Free Keep Dancing by Leslie Wells Page A

against my chest like a little wild animal’s. I wasn’t sure if he’d want me to, but I cuddled him close until his head began to nod. It felt nice to hold his small, warm body. Jack’s arm was around my shoulder, his long lithe frame stretched out beside me.
    “Let’s get him tucked in,” Jack whispered.
    As I eased Ollie onto the sheets, his eyes popped open. “I always sleep with Budgie. Did Mum remember to pack her?”
    “I’m sure she did. It’s his favorite stuffed animal,” Jack said to me. He knelt to poke through Ollie’s bag and then straightened up. “I don’t see it in here. You’ll be all right without it.”
    “I can’t sleep without Budgie!” Ollie sat up, wide-eyed. “She’s my lovey!”
    “Hang on.” Jack hurried back to the bedroom. I was starting to feel bleary, having gotten up at five a.m. to finish reading a manuscript. Jack came back with something yellow and frizzy bundled under his arm. “This is my lovey,” he said. I saw what it was; the scuzzy blonde wig that was usually crammed onto a shelf in his closet. “I’ll let you borrow it while you’re here. It’s nice and soft, isn’t it?” He rolled it into a ball and tucked it in next to Ollie. “I call her…” He looked at me for help.
    “Frowsy?” I suggested.
    “Blondie,” he said firmly. “Her name is Blondie.”
    “She’s nice and soft,” Ollie murmured, snuggling into the wig. His eyes began to close. Jack put his finger to his lips, dimmed the lamp, and gestured for me to follow.
     
    “God, all day I’ve been dying for it,” Jack said as he picked up speed. I felt the sinews shifting in his back, his shoulders flexing with tension. “I can’t hold off much longer.”
    “Try not to make any noise,” I said, grabbing him tightly.
    “He won’t wake up. Ahh…” Jack’s voice became a moan. It rose in pitch as he moved faster, building toward his climax. “I’m gonna—”
    The doorknob rattled. “Uncle Jack!”
    I snatched at the sheets as Jack quickly pushed up off me. I managed to cover my chest before Jack opened the door, holding a tee-shirt over his groin. Ollie burst into the room. “What happened? I heard someone crying!”
    Jack plopped down on the edge of the bed. “I was just—having a dream.” He rubbed his face tiredly.
    “Can I stay here? Blondie’s itchy.”
    Jack looked at me. “I don’t think we’ll get any rest otherwise.”
    “All right. But can he sleep on your side?” I whispered.
    “Sure.” Jack moved to the middle of the bed. “C’mon, Ollie. It’ll be like that time we went camping.”
    Ollie scrambled onto the pillow next to Jack. “I knew this trip was going to be great!”
     
    I awoke at my usual early hour, feeling Jack’s warm hand cupping my breast. Mmmm, he probably wants a quick toss before I go to work. Instead of being tired, I was really in the mood for it. I stretched, arms over my head in the darkness, feeling my nipple harden as his fingers squeezed me gently. I rolled to my side to reach under the covers—and jerked away as a small body snuggled against my hip. Oh my god, I forgot Ollie was in bed with us! He must have switched places with Jack in the night. I removed the sleeping kid’s hand from my boob and slid out from under the covers. Good god, I almost… I shook my head at the thought. He’ll have to stay on his side of the bed tonight. Maybe I can barricade myself with pillows, I thought as I got dressed in the bathroom.
    They were both still asleep when I tiptoed out of the apartment for my early-morning jog. Before I left, I tucked a twenty-dollar bill into my sneaker tongue; a New York City runner’s trick so I’d have something to hand over if I got mugged. I came back an hour later, my face numb from the cold. Quickly I showered and left for work, leaving Jack and Ollie snoring lightly on the pillows.
     
    When Jack called me at the office around noon, I told him what happened.
    “He’s a breast man, just like his