question in a low, husky voice. "Ever done it with a man before, Ben?"

I was shocked and getting a little shaky. But I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Those workouts in the gym; Clint had looked me over pretty good and sometimes I felt he had his hands on me when he was spotting a little longer and more personally than I thought was necessary. I had never said anything about it, because I guess I found him attractive and I had gotten a little electric charge out of the attention and touches.

"No." I managed. "No, and if this. . . "

"We can make this very easy for you, Ben. I have no idea how much money you need, but we can discuss this in terms of levels, and you can stop it at whatever comfort and need level you want. Doesn’t that sound fair and attractive?"

"Levels?" I said.

"Yes, levels," Clint repeated. "Say, $20 for each kiss for openers. $50 if you take off your shirt and let me do any feeling I want above the waist. Another $50 if you let me feel you below the waist through your pants, but $100 if you let me feel you skin-to skin below the waist with your pants on; $150 if you let me strip you down to the floor and feel."

"Uh, I don’t know, Ben." He came in closer to me, up against me in front, and I could feel a hardness against my crotch.

"An easy $90 bucks with your pants on, Ben, and at least $190 just for harmless feeling. Neither a hand job nor a blow job would be included in that. If you let me get you off by hand, that would be another $100, or if you let me blow you, that would be another $200. We’re already up to over $400 with a few added kisses, Ben, and we haven’t really done anything yet any straight man wouldn’t do. I don’t know how much money you need for this trip, Ben, but I do know you are thinking about this hard, because I can feel you getting harder. During any of this time, you can do what you like with me, no deduction for that."

I was betraying myself. I couldn’t help doing so, and Clint could tell I wasn’t totally turned off by this proposal. Indeed, the money sounded good, and I’ll have to admit that I was both curious and attracted to Clint.

"And, then, if you fuck . . ." Clint started again. But I brought a finger up to his lips.

"Let’s not go farther into the menu just now, Clint. Let’s say I’ll take it through to as long as I keep my pants on, and then we’ll see where it can go from there.

Almost as if he was afraid I might change my mind, without arguing, Clint brought his lips to mine in a short, sweet kiss. And it was sweet. I didn’t realize that another man’s lips could be so sweet. He pulled away and looked intensely in my eyes.

"The first $20," I said, with a little grin.

"God, that’s right," Clint said. Each of those is costing me. I’d better think more about getting my money’s worth, hadn’t I?"

With that, he came back in for another kiss. He got his top lip between mine and pushed my lips