rumor,” Jared said. “I can’t comprehend anyone spreading this thing knowingly!”
“Well, one thing I’m going to try to do is track your friend Mike’s sexual partners.”
“Good luck on that one!” Jared said.
“I know,” I agreed, “but I’m going to do the best I can. Do you know of any of the guys Mike had sex with before he got sick?”
There was a pause. “Other than me and Jake, you mean?”
“Yeah. Did he ever mention any names to you?”
Another pause. “Not that I can think of,” he said. “But…I do remember him bragging at a party that he’d finally landed Cal Hysong. That was maybe six weeks before he…found out.”
“Who’s Cal Hysong?” I asked.
“Well, Cal’s sort of the alpha butch at the Male Call. As you know, a lot of the guys who go there do it for the fantasy. They put on being butch like they put on their leather. But not Cal. He’s the real article, and to land Cal is like landing a Great White. I’ve seen him just snap his fingers and have guys drop down and lick his boots.”
Actually, I’d bet there were a lot of guys who’d be more than willing to lick Jared’s boots if he wanted them to, but I set my fantasies aside to let him continue.
“He doesn’t like to take no for an answer, and I’ve had a couple of run-ins with him in the past. Remember when you had to bail me out of jail after that row at the Male Call awhile back?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it was Cal I got into it with. He’s a first-class prick. We nearly got into it again last time we were in there.”
“What happened this time?”
“Pretty much a carbon copy of the first time. Cal was hitting on some guy who was way out of his league playing butch. Cal wanted to take him into the back room and the guy didn’t want to go. I finally stepped in and told Cal that if he didn’t back off, I’d kick the shit out of him…again. We would have gotten into it right then if the owner hadn’t stepped in.”
“I’m sure I’ve seen him, but I can’t picture him off-hand.”
“Well, you don’t go to the Male Call that often. Like most predators he has his own territory, and the Male Call’s it for him. Every now and then he’ll go out to the ‘faggot bars’ and ‘troll for fucks,’ as he puts it. That fishing analogy’s his, by the way. He doesn’t have any friends that I know of. He’s a biker, but while he’ll go on a run with some other guys every now and then he still stays aloof. But I guess the king doesn’t need friends as long as he’s got people intimidated.”
“I gather he’s not your type?” I said. “Not that it’s any of my business.”
“Nope,” Jared said. “He’s just a little too serious about it all for my taste. Sex should be fun and I don’t think fun is a word I’d associate with Cal. Jake’s always thought he was hot, though.”
Knowing that Jake and Jared had a very open relationship and that they sometimes didn’t see each other for a week or so, I wondered if Jake had ever had the chance to act on his attraction. But that was for more my erotic fantasy than it was my business, so of course, I didn’t ask.
“Who was at the party where Mike said he’d been with Hysong? Can you remember? Did Mike have sex that night with anyone there?”
“Well, okay, so it was more of an orgy than a regular party. I think just about everybody was with just about everybody else at some point in the evening. I saw Mike with Jim Prescott and Ted Wills and Monty…” He paused to think “…Sherman. Oh, yeah and Brad Scott. And Jake and me.”
“Sounds like some party,” I said.
“Oh, yeah.” He was quiet for a long minute before he said, “When I think that Mike might have had it even then, and that he might have passed it on to some of the guys there that night…Jesus, that’s scary!”
“Do you know if any of the guys you mentioned have…had any problems?”
“Not that I know of. We’ve seen most of them—I can’t remember which
“Well, one thing I’m going to try to do is track your friend Mike’s sexual partners.”
“Good luck on that one!” Jared said.
“I know,” I agreed, “but I’m going to do the best I can. Do you know of any of the guys Mike had sex with before he got sick?”
There was a pause. “Other than me and Jake, you mean?”
“Yeah. Did he ever mention any names to you?”
Another pause. “Not that I can think of,” he said. “But…I do remember him bragging at a party that he’d finally landed Cal Hysong. That was maybe six weeks before he…found out.”
“Who’s Cal Hysong?” I asked.
“Well, Cal’s sort of the alpha butch at the Male Call. As you know, a lot of the guys who go there do it for the fantasy. They put on being butch like they put on their leather. But not Cal. He’s the real article, and to land Cal is like landing a Great White. I’ve seen him just snap his fingers and have guys drop down and lick his boots.”
Actually, I’d bet there were a lot of guys who’d be more than willing to lick Jared’s boots if he wanted them to, but I set my fantasies aside to let him continue.
“He doesn’t like to take no for an answer, and I’ve had a couple of run-ins with him in the past. Remember when you had to bail me out of jail after that row at the Male Call awhile back?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it was Cal I got into it with. He’s a first-class prick. We nearly got into it again last time we were in there.”
“What happened this time?”
“Pretty much a carbon copy of the first time. Cal was hitting on some guy who was way out of his league playing butch. Cal wanted to take him into the back room and the guy didn’t want to go. I finally stepped in and told Cal that if he didn’t back off, I’d kick the shit out of him…again. We would have gotten into it right then if the owner hadn’t stepped in.”
“I’m sure I’ve seen him, but I can’t picture him off-hand.”
“Well, you don’t go to the Male Call that often. Like most predators he has his own territory, and the Male Call’s it for him. Every now and then he’ll go out to the ‘faggot bars’ and ‘troll for fucks,’ as he puts it. That fishing analogy’s his, by the way. He doesn’t have any friends that I know of. He’s a biker, but while he’ll go on a run with some other guys every now and then he still stays aloof. But I guess the king doesn’t need friends as long as he’s got people intimidated.”
“I gather he’s not your type?” I said. “Not that it’s any of my business.”
“Nope,” Jared said. “He’s just a little too serious about it all for my taste. Sex should be fun and I don’t think fun is a word I’d associate with Cal. Jake’s always thought he was hot, though.”
Knowing that Jake and Jared had a very open relationship and that they sometimes didn’t see each other for a week or so, I wondered if Jake had ever had the chance to act on his attraction. But that was for more my erotic fantasy than it was my business, so of course, I didn’t ask.
“Who was at the party where Mike said he’d been with Hysong? Can you remember? Did Mike have sex that night with anyone there?”
“Well, okay, so it was more of an orgy than a regular party. I think just about everybody was with just about everybody else at some point in the evening. I saw Mike with Jim Prescott and Ted Wills and Monty…” He paused to think “…Sherman. Oh, yeah and Brad Scott. And Jake and me.”
“Sounds like some party,” I said.
“Oh, yeah.” He was quiet for a long minute before he said, “When I think that Mike might have had it even then, and that he might have passed it on to some of the guys there that night…Jesus, that’s scary!”
“Do you know if any of the guys you mentioned have…had any problems?”
“Not that I know of. We’ve seen most of them—I can’t remember which
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