Ch. 15 – All the Signs

Chapter Fifteen – All the Signs

It was so light, that touch, barely a skimming of fingers over his heated skin. Otis wished he had all the words in the dictionary to express what he was feeling, but, at the same time he had a hunch that it wouldn't be possible, not even with all of the knowledge from all of the books he could ever get. This was real life, and his grandma had so often insisted that he should learn by experience and by experience alone. 

And real life was beautiful now, so exciting and making his skin prickle in the most pleasant way possible, as Hudson's hand moved slowly, as if they were both caught in a trance from which they didn't want to wake up. 

"Don't hold your breath," Hudson whispered, and his low, husky voice filled the room.

Otis exhaled. He hadn't realized that was what he had been doing for the last minute or so, and the intake of air he took was sweet and brought with it relief. 

"Now, I'm going to do things to you, beautiful, and know, all the time, that you can tell me to stop."

Otis nodded and then remembered that Hudson couldn't see him in the dark. "Yes, please, do so."

The chuckle that followed tickled him, or was it just the way Hudson blew hot air over the side of his face? He couldn't tell for sure. A rough hand cupped his cheek, his sexy underwear abandoned for a moment. Otis opened his mouth before being told to. At this point, he was knowledgeable enough to realize when he was about to be kissed.

A lot of things were happening all at once. Hudson caressed the inside of his mouth with his tongue, making him feel hotness spread from there through his entire body. Then, his underwear got pushed away, and there were fingers caressing his cock, maddeningly slow. According to all the information he had read so far, men could easily make fools of themselves by reaching their sexual release too fast, and that meant that he needed to resist that sensual assault. He clenched his fists by his sides and curled his toes in an effort to prevent such a shameful episode from happening to him.

Hudson wasn't making his job any easier. While he was gentle in his prodding and probing, it appeared that his fingers were bent on making Otis come undone. They snuck slowly past his balls and lower, insisting until Otis understood that he would have to spread his legs to allow them to do what they wanted.

He squirmed and gasped into the kiss as the fingers pushed against his asshole. This was the butt stuff! Or something very close to it, and Otis felt his cheeks burning as he understood what was going to happen. Although his tolerance to watching adult-oriented videos was very low, he had a good idea of what followed. Just to make sure, he pushed Hudson slightly away, although he didn't want to interrupt their kiss. "Are you going to finger me?" he asked, unsure of whether it was done to ask such things beforehand.

Hudson laughed and rubbed his nose against his. "You need a bit of easing into things. Or do you have a different opinion?"

With a courage he didn't recall possessing, Otis let his right hand wander over Hudson's body until he reached the bulge hiding beneath his jeans. He cupped it and fondled it. "Will you put this in me?"

"Ah, damn, you're tempting me so much," Hudson growled. "I'm the good guy here. I really am. Just don't make it so hard for me, Otis."

"I think it's already hard," Otis said as his fingers squeezed the stiffness between them with every intention of feeling it grow even stiffer.

"Okay. We'll fool around, but I'm not going to put it in just yet," Hudson warned him. "Things like this, with guys like you, they take time."

Guys like him. Inexperienced. Awkward in bed. Who knew what else his neighbor thought of him. "Why?"

"Because it hurts at first. And I'll be damned if I'm the guy who's going to hurt you, beautiful."

Otis wanted to laugh, more like squeal in pleasure, because Hudson called him that. And he seemed to be doing it off the cuff, like he didn't even have to think to establish whether the person he was talking to was, indeed, beautiful, or he just wanted to make the other believe that. It was a sign of honesty, and Otis took it and put it into a little mental drawer to examine later. 

"You're silent. If you are reconsidering what we're about to do right now, just say it."

"No, I was just… thinking. I do that all of the time."

"Yes, I recall very well how you told me you are a thinking person. What were you thinking about?"

Maybe he was about to ruin it by saying things that were too true. "No one has ever called me beautiful the way you do. It's like… you really mean it."

"Ah, damn. It means that I'm not doing it enough or the right way."

There seemed to be real regret in Hudson's voice, so Otis hurried to reply, "That's not true. You're doing it very well."

"Nah, it looks like I have to do a better job." Hudson leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Beautiful." He moved his lips and placed them on Otis's ear next. "Beautiful." The side of his neck followed. "Beautiful."

"Stop," Otis begged. His skin was all goose bumps. He was trembling and his heart was so full that he didn't know what to do about it.

"Okay," Hudson breathed out the word against his skin. "You're lucky I promised I would stop the moment you said it."

"Or else?" He was brave tonight, so brave that he couldn't even recognize himself in that sort of behavior.

"Or else I'd say it to you until tomorrow. I'd only stop so that I could catch some sleep."

Otis laughed and caught Hudson's face between his palms. "You're weird," he said and tipped his head back, prey to new fits of giggles. 

"Oh, really? As if I'm the guy roaming the hallways at night, shaking my bare ass, and tempting men to take me."

That was a jab at him, and Otis felt proud for understanding it for what it was. If Hudson allowed it, he would use him to understand all that he needed to learn about human interaction, all that he didn't know and was desperate to discover. "I barely took a few steps out of my apartment. My ass wasn't bare. And I wasn't tempting men."

"Okay, not men, but me. Fair enough? Don't tell me you had absolutely no idea what seeing you like this would do to me."

"I didn't. It was a test. And, at first, I thought I failed it."

"You didn't fail a thing. Will you let me play with your lovely ass?"

Otis took one deep breath. Talking for a bit had made the sensations he had been experiencing earlier a bit more manageable, and he had Hudson to thank for it. "Thank you. And yes."

"Always so polite," Hudson said and moved his lips slowly along Otis's jawline. "Then how about I teach you a new trick?" 

"Yes, please, teach me."

"On all fours, butt to me. And I'm going to turn on the light if you don't mind."

He minded a little. Being naked with Hudson like that felt a bit better in the dark, something he hadn't expected. But, because Hudson was his teacher, and he needed to show his willingness to learn, he would obey every word. He reached for the bedside light, but Hudson stopped him. 

"A beautiful man like you really needs to be admired in all his glory."

Otis buried his face in the pillow. He had been naked with Hudson before, so why did he feel so embarrassed now? He closed his eyes tightly and waited. Now that he had someone to be in charge, someone with a lot more experience than him under his belt, it was all right for him to let go for the moment and just let things happen to him.

And, indeed, they were happening. Hudson pushed his underwear down and moved his fingers slowly, along the space between Otis's buttocks. "Should I take the shorts off?" he asked, and his voice quivered in synch with the rest of him.

"No, I like you like this."

That was a relief. That meant that those shorts still had their usefulness. Hudson picked up one of the laces and brushed it along Otis's butt crack. "You know, I think you'd look amazing in a G-string."

Otis snickered. "G-strings are for girls."

"Nah, they're not. Just imagine it." Hudson explained as his hands continued their work. "First of all, this little pink hole of yours would be barely concealed, which would make it even more enticing. Then, there would be just a small patch of fabric covering your balls and cock." To put more emphasis on his words, Hudson teased the skin lower in passing. Otis felt a new surge of pleasure.

"Would you like me to get a G-string? But you must wait, because I don't have the budget for another piece of expensive underwear this month."

"I'll buy it for you."

Was that even right? Hudson not only offered him all the knowledge he needed for no charge, but he also offered to buy him things.

"I wouldn't want to impose," he said, aware that he was supposed to act according to his upbringing so that other people didn't think he was an uncivilized person.

"Oh, trust me, you couldn't even if you tried."

Then, Hudson did something incredible. Otis was forced to forget about his embarrassment so that he could look over his shoulder. Hudson's face was buried between his buttocks, and was that… his tongue? Otis closed his legs and tried to get away, but Hudson grabbed him so hard by his hips that he couldn't run. However, he did manage to turn to his side, and studied his neighbor, his very sexy and knowledgeable neighbor, for signs that this was some sort of a joke.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

Hudson grinned and then rubbed the back of his head while wincing. "I was trying to eat your ass, but I might have been going a bit too fast. I should've known it would shock you."

"It did," Otis confirmed. "Why would you want to eat my ass?"

"It's a figure of speech. I just wanted to lick it, since it was in my face and it looked so good."

Otis worried his bottom lip. "Is it a sexual practice?"

"Do you really not watch porn at all? In this day and age?" Hudson asked.

"A little. I can't get very far. It's too intense," he confessed.

"So, you've never heard of rimming?"

He had encountered the word but hadn't dwelt on it. "A little. I thought it was advanced stuff."

"Ah, so it looks like I skipped a few lessons, then. Was it unpleasant?"

Otis shook his head. No, far from it. "It was too pleasant."

"Okay. I promise to take it slow."

"Okay."

He put himself back on all fours without protest. If Hudson believed he was ready for advanced stuff, that was praise from his teacher. For good measure, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes again.

***

As far as Otis was concerned, everything was new. Hudson cursed himself for being so impatient, but a deep need had grown inside him lately, a need to offer this beautiful young man in front of him all the pleasure known to humankind. There was a sense of urgency in how he did it – and the reason he thought himself to blame – so it should have been no surprise that Otis had been taken aback by his actions.

The world wouldn't end tomorrow. He could – and would – take his time. However, since Otis had given him permission, he could return to the task at hand. The smooth buttocks fit in his hands perfectly and parted to give him easy access. He licked tentatively, determined to stop himself before he surrendered to the hunger the scrumptious piece of tail in front of him roused in his gut.

Cute moans assured him that he was on the right track. Otis was no longer the shy guy once the boundaries of his reserve broke. "This is… too good, Hudson," he whispered.

"If it's that good, why don't you help me out a little?"

"How? What can I do?"

"Just grab your butt cheeks and pull them apart. That way, I can do other things, as well."

Otis obeyed right away. Hudson took advantage of the opportunity to rub the full ball sac with one hand while using the other to milk Otis's cute cock. It was so nice the way every bit of this beautiful young man fit in his hands. 

To give him even more pleasure, Hudson moved his tongue along the taint and then filled his mouth with Otis's balls. The sounds he was hearing went up an entire octave. That only served to fuel Hudson's desire to please him beyond words or human experience. To have something like that for the first time, that thought alone made him lose himself a little. He wasn't even thinking about himself anymore as he pulled Otis's cock to get his mouth on it. 

"I can't," Otis chanted, his voice breaking, "I can't, Hudson, no more!"

It was just what he wanted to hear. He slowed down a little and, just then, a hand grabbed him by his short hair and pushed him down, back to his work. He grinned before engulfing Otis's amazing cock completely and pressing his lips down hard until he felt the other's release gushing in. 

He drank from Otis's body, drank without even thinking twice, and used his lips to tease and pleasure, until the tremors in that slender body died down. With a smile on his face, he witnessed the way Otis dropped onto the bed, face first, groaning and smacking his fists against the pillow. Was that frustration? But Hudson felt the taste of Otis's cum on his tongue, so that couldn't be it.

Otis turned and his eyes were wet. "I came too fast, didn't I?"

Hudson couldn't help laughing. "Is that what's worrying you? It doesn't matter. I love making you come undone."

"But… I'm a mess." Otis turned and looked at his body.

He was sweaty, a bit disheveled, but otherwise fine. Damn fine. Hudson grinned and drew a long line down Otis's chest to his belly. He put the finger in his mouth. "That could be solved, you know. I have half a mind to lick you all over."

"No," Otis protested and covered his face. "I might… combust."

Hudson grabbed the slender hands in his and kissed their knuckles gently. "Come on, a realist like you should know such a thing isn't possible. People can't combust."

It looked like Otis was looking for an answer, his overly analytic mind could live with. "That's true," he finally admitted. "But I do feel very hot." He touched his chest and belly as if to check.

"That's because you are hot. You're hot stuff, Otis," Hudson declared, trying his best not to burst into laughter.

Otis looked around, ran his fingers through his hair, but when he tried to drape it again over his scarred eye, Hudson stopped. "Not while you're with me, understand?"

A small expression of stubbornness settled on the beautiful face, but eventually it ended in a nod. Hudson brushed the silky hair back over Otis's head. The hypnotic blue eyes rested on his face, without blinking. "Now what can I do for you?"

Always the polite one, the person meant to serve. "Well, since popping your cherry tonight is out of the question--"

"Why?"

Did Otis act shy only when it was convenient? Hudson sucked in a breath. "Let's say I'm not ready."

"Why?"

Hudson groaned and grabbed Otis by the cheeks, pulling them hard. "I've told you already. I don't want to be the guy to hurt you."

One blink. At least he got that. "For the butt stuff, do I need one of those things? You know, to stuff inside? I can't wear it to work, though."

"Are you kidding me? You've never watched a porn video long enough to know what rimming is, but you know what a butt plug is?"

"Yes," Otis replied as if that was the most natural thing in the world. His learning was very selective, it seemed. 

However, Hudson didn't mind teaching him everything if need be. But, as a good teacher, he needed to prepare all those lessons in advance, or else he risked both himself and his student failing. In a million years, he didn't want to be the reason that happened.

"No, I don't want you to wear such a thing, let alone at work. But let's say that you need some proper opening up before we move on to things that are bigger."

"Your cock is very big," Otis agreed and nodded in appreciation. "I don't know for sure, but I think my asshole needs to be larger for it. Thank you for taking all of this into consideration, Hudson."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Hudson said and bit his lower lip to stifle his laughter. "So, you're set on this? You want me to be the guy to top you?"

To his surprise, Otis giggled. "You know, when you say it like that, it sounds as if I'm a dish, and you're the topping."

"You're as tasty as that, but not that funny." Hudson pulled playfully at a few strands of sweaty hair. "When I mean top, I mean," he lowered his head so that he could whisper in the ear of that naughty hot thing, "me inside you. Do you understand?"

"I," Otis choked on his own words, "I do."

"Good. So, how about you be a good boy now and let us both go to sleep?"

"But I felt it, yours is hard, too. Can I at least take it in my mouth?"

Hudson groaned again. Otis could be exasperating when he put his mind to it, but in a very good way. He did it so that nothing could be held against him. For that reason, Hudson wanted very much to make him happy and satisfied. But how could he explain that he felt satiated, hard cock and all notwithstanding, just by giving another pleasure? He hadn't been a selfish lover in his life so far, but not a strict giver, either. With this beautiful guy around, his priorities were starting to change. Wasn't that something?

Otis appeared to take his silence as an answer of sorts, because his feverish hands were now on Hudson's belt and making headway in pulling his cock out. "You know, publications of all sorts say that it is not healthy for males to get aroused and not have sex. It's called epididymal hypertension."

"What?" Otis never ceased to amaze him with his extensive knowledge of obscure facts such as this, along with a complete lack of awareness in common situations. "Is it deadly?"

Otis shook his head. "No, just uncomfortable. Its symptoms are pain and aching in the testicles."

"Oh, gawd, you're talking about blue balls," Hudson said and laughed. "Okay, since you care so much for my wellbeing, let's get this show on the road. Do you want to suck me off?"

Otis nodded energetically, his pretty face all a smile. 

Hudson decided that it was just the right time for a smidge of teasing. He stopped the blond head before it dove into his crotch. "Really? Do you want to suck my cock? Put this pretty mouth on it?"

Otis looked at him, confused. "Yes. Is there some misunderstanding?"

Hudson grinned. "This is dirty talking, Otis. It makes things livelier in the bedroom. And by that, I mean arousing. So, I want to hear you do it."

Otis squirmed. "But I don't know how to do it."

"It's easy. I'll help you. Here." He took his cock in his hand and then pushed Otis gently toward it. "Grab it." His pupil obeyed right away. "Now play with it. Rub it over your face, lick it. Then close your eyes and say whatever comes to mind about what you're doing."

"Okay," Otis agreed.

Hudson lay on his back, hands behind his head. He was damn lucky to have this pretty guy all over him, eager and ready. Throughout his life, he had experienced sex as something pleasant, a means to an end. In other words, he liked to fuck and get his dick sucked just as much as the next guy, no more, no less. But Otis's innocence was starting to cultivate something new inside him, a need for something else that was torturing and delicious at the same time.

"It tastes so good," Otis began in an unsure voice.

"All right, go on," Hudson encouraged him. "You're doing great."

Otis offered him a grateful look and then returned to his task, this time with more determination. By instinct alone, it appeared that he knew exactly what to do to milk Hudson's cock for all the precum available. He did it with a purpose, too, as he began to lap at it. "It feels so good to suck your cock," he whispered. "I want to eat it all, like you wanted to eat my ass earlier."

He didn't ever realize the low growl in his chest was his at first. "I changed my mind," Hudson whispered back. All that licking, along with the earlier teasing, was starting to get to him. "Drop the dirty talk, get to it."

Otis looked up with his pretty innocent eyes. "Should I start sucking your cock?"

"Yes, and stop teasing me with that naughty tongue. Come on, gobble, gobble."

That seemed to help Otis make up his mind. And, as it seemed to be with everything in his life, he set to it with enthusiasm and a conviction to do it right. Hudson had to groan in pure ecstasy as that pretty hot mouth was all over him. Sure, he was still clumsy, and he didn't have the deepthroating abilities of a few of the men Hudson had been with in his life, but he didn't need to be skillful. On the contrary, what made it all better was his endearing quality of being a novice at sex.

And he knew how to take guidance with so much single-mindedness that Hudson couldn't help but feel taken with it all. With Otis, as a whole. Right now, like the determined little thing that he was, he went at it and devoured the cock in his hand like it was the only thing he wanted to do forever. 

Abandonment wasn't, in his case, the name of the game. The men he had been with knew how to give and take and never let it go to their heads. In other words, he had never had a lover falling for him, and that could be mostly because he steered clear of the type to do that. He was good at it, it seemed. No breakup he ever went through had ever been on the dramatic side. Most of the time, he and his partner both knew when it was time to say their goodbyes with a friendly handshake and hit the road. 

The strangest thing of all he was experiencing while Otis was giving him so much pleasure could only be how he didn't see the same happening between him and the beautiful man with his head buried in his lap. No, these moments of his life were different. Hudson ran his hand through the blond hair, squeezing from time to time only to be rewarded by a soft moan that sent eddies of vibration through his cock.

It usually took a more experienced cocksucking technique for him to get off, but for the sake of the efforts Otis made, he focused and helped with a hand where the generous mouth couldn't reach. From time to time, the beautiful hypnotic eyes flashed up at him, in search of approval, so he gave it, as firmly and loudly as he could manage, given the circumstances.

"Yes, beautiful, lick the head now, but close your eyes, it might get messy."

That was an understatement on his part. When he blew, ropes of white flew over Otis's head, landing on the sheets behind him, and painted the pretty face, the closed eyes, the open mouth and extended tongue. Hudson couldn't help himself; even as his high died down, he pushed more of his cum into Otis's mouth, rewarded by the greedy tongue lapping at everything he had to give. 

"It looks to me like you're a natural. You're really taking to it."

"I like it," Otis declared. Then, as before, he hesitated. "Is it not okay to like it so much?"

Hudson laughed. "It is. But only when you're with me. Because I'm your safe choice."

What the hell was he babbling about now? Sure, he meant it as an allusion to the fact that his tests were up to date, and that his partners never had to worry about being in any danger as far as that part of the deal was concerned. The way he had just said it made it sound like something else. 

Otis nodded thoughtfully. "I see. I am very grateful that you're here with me, and that you are my teacher."

Hudson cursed inwardly. He moved closer and caressed Otis's face, still stained with cum. "I have a little confession to make." He waited for the approving nod that came right away. "What we're doing right now is beyond the call of duty. I mean, a teacher's duty as far as teaching dating rules is concerned."

Otis angled his head. "Are we more than teacher and student then?"

"We definitely are."

"Good. But you can still teach me, right?"

"Everything you want to know. Aren't you going to ask me what we are?"

"I was. What are we?"

Hudson caressed the blond hair, busily making it behave as it had started to stick up in all directions. "I think we're temporary boyfriends." He held his breath. That was one way to keep Otis away from all other temptations.

"Temporary employment is followed by permanent employment if the employee is deemed indispensable," Otis brought his own logic to the conversation. "Do you think I could ever become indispensable to you?"

Hudson pondered over his answer. It would cost his heart and soul to say a resounding 'yes', and it was what he felt. "We'll see. We should first get to know each other better, see if we click beyond this." Oh, he was pretty sure they would. Otis would be the light to his darkness, but it would be so selfish of him to ask for something like that. It wasn't fair and, although at the end of it all he'd leave, taking with him enough regrets to last him a lifetime, he needed to get his head screwed on right and make the right decision.

"Yes, of course," Otis agreed. "According to all the signs so far, I'd say that a permanent position is in the cards."

"Well, Mr. Manager, thank you," Hudson said and laughed. This obliviousness would help Otis get over it. He was, after all, such a practical young man, not the kind to let himself get ensnared in the mire of emotional dilemmas.

And Hudson was counting on it. "And now," he added, "I believe it's time for us to sleep. What do you say?"

"Yes," Otis said with determination and then, a bit clumsily, but lacking nothing in resolve, he hurried to kiss Hudson on the lips.

How on earth would he ever be able to say goodbye to such a man?

***

Otis was in the small kitchen, preparing breakfast for both of them, and Hudson needed to return to the real world after the blissful night just passed. The kinks in his neck and shoulders were gone, and he felt more rested than he had in a long time. He opened the small nightstand to get his gun. While eyeing the neatly stacked notebooks, his gaze fell lower. Right under the stack was something that didn't align with the straight edges of the notebooks, and it took Hudson only a second to figure out that it had to be a clipping from a newspaper.

The investigator in him gave him a nudge and, after stilling for a moment to hear Otis still working in the kitchen, he lifted the stack of notebooks and removed the yellowed piece of paper.

Fire destroys small property and kills one

Three firemen battled the blaze until dawn to put out the fire that engulfed a small property inhabited by one Olivia Bendecker and her son. The location, far out in the fields outside of Berckly, made it difficult for the units to reach the conflagration in time.

As the embers of the fire died down, the only thing left for the responders to retrieve from the burned-out house were the remains of an adult victim. Luck had it that Olivia Bendecker's son, 10-year-old Otis, was not at home that night…

Hudson's ear caught the noise of the kitchen faucet turning off just in time. Quickly, he put the newspaper clipping back and closed the drawer. His chest ached as he turned to face a smiling Otis, his hands filled with a plate on which three nice-looking sandwiches lay. 

"I'm sorry this is all I have. If you sleep here more often, I will use the slow cooker to cook other things."

"That's all right, Otis," Hudson said and wrapped one arm gently around his beautiful host, "that's more than all right."

TBC