Chapter 125: The Brotherhood Strikes Again!
Hector’s POV
There’s an email from Bobby.
Listen to the recording first then read the attachment. I didn’t understand until I was asked to delete the recording. Advise.
I’m intrigued. Les I’d wonder about. Bobby less so.
I put on my headphones, find the correct server and recording and listen.
Lots of quiet. I hear mariachi music and breathing. Stakeout?
“So what’s up with you and the CTO?”
“What do you mean?” Manolo. I smile.
A loud sigh. “Oh come on. Everyone knows you’re banging the CTO.”
A long silence. The truck starts and I hear the music get closer. The truck is turned off.
“Who I’m banging is no one’s business. I think Lt. Brown made that very clear.” Manolo is pissed. I hear it in his voice. I’m wondering who this other person is.“Also, as I’ve said before, I met the CTO in Miami shortly before training started—”
“Yeah, but you gay people all know each other.”
Who the fuck is this? Am I allowed to hurt him?
“Right. Just like all white people know each other?”
“Hey, don’t make this racial.”
“It was on the same level of ignorance. All gay people do not know each other. If that were true, I’d love to know Ricky Martin much better.”
I look at my chest. Ricky Martin I am not. Is that what Manolo is looking for? I rub my chest, feeling a little less … manly. I make a note to talk to Cal about exercises to enhance my chest.
“I don’t know the CTO like that. When I’ve spoken to him, I found a lot to like about him. He’s a good man, which is why he’s now a partner. Our leadership believes in him and I’m sure they don’t ask him stupid ass questions like ‘Which hole do you stick the dick in?’ and ‘Who pays on the date?’”
I pay and if you can’t figure out how gay sex works, rent a porno.
“Fine. Simple question. Is the CTO your boyfriend?”
Another long silence. “None of your business.”
I smile. He didn’t deny it. It’s quiet for five minutes. Nothing but the sounds of breathing and music. I hear a car door open and shut.
“I’ll bet he is. The Leadership Core clearly likes you and it has to be because the CTO is fucking you. Too bad I can’t screw the CO and get the same level of acceptance from them.”
The voice is bitter and annoyed. The car door opens and closes again.
“What do you really want to know?”
“Why did you apply? I mean, this is a cakewalk for you, isn’t it? Lt. Santos and Lt. Brown like you—”
Manolo laughs. “You mean, they ride your ass ten times harder than anyone else, right?”
“Well, yeah but you get the plum assignments.”
“Really? Name one, because yesterday, I was sweating my balls off in the baking sun for ten hours on stakeout with Murphy and he had two rest breaks. I had one.”
“You caught the guy.”
“I wasn’t on break when he showed!”
“Santos and Brown didn’t make you run after.”
“Because I was dehydrated! I spent two hours in the infirmary gulping down water under Lt. Brown’s watch. I was Navy so, although I can swim, my running sucks. I have to train much harder than everyone, which means I have to sign up for extra lessons. Lt. Brown doesn’t slouch! You know that.”
“That’s true,” the voice mutters.“He’s a hard ass when it comes to fitness.”
This is why every man in this company is healthy. No slacking allowed. His reluctance to give pop health assessments between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a gift to every man and a reminder: I’m not gonna watch you every second. Regulate yourselves.
“Exactly. So to pass standards, I have to get my running up.”
“You can pass on swimming. You were a lifeguard.”
“Yeah, but Gonzo told me that even if I pass on swimming, the monthly health checks are done on running. I still have to get my running up. So I still can’t slouch.” It’s quiet. “So I have to bust my ass much harder than any other recruit. My specialty is tech so even after I become a RangeMan, if I become a RangeMan, I have to endure yet another interview—”
“With your boyfriend! Exactly my point.”
“Wrong, dipshit. The last set of guys interviewed in Atlanta with Nate. So no favors there, although I heard everyone’s relieved. Apparently, Mr. Gutierrez damn near kills his men on the mats the first time. You have to survive a mats session with him to make tech.”
Laughter. “OK, yeah, I heard that too. Seemed ridiculous to me. What’s he trying to prove? That the little gay man is scawy? He doesn’t scare me.”
Quiet again. I’m flipping my switchblades open and closed. I’m not scary?
“You need to develop a real fear of him and you need to do it fast,” Manolo says quietly.“You’d never say that about the rest of the Leadership Core—”
“They’re military! Army Rangers. They’re fucking Rambos in black SWAT!”
“And Mr. Gutierrez is the last man in the group. You think he’s there by accident?” I hear something crunch, maybe a water bottle. “This entire company fears him and you don’t? The Eastern seaboard fears him and you don’t? If someone hacks this company, we’re all screwed. He doesn’t allow mistakes. So you know the penalty for fucking up before you join the group.” I hear an annoyed huff. “Why do you care so much? You can barely turn your computer on.”
“Fuck you. It’s not fair you’re getting special treatment.”
It’s quiet again.
“What’s your point, Ellis?”
Ellis? This asshole again? I thought he and Manolo had come to an understanding!
“Why deny the man is your boyfriend? It’s clear he likes you. He emails you, IMs you, and has the Leadership Core looking out for you. Everyone in leadership in this company knows your name and you’re a recruit—”
“Explain that one.”
“The CO knows you.”
“Met her grandmother in Miami. That’s how my application got reviewed. I helped her grandma out of a jam and she helped me get reviewed.”
“Oh. Well, the Miami XO . . .”
“Exactly. He was the one who reviewed my app.”
“The CTO went to see you when he was here.” That’s said triumphantly.
“I’m coming in with five years of SharePoint experience. That’s RangeWorld and my experience is needed. He wanted to know the extent of it. If, If, I make tech, that would probably be my assignment. Plus, I have mobile experience. I make apps and that’s what Nate’s new hobby is. So I’m coming in with valuable skills. We have enough programmers and network guys. Guys with my skills are the next wave of tech hires.”
Another extended silence. I’m smiling. Good cover, Manolo.
“The RangeMen know your name and you’re just a recruit—”
“They know your name too. They took bets on that boxing session.”
“Oh yeah? Who did the odds favor?”
Silence. “If you want to know why they scowl at you, that’s why.”
Extended silence.
“So because you won on points . . .”
“Points my ass! I took you down and no one expected me to win. I’m twenty pounds lighter than you.”
“Just goes to show. The favoritism to you here is overwhelming and now your boyfriend is a partner in this company.” He sniffs. “You’re the most affirmative action hire this company has probably ever had.”
The recording stops. I open the attachment.
Manolo requested to drop. There’s always a 24 hour cooling off period before it takes effect, to give a potential RangeMan an opportunity to change his mind.
My stomach drops to the floor. I have no idea what to do. Why? I mean … what do I do? What do I tell Bobby? Should I call Manolo? No? Yes? FUCK!!!
“Hector?” Angelita sticks her head in. “Hector, I . . .” Her voice trails off. “What’s wrong?”
I’ll never know happiness, that’s what. I hand her the headphones and point to the screen. I head into the server room and start making patch cables. The noise from the servers and the repetitive motion of my hands calms me as I consider how to respond. I don’t know how to respond. Should I call Manolo? What do I say? How should I attack this?
I understand my brother’s reluctance to use words now. What’s the right action here?
I walk back into my office, to grab my cell phone, just as Angelita stands up, grim.
“Got it. I’ll handle it.”
“Angelita—”
“No!” She looks furious. “No one, no one, in this entire company except me and Manolo knows what it’s like to have people assume you fucked your way in. You can’t help him. I can.” She smiles. “Lock Les out of RangeWorld.”
“Why?”
She stares at me. She leaves and I smile and put my cell phone down.
Thanks, Mayhem.
—oOo—
Manolo’s POV
I’m thinking of going back to LA. I’m sick of this. I haven’t even fucked Hector and everyone thinks that’s how I got in! I stop and pull my water bottle. I’m out for a hike, having been relieved of my duties to ‘give me time to think about my decision’, Lt. Brown said.
He looked stunned when I submitted my paperwork but he didn’t try to talk me out of it.
I wonder if Hector will still speak to me? I learned, thanks to Lula’s questioning, that Tank and Lula’s wedding is in May. I wonder if that’s what Hector was referring to. Was he planning on asking me to be his ‘plus one’?
Lula’s questions had me thinking that maybe he was.
My cell phone rings and I answer without looking at the display. “Hello?”
“Are you alone?” Female voice. Angry.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Stephanie Plum.”
Oh. “Ms.—”
“Don’t use my name. I don’t want anyone to know I’m talking to you.”
“OK.” I think. “Is he OK?”
“Right now? No, he’s not but I’m not calling about him. This is about you.”
I’m confused. “OK. . . what’s wrong with him first?”
“Are you really gonna let that arrogant, prejudiced, conceited asshole run you away from this company?”
“Excuse me?”
“Bobby told Hec you requested to drop. The request was also sent to Trenton, to process your paperwork. I didn’t think you were a quitter, Peña.”
I’m stung. “I’m not! What’s wrong with him, though?”
“He’s stunned you’re choosing to quit! He didn’t think you were a quitter either. He thought you were stronger than that.”
I’m quiet. Oh.
“So you’re letting those assholes get the better of you?”
“No. And honestly, what the fuck would you know about it?”
I know this is Hec’s partner and a member of management, but she’s pissing me off. She has no idea what this is like.
Wrong question to ask. Over the next two hours, she tells me about every joke, every laugh, every bet her former boyfriend, the local cops, and her hometown made in regards to her ‘skills’. She tells me about the ‘pillowcase’ moment with Hector (damn, that was cruel) that forced her to quit making excuses and take the training seriously. She tells me about the weeks and months of being called incompetent by the RangeMen, both openly and subtly, while they worked to bring her skills up.
I sit on a bench and listen. She tells me about the moment the local cops learned she passed Army PT at 80% (Wow! That’s spectacular) and how they still didn’t believe it. She tells me how she realized, in that moment, that no matter what she did, they would always look for an excuse to laugh at her. So now she doesn’t give a damn about what anyone thinks of her. She’s proud of what she’s done and she’s happy.
“So no one, no one, knows better than I do how you feel. I get it, I do, but what I didn’t do was run away from the challenge. I’m no quitter. If I were a quitter, I would have stopped bounty hunting a long time ago.”
“Right,” I whisper on a breath. Fuck. She’s had it as hard as I had it in the Navy and as hard as I’m getting it now, but she still doesn’t quite get it.
No one is challenging her very right to exist. No one is challenging her right to be, but I get her point.
I need to brush the negative comments off my shoulders, ignore the haters, and get back to work. Becoming a RangeMan isn’t a cakewalk, so it’s time to put my big boy boxers on and handle this once and for all.
I’m here, I’m queer, fuck you.
“So if you need someone to talk to, call me. You have my cell number now. Call me when it gets to be rough. But don’t let them convince you to drop. You’re stronger than that and I know it because if you weren’t, Hector wouldn’t have looked at you twice.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now go tell Bobby you’ve changed your mind before the paperwork starts processing.” Click.
—oOo—
“Yeah, I finally convinced him to drop.” I hear laughter coming from the break room. “If you fuck with him about the CTO, that’ll do it.”
I stop. Why I’m torturing myself, I do not know.
“Gotta admit, I didn’t think you could do it, Ellis.”
A snort. “If you’re gay, fine. Keep that shit quiet. Being gay is nothing to be proud of. But he prances around like he owns the fucking place, all because his boyfriend is in the leadership.”
I feel a hand on my shoulder. Lt. Brown and Lt. Santos, and neither looks happy.
“Go to my office,” Lt. Brown whispers. “Wait outside.”
He and Lt. Santos step into the break room and I haul ass to his office. Minutes later, a red-faced Ellis appears with McGhee, my other occasional tormentor.
“Peña,” Lt. Brown says. “I assume you’re here to complete your paperwork.”
I stand at attention. “Sir, no, sir.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Well? At ease. Permission to speak freely granted.”
“Sir, I’m here to rescind my paperwork, sir.”
He smirks. “Talk to the CTO?”
“No, sir.” He raises an eyebrow. “I was yelled at by his partner.”
“The CO?”
Ellis and McGhee smirk.
“Yes, sir.” I stare him dead in his eyes. “She told me that I was doing her a disservice.” He cocks his head. “She’s the only person in RangeMan, so far, to know what it’s like to have people assume that the only reason you were hired is because you’re fucking top leadership. Not because of your skills or abilities. Even the head of HR was hired because she has a degree and she had experience.”
Bobby lifts an eyebrow. “And Steph convinced you to stay with that inspiring speech?”
“No, sir. She told me she knew what it was like to be jeered at and whispered about, to have people betting on her life and to feel like she didn’t have any support around her and I realized that she knew exactly how I felt. Well, she said she’d never gotten as much support in her life as she had as a RangeWoman and I realized she was right.
I’m in a brotherhood that supports me and just because one or two”—I slide my gaze to Ellis and McGhee—”of my brothers are homophobic assholes, that doesn’t mean all of them are.” He nods, smiling that faint smile that usually means he’s proud. “She couldn’t run away from being the CO any more than she could run away from her history with Captain Mañoso, and her history with him shouldn’t matter.”
Ellis and McGhee still.
“She was hired for her skills and abilities, not because of him. I can’t help the way I met Mr. Gutierrez and I know the truth of our encounters. That’s all that matters and I won’t run from being a RangeMan.”
Lt. Brown smiles. “Good. Dismissed.”
“Sir?”
He waves a hand. “I shredded that request yesterday. I knew you’d come to your senses.”
He waves Ellis and McGhee into his office and, smiling, shuts the door in my face.
Thank you, sir, for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.
I turn. Lt. Santos is standing there, grim. I wait.
“To be in our lives means you have a thick skin or develop one fast,” he says quietly. “We’ve been accused of all kinds of shit in our lives and we’ve learned to ignore it. Contrary to what you think, Hec’s skin is thin. His orientation is known within the company, but he was a Reyes. He kept that part of himself very quiet.”
I thought so. I got that listening to him talk about his sister.
Lt. Santos smiles. “He admires your ability to let those things roll off you. You aren’t ashamed to be a gay man. Hec’s not, but Catholic guilt . . .” He shrugs.
I nod. Catholic guilt and Latin machismo keep more Latin men in the closet than anything else. That’s why I loved Miami. Everyone was out and proud, weird in a city that breathed machismo. Sgt. LaPierre walks up and stares at me. After a minute, he nods.
“How do you want to handle this?”
I cock my head and raise an eyebrow.
Lt. Santos sighs. “If we release them, it’ll look one way. If we keep them . . .” He shrugs. “We’ll take your opinion into consideration here.”
Ah! I smile. RangeMan leadership is great. Sgt. LaPierre and Lt. Santos are acknowledging the obvious and giving me a choice. I appreciate that. I asked them not to fight my battles and they’re keeping their word.
“If not for me, would you keep them?”
“Don’t consider that,” Sgt. LaPierre says.
“Keep them. I don’t want to be the reason they’re dropped. I’ll handle them in my own time.” My voice has an edge as I start considering possibilities and both men’s brows rise slightly.
“You won’t be partnered with either ever again.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He nods and walks into Lt. Brown’s office. Santos smirks.
“Now, I’ve been locked out of RangeWorld again. Mind helping?”
I smile. “Will I have access to your phone?”
“No other way for you to convince that little sneak to let me back in otherwise.”
—oOo—
Les’s POV
I stand in my doorway and watch Manolo on the phone. Hec was hurt when I spoke to him and Manolo is soothing him now, telling him he won’t drop. He’s going to make it. No one is going to make him run away. He tries to divert Hec’s attention by asking about Hector Manuel, but it doesn’t appear Hec fell for the bait.
Good, but Ellis and McGhee are on my shit list unless they make a turnaround real quick.
Bobby hates bullies. He wants to release them, but Tank said we should allow Peña some say on the call. Otherwise, it would look as if we were ‘protecting the little gay boy who couldn’t take a little friendly ribbing’. He’d have to live with that, not us, so we’d give him some leeway here.
Peña voted to keep them. He plans to handle it? OK. We’ll be deaf, dumb, and blind when he does.
Hector’s possible boyfriend has some balls to him. We like that about him. Besides, he’s been clear that he doesn’t want anyone to fight his battles, so we don’t. But we do watch carefully. Manolo accepts no one’s shit about being gay, so most of the men have filed that away as another fact, like he has brown eyes and shoulder-length hair. He’s a leader in this recruit class; the men admire the fact that he works hard but is willing to help anyone learn his skills.
The RMSA men admire the fact that he flattened Ellis in the ring. He kept playing with him, like a cat with a mouse, until Ellis was tired. Then he ripped Ellis to shreds. It was a beautiful boxing match and I still owe Bobby a steak dinner. Bobby said ten rounds. I said six; I assumed Manolo would want to get out of the ring fast.
Then Hec showed up, shirtless, and I knew Bobby would be eating out on me. Manolo’s entire stance changed and Hec stayed until the end of the match. Bobby smirked for the rest of the night. He’d texted Hec to let him know about the bout. Cheat.
Manolo now runs the boxing and swimming lessons for the men here. He’s acknowledged as the best among the recruits and among the men. He and Gonzo seemed to have bonded and the RMSA men are taking him under their wing to help him get his running and weightlifting up faster.
So that request to drop stunned us. Beautiful said the right thing to the right man to buck his spirit back up. Manolo’s ‘get over yourself’ backbone is back. Good to see.
Tank walks up and stares at him. “Thoughts?”
“I’d like to kill them.”
Tank snorts. Gonzo walks up and tries to peer into my office. Tank immediately moves to block the doorway and we slam our blank faces into place.
“Gonzales?” Tank growls.
Gonzo swallows hard. “He’s not dropping, is he?”
“Is that any of your business?” I ask.
“Yes, sir,” he replies. “I’d hoped he had time to help me improve my breaststroke.”
Nice try, Gonzo. “Who told you?”
He snorts. “More like, what did I overhear?”
I open my mouth, but Tank raises a hand. He stares at Gonzo, who stares back impassively. Tank nods.
“Plan?”
“Freeze ‘em out. If you can’t accept one, you can’t accept any and we won’t accept you.” Gonzo snorts. “Ellis is a white man in a minority-owned company, but every man in this company can come up with some ‘protected’”—he finger quotes—”status that’ll prevent us from accepting him.”
My lips twitch. “Such as?”
“Well, the Hispanics definitely agree that we need to back our brother. The blacks agree too. Manolo ain’t white, in their words. The military men are definitely gonna back him. The gays, out or not, are backing him. Everyone shorter than six foot is backing him. We’re tired of height discrimination.”
Gonzo stares at me and Tank. Tank’s 6’6”. I’m 6’1”. Bobby’s 6’4”. Ranger’s 6’. Tank and I each raise a brow.
“No offense. Anyway, the Miami men and potential Miami men are backing him. Everyone who can’t swim for shit and needs his help getting better is backing him. Everyone who envies his ability to pull the most beautiful women at the club and release them over to us is backing him—”
“What group is that?” I can’t help but ask.
“The ‘Wingman-because-of-you’ category. Little known. Often confused for the ‘Ugly-and-doesn’t-know-it’ group.”
I nod. “I know that category. I’m a member.”
Gonzo stares. “In what world, sir?”
“In the world that exists when the CCO is dressed to go to the club.”
Gonzo gives me a full body scan. “Shit. That’s Bizarro World. I can’t wait to tell the guys in that group that they have an LC member.”
Gonzo keeps listing groups and I’m desperate to walk into my office and bust a gut. The men have come up with some wacky ass ideas to make it clear that Manolo is one of them!
“And that will leave?” Tank asks.
“McGhee, if he’s lucky.” Gonzo rolls his eyes. “The only thing worse than bullies are the people who stand by silently and/or encourage that shit. If that’s McGhee, he’s going to be lumped in with his boy. Lie down with dogs . . .” He grins. We nod.
“Success?”
“We think Peña should receive a very sincere apology. A public one. We’re not sure what else. We’re working on that.” Gonzo shrugs. “If you don’t like homosexuals, fine. Keep your fucking mouth shut but you better not hesitate to protect your brother. No Serpicos ‘round here.” He grins, the grin that makes me wonder about his mental capacities some days. “Plus, we plan to spike his ass with No-Doze and make him watch gay porn. Maybe if he sees it in action, he’ll stop asking Peña ignorant questions.”
“We didn’t hear that.”
“Of course not, sir.”
Tank nods and Gonzo walks away. Tank turns to me. “Mine?”
“Please.”
We walk in Tank’s office, lock the door, and laugh our asses off. Bobby walks in, completely pissed off.
“This shit is not funny.”
Tank tosses him the tequila. “What happened?”
“I told them they’re on probation.” Tank nods. This is Ellis’s second strike, McGhee’s first. Bobby takes a swig straight from the bottle. “I fail to see the joke. Please fill me in. I need a laugh.”
I start telling him about the men’s plans to ‘correct’ their newest brother’s thinking and at the end Bobby’s holding his head and moaning about a headache.
“Fuck!” He grins. “Have you—”
“Yup. I want to see how he performs over this first year, but Diego liked him too. If he enters the training program to become a strategist, he might be worthy.” I like Gonzo more and more. He’s a leader, a sly thinker, and funny as hell. He’s respected among the men.
“Wrong position.” I look over. Tank’s smiling. “He overheard enough to mobilize the RMSA men and the recruits into coming up with that plan in minutes then told us immediately. The men look to Gonzo when they’re unsure. Diego had to win Gonzo over to win his position here.” He raises a brow.
Bobby nods. “XO material.”
“I’ve been watching him. He’s definitely XO material. Plus, we don’t have to worry about his mouth if we keep him in-house.”
We nod. We’ve been watching the men carefully and Gonzo’s another favorite of ours. I think Tank’s right. I’d go batty trying to teach him to be sly. Gonzo’s an XO, not a strategist.
I just need to teach him when and where to keep his mouth shut.
Bobby nods. “Meanwhile, Hec needs to know about that.”
I nod. There’s a knock at the door and Manolo pokes his head in. “Sir?”
“Yeah?”
“You have access to RangeWorld again.”
“Thanks. By the way, you need to find Gonzo. Apparently, he needs help with his breaststroke.”
Manolo snorts. “Gonzo needs help. Full stop.” He closes the door. We all look at each other and fall out again.
“Dial Hec,” Bobby says, grinning. Tank dials and Hec answers.
“Yo.” He still sounds unhappy.
“Yo! You talk to your friend?”
“Yes,” Hec growls. “You did release those assholes anyway, right?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” Hec yells. “Why in the hell would you keep them—”
“Because it sends the wrong message,” Tank replies calmly. “If we drop them, we did it in response to bullying against one person for something he can’t help. So if the Latinos start bullying the whites or the blacks, or vice versa, what then? Gays vs. non-gays? Military versus non-military was the issue in the last class.”
Hec is quiet.
“Remember Trenton?” Bobby says. “There it was the Italians, like Vince and Zero, versus everyone else. They had to work through that “Guido” shit and the Mob questions.” He turns to me. “NYC just had Wall Street vs. Hood.”
“Right,” Hec says softly.
“Our normal response in this kind of situation is to allow it to work out. We can’t force brotherhood. You couldn’t force us to accept you as our brother. We simply did.”
“If we have to intervene, we drop the entire class,” I add. “Manolo’s a strong man. He just reached a breaking point and needed a break. It happens to every man in every recruit class. They all reach a certain point where they don’t see the point of going on but they do and it usually happens because the brotherhood kicks in to help. They all finish together and the brotherhood survives and thrives. Some do it faster than others.”
“Manolo’s been a recruit for less than six weeks and he’s seen as a leader,” Tank says. “He makes decisions like a leader. Respect that, Hec. You can’t protect him.”
“I know,” Hec mutters. “He reminds me. Constantly.”
We smirk. Good job, Manolo. Better learn how to handle Hec now.
Then pass on the tips. We’re desperate for a clue!
—oOo—
Manolo’s POV
The guy in the video is hung.
Really hung.
I’m enjoying this. Gonzo’s brilliant!
Ellis is green. “OK, OK, I get it. I’m done. I don’t want to watch anymore,” he moans. The ‘Gay Movie Marathon’ has been going on for two hours and he’s been complaining for the last hour and 55 minutes.
Gonzo stares at him. “We have six more hours of gay porn rented. You’re watching every minute.” Gonzo glances back at the screen. “I’m starting to get into this.”
I laugh. “You’re imagining a woman doing some of that?”
“Hell yeah.” Gonzo grins. “Sorry. I mentally edit one dude out. I have to.” Everyone around us chuckles.
“Active imagination.”
“It keeps me alive.”
“My motto exactly.” We turn. Lt. Santos is standing there with huge tubs of popcorn. We shift and he takes the seat on the other side of Ellis.
This has to be Ellis’s nightmare. He’s handcuffed and taped to the chair. I’m sitting on one side, obviously enjoying the movie marathon. Gay sex galore! Now Lt. Santos is on the other side, munching popcorn. There’s no way he gets away.
“I’ve done that,” someone mutters. We all shift to look around. Ches Deuce. He blushes. “What? It was with a woman.”
“It’s OK to admit you’ve had a homosexual encounter, Ches,” Lt. Brown says slyly. Everyone laughs as he takes the seat behind Ellis. “We won’t think less of you.”
“No thanks, sir,” Ches replies, grinning. “Have you?”
“You count orgies?”
“Really?” Ches’s eyes are wide.
“I was fondling the wrong leg.” He shrugs. “It was hard to keep track of whose limbs were whose.”
“It helps if you open your eyes,” Lt. Santos says, smirking. “You wanted the leg next to mine.”
“Explains the hair.” We stare at them. Lt. Brown shrugs. “Malaysia.”
“I wanna grow up to be you someday, sir,” someone mutters, and we bust a gut. Lt. Brown smirks and grabs some popcorn.
Sucks to be Ellis tonight. Everyone has been commenting on the movie marathon and laughing. I know most of these guys want to leave, but they’re sticking up for me.
I really really appreciate it. I haven’t come up with a decent payback for Ellis yet.
Sgt. LaPierre and Ms. Jackson arrive and take seats. Lula stares at the screen.
“Damn! He’s hung.” She moves to the front next to me. I stand and offer her my seat but she shakes her head. The guys wedge a seat for her next to me and we both sit back down. “Pass that popcorn, Les. If I’m watching six hours of quality gay porn, I need snacks!”
I love Lula Jackson. I pass her my Mike and Ike’s and get a happy smile.
“What did you rent, Gonzo?” Sgt. LaPierre asks.
“I didn’t rent these, sir. Malcolm did.”
I turn. I thought Malcolm intended to stay firmly in the closet. Now he’s looking at everyone coolly.
“Yes, I’m gay. What of it?”
Answer? “Since when?” Ellis asks, stunned.
“Since I could remember. And like Peña, I have absolutely no interest in your ass.”
Everyone nods and turns back around except me. I stare at Malcolm and he gives me a small smile and nods his head. I nod back and turn around.
I thought so. This wasn’t an amateur’s selection. Malcolm rented some of the best names in the business.
The next two hours fill out Ellis’s sexual education. Occasionally, Gonzo stops the tape to ask Ellis if he’s done any of those things with women. Or men. Ellis doesn’t know how to answer. He’s red with embarrassment and anger and he’s twitchy. Lt. Brown is keeping an eye on his vitals since he’s been spiked with 5-Hour Energy.
“Geez, Ellis, no wonder you’re an uptight asshole,” Ches says. “A woman with you is lying on her back thinking of England, huh?”
Everyone laughs. We’ve been making jokes like this all night.
“Not getting any, Ellis?” Malcolm asks.
“I get plenty,” he growls. “I just don’t need to watch this.”
“Yes, you do,” Gonzo says. “Since you don’t have much imagination, you need to see how gay sex works. If you had an imagination, you would have figured it out and not asked Peña such stupid questions.” He claps Ellis on the back and motions to everyone behind him. “It’s OK. The brotherhood is here to help you. We’re all here, watching gay porn with you, to help you grow up. If you can’t figure it out after this, we’ll find someone to give you a hands-on demonstration.”
He pales. “I don’t think that’s necessary, sir.”
“You better hope it’s not,” Lula replies. “I could probably find some people if it is.”
An informal survey around the room reveals that all the men have done the standard two (vaginal and oral), about half the room have done all three (VOA) and some people, like Gonzo, Lt. Brown and Lt. Santos, are true freaks.
Surprisingly, Sgt. LaPierre is the person who’s admitted to doing most of the stuff we watch. Everyone’s teasing Lula, but she laughs.
“I know how to handle my man’s needs.”
“And judging from what he says, he has lots of needs,” I reply. My head is thumped, painfully, but everyone laughs.
“Or maybe we just understand that as long as we both consent and it feels good, nothing’s off-limits,” she replies.
Gonzo pauses the tape. “Please repeat that.”
She stands and looks every man in the room in the face. “As long as you both consent and it feels good, nothing should be off limits in the bedroom. After all, that’s what sex is about right? Pleasure and trust?” Everyone nods. “Then who gives a damn about how it’s done as long as you enjoy it?”
“Lula, I get that. A man and a woman together in a bed I totally get, but I don’t see how any man could get any pleasure from having a dick rammed up his ass,” Ellis says tiredly.
Lt. Brown sighs. “Ellis, you and I are going to spend some time together with an anatomy chart. You need to meet your prostate.”
“Sir, have you had a dick rammed up your ass?”
“Yes.”
You could hear a pin drop in the room. Everyone looks over at him. Even I’m shocked. Lt. Brown is cool.
“Plenty of lube, a partner with some imagination and I shoot farther than any man on tape we’ve seen tonight.”
Every jaw drops. Ellis is stunned.
“But . . . But . . . Sir . . .”
“I think what Bobby meant to say was that he’s allowed a woman to ram a dildo up his ass before,” Lt. Santos says, amused. “Gently, of course, with plenty of lube.”
The entire room laughs, in sheer relief I think. Lt. Brown’s cheeks redden and he flips Lt. Santos off.
“Thank you. That should have been the obvious understanding.” Lt. Brown rolls his eyes. “I’m not gay. I’m just not stupid enough to allow my pursuit of pleasure to be restricted by homophobic prejudice or social condemnation. It’s my body. If it feels good and leads to an orgasm, I’m in at least once.” He looks around the room. “Once upon a time blow jobs were considered dirty and immoral. Raise your hand if you’ve never had a blow job.”
I look around. Everyone’s blushing and looking around. I turn Ellis so he can see the room and see how out of touch he is.
“Right. Once upon a time, cunnilingus was considered dirty—”
“Oh, please raise your hand if you don’t know how to lick,” Lula says, standing up to look. Malcolm and I raise our hands. “You two are the ‘duh’ members of the group. Put your hands down.” We lower our hands, grinning. “Humph. Good to know the rest of y’all aren’t selfish bastards.”
The tension in the room is cut with that statement. Lula is great.
“A prize for the man who’s never masturbated,” Sgt. LaPierre says, leaving his comfortable perch against the wall and standing straight up. Everyone’s looking around. “Congratulations. Each man in here has engaged in sexual activity which, strictly speaking, is considered sodomy.”
Jaws drop. I’m … confused and surprised. And thrilled. Clearly the LC meant to make a point tonight.
“You nasty bastards,” Lula says, clearly teasing. There’s a few nervous laughs.
“Sir, sodomy is anal sex,” Gonzo says, confused.
“Incorrect,” Lt. Brown replies. “Sodomy is defined as anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex, i.e., blowjobs, pussy licking, and anal in a hetero or homosexual context.”
No one moves, speaks, or blinks. I think the straight guys are shocked. Wow. Talk about getting a lesson. I look around the room and note that I’m not the only person thinking about that.
“I mean, blow jobs are not . . .” Russell mutters. He trails off at the look on Lt. Brown’s face. We all know how he feels about whether or not oral and anal sex counts as sex.
“They wouldn’t call it oral sex if it wasn’t sex, Russell,” he growls.
“Two hundred years ago, any sexual activity that did not lead directly to the procreation of children was considered dirty and immoral and was legislated accordingly,” Lt. Santos says. “Bye bye blow jobs. Bye bye masturbation—”
“The only thing keeping some of you men sane,” Sgt. LaPierre mutters. Nervous laughs break out.
“—bye bye fun,” Lt. Santos finishes. “In another two hundred years they’ll change the tune again and anal sex will be all the rage. Shit, every man in here just finished reading 50 Shades of Gray. Ten years ago, hell, five years ago, BDSM was that dirty kinky shit that happened in seedy clubs that no one talked about. Now they’re out and proud, with books and instruction manuals on how to get your kink on.”
“And video!” someone yells, and everyone laughs.
“Thank you. And video,” Lt. Brown says. He turns to Ellis. “So quit making judgment calls because this is all cyclical. Ancient Greece considered homoerotic relationships between men to be the ideal and sexual relations with a woman was just tolerated for inheritance sake. Now look at us. As long as man can figure out how to get off, he will. The only thing that changes is the social condemnation and the awareness.
So get some lube and a dildo, find a woman willing to have some fun with you and quit being the laziest fuck in this room. If you can’t, or won’t, do that, quit being a hypocrite. No more blow jobs for you. No more masturbation. And I’ll tell your girlfriend that pussy licking is off the table from now on. She can lie back and think of England, like Ches said.”
The entire room breaks into applause. I don’t know about anyone else, but I know I’m going to spend the next few days thinking about this. Judging by the whispers, I’m not the only one.
Every man in this room has engaged in sodomy! HAHAHAHAHA!!!! What a mind blower!
“So I guess your girlfriend don’t know where your G-spot is, huh Ellis?”
It’s like the background noise in the room is cut off. Every man stares at Lula, straining to overhear what she’s saying to Ellis.
“There’s a male G-spot?” Arlo asks.
Lula, Lt. Brown, Lt. Santos, and Sgt. LaPierre look around. “You men didn’t know that?” Lt. Brown asks.
Heads shake. The leadership look at each other and smirk.
“Damn!” Lt. Santos said. “You’ve been missing out! Put the Cosmos down for a moment and read up on your own orgasms.” We laugh. “There are plenty of places on men that you’re not even hitting that’ll blow your mind! See, that’s what you’re missing out on with this irrational fear of anal. You men need to meet your prostates, aka the male G-spot.”
I hide a smile as everyone starts talking again, mostly about how they didn’t know that.
“I get enough prostate talk at home,” X mutters. “My grandad’s is having problems.”
“Come talk to me tomorrow, X,” Lt. Brown says quietly.
“Yes, sir.”
“Meanwhile,” Lt. Santos says, brightening, “you men should take some time to meet yours. Have some fun with it before you curse its existence.” Everyone laughs. “That’s what gay men know that the rest of you don’t. You guys have been talking about how fake all the orgasms we’ve seen are? Not! Anal means they’re hitting their G-spot every fucking time!” I hide a grin. “Take a lesson from your gay brothers, men. Go home to your wives and girlfriends and suggest she toss your salad!”
I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. Every man was with Lt. Santos until he said ‘toss your salad’!
“Seriously,” Sgt. LaPierre says, stepping forward. “You’ve learned from 50 Shades. Some of you are starting to like bondage, if what I overhear is accurate.” A few red faces but some nods. “Well, read all of the Kama Sutra, not just the parts about her pleasure. Yours too. Teach her how to please you instead of assuming she knows. You don’t. Neither does she.”
“And talk, dammit,” Lula grouses. “If something feels good, you better say something. We do.”
“That’s for damn sure,” someone mutters.
We break to grab more popcorn and drinks. Lts. Santos and Brown sit again and motion for Gonzo to restart the tape. I turn Ellis back around to watch the video and everyone starts talking technique instead of laughing nervously like we were doing before.
Every man in here has engaged in sodomy!!! I can’t wait for someone to give me shit about my sex life. Thank you, Leadership Core, for the ammo!!!
“Your religious beliefs are your own, Ellis,” Lt. Santos says quietly, leaning forward. “We’re not going to touch that, but don’t be a hypocrite. If you really want to have that relationship with God, seek knowledge for yourself. Listen to alternate understandings and consider opposing views. That’s what strengthens your beliefs, constantly testing them, not listening to the same echo chamber day after day. Meanwhile, quit using your religious understandings to make judgments about people. You want to go to Atlanta?” He nods. “Atlanta has Jews and Muslims in that office. You really think they’ll appreciate your attitude?”
Ellis swallows hard and looks at me. I smile at him.
“Which is why I keep telling you that this”—I motion to the TV—“doesn’t matter.”
—oOo—
Hector’s POV
“You made him sit through a gay movie marathon?”
Les laughs. “We didn’t. The men did and mocked his skills.”
I’m grinning. “So?”
“Three more men in the recruit class came out of the closet during that movie marathon and get this: McGhee was one of them. Well, he admitted he’s bi.”
I roll my eyes. Les sounds amazed. I’m not. McGhee’s gay and not willing to admit it.
“Well? How is he?”
“Happy again. He’s back running the swimming classes for the men and working in bonds enforcement. Did you know he has a degree in criminal justice?”
“Yes.” Along with a lot of tech certs.
“Yeah well, he started talking about some apps to interface back to RangeWorld to make doing stuff in the field easier. Possible—”
“—interfaces for our law enforcement colleagues?”
“Yeah.”
“I know. He’s mentioned it.” And I’m excited by the thought. Making RangeWorld accessible outside RangeMan is on my corporate plan now. Key fobs, authentication, truly making more of our processes mobile? Ranger will like it too. It might keep the paperwork down if men can fill out paperwork in the field using voice recognition software.
Ranger will like anything that keeps the paperwork down.
My mind has been whirring ever since Thanksgiving. I’ve scheduled a tech conference, all IT men in RangeMan, for the second week in January in Atlanta. I asked every man to submit the info on two conferences he wanted to attend next year and I’m trying to get Tank to give me the money to send each man to at least one. Already, RangeWorld has been able to save the company over $1 million dollars and I want to maximize every penny. Giving my men more training and opportunities can do that.
Nikki was right. I get to think about the big picture now. Nate’s settling into his new duties fine and he’s split the groups. The men have small task groups now to talk about needs, like the security cameras for the monitoring business or ‘spy’ gear for the consulting business. The business investigations group needs all kinds of stuff and Matias in NYC is spearheading that with Vince from Trenton.
I’ve never been unwilling to give the men responsibility, but now they’re passing info up to me so fast I spend hours at night reading!
But first … “Ellis?”
“He’s been quiet lately.” There’s some noise in the background and I hear Bobby’s voice. He sounds amused. Les starts laughing. “Well, seems Ellis has decided RangeMan’s not for him.”
I sit back in my seat and smile. Good. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. He submitted his paperwork to drop. I spoke to him.” Bobby sounds truly amused. I can almost see the grin on his face. “I told him there were gays, Jews, and Muslims in the Atlanta branch. I think he could tolerate the gays and Jews, but the ‘terrorists’ were a bit much.”
“Racist asshole.”
“Prejudiced, but yes, I agree. I told him I’d never tolerate his attitude in my home branch. Every man believes in the brotherhood and he told me he didn’t need the cooling off period. Best part?”
“Yeah?”
“I told him IT was based in Atlanta. You’re a frequent visitor to the branch, constantly popping in with little to no warning. As a matter of fact, you’re there right now.”
“And?”
“A sheet of paper had more color than his face at that moment.”
“I thought was I wasn’t scawy,” I reply, laughing.
“I guess the idea of meeting you in person added some fear to the theoretical possibility.”
Finally! Another good use for my scary rep. “Think they’ll be blowback?”
“I reminded him that his training period here was covered by a confidentiality agreement. No biggie to him. He’s headed to the DeKalb police.”
Bobby and Les both break into laughter. I’m grinning.
We’ll see Ellis sooner rather than later and we can confirm his attendance at the police academy easily.
Congrats, Ellis. You won’t be missed.
Add to blog.
A/N: I had fun indulging my geek side researching this. A bit of added info (as a former GA resident):
Oral sex has long had a special criminal status in Georgia law; until 1998, even oral sex between a husband and wife was punishable with up to 20 years in prison. The United States Supreme Court, in 1986, originally upheld Georgia’s anti-sodomy law (which covered both oral sex and anal sex) as constitutional even when applied to criminalize two consenting adults in the privacy of their bedroom (Bowers v. Hardwick).
So in one stroke of a pen, the US Supreme Court criminalized blow jobs, pussy licking, and anal for gay and straight couples throughout the country! [I’ll bet some of you were breaking the law the entire time (wink, wink)!] Why? The jurist who wrote the dissent, Harry Blackmun, accused the court of getting caught up in the homosexual aspect of the case and ignoring the broader implications (ie. right to privacy and equal protection). The dissent in that case read, in part,
“That certain, but by no means all, religious groups condemn the behavior at issue gives the State no license to impose their judgments on the entire citizenry. The legitimacy of secular legislation depends, instead, on whether the State can advance some justification for its law beyond its conformity to religious doctrine.”
In other words, don’t use your religion to make or decide law, whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, etc. The law is supposed to be blind and apply to everyone equally. Yes, this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian background, but that same background upheld slavery as both legal and moral for how many years?
Dangerous. The law is supposed to treat everyone equally.
Anyway, twelve years later, Georgia’s Supreme Court would find that the same law upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court was unconstitutional on state constitutional grounds, at least as applied to oral sex with persons over the age of consent (Powell v. Georgia (1998)).
So blow jobs and pussy licking were legal again as long as you were over 18 and lived in Georgia. It was still considered illegal in fourteen other states (most states reversed their own laws after Bowers).
Only in 2003, with Lawrence v. Texas, would the US Supreme Court strike down anti-sodomy laws nationwide (in a 6-3 ruling). In other words, we all, gay and straight, have only had the legal ‘right’ to have oral and anal sex (without the possibility of being arrested) for 11 years!
Blows your mind, doesn’t it?!
I’m not going to get into whether or not homosexuality is right. Your beliefs are your own. However, I prefer the government keep its nose out of my bedroom! That’s my issue.
