760 Miles by AE Lister
Book 1 in the Northern Horizons series
General Release Date: 15th March 2022
Word Count: 92,758
Book Length: SUPER NOVEL
Pages: 342
Genres:
ACTION AND ADVENTURE,BONDAGE AND BDSM,COWBOYS AND WESTERN,EROTIC ROMANCE,GAY,GLBTQI,HISTORICAL
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Book Description
How far would you travel for one man?
The very last thing Jimmy Downing needed was a skinny traveling partner who acted half his age with a chip on his shoulder and no idea how the real world worked, because Jimmy had a lot of experience with the world and he wanted no part of it anymore.
He was trying his best to be an honorable man after two decades of being outside the law. He’d stolen things. He’d killed people in the name of survival. He’d helped other men do horrible things. But now he was keeping his head down and trying to live under the radar. T’wasn’t his fault that Oscar needed someone to show him right from wrong, give him something to eat on the regular and try to keep him out of trouble, so he didn’t end up making a mess of his life the way Jimmy had. Maybe that was what being a good man was all about.
Except the things Jimmy wanted from this twenty-one-year-old man were far from respectable, and he couldn’t stop thinking about them, especially when Oscar Yates of the big brown eyes, cackle of a laugh and insatiable appetite for anything grilled over an open fire insisted on pushing all his buttons.
How was Jimmy going to last the 760 miles to Port Essington without giving in to those needs Oscar called to with the hint of a smile and a smart-assed curse? Because if Jimmy did give in, it would mean both of them living outside the law and never having the chance at a decent life again.
There were a lot of people in the hotel restaurant, but a woman in a brown skirt, blue blouse printed with white flowers and a gray apron greeted me and directed me to a table in the corner by the fireplace. T’was a small table for two people, which was all I needed. Hell, maybe t’was more than I needed.
I sat in the chair facing the door, hoping Oscar would make the right decision and let me look after him for one night—get him fed and cleaned up and clothed properly—maybe give him tips on jobs he could do that wouldn’t involve praying on the baser instincts of strange men.
The lady in the flowered blouse brought me a beer and a plate of bread, and I hoped to hell Oscar wasn’t lying out there in the mud or trying to walk back to the cathouse. I’d done what I could, in any case, and if he didn’t show at that door soon, I had my answer. I tried to let it go, and I thought I had until the door opened and the filthy fella stepped into the hotel, looking like a lost calf, his eyes all big and his legs barely holding him up. My heart jumped into my throat, and I stood, lifting my hat off the table and waving it so he’d see me.
He caught sight of me and couldn’t hide his relief, which made me thrill a bit. He did need me, at least for something as basic as a meal and a bed—and that was enough. T’was something I could do for him, and I wanted to do it. I was glad he had the sense to take what was offered him.
He made it to the table, almost crashing into the woman in the flowered blouse, who was carrying plates of food.
“Mind yourself,” she scolded as she swerved around him, wrinkling her nose as she caught the stench of him.
He didn’t pay no attention but continued to the table and collapsed into the other chair, making a sound of surrender and splaying his filthy hands out in front of him.
“I ain’t got no other place to go, mister. So, I guess I’ll take your charity.”
I nodded. “Good. You don’t have to call it that, though. I only wanna help.”
He gave me a look. “Why?”
He stank, but our table was a ways from any other, so I buckled down to bear it. I’d smelled worse things in my time.
His blatant inquiry made me smile, because I didn’t rightly know. I shrugged and sipped my beer as the server slapped another one on the table in front of Oscar and he looked at it like t’was the holy fucking grail or something.
“I don’t rightly know why but I do, and you might as well shut up and take advantage of that fact and stop questioning it,” I said, pushing the mug of ale closer to him.
“Fine,” he said, his eyes going dreamy as he looked at the amber liquid.
“Fine.”
He picked up the mug and brought it to his lips, closing his eyes and gulping the drink down in long, sensuous swallows. The sight of the ball of his throat moving back and forth made me feel funny, and I wasn’t used to feeling that way looking at another man. A woman’s elegant wrist or a glimpse of her naked ankle, sure—but not a man’s goddamn throat.
And this fella was barely a man, which made it a hundred times worse. What two adults wanted to do together was nobody else’s business. I put the blame square on him for talking about sucking my dick so much. I didn’t want to think about it.
I cleared my throat and focused on enjoying my own beer. The lady in the flowered blouse came by then and plopped two plates of supper down before us.
“You got a room for the night?” she asked me.
“Yep.”
“What’s the number? I’ll put this on your tab.”
“Sure. Number two-oh-five. Can I have a tub of hot water brought up in an hour? And is there a way I could get a set of clothes for my”—I cleared my throat, thinking fast. If he were related to me it wouldn’t seem so strange bringing him up to my room later—“cousin here? His are”—I glanced at Oscar, who had noticed the food and picked up his fork, ignoring us completely—“beyond repair.”
The woman wiped her hands on her apron and covered her nose as she looked Oscar o’er. “I’ll see what I can do. Might be able to find him something for a small fee.”
I nodded. “I’ll leave that in your hands, then. Thank you.”
She grabbed Oscar’s glass to fill up again. When she’d gone, I watched the poor wretch shovel food into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in a week. For all I knew, it had been longer. His eyes had glassed o’er, and he didn’t seem aware of anything but the food going into his mouth. He choked and coughed, but that didn’t slow him down none.
I glanced up and noticed people starting to stare. Not that I cared, but I thought he might.
I put a hand on his arm and nodded at his fork. “Hey, slow down. This ain’t goin’ nowhere. It’s yours.”
He focused on me, a dribble of gravy snaking down his chin as he tried to slow his actions. I knew I was right, and he’d been starving…actually starving.
“Also, you’ll make yourself sick, and it’ll all come back up. Not much good if it does that.”
He seemed to think about that logic and slowed. But he looked as if he didn’t trust that all this food would wait for him to eat it in his own time.
“Now I want you to answer some questions for me. Maybe that will slow you down.” I said, chewing on some potato before I spoke. “Since I’m payin’ for this here meal, I figure I have the right to a few basic answers.”
He swallowed and narrowed his eyes. Then he nodded curtly, resuming his eating. “Fine,” he said with his mouth full.
“How old are you?”
Maybe I was worried about the thoughts I was having, and if he was older than eighteen that would help me to feel better. It’s not like I was planning to do anything, but even thinking about him that way was beginning to disturb me, since I’d never had sexual thoughts about a particular fella before, only random fantasies involving men instead of women.
He looked me up and down and smirked as he swallowed his potato. “I’m twenty-one.”
I gaped at him, and he smiled, the first time I’d seen him do that. It lit up his face like a light had started shining inside him, stoked by the hot food and warmth of the room. Don’t know if I was shocked more by his smile or by what he’d said his age was.
“Get out. You’re not a day older ’n twenty,” I said, because he didn’t look it at all. Honest to God, he didn’t look even that old.
“I don’t got any papers to show you, mister, but I’m twenty-one. I know I don’t look it. Most men like that.”
I focused on my food so I could ignore that comment. “I told you my name. Why are you still callin’ me ‘mister’?”
He shrugged, looking me o’er as if he’d only now been able to fully see me, now that he had food in his belly and his brain had started working again. “Mister’s easier. I already forgot your name.”
“It’s Jimmy.”
“All right. I ain’t got any papers to show you, Jimmy.”
I nodded. “I believe you’re what you say you are. It’s simply that you look younger than that.”
His smile turned into a grin that made me feel something else again. “Yeah, I know. I’m way too skinny, and these clothes are too big.”
I was pleased to see his ability to smile and converse developing. The food and beer were doing him good. If he were truly as old as he’d said, well, that relieved me, although I could hardly believe it. But at least I was having these thoughts about a grown-ass-adult man and not a child—whatever they were—and I didn’t want to examine them too closely. I’d gotten him to trust me, finally, at least a bit, and I wasn’t going to take advantage of this situation. I wanted to help him out, not add to his problems.
His smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and a strange expression o’ercame his features. He shifted in his chair and put a hand to his belly.
“You okay, son?” I said, even though he’d told me he was old enough to be married and have a son of his own.
He shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said, gaze flicking to mine, then darting about the room. “I ain’t eaten much for a while. Maybe it’s not agreein’ with me.”
“You gonna hurl?” I asked.
“Maybe. Dunno.”
I nodded. “Come with me, then.”
“But if we leave, they’ll take our food away—” He looked horrified at the thought, even though it had started to make him sick.
“No, they won’t. I’ll tell the serving girl.”
He looked like he was about ready to toss his stomach, so I moved quick and took him by the elbow, leading him through the restaurant. As we passed the lady with the flowered blouse, I told her my cousin wasn’t feeling well and I was taking him outside, but we would return to eat the rest of our meal—or at least I would. She gave Oscar a skeptical look but nodded.
I got him outside and steered him to the bushes beside the hotel. He clutched his stomach and bent o’er, and I prepared to watch him vomit up everything he’d eaten, but it didn’t happen. We stood there while the sun moved closer to the horizon and the electric streetlamps came on, illuminating the narrow street in the dim evening light. I laid a steadying hand on his back because he was obviously not feeling well, and I felt awful for him, being so damn hungry and not able to eat a lot without upsetting himself.
“You okay? You gonna hurl?” I said.
He breathed deeply and carefully for a bit. “I think I’m okay. Thought I was gonna hurl, but I’m feelin’ better.” He looked at me with a blatant vulnerability that touched something inside me. “You were prob’ly right about me eatin’ too fast.”
I nodded. Well, at least he’d admitted it. “You wanna go back in?”
“Yeah. But I’m gonna watch you eat for a bit.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
I moved to take his elbow out of concern for his ability to stay upright, but he shook me off.
“I’m all right now.”
“Fine.”
We sat back down at the table, and I finished my potatoes and beef, then ate the green beans while Oscar watched me closely. I wondered what he was thinking. Probably cursing me for being able to eat when he couldn’t.
“Why don’t you try eatin’ some of your beans now?” I said, urging with my fork. “Maybe t’was the beef on your empty stomach.”
He nodded and sighed. “I couldn’t help myself. Long time since I had any meat.” He forked a bean and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly and carefully before swallowing it and waiting.
“Well?” I asked.
“S’okay. I just have to go slow.”
“I reckon you’re right.”
By the time Oscar had finished his beans, he looked much better. He had color in his face now under all the grime, at least. And that brought me to my next mission.
“Come on. Let’s go up.”
He regarded me warily but stood and followed me to the wooden stairs by the hotel entrance that led up to the second floor.
I motioned for him to go up first, in case he wobbled and fell. He was obviously weak and pretty damn bone tired, and I wasn’t taking any chances.
He moved up the steps, taking his time as if he was sixty-four and not twenty-one. Poor fella was in a sorry state, and I aimed to fix that.
I fit the key the matron had given me into the lock and twisted, pushing the door open. When Oscar followed me in, he stopped and stared.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s big.”
“I know it. I’ve stayed here before. You get your money’s worth.”
I shut the door behind him. There was a sizeable bed in the corner, and a dresser and washstand under a large window that looked out o’er the street. T’was clean, too, and warm. Someone had built a fire in the grate, and it crackled and popped while we looked around. I was pleased to see there was a large tub already placed in front of the fire with steaming water in it.
“There’s a bath,” he said in a voice filled with wonder.
I nodded. “I asked them to bring it. I’ve already had one, so that there’s for you. I usually ain’t quite so clean as I am now.”
He looked me o’er from top to tail and took his time about it, making me wonder if he was truly looking for a man to fuck and not doing it because it paid well. His gaze made me feel goose-pimply and shy, and I both liked it and didn’t at the same time—probably because of what that said about me and what I might be wanting.
If only I’d run into Oscar after leaving the cathouse, I would’ve been spent and satisfied and not looking for anything alive—barely, in Oscar’s case—to warm my sorry dick. Maybe. I shook off that thought and figured I’d have time after he fell asleep to take the edge off, at least, as long as I did it quietly.
He looked o’er at the tub and back at me. “You gonna watch, mister? I mean, Jimmy? I don’t care if you do, just be honest about it.”
Well, that made me blush and stammer. “I may watch, but it’s only to make sure you don’t fall full asleep and drown in that thing. You’re barely standin’ straight. When’s the last time you slept?”
He scrunched up his face as he started to unbutton the soiled shirt that hung on his thin frame. “Don’t remember. Hard to sleep when your belly’s eatin’ you from the inside.”
I nodded and took off my hat, laying it on the bedside table beside a little bowl holding a handful of peanuts. “I reckon that’s true.”
He watched me as he finished unbuttoning his shirt and let it fall to the floor. “You ever been that hungry?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Couple of times. It ain’t pleasant.”
“No, it ain’t. So that’s why I was lookin’ for a dick to suck, by the way. I ain’t never done that for money before. Only ever when— Never mind,” he said, looking at me kind of shyly now. “Thought you should know that.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” And I was glad. Although the fact he’d sucked dick at all made me wary…and strangely aroused.
God, I’m a goddamn mess.
“You think it’s wrong?” he said, eyeing me cautiously.
“Do I think it’s wrong to suck a man’s dick for money? Yeah, sure do. But I guess starvation can drive a person to extremes.”
He shook his head, laughing with a sort of sadness at the same time. “No, I mean for a man to want to suck another man’s dick.
I realized what he was asking. “Oh,” I said, and cleared my throat.
He undid his trousers and let them fall from his thin frame, standing naked in the dim light from the fire and the lamp I’d lit. He was fucking dirty and skinny. There was no denying that. But he stood tall and proud, naked as the day he was born while I looked him o’er, wondering why my cock was getting hard and figuring I’d fuck almost anything right now, barring an animal or a child. But I wasn’t gonna fuck him, even though I kind of wanted to see what it’d be like.
I sat down on the bed and swung my feet up, crossing my boots and my arms behind my head. “I’ve seen enough of this world not to get upset by anythin’ like that. What folks do in private ain’t none of my business. I’d rather see a fella get his dick sucked by another man than get shot or shoot someone else, if you want an honest answer.”
Oscar seemed surprised by the statement, and I couldn’t blame him. Lots of folks thought that kind of thing was worse than murder. But not me. Because I’d seen murder up close and personal and didn’t never want to see that again. Two fellas being physical together for relief or the goddamn joy of it was nothing I was worried about—except now it seemed I was more curious about that than I’d thought. And I didn’t really know how I felt about it if it involved me.
Oscar blinked quietly, thinking, then said, “I appreciate you bein’ honest.”
His dick lay soft and small, nestled in a bed of thick dark curls that matched the black hair on his head. I was glad of that, for some reason I couldn’t name and didn’t want to. I wondered how much bigger it got when he was horny. And why the hell did I care?
I cleared my throat again. “Best get in there before the water cools down.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, and that just about made all the blood rush to my face, and I didn’t know why. What the hell was wrong with me? “I reckon that’s a good idea.”
Goddamn it, that was the first reasonable thing he’d said to me, and I felt a relief that I couldn’t pinpoint. But I was glad he’d stopped fighting what I was trying to do for him, at least for the moment.
“I’ll keep an eye on you. If you start to fall asleep, I’ll throw a peanut at you. How about that?”
The corner of Oscar’s mouth crooked up, and he sighed a laugh. “Fine. You do that. What-the-fuck-ever.”
And the attitude was back, but more playful than before, and I liked it. I liked it a lot. More than I wanted to, in fact.
As Oscar sank into the warm water, he made a noise of pure pleasure that went right to my cock, and I couldn’t really deny anymore that whatever this young man was doing to me, I was a willing participant. Figures I’d stumble on a wayward fella with an attitude that pushed all my buttons, right when I was determined to be good and lead an honorable life.
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AE Lister 
AE Lister/Elizabeth Lister is a Canadian non-binary author with a vivid imagination and a head full of unique and interesting characters. They have published 10 books, one of which received an Honorable Mention from the National Leather Association – International for excellence in SM/Leather/Fetish writing.
“Sensual and visceral BDSM.” – Amazon.ca
Find out more about AE Lister at their website, and follow them on Instagram and Patreon.
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