After the Fall

Chapter 7





About quarter to two, Gus was making his way along Tremont to his father’s loft. He didn’t want to be late for his tryst with Cole. Gus giggled to himself at his thoughts of this encounter being called a tryst. He had learned that word in school last spring when they were reading some novel from the last century. It was a word out of that time period or even earlier. What he and Cole were having today was hardly a tryst. It was a fuck, pure and simple, a fuck.

Gus frowned as he realized that there was very little romance in his relationship with Cole, but that was … okay. Gus was all right with that. They were both getting something out of it, and it was fun, and exciting, especially because it was a little bit forbidden, at least by Gus’ father.

Gus could hardly wait to see Cole. He just wished that Cole was a little more eager to see him. Sometimes Cole didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about them getting together. He seemed to be ready to walk away when things didn’t go the way he wanted. That always made Gus feel like he had to try harder. Maybe it was because Cole was older and more experienced. Gus realized that Cole still thought Gus was older than he was, so maybe that was how he treated someone who was almost nineteen just as Cole was. Cole had probably had other relationships, unlike Gus for whom this was his first. He’d have to ask Cole about his previous lovers one of these times. Maybe he could ask him about his first time. It would be interesting to know about that. The trouble was that when he was with Cole, he had trouble thinking about anything. His mind went right to his dick, and that was all he could concentrate on. However, that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. Gus smiled to himself.

As he approached the loft building, Gus noticed that someone was at the front door of the structure. He seemed to be pressing buttons and trying to get in. Suddenly Gus realized that it was Cole. He was there early, just like Gus was. Cole was eager to see him. Gus’ heart soared.

“Cole,” Gus called as he ran the last part of the block to get to Cole as soon as possible.

“Shit!” Cole said as he spun around and found his arms full of Gus. “You scared me,” Cole said hastily.

“Did you think I was already inside?” Gus asked with a big smile on his face.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s it exactly,” Cole agreed quickly.

“I knew you couldn’t wait to see me. Let’s go inside.”

“Yeah, let’s.” Cole leaned over Gus’ shoulder as Gus pushed the buttons to release the door. He pretended to be nibbling on Gus’ ear, but he was really memorizing the code to get into the building.

“Stop that,” Gus giggled, “until we get upstairs.”

“I can’t wait,” Cole said, yanking the door open and pulling Gus inside. He planted a blistering kiss on the boy before they ran up the stairs. The elevator would take much too long.

Gus unlocked the loft and keyed in the alarm code. Cole was all over Gus’ back, draped atop the boy watching the code that he was using for the alarm.

“Come on,” Cole said grabbing Gus and hauling him inside. They didn’t even get the door closed before Cole started to drag Gus towards the bedroom.

“No,” Gus said, leaning back to stop Cole from dragging him up to the bedroom. “I can’t do it up there.”

Cole let out a long suffering sigh. “Fuck! Okay, let’s get that fucking futon ready.”

Gus smiled at him and leaned in for a passionate kiss. “I’ll pull it out of the alcove. You close the door. We don’t want to be interrupted.”

Cole grinned. “Definitely no interruptions.” He walked to the loft door. There he stopped, making sure Gus was busy dragging the futon out into the middle of the loft. He leaned on the button that released the front door of the building. He glanced outside the loft door making sure that the keys were still in the door where Gus had used them to get inside. He waited for a moment until he saw his cousin, Lex, come up the stairs. Lex winked at his cousin, before Cole slid the door shut. He didn’t bother to lock it.

“Come on, Cole,” Gus called. “I’m ready.”

Cole turned to see a naked and already aroused Gus laying on the futon playing with himself. Cole took a leap and dove in on top of his prey.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” Gus murmured as he sucked on Cole’s bottom lip. They were wrestling on the thick futon cushion. . Cole, used to being the aggressor and the top in his ‘encounters’ was slightly shocked at Gus’ enthusiasm and natural strength. With very little need of imagination, Cole could envision the older Kinney laying on top of him, worrying his lips and groping at his dick.

“You’re still overdressed,” Gus whispered in his father’s voice, arching that famous eyebrow. Cole nodded slowly removing his clothes, teasing Gus shamelessly. Gus shifted a little so that Cole had room to work, appreciating Cole’s nice body. Cole decided to use Gus’ ardor to his advantage, giving Lex the time he needed.

Cole smiled invitingly at Gus. Gus took that smile as his cue to pounce. Rolling on top of his boyfriend, Gus recaptured Cole’s lips. Rutting young bodies pressed hard against each other. Gus felt Cole’s hand running up and down his back, attempting to delve into areas where no one had ever delved before. Not quite ready to go there, Gus clenched his butt cheeks together. Cole took the hint but continued his caress of Gus’ back.

Knowing how fast ‘little boys’ shoot their load, Cole slowed things down a bit. Working his hand between them, Cole grabbed Gus’ erection low on its shaft, successfully quelling the urge to come. The tactic worked, giving Gus time to kiss his way down Cole’s belly toward his dick. Summoning up what little experience he had, Gus attempted to suck out Cole’s brains through his dick. Swallowing what he could, Gus rolled onto his back waiting for Cole to recover.

“Turn about is fair play,” Cole purred as he swooped down to engulf Gus’ cock. Cole prolonged his oral assault on Gus for as long as he could then allowed Gus to come. Gus shot his load down Cole’s throat then feel into a sated sleep.

Cole waited a few minutes to make sure Gus was sleeping. He eased himself off the futon and pulled on his jeans. He got up carefully making sure not to wake Gus. He wanted to look around some more and see what other valuable stuff he could find.

Before he did that he walked over to the loft door where it was still open a crack. He looked through the slit and didn’t see anyone. He frowned. He thought he had given Lex long enough to take the key out of the loft door and get it copied at the shop they had scoped out the day before. He was about to turn away when he saw Lex’ head appear in the stairwell. He waited.

“Done,” Lex whispered through the opening of the door. He held out the keys to Cole.

“Put them back in the door,” Cole whispered. “I’ll meet you around the corner as soon as I can.”

Walking past the living room area, Cole noted the BOSE sound system and the plasma TV. They had to be worth a pretty penny even if they’d only get a fraction of the price for them. He glanced over at the portrait of the naked man. That was so huge that he didn’t think they’d be able to get it out of the building without drawing attention to themselves. Too bad. It looked like it could be valuable.

Cole headed up the steps to the bathroom. From the upper level he looked down at Gus making sure the boy was still napping. Too bad the kid was so naïve. They could have made a good team if he had brought Gus over to the dark side. Cole smiled to himself and then shook his head.

He went to the tall chest and pulled open the drawer where he had found the money the last time he was in the loft. It was still there just as he had left it. He was about to peel off a few more bills when he stopped. Why didn’t he take the whole fucking thing? He was about to pocket it, when he remembered the key to the loft that he and Lex now possessed. He took a couple of bills from the roll and placed the rest back in the drawer.

He looked at the painting above the dresser. If Lex’ information was correct it would be a Justin Taylor original, and it would be worth a pile of money. He could see the JT painted in the corner. And then there was that painting of Gus’ obnoxious little sister. But first, they’d have to figure out how to dispose of the paintings. They couldn’t just take them to a pawn shop, like Cole had done with the signet ring. If they could find the right person maybe they could take the Naked Man painting too. Cole decided the paintings would have to wait until they looked into a way of fencing them.

Cole opened the closet. There was nothing immediately visible that caught his attention. He flipped through the clothes hanging there and noted the tuxedoes and the designer labels. Old man Kinney had good taste if nothing else. A small cardboard box at the back of the cupboard caught Cole’s attention. He opened it carefully and found a small metal statue of a … man. He supposed it was a man but it was rather abstract. Cole turned the statue around looking at it from all angles. It was shiny and he supposed it might be valuable, but he sure didn’t get what it was all about. It had been wrapped in felt, and he noticed some other bulges under more felt. He quickly looked, discovering there were four statues in all, obviously a set. They had to be worth something. He quickly wrapped them back up and shoved the box to the back of the closet. He thought he heard Gus stirring.

“Hey, baby cakes,” Cole said with a big smile as he came down the steps from the bedroom. “Time to rise and shine.”

“Where were you?” Gus asked rubbing at his eyes.

“The bathroom,” Cole said quickly.

“I didn’t hear the toilet.”

“Believe it or not I was cleaning up after our exploits,” Cole grinned. “I think we wore each other out.”

“Yeah, it was great. Um … what time is it?”

“About ten after three.”

“I better get going. I have to pick up JR from her friend’s at four.”

“Okay.”

Gus quickly pulled his shorts and T-shirt on, and then got Cole to help him reposition the futon in its proper spot. When that was done, Gus looked around the loft, making sure nothing was out of place.

Finally they headed to the loft door. “Shit!” Gus said feeling in his pocket for his key. “What the fuck did I do with my key?”

Cole shrugged. He knew where the key was, but he was going to let Gus discover that for himself.

“What did I do with it?” Gus asked in frustration after going through his pockets once more.

“You were in an awful hurry to get in here,” Cole prompted.

“I didn’t leave it in the door, did I?” Gus asked. He yanked the door back and saw the key still hanging in the lock. “How could I have been so stupid! Anybody could have taken the key or could have come in while we were…”

“But nobody did,” Cole told him. “It was just a silly mistake.”

“Don’t let me do that again,” Gus warned him.

Cole liked the sound of that. He could use a few more rounds with Gus Kinney. He wasn’t half bad. “I can’t help it if I’m irresistible,” Cole chuckled.

“You are, you know,” Gus agreed throwing his arms around Cole’s neck and kissing him.

“I know, but you should restrain yourself in public,” Cole teased.

“I can’t help myself,” Gus replied but he took a furtive look over his shoulder. “This building is full of my father’s friends.”

“No shit!” Cole said. He was glad to know that piece of information. He and Lex would have to be even more careful.

“Let’s go,” Gus said, locking the door.

Cole followed him down the stairs.



*****



Gus headed off immediately and Cole pretended to walk in the opposite direction. Lex fell into step with him as he rounded the corner of the building.

“Aren’t we going back?” Lex asked, looking back.

“No, I think we better play this carefully,” Cole replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Gus tells me that the building is rented to a bunch of his father’s friends. We’re going to have to be careful about when we go in and out.”

“Shit! This was supposed to be easy.”

“It’ll be worth whatever trouble it takes.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got a few bills while I was in there. Let’s go get some beer and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking.”

“Okay, but I hope it’s good.”

“It’s good all right. What do you know about people who might fence electronics or art?”

“Electronics maybe,” Lex said with a frown.

“What about art work?”

Lex shook his head. “But maybe the guy I know who handles electronics might know someone who handles art.”

“Good thought. I think this is our gravy train and I intend to milk it for all its worth,” Cole informed him.

Lex didn’t quite get the mixed metaphor, but whatever Cole was trying to say, it sounded like a profitable enterprise for them both.



*****



“Dada!” Bree yelled up to the balcony office where her father was working. Stacey had e-mailed Brian copies of N’rgy’s latest contracts and pictures of the newly renovated office. Brian was quite pleased.

‘She who must be obeyed,’ thought Brian as he got up from his desk to stand at the balcony rail.

“Yes, Squirt,” Brian dutifully answered his demanding daughter.

“Patrick and me want to go to the stream,” Bree said emphatically.

“That’s Patrick and I, Squirt,” Brian replied then quickly held up his hand to thwart Briana’s inevitable response.

John was having a busy day in Harrisburg, Bobby was in court for the afternoon. Justin was needed in Pittsburgh by Sidney; that left Brian to look after the kids. After lunch, Bree decided that Patrick needed her to read to him. Bree and Patrick had situated themselves on a chaise, with Brian’s help and then Bree began to read one of her favorite books out loud. About thirty minutes later both kids were out for the count. The stress of the past two days wore them out. They slept peacefully for the next hour.

It was a beautiful summer day. There was no reason not to take advantage of it.

“Okay, Squirt. You go get our picnic blankets and I’ll pack up some snacks for us. Beau can come with us. He deserves an afternoon out too.”

“Good plan, Dada!” Bree said as she went to the closet that contained the picnic blankets while Brian went to the kitchen to pack up goodies and drink boxes for two active children.

Armed with a bottle of sunscreen and making sure Patrick’s arm was correctly situated in his sling, Brian led his troops down to the stream.

“Watch me, Patrick!” Bree called out to her cousin. She was splashing just past the water’s edge. Brian and Patrick had made themselves comfortable on the blanket. Beau was standing vigil, his attention focused on the blond cherub splashing gleefully in the cool stream.

Brian had Patrick sitting in the shade, with a protective cap on his head and sipping a cool drink. Aside from inheriting Bobby and Rachel’s red hair, Patrick had inherited their pale skin as well. Quite used to dealing with pale skin, Brian had slathered both children with sunscreen.

“Uncle Bri, will my cast come off before the summer is over?” Patrick asked sadly. He longed to go into the water too.

“I don’t think so, Little Red,” Brian answered honestly. Patrick sighed loudly. “She looks like she’s having so much fun.” Patrick gave a little pout as only a son of drama queens could. Brian held back his chuckle.

“There’s no reason why you can't wade into the water,” Brian said reasonably.

“But what if my cast gets wet? Doctor Grandpa Dan said the cast is supposed to stay dry.”

“You let me worry about that,” Brian said confidently then started removing some additional ‘equipment’ from his pack. A few minutes later Patrick was hip deep in the cool water of the stream.

“Hey,” a soft voice came from behind Brian.

“Hey, yourself,” Brian replied. “How was your afternoon?”

“Over, thank you very much and I have the rest of the week to spend at home.”

“I think your young man will appreciate it.”

“Look at me, Poppa!” Patrick waved his good arm at his father as Bree splashed him. The kids were laughing as they were enjoying the water. Beau remained steadfast at his task.

“Very ingenious wrapping up his arm like that,” Bobby complimented his brother-in-law.

“I’m sure you and John came up with the same idea when Patrick had his shower the other night.”

“Actually, we gave him a bath, his arm stayed out of the tub,” Bobby said with a meek smile and a shrug. Brian chuckled. “I guess we’re not as smart as you are,” Bobby murmured wistfully.

“No, it means that you and your partner were very anxious parents and anxious parents don’t always think straight. But now that life is returning to normal around here,” Brian said, as he waved his hand in the direction of the kids who were now searching the water’s edge for frogs. “You and John will be equally as ingenious.”

“Was that a compliment, Kinney?”

“Maybe,” Brian smirked at his brother-in-law.

“Dadaaa!” Bree called out with a giggle, a giggle that told Brian to expect trouble. Patrick was just as giggly as Bree.

“Yes, Squirt,” Brian answered as he winked at Bobby.

“I got you something,” Bree announced with a smile.

“You did?” Brian asked innocently, knowing full well what that something might be. “What is it?”

“This!” Bree held out her hand. She was clutching a pretty bunch of wild flowers. Before Brian could accept her precious gift, Patrick slipped a small frog into Brian’s hand.

“Why you little devils!” Brian exclaimed with the proper amount of horror in his voice. “I’ll get you for this,” he growled as Bree took off down the path with her Dada lagging behind. Bobby and Patrick knew Brian was purposely going slow.

“Uncle Bri really isn’t scared of frogs, is he, Poppa?” Patrick asked his father, already knowing the answer.

“Nah, your Uncle Brian is one of the bravest men I know. Just like you and your daddy.” Bobby gave his son a hug then ruffled his flaming red hair. They packed up their gear and headed back to the cottage. Beau nosed the poor little frog back toward the stream just before following his family home.