In The Mountains

Chapter 8: We're friends.

Chapter 8: We're friends.

The next day Tennessee took him to see the doctor. The old doctor didn't seem so bad, and he surprised Paxton by being no-nonsense and not judgmental. After he looked Paxton over and told him he would be fine as long as he rested, the doctor persuaded Paxton to have STD testing and check for AIDS. Although Keyon's doctors tested Paxton every few months, he still agreed. Some tiny part of him still whispered that he could have s*x with Tennessee one day. If Paxton ever gave into his attraction to Tennessee, he wanted to ensure that he would never hurt the other man. He owed Tennessee his life.

When the doctor's visit was over, Tennessee drove them to the little town hidden in the valley. Once he parked the truck at an automotive store, he sprang out of the vehicle to head inside. After that stop, Tennessee entered what looked like an old-timey drug store. All the while Tennessee was running his errands, Paxton flipped through country radio stations and tried to get the air-conditioning to work.

Less than six people were on the streets, walking in and out of the hardware store and the ice cream place on the corner. There was something comforting about how quiet the little town was and the peacefulness hinted at Paxton being safe here.

“Ready to go?" Tennessee returned from the drug store with a smile. He leaped into the truck and handed Paxton two plastic bags. He then turned and set his automotive bag behind his seat.

Ever since the doctor told them that Paxton would be fine, Tennessee was all smiles and whistling a tune. The man fished his keys out of his pocket and rolled down his window to grin at the sunshine.

“Yes. I'm ready. Are we heading back to the house?"

“Yeah. I'm fixin' to get somethin' to eat. I skipped breakfast, and now that I'm not frettin' 'bout ya, I've got my appetite back. Whoo-ee, cowboy. Fussin' over ya could be a diet plan."

“You don't need to worry about me." Paxton peeked into the first plastic sack on his lap, and the package caught his eyes. “But you should make biscuits again."

“Whatever ya want."

Opening the bag, Paxton pulled out a pack of boxer briefs. Seeing the size, Paxton instantly knew these were not for Tennessee's muscular hips and rounded ass.

“Is this for me?"

Tennessee glanced at him and then started up the truck and changed the radio station.

“Tennessee? Is this for me?"

“Ya need 'em is all." Tennessee shrugged as Paxton read the label. The boxer briefs were exactly his size.

“What made you get boxer briefs for me? And how did you know my size? Is this just a good guess?"

“That's what he tore off ya. I read the label on yer underwear. The band of plastic was caught and wound inside yer suit pants."

“Oh," Paxton noted the socks and the box of bandages. No doubt Tennessee used all his bandages on Paxton. He didn't know how to feel about that. A strange warmth seeped into his soul. No one had ever cared about him like this stranger, and a lump started to form in his throat.

“Listen here, Paxton." Tennessee set his hands on the steering wheel and gripped the top so hard his knuckles paled. “I gotta say that I'm sorry fer what he did to ya. I won't bring it up again if ya don't want me to, but I just gotta say that."

Paxton nodded. That was the first time Tennessee didn't use cowboy or Pax to address him, and Paxton instantly wished the other man would call him something other than his name. For some reason, Paxton liked the way Tennessee had created an immediate intimacy between them.

“It happens," Paxton muttered, and then he thought about that dark sentence. Things like getting beaten in an alley happen… to hookers. It happens to men like Paxton, who wasn't good and sweet and living in a mountain paradise. His heart sank. Paxton deserved what happened to him because of what he was. And Tennessee? Well, this mountain man deserved the best kind of man in his life. Someone much better than Paxton would ever be.

Suddenly the air in the car got harder to breathe, and Paxton rolled down his window. For a second or two, Paxton had let the moment in the alley fade, and he was simply friends with Tennessee. But maybe that would never truly happen. Tennessee might always see Paxton as an escort that was getting f****d.

“It shouldn't happen." Tennessee did a hard stare out the windshield.

“It's not a big deal," Paxton muttered to the sunshine pouring in the open window.

“And ya sayin' that is what bothers me the most." Tennessee pounded the steering wheel and then turned on him. “Now I ain't plannin' to pitch a hissy fit, but I got somethin' to say to ya."

Paxton didn't know what to expect from Tennessee's violent reaction, but it sure wasn't the gentle and sweet way Tennessee put two fingers on Paxton's chin. Gently, Tennessee pushed until Paxton was facing him.

Their eyes locked.

Again, that want, the barely leashed desire, sparked between them, and Paxton fought to keep the uninvited yearning in check. They were friends. Friends, he reminded himself over and over again. Paxton refused to let anything, including himself, screw this up.

“It is a big deal to me, and it should bother ya, and no one should be allowed to touch ya like that. No one should be able to hurt ya ever." Tennessee's fingers stroked Paxton's cheek before he let his hand drop. “Ya hear me, cowboy?"

“You're too kind and naïve and caring, Tennessee. That's not the real world."

“Don't ya mistake my accent fer bein' stupid." Tennessee pulled away and began to drive. “I'm not as green as ya think, and I'm not as kind either. I know the world, and I ain't carin' what ya say 'bout it. What that bastard did was wrong, and I can tell ya that if in you'd been dead on the ground, I'd have done worse to that damn city-i***t than knock him silly. That low-down rattlesnake wouldn't be breathin'."

“Thank you, Tennessee, for saying that. I've never had a friend like you before." Paxton grinned and then leaned back on the torn seat. He'd been in nicer cars, but Paxton couldn't imagine any place nicer than sitting next to Tennessee in this loud pickup, watching the mountains pass his window.

“Yeah. Friends." Tennessee offered a flash of a smile and then turned down the road that headed back home.

“Well," Paxton said after a few minutes of companionable silence slipped by. “Now that I'm here in the mountains and away from Keyon for the first time, I guess I'm going to have to figure out some things. First, I should learn to cook, clean, and care for myself. And second, I need to make some money with a real job. That way, I can afford my own underwear."

“What are ya good at doin'?"

“Besides making old men come?"

“I'd be mighty pleased if ya never said that again," Tennessee grumbled, and Paxton chuckled.

“Okay, I won't say that again." Paxton paused. He'd never told anyone his secret, but he knew he could trust him as he offered a glance at Tennessee's profile. “Can I tell you a secret?"

“Is this 'bout old men comin'?"

“No." Paxton shook his head. “I said I wouldn't say that again."

“Alrighty then, shoot."

“No one knows this, but I have a college degree from an online university. It's just general business, an associate degree, but it's something I earned all by myself. I didn't like sitting around the mansion all the time, so I took some of my clothing allowance and paid for classes. I did it secretly and worked on it when everyone was sleeping."

“I'm impressed." Tennessee glanced at him and smiled. “That's great, Pax. Congratulations." He turned the wheel. “I only finished high school."

“At first, that was me as well—I only had a high school diploma. During my senior year, my parents found out I was gay and threw me out. I finished school, but just barely. After that, I didn't have a place to live or anything like that. I held a job for a while, but I couldn't make rent, and then I met some guys who were stealing and making easy money. I did that until I was caught and thrown in jail." Paxton lifted his eyes to the fluffy white clouds above them. “I want you to know who you have living in your house. I was in jail." Paxton inhaled and let it out slowly. “You should know that I'm a criminal."

“I get it." Tennessee nodded. “Uncle Cletus was in jail once, and he's one of my favorite people." Tennessee turned the wheel and then glanced at him. “What happened after ya got outta jail?"

“After I was out, I discovered that getting a job or a place to live was hard with a criminal record. That's when I met Keyon. I had a pretty face and no tattoos. He liked that about me. His escorts were high-end, and he didn't like them looking trashy. At first, I thought I had it made. We had everything in the mansion. I was off the streets, and I thought I could separate my mind from my body. You know, like disconnect."

“And then ya changed yer mind?" Tennessee said thoughtfully.

“Yes. I changed my mind almost immediately, but by then, it was too late. Even though I felt used, I was in too deep. I was given out to older men exclusively, and it got weirder and weirder. Sometimes they didn't even have s*x with me. I think they couldn't get it up, but they liked the idea of a submissive escort." Paxton sighed. “When I wasn't working, Keyon had all of us use the gym and sometimes shop, and we were allowed to get smarter so that we could blend into social settings. We had to take classes on how to act and speak correctly at fancy dinner parties. We even had to learn what the right silverware was. We were full service, and I felt like a doll or a prop."

“Were ya runnin' away? Is that why that guy in the alley beat ya?

“No. I was meeting a new client. Honestly, I never thought about running away. It seemed impossible. I wanted to leave. I did, but I didn't think I could get out without dying. When any escorts left the mansion, we were told they were killed. We never saw them again. Keyon doesn't play around."

“Yer real smart Pax, if you'd wanted to leave, ya would've figured it out eventually."

“I don't know. I was never smart enough to leave until I met you." Paxton caught the slight grin on Tennessee's lips, but he didn't say anything more. Paxton would have to be careful. They were becoming friends, and he had to stop hitting on Tennessee so he didn't send the man mixed signals.

“Maybe I'll be able to help ya think of a way to make money. That way, you'll have extra cash fer more than just new drawers."

“Like I can buy a pair of cowboy boots?" Paxton teased. “Or a cowboy hat?"

“Welp, now, that sounds mighty fine to me." Tennessee turned and started to slow the truck. Up ahead, Paxton caught sight of a massive brick building.

“Where are we now?"

“This is my garage. I gotta stop here first."