My fourth-floor condo overlooks a fifteen-acre park in South Tulsa. It's a lovely wooded sanctuary with a creek running through it and several grassy lawns dotted by picnic areas and playground equipment. Jogging paths and trails crisscross the park, making even the forested corners accessible to the intrepid. From my balcony, I watch families enjoying the green expanses, joggers plying the paved paths, and single, furtive men disappearing into the trees. I'm not naive. I know what those men are up to.
I am a thirty-eight year old former college tennis player. I was once ranked thirteenth in the Big Ten Conference, which is impressive but not good enough for the pro tour. Thus, I gave up my dreams of hoisting championship trophies and started a career writing semi-literary novels in the mystery/suspense genre. I enjoy a faithful audience of readers and two of my books have made it to the big screen. Again, impressive but no chance of hoisting a Pulitzer Prize.
The close proximity of the park is ideal for me. Once an athlete, always an athlete. I run the paths almost every day and utilize the playground equipment for calisthenics -- pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. One day, I was hanging by my knees doing an abs workout when a man sat down on an adjacent bench watching. My T-shirt dangled, and I could feel him ogling my flexing six-pack. I had seen him before, eyeing me before wandering off into the trees. He was a smallish fellow, in his sixties (I would guess), trim and well-groomed with a salt and pepper goatee and a full head of silver hair.
I swung down to the ground and walked tight circles as I caught my breath. Our eyes met and we exchanged a smile. "Nope," I said. "Not today".
"Nope, what?"
"I know what you're up to. You seem like a nice guy looking for harmless fun, but nope."
"I'm Terence, by the way, and I don't know what you mean."
His coy smile elicited a chuckle from me. "Look, Terence..."
"Terence sounds too formal between friends. Please call me Terry."
Since when had I been elevated to friend status? "Look, Terry, I know you want to suck my cock. I don't think there's anything wrong about what discretely transpires down those paths, but no. Not today."
His tongue made a moist, lurid circuit over his lips as his eyes sought mine in a languid gaze. "You're right. I would like to suck your cock. I promise, you'd enjoy it, as well. Cut?"
"What?"
"Your cock. I'm guessing you're cut -- circumcised -- with a scrumptious, pillowy cockhead. I'm right, aren't I ...?"
His question tapered off seeking to illicit my name. I glanced around to see if anyone was within earshot. The park seemed strangely deserted. "My name is Marc, with a C. Yes to being cut. The rest is not up to me to say."
He was obviously a cultured man, the sort who enjoys a glass of fine wine in the evening while Mozart plays, or maybe Thelonious Monk. His eyes had a devilish glint that was both knowing and beguiling, while long, delicate fingers stroked his upper thigh. "I'd be happy to take a look and let you know, Marc. You know, as a friend. I'm guessing it's a very impressive specimen, just like the rest of you. All you'd have to do is mosey down that pathway. There's a cozy little nook where I would give you a look-see, then a long, luscious blowjob that you would never forget."
Normally, I'd tell a guy to fuck off, but I reserve rudeness for the ill-mannered louts. Terry was certainly not that. Instead, I grabbed my towel from off the jungle gym and wiped the sweat before continuing my run. "Nope, not today. Happy hunting, Terry."
"Well then, another day. Enjoy your run, Marc with a C."
As I settled into my gait, I realized that he had ended our encounter with a statement, not a question. Obviously, Terry was intent on crossing paths with me again and again. Rather than feeling stalked, I felt vaguely flattered, appreciated, like a bottle of fine wine.
That evening, I sat on my balcony with a cold beer and watched the goings-on in the park below. A couple of families were gathered around the picnic tables; the fathers grilling burgers while the mothers supervised kiddos on the swings. A trio of long-haired teens threw a frisbee with practiced grace. Some distance away, an occasional man scurried into the woods with a quick glance at the parking lot, hoping not to see a familiar car or a dreaded undercover cop. Those men usually emerged some fifteen or twenty minutes later and loped quickly to their cars. I could imagine their satisfied faces and drained cocks as they drove off, thrilled to have gotten away with another clandestine debauch.