In 1992, Louisville's downtown "Whiskey Row" was mostly warehouses and offices for bourbon and tobacco companies. Driving down there a little after midnight, you'd find dark storefronts, trash strewn sidewalks, and mostly empty streets.
Only if you were looking for it, you might also have found a run-down looking bar called "The Discovery". I parked two blocks away and walked down to the address I was given. I only knew it was the right location because of a plain wooden sign and a single light over a closed metal door. The only window for the whole place was blacked out. I could quietly hearErasure's "A Little Respect" playing inside.
I got the name and address of this place from a guy I was cruising at Cherokee Park. There had been stories about people getting beat up at the park and I was worried. He said there was a bar downtown I should check out instead. Even if I was only 18 they'd let me in. Much safer, no bashers, he said. Then I blew him for his helpful information.
I'd never been in a bar before. I'd never been around guys being gay in a public place. I was excited and anxious that the industrial looking door would be locked. But it opened and I was immediately stopped by a guy who could have been out of Gay Central Casting. Blue jeans, white tee-shirt, pockmarked face, and a massive black mustache.
"You lost, kid?" His eyes were completely neutral as he scanned me up and down. He saw in front of him a skinny, nervous, queer kid. Big round glasses, straight brown hair, shaved on the sides and back then flopping over my forehead. Blue jeans and plain green tee-shirt. Tennis shoes (the left had become untied). Smooth skin and a look on my face that must have screamed "I'm nervous as fuck!"
"Naw, this is the place I'm lookin' for," I answered, trying to look over his shoulder. I was exceedingly curious what the bar looked like and did not for one second want to make eye contact with the guy.
He put his hand on my shoulder to fully get my attention. "And let me guess, you left your driver's license at home?" he asked.
"Yah, sorry, is that OK?" I asked him back, finally making eye contact, visibly squirming.
He held my gaze for a moment, gave his shoulders the slightest shrug, and said "Knock yourself out, kid, but stay away from the ba,r" then picked up the newspaper he'd apparently been reading and ignored me.
Walking into the space proper, I was surprised at how dark the place was.The room was deep but not wide. A bar ran down the left side and took up a 3
rd
of the width. At the very back it looked like it opened up and I could see some pool tables. The speakers were playing now Madonna's "Vogue".
A few clumps of guys at the bar were sitting on tall stools talking to each other. Three guys were playing pool. There were maybe twelve guys in total I could see. Everyone was old. I decided I wouldn't make eye contact with anyone yet and headed to the pool tables in the back, avoiding the actual bar at all costs.
"Hey there," a guy called out to me as I walked past a couple. My stomach lurched thinking I was about to get kicked out. I raised my chin in what I hoped was a confident nod and kept walking, hoping to be ignored. "Come over here," the guy continued.
My heart racing, I corrected course and stood in front of him and his bar companion. "I'm Jack, and this is Fred," The guy introduced himself. He was old, graying hair, wrinkles around his eyes, maybe in his 50s I'd guess. He had a deep voice and sounded like he could laugh easily. He had a bit of a doughy stomach and was wearing an untucked blue button-down dress shirt. Fred seemed a little younger, had dark hair (it was hard to tell in the dim light), and clearly had muscles under his tight white tee-shirt he was proud of showing off.
"HI, I'm Phillip," I said as I stepped up into their personal space. I tried to not let my voice carry, but it still seemed too loud, too high-pitched.
Fred flagged down the bartender and said something I wasn't able to catch. A moment later Jack handed me and Fred a shot glass with amber liquid in it.
"To your first night at Discovery!" Jack said. I recognized the smell of whiskey instantly, my father's favorite choice to get drunk with. It burned going down but I avoided choking it back up, and my chest and torso got warm.
The two guys seemed good natured and friendly. I was put at ease by their welcoming questions, almost all from Jack. "How long ya been out?", "Have you ever done anything with a guy before?", "How is it being in school?", "Do ya have a boyfriend?" The whole conversation seemed very easy, they were treating me like an adult, and seemed interested in what I said. Fred's interest seemed to perk up when he found out I went to Trinity High School, apparently where he also graduated.
We were probably fifteen minutes and another shot of whiskey into our conversation when Jack nonchalantly started rubbing the crotch of my jeans. "That looks like quite the nice package you got there, Phillip."
My 18-year-old cock responded immediately, stiffening up toward my belly. I was hoping to hook up with a guy tonight but was surprised it happened so quickly and so in the open.
"Ya... thank you," was all I could think of to say back, jutting my hips forward. I suppose Jack took that as a good sign because he kept rubbing his hand up and down against the outline of my (impressive to me) 6" of wood.
The conversation continued but it was obvious to all three of us it was now just random noise while I stood there getting fondled by the old man. To me it was like the rest of the bar disappeared and we three were in our own little cone of dim light in an otherwise large dark, room.
"Well," Jack said, again without changing the tone of his voice from his questions about my friends and hobbies. "Why don't you show us what you're packing?" Fred nodded his encouragement and smiled.
I was so under their spell that I had no hesitation undoing my belt and button, unzipping, and pulling my cock out from my tighty-whities right there at the bar. Having the cool air of the bar hitting my balls pulsed an extra bit of blood into my already now painfully hard erection. I wasn't shy at all, I felt exhilarated and thrilled to have myself on display that anyone walking by could see.