Blackmailed
by Victor Thomas
Chapter 11
Kenny
I shivered. Mostly it was because the air conditioner vent pointed right at my head, but I didn't like the police station either. The green leatherette chairs were uncomfortable, the tangy stink of disinfectant wafted everywhere, and none of the officers passing us smiled. My mom sat next to me, her back straight and holding her purse like she didn't belong here.
I hope he's okay. Let him at least be alive.
In the short and disturbing message, Javier had told me about a plan to stop Jorge from blackmailing us. Whatever it was must have failed because I had tried to call him all morning without success. Finally, there was no choice but to show the message to mom.
"Did they say why they needed us here?" I asked.
She shook her head the same way she had done every time I had asked the same question during the short drive from home to the Labette County Sheriff's office.
"I hope this won't take long."
"Is Javier here?"
The expression on her face got tighter.
"I don't know."
I pushed my hands deep inside the pockets of my hoodie and tried to steer my brain away from the highway where the ugliest scenarios of what might have gone wrong slapped my face with increasing speed. What was the big plan? Had he killed his brother?
An overwhelming desperation growing inside my head, I saw him, but that terrible orange uniform covered his perfect pecs. I reached my hand out to touch my boyfriend, but my finger hit a pane of glass between us. His big brown eyes stared at me as the guards dragged him farther and farther until I couldn't see him anymore in the dark and lonely room.
The big doors opened, bringing me back to reality. I saw two officers approaching, and between them was Javier. A broad smile was about to grow on my face, but then I noticed that his hands were behind his back. Had they arrested him?
"Are you Ms. Sherman?" the officer with military short hair asked.
"I called you this morning." She stood up and straightened her dress. "Have you taken care of it already?"
"Please come with us, ma'am."
She glared at Javier, who did his best to avoid both her and my gaze. The other officer, who looked like his lips were glued together, walked behind Javier and unlocked the handcuffs. Embarrassment covering his face, he rubbed his wrists, which were suddenly free.
"Stay here until we're done," the first officer said dully.
Mom gave a disapproving glance at the two of us sitting on the green chairs, but followed the officers through the door to a long corridor. As soon as the doors closed, I turned to look at him.
"What happened?" I asked.
"They arrested me for robbing the drug store in Parsons."
"You did what?"
I was barely able to keep my voice down.
"Jorge framed me, but I don't think they believe me."
He turned his face away and sighed. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled my boyfriend closer to me. When he didn't turn his head, I rested my head on his shoulder. Finally, the smile grew on my face when I realized my mom could actually help us.
"Everything's going to be fine," I whispered.
He pulled away so fast I nearly hit my chin on the armrest.
"Don't you get it? They will throw me in jail."
I shook my head.
"Does Jorge still have the video?"
"Yes."
"Excellent."
If he was about to say something, no words came out of his mouth. He just stared at me like I had lost my last two brain cells. I turned to sit sideways in the chair so I could face my boyfriend better.
"We're under eighteen," I said.
The expression on his face didn't change.
"So fucking what?"
"Mom called the police this morning. We're legally minors. Jorge is in big trouble when the police find the video."
I waited for the information to soak into his head. First, his eyes moved from side to side, but gradually his trademark grin began to spread across his face, at least partially.
"Would she really testify for me?"
That was a good question. I hoped she would. But there was a good chance she wouldn't.
I sat beside Javier in the car. We didn't hold hands. Mom might have seen it in the rearview mirror, but our thighs made an unspoken deal to press together. Such a simple touch, and one that meant the world to me. My eyes were locked on his, watching the shadows flicker on his face as we drove toward his house.
He's so beautiful.
Mom looked somehow stiff behind the steering wheel, not stiff in her typical way, but more than normally. She hadn't said a word since we had left the station, and I had asked if we could drive him home. One could argue she hadn't even agreed, but there we were approaching his house.
"Thank you, Ms. Sherman," he said when the car stopped.
"You're welcome," she said. "I'm sure your parents are waiting for you."
"Um, not only for the ride, but for sorting things out with the police."
"I didn't want my son getting into trouble."
He had spent the night in a jail cell before the cops got the surveillance camera recording, which showed he had been nowhere near the drug store during the robbery. He had still driven the getaway car, but after mom told them about the video, the believed Jorge had been blackmailing him.
"Mom, can I stay here tonight?" I asked. I turned to look at him. He was already nodding his head. "If that's okay."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she said. "What do his parents think about it?"
"They like me." There was a moment of silence. "At least I think they do."
He touched my arm.
"They might like you more than me actually."
A long sigh came from the front seat. I heard her lips moving like she was about to say something, probably trying to come up with some excuse. She was mom after all. How realistic was it to expect her to let me spend the evening, and night with my boyfriend? After waiting a few more seconds, I decided to act.
"I'll be home by lunch," I said, pushing the door open.
"Be safe, Kenny," she managed to say before the door closed.
We stood half way up the driveway and watched as she drove away. The car didn't accelerate exceptionally fast, the tires didn't leave skid marks on the road, the horn didn't honk. Still, the receding back lights glowed disappointment and bitterness. We waited until the car tuned the corner and disappeared.
"I wonder whether she'll prepare lunch for you tomorrow," he said.
"Let's not talk about her," I said. "I'm hungry already, but not for food."
A broad grin grew on his face, and I was pretty sure I saw something else growing in his pants before he turned. I followed him to the front door, making sure to check out his hot ass, and waited until he got it unlocked.
The house was empty, probably a bit surprising at this time on a Saturday afternoon, and there was just a piece of paper on the kitchen table. The note, written in neat handwriting, said that his parents had left to meet a lawyer. I was astonished they had found a law firm who met clients on weekends, especially as his parents weren't particularly raking in the cash. Besides, based on what Jorge had done, he deserved to rot in prison for the rest of his life.
When we got to the bedroom, he sat on his bed.
"I should thank your mom," he said. "Without her…"
"Please stop talking about my mother."
"There is something else we need to talk about." The look on his face was awkward. "I just need to know if you still want to be my boyfriend."
Now his cheeks were dark red, and his mortified eyes barely looked at me. His right hand took hold of his left one to stop them from rubbing his thigs. I sat on the bed, keeping some distance between us. Emotions welled up inside me.
"What makes you think I wouldn't want to?" I asked.
"I don't know. Well, um, I should have told you about Jorge and the video. I mean I should have told you sooner. A lot sooner."
I nodded.
"I never stopped being your boyfriend."
"Come here."
I had hardly moved when he wrapped his arms around me and pushed me on my back. His lean body was lying on top of me. The embarrassment in his eyes switched to passion, or maybe it was insatiable lust. I wasn't sure what it was, but he was hugging me so hard it was difficult to breathe.
I missed you so much.
I would have said it aloud, but his lips rushed to kiss me. And it was far from an ordinary kiss. Goose bumps popped up on my arms, the muscles in my legs tensed, and my erection, squeezed between our bodies, was as hard as a rock. And when we finally pulled our lips apart, I was already yearning for more.
He looked at me, his big brown eyes smiling.
"I love you," he said shyly.
"I love you too."
My fingers wandered down along his back.
This time there was no video camera filming us, no one else disturbing our tender moment, just the two of us embracing each other. Our hearts were beating with joy and passion as we began undressing each other. Soon, all of our clothes were all over the bedroom floor.
Now it was my turn to push him onto his back on the bed. I positioned myself next to my boyfriend and wrapped my fingers around his throbbing cock. It pulsed in my hand and the swollen head dripped globs of precum on his stomach.
"Oh fuck," he murmured, closing his eyes.
I stroked him slowly and gently.
"Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two."
"Stop that," he protested. His erection stiffened and gave a powerful lurch. "It's not fair."
"But it works."
His breathing got harder, and his entire body tensed. I slowed down the stroking, rested my head on the pillow, and kissed his neck. The stunning aroma of vanilla, pure masculinity, and an approaching inescapable orgasm filled my nostrils. I moved closer to his ear.
"Thirty-seven," I whispered.
Something wet hit me on the forehead and he moaned as his body spasmed violently. I held him close to me while my other hand fondled his erection, which hadn't stopped sending spurts of cum all over the bed. It took all my will power not to shoot my own load.
"Holy fuck," he said after his breathing had calmed down.
"You liked it?"
"That was fucking amazing."
I rested my body against his, not caring about the fact that he desperately needed a shower. We were together again, and nothing else mattered.
I approached the front door and glanced at the kitchen window. The lights were on, and I saw mom standing behind the window, checking to see who was coming. She must have heard me parking my car in the front yard. Hadn't she expected me to keep my promise of coming home by lunch?
I opened the door to the smell of baked salmon. The kitchen door was open, and I noticed the table was set for two. That was probably a good sign. Feeling a bit more relaxed, I entered the kitchen and found her mashing potatoes.
"Hi, mom."
It sounded more cheerful than I meant.
"Could you pass me the milk please?"
"Um, sure."
"I hope you're hungry."
Spending the entire morning in bed with Javier had made me very hungry. We would have skipped breakfast if his father hadn't persuaded us too persistently. The constant knocking on the door had been quite the turn off, and ultimately, we gave up.
Lunch was ready in a few minutes and I sat at the table with her. She crossed her hands and waited for me to do the same before saying grace. It was a short one, nothing of me or Javier was mentioned, and it was over before I began to feel too awkward.
"How was your day?" I asked.
"Nothing special. I woke up quite early, so I had time to do laundry."
"Javier's mom made pancakes for breakfast."
I took the white porcelain pitcher, which had gilded rims and red roses painted on both sides. Her glass was almost full, but I added a dollop of water. She took the glass with both hands and moved it slowly so that the water would not spill. When I had been small, it was forbidden to fill a glass so full, but apparently that rule had expired.
We continued eating. The salmon was as tasty as always, and the lemon butter sauce was my favorite. And when it came to me and her, everything was okay, and then it wasn't. The surface was too peaceful, and I knew that dangerous sharks were swimming underneath.
"Javier asked me to say thanks," I said. "He would've been in serious trouble without you."
"I did it for you."
The smile on her face seemed forced.
"We appreciate it still."
"Would you like more salad? There's some left in the refrigerator."
I sighed. The discussion with her was more likely to decrease my appetite than to increase it. And as if the fish and the huge pile of mashed potatoes hadn't been enough, she took a chocolate cake from the refrigerator as soon as we finished the main course. I gave it an incredulous stare.
"This used to be your favorite," she said. "You and Hannah…"
"Mom!"
"We can eat this later if you don't want it now."
"I'm gay and I love Javier, and I need you to start accepting the fact that this isn't just a phase."
The cake disappeared as fast as it had appeared. She collected the plates from the table and began washing the pans she had used to prepare the lunch. I stood by the table and huffed to get her attention, which obviously wasn't working. She acted like I wasn't here anymore, or had never been.
I took the glass in my hand, counted to five in my mind, and let it drop to the floor. It shattered into dozens of pieces, letting out a noise even she couldn't ignore. Her gaze moved from my eyes to my hand and the spot on the floor where the glass had hit.
"We need to talk," I said, not knowing where the determination in my voice came from.
She sighed.
"You know what I think about that boy."
"Doesn't it matter what I think?"
Silence fell in the kitchen. She looked like she wanted to say something about the broken glass but didn't. Instead, she put down the dish rag and dried her hands with the towel. I stared at her but saw no signs of her giving up. She was my mom after all.
"Very well then," she finally said. "What do you think?"
I swallowed.
"I would like to stay here until high school is over," I said.
"This is your home."
"But I will keep dating Javier."
The look in her eyes sharpened like she was an eagle preparing to catch a fish, except this time I didn't run away. I stared back and, for a moment, neither of us blinked. Then her face softened a bit and I was pretty sure I even saw a small smile on the corner of her mouth.
"I guess I can't stop you from making your own mistakes."
"No, you can't. But Javier isn't a mistake."
"I pray you're right."
There was definitely a smile on her face, but a sad one. She began collecting the pieces of broken glass from the floor, not asking me to help. She didn't have to. I was already on my way to get the broom and dustpan, and the smile on my face was definitely a happy one. Soon everything was again back in their places, except there was one glass less in the cabinet.
"Would you like some cake now?" she asked.
I nodded.
"There's still one more thing."
"Should I be worried?"
"I would like you to invite Javier over for dinner one day so he can give you a proper thank you."
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