Johnny Breeze & Me - 1. Overture

I was so tired of traveling. It was the Spring of 2013, and I had been touring the country with Wicked for three years and before that had spent two years conducting a production of Chicago out on the open sea. Technically, I had no address, no home, and when it all comes down to it, no life. Not that I’m complaining, by any means! I have always felt truly blessed to have had a decent career in musical theatre and have made a ton of friends along the way. I was just tired and needed a change.

A little over two months ago, we were playing an extended run in Austin. This was my second time in the “weirdest city in Texas” (as the locals a proud to call it), and there was something about the city that was always tugging at my heart. The people are wonderful, there is music everywhere you turn, the local restaurants are amazing, and it’s an awesome, progressive city. So, when the “perfect storm” of circumstances presented itself, I decided it was time for a change.

The first week in Austin, I was asked by Shelly, our company manager, to do an interview on one of the local radio stations. I arrived at the station about 15 minutes early, and the host explained that the show was an hour and that the format was a roundtable discussion. In addition to me, she had booked the music director from a local production of Hairspray and the artistic director of a community theatre. I was to be the second guest after the kids from Hairspray performed a number on the air. God, get me out of here!! Shelly knew that I disliked doing this sort of thing and rarely asked me to unless others in the company were tied up with other publicity stints.

Honestly, the kids’ performance was quite good, and I was surprised by the level of talent from the local actors. My interview was the same old bullshit about life on the road, working with local musicians in every city, blah blah blah. The third guest was a dapper, elderly gentleman named Simon Bradley. He explained how his theatre company was transitioning from a highly successful community theatre to a professional company. They were beginning a nationwide search for a new artistic director to lead them into their new venture. The host apparently caught the expression on my face when she said, “Well, Simon, if I’m reading the look on our guest’s face correctly, you may very well have your first candidate sitting right next to you!” And then she went to break.

During the break, Simon leaned over to me and quietly said, “Is this true, Mr. --?”

“Richardson. Jason Richardson, sir. And—well—it sounds very intriguing, yes!” Just then, I felt my iPhone buzzing away in my pocket. It was a text from Shelly.

SMSHELL: “wtf jay? what was that? LOL”

The break was over, and the host wrapped up the show announcing that Amanda, the girl playing Elphaba, would be on next week’s show and would be performing a number from the show. Fuck me! I’ll have to come back and play for her! The host signed off and led us out of the studio and into the lobby. As we were preparing to leave, Simon asked me if I would like to join him for a cup of coffee at the Starbucks down the street from the station. Well, why not? I had four hours before I had to be at the theatre to warm up the singers.

Simon was a delightful man. He regaled me with stories of his life in the theatre, and it turned out we even had some mutual acquaintances in the business. I swear, the older I get, the smaller the world of theatre gets! The conversation then turned to the reason he asked me to join him for this little meeting. It turns out one of the long-time supporters of the community theatre had passed away several months earlier and left a sizable endowment to the company. The only catch was that the theatre shift from an amateur company to a professional one. After many heated meetings and discussions with the Board of Directors, the decision was made to search for an artistic director, and Simon would be moved into the position of Managing Director.

“Jason, are you interested in applying for this position? I have this innate ability to ‘read’ people almost instantly, and I have this feeling gnawing at my insides that says you might be perfect for us.”

“Well, Simon, I think you DO have an amazing ability because a part of me is thinking how nice it would be to settle down and have an actual address for a change. But I would definitely need to think about this a bit before I give you an answer.”

Simon then handed me his card and said I should give him a call if I should decide to talk further.

So here I am, two months later, on a plane to Austin. My mom still can’t believe I accepted the job with the Rosemont Theatre Company. She always thought (or hoped) that my next step would be Broadway. The truth is, as much as I enjoy visiting New York, it’s the last place I would want to live. I can’t explain it exactly, but I want nothing more than to get out and go home after a month or two in the city. The trouble is, until now, I didn’t have a home.

Over the three weeks in Austin, I met with the board, the staff, several supporters and found myself falling in love with the people of Austin and the city itself. Funny thing, they never did their nationwide search. I was hired the day before we were scheduled to pack up and head to the next city. Shelly was a little pissed that I was leaving, but my assistant was more than capable of taking over, and they were bringing in a new assistant for him from the Los Angeles company. My last night with Wicked was filled with a lot of tears, endless hugs, and one hell of a party. I’m going to miss a lot of—

Thud! The plane touched down, and it hit me that for the first time in ages—I was home! I made my way through the terminal and down to the luggage claim. I grabbed my bags and turned around to look for Simon. I didn’t see him anywhere, so I just took a seat on one of the benches. Every time the doors would open, I would look to see if it was Simon. It never was.

About the eighth time the doors opened, a young man came running in and stopped right in front of me. He dug around in his messenger bag, pulled out a piece of paper, and held it up. I have no idea what it said because I couldn’t take my eyes off his face as he looked around the baggage claim. His face could have been chiseled out of granite. He had a stunning jawline and high cheekbones that were like a foundation to the most amazing black eyes I had ever seen. He had the most beautiful straight, ebony hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He had beautiful, broad shoulders and was wearing a t-shirt that showed off his solid pecs and—

“Jason Richardson.” Shit! He’s holding a sign with my name on it! I stood up and said, “That’s me.”

He didn’t hear me and kept looking around. Soon, he turned his head in the other direction, and in a matter of seconds, it happened. Looking back, it was almost funny. It was just like in the movies. Time literally stopped as our eyes locked in each other’s gaze. My heart began pounding, and I’m sure my face turned fifteen shades of scarlet. Somehow, I was able to speak. “It’s me. I’m Jason.”

“Oh, my God! I’m sorry sir! I didn’t see you come up!”

“I didn’t. I was here all along. You came up to me, actually.”

With his black eyes boring into my soul, I think I heard him say, “Right. I’m here for you.” Yes, that’s what he said. I just don’t think he meant it in the way I was hearing. I’m just grateful he was looking in my eyes at that point because I suddenly became aware of eight inches of flesh straining against the fabric of my boxer briefs. I shifted my computer bag a little more to the front and suggested we get out of the terminal. He grabbed two of my bags and led the way out.

As we were leaving, I couldn’t help but watch his perfect taut ass that was draped by the light fabric of his cargo shorts. The sight of his solid calves flexing as he walked in front of me just added to the drama in my crotch. “Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll go bring my truck around and pick you up.”

“No need for that. I can walk with you.” We got through the crazy traffic in front of the terminal and made our way into the parking garage. “Wait a minute. You know who I am, but I’m about to get into a truck—in Texas—with a total stranger! My mother warned me about this sort of thing!”

The Adonis stopped and turned around. “Oh God! I’m so sorry! I’m Johnny Breeze. I’m the theatre’s lighting designer. Well, for now, anyway.” He gave a nervous laugh and headed back towards his truck.

“Nice to meet you, Johnny Breeze! And thank you for picking me up!”

“Happy to do it. And here we are. Just throw your bags in the back, and we’ll be on our way!”

We settled in the cab of Johnny’s truck and were soon on our way into the city. Something Johnny had said earlier was bothering me a bit, so I asked, “Johnny, what did you mean when you said you are the lighting designer for now?”

“Oh, that. Well, a lot of us on the staff kind of expect to be looking for new jobs after the change at the theatre. But I guess that’s all up in the air now.”

“Oh no! Far from it! From what I’ve seen, the staff at the theatre is great. The way I see it, the staff there right now will be the stability we need to get through the changes coming up. I mean, if people feel like they need to move on, they are free to do that. But I’m hoping as many of you stay on that want to. Hell, I need you guys!”

I looked over at Johnny as he sighed and let a huge grin take over his expression. Damn! Dimples? He has these gorgeous dimples that just make his perfect face even better. I’m glad I have my computer bag sitting on my lap!

“So, Johnny Breeze, what’s the agenda for the afternoon?”

“Well, our first stop is at your loft. Your furniture and boxes arrived last week. I hope you don’t mind, but I set up your furniture and unpacked the boxes—except for the ones you marked ‘personal,’ of course.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Johnny. That’s way beyond what you’re expected to do.”

“I don’t mind. I just thought it would make your first few days here easier.” Damn, he glanced over at me with that incredible grin again. Just then, I realized that if he unpacked my DVDs and books, then there were no real secrets. I’m pretty sure he found my old porn collection! I looked straight ahead as I felt the blood rushing from my crotch to my face.

“Hey, Jason, it’s cool. I might know more about you than you may have wanted at this point. But I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that’s one reason I asked Simon to pick you up and help you out this first week before you start work. I think we might just get along well. I don’t know. Just a hunch!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! This stunning man would be with me all week, seems to be hitting on me, and is just smiling away. He had this air of confidence with a dash of cocky that only made him sexier.

After a few minutes of silence, I let out an audible gasp as he placed his hand on my thigh and gave it a light squeeze. “We’re here! Welcome to Texas, Jason!” He pulled the truck into the parking garage and parked in one of the spaces reserved for my loft. The elevator was close by, and we got in and headed for the fifth floor.

We left the elevator and headed down the hall. In front of my door was a vase with at least two dozen yellow roses and a card. I picked them up as Johnny pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. I was stunned when I stepped into my new home! The loft looked incredible! Everything was in place and looked great. Honestly, Johnny did a better job than I would have. He set my bags down by the door and told me to wait a minute. He had a surprise for me.

“Do you need any help?” “No! Stay there, and I’ll be right back!”

I set the roses down on the table in the entry and opened the card.

“Some Texas yellow roses for our newest resident. I hope Johnny is taking good care of you. He is smitten, as all of us are. Just so you know, follow your heart—all will be fine.

–Simon”

Pop! I ran to the kitchen to make sure everything was alright, and there was Johnny pouring champagne into a couple of crystal flutes. “Hey,” Johnny looked up and smiled at me while handing me a glass. “Welcome home.”

“And here’s to you, Johnny—for all your help—and to new beginnings.”

We drank our champagne and set the glasses down on the island. Once again, our eyes locked. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever felt. It was as if I was falling into Johnny’s soul while at the same time, I felt a warmth in my heart like nothing I’ve ever experienced. After what seemed like two or three minutes (it was probably thirty seconds!) I literally had to shake my head to come back to reality. “Wow! That’s some champagne,” I said with a nervous laugh. What is this boy doing to me? I need to keep things professional. I’m going to be his boss, for God’s sake! But then MY boss tells me to follow my heart. What the fuck? All I could think was that I needed to get out of there to clear my head—the big one on my shoulders—although the little one in my pants had its needs, too!

“You know, I think I need to go upstairs and take a shower. After traveling all day, I feel like I need to wash off all the airports, taxis, and the TSA!” Lame, I know—but it was all I could think of at the moment.

“Master bedroom is up the stairs, and the bathroom is off to the left. I’ll get dinner started while you clean up.”

“Ummm, Johnny, there’s no food. I haven’t been shopping yet.”

“Ta daaa!” Johnny opened the refrigerator and showed me that it was fully stocked.

“What the hell? Where did all that come from?”

“The box office ladies couldn’t stand the thought of you coming into a new home that wasn’t stocked properly—so, they all went to Whole Foods and decided to fill you up on some good Texas food. And they’re all volunteers, so they weren’t even trying to kiss up to keep their jobs!”

Once again, I just let out a nervous laugh and headed upstairs. My bedroom was stunning. I loved the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over the lake and downtown. I stripped down and walked into the bathroom just as I realized I had left my bag with all my toiletries at the front door. Just as I was about to turn around, I noticed a new toothbrush, soap, razors, shaving cream—everything I would need was already in its place. Flabbergasted, I just stepped into the huge walk-in shower, closed the glass door, and turned on the hot water to wash the day away and clear my mind.

I washed my hair and began to soap up when my thoughts went to the god in my kitchen. I couldn’t get the sight of his eyes out of my mind. His smile was intoxicating. That long black hair was mesmerizing. By the time my soapy hands reached my cock, it was throbbing. I started stroking my eight inches—imagining that my hand was Johnny’s mouth and soft, supple lips. It wasn’t long before I felt my full balls draw up and was at the point of no return. “Suck my cock, Johnny! Drink my load!!”

I shot five massive streams of scalding cum across the shower and rinsed off as it washed down the drain. I turned off the water, opened the door, and was shocked to see Johnny standing there, rubbing his sizable bulge and holding a couple of towels.

“I- I- I’m sorry Jason, I realized that I hadn’t put bath towels out for you. I tried to get them up here before you finished your shower.”

“And you heard—"

“Yes. God, that was fucking hot!” Johnny walked toward me, wrapped me in a towel, and began drying me off. Once again, our eyes locked as he drew his lips to mine.