they found their seats.
“Why don’t you take the window seat, that way you can see the beauty of the country below.”
They sat patiently and listened to the stewardess go through all the precautionary measures and Jason sat glued to the window when the plane finally departed.
They had a direct flight to Atlanta and once they had their luggage in hand, Jackson told him that they needed to find his sister, who was supposed to be picking them up.
“Isn’t that her … the cute auburn-haired beauty with the green cloak on?” he said Jackson, who was astonished that he had recognized his sister from an old photo.
“Oh, you are good, Jay… very good,” he said and dropped his bag when she came running up to him, lunging into his arms.
“I missed you so much, Jack,” she said and planted a kiss to his cheek. “Dan and the kids are at home with Mom and Dad; I didn’t want to look for you as well as handle Dan Jr.”
“Sis … this is Max; Max, my sister, Melanie,” he said in introductions.
“Well, well, I finally get to meet the elusive Max,” she said. “Welcome,” she said as she hugged him and planted a kiss to his cheek as well. “Now we really gotta get a move on, because Mom has been a wreck all day, worrying about meeting your Max.”
“I bet she has been,” he groaned and felt guilty about deceiving her, as well as the rest of his family.
The drive through Atlanta was slow, the traffic terrible as they seemed to inch their way along I-75 through downtown and then north until they took the ramp towards their destination.
* * *
Melanie pulled the car into the drive, and before they could exit the vehicle, Jackson’s mother, father, and brother came running out of the house, followed by Dan, who was carrying his son.
“Jackson,” his mother yelled and pulled him into her arms. She gave him a warm, Southern hug as well as a kiss on the cheek.
“How are you, Mom?” he asked as he struggled to stand against the hold she had on him.
“And this must be Max; well, it’s about time that we finally get to meet you,” she said as she abruptly let go of Jackson and pulled Jason into strangle hold hug.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Miss Helen,” he said, using the correct Southern way to address an older adult.
“Max … Clark and you best not add a mister to the name,” Jackson’s father said as he rescued Jason from his wife.
“A pleasure … sir,” he said and watched the grimace it gave to the older man’s face. “I was raised never to call my elders by their first name unless it was accompanied by a mister, misses or miss.”
“See, Beau, he’s got manners and I hope that they rub off on you while he’s here.”
“I’m Beau and you can call me Beau,” he said with a smartass tone.
“I give up on the boy; seventeen, and still has no manners. Now come on in the house. Did y’all eat on the plane, because I saved the leftovers from dinner,” Helen said as she entwined her arms with both Jackson and Jason.
* * *
“Are you sure that this is safe, Max? I’d hate to be caught again by Jackson,” Michael Bennett, Max’s co-worker and fellow attorney said as he followed Max into Jason’s apartment.
“Of course it’s safe,” he said as he turned and pulled Michael into a warm embrace. “He’s on his way to Atlanta as we speak, so you don’t have to worry,” he pressed his mouth to Michael’s in a hot, deep kiss.
“This’ll be so much better than that sofa in your office,” he quickly began to disrobe when Max did the same.
Together, hand in hand, they walked naked down the hall to Max’s bedroom and fell locked together in a kiss unto the bed.
* * *
“I have you both in your old bedroom, Jack, and your sister and Dan in the guest room with Danny,” his mother said, and Jackson nearly spit out his drink that he’d been drinking.
He had forgotten that his mother had put them together in his room and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders as he glanced over at Jason.
“You know, Max, his room is just the same as it was when he lived here,” she said with a smile to Jason.
“Oh, really? So I’ll get to see what the boy Jackson was like as a teen,” he said and flashed Jackson a devilish grin.
“I was still a country bumpkin then,” Jackson whispered when his mother turned away.
“Mmmmhmmm,” Jason murmured and gave him a grin that said ... I’ll be the judge of that.
“By the way, smartass, how do you feel about the sleeping arrangements?” Jackson nervously asked when his mother left the room.
“I’ll take the floor if you’ll feel better about it,” he replied.
Jackson was about to argue the point, but his brother came into the room.
“So tell me, JC, when are you two planning on getting married?” he asked and his question caught Jackson off guard.
“Next month on Christmas Eve,” he blurted out.
“Christmas Eve … oh, dear! That doesn’t give me much time to get a wedding together,” his mother said from behind him.
“MOM!” he exclaimed as he turned to see her standing there at the door. “We don’t want a wedding; Max and I are planning on eloping,” he lied.
“Nonsense! Your sister eloped and I was robbed of that wedding and I’ll be damned if you’ll rob me, buster,” she said with both hands in fists on her hips. “I’ll have to call those from out of town, because there is no time for a formal invitation, and…” she wandered out of the room before Jackson could further argue the point.
“You never said anything about having to marry you?” Jason whispered.
“It just came out when Beau caught me off guard with his question,” he replied back.
“I do hope that this Max is willing to marry you?”
“He is, but we never set a date as to when,” he murmured.
“Alright, JC, what is really going on here,” Beau asked suspiciously.
“Nothing is going on, Beau,” he quickly replied.
“Right,” he simply stated and left the room.
“Would you excuse me, Jay? I should call Max,” he whispered and got up to leave the room.
While he was gone, Jason wandered into the kitchen, where Helen stood at the sink doing the last of the dishes. Without asking, Jason simply grabbed a dishtowel and began to dry them.
“You’re a guest here, Max; now you stop that,” she scolded.
“Nonsense; you made me family, and besides, I would do the same at home for my mom,” he told her.
“Manners, I like a man who has manners,” she gave him a warm smile and continued washing while he dried. “You know, Max, I was a bit hesitant about meeting you after…”
“After what?” he asked.
“You don’t remember that little argument we had a year ago when I scolded you for not coming with Jack for Christmas?”
“Oh, that … I totally forgot about it. “Had I known then how hospitable and loving ya’ll are, I would have come.”
“Well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” she said reciting the old adage. “When you reach my age, you’ll realize that work is just that — work — and it’s family that truly matters.”
“My mom died young, as did my father, so I just threw myself into my work to forget,” he lied, even though his parents had died, he had gone from one job to another.
“I’m sorry to hear that, son; now you run off and find that handsome man of yours,” she said as she took the towel from him and gave him a kiss to the cheek.
“Goodnight … Mom,” he warmly said and returned the kiss and noticed that she wiped away a tear as he left.
“There you are, Max, I was looking for you,” he said.
“I was bonding with Mom in the kitchen.”
“Bonding?” he asked suspiciously.
“Just talk in general,” he quickly said. “I like her and I’m feeling kinda guilty for deceiving her,” he added.
“So am I, but we’re already up to our necks in it, so we can’t stop now. Please tell me that you aren’t about to back out,” he said.
“No, I agreed to do this and I’ll stand by my word,” he said as they made their way upstairs to bed. “Did you get you know who on the phone?” he asked softly.
“No, just his voicemail,” Jackson said, but it was apparent to Jason that the wheels of doubt and suspicion were turning in Jackson’s head.
“Maybe he’s asleep; after all, you did say that he had pulled an all nighter at the office,” he reminded Jackson.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that he’s in bed; I just wonder if he’s alone or not.”
“Again, this may be none of my business, but why marry someone you can’t trust?”
Jackson stopped outside his bedroom door, turned and said, “I have asked myself that very same question, Jay.”
“We all ask ourselves unanswerable questions, but every now and then, we do get an answer … and not always the one we wanted.”
“Hmmm,” he groaned as he entered the bedroom.
“Boy bands, you were into boy bands?” Jason asked.
“What can I say; I’m gay and found the guys hot,” he said in his defense. “Why don’t you use the bathroom first, and then I’ll use it after you’re done,” Jackson suggested and Jason nodded.
Jackson sat on the bed and tried to call Maxwell again, but like the last time, he got his voicemail.
“Max, it’s me, where are you and what are you doing that you cannot answer your phone? Call me as soon as you get this, regardless of the time,” he said to the machine and then hung up.
Part 2
1
Jason came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Jackson tried not to stare, but the man was too much of an Adonis, not to.
“It’s all yours,” Jason said. “What side do you prefer?”
“Huh?” Jackson asked.
“The bed … so what side do you prefer?” he asked again.
“Oh, that … the right side,” he said and hurried into the bathroom to hide his blushing.
He started the shower and then remembered his clothes, which were in the bedroom. He dashed out of the bathroom and froze, when he saw a naked Jason standing beside the bed.
“Oh … sorry,” he said and turned away. “I forgot to grab my clothes.”
‘Oh my God … that man is even better looking naked,’ he thought.
“I wasn’t expecting you to come out until I was in bed,” Jason said as he grabbed the spread from the bed to hide his nakedness.
“Don’t you have pajamas?”
“No, I always sleep naked … sorry.”
“Oh,” he said and hurried back into the bathroom.
‘What is going on with you, Jackson? You know what is going on; you’re falling for him because you know that Max is home cheating on you,’ he thought as he fought with his emotions. ‘No,’ he mentally said. ‘I am not falling for him.’ He argued. ‘Oh, but you are and you know very well the reason why … he cares for you even though he barely knows you, and cared enough to be a part of this charade, which is more than you can say for Max.’
He knew he was, and the attraction had been almost instant. Men like Jason didn’t come along every day. He had never dated much; in fact, Maxwell had been his first serious romance.
Before he stepped into the shower, he tried his home phone number instead of Maxwell’s cell.
“Hello?” a strange man said.
“Michael?” Jason asked.
“Oh, shit,…” he said and instantly hung up the phone.
‘Now I know why Max isn’t answering; he’s taken up with Michael again,’ he angrily thought. ‘Well, Maxwell Brewster, two can play that game,’ he said as he stepped into the shower.
Jackson sudsed himself and set his face beneath the spray, rinsing away his tears, as well as his doubts.
‘Don’t think,’ he thought. ‘If you think too long, you’ll remember all the reasons why you shouldn’t be doing this. You’ll remember how you felt, the warm liquid fire that left you nearly delirious, when your hand touched Jason’s.
It was no big thing; he had toyed with the idea of doing what Maxwell had done to him … cheat.
‘But you are still his partner until you formally end it,’ you reasoned in your mind. ‘Yes, but I want everything … I want Jason. I want to kiss him, run my fingers through his hair and let my fingers explore the contour of his back … I want it all: a man who’ll return the love I give him.’
He turned around, letting the water sluice through his hair, and as he opened his eyes, he slipped and nearly screamed.
“JC, are you alright?” Jason asked from the other side of the door.
“I’m fine … I slipped on the soapy residue in the shower; just give me a second,” he told him and when he looked up from where he was sprawled on the floor, there stood Jason with a hand extended down to him and with worry in his eyes.
‘Those eyes … why did he have to have such hypnotic eyes?’ Jackson asked himself.
Jason was naked as he helped Jackson to his feet. Jackson was embarrassed and his face glowed crimson as he stepped from the shower. With one foot firmly on the rug, the other slid on the remaining residue and he lunged forward into Jason’s arms as they plummeted to the floor, with Jackson atop Jason.
“All you had to do was ask if you wanted me,” Jason grinned that smile, flashing perfectly white straight teeth. “I’d better let you dry off before your parents come charging in,” he told him and together they rose to their feet.
‘Oh, the danger’s not outside this room … it’s right here,’ he thought when he noticed how seductively, Jason’s eyes surveyed his body.
He managed to wrap the towel that Jason handed him around himself, but that was as far as he got. He stood there shivering, thinking that he should move, but was unable to do so. Even though the feelings of cheating had eased, they were still ingrained in his memory along with the pain and feelings of betrayal that Maxwell had caused.
Seconds ticked by, then minutes. The guilt and shame had ebbed and a deep sense of need and longing had replaced them.
‘Jackson Beauregard, what are you doing? You don’t know this man very well,’ he warned himself. ‘This is wrong … so wrong in so many ways,’ he thought, yet he did not care.
“I … I’m alright, Jason; you don’t need to stay,” he managed to say, his voice quivering with need.
And it should quiver; of course, he wanted Jason as much as he wanted the very air that he breathed. His voice was quivering because he could feel Jason’s eyes on him. He had never seen such darker eyes or brighter ones. They were deep, dark, fascinating, wicked, and diabolical, both threatening and yet … they promised mischief, never malice or harm, but ecstasy…
Jason cleared his throat. “Are you sure that you want me to leave?”
Jackson had never been unsure of anything in his life as he had been at that moment.
“You might slip and fall again,” his eyes never left Jackson’s face, but his gaze was like a caress.
“No,” he whispered huskily.
“Are you alright?” Jackson could sense the skepticism in his voice.
Jackson nodded.
‘What does he really mean, or does it matter?’ he wondered.
Jackson should be embarrassed, he should tell Jason to leave, or he should run and hide, as far away from the room … the bedroom … as he could get.
“Can I get you something … a drink perhaps?” Jason asked.
‘Me, perhaps,’ Jason added silently. ‘I should leave; I shouldn’t be standing here naked in his bathroom. He was right, the danger was not from outside this room; it was here … it was me.’
Water clung to Jackson’s body in delightful droplets. His hair was wet and disheveled and Jason thought that he had never looked more handsome then he did then, when he had been most vulnerable. He looked masculine, powerful, a Greek god come to earth to tempt and tease him. Jason needed to quickly leave, he thought, but yet his feet remained planted, as if they had sprouted roots and held him in place.
Jackson smiled an embarrassed smile, and yet, there was something moving beneath the surface that he had tried to hide, but couldn’t. A river of liquid fire, moving as slowly as lava, and yet it was ready to consume all in its path.
Jason took a step toward Jackson, he didn’t move, so he took another; their bodies only a breath apart, and it was Jackson who closed the gap. Jason tilted his head back, and his eyes met Jackson’s. He could have sworn that his heart stopped … actually stopped. Jackson brushed his knuckles over Jason’s cheek, and then held his face carefully between his palms.
“This is wrong in so many ways, Jay, because I’m not a cheater, but I cannot help myself.”
“Then I should go … yes?” Jason whispered as his eyes continued to hold Jackson’s.
“No,” he whispered back and bent down and kissed Jason with all the yearning in his heart and soul.
His tongue slid over Jason’s lips, grazing against his teeth, plunging and delving into his sweet hot depths. Jason’s fingers tangled in Jackson’s hair, those damp, errant strands. Jackson’s hands moved to Jason’s neck, he felt his nape with his fingers, his shoulder blades, and the smooth length of his back. Jason was soft … muscular, and Jackson’s fingers glided over the ripples of each muscle.
Jackson felt Jason shudder, and when he felt that he should draw back, Jason pressed himself more closely against him.
The towel slid from between them to the floor, and Jason was kissing him back. His tongue, a sweet torment, was deep in Jackson’s mouth; his fingers were entwined in the hair at his nape. They merged together in that kiss, and the night stopped. Time ceased to be. When they finally pulled apart, neither of them could breathe … neither of them cared. Jackson saw only Jason’s beautiful eyes, green and open and honest, searing into his own.
“Oh, Jason,” he whispered, he kissed him again, and when he drew away, there was nothing left to say.
“Oh, Jason,” he whispered again, and he buried his face against Jason’s throat, against the sweet scent of the man, and when he moved again, it was to sweep his naked body into his arms, the only natural thing to do.
Jason’s arms wound round about him; his eyes, eternally green, remained locked with his. His fingers stroked his nape, and Jackson was dimly aware that he was shaking. He had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted Jason. Jason was an aching in his soul, a yearning in his heart. Jason compounded his desire with his own, and he made the experience transcend anything that he had ever known before … even surpassing all bounds he had ever felt with Maxwell.
Although it had been years since he last took a lover to bed in his bedroom, he remembered the way, as his footsteps led him to his bed. He laid Jason on it, lowered himself beside him as Jason parted his lips and smiled, and pulled him into a kiss again.
He was far more anxious than graceful as he maneuvered atop him. He was above Jason, Jason’s smile, mercury and stardust, met him, and their eyes remained locked as he lowered his mouth to Jason’s once again. Only then did Jason’s fingers falter. Jackson didn’t urge him to go on, afraid that the magic would be broken. He lifted away slightly and for a long moment they remained that way, close, barely touching, feeling the marvel of their bodies meeting.
When Jackson moved, it was slowly. He brought his fingers against Jason’s arm, stroking languidly, tantalizingly. There was so much to savor in just that touch. The moon was out and he could see Jason, could see every exotic curve and plane of his muscles.
Jason made a little sound and moved against Jackson, and suddenly the world was filled with brilliant color. He, like Jackson, burned with desire. It raged within him, controlling him, and there was nothing languid about Jackson’s touch when he swept his arms around Jason and felt the liquid motion of his body beneath his. Too fast, he warned himself, too fast; they had just met, and he couldn’t let passion take control.
But it had.
A hoarse, guttural cry escaped Jackson, and he shifted his weight over Jason’s. He let his trembling hand roam free over Jason’s chest, and then touched that seductive flesh with a kiss, with his tongue, holding a nipple within his mouth, warning himself to slow down, ignoring that warning as Jason’s body arched against his.
Jason decided that he had gone mad, but he deserved to be mad, he told himself. He was an adult; he was mature and capable as well as responsible. Each time Jackson’s tongue rasped against Jason’s flesh, each time Jason felt the deliciously callused tips of Jackson’s fingers against his skin, Jason found paradise with him. It was new … something that he had never before felt with another man … not even his late lover who had died.
But this newness — this was so intense that it was painful. So delicious that denial would be akin to death. Jason whispered Jackson’s name out loud, harshly, hoarsely. Jackson’s teeth were grazing Jason’s nipple while his fingers stroked the inner flesh of Jason’s upper thigh, and Jason seemed to become liquid, hot and molten. Jason emitted a small sound, and then a louder one, and then a searing cry as Jackson’s fingers moved to his treasure spot, his touch probed within him, deep within him. The sensation electrified Jason, and he shuddered because it felt so good … so intense.
“Open your eyes.”
Jason did, and stared at him in wonder, fascinated by the strength in the muscles beneath his fingers, enchanted with the passion he could read on Jackson’s face.
Jackson shifted again, smiling, entering Jason, and Jason cried out boldly. For a moment he was horrified at the sound, but Jackson laughed with such triumph and pleasure that Jason buried his face against Jackson’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around Jackson’s back.
Jason savored each second, each movement … each one slowly; a subtle thrust that brought Jackson deeper and deeper into him. , made Jackson more and more a part of him.
Jason’s blood seemed to sing in his ears; his entire body moved the music of his touch. He flew, and he soared, and he silently cried, because he had to reach the pinnacle, yet Jackson held him back again and again, so that he was forced to fly and soar again.
Finally he reached it; a moment so high, so wonderful, so good, that light had never been so brilliant. He felt as if the stars were colliding inside him, yet he knew that he was completely of the earth. As he drifted downward like a golden autumn leaf, he smiled, because once again he could hear Jackson’s breath and his own, hear his own heartbeat and Jackson’s. Feel his flesh, damp and slick, against his own.
Jackson rose up on an elbow, watching Jason’s eyes again and praying that remorse wouldn’t set in. It would be so easy for Jason to hate him … easy for Jason to feel that Jackson had taken advantage of Jason, of the situation.
Jason smiled and reached up and smoothed the hair back from Jackson’s forehead, ran his fingers over Jackson’s cheek. Jackson caught Jason’s hand and kissed his fingers.
“I think I’m in love,” Jason whispered, knowing that it was too soon to say such words, and to a man who already had a fiancé.
Then he did suffer a pang of remorse. What an asinine thing to say! Anyone with any sense knew that love and lovemaking weren’t the same; that a man might well run if such words were spoken too early.
But Jackson didn’t run, he grinned … slowly, with his diabolical grin, and he kissed Jason’s forehead.
“Jason, do you have any idea how beautiful you are? How sweet, how fresh, how wonderful you are?”
Jason colored and curled against Jackson’s chest, fingering the damp curls of hair there, thinking that he was beautiful, when he was the one in wonderful shape, his muscles powerful and fascinating.
“Men are handsome, not beautiful,” he responded as he met Jackson’s eyes.
“You are that also, but your beauty … it radiates from within and causes you to shine.”
“Really?” Jason whispered.
“Yes, really,” he told him.
Jackson slipped his arms around Jason and held him close. “What do you think my parents are going to say in the morning; it wasn’t like we were quiet?” he asked.
Jason frowned, then sat up, laughed and straddled Jackson. It was a wonderful feeling, natural and easy.
“Actually,” Jason told him, his eyes sparkling, “I don’t really care if the entire neighborhood heard us, because I don’t think that I am in love with you, JC … I know it!”
He pulled Jackson to him and kissed him with such a kiss that it left them both panting and gasping when they broke.
“You don’t know my father; he’ll ride you in the morning until you’re glowing like a traffic light with redness,” he chuckled and then turned serious. “Jay, when I came upstairs tonight, I had no intentions of bedding you; you need to know this.”
“Well, I had every intention of it, because I saw your hurt and I wanted to — if only for the night — to erase that pain I saw in your eyes.”
“There it is again … that inner beauty radiating outward. Jay, I, too, have fallen in love with you, and it’s not the sex, although it was mind blowing; it’s you and your heart that caught me.”
“Do you know when I first felt the pangs of love for you?” he asked and Jackson shook his head, “It was when you first called me Jay, I knew right there and then that you had my heart regardless of what the outcome of this weekend is.”
“And I knew I was hooked on you when you called me JC, because only Beau has ever called me that.”
They kissed and had wild monkey sex when they came together, and it was close to dawn when they finally curled into a meant-to-be spooning position and fell asleep.
* * *
It was close to noon when Jackson and Jason went downstairs to face both the music and Thanksgiving Day.
“Well, I’m glad to see that someone got to sleep last night,” Clark murmured from behind his paper.”
“Sorry, Pop, that we kept you awake,” Jackson said and kissed his father’s bald spot atop his head.
“At least I didn’t have to guess who was … what is it you call it … oh yes, the top and bottom, because Max there nearly woke the dead when I assume you thrust into him.”
“Dad, that is totally uncalled for,” Jackson could not hold back his grin, and Jason was truly the color of a traffic stop-light. “I thought you didn’t care if the entire neighborhood heard us,” Jackson whispered, which caused Jason to glow deeper.
“I’m sorry, sir … but Jackson caught me off guard with the size of his…”
“Jay, we don’t need to go into details … dear,” Jackson interrupted, himself red with embarrassment.
“Who’s ‘Jay’?” his father was quick to pick up on the slip of the tongue when Jackson had called Jason, Jay.
“Ah … I meant to say Max,” he was quick to add.
“Then explain this,” his father said and held up a brown leather wallet.
Jason’s expression suddenly serious, when he recognized his wallet, “It’s my wallet, Clark,” he said and reached for it, but Jackson’s father quickly pulled it away.
“It can’t be, because, according to the driver’s license inside, it belongs to a Jason Stewart, and see here…” he pulled the ID from the wallet and held it up for all to see, “…it even has Jason’s picture on it, who seems to look an awful bit like you.”
“Dad, I haven’t been exactly honest with you and Mom,” Jackson quietly said as he took a chair at the table. “His real name is Jason, not Max.”
“Then who is the Max that you have been telling us that you’re engaged to?”
“Back in Manhattan … cheating on me,” he angrily said and told him the entire story, from Max’s refusal to join him for Thanksgiving up to when he approached Jason with the idea of posing as Max.
“Son, all your mother and I ever wanted for you and Beau, was happiness, and if Jason, here, if he’s the one who makes you happy, then it makes us happy.”
Jackson was near tears when his father stood and pulled him from his chair and gave him a hard, warm hug, he then turned to Jason and did the same.
“What’s all the tears and hugging for,” Helen asked when she came upon the men in the kitchen.
Jackson told his mom what he had already told his father, and she smiled.
“I had a sneaking suspicion that this young man wasn’t Max,” she said with a warm smile and her hand resting on Jason’s arm. “He’s much too kind, warm, and caring to be Max.”
“Really, Mom? Then why didn’t you say something?” he asked.
“It wasn’t my place for one; besides, I figured you had a good reason why you were doing it. So, is the wedding on or off?” she asked, “Because if it’s off, I’ll have to call all the family and friends and tell them.”
Jackson turned to Jason and looked deep into his eyes, “Is it?” he asked with a questioning smile
“If you call that a proposal, mister, then the answer is no.”
“Huh?” Jackson groaned and his father cuffed him off the back of the head.
“You’ve got to do it right, son, like I did with your mother; get down on a bended knee and ask him correctly.”
Jackson dropped to one knee and while he held Jason’s left hand…
“Jason, I know we haven’t known each other for more than a couple of days, but in my heart, I feel like I have known and loved you forever. So in the spirit of love and the season, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Jason was in tears and nodded, and he watched as Jackson slipped off a ring that had been in his family for generations and slid it onto his ring finger. He stood and pulled Jason into his arms and kissed him.
“Mom … I don’t want some all out affair, can you keep it low-keyed?”
“And be the gossip of the family? I will not,” she adamantly said. “I already have the Unitarian church reserved for Christmas Eve day at two in the afternoon, for the ceremony. Now you two have got to hurry and get your blood tests and license,” she told them.
“Now you both had best get properly dressed, because family will be arriving shortly.
They went upstairs to dress and once behind closed doors, Jackson took Jason into his arms. “Are you sure about this, Jay, because I know how impulsive and demanding my folks can be?”
“You know, JC, I was only in love once in my short life and I lost Cane to a car accident. I never expected to find a man who would love me with the intensity that Cane did, until you came along. So, if you want to know if I’m agreeable or not, I am, because I find in you that same love, that same intensity of life that you pour into your lovemaking.” He became serious and quiet in thought before he spoke again. “What about Max? What are you going to do about him?”
“What I should have done the first time he cheated on me — throw him the fuck out on his ass,” he determinedly said. “I knew for a while that something was wrong, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. It seems that when it came to love, I was the one always being hurt … until you.”
“I love you, JC, not because of the sex, but my soul answered when yours called to mine.”
“There it is again … that inner beauty of yours, Jay,” he said and kissed him.
* * *
It had been a marvelous Thanksgiving for both Jackson and Jason, but like all good things, it had to come to an end. They were both apprehensive as the plane made its descent to JFK airport. They both were quiet as they gathered up their luggage and hailed a taxi.
“Do you want me to be there when you tell Max?” Jason asked.
“Thank you, sweetheart, but this is something that I need to do alone. I’ll call you once it’s over and he’s gone.”
“He won’t hurt you, will he?” Jackson laughed at that question.
“I’d like to see him try, because I’ll have a good reason to beat the shit out of him,” he said and placed a hand over Jason’s.
The cab pulled up to Jackson’s building first and after a loving kiss, he departed and watched until the cab was out of sight. He let out a deep sigh, grabbed his two suitcases and approached the building.
“Welcome home,” the new doorman said with a warm smile.
“Thank you … Ralph … you’re new,” he said in return.
“My first day, sir,” he proudly said.
“Well, seeing how you and I will be seeing each other a lot in passing, it’s Jackson, not sir,” he instructed the young man.
“Yes, sir,… I mean, Jackson,” he said and blushed.
He walked to the elevator and after inserting his key into the penthouse lock, pushed the button that would take him up to his penthouse home.
The air was stagnant and reeked of sex when he walked in. He groaned when he heard voices coming from down the hall, and he followed them. He could see through the cracked opened door that Max was in bed with Michael. He smiled because he had taken an earlier flight, and now he knew why he had the feeling to do so. He had caught his fiancé once again cheating. He pushed the door open and abruptly entered the room, which caused both men to jump.
“Jackson … I didn’t expect you until this evening,” Max exclaimed from the bed.
“I bet you didn’t, and I’m glad that I took an earlier flight … you cheating bastard,” he said in return. “Now, you have exactly ONE hour to finish up there and get your things out of my home.”
Max quickly rose from the bed and rushed over to him, “It’s not what it looks like, Jackson, he means nothing to me,” he lied.
“Hey!” Michael called out from the bed.
“I know exactly what it looks like — like you and Michael never ended what you had. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you finish up and get packing,” and paused at the door, turned and said, “I am getting married Christmas Eve,” he said with a wry smile and left.
He walked out to the living room and called Jason. “JC … I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon,” he said. “But I’m happy that you did. So are you alright?”
“I’m fine, and can you come over? I need your strength and beauty, babe,” he asked.
“I’ll be there shortly, but how do I get upstairs? I haven’t that special key you use to reach your floor.”
“I put one in your coat pocket while we were kissing,” he said.
“Got it, see you shortly,” he hung up.
It wasn’t but seconds later that Jackson heard the elevator ding, signaling him that someone had arrived. He was halfway to the foyer when Jason entered the room and lunged into his arms.
“How … but…”
“I had the cabdriver circle the block and drop me off here. I wanted to be near in case you…” it was a kiss that silenced him.
“Oh, and you call me a cheater?” Max said from the living room as he watched the two men kiss.
“No, this is my destiny and happiness for the rest of my life, Max. Meet the man who — I won’t say … replaced … you — because you are to easily replaceable, but the man who gently captured my heart when it was needing rescue.”
“He … he’s that waiter guy from Dennison’s,” he said with pure distaste to his voice.
“True, but he’s more of a man in his little finger than you will ever be; now leave,” he said.
“I can’t just up and take everything that’s mine on a moment’s notice,” he demanded. “I need to find a place to live first and then I’ll arrange for someone to pick up my things.”
“That’ll work if you don’t come with them. I know what is and is not yours, so send a mover to retrieve them.”
“Excuse me,” he said and hurried over to the phone, and nodded his head while his mother spoke. After the long-call-made-short, it was ended.
“Who was that, JC?” Jason asked.
“Mother; she’s got all the arrangements made for our wedding.”
“Ah … JC, are you sure about this?”
“Oh God, you’re regretting it all now that we’re home,” Jackson said as he fell into a chair.
“NO! But look what you’re getting — a waiter, who lives mainly on gratuities, while you’re wealthy beyond imagination.”
“You didn’t know I was wealthy, as you say, beyond imagination, when you agreed to marry me; right?” he asked and Jason shook his head in the negative. “Then, I don’t see a problem with you and I together … do you?” He continued to shake his head and fell onto Jackson’s lap, wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. “Now that that’s settled, how do you feel about moving to Atlanta?”
“What? Are you kidding me? I’d love to be close to your parents, JC,” he exclaimed.
“Then it’s settled; we move for good when we leave to be married,” Jackson said.
“Ok, but when is that?”
“How soon can you pack up your things and move?”
“Tomorrow; will that be soon enough?”
“Yes; so if I were to help you, we can get it done tonight and be able to make the flight I booked for us, tomorrow … right?” again Jason nodded and kissed him.
* * *
“Now, by the power vested in me by the state of Georgia, I pronounce you married,” the minister said.
Jackson took Jason into his arms and kissed him, while his mother cried from the front pew.
“Happy, babe?” Jackson asked as he and Jason walked hand in hand down the aisle.
“Ecstatically so, darling,” Jason answered and leaned against him, shoulder to shoulder.
Their reception was grand, as in the old Southern style of the South when grandeur and grace were the way of life. They danced and danced, and when it was time to depart for their honeymoon in the Bahamas, they gathered outside and each of them, as well as the guests, released a balloon with their names and wedding date written upon it.
“I love you so much, Jason; you complete me,” he whispered while surrounded by family and friends.
“I love you, and thank you for seeing something in me long before I did,” he stood on tip toes and kissed Jackson hard, long and deep, while the guests applauded them.
The End
(of the beginning)
Posted: 12/13/13