C.U.B.E.

≈ Ch. 4: A JOB WELL DONE

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Who’s Who in this chapter

Doc Stevens (a hunky shrink in his late 40s) soothes more of Kareem’s worries. Then, Kareem (a middle-eastern straight man in his mid-30s) meets again the concierge Lionel, who gives him more puzzling information. The next morning, Kareem looks for a job, but the interview is definitely not what he expected.

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~ Soothing words ~

Doc Stevens sat on an armchair in his study and gestured to Kareem to have a seat on the coach in front of him. Both were dressed again, after the intense ‘experiment’ Doc had tried with Kareem: an experiment that turned out more effective than expected, and now Kareem seemed much more confident about his own manliness than before. But more doubts were still lingering in his mind.

“I’ve helped many men acknowledge and accept their homosexuality, here at the Cube” – Doc said pensively – “but it’s the first time I help a man restore his confidence in his heterosexuality. I’m proud of you, as you let me have a mild sexual contact with you, without questioning anymore your sexual inclinations. So, what’s troubling you, Kareem?”

“I… I can’t stop knowing that I lost my anal virginity, Doc. I feel again a man, thanks to you, Doc, but… I’m ruined forever, I won’t ever be the same man I used to be.”

Doc chuckled: “Do you think men and women are alike? When a woman loses her virginity, her hymen painfully breaks, and it never regains its pristine state. The forceful penetration you had to endure on the throne was as much as painful, but for very different reasons. Your sphincter is a muscle, not a membrane like the hymen, and when it was forced to extend beyond its limits, it… strained. Looking at your muscular frame, I guess you hit the gym regularly: while training, have you ever pulled a muscle?”

“Sure I did” – Kareem replied, enlivened by a sudden hope – “It was painful, and I had to be at rest for a few days; but then… I was completely recovered, like it never happened!”

“Exactly. That wicked dildo just pulled your anal muscle, it didn’t take away anything from you, it didn’t make you ‘lose your virginity’ nor it lessened your manliness in any way. Quite the opposite, actually: you endured a sharp pain and a shameful violation, and here you are, stronger than ever: now tell me that this isn’t how a man, a real man acts.”

“So… Am I still… er… physically intact?”

“You’ll soon be fully recovered. Just let your strained muscle rest. Which, in this case” – Doc added, chuckling – “means that you should refrain from getting fucked in the ass for about a week.”

Kareem, for the first time since he got arrested, burst into a loud, hearty laughter: “Ha ha!! I can definitely promise I’ll follow the doctor’s order! And not just for a week, granted!”

Doc smiled, knowing well that Kareem’s laughter meant much more than a fleeting amusement: he was starting to reconcile his feelings and his nature to the scaring and unsettling new life he’d been forcefully thrown into.

“I’m glad to hear that” – Doc commented – “but listen to my advice, Kareem. You’re bound to live your entire life here at the Cube: sure, you can choose to give up to your sexuality altogether but… are you really willing to live like a monk? I was not joking, earlier, when I told you that a man’s most powerful instinct is to spread his semen. You need it, Kareem, we all need it, and repressing this instinct indefinitely is unhealthy, physically and mentally. Promise me that you’ll keep your mind open. I’ve proved to you, I hope, that you can… express your manliness in different ways than you’re used to, and yet be a man at your fullest. Promise that you’ll try and find new ways to… to be a man.”

Kareem looked intensely at Doc, in a mild state of shock. Doc was right, his stay at the Cube was permanent, and there were no women there. “I… I’ll try, Doc” – he replied, uncertain, and after a moment he added with greater confidence: “I promise I’ll try.”

“Good. And I’m going to put your promise to test right now, because I have another advice for you. You’re straight, Kareem, but you live in a place where everyone is gay, and this may make people feel uneasy about you. Outside, gay people are seen as ‘different’, they’re shunned, or suffer for aggressions, and ultimately they’re ‘eradicated’ and sent here. People, here, may feel threatened by your being straight. Or they may even seek revenge for what they suffered outside. You are the ‘different’ one, here.”

“What should I do?” – Kareem asked, seriously, and Doc looked straight at him: “Blend in and mingle. Your clothes, for example, are perfect, as they give you an understated gay look. Be yourself, but don’t shout to the world your heterosexuality.”

“In other words, Doc, you’re telling me to make believe I’m like them” – Kareem said, gravely – “Like… my gosh… like gay people are forced to do outside! Shit… It’s hard to suddenly find myself on the other side…”

There was a meaningful silence, while both men pondered the painful truth in Kareem’s words, and then Kareem seemed to find again his good mood: “May I come and visit you again, if I need… well… to talk?”

“I’ll always see you with great pleasure” – Doc replied, standing up and walking Kareem to the door – “Even just for a friendly chat… or maybe to try some more experiments!”

Kareem blushed, but shyly smiled at Doc’s hint at having more sexual contacts with him. And the twitch in his pants revealed even more his inner feelings. “I see you took seriously my advice” – Doc chuckled, pointing his chin to Kareem’s crotch – “But remember: don’t let anyone fuck you for a week or so!”

“Ha ha ha!” – Kareem laughed again – “You’re something else, Doc! Thank you so much for helping me. But… wait, how much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, Kareem. I don’t do this for money. There are patrons who freely donate me something to let me go on helping people like you. Patrons like Lance, just to mention one. He’s a wonderful guy. But I guess you already know it.”

“I truly do. He saved me. And he’s now waiting for me at home. Goodbye Doc!”

“Goodbye, Kareem!” – Doc replied, smiling, and followed with his eyes Kareem walking away with a special spring in his steps.

 

~ Unexpected encounter ~

While looking up at the street names, Kareem turned around a corner and bumped into someone. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” – he hastened to say, and then recognized the man: he was the kind concierge who checked him in, when he was first brought to the Cube. Kareem still had a vivid memory of the man’s teary glance when O’Rourke dragged him away.

“Lionel…!” – Kareem exclaimed, and the man’s features lit up with a wide smile: “Mr. Bashir! You’re safe! You’re safe!”

Lionel unexpectedly threw himself into Kareem’s arms and hugged him tight, and Kareem felt natural to wrap him into a strong, protective embrace. Lionel was shivering, and with a broken voice said: “I was so in pain for you… When I saw that O’Rourke himself had come to take you away, I knew that something bad was going to happen to you… But you…” – he added, recoiling and scanning Kareem with his eyes – “…you look wonderful! I’m so relieved, Mr. Bashir!”

“Call me Kareem, please. I’m fine, now, but O’Rourke didn’t go easy on me. It was… terrible. If only I knew what was my crime!”

Lionel shot a cautious glance around and pulled Kareem into an alley: “I didn’t understand, either, at first. But I have some friends, and they spilled some information. Your crime is to be heterosexual, Kareem, and I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, when we met. But now I know it’s true, and O’Rourke knows, too. He’s been ordered to… to break you, to make your heterosexuality crumble under the pressure you’ll be subjected to. It’s not over, Kareem: they want… I can’t even think of it… They want to turn you into a gay man!”

Kareem looked at Lionel in shock: “They who? Who gave these heinous orders to O’Rourke?”

“This I don’t know. Orders from outside. But believe me, O’Rourke is evil, and he will surely add his own personal contribution in executing the orders he got. Try and stay safe, Mr. Bashir… Kareem. I’m just a concierge, the underdog of the Cube, but if I can do anything for you, just ask. Anything, Mr. Bashir…” – he concluded, with a dreamy glance at Kareem’s muscular body tightly packed into the skimpy clothing. His gaze briefly focused on Kareem’s dark, defined lips, lips that begged to be kissed, but he restrained himself: he knew well that it was an impossible dream. «Fuck…» – Lionel thought – «There are a five thousand men here, and I fall for the only one I can’t have…»

Lionel seemed about to say something, but instead he quickly took Kareem’s hand and gave a tender kiss on his palm; and before Kareem could say anything, he ran away, along the dark alley.

Kareem felt touched by Lionel’s gesture, and while walking home he couldn’t stop thinking at the respectful tenderness of that kiss. May it be for what Doc had told him, about the need to keep his mind open, or for his innate sensibility, Kareem didn’t feel disturbed by Lionel’s obvious affection toward him; he actually felt honored, and lucky that – though unintentionally – he could break into the heart of a nice guy like Lionel.

Was it that different the affection he got from his girls and the one Lionel felt for him? Kareem tried, but he couldn’t tell the difference. Of course, lust and sexual attraction were another matter entirely: Kareem never felt any attraction whatsoever for other men, and felt uneasy thinking that someone, there at the Cube, could feel sexually attracted by him.

However, Kareem pondered, he had no intention to have sex with anyone, there, so the problem was purely theoretical. If only that well-known tension in his groin wouldn’t make his cock tingle and twitch so frequently! Less than one hour ago Doc had granted him a totally satisfying orgasm, so what was the matter with his suddenly lively libido? «Maybe tonight I’ll rub one out» – Kareem thought, shrugging his shoulders, and his cock responded with a happy twitch.

Lost in his thoughts, Kareem realized that he was back to his apartment. Lance was happy to see him, and to see him safe and sound. Kareem sat at the dining table with Lance and related what Lionel had told him; Lance frowned and thought hard about the new information, clearly making an effort to put together the pieces of a puzzle that still was almost completely obscure.

“You’re in danger, Kareem” – he then said after a long pause – “You should stay at home as long as you can. Don’t go around the Cube and don’t talk to anyone.”

“What for?” – Kareem huffed – “They can come and take me here as much as easily. I’m not going to hide like a fearful rat, Lance. And besides, I need to find a job. Can you show me where on the net I can find the job offerings?”

Lance sighed, as Kareem was right: no place was really safe for him. Given the situation, he might as well go to work. “Here, let me show you. See? This is the job directory, and here are the requirements for each job position. I’m sure you’ll find something that will suit you. I’m going out, I’ll be late. There’s some cold food in the fridge. See you tomorrow morning.”

Kareem spent a long time checking every open position and the required skills, and soon realized that a master degree in sociology and a long experience in the Public Relations or in politics were worth less than nothing at the Cube. He only had one asset to offer, his muscles honed in long training sessions at the gym, when he lived outside.

He compiled a list of the job offerings he could apply for, had dinner and then went to bed.

The next morning he woke up early, and realized for the first time that the apartment was inundated by a rosy morning light, despite the complete lack of visible lamps or windows. Some walls and the ceiling emanated a faint light, that created a very natural effect, as if the light came straight from the outside world.

But he didn’t have time to admire the ingenious lighting system: he had to begin rebuilding his life. Starting with getting a job. He had ten names on his list; all the job opportunities he could find were related to manual labors of different kinds, ranging from moving companies to house cleaning, trash collection or repair services.

He freshened up, dutifully took the pill with his name from the box bolted on the wall and went out, feeling for the first time like he was finally taking back his life into his own hands.

Kareem walked the entire morning, up and down the Cube, to visit the several workplaces he’d included in his list, but every time the reply was the same: “We’ll let you know”, “You’re too qualified for this job”, “The job has already been taken”.

But failing was not an option, and though he felt pissed off by the many rejections, he was determined to keep searching. He straightened up and absentmindedly adjusted his junk in the tight pants; it wasn’t something he usually did, when he lived outside, and he realized that he’d already adjusted his tingling manhood many times that morning. «It must be this damn tight thong…», he thoughts, but he couldn’t ignore the mild arousal he’d felt since that morning. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, to tell the truth: Kareem felt loaded, alive, ready to fuck life until it bestowed on him its blessings. And with a renewed spring in his steps, he headed to the next name on the list.

 

~ Job interview ~

The list, actually, had only one name left, a contractor firm located in what appeared to be the seediest part of the Cube, between Chi and Omega Avenue. He found the place and entered; it was a wide building currently under renovation, scattered with planks, ladders and bags of cement. On the farthest side of the hall he saw a man in working gear, probably the boss, and three other applicants.

When he got closer, he tried to introduce himself, but the boss rudely silenced him: “Whatever your name, it makes no difference. What I want is muscles, and you seem more than qualified. But I have only one job to offer” – he added, looking at the applicants – “and you are four. This is a backbreaking job: as you know, there are no vehicles at the Cube, so everything must be transported by hand, including the construction material. Now, I want you all to take two bags of cement each, run upstairs to the second floor and come back here. Quick!”

Kareem and the other men ran to grab the sacks and hurried upstairs, turned around and went back downstairs. When they arrived, they were only three: the last one was sitting on the floor, exhausted, with the heavy sacks lying next to him.

“Hmm… One off, three to go” – the boss commented – “Let’s see the tools of your trade. Shirts off!”

Kareem felt very self-conscious at the idea of being inspected like a head of cattle, but the others had already taken away their t-shirts, so he quickly did the same. The boss moved from one to one, feeling the pectorals and the arms with his hands and asking the applicants to flex their biceps. Kareem had no choice but comply: he needed that job, and was determined to get it, whatever it took.

“Another essential requirement to get this job is a total obedience. I speak, you act. No questions, no complaints. Got it?”

All the three men nodded, and the boss flashed a lascivious smirk. “We’ll see… On your knees!” – he ordered, while pushing his pants down and showing off a thick, half-hard veiny cock. He moved in front of the first guy in line and growled – “Yeah, you guessed right. Open up and make me feel good…”

The guy immediately took the boss’s cock into his mouth and started sucking it with passion; but his gurgles and his sloppiness quickly annoyed the boss, who moved to the second guy, waiting on his knees: “Let’s see what you got!”

The second guy sucked the thick member like a pro: he seemed not to have gag reflex, and went on shoving his head down on the stiff meat until his nose was buried into the boss’s pubes; and then he alternated the expert deep-throating with sensual licks to the shaft, down to the balls and then back up.

The boss was clearly enjoying the service very much, but he recoiled, unwilling to cum before having tested the last applicant: fair is fair. He moved in front of Kareem and growled: “Your turn, stud. Can you do better than the champ, here?”

Kareem was horrified. His mind was screaming to run away, to avoid the humiliation and the disgust of sucking a man’s cock; but he needed that job, and if it wasn’t enough, he had to ‘blend in and mince’, like Doc said. He cautiously took the stiff rod in his hands, repressed his disgust as much as he could, and extended his tongue to give a tentative lick on the engorged glans, and then a second one. He knew he couldn’t fiddle around too long, so he shut his eyes tight, opened his mouth and engulfed the swollen head.

He tried hard to remember what his women did to him, when he lived outside, and started brushing his tongue all around the glans, insisting on the sensitive ridge and the frenulum. He felt the boss moving, impatient to get more than the cautious and inexperienced treatment he was getting, but Kareem suddenly recoiled, breathing hard: “I… I can’t…”

“You can’t what?” – the boss growled – “No one is forcing you, you know where the door is.”

Kareem looked up at the boss with a determined, almost defiant look and took again the thick cock into his mouth. This time he tried harder to take more of it, but his struggles were quite obvious. Nevertheless, he didn’t give up: he pursed his lips tighter on the shaft, pressed the glans against his palate and bobbed his head frantically, while rolling the boss’s balls in his hands and sneaking his fingers under his shirt, to play with the thick body hair covering his belly.

“Fuck!” – the boss suddenly grunted – “Slow down or you’ll make me… CUUUMMM!!!”

Kareem, horrified by the idea of having his mouth flooded with a man’s sperm, quickly recoiled and went on stroking the boss’s cock with his hand. The first volley of semen flew next to his face and fell to the floor behind him.

The boss got furious: “Drink it! You hear me? Swallow it to the last drop!” Kareem had no choice, nor time to think, and with utmost disgust closed again his lips around the pulsating glans, feeling the thick man juice fill mouth. He tried to swallow and he almost retched, frowned and tried again, with steely determination, until he gulped down the slimy liquid, trying to ignore its weird taste. And then swallowed again, and again, until the thick member stopped pulsating and the boss sighed with satisfaction.

Kareem recoiled, sat on his heels and bowed his head; he wiped with disgust his lips, trying hard to accept what he just forced himself to do. He’d sucked a man! He’d brought him to orgasm and swallowed his seed! He felt sick, his entire being and his cultural heritage revolted against him, making him feel nothing more than a man-whore.

“You’re hired” – the boss said, and Kareem raised his gaze, only to find out that he was talking to him. “Me…?” – Kareem asked, uncertain, raising to his feet. “Him??” – the guy in the middle shouted, angry – “I sucked you like a pro! Why him and not me??”

“Because I recognize a real man when I see one” – the boss replied, looking with admiration at Kareem – “You two cocksuckers, look at this man and bow your head in awe! He’s a strictly top man, he clearly hates giving head and doesn’t tolerate to submit to another man; and yet he did it! He wanted this job and he did what was needed to get it. I’m sorry, man” – he added putting out his hand to Kareem – “I didn’t mean to humiliate you. I’m Perry Yukon, the owner. And I want to make clear that I never harass my employees, this was just a harmless test; after all, we’re all gay, right?”

Kareem didn’t comment the boss’s last statement and shook hands with him, finding odd to do that after having known him… intimately: “Nice to meet you, my name is Kareem Bashir.”

Perry stiffened, but just a bit: “Don’t tell me… I heard about you, Kareem, but I don’t care: you work hard, I pay you good money; this is all we need to know. There’s no health insurance, because the medical assistance is free, here. I’ll provide you with the working gear, as your outfit, enticing as it may be, it’s not suitable for this job. Deal?”

“Deal” – Kareem replied, smiling – “I won’t fail you, boss.”

“Good! You two can go: as you can see the job has been taken. But you, Kareem, please stay a moment.”

They waited to be alone and then Perry said: “I don’t want to intrude into your privacy, Kareem, but I’m curious… Are you really straight as they say?”

Kareem nodded his head and hastened to say: “Please, don’t tell anyone, boss. I don’t know what’s going on, but my heterosexuality is causing me great troubles. I must stay… er… closeted, for the time being. If this is a problem for you, I understand, I’ll go away and you won’t hear from me ever more.”

“I was not kidding, earlier” – Perry replied with a frank glance – “I can recognize a real man when I see one, and this is not a job for sissies. I admire you for your determination, and fuck me if I’m going to give up on you.”

Kareem returned the sincere glance and smiled, his doubts dispelled by Perry’s words. Not only that morning he got himself a new job, but he felt he’d made a new friend, too.

-~~~≈≈≈ooOoo≈≈≈~~~-

In the next chapter: Captain O’Rourke is informed about Kareem’s poor ‘performance’ at giving head to his boss and brings him again to the interrogation room. Lance investigates about Kareem’s case, gladly paying the price the stoolie asks for, and gets more important information.