"Tag, You're It, Part 9"
By: Melissa and Cathy
Once on board the plane, Randall found his seat to be one row back and on the opposite side from John and Taglieri. A perfect angle from which to watch them. Taglieri had the window seat and John the aisle. The two of them were joking with the male flight attendant. Good Lord, they were even showing him their rings. Randall breathed a sigh of relief that Roland wasn't here to see this. He knew that his boss would have gone right through the roof.
Randall looked around the First Class cabin, noting with satisfaction that it wasn't crowded. There was an elderly couple in the row behind him, Johnny and Taglieri and himself. Not too bad for a night flight to the States, he mused. Not many people around to see Johnny make a fool of himself with that man.
Randall recalled how vulnerable Johnny had looked on the first day they met. It had been right after Bobby Carter had been diagnosed with leukemia. Roland had decided that he needed to spend more time with his son and if he had an able assistant, this could be easily accomplished. He and Laura handpicked Randall from amongst all the other up and coming lawyers in their firm. Randall had been invited to the house and introduced to the children. Barbara, the eldest, was charming and delightful, a blossoming pre-teen all of eleven years old. Bobby was perky and upbeat, despite his condition. He was the middle child at nine years of age. Then there was Johnny. Even at age eight, he was quiet, content to let his siblings run the show. At first, Randall thought that Johnny simply followed along with whatever it was that Barbara and Bobby came up with. As he watched closer though, he came to realize that there were far more times when Johnny would agree with them, then turn around and do what he wanted, regardless of the consequences. That was a trait that had never gone away.
That evening at the Carter mansion, Randall had known that he was on trial. What he didn't realize was that the trial wasn't going to be presided over by Roland and Laura, but by the children. He could still remember Bobby telling him that Johnny was sitting all alone by the pool and wouldn't come into the house. Even though Bobby was trying to be cool about it, Randall could tell that this was the beginning of a test. He went outside, fearful that the children were plotting to toss him into the pool. Instead, he found that Johnny was simply sitting there, his legs dangling in the water, looking pensive as he gazed up at the stars. Randall had asked Johnny if he could join him and when Johnny had nodded, Randall removed his socks and shoes, rolled up the cuffs on his most expensive suit and sat down at the edge of the pool beside him. They sat there for over twenty minutes, neither one talking. Finally, Johnny asked him point blank if people died from leukemia. Randall told him that some did and some didn't. He wasn't a doctor and didn't know if Bobby would live or die. Johnny nodded, then said that even though Bobby irritated him a lot, he didn't want his brother to die. Randall didn't have an answer for that as he looked into those big brown eyes of Johnny's. He simply hugged the little boy, then suggested that they go back into the house because it was getting late. As they stood, he saw two young faces quickly disappear from the window and he knew then that he had been watched. The next morning, Roland told him that the job of Personal Assistant was his if he wanted it.
Randall had been delighted to take the job - it meant working closely with Roland and Laura and was a chance for quick advancement. He never had a clue that it would also mean finding himself becoming a part of Roland's family. He quickly became like an uncle to the boys and to Barbara - there for them when they needed to talk about their fears and didn't want to upset their parents with their questions. Even then, Johnny had been so desperate to please others. He never wanted to do or say anything that would hurt someone. Johnny wanted to be a doctor so he could help people feel better. Randall had never been truly able to get Roland to realize that. When Johnny had insisted on going to medical school, Roland had claimed it was just because Daniel Abbott was in medical school and John wanted to go there because of Abbott. Despite the fact that Roland paid him to find out the truth and to tell him the truth, Roland had an irritating habit of ignoring what he ferreted out for him. For instance, he had ignored Randall's suspicions that Abbott was abusing Johnny. In Roland's viewpoint, Johnny was living with this guy as a way to strike back at his parents - to shock them. It wasn't until Randall found John unconscious and bleeding in the apartment that Roland realized just how bad things had gotten. Abbott had beaten John, then tied him to the bed and whipped him. Randall wouldn't have even gone into the apartment except that he had seen the two of them go in, but only saw Abbott leave, and Abbott was putting on a thick leather belt as he left. A belt with what appeared to be blood smeared upon it.
Randall had wasted no time - when there was no immediate answer to his knocking, he kicked the door in, suspecting the worst. Still, it had broken his heart to go into the bedroom to find Johnny face down on the bed, his back bleeding from the welts on his back. Randall had immediately dialed 911 for an ambulance, then untied Johnny, covered him with the sheet and held him until the paramedics arrived. Randall had felt sick when the paramedics recognized Johnny from a previous call. It seemed that he had taken a fall in the bathtub a few weeks earlier, getting a concussion and breaking his ribs. Randall had missed that incident and he wondered how many other beatings he had missed. He had not waited to call Roland and tell him to get his ass to Philadelphia to take care of his son. Roland had been livid upon his arrival at the hospital, vowing to kill Daniel Abbott if he ever got his hands on him. The scary part was that Randall knew Roland had the type of connections that could get away with killing Abbott. Laura had kept her cool though and she suggested that Roland pay Abbott off. Get him out of John's life. Abbott had taken the money and run. Last time Randall had checked, Abbott had started his residency in San Diego and still getting away with beating his boyfriends. After that, Roland and Laura began to buy off anyone who they thought was unsuitable for John. The latest being a woman named Liz, who John had a brief fling with. The ironic aspect of paying her off was that the little slut had already moved past John and onto someone else when she took their check.
And now Johnny had taken up with someone who was almost a complete stranger. When Johnny had failed to show for his birthday party and dinner, Roland had given the task of finding him to Randall. Looking after Johnny and Barbara was something that Randall excelled at and it didn't take him long to get his hands on Johnny's credit card receipts, the most recent ones being from a resort in Hawaii. Randall had been on the next flight. At the resort, he had endeared himself to the staff, finding out that Johnny had been there, but left on June 2nd. One clerk thought she overheard Paris as the destination. All of the staff agreed on one thing - Johnny had been there with another man. John Taglieri, a doctor no less. Randall phoned Roland with that news, then resumed his questioning of the staff. It was then that he found out something that made him feel sick to his stomach. The staff suspected that Taglieri had beaten Johnny. They told Randall of how Johnny had come to the desk, suitcase in hand, to get another bungalow. How they could see the bruises on his ribs and that he was moving very slowly and gingerly, as if he was in pain. Others related to him how Taglieri then came to the desk, asking if Johnny had come out there to call for a cab or to make arrangements to take the shuttle anywhere. Someone let it slip that Johnny had taken another bungalow and when they then refused to tell Taglieri which one it was, the man went ballistic. He was ranting and raving at the desk clerk and the manager when Johnny returned to the lobby. Then Taglieri had begun to yell at Johnny, telling him that he was being foolish. The two had noticed that the staff was listening and had gone outside to continue their argument. They watched as Taglieri followed Johnny to his bungalow. They were so concerned for Johnny's safety that they called him, asking if he wanted them to throw Taglieri out. He had declined their offer. They later saw Taglieri leave the room. They didn't see either one of them again until the next morning, when Johnny approached the lobby from the direction of Taglieri's bungalow. Johnny checked out of his, extended the stay in the other one and went back to Taglieri.
Randall wasn't going to go back to Roland with tales from the staff though. Not unless he had other witnesses. He walked around the resort and found others who confirmed Johnny's injuries. Randall still didn't call Roland. Instead, he checked with the airlines and found that Johnny had indeed gone to Paris. He then took the next flight. From the plane, he was able to phone someone who checked out the hotel registrations. By the time Randall landed in Paris, he knew exactly where Johnny and Taglieri were staying. He even had the room number. Still, he hesitated to call Roland. Not until he sat in his rental car in the street below the balcony of their room, watching with binoculars until he saw Johnny for himself did he call Roland. And his report only backed up what he had been told in Hawaii. Johnny was badly bruised, and he saw Taglieri push him back into the room after Johnny had been on the balcony for a few minutes. With his heart in his throat Randall watched as Johnny stumbled and was roughly kept on his feet by Taglieri. Then the curtains were drawn and he could see no more. It was clearly time to get Johnny away from that man. Sitting in his rental car he used his cell phone to call Roland and Roland assured him he would be on the next flight.
The next morning Randall picked Roland up at the airport, then they went back to the hotel. There was no answer when they knocked on the door of Johnny's room so they questioned the staff on the front desk, finding out the two had left thirty minutes earlier. The rest of the day was spent trying to track them down. When they finally found Johnny, the young man had quickly given into Rolands' demands that he leave Paris with the two of them. Too easily in Randall's opinion. As he was escorting Johnny back to the car, Johnny had bolted across the street and out of sight. Randall didn't even try to chase him. He knew he couldn't run him down. Besides, they knew where Johnny was staying and when he was due to return to Chicago. Randall had driven Roland back to Johnny's hotel, but Johnny had not yet returned there. After a tense encounter with Taglieri, Roland decided to return to Chicago, vowing to destroy the man once there. He left Randall behind to watch over Johnny and to try to get him home without Taglieri. Randall couldn't argue with Roland's reasoning behind wanting to destroy Taglieri. Johnny was endangering himself once again by getting tangled up with a violent man.
And yet, as he sat on the plane watching them interact with each other, Randall began to have doubts about the conclusions he had reached. Taglieri was attentive to Johnny, his touches weren't rough. He didn't act proprietarily toward Johnny, nor seem jealous. Maybe he had been hasty with his judgement. He opened his briefcase and took out the dossier on Taglieri, reading it through once more. There was nothing in the man's past to suggest he might be violent. His parents were pious, church going people. His grades and school records were excellent - the man had never been in any trouble at all while growing up. He played football with a passion, but that didn't necessarily mean he was violent. It was his skill at football and his good grades that got him a scholarship to a fine university. Even then, his grades were excellent and he was such a good linebacker that he had offers from pro teams. He had chosen medicine over football though. His medical career was flawless, good grades in medical school, good evaluations as an intern. Glowing reviews from colleagues. He had published a large amount of articles and, even more importantly to Randall, had stayed by the side of his girlfriend when she attempted suicide. The very same girlfriend who was supposed to be on this trip with Taglieri. There was nothing in the file to tell why and how it was that Johnny was here and not Carol Hathaway. And even though Johnny had been doing his surgical rotation at the same hospital where Taglieri worked, there was nothing in the dossier to tell Randall how they met. Or even if they had been friends.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Randall looked up to see Taglieri standing in the aisle. He glanced over to Johnny's seat and saw that his young charge was asleep. "No, go ahead." Randall slid over to the window seat and Taglieri sat down.
"I see that you think you know all there is to know about me," he held out his hand. "May I see it?"
"Sure." Randall gave him the dossier and watched as Taglieri flipped through the pages of his life.
"Seems to be all there, " Tag quietly commented.
"Not quite. There's a lot missing. Such as why you aren't here with Carol Hathaway. She is the reason you booked the Honeymoon Suite, is she not?"
"She was. We were supposed to get married on the 18th. It didn't happen." Tag didn't know how much he should reveal to Roland Carter's toady. He didn't much care for either man, but John seemed to like this guy and trust him. If Tag ever had any chance of getting his and John's relationship accepted by John's father, he knew he would have to win this guy over to their side.
"Because of your attraction to Johnny?"
"I think so. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I noticed John a long time ago, but I was engaged to Carol and determined to remain faithful to her. I think that she was still having feelings for another man, a man she had known before me. The day of our wedding, I questioned her love for me, making her feel as if she didn't love me as much as I loved her. I then walked out on her and our guests, running away from them all. I ran into John at the hospital and asked him out for a drink. I needed someone to talk to and it was his last day at County anyway. We sat in a bar and drank while I poured out my heart to him, then somehow or another I got around to asking him to come with me. I think we both thought it would two weeks of se...fun, with no strings."
"But, something else happened?"
"Yeah. I fell in love with him." Tag looked Randall directly in the eyes, not ashamed to tell the man how he felt. "It snuck up on me. We had been out seeing the sights and ended up at one of the beaches. John had just finished telling me how one end of the beach was dangerous due to strong ocean currents and the fact that there were rocks just under the surface. Then we heard someone call for help. John swam out to save the teenager and was on his way back to the shore when he was hit by debris of some kind. They both went under. John hit his head, getting a bad gash and a concussion in the process. He almost drowned that day. I thought we were never going to get him to breathe again, but we did. He ended up spending two nights in the hospital, and his doctor recommended that we stay on the island for about a week. So, we changed our plans, pushing back the Paris reservation and extending the one in Hawaii. It was while I was waiting for news of John's condition in the emergency room that I realized I loved him. I was so scared that I was going to lose him. I promised myself then that I would never let him go."
"So you married him?"
"Yeah," Tag nodded. "With Barbara's help, I managed to pull that off in time for his birthday. Look, I realize that you and his father are concerned about him - John's a very trusting and open person. Maybe too trusting at times. I would never do anything to take advantage of that trust and I intend to everything in my power to make him happy. I know that our marriage won't be recognized in the states, but that doesn't matter to me. In my heart, we are married."
"It's a strange world we live in, Doctor Taglieri. A very strange world indeed." Randall still didn't know what to believe. Taglieri had told a good story about Johnny's injuries, but he wasn't sure that it was just a story. What if it was the truth?
"Yes, it is. But, little by little, the world is getting better. If you'll excuse me, I want to get back to John." Tag handed him the dossier, then returned to his seat, positioning himself so that John was cradled against him as he slept.
Randall leaned back in his seat, knowing he had a lot to think about.
John was still asleep when the plane landed in London. It was a short stop, designed to only drop off and pick up passengers, so Tag didn't see any sense in waking John up. He was surprised though when Randall stopped in the aisle by his seat.
"I'm going to leave now. The two of you don't need a chaperone."
"You don't have to go," Tag found that he really meant that.
"Yes, I do. I'll catch the first flight in the morning. I can tell Roland that I wasn't able to get on this flight with John. He'll yell for a few minutes, but that will be the extent of his temper. Tell John I said good bye and that I'll see him in Chicago."
"I will. Have a safe flight tomorrow."
"Thank you." Randall left.
Tag wasn't sure what to make of Randall. He had originally pegged the man as Roland Carter's toady - someone who did his dirty work for him. But, the man was surprising him in many ways. Tag was almost convinced that Randall wanted John to be happy and was willing to wait a while before jumping to conclusions regarding him. He wished that Roland Carter could be as tolerant.
The plane took off on schedule and the passengers on-board slowly drifted off to sleep. After Randall left, a couple joined them in the first class cabin, so now there were four other people in there with Tag and John. Tag guessed that this meant John's wish to have more sex in the air were nixed. Probably for the best anyway. John was still easily worn out. Tag grinned as he remembered just how good it felt to wear John out.
He felt John stirring beside him.
"Did you have a good nap?" Tag asked as he watched John stretch.
"I did." John looked around and noticed that Randall wasn't in his seat. "Where did Randall go?"
"He got off the plane in London?"
"Why?"
"He said we didn't need a chaperone. Randall and I had a nice talk while you were sleeping."
"Really? Checking up on me, were you?" John angrily asked, feeling wary about having the two of them talking about him.
Tag frowned over John's anger. "Really. Randall's not a bad guy."
"I could have told you that, Tag," John snapped. "All you had to do is ask me. You didn't need to sneak off behind my back to question him."
Tag let the last part slide and asked, "Have you known him for a long time?"
"Since I was ten. Dad hired him after Bobby was diagnosed with leukemia. He wanted to spend more time at home with us and with Bobby especially, so he hired Randall as his personal assistant. They got along so well together that Dad kept him on in that position after Bobby died. Randall's like a part of the family now."
"I could tell that by the way he acted around you."
"He's been like, well, not like a big brother - he's too old for that. He's more like a favorite uncle, you know?"
Tag nodded, remembering his own favorite uncle. "I know what you mean. My mother's youngest brother is always there for me. I can confide in him and I know that he'll be there if I need him."
"Exactly. I know I can count on Randall."
"You can count on me now, John. I won't let you down, I promise."
John smiled. "I know. So, I guess that we didn't get lucky this time, huh?"
Tag grinned as he picked up on John's meaning. "No. I may be a bold man, but I don't think I'm bold enough to have sex in here with two other couples sleeping nearby."
"Me either. So, how do people usually do it in an airplane?"
"Most of them do it in the lavatory." Tag knew he had told John that back when they first flew to Paris. Still, their time in Paris had ended on a very stressful note, so it was no wonder that John had forgotten.
John frowned, "But, that's just a small space."
"It doesn't take that much room."
"Oh." John thought about that for a moment, then asked. "So, do you feel like it?"
"I do. The question is, how do you feel?"
"Like I want to make love with you in a small lavatory at 20,000 feet," John grinned.
Tag laughed lowly, shaking his head. "I'll head up there now. Give me a minute or two, then come on in. The door will be unlocked."
"Okay."
John watched Tag enter the lavatory and he kept an eye on his watch so he wouldn't wait too long. When he was satisfied that enough time had passed, he stepped out into the aisle. No one was awake in the First Class cabin and the curtain that separated them from Business Class was pulled shut. He quickly closed the gap between his seat and the lavatory door, opening it just enough to get inside, then locking it and turning around to find that Tag had already removed his clothing. All of his clothing.
"Hmm. A person doesn't see this everyday in a bathroom."
"I should hope not," Tag said. He sat down on the closed toilet seat. "You should take off your clothes now."
"I don't think there's enough room for me to undress in here."
"There's plenty of room, you just have to use small movements."
"Are you going to help me?"
Tag shook his head. "Nope. I'm just going to watch you."
Keeping his eyes on Tag's face, John began to slowly undress. It was a little tricky to get his pants off in the small space, but he managed. By the time he was finished, the floor was awash in a cushion of clothing, not that it could be used for anything. There was barely enough room in there to stand, laying down was completely out of the question.
John licked his upper lip, not sure what to do now. "Okay, I'm undressed. What now?"
"Have you ever done it in a standing position?"
John shook his head and Tag grinned. "Then you'll get to experience something new." Tag had noticed that with him sitting and John standing, he was at the right height to assault John's senses and body with his mouth and hands. "Come closer."
John allowed Tag to pull him to him, not at all reluctant to experience what he now had in mind. The excitement of engaging in sex in the airplane lavatory already had him aroused, so he was more than ready to feel Tag's touch. He was hoping that it would be Tag's tongue, but right now he was willing to settle for any part of Tag's body. Closing his eyes, he awaited Tag's pleasure.
"Look at me, John," Tag said.
John looked down at him. Tag's eyes were full of love and desire and at that moment, John couldn't think of anywhere else he would want to be.
"Tag, tell me what you want to do," John softly said, still keenly aware that there were people sleeping on the other side of that door.
"What I want to do?" Tag lazily ran his hand up John's thigh, grinning when John parted his legs slightly. He knew exactly what John wanted and he was intending on giving it to him. He tried to think of the most erotic way to tell John of his intentions.
"Well, the first thing I want to do is to kiss you. I want to feel the velvety softness of your lips parting under mine. I want to feel you sucking on my tongue, silently telling me that you would do that on another part of my body if you only had the chance. I want to kiss you so long and hard that it takes your breath away, and then, when I have finally let you up for air, I want to lean over and kiss your belly. I want to tease you with my tongue, slowly licking your skin and gently biting you. I want to feel your hands in my hair, twisting and frantic as you whisper my name and beg for my touch." Tag now cupped John's testicles in his hand, slowly rolling them in his palm. John moaned and closed his eyes as Tag continued his narrative.
"I want to lick your penis, starting at the shaft and then stopping just below the ridge. I want to do this repeatedly, knowing that you want me to take all of it into my mouth. I want that, too, because I love the way that your skin feels like satin under my tongue. When I think that you can't possibly stand any further teasing, I will take you in my mouth. But, not fully. No, I want to slowly suck you into my mouth, keeping my lips tight as I pull you into me. As I'm doing that, I will rest your balls in my hand, and I will feel them contract with your desire. With my other hand, I'll caress your butt, tracing designs over your skin, moving my hand lower and lower until I can reach your anus. I'll let my fingers linger there a moment, circling it, but I won't go in. Instead I'll begin to suck you off, increasing the speed and intensity so I can bring you to an orgasm. As your body is ready to come, your balls will recede into your body and at that moment, I'll insert a finger in you. The combination of my mouth and finger will be too much for you and you'll come, crying out my name. I will think that I'll be bald when you're done, because your hands will pull at my hair as your body convulses with ecstasy."
Tag's hands were now stroking John's penis and John's breathing Rate was steadily increasing. Tag was beginning to wonder if he could bring John to an orgasm by just talking to him. That would certainly be different, he thought.
"And after that, I want to stand up and kiss you again. As we kiss, I'll turn us around so that my back is to the door. When the kiss ends, I'll ask you to turn around, facing away from me. You'll bend over, using your hands to brace yourself. I'll use the hand lotion from the sink as a lubricant. Using small strokes, I'll slather it over your skin, then apply a lot of it to my penis. After that, I'll kiss you right between your shoulder blades, and because I know how ticklish you are in that spot I'll tease your skin with my tongue. Then I'll lavish kisses upon your back as I slowly slide my penis into you. I'll hear you catch your breath when I first enter you, but that catch will quickly turn into a moan of pleasure as you take in all of me. Once in all the way, I'll pause to savor just how tight and hot you are. Then we'll begin, moving together as one, in and out with long strokes. My passion will build until I can't stand it any longer and I'll arch my back, crying out your name as I try to thrust into you as far as possible. Like a volcano, my semen will spurt out of me, filling you. Spent, I'll take a moment to rest my body against yours. I'll listen to the beating of your heart and hear your rapid breathing. Then I'll kiss the back of your neck and slowly withdraw. I will then turn you around and kiss you again, the inside of your mouth will be warm and wet. Our tongues will become entangled as we kiss and when we pull apart, it will be with great reluctance. I'll clean up, then dress and return to my seat. You'll wait until I'm gone and then you'll clean up and dress before returning to your seat as well. Our eyes will meet and we'll smile at each other, trying to hold back our laughter. Then I'll tell you how much I love you and you'll look at me with those trusting eyes of yours and tell me that you love me more than anyone else in the world. My heart will melt then and I will confess to myself once more that I belong to you forever."
Tag leaned back, reluctantly breaking the contact with John's skin. He looked up into his husband's face. John's eyes were still closed, but his face was flushed and his lips slightly parted. He watched as John's tongue darted out to quickly wet his upper lip and he knew that if John's eyes were open that he would see that they were dark with his desire. He wanted to see that now. "Look at me, John."
John opened his eyes and looked down at Tag. He couldn't believe how turned on he had become over what Tag had been saying. He so badly wanted Tag to actually do all those things.
"Can you bend down just a little?" Tag asked.
John bent at the waist and Tag reached up and held his face steady as he kissed him. John immediately parted his lips to let Tag in and Tag proceeded to show him that the actual acts were even better than the way he had described them.
Return to Character Index