Chapter 17-Oh, What a Night
Pleasant days passed into weeks. Thomas went through his days in a haze of happiness, in a kind of bemused wonder at the twists and turns his life had taken over the last month. He’d been over to Patrick and Anne’s house for dinner several times, and was becoming fast friends with both Rob’s sister and his clever brother-in-law. The rocker’s other sister Laurie was cool to the point of being chill with him, but he accepted that. He knew that she did not approve of her brother’s relationship with another man. Rob didn’t seem to mind, so the accountant didn’t let it bother him either.
One afternoon, as Thomas was making himself a cup of tea, he heard his front doorbell ring. He hurried to answer it, thinking that it was Rob. But to his surprise, the two men standing on his doorstep were connected to his lover, but not the actual man. His two bandmates stood there, both of them looking curiously at Thomas. The accountant gaped at them for a moment, and then said uncertainly: “Can I help you?”
One of them laughed and said: “Not exactly. We just thought we’d come and meet you ‘cause Rob hasn’t dated anyone for a long time, let alone a guy. And, no offense, but…”
The other one said dryly: “I seriously thought that you were a serial killer, dude. The way you glared at Rob, I would never have imagined that the two of you would hook up.”
His companion gave him an elbow in the side, and he grunted. “Shut up, Ricky. He’s Ricky Morales, by the way; and I’m Jack Prentiss. We play in a band with Rob.”
“I am aware of that, yes,” the accountant replied.
“Sure, I figured. Since this thing with you and Rob looks serious, we thought we should come over and introduce ourselves. Get to know you, since we’re gonna be sharing Rob with you. Can we come in?”
“Err…yes,” Thomas said, stepping back a little. The two men entered his house, looking around with interest.
“Wow, nice place. Really clean,” Ricky said admiringly.
“Thank you,” Thomas said. “Would either of you like a cup of tea?”
They both looked at him like he’d grown a second head. His lips twitched slightly. “A beer then? Rob keeps some in my refrigerator,” he said quietly.
They both brightened up. “Dude, that’d be great!” Ricky said fervently.
“Please sit down. I’ll get them,” Thomas remarked, walking into the kitchen to fetch beer and snacks. He kept a certain amount of junk food around the house now, because of Rob.
The two rockers were sitting down, but still looking around in something like bemusement, when Thomas remerged from the kitchen with two beer bottles and some chips in a bowl in his hands. He handed the men these articles, then sat down in the chair nearby. Ricky was gulping his beer, but Jack turned a thoughtful eye on the accountant. “So do you listen to music?” he asked curiously.
“Some. Mostly classical,” Thomas replied simply.
“Huh. That highbrow stuff? Geez. Haven’t you ever listened to any of our music at least? I mean, since you’re dating Rob and all?”
Disconcerted, he shook his head slowly. “No, I haven’t. I’ve heard a good deal of it while you were practicing over at his house…” he began.
Jack chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll bet you did. No wonder you were always giving us death looks. But still…how about coming to the club tonight to hear us play? It could be a surprise for Rob. I’m sure he’d love to have you come,” Jack urged.
The accountant felt a chill go through him at this suggestion, which Ricky was seconding. Go to a loud, crowded, smoke-filled club? That was his idea of hell. But still… this was his lover’s occupation, and moreover music was the thing he loved the best. To refuse to go and listen to him play would be petty on Thomas’s part. He hesitated, but at last said very reluctantly: “Very well. I suppose I could go tonight.”
“Great!” Jack cried. And Ricky yelped: “That’s awesome, dude! Rob will be so stoked to see you there!”
Thomas felt like his stomach was filling with wriggly creatures. What had he just gotten himself into? He wondered in sick apprehension. He missed some of the conversation, but his ears perked up when the two men started talking about clothing. Specifically – his clothing! “What?” he asked worriedly.
“Oh, we just brought you some stuff for tonight in hopes that you’d say yes and come to the club,” Ricky exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “I’ll go get it outta the car.”
Thomas felt another, more prolonged chill. “Uh, I can wear my own clothing,” he began to Jack.
The rocker waved his statement away. “Sure, sure. But you’ll love these clothes, and you’ll look great in ‘em. Rob will really appreciate it too,” he added.
The accountant felt almost dizzy. Lord, this was bad! He felt a foreshadowing of doom go through him. Then Ricky was coming back through the front door, holding a bag aloft. “Here we go! You gotta try them on, dude, since we weren’t sure about your size.” He handed the bag to Thomas.
The accountant looked at it uncertainly, and then rose to his feet. “Very well. Please wait a moment,” he said, walking toward his bedroom to change clothes. His fingers felt sweaty on the handle of the bag.
Inside his bedroom, he opened the bag apprehensively. He reached in and pulled out a piece of clothing. He gasped when he saw it, the chill intensifying into a frozen feeling of horror. Was this a real shirt? It was shiny, a rather fluorescent-green in color, and was sleeveless. Dry-mouthed, he reached into the bag once again. A pair of pants emerged – and they were even worse. They were a deep-gold in color, and a cow appeared to have been sacrificed to make them. There didn’t seem to be much of a waist at all. A wide belt, with metal rings holding pieces of leather together, was also in the bag. And last but not least, dear God - half-boots that could have been made out of the silver scales of some enormous dragon.
Thomas stood there with his jaw slightly unhinged, gaping at this collection in disbelief. Surely Ricky and Jack didn’t REALLY expect him to go outside dressed like this?! Dear God, he considered himself to be wild and free when he wore shorts out-of-doors! This was so far beyond his comfort zone that it was in another county! But still…they’d said that Rob would like this look on him. Would he? The accountant could imagine those black eyes looking at him in appreciation and admiration alike, and slowly darkening even more as lust rose up in them.
He sighed deeply and began to remove his clothing, folding each piece neatly and laying it on top of his bed. Then he turned to the new clothes, trying not to look at them as he fought to wiggle into the pants. But he found that he couldn’t get them on while wearing underwear, and his face flamed as he slipped his briefs off and took up the fight once more. This time he managed to get them up and over his narrow hips, then fumbled with the belt. It was awkward and heavy, and it seemed to take him forever to cinch it up. Finally he slipped the shirt on over his head and shoved his feet into the half-boots, then took a very deep breath and went over to look at himself in the mirror atop his dresser.
Oh God in Heaven. His wide brown eyes stared at the unfamiliar man standing in his bedroom. He saw naked pale arms, a slim body outlined by the tight fabric of the shirt, and…the saints add preservatives to us! He could actually see his nipples under the shirt! He turned brick-red, wanting desperately to cover himself with his hands. The pants were nearly as tight as the shirt, and were rather uncomfortable at certain crucial areas. He looked…different. Very different. Not his normal self at all.
But was that such a bad thing? Certainly this outfit was scandalous. He felt like a male prostitute wearing it. But his life had changed so much lately – perhaps he should try to reflect those changes physically. At least once in awhile anyway. Why not? He could do this, if only for Rob’s sake. He could march into that club where the man he loved was going to be playing with his head held high.
Yes, he loved Rob. Very much. And for the man who was more precious to him than anyone else in the entire world, he could be courageous. Thomas raised his chin and walked slowly out of the bedroom, going toward the living room. He tried to control his breathing, which wasn’t easy. He went out and under the eyes of Rob’s two band mates. He felt rather trembly as he waited for what they would say.
Ricky whistled under his breath, and Jack nodded appreciatively. “That’s the ticket,” he remarked. “Rob will love that. You look great.”
Thomas said rather hoarsely: “Erm, what should I do when Rob comes over this evening?”
Jack said shrewdly: “Why don’t you call his cell and tell him that you have to go somewhere tonight? That’s the truth anyway. That way his surprise won’t be ruined.”
“Very well,” the accountant replied, going over to pick up the receiver on his phone. He called Rob’s cell, and waited while it rang. Then the rocker’s laughing voice came over the line. “Hey, baby! What’s up?”
“Ah, Rob. I just called to tell you that I’ll be going out tonight for a...Erm…a business thing,” he said, hating to lie to his lover and feeling awful even as he said it.
“Oh? That’s too bad. But I guess I can live without seeing you for one night. Just barely, mind you. But you’d better be home tomorrow night, because if I can’t get my Thomas fix at least every other day I’ll start having the DTs.”
The accountant felt a wash of pleasure at Rob’s sincere words. “I will be home tomorrow night,” he replied.
“Great. Be prepared to be glomped on, kitten, because I’m going to be really horny,” the rocker said in a sexy voice that nearly short-circuited his lover’s brain.
“O-Okay,” the accountant stuttered breathily. Lord, the crotch of these pants were now EXTREMELY uncomfortable! How did Rob wear clothing like this all the time?
“Heh. See you then, lover. Have fun at your business thing,” Rob said.
“I will. Goodnight, Rob,” Thomas said softly.
He hung up the phone, wishing desperately that he hadn’t lied to his lover or agreed to go with Rob’s two bandmates to this club. He looked at Ricky and Jack. Jack gave him a ‘thumbs up’ sign. “We’ll just hang out here until it’s time to go to the club,” he said to Thomas, who looked apprehensive.
His apprehensions were proved correct. Both Ricky and Jack talked a great deal, and he soon developed a low-grade headache. They asked him all kinds of questions, about his family and his life and his job. He found some of these questions to be quite intrusive, but he knew that it was simply their extrovert nature. That and sitting around in the horribly restrictive(as well as gaudy) clothes waiting to go to the club that Cocks of the Walk (Lord, what a name!) was going to be playing at tonight – he was feeling all out-of-sorts. He just wanted to get this evening over and done with.
Finally it was time to go. Thomas told the other men that he’d follow them to the club in his own car, since he didn’t want to have to be there all night waiting for a ride home. They were amenable to this, and Ricky said that he‘d go ahead to divert Rob’s attention if the other man got there before them. Thomas could follow Jack’s car since his friend(here he laughingly elbowed his band mate) drove a lot slower than he did.
“That’s because I try to stay under the speed of sound,” Jack replied dryly. Ricky just laughed and went out the door ahead of them.
Thomas followed Jack’s beat-up Chevy Impala through the streets to the club, which was called The Hole-In-The-Wall(he would later learn that this was an in-joke on the part of the owner, referring to the peep holes some enterprising soul had drilled into the wall between the men’s and women’s bathrooms). The club looked very crowded, and Thomas had a hard time finding a place to park. Jack was waiting for him when he emerged from his car. “Come on, we’ll go in the side entrance,” he told the accountant. “One of the perks of being sort of on-staff here. We’ll beat the rush,” he nodded at the people standing in line to get in the place.
Thomas was happy to avoid that crowd altogether. He went with jack to a side door, which the musician rapped on. A guy wearing a t-shirt with the club’s name on it opened the door and let them in. “Who’s this?” he asked, looking the accountant over.
“A groupie,” Jack replied promptly, making Thomas turn red. “Actually, he’s Rob’s main squeeze. Can he come in this way? He wants to watch us play.”
“Sure, why not? Park him out front, though; the boss won’t like it if you try to take him in the back.”
“Sure thing. Come on, Thomas, I’ll get you settled in,” Jack led him down a short hallway and out into the main club, where he reeled as his ears were blasted by very loud music and his nose assaulted by he smell of dozens of people smoking all at once. He would have baulked, but the musician took his arm and drew him through the crowd over to the bar. “Order something to drink while you wait,” he yelled over the sound of many people talking(and of course the ear blasting music playing). Tell ‘em it’s on Rob’s tab. I’ll just go in the back and see if the guys are almost ready. See you in a bit!” he plunged into the crowd, leaving poor Thomas alone by the bar.
The accountant was afraid to move. He was surrounded by a large group of leather clad people who were smoking, drinking, and feeling each other up in public. Dear God! This really WAS his worst nightmare come to life. His entire introvert soul cried out for him to bolt, to run away as fast as he could. And if he hadn’t been here at Rob’s friends’ request, he would have done just that. As it was, all he could do was endure and hope that this nightmare ended soon.
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Pleasant days passed into weeks. Thomas went through his days in a haze of happiness, in a kind of bemused wonder at the twists and turns his life had taken over the last month. He’d been over to Patrick and Anne’s house for dinner several times, and was becoming fast friends with both Rob’s sister and his clever brother-in-law. The rocker’s other sister Laurie was cool to the point of being chill with him, but he accepted that. He knew that she did not approve of her brother’s relationship with another man. Rob didn’t seem to mind, so the accountant didn’t let it bother him either.
One afternoon, as Thomas was making himself a cup of tea, he heard his front doorbell ring. He hurried to answer it, thinking that it was Rob. But to his surprise, the two men standing on his doorstep were connected to his lover, but not the actual man. His two bandmates stood there, both of them looking curiously at Thomas. The accountant gaped at them for a moment, and then said uncertainly: “Can I help you?”
One of them laughed and said: “Not exactly. We just thought we’d come and meet you ‘cause Rob hasn’t dated anyone for a long time, let alone a guy. And, no offense, but…”
The other one said dryly: “I seriously thought that you were a serial killer, dude. The way you glared at Rob, I would never have imagined that the two of you would hook up.”
His companion gave him an elbow in the side, and he grunted. “Shut up, Ricky. He’s Ricky Morales, by the way; and I’m Jack Prentiss. We play in a band with Rob.”
“I am aware of that, yes,” the accountant replied.
“Sure, I figured. Since this thing with you and Rob looks serious, we thought we should come over and introduce ourselves. Get to know you, since we’re gonna be sharing Rob with you. Can we come in?”
“Err…yes,” Thomas said, stepping back a little. The two men entered his house, looking around with interest.
“Wow, nice place. Really clean,” Ricky said admiringly.
“Thank you,” Thomas said. “Would either of you like a cup of tea?”
They both looked at him like he’d grown a second head. His lips twitched slightly. “A beer then? Rob keeps some in my refrigerator,” he said quietly.
They both brightened up. “Dude, that’d be great!” Ricky said fervently.
“Please sit down. I’ll get them,” Thomas remarked, walking into the kitchen to fetch beer and snacks. He kept a certain amount of junk food around the house now, because of Rob.
The two rockers were sitting down, but still looking around in something like bemusement, when Thomas remerged from the kitchen with two beer bottles and some chips in a bowl in his hands. He handed the men these articles, then sat down in the chair nearby. Ricky was gulping his beer, but Jack turned a thoughtful eye on the accountant. “So do you listen to music?” he asked curiously.
“Some. Mostly classical,” Thomas replied simply.
“Huh. That highbrow stuff? Geez. Haven’t you ever listened to any of our music at least? I mean, since you’re dating Rob and all?”
Disconcerted, he shook his head slowly. “No, I haven’t. I’ve heard a good deal of it while you were practicing over at his house…” he began.
Jack chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll bet you did. No wonder you were always giving us death looks. But still…how about coming to the club tonight to hear us play? It could be a surprise for Rob. I’m sure he’d love to have you come,” Jack urged.
The accountant felt a chill go through him at this suggestion, which Ricky was seconding. Go to a loud, crowded, smoke-filled club? That was his idea of hell. But still… this was his lover’s occupation, and moreover music was the thing he loved the best. To refuse to go and listen to him play would be petty on Thomas’s part. He hesitated, but at last said very reluctantly: “Very well. I suppose I could go tonight.”
“Great!” Jack cried. And Ricky yelped: “That’s awesome, dude! Rob will be so stoked to see you there!”
Thomas felt like his stomach was filling with wriggly creatures. What had he just gotten himself into? He wondered in sick apprehension. He missed some of the conversation, but his ears perked up when the two men started talking about clothing. Specifically – his clothing! “What?” he asked worriedly.
“Oh, we just brought you some stuff for tonight in hopes that you’d say yes and come to the club,” Ricky exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “I’ll go get it outta the car.”
Thomas felt another, more prolonged chill. “Uh, I can wear my own clothing,” he began to Jack.
The rocker waved his statement away. “Sure, sure. But you’ll love these clothes, and you’ll look great in ‘em. Rob will really appreciate it too,” he added.
The accountant felt almost dizzy. Lord, this was bad! He felt a foreshadowing of doom go through him. Then Ricky was coming back through the front door, holding a bag aloft. “Here we go! You gotta try them on, dude, since we weren’t sure about your size.” He handed the bag to Thomas.
The accountant looked at it uncertainly, and then rose to his feet. “Very well. Please wait a moment,” he said, walking toward his bedroom to change clothes. His fingers felt sweaty on the handle of the bag.
Inside his bedroom, he opened the bag apprehensively. He reached in and pulled out a piece of clothing. He gasped when he saw it, the chill intensifying into a frozen feeling of horror. Was this a real shirt? It was shiny, a rather fluorescent-green in color, and was sleeveless. Dry-mouthed, he reached into the bag once again. A pair of pants emerged – and they were even worse. They were a deep-gold in color, and a cow appeared to have been sacrificed to make them. There didn’t seem to be much of a waist at all. A wide belt, with metal rings holding pieces of leather together, was also in the bag. And last but not least, dear God - half-boots that could have been made out of the silver scales of some enormous dragon.
Thomas stood there with his jaw slightly unhinged, gaping at this collection in disbelief. Surely Ricky and Jack didn’t REALLY expect him to go outside dressed like this?! Dear God, he considered himself to be wild and free when he wore shorts out-of-doors! This was so far beyond his comfort zone that it was in another county! But still…they’d said that Rob would like this look on him. Would he? The accountant could imagine those black eyes looking at him in appreciation and admiration alike, and slowly darkening even more as lust rose up in them.
He sighed deeply and began to remove his clothing, folding each piece neatly and laying it on top of his bed. Then he turned to the new clothes, trying not to look at them as he fought to wiggle into the pants. But he found that he couldn’t get them on while wearing underwear, and his face flamed as he slipped his briefs off and took up the fight once more. This time he managed to get them up and over his narrow hips, then fumbled with the belt. It was awkward and heavy, and it seemed to take him forever to cinch it up. Finally he slipped the shirt on over his head and shoved his feet into the half-boots, then took a very deep breath and went over to look at himself in the mirror atop his dresser.
Oh God in Heaven. His wide brown eyes stared at the unfamiliar man standing in his bedroom. He saw naked pale arms, a slim body outlined by the tight fabric of the shirt, and…the saints add preservatives to us! He could actually see his nipples under the shirt! He turned brick-red, wanting desperately to cover himself with his hands. The pants were nearly as tight as the shirt, and were rather uncomfortable at certain crucial areas. He looked…different. Very different. Not his normal self at all.
But was that such a bad thing? Certainly this outfit was scandalous. He felt like a male prostitute wearing it. But his life had changed so much lately – perhaps he should try to reflect those changes physically. At least once in awhile anyway. Why not? He could do this, if only for Rob’s sake. He could march into that club where the man he loved was going to be playing with his head held high.
Yes, he loved Rob. Very much. And for the man who was more precious to him than anyone else in the entire world, he could be courageous. Thomas raised his chin and walked slowly out of the bedroom, going toward the living room. He tried to control his breathing, which wasn’t easy. He went out and under the eyes of Rob’s two band mates. He felt rather trembly as he waited for what they would say.
Ricky whistled under his breath, and Jack nodded appreciatively. “That’s the ticket,” he remarked. “Rob will love that. You look great.”
Thomas said rather hoarsely: “Erm, what should I do when Rob comes over this evening?”
Jack said shrewdly: “Why don’t you call his cell and tell him that you have to go somewhere tonight? That’s the truth anyway. That way his surprise won’t be ruined.”
“Very well,” the accountant replied, going over to pick up the receiver on his phone. He called Rob’s cell, and waited while it rang. Then the rocker’s laughing voice came over the line. “Hey, baby! What’s up?”
“Ah, Rob. I just called to tell you that I’ll be going out tonight for a...Erm…a business thing,” he said, hating to lie to his lover and feeling awful even as he said it.
“Oh? That’s too bad. But I guess I can live without seeing you for one night. Just barely, mind you. But you’d better be home tomorrow night, because if I can’t get my Thomas fix at least every other day I’ll start having the DTs.”
The accountant felt a wash of pleasure at Rob’s sincere words. “I will be home tomorrow night,” he replied.
“Great. Be prepared to be glomped on, kitten, because I’m going to be really horny,” the rocker said in a sexy voice that nearly short-circuited his lover’s brain.
“O-Okay,” the accountant stuttered breathily. Lord, the crotch of these pants were now EXTREMELY uncomfortable! How did Rob wear clothing like this all the time?
“Heh. See you then, lover. Have fun at your business thing,” Rob said.
“I will. Goodnight, Rob,” Thomas said softly.
He hung up the phone, wishing desperately that he hadn’t lied to his lover or agreed to go with Rob’s two bandmates to this club. He looked at Ricky and Jack. Jack gave him a ‘thumbs up’ sign. “We’ll just hang out here until it’s time to go to the club,” he said to Thomas, who looked apprehensive.
His apprehensions were proved correct. Both Ricky and Jack talked a great deal, and he soon developed a low-grade headache. They asked him all kinds of questions, about his family and his life and his job. He found some of these questions to be quite intrusive, but he knew that it was simply their extrovert nature. That and sitting around in the horribly restrictive(as well as gaudy) clothes waiting to go to the club that Cocks of the Walk (Lord, what a name!) was going to be playing at tonight – he was feeling all out-of-sorts. He just wanted to get this evening over and done with.
Finally it was time to go. Thomas told the other men that he’d follow them to the club in his own car, since he didn’t want to have to be there all night waiting for a ride home. They were amenable to this, and Ricky said that he‘d go ahead to divert Rob’s attention if the other man got there before them. Thomas could follow Jack’s car since his friend(here he laughingly elbowed his band mate) drove a lot slower than he did.
“That’s because I try to stay under the speed of sound,” Jack replied dryly. Ricky just laughed and went out the door ahead of them.
Thomas followed Jack’s beat-up Chevy Impala through the streets to the club, which was called The Hole-In-The-Wall(he would later learn that this was an in-joke on the part of the owner, referring to the peep holes some enterprising soul had drilled into the wall between the men’s and women’s bathrooms). The club looked very crowded, and Thomas had a hard time finding a place to park. Jack was waiting for him when he emerged from his car. “Come on, we’ll go in the side entrance,” he told the accountant. “One of the perks of being sort of on-staff here. We’ll beat the rush,” he nodded at the people standing in line to get in the place.
Thomas was happy to avoid that crowd altogether. He went with jack to a side door, which the musician rapped on. A guy wearing a t-shirt with the club’s name on it opened the door and let them in. “Who’s this?” he asked, looking the accountant over.
“A groupie,” Jack replied promptly, making Thomas turn red. “Actually, he’s Rob’s main squeeze. Can he come in this way? He wants to watch us play.”
“Sure, why not? Park him out front, though; the boss won’t like it if you try to take him in the back.”
“Sure thing. Come on, Thomas, I’ll get you settled in,” Jack led him down a short hallway and out into the main club, where he reeled as his ears were blasted by very loud music and his nose assaulted by he smell of dozens of people smoking all at once. He would have baulked, but the musician took his arm and drew him through the crowd over to the bar. “Order something to drink while you wait,” he yelled over the sound of many people talking(and of course the ear blasting music playing). Tell ‘em it’s on Rob’s tab. I’ll just go in the back and see if the guys are almost ready. See you in a bit!” he plunged into the crowd, leaving poor Thomas alone by the bar.
The accountant was afraid to move. He was surrounded by a large group of leather clad people who were smoking, drinking, and feeling each other up in public. Dear God! This really WAS his worst nightmare come to life. His entire introvert soul cried out for him to bolt, to run away as fast as he could. And if he hadn’t been here at Rob’s friends’ request, he would have done just that. As it was, all he could do was endure and hope that this nightmare ended soon.
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