-+-{Lincoln's Pride}-+-
.-'[Part 9]'-.
"All right then, Link?" Bren asked as he came to sit by me on the ledge of the hot tub against the wall with a towel of his own. The cool tile felt nice against my warm skin. I looked up and saw Kamal and Samir had left us. Bren smiled at me hopefully.
"Sorry I got you in trouble. I didn't mean to do that," I said.
"No worries, Link. Kamal said you had questions for me. Fire away," Bren raised an eyebrow towards me with a shameless grin as he settled in next to me and laid back.
"How'd you get here? I mean, no offense, but you don't seem like... I mean I'm not either, but... " I started and fumbled for words.
"Like the type of bloke who submits to a middle-aged Arabian?" Bren laughed.
"Well... yeah. I mean I'm not even sure how I got into all this, much less you.... You seem so... ," I started babbling on. It reminded me of the first few days in Samir's office when he always accused me of "blubbering" when I used a lot of words that didn't get to any sort of point.
Bren raised a hand to signal I should chill.
"Well it wasn't something I sought," he started, "It was... 5 years ago? Yeah 5, wow. I... I was a second year at the Uni back in Melbourne. They don't let you major in football so I'd settled on sports therapy. My father, brothers, uncles, all played football.
One of my brothers plays for a club in Argentina now. It's in me blood for sure. I took to training for side money, one of the poshie gyms with blokes more there to look good than do anything.
I'd get orders sometimes for the fancy hotels near the water, mostly old gays who just liked to watch me workout in their rooms or the gyms in the private suites. I wasn't into it back then but the money was a spot better than what I'd get with regular clients. So I'd go in a pair of shorts, stretch, lift, jog, whatever they wanted and leave with a good chunk of change down my shorts.
I didn't do none of the gay stuff, mind ya. I didn't even show me snag most times, didn't have to. If they wanted, I'd show them what to do for serious workout, but most just wanted a wank while they watched.
One night I got booked by Mr. Kamal here. He had the top floor suite. I'd never been up there! The views! The suite was huge with terraces all around like this one. He had a private gym setup with the latest in everything. He wasn't gay, not like the usual. I could tell from the start he wanted a serious workout. His eyes didn't wander from my own unless he was studying my form.
He listened to me and let me show him what I know, though he already seemed to know most of what I could teach him. I felt comfortable with him and actually embarrassed about taking clients who just want to watch my body. Training with someone who wanted to learn was what I really love doing.
We did a hard workout, challenged each other. He kept up with me well enough and then we settled in with detox juice and watched a match. We yabbered on all night about rugby, he knows loads of players! He's been to matches all over the world. He gave a nice tip when I left and I found a few hundred more in my back pocket when I got home.
Next night he calls direct to my mobile. I begged off two clients to make it back up to him. I needed the money, but it was more than that. I told him he'd already paid me enough for a week's worth, but he insisted on giving me the same amount again. I didn't understand it myself, the way I felt with him. Just knew I wanted to do that again.
He was ready to go and remembered the things I showed him. We went through the routine again only this time he more than kept up and wanted to do more. He's surprisingly strong for a man his age. He takes good care of his body... and mine as well.
We spent the next week working out every night and then talking and chilling until late into the night. He knows so much about the world and has seen everything. He had connections and even talked about getting me internships with some European clubs. It was the first client I'd found who was interested in my future instead of my body. Conversations with him came so easily and I never left with fewer than 3 hundreds in my pocket.
One night he invited me out for dinner. We took a jet, a fucking jet, Link! We met up with Lito Carranza, a huge player for the club in Sydney. We had a private room up above the restaurant and his people were there. He treated Kamal like he was his mentor or something. I was blissed out of my head excited! I don't think I stopped smiling the whole night and Kamal talked to him about me and my goals.
Lito said he would get me in with his friends in Melbourne for some interning. It was huge! I talked the whole flight home about it and Kamal acted like it was just a regular night with friends. He laughed at how excited I was. He said it was interesting to watch a night through my eyes with everything so new and exciting.
Then Sunday came and I was halfway over there and pumped for our regular appointment when he phoned me to cancel. He had business in Paris and had to leave straight on. He said he would be back the next week and to keep the lift pass up to the top floor since he always booked that suite.
And there I was in my home city that seemed suddenly foreign without him. I didn't understand why it upset me so much. I phoned a girl I had been shagging and I went over to hang out. I had skipped on her the whole week and she was pissed at first but c'mon, no one can resist me for too long.
But it all felt weird. I didn't understand it really at the time, but he was in my head and it fucked everything up. She had good hash and smoked me out, but I started hearing Mr. Kamal in my head talking about how bad that stuff is for you when you're on a good plan. We had a goal with our workouts and we made a diet plan with no alcohol or anything, total straight edge.
We started making out, and I was really getting into it... at first. But again he popped in my head. He was looking at me with amusement like, 'This is what you really want?' I could smell the difference too. His sweat, the cologne he wore, it made her smell all wrong. It was like something inside me had turned. I wasn't this guy anymore.
It got worse when she wanted me to fuck her. I was getting pissed. I knew Kamal had done something to me. She kept trying with me and I kept switching my focus between what she was doing and him in my head. I was watching him stretch, lift, felt his hand on my shoulder. I didn't get it, but it got me so hard. She thought she'd succeeded and then I fucked her. It was quick, it was awkward. She seemed ok with it.
I didn't hear from him for a few days and my life started to go back to routine. I thought it was done with, and I didn't take any of the gay clients for fear he'd sneak back in my head. I cleared my brain of him. I was even getting along better with the girl. We'd been friends since childhood. Things went back to normal.
And then a week later out of nowhere, he just texted and said he had been back in town and needed a good workout night. I was so torn. I had finally started getting back to normal and he just popped up again. It fucked with my head so bad I went out with mates to the pub and got shitfaced.
It didn't work though, it just made his memory flood back into me. I kept checking my phone and I must have started to answer his text a thousand times.
I fought with it and drank and fought more. And then I went black, found myself in the lift at his hotel. I'd never taken the key out of my wallet from the last time I was up there. It was the private lift that only goes to the top floor suite, his suite. I stood there for the longest time debating. Did I go up and give in or go back home and sleep it off and force my way back to normal.
The elevator made the decision for me. The doors closed and I started going up. I started to push the down button in panic, but it was already too late. Kamal's face appeared on the screen over the up button.
'It's late, Bren,' he looked sleepy but flashed that barely-there grin that left me unsure if he was amused or annoyed.
'Aye, yeah nah I lost track of time. I can go for home if ye want,' I told him and peered around to see if there was a camera and he could see me too.
He just laughed at me and observed, 'You're drunk, come on up.'
'Yeah nah, just well sure if... if you have the time,' I fumbled with my words and then the screen went blank and the elevator stopped. I pushed back my hair and wiped at my face, needing to wake up a little. The elevator opened to a small lobby across from the one door, his door. It was cracked open for me and I pushed at it with a light knock.
He was there on the couch wearing just a thin, white robe and a drink of his own, whiskey or bourbon or something that colour. Kamal closed his laptop and took off his reading glasses and folded them on the table. He looked over at me with that same unreadable smile again.
'Come, boy,' he said and beckoned me toward the couch. He laid back and stretched a little causing the robe to open and show some of his dark, hairy chest. He's never been overly muscled, but he's broad and built.
'What did you come for, Bren?' he looked at me with amusement like a puzzle he'd already solved.
'Dunno, mate... uh, sir,' I really didn't. 'Got your text and... and... I needed...'
Kamal took a swig of his drink and laughed. He laughed and in my drunken haze I did too.
'What did you need, Bren?' He put an arm behind me on the couch.
'Honestly... I don't understand it...I... don't get it,' I looked down and then felt his other hand cup my cheek. He rubbed it gently but his warm, rough hand sent a chill through me.