Naked Hero - The Journey Away

in return he could give Lewis what he deserved: a prize not empty, but one that might fill a void. It was time to find out if there was a genuine candidate. Lee steeled himself because it was his head that was back in control - anything else was an irrelevance. Lee knew what he had to do.
    “I know it’s not my job to talk about tennis,” he continued, “but how did the practice go? It was a shame that something came up and I couldn’t make it. Are you ready for Speedy Gonzales tomorrow?”
    Annoyance flared and guilt took a stab – saying it was one thing, but it still wasn’t simple to see Lee only as a friend. The course had been set though – a policy made, so Lewis fought back emotion and calmly said, “We’ll see. It went fine, though. You could have met Scott - he surprised us all by making an appearance. I thought we were history after the press he got on Monday.”
    Lee forced some sincerity as he pushed ever onwards. “I would like to have met him. He sounds like a nice guy.”
    “He is!” harped Lewis. “A real gentleman.”
    “Quite tasty as well,” said Lee with a mischievous glint to his eye. “I saw his picture in the paper. Good looking bloke, and a bit of a hunk. Pretty fit as well I should imagine. What do you make of him?”
    Lewis looked at Lee quizzically, wondering what he was up to . But oddly enough he felt inclined to continue with the chat. It was the duplicity thing that had been bugging him for a while, and here was a chance to banish the nagging guilt by just being honest. “I doubt if you’d give him a job in your crew, but yeah, he is quite tasty... very fit...”
    “And?” encouraged Lee, sensing there was more. “Come on! Be a lady and spit it all out!”
    Lewis felt himself colour. He wasn’t used to such candour, never having had a friend he could talk dirty with. But it was such a weight off his shoulders to have stated what he did, so he offered up more. “And... Well, between you and me he’s got a fabulous dick!”
    Lee looked at him in amazement, totally knocked off his stride.
    “The locker room: a boy can’t help but notice these things,” explained Lewis with a guffaw, delighted that he’d managed to shock the normally unflappable Lee Porter on his strongest topic.
    Quickly recovered, Lee seized the opening and continued the friendly interrogation. He reached over and lightly finger-stabbed Lewis’s tattooed sleeve. “Tempted to make a grab for it, were you?” he prompted.
    “No, just looking,” replied Lewis slightly abashed.
    “Liar!” accused Lee , the tables now turned with him back in control.
    “Okay!” admitted Lewis, rather enjoying this now – dirty talk such a novel experience. And with Lee it was so relaxed, something to rejoice in, and not feel guilty about. “So I might have been tempted. It’s very impressive! But I respect him far too much for that sort of nonsense. And anyway – he’s straight. I’d probably end up minus a few teeth.”
    Lee shook his head, maintaining the forced lightness with a grin on his mouth and a twinkle in his eyes. “Nobody’s totally straight, so you might be surprised. And speaking from experience, young lads like you can have a big allure to men on the wrong side of thirty!”
    “Stop it!” laughed Lewis.
    “No! I’m allowed to say these things... as your friend. So I reckon you should make a grab for him the next time you’re in the locker room – that has to be one hell of a fantasy!”
    “You’re terrible, you are,” said Lewis still laughing. “He would run a mile.”
    “It would be a shame if he did. He sounds like a dish: tasty looking; fabulous dick; and a great ass as well I bet... and don’t say you didn’t check that out as well!”
    “It was pretty sensational!”
    “Then I’m sold!” exclaimed Lee, really hamming it up. “If you’re too shy then I’ll make a play for him myself.”
    “Don’t!” exclaimed Lewis, his face suddenly serious.
    And that confirmed everything. The tattooed sleeve was grabbed at the forearm and given a reassuring squeeze. “Oh don’t worry – I was only joking... But tell me - what would you do, though, if he were to come on to you?”
    Lewis shook his head, amazed at Lee’s candid approach, and sure that this would go no further, he answered, “I think the finer details should stay my business, but I wouldn’t say no.”
    Lee squeezed again, releasing tension as he swallowed his hurt. “Unlike today. Oh well, you