I was about at the end of my rope, my bumming through Europe on my university gap year trip was threatening to crash in the Santa Lucia seafront section of Naples, Italy. I'd left my bag at the desk of the Hotel Rex on Via Palepoli to pick up later, when and if I could scratch up enough to continue my stay in the hotel. I was almost down to bottom, though.
It was time to fall back on what had gotten me across Europe so far.
I went out to the Via Nazario Sauro, the seafront avenue on the Mediterranean, late Saturday morning, and crossed the road to the walkway along the beach. There was a wall I had heard about that one could sit on to attract attention and, for a young blond, good-looking, cut guy like me--or a female version of me--to attract seeking men with money to spend for sport. I sat on the wall across the avenue from an outdoor cafรฉ under an awning. I smiled at those passing by, and I waited.
In time, I noticed two men sitting at a table in the cafรฉ, at the sidewalk edge, drinking coffee and talking but also looking over at me, giving me the glad eye. One of them was a gray-beard, but an executive or academic type, with a distinguished aspect, very good looking, tall, trim, and elegantly dressed. He had to be in his late fifties. Sitting across from him was a young, stockier, more muscular dark-haired man. He had more of a thuggish, dangerous look, but on him it also looked good. He couldn't be older than his early forties, I didn't think, and there was more than half of something African in him. He was a chocolate brown, a creamier brown than would come from the sun.
There was a third chair at the table. It wasn't long before the men saw that I was looking at them looking at me. It was well known, I had been told--and it had worked for me before--what someone was offering when they sat on this wall by the sea, sitting facing in, toward the city rather than out toward the Mediterranean. There was little chance the men at the table didn't understand why I was there and what I was offering.
They smiled at me and I smiled back. The older of the two, the gray-beard, raised two glasses, which I took as an offer of a drink. It was close to noon. I had no idea where my next meal was coming from or anything beyond that. I could convince myself I was thirsty as well.
I crossed the avenue and sauntered up to beside their table.
"
Sei un bel giovanotto. Vuoi sederti con noi? Possiamo offrirti da bere
?" the older man, obviously the man who took the lead, said to me, smiling.
"
Mi dispiace
," I said. "Sorry, I don't speak Italian well. Do you speak English?" It was embarrassing, but all Europeans spoke English better than most American travelers spoke anything else.
"Ah, English," gray-beard said. "You are English?" There wasn't anything wrong with his English. He spoke it as elegantly as everything else about him seemed to be elegant.
"No, American," I answered.
"Ah American." His voice was deeper, less elegant, but there wasn't anything wrong with his English either, so he was at least one up on me. He said that like it was better to be American than English.
"Mario asked if you would like to sit with us; if you would take a drink with us." This was spoken by the other man. "Come sit with us."
I moved under the awning and sat between them, facing the sea. Luca immediately put a hand on my knee, signaling that we all knew exactly what was being contracted here. The other man--the older man who seemed to be the one with the money and to be orchestrating the encounter, Mario--signaled the waiter. "Would you like to see a menu too?" he asked me. "We would be happy to cover your noon meal."
I said I was happy with that as well.
"Ah, perhaps near the end of your means?" Luca asked. He sounded like that was a good thing--like it would simplify what was to follow--so I just shrugged and smile. He handed me a menu.
When I had ordered, being quite aware that the second man's hand had settled on my other knee, Mario spoke. "Luca didn't translate what else I had said. I said that you were a very handsome young man. Since you say you are American, not a local, I have to ask if you know what it meant for you to be sitting on the wall over there."
"Yes, I have been told."
"You are a young man with a financial need?" Mario asked, giving me a sympathetic look. When I responded that yes, unfortunately, I was--that I'd found myself near the end of my funds, the hand of Luca, the younger, more sexually assertive of the two, moved under the table higher on my inner thigh. His thumb found the bulb of my shaft inside the material of my trousers. I gave him a smile and left it there. He started rubbing me softly there and, of course, I responded.
I could see out of the corner of my eye Mario taking a wallet out of his pocket and laying it on the table. The waiter brought our food and we engaged in chitchat while we ate. They found out quite a lot about me and what I was doing in Europe in that conversation, while I found out nothing about them. We did not discuss sex.
Over coffee, Mario said, "Now that we've eaten, would you perhaps be interested in spending the day with us?"
"Perhaps," I said, fully aware that Luca was still feeling me up under the surface of the table.
Mario took two hundred-euro notes out of his wallet and laid them on the table. I could see that the wallet was stuffed with euro bills and that those two shouldn't be missed.
"Perhaps?" Mario said. His hand went to cupping my basket as well. Luca's thumb was still driving me wild. "
Bello. Molto bello
," Mario murmured. I knew from his tone that he was pleased with what he felt. There was every reason to believe he should be.
"Yes, I would be happy to spend the day with you, Mario."
"With us. We would both like to enjoy... your company." Mario added a hundred-euro note to what I gathered was my pile, if I was cooperative. "May I assume you would be versatile for us?"
"I could be," I answered. Two more bills dropped on the pile. There was five hundred euros in play now.
"Could be, or will be?"
"Yes," I answered. This time instead of taking out another bill, Mario used his hand to take mine and place it on his basket. I shuddered. He was hung. It was somewhat of a surprise. It was the younger Luca who was coming on to me so heavily. It was surprised to find that the older of the two was hung.
"To be quite clear, I am asking if you'll both give and take cock," Mario asked, giving me a pointed look as well as a bit of shock to hear a man of his apparent refinement speaking so baldly.
"Yes," I answered, "I can do that."
"Good," Mario said, reaching over and taking two more bills out of his wallet, combining them with those that had already appeared before me, folding them, and tucking them in my pocket. "Shall we go and have a splendid day now? What do you think, Luca, perhaps our shop first? I think maybe the Club Alexander tonight. Our friend here is nicely tanned. I see him in white. Do you agree?"
"Yes, exactly," Luca agreed.
"My name is Ben," I said, as we rose from the table.
"How nice for you," Mario responded, telling me pretty clearly that it wasn't my name they were interested in receiving from me. "