Hunter tried to explain if they pointed the helicopter at a certain angle, it would fly better. But shit-for-brains Justin wanted to continue to do it his way, which only lifted it off the grass about eight inches. So Hunter ripped it from Justin’s hands to prove a point, and Justin clobbered Hunter over the head with the handheld remote control device. It wasn’t long before they were both rolling around in the grass, jabbing each other in the ribs, and Luis and Hillary were pulling them apart.
When they had them separated, Hillary took Justin inside to change his white shorts because they were covered with grass stains. Hunter ran over to Jase and Roland so Jase would take him swimming. Luis sat back in his chair and sighed. He smiled at Darius and said, “This happens between Hunter and Justin all the time. They fight, then they’re best friends again. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Darius smiled and looked down at his lap. “Kids are like that.” Especially spoiled brats like those two.
“Did you want to go swimming?” Luis asked.
Darius shook his head and gazed down at the grotesque guys in the pool. It looked like troll soup. “I think I’ll pass today.”
Luis laughed. “I know what you mean. More than half the guys at this party are gaping at you. Out here in the country, guys like you are a rare commodity: young, athletic, good looking, and a killer body. If you jump into the pool you never know what might happen. But then again, you might want to meet someone new. I know there are a few single guys here today.”
He knew what Luis was doing. Luis was trying to find out more about his personal background and about his love life. He’d been making little insinuations since Darius had started working for them. So Darius smiled and said, “I’m really not interested in meeting someone right now. I didn’t mention this before because I don’t like talking about it. But I lost my partner recently.”
The corners of Luis’s lips went down and he leaned forward. “I’m sorry to hear that. Was it sudden?” His expression remained eager, waiting for Darius to say more.
Darius lifted his head and gazed into Luis’s eyes. “He was murdered.”
Luis’s face went blank. He tipped his head sideways.
“Murdered?”
Darius nodded yes. “And they never caught the
murderer. But I have a feeling eventually the murderer will be caught. People always get exactly what they deserve in life.”
Luis frowned. “That’s awful, Darius. I’m so sorry.”
Before Darius had a chance to respond, Jase came over to the table and handed Luis an envelope. He said, “Will you please hold on to this for me?”
Luis looked the envelope over fast. “What is it?”
“It’s a proposal for something Roland and I are considering working on together. It’s a remote control that can see through things.”
“See through things?”
Jase nodded. “It’s for cold winter nights when people are lying in bed watching TV and they don’t want to keep their hands and arms out to change the TV channels. This remote can pick up signals from beneath the thickest covers. It can even work through those cover-up fleece things people wear in the winter while they are watching TV on their sofas.
Roland came up with the idea on a cold night last winter when he was in bed watching TV and I think it’s a great idea. Just hold on to it while I take Hunter into the pool. I don’t want to lose it. It’s the only copy Roland has.”
Luis smiled and said, “No problem.” Then he left the envelope on top of the table in front of where he was sitting.
But when Jase left to take Hunter swimming, Hillary called for Luis from the glass doors that entered into the kitchen. Luis rolled his eyes at Darius and smiled at Hillary.
“She wants me to look at something she’s done for the Angel Association. It’s a new ad campaign and she’s been bugging me about it for weeks. I told her to handle it alone and I’d trust her, but she wants to torture me now. I have to go.
Would you like to join me? You might find it interesting, and I might get away from her sooner.”
Darius smiled. He would have rather taken a tour of a cinderblock factory than listen to that drivel. “I’m sure it is interesting,” he said. “But I have to use the bathroom.”
Hillary called Luis again, with a high-pitched squeal that resembled a cat in heat. Luis frowned and stood up, forgetting all about the envelope Jase had handed him. He pointed to a small structure opposite the outdoor kitchen area and said, “The bathrooms are in there. If I’m lucky, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. If I’m not, send help.”
Darius laughed and said, “I’ll see you later.”
When Luis left, Darius watched him cross back to the house. He didn’t get up right away to use the bathroom. But he did rest his palm on top of the envelope, waiting for Luis to disappear. A minute or two after that, he looked back and forth to make sure no one was watching him before lifting the envelope, folding it in half, and shoving it under his arm. He stood and walked to the bathroom in the pool house, a medium-sized room with two urinals and three private stalls.
He checked to be sure he was alone and entered the last stall on the right. He flipped the lock and pulled the envelope out from under his arm. Then he set his teeth firmly and tore it into tiny little pieces. As they fluttered into the toilet in front of him, he furrowed his eyebrows and pretended he was tearing Luis Fortune into little pieces instead of this insignificant envelope. He punched the walls a few times, pretending he was punching Luis’s face. When there was nothing left in his hands and the toilet was filled with shreds of paper, he pulled out his dick, peed on the envelope he’d ripped apart, and smiled.
On his way out, as he reached for a paper towel to dry his hands, Josh came into the bathroom. Darius stopped short, wondering if Josh had seen him enter with the envelope. But Josh looked him up and down and smiled. “I saw you come in a minute ago and wanted to see if you needed anything.” Josh had removed his shirt and his swim trunks were so low on his waist a line of pubic hair became visible.
Darius smiled. He now knew why Josh had followed him in there. He sent Josh a secretive smile and said, “There are some things I always need, especially from a man like you.” Darius was one of those rare gay men who were versatile when it came to being a top or a bottom. He could fuck or get fucked. Though he knew there was nothing he could get in the long run from Josh, he had to admit Josh’s looks were superior. Besides that, he hadn’t had a good fuck in a long time.