Read Online Revision of Justice by John Morgan Wilson - Free Book Online Page A

friend Alexandra came upstairs to tell you. I swear, that’s the truth.”
    “How well known is it that Winchester likes boys?”
    “He doesn’t advertise it. After all, he makes a living directing action pictures for the major studios. But it’s no secret in gay circles that he’s queer.”
    “Maybe it’s just rumor. That’s common enough.”
    “I speak from firsthand knowledge, Justice.”
    “But you’re as blond as a baby chick. You told me—”
    “Dylan makes exceptions if you’re young enough and he’s had enough to drink. At the time, I was and he had.”
    “When was that?”
    “More years ago than I care to count.”
    “Count anyway.”
    “Nine, ten. Somewhere in there.”
    “And now you’re trying to rekindle the old flame?”
    “I’m turned on by butch men. Let’s just leave it at that.”
    “For now, maybe.”
    He turned to stare out at the street, looking haughty again.
    “Why was Winchester looking for Reza JaFari tonight?”
    “You’ll have to ask him that.”
    “What was their relationship?”
    “They slept together briefly when Raymond—that is, Reza—was a teenager. You know, before that heavy beard and all the body hair. Body hair is a big no-no with Dylan.”
    “How long did it last?”
    “Dylan got tired of Ray after a few weeks and started looking for someone new. He was a hot young director back then, handsome as hell. Boys were all over him, not to mention girls. He had his pick of hopeful starlets, of which I was one.”
    “And Reza?”
    “He didn’t have the patience for acting. He was just one of those pretty boys who slip into the gay Hollywood circuit and date older men with money.”
    “And eventually he met Winchester.”
    “It was at a party up in the hills thrown by Nando Sorentino, the set designer. Schlesinger was there and Vidal and Jim Bridges, the writer-director.” Teal shook his head, as if to himself. “He’s dead, isn’t he? Nando, too, come to think of it. God, it’s time to weed out the old phone book again.”
    “JaFari connected with Winchester that night?”
    “Out by Nando’s pool. The light reflecting up through the blue water, the city lights twinkling below—it was the perfect setting. Here was this kid, seventeen or eighteen, slim, nice face. He had this incredible long dark hair that he brushed straight back like Bo Derek when she still had a career. New to the scene, waiting to be plucked. Dylan started drooling the moment he saw him.”
    “And they were together by the end of the night.”
    “Raymond fell hard. He figured Dylan was his romantic fantasy and his ticket to the easy life all wrapped up into one.”
    “You make him sound awfully naive.”
    “Don’t get me wrong. Ray was no virgin. He’d been fucked by plenty of men before he came to this country. Sexually, he was quite experienced.”
    “How do you know all this?”
    “He talked about it once—about certain sexual practices in the Middle East. Ray said it’s not that uncommon for young boys to be used sexually by older men, especially married men. It’s just not talked about.”
    “But emotionally—”
    “Ray was as ripe as a summer peach. Full of romantic notions when he came here, like a lot of immigrants. He didn’t understand that to men like Dylan, he was just another good-looking kid to be used and tossed away like Kleenex during the cold season.”
    Teal’s voice and face suddenly grew bitter.
    “Needless to say, Hollywood is littered with used-up boys and girls like that.”
    “After Winchester dumped JaFari, you still saw him around?”
    “He was different. After Dylan, Ray became more calculating. Started sleeping around a lot more, with both men and women, to get what he wanted.”
    “And what was that?”
    “Who knows? He talked about being a screenwriter, a producer, a director. Mostly, he was a hustler, out to get what he could with the least amount of effort. He had the looks, but there are thousands of young men in this town