seemed the least bit concerned about her son’s naked state while sitting on the lap of another man. “She was accepting when you came out to her?”
“I never came out to her. She just found me balls-deep in my scuba instructor when we were on holiday in Anguilla when I was fourteen.”
“Ah.” Crane felt himself flush.
Max showed him that Cheshire smile again. “Does that make you uncomfortable? God, you really are a prude.” He clicked his tongue twice and shook his head. “And I’m not gay.”
“You’re… not?” Crane asked, flustered. It hadn’t even occurred to him that Max might not be gay. His brain was still digesting the word balls-deep. “You’re… bisexual?”
“No. Not bisexual.” Max steepled his fingers, looking pleased with himself for making Crane flail mentally as he searched for terms he’d only read about in heavy textbooks.
“Pan? Pan… sexual?” Crane tried.
“My gosh, you’re adorable. You look like you’re about to faint.”
“I’m trying, here, Max.”
“Pan’s fine… I guess. I prefer to think of myself as ‘opportunistic’.” When Crane stared at him blankly, Max explained: “I’m attracted to opportunities, rather than sexes or genders or what-have-yous. If an attractive opportunity presents itself, I’ll put my dick in it. Or my fist. Or pony up my ass for someone else’s pleasure.”
Or your mouth, thought Crane. All this talk about sex was rekindling the desire that Max had enslaved him with. He flared his nostrils, breathing deep. “Interesting.”
“How did you get this far in life—and become a psychologist, of all things—and stay so fucking sheltered? It doesn’t seem possible,” Max mused.
“I don’t know.” Crane felt a touch defensive. Was it his fault he married his high school sweetheart?
“Well, I’m glad I’m here to fix that,” Max said, a gleam in his eye. “Aren’t you glad, Doc?”
Crane didn’t answer. He glanced down at the words he’d written on the lined page and saw that he had drawn a box around sex-positive. He frowned.
“Ask me anything. Anything at all,” murmured Max. “I’ll give you no-holds-barred honesty. Promise.”
Chewing the inside of his cheek, Crane thought again about what Max had said of the scuba instructor.
“So,” he began quietly, “you like to ah… give as well as receive?”
“I do indeed.”
“Is that… common?”
Max didn’t answer for a moment—there was honest surprise on his face.
“What?” asked Crane, feeling self-conscious.
“It’s just that… Don’t you have any gay friends at all? No bisexuals? You don’t know anyone just a little bit queer? Are your friends all cis-hetero-white males?
“Pretty much,” Crane admitted, but not a 100 percent certain what cis stood for. “There’s an Indian guy in the group I go camping and fishing with.”
Max rested his chin in his palm and shook his head. “You go camping and fishing,” he murmured, almost to himself. “My God… What am I to do with you.”
Crane snorted at the campy lilt Max had put in his voice, and then glanced over at the clock. A little under twenty minutes left of their session. Plenty of time. He pressed his lips together. You’re an addict.
I am.
“Do you… like giving me blowjobs?” he asked, hoping that Max would pick up on the hint.
“Can’t you tell?”
“Mm.” He couldn’t imagine finding it enjoyable.
“Oh… Would you like me to suck your cock again, Dr. Crane?”
Yes yes yes. The young man cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to answer, so he nodded.
“Nuh-uh,” said Max, wagging one finger like a schoolmarm. “I want to hear you say it.”
“I don’t think—”
“Say it, Dennis,” Max growled at him.
Swallowing, Crane sat up straight. They were only words, but he was put on the spot, and it made him tense and embarrassed. Max was good at yanking his confidence out from under him. The words stuck on something in his throat, and when they came out, they sounded shredded and raw.
“Suck my cock, Max,” he rasped. His face felt like it was on fire.
“There we go. Say something else. Something true. I like it when you talk dirty.”
“I don’t—”
“Say something dirty and I’ll suck your cock again.”
“I… uh…”
“Say something true and dirty—”
“I don’t know!” spat Crane, irritated and desperately horny. He clenched his fist on his thigh as he grasped for things he might have heard watching porn—that was, when he didn’t have the volume turned all the way down so Mary wouldn’t know.
He’d never watched gay porn. Never held any interest for him. What the fuck do men say to each other? Max wanted something true and dirty. Goddamn it, his cock was hard and he was aching for Max to