“Jesus Christ,” Ray said again. “I mean, if I’d known—”

Hogg laughed once more. “I seen that boy with his dick outside his pants more times than I seen him with it in. Hey, when you send Nigg and Dago back here, whyn’t you send old Denny in too. That is, if he ain’t too busy.”

“Jesus …” Ray repeated, but he had to prop the crate up again, so he didn’t get out the “Christ.” He frowned at Hogg, then at me, then at Hogg again. “Okay, I’ll send ’im back here, if just to get ’im out of the front.” He started off between the cartons. “Shit, if I’d of known the crazy cocksucker was beatin’ his meat right out in the goddamn bar—” and disappeared between the cartons.

Hogg shook his head, chuckling. “Hey, boy. Get down, take it out, and suck it. I swear, if watchin’ a bastard like old Ray get all upset don’t come near to givin’ me a goddamn hard-on too. Besides—” Hogg leaned on one of those gray, screw-out metal columns that supported a low ceiling beam—“I want to see what them bastards do when they come in here and find you swingin’ on it.” He glanced up where evening blue mottled a grimy window high on the side wall. “Now that’s what I should’ve got you doin’ when Ray was in here. Would’ve probably taught the motherfucker somethin’ useful, ’stead of wastin’ my time jawin’ to him. He done learned half of it from Denny. I’m probably shirkin’ my duty not teachin’ him the other half. I got a real strong sense of duty. You got to have one when you doin’ work like I do. Come on, get down.” He planted his shoe over here and his foot over there, and cupped his hand under his crotch. “Hey, what’s that look—get on down there and suck it, boy! Get down.”

I knelt.

“This gonna tickle them somethin’ fierce.” Hogg shouted: “Hey, you black bastard, come on in here! Where are you, you dumb wop?” His hairy belly jerked in front of my face between the swinging green cloth, hanging open out of his pants.

The echo of his shout rolled through the storeroom.

Hogg fingered his red meat out of his fly; it was hard, like the yell had pumped it up. “Shit, cocksucker,” he drawled. “You know you want it.… Your face just fits my crank.” The stench of sweat and stale piss had got me hot again. “Yeah, there you go. Oh, shit, that’s fine. Yeah, work it, motherfucker!” He closed his fist in my hair and thrust into my throat.

Behind me I heard other voices; and footsteps.

Hogg’s hand stilled on my head. He slipped easy and slow around in my face. I heard him say: “Hey, you dumb guinea, you sure took your motherfuckin’ time!”

“Evenin’, Hogg. Ray said you—Now! Hey, nigger, ain’t that a cute little thing cleanin’ up Hogg’s old pecker? Must’ve needed it too, ’cause I know just what a cheesy bastard you are, Hogg. How you doin’, motherfucker?”