Naked Hero - The Journey Away

least the cold calculating manipulative side of him should have been annoyed as indifference wasn’t the sentiment it was looking to exploit. But Lee actually felt pleased that Lewis appeared oblivious to the disgrace that was happening around him. Perhaps he had misjudged the lad, which was no bad thing: misjudged the situation, which was a bit of a shame as the potential fallout would have been a delicious treat; and misjudged himself, which was most surprising of all – perhaps he wasn’t the uncaring cad that he reckoned he was, driven by money and his insatiable cock, and immune to the frailty of emotion.
    As the match began, Lee put aside his scheming and simply enjoyed the game. He became so engrossed in the play that he forgot for a time the real motivation behind his visit – to be there at the end and reap the benefits of negative reaction. But unlike most of the other spectators whose eyes followed the ball, Lee Porter’s followed Lewis. He was thrilled by the lad’s play, physically aroused by it - so different from what he had witnessed earlier in the day. Everything Lewis did was faster and more athletic. The points were finished quickly, usually by a winner at the net from the Scot. He was in total control, and Lee despite himself felt pleased for the boy.
    Then the disputed call came, and the tunnel vision which Lewis had used to blank out the crowd, Lee included, was torn apart. And shortly thereafter, Lee watched as Lewis was torn apart, by the crowd and by his own demons. The selfish bastard in him should have felt elation, because this was what Lee Porter had come to Melbourne to witness. It was this that he had come to profit from in material and physical ways. It was not a pretty sight, but it was exactly what he had hoped for - at least when he had the safety of distance in Sydney.
    But up close and personal it was all so different. Lee told himself that he wasn’t the cause, he was simply an observer – an observer who had come to feed off the carcass - and that sickened him as much as the gruesome pantomime unfolding. Too much had happened for Lee to act the selfish bastard. He could do it with ease with any other man – something that plenty could attest to. But somehow Lewis Macleod was different – with him a different rulebook got applied.
    So Lee had called out. It was not how he had envisaged giving support to the player. He had not planned to make himself known until after the match, when he could play his own game dependent on what he had witnessed on court. But what he had observed proved too much to ignore, even for Lee, a man with a plan. A whole bundle of plans! But this didn’t fit into any of them.
    As he watched the spectators leave until only he and a few others remained, Lee tried to gather himself. Had anything changed as a consequence of his action? The answer was yes, but perhaps not too significantly. Lee had come here to offer Lewis support, after the event, ideally in bed. Instead he had done so during the event, and to good effect. Surely this was better in the long run!
    ‘Oh yes!’ said the cold calculating part of him, which in Lee Porter was never that far away. This in the long run could be much, much, better – in so many different ways.
    Lee’s mind raced with new possibilities which might satisfy all aspects of his complex character. Only one thing perturbed him about how things had unfolded - the other guy who had called out after he had done: an American who the crowd seemed to recognise. ‘Who was he then?’ Lee wondered. ‘And where does he fit in?’ There was no time to consider the answer. His mobile rang.
    “Hi, Lewis. Well done!”
    “Well, that was a surprise. But thanks. I can’t thank you enough for doing that, and I can’t think of anything to say right now. I’m still a bit shocked by it all to be honest.”
    “There’s no need to thank me, it was you that won the match. You would have done it anyway. And it was that other guy who really got the crowd to quieten down. It’s him you should thank if anybody, not me.”
    “I know what made the difference, Lee - and it wasn’t a quieter crowd… Can we meet up? It would be good to see you, now that you’re here.”
    Lee thought for a moment then covered his bases. “I’d love to meet, but... I need to get back to Sydney this evening.”
    “Okay… When do you have to be at the airport?”
    “By seven at the latest.”
    “That gives us a bit of time. Can you find your