* * * *
They met up with Greer and some of the other guys at the festival.
A live band played zydeco music and people from every walk of life danced and ate seafood while the hot summer sun beamed down on them.
Dimitri introduced him to the others. Besides Greer and the other tattoo artist Jose, there were two others, Nathan and Sal. Nathan was about thirty, with sandy-blond hair, a mustache, and beard. A dark-blue dagger tattoo peeped out from the short sleeve of his black T-shirt. Sal, short for Salvador, had the best body Eli had ever seen. He had a gorgeous face and a short, neat haircut. In one ear he wore a gold earring that matched a chain around his neck. A see-through tank top revealed his body art. Wild, intricate designs covered his trunk, back, and arms.
Greer had a cobra tattoo on both his forearms, while Jose’s arms bore a vintage Camaro and a Trans-Am.
Jose pulled Sal away for them to dance. He suspected they were a couple but knew it would be rude to ask. Greer and Nathan joined them shortly, leaving him alone with Dimitri.
“I saw you checking out Sal’s tattoos,” Dimitri said as he sat on the ground, sipping from a can of beer.
“I can’t help but see them,” Eli said. “They’re covering the entire top of his body.” He sat down next to him.
“And the entire bottom half,” Dimitri said. “Jose made him a living mural.”
“Why?” Eli asked. “Why would someone want to do that to his body?”
“It’s art,” Dimitri explained. “Instead of using canvas, we use skin. And Sal’s body is made for body art with all those muscles and great ass.”
Eli glared at him. “Were the two of you lovers?”
“No,” Dimitri answered. “He’s not my type. I’m into musicians.” Eli rolled his eyes at him.
“Do I have a nice ass?”
“I haven’t noticed,” Eli lied.
Dimitri chuckled. “Your nose is going to grow.” He finished off his beer and tossed the can into a nearby trash bin. He rose. “Come on. Let’s go have a look around.”
Eli rose from the ground and dusted off the back of his jeans.
“Won’t they miss us?”
“Who cares,” Dimitri said. “They probably won’t even notice.
Those four like to dance and party.”
“And you don’t?” Eli asked as they walked.
“No. I prefer to do my partying between the sheets.” Eli pretended not to hear Dimitri’s last remark. He still couldn’t get the word thrusting out of his head, or the image.
They walked over to the food stands. Dimitri treated him to servings of seafood jambalaya and alligator on a stick. Alligator, Eli discovered, tasted a lot like chicken. After wolfing down two bowls of shrimp creole and seafood gumbo, Eli couldn’t eat another bite.
A different band took the stage and Eli didn’t realize that he was dancing until he looked over and saw Dimitri watching him with interest.
“You have some smooth moves, preppy.”
“I’ve gone to a few dances, house parties, and teen clubs,” Eli said as he rocked his hips to the soulful beat. “And regardless of what you think, I’m not some sheltered, little, rich boy. I do the same things normal guys my age do.”
“Even kiss girls?”
Eli rolled his eyes at him again.
Dimitri walked around him. “Do you work out?”
“I’m a swimmer,” Eli said. “I’ve been competing since I was a kid.”
“I bet you have some sweet muscles under those clothes.”
“You’ll never find out,” Eli told him, rocking to the beat.
“Oh, yes I will,” Dimitri said, walking off.
Eli stopped dancing and caught up with him. “What do you mean by that?”
“What do you think I mean?” He pulled Eli into a secluded spot between two food stands and kissed him.
Eli’s mouth opened and he melted into Dimitri’s arms. “I thought you said you wouldn’t do this in public.” His heart rate accelerated as Dimitri stared at him with intense blue eyes.
Dimitri wrapped his arms around Eli’s neck. “I couldn’t help it. You were shaking that body of yours around me. Do you have any idea what that does to me? All I’ve been thinking about since we’ve met is stripping you naked and kissing you from head to toe.”
“I’m a guy,” Eli told him point blankly.
“Me too,” Dimitri said. “But I want to suck on your dick until you lose control. Sue me.”
Eli’s traitorous cock responded to the vulgar words. “I’m not gay,” he said, pushing Dimitri off him. He walked back to the opening where he could breathe and clear his head of the new image Dimitri had put there. Couldn’t Dimitri say things which didn’t set off his imagination?
Dimitri followed him out. “Let’s not argue. Come on. There’s so much I want to show you.”
The next thing he knew, they had left the festival and he and Dimitri were seated in a horse-driven carriage. “You’re not old enough to go into any of the clubs,” Dimitri said. “But I’d like to show you around the right way, by daylight.”
“I’d like that,” Eli said. He settled back in the carriage while the tour guide educated him on the parts of town he’d never seen.
The sun had just started to set as the tour ended. “I’ll take you inside some of the museums someday soon,” Dimitri promised as he helped him out of the carriage. “You’ll be particularly interested in the jazz museum. One of these days I hope to see your memorabilia there.” His cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket, pulled it out, and answered it. “Hello. Yeah, I just took him on a tour. You guys still rocking out?” Dimitri laughed. “I’ll see you later. I have a tattoo to remove.” He disconnected the call.
Finally, Eli thought. His tattoos would soon be history, along with Dimitri and his erotic teasing.
Dimitri led him down the infamous Bourbon Street. Half-naked women
