Brotherly Love
"Josh, you must be crazy," was all I could manage to get out of my mouth after listening intently as my brother and I sat having an impromptu breakfast at a local coffee shop. Usually, we have a good relationship with very little pressure either way since he has filled in as head of the family since our parents passed several years ago and our sister lives on the left coast, far from us and the chilly northeast. Josh helped me get through college and get my Masters, still allows me live in the guest bedroom of his three-bedroom house rent free as long as I contribute to the utilities and paid for my share of the food budget, a more than fair arrangement in my opinion.
Today he invited me to breakfast at a coffee shop before work, something out of the ordinary, so I knew something was up. Nevertheless, with a free breakfast on the table, it was definitely worth getting up a little earlier to find out what it was. Josh was there when I arrived having stayed with his girlfriend the night before, and he greeted me with a smile and a hearty "Good Morning" when I sat down. It almost felt more like a business meeting than a family breakfast as Josh seemed nervous and distracted, quite unlike his usual easygoing self. The waitress brought coffee for me and took my breakfast order and Josh sat silently until she left, before asking how I was doing and thanking me for joining him.
After a few minutes, he finally got to the point. "I have a little problem and would appreciate your help in making it go away. It's nothing major but you are the only one who can help me and as much as I hate asking you for a favor, I am hoping that you will consider my request before rejecting it out of hand. It is not about giving me money or anything illegal, but it does require your involvement in something that might not appeal to you."
"While I am a little apprehensive after hearing the introduction to your request, I am curious about what you want from me, particularly since it is not money or anything illegal."
Josh smiled and after the waitress set my breakfast on the table and refreshed our coffees, he picked up where he left off while I began to eat. "Okay, here it is and please hear me out. You know that the first Friday of the month I play cards with some old friends and a couple of guys from the office, a nice bunch overall. There are about ten of us that play regularly, and it usually works out that we have the necessary five and one or two others to get drinks and snacks while sitting in when necessary. The stakes are modest, and no one takes the game so seriously that people get hurt if they lose but occasionally certain changes are initiated to keep it interesting and usually it's great fun.
"When we played two weeks ago, I was doing very well and when one fellow suggested something to spice up one of the last hands of the night, I felt comfortable enough to agree without seriously considering the ramifications of the bet and I wagered something that I had no business to risk. I had drawn two cards and was sitting with a straight, and judging by what was drawn by the others at the table and the way my luck was running, I felt I had the hand locked.
"It was at this point that James, the fellow that was the only one left and a guy you have also known for years, said that he would throw in two tickets to the Celtics game if I agreed to arrange for something 'special' between you and him. As you can imagine I wanted to go to the game and felt confident that he could not beat a straight, so I hastily agreed. The fact that I could lose never dawned on me until he turned over the final card of a flush and everyone in the room burst out laughing. I felt the heat rise in my face and my shirt suddenly felt damp while the only thought running through my head was 'what have I done?'"
I rested my knife and fork on the plate, wiped my lips with the napkin and took a long sip of coffee before I asked the obvious question, "What exactly did you agree to on my behalf, dear brother?"
"Well, that's the thing. It was left very vague on my side although the tickets to the Celtics game were easily quantifiable. When I asked him to clarify it after the laughing subsided, all he said was that he would tell me before he left. The idea that I would have this on my mind was strategic on his part since I would be distracted and unable to concentrate on the game. It was diabolical in its simplicity but very effective."
"Not that I want to sound like a broken record, but what exactly did you agree to?" I responded in a stern voice.
Josh was clearly getting nervous and his face was becoming very pink but he remained quiet and took a drink of coffee before answering. "I cornered James in the kitchen while the guys cleaned up and put the cards away, and he told me that he always liked you and he would like you to come to his apartment for a few drinks with him one evening. He said that he expected you to leave your inhibitions at the door and spend the evening with him while in the nude and open to whatever comes up."
"Josh, you must be crazy! You are asking me to go to your friend's apartment and spend an evening with him totally naked. I am not so naïve to believe that he wants me to strip and then watch me walk around in the nude without expecting anything else. Did you ask him about that?" I hissed.
"Of course I did, I'm not that dumb," he replied.
"I will reserve judgment on that point until you tell me what he said when you asked him about his expectations," I said caustically.
"Look, he's a nice guy, you know that. He's not some macho degenerate that enjoys hurting people," he replied and then sat quietly.
I waited a moment and then growled at him, "I feel so much better now! He's a nice guy that doesn't enjoy hurting people! What the fuck, Josh. If he's such a sweetheart, why don't you go in my place?"
"Rob, you know I'm straight and I don't like the idea of a guy sticking his stiff dick in my mouth, but if I did, I wouldn't be asking this of you. Do you think that I'm that insensitive?"
