Like a Promised Sunrise

By: JWSmith
(© 2012 by the author)
Editor:  Rock Hunter

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

Chapter 2

I got up, walked over to Judd and stood in his way as he turned to take more stuff out of his bags. He attempted to sidestep around me. I turned with him and grabbed his arm. He dropped the batch of socks he had in his hands and burst into tears as he wrapped his arms around my neck, laid his head on my shoulder and sobbed. Damn, I hate to see a grown man cry, although I've done enough of it myself. Still, we should be able to contain our emotions. I hugged him and rubbed a hand up and down his back, making soothing sounds. He eventually calmed down and pulled away from me.

I watched him walk over to one of the windows and stare out for a couple of minutes, then he turned and looked at me. I walked over and took him back in my arms. "Just let it all out, Judd. You'll feel a lot better."

He relaxed and melded against me. "I'm gay, Jace," he muttered.

"It's okay, Judd, I'd already figured that out, it's okay."

He didn't seem to hear me as he went on releasing his frustration. "Everyone back home was walking around on eggshells after I came out to Dad and Mom. Hell, I think they’ve known it my whole life, but as long as I didn't right out admit it they weren't going to deal with it. I know they love me, but they just really don't understand that I didn't choose this. Who in their right mind would?"

We stood there holding each other for several minutes. I think he felt better having admitted it to me. His head still rested on my shoulder, his mouth next to my ear. In between hiccups, barely above a whisper, he said, "I've dreamed about this for years. The real thing is so much better than dreaming about it."

"What are you talking about?"

"You... you holding me in your arms like this. When I was thirteen, soon after you left, I overheard Dad telling Mom that you were gay. I already had a huge crush on you. I was just figuring out that I like men, too, and when I heard that, I decided I definitely wanted to be your lover."

He didn't seem to notice that my posture stiffened.

"I didn't tell them that I’m gay until a couple of weeks ago... they both seemed to know it already. When Dad suggested that I come visit you, I’d already applied to UCLA, so when I received my acceptance letter last Monday, I called you. I've dreamed about being here with you for so long. Now I am."

He whispered this all in my ear as I continued to stiffly hold him. I was shocked... I‘d already figured out that he was gay, but to be the object of his attraction – his affection? Then when I became aware of his hardness pressing against my hip, I lost all control I and immediately responded. Judd became aware of my excitement and pressed against me harder. I loved the feel of this big young man in my arms.

"I love you, Jace. I've loved you since I was a little kid. I want to give you my virginity," he whispered.

Stunned, I pushed away from him. He’s twenty-two and he’d saved his cherry for me? Damn, I lost mine when I was fourteen out behind the barn with one of the hired hands. I kind of just assumed he had, too.

"Judd, I..."

"I'm serious, Jace, I’ve saved myself for you. You do want me, don't you?"

"What do you think?" I asked as I fled across the room. If I had stayed near him a second longer, I’d have thrown him to the floor and had my way with him. He looked at me like I’d rejected him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered as he stumbled across the room, grabbed the empty suitcase and laid it open on the bed. "I'll leave... I should have known better... it was presumptuous of me... forgive me... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to offend you." He started emptying the drawer back into the suitcase, tears coursing down his cheeks.

My mind was doing spin-outs on the slippery road of these revelations. "Stop! Judd, just stop! Come over here and sit down. And for Christ's sake, shut up. I'm not offended. There’s nothing to forgive. And there's nothing to be sorry about. I've never been so complimented in my life." He meekly sat on the edge of the sofa facing me. "My God, I’m deeply honored that you want me to take your cherry." I knelt in front of him. "But let's take it slow, get to know each other first, maybe even find love in our infatuation and lust. What you are offering me is something precious, something to be cherished. What if you don't like me after you get to know me? Will you regret losing your cherry to someone you don't really care for?"

Strange, I'd never thought anything about incest, or such. I didn't see that two related men having sex with each other was really an issue, especially since there would be none. I was guessing that Tom felt the same way... otherwise, why would he send Judd to me?

"You're a good man, Jace. And I already love you."

"Judd, it's not going to be difficult for me to love you. Just give me a little time to get to know you, okay?" I said as I stood up and pulled him up into my arms. For the last four years I've been celibate. I’d found a way to be happy, no, not happy... content... content without another person in my life. After Ken left, I tried dating, but it didn't work. I was sure everyone was out to get close to me just so they could rip my heart out like he’d done. Now this beautiful young man wants me to take his cherry because he loves me. I could feel myself falling. I closed my mind to what Ken had done to me and hoped Judd was the one I could let get close. "You scare the holy shit out of me, Judd. I think I may fall really hard. I can only hope you know what you're doing."

Not replying, he hugged me close, let go, then went back to unpacking while I cleaned up the lunch mess. I wrapped the remains of his huge sandwich in Saran wrap and set it on the end of the counter with a freshened Coke. I walked over to my desk on the east side of the room and sat down at my word processor. After turning on the screen, I started scrolling what I had written last night. When the lines of words stopped moving, I realized I hadn't retained a word since the first sentence, twenty-six pages back.

I looked up at the object of my distraction. He had finished putting all of his clothes away and was sitting on a stool at the counter eating the rest of his sandwich. He saw me watching him and raised the last bite toward me.

"Thanks, Jace," he mumbled around the mouthful. I propped my chin on my knuckles and smiled. He was so unaware of his effect on me... so pleasant to look at. He downed the last of the Coke and put the dishes in the washer.

"Would you like to take me on a tour of the city, Unk?"

"Call me Unk again and I'll give you a tour back to Pecos. Yes, I'd love to give you a tour. What do you want to see first?"

"Well, I'd like to spend a whole day in the old library downtown, so let's put that off for another day. The Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, Beverly Hills."

"That's a full afternoon. Let's go do it."

When we entered the garage, Judd walked over to the passenger side of the Cherokee. I walked on past it. He looked at me with a slight frown as I lifted the cover on the little car behind him and started folding it.

"Let's go in this." I said as my little red 1952 MG was exposed. I unlatched the top from the windshield and laid it back.

"Wow, would I love to drive this beauty." He caressed the door.

"I may let you eventually, but today sit back and enjoy the ride and the sights." I slid behind the wheel and started her up. She purred a little louder than Liz. Judd hurried around to the other side and scooted in beside me.

"Damn, it's a good thing it's not any smaller, we wouldn't fit."

"I think most men were smaller than us when they built this car."

We sped up Central to Wilshire and turned west toward Hollywood. I drove him through downtown Hollywood and then up Santa Monica Blvd., through ‘Boys Town' and into Beverly Hills, down Rodeo Drive and then a tour through some of the residential streets.

As I drove, we talked, telling each other about our lives. I pointed out palatial houses that had once belonged to famous people. We went up Coldwater Canyon to Mulholland Drive, which runs along the crest of the hills. We stopped a couple of times, so he could look out at the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin. The day was so clear we could see Catalina Island across the channel.

"Oh wow, this is the first time I've seen the ocean. Can we go out there some time?" He sounded like a kid in a candy store, eager, wanting it all... and I wanted him to have it all.

We dropped down to Franklin and then up Western to Los Feliz and on to Fern Dell. We drove through the wilderness of Western Canyon Rd. to Observatory Drive. When we parked at the observatory, Judd was all eyes. We were high above the city at one of the few remaining examples of fine Art Deco Architecture in Los Angeles.

"Jace, I've studied pictures of this place for years. I love this kind of architecture. It's just so neat." He raised his camera and snapped a shot.

We walked around the grounds, and when we reached the back of the structure, there were a couple of Japanese fellows taking pictures. Judd handed one of them his camera and asked him to take our picture. We rested our arms on the high wall, chins resting on our arms looking out over the expanse that is L.A. Judd put his arm around my shoulder and just as the fellow snapped the photo he turned and kissed my cheek. I turned and looked at him. "Thanks, Jace," he said.

I kissed him back. I heard a camera snap another shot just as I did. I moved away before they got carried away. Judd thanked them and of course they wanted photos of themselves, too. Since they were too short to pose as we had, they jumped up and sat arm in arm on the wall.

I thought it rather strange that Judd gave them our address. They spoke little English and we spoke no Japanese. A couple of weeks later I received an envelope from Japan. It contained photos the other fellow had also taken of us.

As we strolled back to the car, I noticed that we really turned heads as we walked past people. I suppose they thought we were brothers. Judd rested his hand on the back of my neck. I looked at him and smiled.

"I just have to touch you, Jace. It's hard to be near you and not touch you."

I grinned and brought my arm up and rested my hand on his shoulder. I enjoyed his touch and loved touching him.

The sun was beginning to set. It was one of those rare days that there were high clouds in the sky as well as the low coastal ones that seem to always be present around this part of the coast. It was a perfect sunset. We sat in the grass on the edge of the hill, our bodies touching until it started fading. We climbed back into the car and coasted down the hill.

"I'm going to take you to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner. It's a casual place, so we can go as we are." I drove back through West Hollywood, down Robertson, and turned left onto Third. We parked, got out and walked a block to the Barefoot. It was Thursday, so the crowd was light and we were seated immediately.

I looked around the room, saw a couple of people I’d worked with in the past and waved to them. Then I saw Netta on the far side of the room with a large group. Netta is a true JAP (Jewish American Princess), and she’s the first to admit it. Born into wealth, she denies herself nothing. She’s a social gadfly. We connected at UCLA and became best of friends. I was a big handsome man that she didn't have to worry about fighting off sexually, and she was a beautiful woman who loved to be seen on my arm when I needed a date. I excused myself to Judd and started toward her, she saw me at about the same moment and stood up smiling.

"Jace, it's so wonderful to see you." Her voice projects like a stage actress'. I think she tries to emulate Tallulah Bankhead. We hugged and smooched each other. We had the attention of everyone in the room when she glanced over toward our table.

"Who is that beautiful young man with you?" Everyone turned and looked at Judd. He realized that he was suddenly the center of attention and blushed. His pale blonde hair made his reddening skin more noticeable.

"Come meet him," I said, escorting her back over to the table. Judd stood up as we approached.

"Netta, this is my nephew Judd Deason. Judd, Antoinette Schwartz. She's a dear friend. We went to school together."

"I wouldn't believe you for a minute, Jace, if he didn't look just like you. You both have eyes that Paul Newman would be envious of. Welcome to L.A., Judd."

Judd grinned. She took his head in both hands, pulled him down to her and kissed him on each cheek. He turned an even darker shade of red.

"It's nice to meet you, Ma'am," he said.

"Call me Ma'am again and you won't think so....I'm Netta." She smiled at him, then turned back to me. "Jace, we must get together soon. I've seen so little of you lately. I must get back to my people. Call me. It’s nice to meet you, Judd."

She went back to her table. It seemed that most of the eyes in the room stayed on us. We sat back down and buried our faces in the menus. After we ordered our dinner, Judd was obviously preoccupied about something. I watched him for a couple of minutes before saying, "Okay, I think you know you can ask me anything, and if it's not too personal, I'll answer as candidly as possible."

He studied me a moment and then looked down. "When you say that you don't make a lot of money writing, are you telling me that I shouldn't become a writer?"

"Judd, either you’re a writer, a wannabe writer, or you're not a writer at all. If you're a writer, you're going to write no matter what. If you're a wannabe writer, you probably never will be a writer. If you’re a writer, then you need to learn the basics and hopefully you'll be able to at least make a living at it. No, I would never tell you not to be, if you are. But if you're a wannabe, I'd suggest you rethink it. You have to know yourself which you are."

He thought a minute and then grinned. "I'm a writer, Uncle Jace. I've always been. That large heavy suitcase that I didn't unpack is full of notebooks. Hundreds of stories and vignettes. I've always written down every idea."

I grinned back at him. "Sounds to me like you're definitely a writer."

"So, if you’re not really that successful, how do you live so well?" He asked.

I thought the question over and decided that it was a fair question. There were obviously things his dad hadn't revealed to him yet. "I'm a Deason and I'm over twenty-five."

"Yeah?"

"I assume that your dad hasn't told you about the Deason fortune. Well, you're out on your own now, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you." I paused to gather my thoughts.

"Tell me what? I've never heard about any fortune."

"My grandfather, your great grandfather, amassed a huge fortune early in his life. He married a young Yankee socialite when he was in his mid-forties. She gave him a son soon after they were married, then refused to let him near her again. He learned to despise his wife after a few years of marriage, made a large settlement with her and sent her back to her family. His son always resented being deprived of his mother even though she didn't want him. He and my grandfather never did like each other. Granddad lived to make money, and Dad, quite the playboy, spent money like it ran from a fountain.

"When Granddad set up his will, he did it in a way that Dad could never touch any large sum of money. It was stipulated that he had to marry, have children, and live and work on the ranch to be eligible for his annual stipend, which was quite large. Granddad's will gave each of his four grandsons ownership of the ranch, held jointly, to be passed on to their sons.

"Your granddad has always hated having to live on the ranch. But your dad has always loved it. The ranch itself doesn't bring in a lot of money, but the oil wells, of course, do.

"Also, the four of us were given a large amount of wealth with strict stipulations on how it was to be invested, and that we could only live off the interest of those investments. So I get around $350,000.00 annually. What I don't use, I reinvest at the end of each year. That part that I reinvest, I can get use of any time I need it. My brothers are set the same. As a Deason, you’ll come into such an inheritance at the age of twenty-five, too."

"Cool. But I'll still have to get a part-time job to get through the next three years of school. Dad said he would pay all my school expenses, but my pocket money I'll have to work for. I sold my pickup before I left, and I want to buy another one before school starts."

We had a delicious meal and managed not to make a spectacle of ourselves, seeing that everyone was curious about the two towheaded Texans in their midst. We ignored the cruising... straight and gay. After an espresso, we headed back home. "Where should I spread my bedroll?" Judd asked when we entered the loft.

"Well, I thought maybe you could set up a cubby here in this corner." I indicated the corner by the wall that separates the bath area from the rest of the loft.

"I bought an army cot for you to sleep on until we get something else. And I placed a screen to give you some privacy."

"Damn, Jace, the way I roll, I'd fall off a cot. And I have four younger brothers; I don't know what privacy is."

"Then spread your bedroll wherever you wish...no problem."

He spread it under the big plate glass window between the two sofas. He stripped down to his skivvies and lay down on top of it. I stood frozen, watching him. I managed to break my trance, went to the bar and poured myself a stiff drink of scotch. I downed it quickly, trying to ignore the near naked young man lying in my living room.

I knew he was watching as I disrobed. I turned my back to him, removed my boxers and crawled under the sheet. Both cats jumped up on the bed. Liz claimed the foot and Gretch claimed the pillow next to my head. I turned to the light control box on my bedside table and turned all the lights off except for a small lamp on a table against the bathroom wall.

I tried to compose my mind for sleep, but the image of Judd lying on top of his bedroll kept popping into my mind. Of course, the scotch did its thing to me, too... it kept me awake. Towards dawn I think I finally fell into a fitful slumber.

The sun rose without me to greet it. And when I finally opened an eye, I was lying naked on the bed. A madman was beating the hell out of a tympani drum inside my head. I hadn't stopped to consider the fact that I am alcohol intolerant. I get drunk super easily and have the worst damned hang over the next day, and sometimes the day after that. I reached down to find the sheet and pull it up. It wasn't there.

I sat up, groggy with the lack of restful sleep, and the mad drummer doubled the beat in my head. I saw the sheet in a knot on the far side of the bed with a foot sticking out of it. My eyes traveled from the foot, over the bunched sheet that covered most of the leg, up to two beautiful pink buns that looked almost fluffy with a coat of pale blond hair covering them. They were attached to a strong muscular back, on top of which was a pale blonde head of hair. I blinked several times, but the image persisted. I got off the bed as smoothly as possible and walked around it.

There was an arm and a foot dangling off the edge of the bed. I squatted and looked at the face. I thought it kind of looked like me, except it was too young to be me. Besides that, I was squatting on the floor looking at it, so it couldn't be me. I was being really astute considering my stupid state of hangover.

I stood up and forced my brain to think. Yesterday... oh yeah... I went to the airport and picked up Judd. This is Judd lying naked in my bed. So what was he doing in my bed? Did I do something with him that I couldn't remember? Oh God, tell me I didn't. I crawled into a pair of shorts and stumbled into the kitchen, ridden with guilt over the possibility that I may have had sex with my nephew and didn't even remember it.

With several false starts, I finally managed to get the coffee making. I opened the fridge, took out the bottle of Coke, took a long swig, and carried it over to the counter. I propped my chin in my palms with my elbows on the edge of the counter and stared at the naked body lying on my bed. I could feel the sugar begin to course through my veins. As my mind started waking up, so did George. He rose right up and was demanding attention. Yeah, that sweet young ass over on the bed was what he was wanting. I looked down at George. "Please tell me we didn't take that sweet cherry and don't even remember it." He just ignored me and pushed against the zipper, wanting me to release him. No way.

"G'morning."

I looked up. Judd had rolled onto his back and had pulled the sheet up to his waist. Damn, even in this painful haze, he’s beautiful.

"The floor’s awfully hard, the sofa’s too soft, but your bed’s just right. I hope you don't mind," he said, stretching like a cat.

"As long as you didn't eat all my porridge, too." I retorted. 'Damn, I must be coming around to be able to be that witty this early in the morning,' I thought, but Judd didn't respond. "What happened to your skivvies?" I asked.

His hand slid under the sheet and came back out with them in a wad. He blushed.

"I kind of messed them when I couldn't get to sleep. It helps relax me."

"Messing your undies helps you sleep?"

"No, getting my rocks off. It works for you, too, doesn't it?"

"Sometimes." I was feeling relieved that I apparently hadn't been involved with him getting his jollies. "Want some coffee?"

"I'd love some. Black, please."

He leaped off the bed and detoured to the toilet. George and I listened to the waterfall... it was kind of musical. He came back out still naked, walked up behind me, and gave me a hug.

"Put some clothes on, Fluffy, before you get raped." I growled.

"You can't rape me, Jace, I'm too willing," he murmured as he kissed me on the back of my neck. "What's with the fluffy bit?"

"It would be rape on my part. At least put some shorts on. Cover those fluffy buns before George goes on a rampage."

"Who's George?" He asked over his shoulder, seductively rubbing his hands over his hairy glutes as he went to get some shorts.

"You may meet him eventually, but not this morning."

He came back wearing a tee shirt, too.

"That's better," I said as I handed him a big mug. I turned back and started mixing the usual Ovaltine and dry milk into my coffee.

He watched. "Ugh. You drink that?"

"You may taste it before you make any more disparaging remarks. Meanwhile, you are blocking my path to the nearest chair," I growled at him.

"Are you always this grouchy in the morning?" He asked as he stepped out of my way.

"What's with the twenty questions? No, I’m not always this grouchy. I have a damned stupid hangover. All right?" I collapsed into the chair.

"Damn, you only had one drink. Or did you drink more after I zonked?"

"It only takes one. I'm just too stupid to remember that."

"You need some sugar in your system," he said as picked up the bottle of Coke, took the cup of coffee out of my hand, and replaced it with the Coke. "Drink up." He then went to the fridge and started rummaging through its contents. "A high protein breakfast is what you need next. It'll help keep your blood sugar level up. Have you been checked out for diabetes?" He started chopping onion.

"Yes. And, no, I don't have diabetes. I am hypoglycemic and alcohol intolerant, and I'm stupid enough to forget what it does to me."

He sautéed the chopped onion with some ground round. I watched him shake several bottles over the meat...probably adding some garlic powder and herbs. "I think you're trying to punish yourself for having randy thoughts about your nephew," he chuckled.

He had hit on the truth. "So, now you're not only my mother fixing me breakfast, you're my psychiatrist, too?" I asked.

He was whisking eggs now. He looked at me and grinned. "You’ve figured it out, huh? I'm going to take care of you, Jace." He poured the eggs into the skillet and started stirring.

"What makes you think I need someone to take care of me?" I thought I should be feeling resentful, even though the idea was appealing. I noticed my headache was receding, the madman was now only doing an occasional roll on snare drums.

"You need me, Jace. You need me bad."

Damn, I wished he would shut up and stop grinning at me. I watched him salt and pepper the mixture, then add a couple of shots of Tabasco. I heard the toast pop up, I had no idea when he’d put it in, then slathering butter on it, he said, "Come on, old grouch, breakfast is ready."

He’d even set the table without me noticing. I sat down and looked at my plate. "What is this glop?" Actually, it looked very tasty. He’d placed tomato and avocado slices on the side.

"Didn't you say something about disparaging remarks awhile ago? Taste it."

I did... it was delicious. I cleaned my plate and would have eaten more if there had been more.

"Nasty, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, really awful," I agreed. God, I wanted to wipe that grin off his face... using my lips to do it.

He handed me my mug of sludge. I took a big mouthful and set it down. I usually drink it cold anyway. He sat there staring at me, an amused smile on his face.

"What?" I frowned at him.

"You like my fluffy buns, huh?"

"George likes them. I think they’re too fuzzy."

"Well, you tell George to keep his hands off of them, they belong to you."

I stared at him over my mug as I drained the last of the sludge out of it. He just stared back with a Mona Lisa like smile and asked, "Finished with your coffee?"  He then stood, lifted me out of my chair by my armpits, and aimed me towards the bathroom. "Okay, now to the shower with you."

"Hey, this is something I do by myself. I'm not going to have your luscious body rubbing around on me in the shower."

He was ignoring me as he unbuttoned my shorts and pushed them down my legs.

"Did you hear me, Judd?" I snapped at him.

His hands fell away and his head dropped down in defeat. "I heard you," he said in a small voice. He sat back on the floor where he’d been kneeling in front of me.

I stood there just looking at him for a moment, then sighed, "Stand up." He stood, his chin still on his chest. "You do make this difficult," I told him. I took his face in both hands and made him look at me. I kissed him on the lips, hard. He reached out to hug me. I held him back with my elbows. "Not yet... but when the time is right, I’ll make it worth your wait, Judd, I promise."

He stared at me, his perpetual smile slowly coming back to light up his handsome face.

To be continued...

Posted: 03/23/12