Gay Erotic Stories

Jeff Shaw reclined in his chair, swiveled around and stared at a huge billboard across the street, from which his own smiling face stared back at him. “He’s on YOUR side!” declared the banner below his chin. He groaned inwardly. He had made a living out of exposing rip-off merchants and con men, to the extent that he had been given his own weekly television show, and had developed a huge following across the state. He was the little guy’s friend, the one who took on the wrongs and made them right. Everybody knew him. He was exhausted. With his staff, they had been working on a number of major investigations for months, and had just finished wrapping up the stories and recording the final show for the season. Four weeks of non-ratings meant that he actually had some time on his hands, but where do you go when everyone in the street recognizes you instantly, and thinks they’re your best friend? The door of his office opened, and he swung back around to the smiling face of his secretary. “Well, boss, that’s it!” she said enthusiastically. “I’ll bet you’re glad to see the end of this place for a while.” He smiled a wan, half-hearted grin at her. “Yeah, Suzie, guess I am.” She looked at him with a motherly concern. “Why don’t you take the time to relax? You look like you’re in serious need of R&R to me.” And far too good-looking to be alone, she added to herself. She had tried to match him up with a few eligible young ladies, but so far no luck. She was quite sure he needed someone special in his life to give him a focus away from the cameras and stories of his working day. “Maybe I’ll just lock myself inside the house and vegetate,” he mused half to himself. “Don’t you dare!” she said quickly. “You need to get out and circulate. See some shows; party on.” “Fat chance!” he said, almost spitting out the words. But they both knew what he meant. One of the major disadvantages of being so well known was that everywhere he went he was watched, his movements reported on. If he did the least thing which wasn’t considered proper, the gossip columns would be full of the story for weeks. Suzie felt for him, but she had no idea just how difficult that had made his life. What she did not know, and neither did anyone else at the station, was that he preferred the company of other men. Now that would really make a story for the papers. “Well,” she said, resignation in her voice, “whatever you do, I want you to kick up your heels, and have yourself some serious fun!” This time his smile was warmer, as he thought she had read his mind. “I might just do that,” he said firmly. He sank back into his chair again, the supple leather of the seat comforting as the scent of hide wafted up. That familiar smell caused a twitch in Jeff’s groin, and a smile flickered across his face. “That’s what I need…” he thought to himself, sitting up to hide his growing erection. That same day, across town, Michael Simpson was sweating away on a building site where he worked as a labourer, trying to keep his head down and avoid the attention of his supervisor and the other men on the site. At 5’7” he was shorter than most people he knew, and that seemed to make his co-workers think they could treat him as some kind of lesser being. He had grown up poor, dropped out of school early, and because of his lack of education often felt intimidated by others. To make things even more difficult, he was gay. He’d realized it when he was still quite young, but also learnt quickly that in his neighbourhood, if you were attracted to men, you kept your feelings to yourself and acted like ‘one of the boys’ if you didn’t want to be beaten up. So Michael kept to himself, and tried not to have much to do with the other workmen. He collected his meager pay each week, and lived alone in a small but clean flat. He saved what he could, telling himself that one day he would be able to afford to get away from here, to go and live somewhere where he could be himself, but the money he put away grew very slowly. This particular Friday afternoon, he had been having an especially difficult time. One of the supervisors whom he loathed had insisted on giving him the hardest jobs, and belittling him whenever he spoke, so that Michael was feeling crushed and exhausted by the time he finished his shift. Gratefully heading home after the final whistle, he had let himself into the tiny apartment and quickly stripped off his clothing, stepped under the shower and washed away the grime, and with it the hurt and desperation of his working life. As he stepped from the shower he took a deep breath, and toweled himself dry before lying naked on the bed and letting his imagination take him to far away places and a better life. Lying there, his hands slowly, almost unconsciously, traveled over his body. He may have been short, but his hard physical work resulted in a muscular, fit body of which he was justifiably proud. His fingers traced the firm mounds of his pecs, and slid across the ridges of his abdomen before worming into the nest of pubic hair surrounding his hardening cock. He thought about jerking off, but knew in advance that the result would be a deflated loneliness afterwards, so he fought the temptation and restrained himself. Darkness began to fall, and as it did, Michael’s need increased. It was Friday night, and he was 28 years old. So what if he had little money to spare? He had urges that needed satisfying, and he was tired of being alone. Michael knew exactly what he wanted, needed. He may scrimp on most things, but one section of his wardrobe consisted of the very best, and it fitted him perfectly. Pulling open that special door, he shivered with anticipation as the shining black contents were revealed. The unmistakable scent of leather drifted from the closet and enveloped him in its comforting, exciting aroma. Smiling with anticipation, Michael slowly lifted the precious leathers out and laid them on his bed. He smoothed the gleaming chaps flat and spread the harness open, feeling the excitement build within himself. Carefully, almost reverently, he began to dress. For Michael, the process of gearing up in his leather wear was like a ritual, a ceremony in which he banished the shy, apologetic Michael of his everyday world, and replaced him with the confident, powerful Michael who stood tall and radiated raw masculine sexuality. He slipped a chrome cockring over his testicles and pulled his lengthening cock through the metal, feeling the encircling silver grip at the root of his throbbing manhood. A leather jockstrap followed, the supple pouch of black hide enveloping his heavy nuts as he pushed his long prick through a hole in the material before snapping a soft black leather codpiece in place over his prong. For a second he allowed himself the indulgence of cupping his hands around his own masculinity, feeling the shape of his genitalia through the cool hide, and trembled to the touch. His boots were next, black leather and polished to a mirror finish, with bright steel rings over the ankles that were held in place by leather straps and in turn connected to silver chains that ran under the sole and back again. Michael slid each foot into place, reveling in the sensation of strength as the footwear gripped at him, bestowing height and power as he stood again to reach for the next item of apparel. Michael carefully buckled the waistband of his chaps around himself and leaned forward to catch each end of the metal zipper at his ankle, then slowly lifted the fastener up his inner leg. As he did, he smoothed the gleaming black leather against his skin, and felt its sensuous texture mold around his muscles, tightening and gripping at him, until his legs were pillars of shining black hide, accentuating every movement of the flesh and sinew trapped within. His fingers traced the lines of the chaps, and connected with the bare flesh of his thighs, following the frame of the chaps around the firm orbs of his arse cheeks as he smiled approvingly at the growing picture of masculinity presenting itself in his mirror. He then lowered a leather harness over his head, the shoulder straps sitting comfortably against his skin, as he buckled wide black bands of hide around his ribs, the leather pushing up beneath his pecs before connecting at a silver ring in the centre of his chest. From that ring another band of black fell straight down to a second metal ring, from which two more leather straps encircled his stomach, and sat tight against his chiseled six-pack abdomen. A pair of black leather gauntlets, set with small, shining metal studs, were snapped into place around his lower arms, and wide bands of shining black leather were buckled over his biceps, bringing the muscles of his upper arms into sharp relief. He placed a pair of mirrored sunglasses onto his face, and pulled a black leather peaked cap, with a shining black visor, over his head, the visor low over his eyes. The other Michael, the strong, sensually masculine Michael, was here again. He turned and surveyed himself in the mirror on his bedroom wall, and nodded approval. The leather god who stared back at him emanated power, made no excuses, and embodied pure animalistic sexuality: The complete male whose sole purpose was lusty passion. Michael ached with excitement and anticipation as he let his eyes roam over the reflection, and felt and saw himself harden, ready for the pleasures of the night. With a sense of urgency now, Michael threw a black leather bike jacket on, zipping it up over his upper body. In deference to his neighbours, he pulled a pair of baggy denim jeans over his chaps, and dropped his cap and sunglasses into a carrier bag, donning his motorcycle helmet instead, before letting himself quietly out of his flat, jumping onto his bike and riding into the night. Half an hour later, he found a parking space close by his destination – Headquarters – the leathermen’s club that catered to men like him, and provided numerous areas for sexual encounters on the premises. He quickly signed in and took a locker, shucking off the denim jeans and helmet, and replacing his leather cap and mirrored sunglasses before stepping into the main lounge area to order a drink and check out the other patrons. He surveyed the room slowly, with the easy confidence of a man who knew he looked damned hot, and drank in the sight of quite a few other men dressed in alluring black leather. The air was thick with the scent of tanned hide, and the polished black skin reflected pinpricks of light all around the bar area. Michael breathed deeply and felt himself stir, his thick prong hardening within its pouch of supple leather. He knew his arousal would be visible to other patrons, and that only served to excite him the more, knowing that other men were staring at the lengthening tube of shining black at his crotch. His eyes traveled around, and a smile crossed his face at the reactions he saw, at the gazes fixed on himself. One in particular caught his attention. A tall man, with wide shoulders and large chest, a flat stomach and firm round butt cheeks, watched him intently. This man was fit, well developed with a body that came from working out in a gymnasium, rather than the grind of manual labour. His head was encased in a black leather hood that came down over his eyes, which stared out from holes in the blackness like headlights. The hood fitted snugly over his nose, cut of so that his nostrils and upper lip were bare, and curved back to fall below his ears and around the back of his neck, completely covering any hair on his head as well as hiding his ears. He wore a wide collar of leather with a D-ring in the centre around his neck, and a harness, which consisted of shoulder and rib straps connecting to two silver rings that circled each of his nipples, joined by a metal chain. From the rings, more leather bands connected downward in a ‘V’ shape to a third ring over his navel, from which shining black leather ran around his waist, and a single black strap dropped straight down, under the waistband of his chaps, and disappeared beneath the black leather posing thong he wore. That thong was a bulging black V in a frame of white skin, itself framed in gleaming black by the cut of his chaps. The soft leather of the pouch was molded to the flesh beneath so tightly that Michael could easily make out the round spheres of the man’s testicles, and above them the long tube of his manhood, as if he were completely naked, and his genitalia made of leather. The pumped muscles of his legs were so tightly enveloped by the glistening black leather of his chaps that when he moved every ripple was accentuated in shining blackness, and when he turned to one side, he proudly displayed buns like ripe melons, round and full, but solid and dimpled as he flexed. Michael unashamedly ogled this vision, his appreciation obvious at his groin, and the object of his attention appeared to return the compliment, barely letting his eyes leave Michael’s body. As Michael drank his beer and let his eyes roam over the body of the man before him, they connected across the distance, neither looking away. Time seemed to stop, and the rest of the men around them were forgotten. Casually but confidently, Michael finished his drink and sauntered toward the other man. There was no doubt of his intention, and no uncertainty in his mind that he and this leather god would enjoy each other’s company. As he stepped up to be only inches from the other, Michael nodded slightly. The man was probably two or three inches taller than Michael, but with the way he leaned on the bar, and with Michael’s cap adding height while his hood seemed to make him shorter, the difference was hardly noticeable, and immaterial to either of them anyhow. “G’day,” he responded to Michael’s nod. Calm, self-assured, he too was confident in himself, not groveling or desperate like so many were, and Michael approved. Without another comment, Michael purposefully reached out and placed his hand on the man’s chest, running his finger along the leather strap of the harness before reaching and then lightly but firmly pinching his nipple. In response, the other man, very matter-of-fact, let his hand fall to Michael’s groin, his finger running up and back along the length of Michael’s thick leather-encased cock, then easily closed his palm over Michael’s dick and balls, massaging them through the pouch and squeezing gently. “Follow me,” Michael said in a low, sensuous voice, walking from the bar area toward the dark inner recesses of the club, and his order was calmly obeyed. Headquarters had numerous rooms and cubicles, mazes and cruising areas available, but Michael knew exactly where he wanted to go with this man. He headed straight to a section where several areas were partitioned off into rooms with low vinyl-covered benches the sole item of furniture, condoms and lube supplied by the management and within easy reach. Each of the ‘rooms’ however consisted of walls made up of mesh fencing so that other patrons could see what was happening in the dim light, without interfering or being in the same room. As they stepped into the area, the two men stopped, and stood, facing each other directly. Each of them again took a long hard look at the other, appreciating the view and feeling their arousal increase. Almost casually, Michael’s hand returned to the man’s nipples, pulling on the hard brown nub of erect tissue, and this time eliciting a low moan of pleasure from its owner. The man responded by running both palms down Michael’s sides and over his butt before again groping at the bulging leather package of masculinity between Michael’s legs. The two let their hands follow the lead set earlier by their eyes, exploring each other’s bodies with feathery touches and squeezing grips, fingers and palms feeling the cool texture of leather and the heated sheen of naked flesh. Fingers squeezed at nipples, or traced the lines of harness straps and the edges of chaps, hands clasped arse cheeks and closed over throbbing bulges of black leather or slid along tingling skin as each furthered his exploration of the other’s desirable body. Michael trembled to the touch of this man, standing so close to him. He looked deeply into the eyes, which looked out from the dark leather head-covering, trying to read them. There was a real sensuality in the other’s fingers, in the way he touched and played with Michael that Michael had never felt before. Fleetingly, he wondered at the hidden identity, but that was part of the allure. It was why he himself wore the low-visored cap and the mirrored glasses, it added to the mystery and eroticism of the encounter. They were aware that a number of other men stood nearby, outside their ‘room’, watching them, admiring the two leather gods as they caressed one another, and the public display also added to the excitement. Slowly, Michael’s hands had worked their way up the man’s back, and across his shoulders. Now, they were at his neck, and Michael held the leather-hooded head. He felt the soft supple leather of the black mask beneath his palms, felt the texture of the tanned hide, and the strength of the man within it. Facing his partner squarely, he pulled the other mouth firmly towards his own, and their lips met, brushed against each other and for a second Michael thought the taller man was going to resist the kiss. But a shock of electricity sparked between them, and suddenly they were one. Lips mashed against teeth, tongues forced their way over gums, and the two ground their faces together, tasting of each other and licking hungrily. As they did, ‘Hood’ (as Michael had come to think of this man) threw his arms around Michael’s body and pulled him tightly against himself. Hood’s hot-leathered body pressed into Michael’s, and Michael pushed back, his arms around Hood’s back, gripping at his arse cheeks. The leather they wore screeched as they rubbed against each other, desperately trying to make contact with each other using every piece of bare flesh and polished leather that they could. Without warning, Hood broke their kiss and Michael looked to him with surprise. But instead of pulling away, he lowered his face and began to lick at Michael’s neck. Michael threw his head back and enjoyed the sensation as Hood’s tongue slowly traveled down his skin, licking across his chest and finding his nipples, which were sucked and bitten gently. Michael let out a long low groan of pleasure, and Hood continued the oral caress, mouthing and licking gently down over Michael’s abdomen, running his tongue along the edges of Michael’s harness as his hands played over Michael’s buns, gripping and squeezing at the firm mounds of flesh. Michael’s hands fell to the smooth black leather of the hood, running his palms over the textured hide and caressing the encased head as it ministered to his desires. When Hood’s mouth reached the polished tube of blackness at Michael’s groin, Michael gasped with delight. He trembled as the talented mouth gnawed at his meat through the leather pouch, and groaned as his nuts were licked and massaged within their black envelope. He reveled in the attention for many minutes, as the other man attacked his hide bound groin with a fervour. As the intensity with which Hood licked and slurped at him increased, Michael looked down in the dim light to see the black hood bobbing against his black pelvis. His desire grew, and he reached down, slowly unsnapping the fasteners that held the codpiece in place over his throbbing cock. As the supple leather covering came away, his thick prong sprang out, rampant and hard as steel, droplets of pre-cum spraying from the inflamed head. Hood took a moment to stare at the purple glans, his hands keeping up their caressing massage on Michael’s balls, and then he licked at the slimy clear ooze in Michael’s piss slit, tasting it and murmuring his approval. His talented tongue weaved its spell over the head of Michael’s cock, feathery flicks of moist touch tracing the super sensitive lip and working their way along the throbbing veiny shaft. Michael groaned with delight, his head back and his hands falling to hold and press the leathered head of the other man. That same hooded visage suddenly opened its mouth and dived onto Michael’s rock hard prick, and he gasped as his weapon sank into the hot wetness of Hood’s throat, and felt the fantastic sensation of tongue, teeth and lips all working in concert to adore his prong, and to envelope his manhood in pure pleasure. As the other man continued his attentions at Michael’s groin, Michael began to slowly hump forward and pull back, letting his long hard cock slide in and out of his partner’s gullet. His hands remained fixed to the soft leather of the man’s hood as Michael slowly face fucked the willing head. Opening his eyes and looking around, he saw that the number of men standing around them, outside the mesh, watching what he and Hood did, was increasing, and he grinned to himself, finding the audience a turn-on. His nerves tingled and his blood raced as he continued to thrust into the clenching throat, feeling the man’s teeth scrape along his shaft, enjoying the nibbles and tongue massage as his tempo increased. The moist cavity of Hood’s mouth wrapped around Michael’s rod and he moaned with delight as he fought the rising urgency of passion. The man kneeling at his groin must have sensed that Michael was close, for he suddenly pulled away, and stood again, his hands closing over Michael’s arse, and his mouth returning to join with Michael’s as they kissed passionately. They held each other firmly, pressing bodies together and enjoying the sensuality of leather against skin. Hood broke the kiss, and leaned in even closer, his mouth hard against Michael’s ear. “Fuck me!” he whispered in a husky voice. “Damn right!” Michael hissed back. “Are you okay with the audience, or do you want to go somewhere else?” “Let ‘em watch and wish,” came the soft but enthusiastic reply. Eagerly, the two men embraced again, their muscled and leather bound frames intertwining. As they stood only inches apart, the hooded leather god took a condom from the store provided, tore open the packet, and slowly rolled it over Michael’s waiting sword of flesh. As he did, Michael squeezed a generous helping of lube onto his fingers and reached behind his man, easing the cool gel into the other’s arse, using first one and then two fingers to coat the hooded man’s sphincter with the lube, and open the passageway. Hood moaned happily as Michael probed his anus, backing on and off the fingers inserted into him. Michael kept up the probing as the other man smeared a large gob of lube onto the latex encased prong at Michael’s groin, and coated the throbbing pole with the oozing liquid. Then he kissed Michael again before turning his back to the leathered and readied body, leaning forward from the waist and gripping the wire fencing with both hands. Michael granted himself the indulgence of staring at the waiting body before him. The wide shoulders and strong back, crossed with the black bands of the leather harness, were his for the taking. The firm buns, edged in dark gleaming chaps, spread to reveal the puckering target of Hood’s ring of muscle, glistening with lubricant and inviting Michael to bury himself within. He edged forward, allowing the full length of his prick to rest along the crevice between those cheeks as he bent over the other man, his hands finding and pulling at the erect nubs of his aroused nipples, then sliding along the ridges of abdomen muscles to squeeze at the hard and throbbing mound of leathered cock and rolling nuts below. As he embraced the beautiful body, Michael slowly slid his prick up and down, until he felt the head of his cock make contact with the soft target of Hood’s anus. Nudging forward gently, he pressed his tip into the soft tissue, and felt the resistance diminish as the other pushed back, opening himself and relaxing. Trembling with anticipation Michael continued slowly, as the soft hole opened for him and swallowed the mushroom head of his prong, closing around the lip of his glans and clenching at his rock hard shaft. Allowing a minute for them both to adjust to the initial penetration, something Michael enjoyed incredibly, he then began to inch forwards, sinking his fleshy pole gradually into the welcoming heat of the other body. The gripping ring of the other man’s sphincter clenched and grabbed at his inflamed shaft, and the warmth of the wet cavern crept up around him, enveloping his rod in a wonderful, soft embrace. Michael leaned into his man, and over the leathered body, his arms going under the torso and his hands holding tightly on the leather shoulder straps as he embraced the supple form and sank his prong deep within the man’s bowels. His penetration complete, he felt his hide-encased nuts pressed against the firm skin of the other’s butt, and still holding tightly, he began to grind his pelvis in and back, and from side to side, probing the glorious innards with his long prick. Hood groaned softly, and clenched his arse tightly around Michael’s cock. “Oh, yeah…” he hissed, “fuck me, stud.” From the group, which had gathered to watch, the comment echoed back. “Fuck him!” “Yeah, do it to him!” came the whispers, and Michael grinned with lusty joy as he thrilled to the sense of power and strength, which radiated from every part of his body and concentrated in his groin. The gentle probing and deep rotations that he had started with soon became full thrusts as he sank himself into the other man, pulled back and pounded in again. His hands slid down the hot body until he was gripping at the man’s hips and using the leverage to pump his meat harder and faster, deeper and more urgently into the compliant arse. Michael humped at the bent form of Hood, ramming his long fleshy dagger into the hot wet scabbard, and felt his partner hunch and clamp at him, humping back and begging for more in an urgent hissed whisper. He felt the rising tide of passion swamp his body as he fought the growing urge to explode and thumped himself into the man in front of him. His breath came in shallow bursts as the sound of gasping rut filled the air, both himself and the other man sighing and moaning in ecstasy, and they were joined by the whispers of encouragement from their audience, the squelching sound of his cock as it thudded into Hood’s rectum, and the squealing of leather against leather as Michael’s knees pressed into the back of the other man’s legs. Pounding at Hood now, Michael surrendered to the animal lust of rutting males, and slammed himself in and out of his mate. Their fuck became a ferocious, sweating union of rough and urgent masculine sex as they rammed and gripped at each other, driving themselves to the point of ultimate ecstatic pleasure. With every nerve in his body screaming for release, and his balls contracting into his pelvis, Michael reached the precipice of orgasm. He let out a strangled breath, and wrenched his rampant tool from the other man’s arse, then tore the latex sheath away from his flesh. He was on the very brink, and as his hand closed around his aching steely pole, his climax struck. Long streamers of milky cum leapt from the head of his cock, snaking out to land in creamy rivers on the hunched back of the other man. Almost subconsciously, his free hand reached around and found the rock solid, leather encased log of Hood’s cock. His fingers slid inside the black hide of the thong and gripped the imprisoned manhood, and as the second spurt of ejaculation hit him, he felt Hood twitch, the body of his partner spasmed with ecstasy, and then his hand was covered in white hot essence as Hood’s cock exploded in his grasp. Both men gasped and shook as their simultaneous orgasms erupted. Their bodies jerked with the force of ejaculation as they leaned into each other and shuddered, twitching and moaning until their climax was spent and the passion began to ebb away. Many of the watchers had also masturbated, remnants of their cum evident on the fencing and on the floor, and as the heat of the moment passed Michael reached for his friend, turning him so they faced each other. The audience began to dissipate, and the hooded face before him smiled. Michael smiled back, and they kissed again, long and deep, but this time less urgently, enjoying the experience they had just shared. “Thank you,” Michael whispered into the leather where he guessed the man’s ear to be. “Thank YOU!” the hooded face replied, smiling again. Michael detested the usual way such encounters finished, hated to just walk away as if the intimate coupling they had just known meant nothing. He took a breath then spoke again. “Would you like to share a coffee and recover?” he asked tentatively, dreading rejection. Hood replied with a hint of surprise in his voice. “I’d love to! I abhor just disappearing, especially after something as good as that,” he said enthusiastically. Michael led the way as they collected their coffees and then found a vacant cubicle, with solid walls this time, where they could relax and recover together. It consisted of no more than a vinyl covered bench and a small shelf, but Michael sat on the cushioned platform and put his cup down, patting the material in an invitation to the other man to join him. His hooded friend did more than that, placing his own mug on the shelf, and lying along the bench, with his head on Michael’s lap. Still sticky with the remnants of their cum, the two men smiled at each other again. “You know, you look fantastic,” Michael said with feeling. “Trying to get me interested with flattery, are you?” his companion grinned. “I think we’ve already done that!” “Oh, yeah. Well, in case you’re wondering, it’ll work!” The mouth below the hood smiled mischievously. “You can have me again, any time you want, stud.” Michael became serious for a moment. “If you mean that, I would!” he said. “I’d like to see you again …” he left the words hanging in the air, his heart beating. He never did this. He was still too closeted to take the step of actually contacting someone other than by casual and anonymous sex, but there was something special about this guy. The other man said nothing for a long time. He seemed to be looking for the right words. When he did speak, Michael’s heart began to sink. “I, uh, guess I would like that,” said Hood, uncertainly. He went on haltingly. “If you give me your number, uh, then I’ll, um, try to call, er, later…” “My number?” Michael asked with alarm. It hadn’t occurred to him that the other man would want to call him, and he’d never given his home number to anyone he’d met at the bars. And the guy had seemed so off handed about it. “Listen,” he said slowly, “if you’re not really interested, then that’s fine. I don’t, ahh, give out my phone number usually, but I thought we had something better than the ‘usual’ going before, that’s all.” Now it was his friend’s turn to become alarmed. “Oh, no, please don’t get me wrong. I really would like to see you again. That was just incredible, but even better, no one has ever bothered to ask me to talk afterwards before. It’s just that I have never, you know, contacted anyone afterwards.” He managed to sound both lost and needing as he finished quietly. Michael took a deep breath, and with his heart beating fast, opened up. “Listen, this is new to me too. I’ve never given anyone my number because I’m not ‘out’. None of my friends, none of the people I work with, know I’m gay, so I’m just extra careful, I guess. I’m sorry, but that’s just how I am.” He was surprised at the reaction. The man whose head rested on his lap began to laugh. Michael looked puzzled, and his friend regained some control. “I know exactly what you mean. I’m the same – very careful, and no one knows. Maybe too careful, if it means I can’t see someone special like you again,” he said, almost to himself. Michael smiled again. “Birds of a feather!” he said. Removing his cap and glasses carefully, as if stripping away the mask he hid behind, he looked into the eyes still within the leather hood. “My name’s Michael,” he said, and felt as though he were baring his soul. The man in the hood saw how hard it was for Michael to do what he had done, and empathized with him. Sitting up to face his new friend squarely, he held out his hand nervously. “I’m Jeff,” he said, and as he did, he slowly, reluctantly, lifted the hood from his face. Michael smiled at him. “Hi, Jeff,” he said, and then his eyes widened in recognition. The face was unforgettable. After all, he had seen it on television every week for months, had admired the handsome features while he applauded the work that Jeff did. “Jeff Sh …!” “You won’t say anything, will you?” Jeff asked, suddenly fearful, seeing the realization in Michael’s eyes. “Of course not!” Michael assured him seriously. Suddenly, Michael leaned forward and kissed Jeff again, deeply and longingly. They smiled at each other, sharing their secrets. “Michael,” said Jeff, a serious tone to his voice, “promise me something?” “Sure, handsome, name it,” Michael replied. “Don’t think of me as the TV person. Think of me as the leather man you made love with tonight, and hopefully will make love with again, okay?” “I already do.” And he meant it. [To be continued…] comments, complaints or compliments? Contact me at iainlthr@hotmail.com