Page 19 of Broken Halos
Archie winked before he left me alone to deal with the mob of angry seniors. He rejoined his mom, and they took their seats at a table in the back. Maria handed him two bingo cards and an ink dauber before she set several cards in front of herself. I waited to see if she would pull out a lucky charm or something, but she just looked up and offered me an encouraging smile once her cards were situated as she liked them.
Someone cleared their throat impatiently, pulling my attention away from the Whites and onto my duties. I quickly approached the podium and switched on the microphone. “Testing. Testing.”
“We can hear you just fine,” Mr. Barnsworth said from the table on the far-left side of the room. “Not sure about Mrs. Pedigrew though.” The woman in question held up her middle finger in his direction, making Mr. Barnsworth’s friends laugh.
“My name is Oliver Knight, and I’d like to welcome you to poker night.”
I heard little Maura Hammil snicker before she muttered, “Smart-ass.”
“For tonight’s game, jokers are wild.”
“Cut the bull and get to bingo,” Doris Donovan yelled from the middle of the room. “We’re old, Ollie. We might not make it through the night, so let us have our fun.”
“There’s the positive spirit we all love so much, Doris,” Hank Adamson grumbled. “No wonder you never remarried.” I figured it had more to do with the fact she carried a portion of her deceased husband’s ashes in an antique Goody’s Headache Powder tin everywhere she went. That definitely didn’t invite a fella to pull up a chair and strike up a conversation.
“All right,” I said, holding up my hand. “It was a poor joke on my part. I’m sorry. Let’s just get started.” I made the mistake of glancing in Archie’s direction and caught the huge grin on his face. He was having a great time at my expense, and it made me want to retaliate. Those plans would need to wait, of course, because there were over a hundred pissy senior citizens keeping an eye on my every move. Instead of making a crude gesture about what I wanted to do to him, or have done to myself, I flipped on the switch, sending the bingo balls bouncing around the machine like the ones they use to pick lottery numbers. The balls were captured and sucked into the shoot where I’d pull them out one at a time and set them aside until it was time to reload the beast.
“Our first number is B-12 which is both an excellent daily vitamin and a great way to kick off our night.”
“Shut up and call the numbers, Ollie,” a grouchy, masculine voice said from the back of the room.
“You didn’t tell us the prize we’re playing for, Ollie,” Mrs. Bickel yelled. “Don’t tease us and say it’s for an Alaskan cruise like the last time. You might be handsome, but you’re not a bit funny. I want cash or gift cards, and I don’t want to waste bingo cards on something like a crockpot.”
“Yeah, Ollie. Pull yourself together, man,” someone yelled from the back, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from a laughing Archie to look and see who. “What’s wrong with you tonight? You’re goofier than usual.” I could feel an embarrassed flush creeping up my neck as the object of my distraction rose slowly to his feet and gracefully walked to the podium. The only sound in the place was the whirling of the bingo balls in the machine as all eyes in the room watched Archie approach me behind the podium.
He leaned close until his lips nearly touched my ear then covered the microphone with his hand for extra assurance the seniors wouldn’t hear what he had to say. “You’re dying out here tonight, Ollie. I’ve never heard you give a sermon or address your NA group, but I imagined you’d be smoother, more polished. It seems like you’re distracted tonight.”
I swallowed hard and turned my head to look into his turbulent eyes. “Very,” I whispered, grateful the podium hid my growing erection.
“Let me help you with your…um,” Archie inhaled slowly as if he could smell how badly I wanted him, “distraction.” I nodded, not sure what the hell I was even agreeing to. Archie lowered his hand from the microphone and straightened away from me, taking the smell of vanilla and citrus with him. I expected him to return to his seat, but instead, he picked up the top envelope in the box of prizes. Then he nudged me out of the way just enough for him to have access to the microphone. “The first prize is a handmade quilt donated by Mrs. Fletcher.”
I heard some grumbles from around the room and saw Mrs. Fletcher’s cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. The ladies seemed much happier, and I couldn’t blame them. Mrs. Fletcher had given me one of her quilts for Christmas the previous year, and I loved it.
“Someone will be very lucky to own one of your quilts,” I said to the shy but gifted woman.
“B-12 was the first number,” Archie reminded them then shot me a playful wink as he placed his hand at the small of my back. “What’s the next number?”
I tore my gaze away from his and pulled out the next number in the shoot at the same time as Archie slid his hand lower to cup my right ass cheek. Archie’s body was angled so we were both hidden behind the podium. He was free to tease and taunt me without anyone seeing us. I don’t know how, but I managed not to react in front of the crowd.
“N-40,” I said into the microphone. I was proud my voice hadn’t given away that Archie was trailing a long finger over the crack of my ass, making me want to feel it again when there were no clothes between us.
“Bingo!” Mrs. Donhausen yelled. Her dementia had worsened over the past six months, and she no longer played, but her daughter still brought her on good nights to make her feel like her old self.
“Congratulations, Mrs. D,” I said, making the woman clap happily. The rest of the group was used to her calling bingo and the announcer pretending she won. “G-59.” I shifted my legs ever so slightly apart, and Archie slid his hand lower, teasing my taint through my pants while he appeared to innocently watch over the crowd to make sure everyone had time to stamp their bingo cards with their daubers. “O-69.” The number made him purr, and I suddenly saw us in the sixty-nine position in the center of my bed.
Archie’s torment went on through the night. He brushed the back of his hand over my aching cock, trailed a finger over my thigh, dug his fingers in the small of my back in the same way I imagined he would when I fucked him.When,not if. All of this was accomplished while he kept his erection pressed against my hip, letting me know he was just as turned on as I was. When I announced it was the last game, Arch put some distance between us and removed his roaming hand from my body so we could get ourselves under control before we had to walk out from behind the podium.
“Good thing there wasn’t a fire drill,” I whispered as I followed him off the makeshift stage to where his mother waited for us while everyone else shuffled for the door.
“Don’t say ‘drill,’ Ollie. You’re giving me ideas.” I was going to make him pay so bad at my first opportunity.
“Guess it just wasn’t my night, boys,” Maria said when we joined her. “At least others had a lucky night or are about to.”
“Mom!” Archie said in a horrified voice.
“Archie, it’s good to know where your mind is right now. I was talking about the ladies who said they were headed to Graeters to use up their gift certificates for ice cream. Raspberry and chip does sound delicious. I think I’ll join the group heading over there.” She looked at me then and offered me a smile as warm as the quilt Mrs. F. donated to bingo night. “It was great to see you again, Ollie.”
“You too,” I said, accepting the hug she offered.