Laid Bare: Essays and Observations by Tom Judson Read Free Book Online

now that the pieces were falling into place for that possibility, I was having doubts that this was the pair. It was going to be a job keeping interest in just one of these guys; two would tax my abilities beyond endurance.
     
    “No, I’m staying in tonight,” answered Mark as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and sneezed into it.
     
    “Well, Scott, should we get going,” I asked as Mark hovered in the vestibule.
     
    “I thought I’d show you around the house before we go, if that’s okay.”
     
    Scott and Mark then proceeded to give me a guided tour of their house. There was a billiard room downstairs complete with a double green glass-shaded lamp hanging above the felt surface of the table and cues lined up perfectly in their holder on the wall.
     
    “Do you guys play?”
     
    They answered “no” in unison.
     
    There was a music room upstairs. The ivory-colored Wurlitzer sat peacefully in a corner, snug on the white carpet. I noticed there were no indentations in the broadloom where the feet of the bench would have rested were a player sitting on it. There was also no piano music to be seen anywhere.
     
    “Do you guys play?”
     
    They looked at one another and then at me.
     
    “No,” answered Scott. “No, neither of us play,” echoed Mark.
     
    My eye traveled to a marble chess set atop a reproduction Chippendale mahogany game table placed artfully in front of the picture window. Two identical kings stared at each other across the board. The chairs were set at an inviting angle, as if to say, “Come, spend an afternoon contemplating the intrigues of this ancient game.”
     
    “Do you guys…” I looked in Scott’s eyes and, seeing nothing, continued, “…want to show me the upstairs?”
     
    Returning from dinner the windshield wipers of the sedan maintained a steady thup-thup… thup-thup. We pulled into the driveway of the house and around to the side, where I had re-parked my car at Scott’s request before leaving for the restaurant.
     
    During dinner the talk had flowed effortlessly. The double martini had inspired me and the conversational ball never dropped. Perhaps I was trying to postpone the inevitable by keeping up an endless banter. The pale blond man across the table looked directly at me for most of the meal, and never seemed to blink. Scott was perfectly pleasant, but I was not looking forward to climbing into bed with him. As the tires of the car hummed along the damp pavement my hand felt for the comforting outline of the diamond-shaped blue pill in my pocket.
     
    The automatic garage door closed behind us. After stepping out of the car onto the immaculate cement floor we met in front of the three-pronged medallion on the hood and stood facing each other. I smiled uncomfortably as Scott leaned toward me and placed a tentative kiss on my closed mouth. As he pulled away I felt the cool snap of wetness where his lips had left a trace of saliva.
     
    The dishwasher was running as we entered the house through the dark kitchen. The flickering blue light of a television and the soft murmur of a laugh track emanated from the “media room” across the hall. Scott took my hand and led me in that direction. His palm felt moist and his grasp timid. We stopped in the doorway and Mark looked up from his program. Holding up an index finger he drew in several quick short breaths and then sneezed into his handkerchief.
     
    “Sorry. How was dinner?”
     
    “Terrific. Your brother’s a fun date.”
     
    “We’ll see you in the morning, Mark,” said Scott. He nodded to his brother and once again took my hand and led me to the wide, carpeted stairs.
     
    In the bathroom I swallowed the Viagra before showering. With my head bowed under the hot spray I reminded myself of the sideboard this night would allow me to buy. I wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the door. Scott was waiting just on the other side, still fully dressed, and, averting his gaze, slid by me into the