It was a warm summer night in Washington, D.C. in 1979 and Jamie was locking up at the gay bookstore Surging Rainbow. It was about a half hour after eight o'clock closing time and he had closed out the register, straightened the shelves, swept up, and taken out the trash. It had been a long one and it was time to go home.
The attractive youth started on his way to the brownstone he shared with three others.
"Hey Jamie," said a voice from the shadows. It was Louis, the shy 21-year-old Howard University student that had hooked up with Jamie a few months ago.
"Louis, good to see you," Jamie smiled as he walked towards the husky black youth. Jamie put his hand on the man's shoulder, unsure if he could show any affection on the street. It was dark enough that it was unlikely anyone would see them.
Louis returned the gesture, giving Jamie the confidence to take Louis in his arms. "How have you been? You're looking good."
Louis smiled at Jamie's impulsive hug. "You look rather good too Jamie. I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by," said Louis, remembering their spontaneous sex session they had left both reeling.
Louis had done some thinking about the adorable bookstore clerk since then.
Louis had just begun to explore the gay world and had a sizable crush on Jamie, a slim 22-year-old white youth, about five foot ten, feathered brownish, blonde hair setting off his big-as-a-saucer hazel eyes, and toned swimmer's body.
Jamie really liked Louis, a pre-law student who had earned a multi-year ride at Howard by playing for its football team. Louis was a smart and serious black man with a quiet sense of humor. He was blessed with perfect clear ebony skin, stood about six feet tall, and had muscular arms and thighs from his sports training. He was clean-shaven and wore a short Afro.
Jamie liked him for his looks and his thoughtful manner. Louis was a gentle giant, the type of man that Jamie found himself attracted to. He realized it was part of the 'daddy' complex that had consumed him since meeting Robert, his well-built thirty-two-year-old lover.
Jamie held Louis by his biceps, one of his favorite parts of the boy, and looked him over. "Damn, you get more gorgeous every day. How's school?"
"Well, finals are next week. And Anthony pulled some strings to get me an internship at a law firm this summer," said Louis. Anthony had introduced the two of them. He was Louis's cousin and Jamie's housemate.
Jamie congratulated Louis on the good news and invited him back to his brownstone. The two continued to update each other on their lives as they walked.
Jamie had begun taking photos for the local gay paper The Circle while he worked at the bookstore.
At Jamie's place the boys were greeted by house mother dynamo Helen. She told them Anthony wouldn't be back from work till late and that there were leftovers in the fridge. The two just got some water and walked up the stairs to Jamie's one-bedroom on the second floor.
Jamie proudly showed off his photos posted on his bedroom walls.
"I took that at a protest against cops harassing guys at the Ballroom, and that one is a porn star who was signing books at the bookstore," said Jamie. "He wrote the book to get out of porn, but it wasn't clear how that would work out."
The two of them sat on Jamie's couch, close enough to touch.
"Are you doing any writing for them, The Circle?" asked Louis.
"Mostly just cutlines, the photo captions. But I've cowritten some stories with their fulltime reporter who has been teaching me the basics," said Jamie.
"Whatever you're doing it looks like it's treating you well," said Louis. "You're as ... gorgeous as ever."
Jamie was touched and looked Louis in the eyes. He felt the youth's forearm and leaned over and gave Louis a soft kiss on the lips. The black man responded, kissing and licking Jamie's mouth. He put both arms around the boy. They drew closer.
"I've missed you Jamie," said Louis as he took his face and neck in his large palm.
"I missed you," said the boy.
"You miss me? You've got half the men in the city after you," said Louis.
"Yea, right. A guy at the store today called me pretty boy," Jamie said, laughing. "I'm serious. I'm standing behind the counter and the guy yells, 'Hey pretty boy, where's the homo books?' I thought the owner was going to shit."
Louis laughed.
"Later, the guy comes up to the counter with a Honcho, you know, the magazine with macho guys," Jamie said. "He puts it on the counter, looks me up and down, points at the cover and says, 'Now, that's a real man.'"
The two boys laughed together. They looked each other in the eyes. They began kissing again.
Louis took Jamie by the waist and pulled him closer. He broke their kiss and nuzzled Jamie's neck. The white boy silently moaned and held Louis by his big shoulders. It was like holding steel wrapped in satin. Jamie penis was starting to tingle.
"Damn Louis. I haven't seen you for months and you're coming on like gangbusters," said Jamie. "What's going on? I'm not complaining, but ..."
Louis shrugged. "I thought of you and decided to come over. Now I've seen you and I can't help myself."