Chapter 21: Home, Sweet Home
"Frank, when you get this message give me a call. I've… got to tell you about some stuff that happened while you were gone. Okay? Love ya, Bro. Tell Phil I said "Hi" too." Frank Hardy-Cohen hit the delete option for his voicemail and opened the text application on his cell phone while Phil fumbled with his key chain. There was no way Frank was calling Joe back at this late hour of the night. Especially since the younger Hardy hadn't indicated that the matter was urgent. A quick, "Hey, we're back, call you in the morning." would suffice for now.
The most pressing matters on Frank's mind at the moment was his own comfortable bed and the young man standing in front of him. Said young man finally got the front door open and led the way into their blessedly cool, air-conditioned home. Frank started to follow Phil into the foyer when his husband spun on his heel and pressed his hand to Frank's chest.
"Nope! Wait a minute! Let's do this right." And he grabbed the shoulder strap of Frank's carry-on and set it just inside the door.
"What? What are you…? Ah c'mon! Really?" Frank sputtered as Phil scooped him up bridal-style and stepped over the threshold.
"Well if it'll make you feel better…" Phil paused and he set Frank back to his feet in the foyer. "We'll step back out and you can do me next." Frank shook his head in mock exasperation and reached past Phil to close the door. He used his body to back Phil up against it and laced his fingers through the other's belt loops.
"Oh, I'll do you next alright." He thrust his hips forward and nipped lightly at Phil's chin.
The raven-haired man's five o'clock shadow felt prickly against Frank's lips, but he didn't mind in the least. He ducked his head to nuzzle the skin under Phil's jaw bone and lightly traced his lips down the tendon of his neck.
The first few buttons of Phil's cotton shirt were undone already, granting Frank access to the exposed collar bone. His lips hovered there, letting his warm breath tease Phil's skin. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Phil's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Heated fingers snaked their way from the base of Frank's nape to the soft strands at his crown, a slight push encouraging Frank to make contact. But Frank resisted, instead ghosting his lips along the length of the clavicle and back until he heard Phil's breath hitch as he reached the middle of his chest. He rewarded Phil's patience with a warm tongue, licking and teasing the depression between his collar bones and up to his Adam's apple. Frank's light, teasing licks evolved into warm, wet kisses that trailed north until he reached Phil's mouth, claiming it with his own. Phil's lips parted, allowing Frank to delve his tongue in and taste the sweetness he had been longing for.
It had been hours. Far, far too long in Frank's mind. Their honeymoon had spoiled him for being able to kiss Phil whenever and wherever he wanted. Now home, they had less than a week to adjust to married life and the joys of being newlyweds until they were forced to part for the demands of reality. Frank planned to savor every precious moment he could.
He heard the click of the deadbolt and the subsequent rattle of the door's chain as Phil blindly secured their home. Frank was glad Phil was thinking ahead, but the fact that Phil's mind had wandered while Frank was kissing him didn't set right with him. He'd fix that in jiffy.
Frank ran his hands from Phil's waist up to chest, stopping at opening of the flimsy cotton shirt. He grabbed the material and buttons pinged and scattered everywhere in the dark foyer as Frank tore the shirt open. Phil gasped in surprise, but any protests were swallowed up in Frank's kiss, intense and demanding. The brunet pushed the ruined shirt down Phil's shoulders, effectively restricting any access Phil had to Frank's body moments before. Frank held on to Phil's arms as he began to kiss his way downward, stopping to lap at the manscaped skin just above his waistband. Frank squeezed Phil's arms in a silent command to "stay put" and undid the waist and fly of the other's cargo shorts. He pushed the shorts down to Phil's knees, freeing the erection that bobbed heavily in the cooler air.
Frank lowered himself down on his good knee and ran his hands up Phil's thighs. He looked up and the view made his mouth water. Phil was basically naked from the knees up, arms pulled back by the tattered shirt and back arched as he leaned against the polished wooden door. The honey and hazel color of his eyes were barely visible as his pupils were blown black, glazed over with lust and anticipation. The humidity of the warm June night had caused Phil's hair to spring free from the command of his hair product, and a bluish black halo of curls encircled his head.
Frank locked eyes with him, daring him not to look away as he lightly ran a hand up the velvety skin of his shaft.
"Fraaaank…" Phil whined and bucked forward. Frank placed his lips on the base of Phil's cock, pressing kiss after soft kiss up the shaft until he reached the head. Phil broke eye contact and slammed the back of his head into the door as Frank swallowed his girth to the base. Frank hollowed his cheeks as he pulled back and then took him in again.
"Oh shit! Frank!" Phil panted. Bondage had never been a "thing" for either of them, but being at Frank's mercy and not able to reach out and touch him sent a hot thrill up Phil's spine. Phil pushed his hips forward into the wet heat that surround his cock. That won him ten fingernails digging deeper into his ass cheeks, the sting of which only spurred him on.
One hand left his ass and encircled his base. Frank moved his mouth off with a lewd pop, a string of saliva still connecting them from Frank' bottom lip. Could anything look any sexier? Phil thought not as those big brown eyes met his again. Frank's lips were swollen and dark pink from their labors. At that moment Phil would have loved to reach out and run his thumb along those swollen lips. To taste them and trace his own tongue along their fullness. But a smirk graced those lips now and just as swiftly they surrounded him again.
"Ah! Guh…Fraa…" Phil could only babble now. Frank's hand released the base of his cock and his strong, lithe arms encircled Phil's hips, drawing him in deeper, sucking and massaging with his tongue, picking up speed as if he were trying to draw the very life out of Phil. Phil's shirt slipped lower on his arms and Phil wrung one free to finally grasp the hairs at the back of Frank's head. His purchase on the chestnut strands were the only thing that could ground him to reality. Otherwise he would have fucked into Frank's mouth without mercy.
But that must have been what Frank wanted as he reached back and tugged Phil's wrist. The stinging slap of Phil's hand against the cold door behind him echoed through the foyer. Phil's panting and moans and the wet sounds Frank made with his mouth filled their ears. Phil's head began to go light and every nerve in this body felt as if it was strung tight as a bow. His release came with a ringing cry out and his knees quaked with the effort to remain standing. Frank tightened his grip around Phil to support his weight and drank down the salty cum, every drop that Phil could give him.
Phil thought he must have blacked out momentarily. One moment he had been leaning against the door, the next his buttocks met the itchy sisal mat in front of the door. Frank was smugly wiping a bit of cum from the corner of his mouth. He looked at the droplet on his fingers, and made a show of licking his fingers clean. Phil groaned at the sight before him.
"Babe, you're gonna make me cum again doing that." Phil rasped.
"That is the plan." Frank said.
ooOOoo
Phil set the television remote on the coffee table with a clatter. Frank had stepped out into the back yard to get some fresh air. Hate crimes targeting the Bayport area's LGBT residents had increased throughout the week. The latest tragedy involved the house fire and death of a couple of retired school teachers. One of the women was a senior member of the Gardening Club, and her partner volunteered reading to children at Bayport's Municipal Library. Their lifeless bodies were found in their living room, bound at the ankles and wrists. The coroner found evidence that they had experienced smoke inhalation pre-mortem. There was extensive bruising and chafing on the skin under their bindings, like they had struggled to get free. Essentially, the seventy-some year old women were still alive, still conscious, when their home went up in flames.
"Miss Thurber and Miss Chatham? No…" Frank moaned as he had watched the news report. Phil scooted closer to Frank on the sofa and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. Phil didn't know the women like Frank and their friends did, but still the question begged…
"Why would someone target such sweethearts?" Frank said absently. He then stood abruptly and walked to the French doors.
"Frank?"
"Just… I just need a minute." The door closed with a quiet click.
Phil now sat in their den staring at the black television screen. His head lolled back against the cushions and he turned his head toward the French doors. He could see Frank sitting on the back deck, shoulders slumped forward and running his hands through brown hair. Phil turned his head back and stared at the ceiling.
What was the world coming to?
Three days later they were gathered around Joe's kitchen table, fresh from the memorial service for the beloved teachers.
"To Miss Barbara Thurber and Miss Annalee Chatham. Best damn first and third grade teachers in the whole state of New York." Tony raised his glass to toast the departed women.
"Cheers."
"Here, here!" Frank, Joe, Biff, Chet and Phil tapped their glasses against his and took a drink.
"Jesus Christ. Two funerals in one week." Tony whipped his necktie out from under his collar and balled it up in his fist.
"Well, three, technically." Chet piped in. "Since Miss Thurber and Miss Chatham's was a double funeral." That got him a face full of Tony's necktie.
"Smart ass." Phil snarked and took a swig from his cocktail glass.
"And Kit was a good kid. A hard worker. He had so much potential… You should have seen his family, those young kids, his mom… and Danny. Oh, G-d Danny's still a wreck. He's the one who found them, 'ya know?" Biff clapped a hand on Tony's shoulder.
"The cops will find who's doing this, Tony." Biff assured.
"The damnedest thing is whoever's doing this isn't just attacking lone victims at random. They're attacking couples." Joe looked straight at his brother and brother-in-law from across the kitchen table.
"Which means in order to know that their intended victims are couples, they're following them." Frank finished grimly. He turned his head and looked at the newspaper clipping affixed to Joe's refrigerator. It was the wedding announcement his parents had put in the society page of the Sunday paper. "And we've got a full color ad in the paper that says 'Come for us next'!" Frank thought to himself. He turned back toward the table and caught his brother and friends staring at announcement as well.
"Frank, you and Phil will be fine as long as you stay at home or at least on your property…" Joe began. Frank raised a hand to stop his brother.
"No Joe. We're not having this discussion tonight."
"Just hear me out. I could run your groceries to you…"
"You're going to pay our bills too? C'mon Joe, be reasonable. I have to go to work. We all have to go to work and get on with our lives." Phil scoffed.
"It's a nice idea Joe, in theory. And I know your heart's in the right place. But we can't put our lives on hold because we're scared of being attacked. Don't forget we've got a slight advantage." Frank said as he emptied his glass.
"Which isn't doing you a damn bit of good tonight as that's your second whiskey in a row now." Joe countered. Tony shivered in disgust.
"Blech! I dunno how you guys drink that stuff." Tony threw back his drink and hissed as the whisky stung on the way down.
"You get used to it." Biff muttered as he took a sip from his bottle of water.
"No you don't." Phil deadpanned. "I still heave a little every morning when I take it. But you know, it's okay. The morning that I wake up and don't heave or so much as bat an eyelash when I drink vampire blood will be the morning I know I need to stop."
"I'll drink to that." said Chet.
OoOOoo
"You just refuse to listen to reason." Joe muttered Monday morning from behind his desk.
"A good morrow to you, brother dear." Frank replied back in a more than chipper tone. "And I made it here in one piece. Just checked in with Phil and he's good too." Frank tossed his messenger bag into one of Joe's visitor's chairs and plopped down into the other one.
"I see you saved all the mail from the last two weeks for me to deal with today." Frank looked over at his own desk and the pile of mail in the "in" box.
"Your welcome." Joe snapped his laptop shut and leaned back in his chair. "And I was even kind enough to put the checkbook on your desk so you can pay some bills too. Rent's due on the office and …"
"Yeah, I got it, I got it. I've played Sally Secretary before, I know the drill." Frank stood and grabbed his messenger bag. "Just for the record, the next time you and Van have a baby, I'm getting Dad to put you on desk duty for a whole six months." Joe straightened up in his seat with a look of determination on his face.
"And I'll hold you to it, brother dear."
Hours later Frank rubbed his tired eyes and looked away from the computer screen in front of him. Twenty five replied emails, a wastebasket half full of junk mail and stack of paid and sealed bills had made for half a day's work. All that was left before he met Joe and Vanessa for lunch was to put stamps on the bills and pop them in the mailbox at the corner. Frank had three bills left to put stamps on when he ran out. He stood from his desk and stretched his back and lumbered over to the safe with the checkbook in hand. That's where the Hardy's kept their petty cash, receipts and other important documents, as well as the business checkbook and rolls of stamps. Frank turned the dial with the combination and pulled the heavy lever.
"What the…" Frank pulled the slender, gift wrapped box from the safe. He pulled out the card and read it. "Ira and Vera Goldberg? Why did those names ring a bell?" he mused as he looked over the box. Oh right! The Goldbergs! They were the family members Phil's grandmother was so upset about not coming to the wedding.
Well, it was nice of them to send a gift. Frank thought it was a little odd that it was sent here to the office instead of dropping it off with Ruth or Pearl. But then again, Nancy had sent her gift there, and… well maybe they sent the gift here so that the wily Ruth Cohen wouldn't lay into them about not attending her grandson's wedding. Frank decided he'd just bring it home and add it to the list of wedding gift Thank You notes they were still working on since they got back home. Frank had half a mind to call Vanessa and ask how much she'd take to do write the notes for them, she ought to be a pro at it by now.
ooOOoo
"Wow." was all Phil could say for a few minutes. "This is actually, nice. I know I'm not Uncle Ira's favorite, ever since I came out he's said all of maybe ten words to me. But this is really, really something…" Phil turned the silver mezuzah holder over in his hands several times. It was an intricate piece worked into the shape of the Tree of Life. Blue rhinestones adorned the branches to look like fruit. The Hebrew letter Shin was in the center of the trunk, also adorned with blue rhinestones.
"So, catch me up here. What does it do, or what do we do with it?" Frank asked as he added Ira and Vera's names to the running list of Thank You notes that needed to be written.
"The mezuzah is actually inside. It's a parchment with the Shema handwritten on it. It declares our oneness with G-d and it offers protection over this home and the people who live in it." Phil gently laid the mezuzah case back in the gift box. "I'll have to let Bubbe know about this. It might help unruffle her feathers over them not coming to the wedding."
After dinner Frank stood beside Phil, holding out tools as he needed them to install the mezuzah to their front door post.
"Baruch Atah A-do-nai Elo-heinu Melech haolam asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu likboa mezuzah.*"
"Amen." said Frank as he accepted the screwdriver back from Phil. At that moment the floor under their feet vibrated and even the walls of the house trembled.
"Whoa!" cried Phil as he steadied himself against the doorpost and instinctively grabbed Frank's elbow to make sure he stayed on his feet as well. "What was that?"
They looked about and took notice of their neighbors. Ernie Grant was tossing a baseball to his son in the front yard across the street. Mrs. Lovingston next door was on her front porch, drinking a glass of tea and taking in the warm evening air. No one seemed to have felt or been phased by the tremor they had experienced.
"Maybe… the mezuzah is disagreeing with all the hocus pocus and stuff we have already in place?" Frank wondered quietly. Phil swallowed dryly and looked to his husband.
"Or maybe it's like thunder and lightening. Two powerful forces coming together. Whatever it was, can't be a bad thing, can it?" But Frank just shrugged. "I don't feel right about taking it down as soon as we put it up. It's meant to protect us."
"I think we're over-thinking this Phil. Look, it's been a long first day back to reality." Frank stepped closer and wrapped his arm around Phil's waist. "How about I light some candles, draw a bath and we enjoy a good soak before bed?" Phil raised an eyebrow at the brunet who now had his chin on Phil's shoulder.
"You reckon we can both fit in that tub?" he asked as he turned his head slightly to kiss Frank's cheek.
"Well, if you move you leg one way…" Frank laughed.
"And if you wrap your ankle around like this…" Phil chimed in as he tried to reach down to grasp Frank's foot. They both fell into a fit of giggles as Frank tried to fend him off. Finally Frank's arms were around Phil's shoulders and he had him pinned.
"Let's take this inside before the neighbors complain." and he laid a quick peck to Phil's lips.
"After you."
ooOOoo
Author's Notes:
*Mezuzah Blessing in Hebrew: "Blessed are you, G-d our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has made us holy with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah."