David

"Well, yes, yes we are. A very close relationship."

"But I mean a romantic," Jeff said, "like a sexual romantic 'boyfriend' or 'husband' thing."

"You are right. For me those kind of relationship take a long time to build. So like you, I can't promise the future, only that I will never do anything to hurt you, if I can help it. Emotionally, physically, or economically."

"You wouldn't be asking me for anything? Like sex or something?" Neal piped in.

"NEAL! I can't believe you said that," Jeff exploded.

"Why not? He already got it from you didn't he?"

"That is none of your business. But. For your information, I happen to be a grown man who can make his own decisions. Howard was sound asleep last night when I went and crawled into his bed and woke him. It was I who wanted Howard, I who crawled into his bed, not the other way 'round. And I hafta say this: it was. . . harumpf, extremely, uh, rewarding!"

Both the older men were now blushing bright scarlet, head to toe.

Jeff raised his voice, "David, You need to fucking get over your homophobia about behavior you are longing to indulge in yourself. Do you need to be such a suspicious prick about everything sexual? I think maybe a nice hard cock in your uptight little asshole might just loosen you up a little." Jeff pushed his chair back from the table and rose. Neal cringed as if struck, Howard merely sat and shook his head, tsk tsking at both young men. Jeff stormed off into his own room.

"I want my clothes back and I want a taxi home, and I mean right now. You can't keep me here,"

Neal announced.

"I wish you would reconsider, I mean you no harm," Howard spoke gently.

"Yeah, I know all about it, you just want my sweet young ass."

Howard turned to look directly at Neal. His dark luminous eyes held Neal's blue for a long moment. He spoke gently, "you know Neal, we have all been through this. We could help you."

Wordlessly, Howard crossed the room to the phone. "Yeah, Roger, it's me. Would you call a taxi for Mr. Downs The tab is covered. Use our usual Blue Star and tell them to take him anywhere he wants. Help him to put his Bicycle inside and tell them to put it on my business account.

Okay, Thanks Roger."

Howard went down the hall, retrieved Neal's clothes from the dryer and paused long enough to stuff two one hundred dollar bills deep into the back pocket of Neal's jeans. "Here," he said to

Neal, handing him the bundle."I just wish you'd give us a chance. You know, I believe Jeff's in love with you."

"Fucking queers, you disgust me. The intercom buzzer went off. It was Roger. "Taxi's here, Mr. B. ," he announced.

Neal scurried down the hall, taking only moments to slip on jeans and a tee shirt.

Well, Howard said, offering his hand. I hope to see you again, Neal. Keep me informed of how things are, wont you?"

"Don't count on it," Neal said, ignoring Howard's proffered hand and letting the elevator door slide shut behind him.

"Well, the impetuousness of youth," Howard proclaimed. "There's a decent breakfast ruined."

Howard sat, head in hands, at the breakfast nook in his ultra modern kitchen on the sixty-ninth floor of an ultra expensive high rise on Chicago's miracle mile, feeling like a super rich failure. He ponged the situation back and forth in his mind until he was able to shake it off. He was about to go looking for Jeff when the inter-building communication system beeped. Listening for a moment, he responded. "Thanks, Roger, yeah thanks a lot. Tell him to give me five minutes, then send him up. Okay Roger, thanks, once again, I owe you one." Moving rapidly, he slipped down the hallway to Jeff's room. Even though the door was open, he rapped on it, just loud enough to be heard.

"Huh, Wha," Jeff murmured, trying to hide the fact that he had been weeping. "Neal? is he gone?"

"Yep, Howard replied, "took a cab home. Hope he is going to be all right. One can't help those who won't be helped. But anyway, the reason I am bothering you is Armand is here from a store down at 900 Michigan. Gucci is the name of the store. Hang on. Buddy ran down the hall and returned with the same old bathrobe. He said, "slip this on, so you can try some things on. Remember, you said you would let me buy you some clothes. Cummon, this'll be fun."

The buzzer to the elevator went off and Armand came rolling in with two racks of clothes. His manner was not quite effeminate, but held that practiced supercilious air and the exaggerated English accent that marked him as imitation gay if not the real thing. The session began with Armand measuring his entire body, even the length of his penis. Armand turned to the racks then back as if he had forgotten something important. "Two more things, he voiced. First, I see you are not wearing underclothes, is that your wont or should we start with choosing something nice? They wouldn't be Gucci of course, but I have chosen some samples from other stores should you want underthings. Second, I forgot to ask if you dress left or right?

The unusual use of the word wont, threw Jeff for a moment but what could he mean by "dressing" left or right?

Howard chuckled. "He means to ask, when you are dressed, do you normally stuff your penis down the right or left side of your trousers?"

"Hmm, let me think. Jeff stood there and mimed putting pants on, thought about it for a moment, finally answering, "Left, I dress left."

Armand would not allow Jeff to select individual items, but insisted on ensembles. Jeff ended up

choosing two suits, one in a luscious pearl gray silk and the other a darker gray with a thin hint of baby blue stripe. Loafers and dress shoes, a gorgeous silk scarf and calf length double breasted cashmere camel hair coat finished that ensemble. Jeff also selected two casual outfits, two sweaters, a hat he liked, kind of a Greek fisherman's cap, and a great pair of aviator sun glasses.

"Armand, would you mind putting the rush on the tailoring, Jeff here lost his clothes performing a heroic deed."

"Indeed sir, would this afternoon be satisfactory?"

"Yes Armand, that would be fine. In the interim would you allow Jeff to choose something off the rack in his size to hold him over until his new clothes arrive?"

"Certainly sir."

"And Armand, could you please try very hard to call me Howard or Buddy, or even Mr. B? Anything but 'sir'."

"Certainly, sir, er, I mean Howard," laughing.

As Armand slid out of the apartment, Jeff noticed Howard slipping several bills surreptitiously into Armand's palm.

"Howard can I ask you something, Jeff asked when Armand had gone."

"Ask away."

"How much did all this cost you?"

"I'd rather not go into that."

C'umon Buddy, you promised you would always tell me the truth!"

"Okay, well, I really don't know but I can give a good guess on two of the items. The camelhair coat runs about thirty-five hundred dollars, and I believe the sun glasses run about six hundred. That's all I know for sure. Anyway, I know that sounds like a lot to you, but believe me, it is nothing to me. No difference to me from Gucci or Wal Mart except for service and quality. Besides, it was so fun watching you shop. Was that the first time ever in your life you could shop without having to ask what everything cost?"

"It most certainly was. And it was very exciting spending so much money."

Well, for nearly twenty years I have worked every Saturday, but today I have already phoned the office to say I would not appear. What shall we do? Do you want to go to your place and pick up your things? Or I could have someone do that for us? Do you want to just hang out and get to know one another? Do you want me to go about my own ways and leave you alone? I am sorry I am babbling so. I am so socially inept. I can run a business meeting, sell almost anything, babble on about business or politics, or economics. But when it comes down to just sharing, or hanging out, I have no clue. Virtually every waking moment for more than twenty years has been devoted to business, so I have forgotten how to relate to people in a one on-one-situation."

"Well, buddy, you know. Starting this afternoon I will have a whole bunch of new clothes, so why don't we do something tonight, like go out or something? Meanwhile I have to go to my apartment to see if I have any messages or mail and see if work has contacted me. Then I have to make a decision about what to do about that, about work, before Monday. I am having a hard time making a clean break so suddenly. Would you mind going to my apartment?"

"I would be fascinated to see your place and how you live. How your apartment is decorated and things like that. Should we take the Escalade? Do you want to bring some stuff back here? Do you have a car? Huh. Huh. It's amazing how close I feel to you and how little I know about you as a person. If you want to move a lot of stuff, I could hire a truck."

"Let's not go there yet, Buddy. It's okay if I call you Buddy? I kinda like the sound of it. You said once you liked it?"

"It is my favorite thing to be called. Sometime I'll tell you about the first person who ever called me that."

"Mike, right?"

"You have excellent recall. I think I am going to find out that you have skills and talents that could be useful to me in my business. Let's talk about that while we drive over to your place.

"Okay"

"Okay, Buddy, but I don't see what a low-grade accountant like me could do for a high-level guy like you."

"We shall see. We shall see. And Jeff?"

"Yes?"

"Would you step closer please?"

Jeff moved to within a foot of Howard.

Howard stepped forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "That's for being so wonderful last night."

Jeff blushed all over. "Well, you were pretty wonderful yourself. Pretty soon I am gonna talk to you about what happened to me last night. But give me some time to process it, okay? It was truly, uh, life changing!"

Howard got on the horn to Roger, asking him to bring the Escalade around, and to receive the clothes from Armand this afternoon if he had not returned by then.

"Give me ten minutes to shower and toss on some clothes and then we will go to your place, okay?" Howard said to Jeff.

"Uh, Buddy?"

"Yes?"

"Want someone to wash your back?"

"Hmm, I think that might just be very pleasant, thank you."

The two men reacted, laughed that they had the same thought together, joined hands, and walked down the hallway together. Chatting and giggling like old friends and new lovers.