Ben Ryder - Side Line Read online

  Jackie laughed. “And that still didn’t put you off?” “Nope. It was like I was possessed. It was like I had the most chronic case of OCD in the world at that moment. I had to touch it. I mean, I really had to touch it. In that moment it was something I absolutely had to do. So I reached over to him and carefully pulled his cock and balls out of the slit in his boxer shorts and letthem drop down.”

  “Good grief, it sounds like a sordid game of Operation!” “Was having the thrill of actually touching it, seeing it half-hard and getting away with it enough? No, I had to go and push my luck. I reached over and kind of cupped my palm around his cock like I was weighing it. Then the fucking thing started growing in my hand! I started slowly jerking him off, but I was at such an awkward angle my arm began to hurt. Partly due to the pain and partly coming to my senses, I let go of his dick. It wasn’t until I stopped that he kind of stirred, shifted toward me, shuffled down a little, and rolled onto his back with his eyes still closed. But he left his cock out, as if he knew it would be easier for me to jerk him off in that position.”

  “He was an enabler of molestation!” “Well, I still wasn’t 100 percent convinced that he wasn’t still asleep and just trying to get comfortable. So, against my better judgment, I carried on. When I saw his abs tense, I knew he was going to cum. So I caught it in my hand in case he woke up and couldn’t figure out what had happened, or worse, he woke up and figured out exactly what had happened.”

  “Hang on a moment. You said this all went wrong. What happened?” “He left the next morning, and I was still none the wiser as to whether he had been awake. I spent all day thinking about him. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I toyed with the idea of speaking to him about it and even had conversations in my head in which he admitted what had happened, that he enjoyed it, and told me he wanted to find somewhere private to do it again. Maybe we could get enough money together and find a bed and breakfast and take the day off school to be together. I let my mind wander all over the place that day. But the next day at school, he walked straight past me with a girl I knew he had been seeing. He completely blanked me, didn’t even so much as make eye contact. The next day was a Tuesday, so I took my usual place in the locker room. When he came in for rugby practice, he stood across the other side of the room from me and wrapped a towel around his waist before he took off his school trousers. He was only at school for another two months before he took his exams and left, and in all that time he either ignored me completely or, if I was anywhere near him, he gave me this threatening stare as if he was daring me to go anywhere near him.”

  “So he was awake!” “Yes. And you know what? No matter how much I wanted to touch him or be with him, it wasn’t worth it. To see his face change like that, to see him look at me like he hated me. I was devastated.”

  “Did the big boy break your heart?” Jackie said, flopping her head to one side and giving me a sympathetic smile. “He fucking crushed it.”

  “Well, that explains last night,” Jackie said, as if I should understand.

  “What do you mean?” “Well, maybe that’s the reason you pulled that Damon chap on stage. You’re older and bigger now. You can make sure they don’t ignore you after you’ve fiddled with them!”

  “I hadn’t really thought of it like that. Perhaps there’s some truth to that. I can’t tell you how much it bugged me.” Sometimes Jackie caught on to things about me way before I brought them to my own attention, and I loved her for it.

  “So, anyway, is that what changed your taste in men?” “No, not really. I eventually shot up in height and weight with age, and all of a sudden, I became the bigger boy. So now there simply aren’t as many guys that are bigger than me that I find attractive.”

  “And now you’re the big kid that gay guys want to be with, as you’re bigger than them and they want you to kind of dominate them, or shag them, the way they wanted the big kids to do at school?”

  “I don’t know about ‘dominate’, exactly. I guess the first examples of attraction kind of stick with you, don’t they?”

  “Well, I don’t go chasing after floppy-haired moped riders anymore, thank heavens,” Jackie said as she reapplied her suntan lotion.

  “Speaking of older kids…,” I said as I saw a handsome, muscular guy with cropped salt-and-pepper hair jogging toward us. “I have never been into daddies, but will you look at the body on that…?”

  As if he heard me, his head did a double take, and he slowed his pace, seemingly deciding whether to stop. “Here we go again,” Jackie said as she spied him. “The girls are going to be picking him out of their teeth for days after they eat him alive.”

  But the man, who had stopped and was now walking toward us, wasn’t looking at the girls. He was looking directly at Jackie.

  “You guys should be careful. This sun can be brutal. It will burn you as soon as look atcha,” he called to Jackie in an accent similar to Damon’s.

  “A gentleman looking out for our well-being!” Jackie gushed. “We thank you.” He extended a hand to Jackie. “I’m Peter.”

  “Jackie. It’s a pleasure.” She daintily shook his hand in a way that I had never seen her do before. “Excuse the greasy paws, I’ve just applied lotion.”

  “You should pay attention to the man’s advice.” I turned to Peter. “I’ve been telling her all day to get some lotion on her back, but she won’t listen. I would apply it myself, but I’m allergic to her particular brand.”

  Peter’s face widened in an embarrassed smile when I caught him sneaking a glance at her cleavage. “So what brings you to Bahrain?” he asked quickly.

  Jackie drew her legs up to her chest to give Peter space to sit down. I left her to explain our visit while my gaze rolled over his body. For a man in his late forties, he was in phenomenal shape. His tan only accentuated the curves on his back and thighs. I listened to him as he managed to sneak compliments into their conversation, all of which Jackie swiftly batted away. This didn’t, however, stop her from playfully slapping his bicep at any small joke or innuendo he threw her way about her accent, choice of bathing suit, or jabs at British stereotypes.

  “Jackie, you’re going to burn,” I said, interrupting her. “You should let this gentleman apply it for you. He seems like an honest chap. I guess you’re in the military?”

  “I sure am!” Peter said proudly.

  “There you go, Jacks. If the Pentagon can trust him with a gun, you can trust him with some suntan lotion.” I heard a couple of the girls giggle and turned to see them all smiling at Jackie. Jackie, determined not to allow me the satisfaction of embarrassing her or making her feel awkward, attempted to turn the situation around and take control. At the very least, she would show the girls that she was still desirable and could flirt with the best of them.

  “Yes, Peter. Would you mind smearing this lotion all over my back? And could you be a love and get the backs of my legs?”

  Peter couldn’t have opened the bottle any faster. I suppressed a smile as he gingerly poured a stream of lotion down Jackie’s back.

  “That’s it Peter, rub it in. Rub it aaaaaall in, nice and deep,” Jackie said in a sultry voice that almost broke my will not to burst into laughter.

  Jackie lay flat on her stomach on the lounger and buried her head in her crossed arms as he massaged the cream into her back. She sealed her intention for me not to have the upper hand by giving out a light, extended moan when Peter’s hand traveled up the back of her leg.

  “I feel like I’m in the middle of a joke that I don’t understand. Are y’all playin’ with me?” Peter asked, clearly not caring what our response was going to be. His enjoyment at rubbing Jackie’s flesh had already caused him to pull at his shorts twice.

  Jackie got onto her elbows and turned her head to confess. “My friend here was attempting to embarrass me.” “Was not,” I protested.

  “I am sorry, Peter. It was awfully wicked of us. Can you forgive?” Peter pulled his fingers and thumb down his cheeks toward his chin
in thought. “Well, I could consider forgiving you if you would allow me to take you to dinner. There is a place in Manama with great food and even better wine.”

  Jackie seemed hesitant. “She would love to. How about Monday night?” I asked, answering for her before she had a chance to wheedle herself out of it.

  “Perfect, I have the night off!”

  “Thank you for the offer, Peter, but I have to meet with the distributors on Monday night.” “I can manage without you for a night, Jacks. You go ahead.”

  “So is it a date?” Peter asked hopefully.

  Jackie reached into her bag and retrieved the empty key card wallet that bore the address of the hotel and passed it to Peter. “Okay, this is where I’m staying. Shall we say Monday at 8:00 p.m.?

  Peter took the small wallet, folded it, and slipped it into his sport sock with a smile.

  “I look forward to it,” he said with a wink.

  Both Jackie and I watched him jog away the same way we’d watched the four SEALs, but this time Jackie’s eyes followed Peter until he turned off the beach and back onto the road.

  “You are in a world of trouble, mister,” Jackie said, drawing out a slim cigarette from a pack she had in her bag. “But I must admit he is rather scrumptious.” She lit the cigarette and blew the smoke out as she watched the women in the sea again. “I guess I really am a filthy harlot!” she squealed in delight.

  “I was ashamed of you. It was truly horrific to watch you throw yourself at that poor man so wantonly. I shall never look at you the same way, you dirty little trollop.”

  Jackie suddenly became uncharacteristically selfconscious and serious. “Oh no, I didn’t, did I? Surely he could see we were joking! I haven’t just made an utter fool of myself, have I?”

  “Well, you did seem a little… desperate.”

  I received a sharp and well-aimed slap to my leg.

  “Jacks, you were a little saucy, that’s all. If he hadn’t found you attractive and charming, I doubt he would have offered to take you to dinner at a nice restaurant if he believedjust a drink would seal the deal.”

  “True.”

  “Of course, he may just take you to a roadside baklava stand and make you drink wine from a box on the street.” She shuddered at the thought.

  “He pursued you, Jacks. He obviously likes you.”

  “That’s because I’m a classy bitch!” she said, toasting me again with a plastic cup of wine. “I wonder if he’s a Navy SEAL too. Dammit, I should have asked. He has the same body as those other boys, just a little bigger and a little more mature.”

  “I’d do him.”

  “No!” Jackie shrieked. “Mine!”

  Sunday

  I SPENT the morning by the pool until the midday sun became too intense. After a long run on the treadmill in the basic hotel gym and a couple of lousy movies on TV, I began to get ready for the night ahead. It was going to be the biggest event of the week and one I couldn’t afford to mess up. It may not have been on a night the locals considered a weekend, but Jackie convinced me that, in her experience, the foreign soldiers still came out in droves on Sunday nights. The venue was the largest on the island by far and was fast developing the reputation throughout the military community of being the best place to go to let off steam.

  “Do you think you’ll see that Damon chap tonight?” Jackie asked as she sipped wine on the sofa of my hotel suite.

  “God, I hope not,” I said as I looked over yet another script for my pitch to the men that night. It was getting harder to say the same thing about their bravery and commitment, but in a different way, and still sound sincere.

  “Your nose will be as big as his cock if you continue to tell such lies, Master Wells,” Jackie laughed. “I don’t believe for a second that you wouldn’t want to run into him again.”

  “Okay, I admit he was a great fuck who made my legs go wobbly—”

  “Charming description,” Jackie interrupted.

  “—but again, Jacks, it’s just a great memory to take home. I would rather not be reminded of how he ignored me afterward.”

  “Darling, who cares about arrogance when you’re being punched in the kidneys while performing fellatio on grateful militia?”

  “Let me know tomorrow night, you little minx,” I said, pinching her side.

  “I should imagine Peter will be a little more delicate with me than Damon was with you. But then again, who doesn’t like a bit of rough every now and again?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Jacks, there’s a fine line between ‘rough’ and ‘assault’.”

  “That’s just semantics, sweetheart,” Jackie said after finishing the last drop of wine in her glass.

  WITH the capacity to hold 3,000 people, The Bay was not only at capacity but had a line four-deep running down the street and around the corner. Jackie’s information certainly turned out to be correct. Inside, the place was so packed that the girls seemed to evaporate into the crowd as they walked around with free beers. The only indications of where they were in the sea of soldiers were the hollers and wolf whistles of the men as the girls walked past.

  There was an odd atmosphere that I hadn’t felt before. I couldn’t tell whether it was the soldiers’ collective expectation of the girls’ performance or their impatience.

  I pitched the Beer Box so the girls would appear from the end of the dance floor in an attempt to create a stage area that would afford everyone on the floor and the balconies above the best view. Since we expected a big turnout, Jackie suggested that we station two of the girls at the door to hand cans of beer to the men with a smile upon arrival. This assured that everyone got at least one free can of Side Line that night, as there was no way the girls could hand out enough by walking through the crowd. The remaining crates of beer were distributed to each of the bars after Jackie convinced the owner to allow the barmen to pass it out as it was requested until the last can was handed out.

  After two hours, I gathered the girls into the box to change into their cheerleading uniforms. Jackie stood beside me with a large Side Line branded box holding all the promotional giveaways for the night to ensure for maximum distribution.

  “Welcome to Side Line night here at The Bay! Are you having a good time?” I punched the microphone toward the men, and the cheer raised the roof. Jackie dug her hands into the box and threw a load of key rings into the crowd like they were beads at Mardi Gras. “We hope you’re enjoying the free Side Line beers from our girls as they make their way around. You can also get some from the hardworking guys behind the bar.”

  Jackie lobbed foam beer koozies into the sea of outstretched hands. “Be sure to have a can of Side Line in your hands later so you can participate in a special giveaway we have planned for you!”

  Jackie threw several rolled up T-shirts into the crowd. “Now, we know some of you guys will be staying here in Bahrain, but the majority of you are heading on to Afghanistan or Iran. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our personal thanks to you all for the hard work and bravery you show every day to protect us. I hope you guys all know how highly you are regarded.”

  I looked over at Jackie. “Do you have anything else we can give these guys?” Jackie shrugged and turned the box to the crowd to show it was empty. “Nothing left, boys. Sorry!” she said, looking sad.

  “There must be something more we can give these guys.” On cue, the girls in the box hollered and whooped. A few seconds later, five red bras, each branded with “Side” and “Line” on each cup, flew up and over the top of the box in different directions into the crowd. I looked over at Jackie, whose eyes were trained in the direction where one of the bras had been caught. A small scuffle had broken out, and we watched as a couple of men tugged and ripped the bra in two, each refusing to give up their prize.

  Jackie turned to me with a glance of alarm. She took a deep breath and nodded for me to go on. “Are you ready to meet the girls?” I shouted enthusiastically into the microphone as the drum music began to play.
The crowd went hysterical. I usually saw this as a great sign, but tonight it unnerved me. There was a touch of tense desperation in the air, like the men weren’t just looking at the girls with good-natured horniness, but rather with a kind of collective sinister leer that put me on edge. As each of the girls marched out of the box through the slit in the curtain, I introduced them by name as they twirled their batons into the air, caught them, and then struck a pose. After the last girl came out, they continued with their routines, each move impeccably executed and perfectly timed.

  As the girls performed, I held the microphone away and spoke into Jackie’s ear. “We may have misjudged this. We’ll keep it short, let them finish the routine, do the pyramid, and get them changed back into jeans and T-shirts. Then we’ll get them safely behind the bar handing out the beer.”

  Jackie nodded and then slid behind the girls into the box to await their retreat from the stage so she could tell them the new plan for the evening. I saw the bar owner and, while the crowd was distracted, I beckoned him over to ask his permission for the girls to stay behind the bar for the rest of the night. He hesitated at first, since he knew the guys would be more amped up if the girls mingled with the crowd. But the look on my face made it clear that this wasn’t so much a request as a demand, and he relented.

  The girls formed their pyramid, and the crowd erupted with such intensity that the stamping feet and applause shook the floor. Everywhere I looked I could see guys with hands in their pockets adjusting their hard-ons or pulling their T-shirts down to disguise the ever-growing thick line forming in their jeans. But this time, far from getting a thrill out of it, I was scared as hell. The girls dismounted and formed a line to take a bow.

  I took hold of Emma’s hand, since she stood at the end of the line, and pulled her against me to whisper in her ear. “Get in the box, get changed, and get Jackie to lead you around the wall and into the back. Do not stop, and do not speak to anyone one.” I tried to keep my voice light so as not to alarm her. Emma nodded and led the girls through the curtains.