With a Little Help From a Friend

David Starsky sat in the booth and watched as his big blond partner, Ken Hutchinson, flirted with the new waitress. From where he sat, he could see that the woman was falling under his friend’s spell. He smiled thinly. It looked like Hutch was going to get lucky tonight. Starsky sighed softly and turned away, unable to watch the little interplay any further. It had been over a year since he had been with a woman.

B.G. That was how he defined his life now. Before Gunther. Before five bullets fired at close range had ripped through his body and came dangerously close to killing him. Even the doctors hadn’t held out any hope for his survival, telling his friends and colleagues to prepare themselves for the worst. But, he had fooled them all. After a cardiac arrest and almost a week in a coma, he had opened his eyes and began the long painful fight to recovery. Six weeks in the hospital, then another eight months of intensive physical therapy had finally restored him to health. Two weeks ago, he had passed the review board and been cleared to return to active duty alongside Hutch.

As far as anyone else knew, he was fully recovered. Except for one little problem. He hadn’t been able to get an erection since the shooting. At first the doctors had told him that it was a side effect of all the powerful medications that he was on for months but even after he was weaned from all the different pills, he still couldn’t get it up. And it wasn’t for a lack of trying but nothing seemed to help. His cock remained soft and unresponsive. Now the doctors claimed that it was all psychological. Starsky snorted at the memory of being told that. Who wouldn’t have a mental block about sex when their body looked like something from a horror movie, his torso covered with scars from the numerous surgeries to save his fragile hold on life. The doctor counseled him to be patient and let nature take it’s course. Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one who couldn’t get it up.

Nobody had seen him naked since the shooting, except for Hutch, and if Starsky had his way, nobody ever would. Still, the thought of spending the next forty or fifty years of his life without being able to experience the pleasures of sex with a beautiful woman was a depressing thought. Starsky had always been a virile man with a healthy sex drive and he could always find a willing partner. But, he had to accept that part of his life was all over now. It was the price he had paid for surviving horrendous injuries that would killed a lesser man. Still, his forced celibacy was something he found harder to live with than the fact that he had almost died.

Lost in his own depressing thoughts, he didn’t notice as a woman slid into the empty seat across from him until a honey toned voice with a distinctive southern drawl said, “Hey, sugar. Why so glum?”

Starsky raised his head and smiled at a local hooker known on the streets as Sweet Alice because of her sunny disposition. Over the years, she had been a valuable source of information for the two detectives. They had also come to think of her as a friend. She looked over her shoulder in time to see Hutch disappear through the front door with the waitress he had been flirting with. “It looks like your partner found a new friend.” she said with a wistful tone in her voice. It was a well known fact that she had a soft spot in her heart for Starsky’s big blond partner, Hutch.

“Looks like at least one of us got lucky,” Starsky muttered, taking a long drink of his beer.

“Starsky, honey…are you okay?” Alice asked in her honey toned voice. Living up to her street name, she seem genuinely concerned about Starsky’s welfare.

“Yeah, I’m just terrific,” Starsky said without a trace of his usual bounce and spirit.

“Come on, darling…” Alice cajoled him, “I can see that something’s bothering you. Can I help?”

“I wish you could,” Starsky said with a thin smile. “But, it’s kinda personal.”

“Personal like in sexual?” Alice asked perceptively.

“Something like that,” Starsky admitted, a flush coloring his normally olive toned skin.

“Then maybe I can help,” Alice said with an encouraging smile. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Starsky sighed softly and lowered his eyes. He’d never been one to be inhibited when it came to his sexuality but he seldom talked to anyone about really personal issues except for Hutch. Still, Sweet Alice wasn’t just anyone. She was a hooker so that made her sort of an expert on the subject of sex. Maybe she could help. What did he have to lose? Taking a deep breath, he looked up into her gentle blue eyes and said, “I can’t get it up since I got shot.”

“Oh, sugar…” Alice said compassionately, reaching out to gently pat the back of his hand. “I’m so sorry. What do the doctors have to say?”

“To give it time and let nature take it’s course. That it’s all in my head.”

“But you’re still scared that you’ll never be able to get it up again, aren’t you?” Alice said insightfully.

“Yeah…” Starsky admitted sadly.

“That sounds pretty normal to me,” Alice told him as she covered the back of his hand with her much smaller one. Starsky swallowed to dislodge the lump that suddenly rose in his throat at Alice’s natural sincerity and compassion touched him deeply. “I’d be scared too,” she added with a sweet smile. “Why don’t we go back to my place? Maybe I can help you after all.”

Starsky hesitated. He knew what Alice was offering. He’d used the services of a hooker a few times when he was stationed in Viet Nam so that wasn’t an issue but the idea of using Alice like that seemed wrong to him somehow. Even through Starsky was comfortable with his own desires and sexuality, he was also a true gentleman at heart.

Sensing his reluctance, Alice said quietly “We won’t do anything that you don’t want to. Maybe just talking to somebody will do you some good.”

“Okay,” Starsky said, still somewhat reluctant to take Alice up on her offer. They both stood up and left the bar together. Outside, the air was fresh and crisp, the stars sparkling brightly in the sky, in the wake of the Santa Anna winds. Starsky led the way to his prized possession, his candle apple red Torino with the foot wide white racing stripe.

Like a gentleman, he unlocked Alice’s door first and helped her into the car, then crossed around to his own side to slide underneath the wheel.

As they drove in silence to her midtown apartment, Alice stole glances at the brunet behind the wheel. Although her heart belonged to his big blond partner, she had always found the brunet to be an extremely attractive man too. His darker features were a perfect compliment to his partner’s Nordic blondness, the perfect blend of light and dark. She had also heard rumors that both men were very skilled and considerate lovers. Hopefully, she would soon be able to check out that rumor first hand, at least with Starsky. She had seen the brunet in action before and she knew that he was charming, witty and a compulsive flirt. Hutch was just as charming and seductive but in a more restrained fashion than his more outgoing partner.

When they reached her apartment, Alice unlocked the door and ushered Starsky inside. As he sat down on the sofa, looking a bit uncomfortable and unsure of himself, Alice smiled fondly and sat down beside him. “Relax, sugar,” she said “I don’t bite…unless you’re into that kind of thing.” Her words had their desired effect as Starsky chuckled lightly and seemed more at ease.

“No, pain ain’t my thing,” Starsky told her

“I didn’t think so…I’d say that you’re more of a romantic…the candlelight and roses type.”

“I used to be.”

“But not anymore?”

“Even candlelight and roses wouldn’t be enough to make up for what I look like since the shooting,” Starsky said dryly.

“Is it really that bad?”

“Let’s just say that I could give Frankenstein’s monster a run for his money.”

“Let me get us some coffee and then we can talk about your little problem,” Alice suggested. She stood up and walked into the tiny kitchenette where she always kept a pot of coffee on for her guests. Pouring two cups and sweetening both with lots of sugar, she walked back over to the sofa. As she started to hand Starsky his cup, she pretended to stumble, spilling some of the coffee on the front of his shirt. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed, as she quickly sat the two cups down on the coffee table. “That’s going to stain for sure! Why don’t you take off your shirt and I’ll throw it in the washer before that stain sets in?” Starsky involuntarily flinched and pulled away when Alice reached out as if to help him undo the buttons on his shirt. “What’s wrong? Did you get burned?” she asked, afraid that he had seen through her little ruse to try and get him to remove his shirt.

“No…” Starsky said in a hoarse whisper. “It’s just…” he swallowed hard and then blurted out self-consciously “Nobody has seen me without my shirt on except Hutch and the doctors since the shooting.”

Alice’s eyes softened with sympathy for the obviously distressed brunet. Cupping his chin gently in one tiny hand, she forced him to look at her. “It’s okay, honey…you don’t have to take it off if it makes you so uncomfortable.”

“No…it’s silly really…” Starsky said, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. “I have to show somebody else sometime…” A shaky smile crossed his face and his eyes focused on the wall behind Alice’s head instead of her face as he slipped the shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the sofa behind him.

Alice caught her breath, her eyes widening in amazement, at the sight of the thick ridges of scar tissue that lined the lightly furred chest. Although it was indeed a shocking sight, mute evidence of the pain and trauma the brunet had suffered, it was also a testament to his remarkable survival despite the odds against him.

“You poor thing,” Alice murmured. There was no pity in her voice as Starsky had feared, only empathy for what he had gone through. Starsky relaxed noticeably at her favorable reaction.

“Pretty gross, huh?” he quipped with a crooked grin. “A regular freak…”

“No, darling…not a freak,” Alice told him. “Just a man who survived something that should have killed him. The scars on your body will fade. It’s the ones inside that I’m worried about.”

“Now you sound like Hutch.”

“As close as you two are, I’ll take that as a compliment.” She sat back down beside him and said softly. “May I touch you?”

Starsky nodded without answering, not trusting his own voice. He watched as Alice slowly reached out her hand and ran her fingers lightly across his scarred chest. Goosebumps immediately appeared as a shiver ran through him, his body reacting to the first touch of a woman’s hand on his body since before the shooting that didn’t belong to a nurse. He sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the intimate contact. He hissed softly as Alice let her fingers brush over one tiny brown nipple, hidden beneath his curly chest hair.

“See, I told you I didn’t bite,” Alice whispered, continuing to caress his chest lightly with her fingers. When she lowered her other hand and fumbled with the brunet’s belt, he made no effort to stop her, so she continued. Expertly unsnapping his jeans with one hand, she slowly pulled down the zipper, taking care not to move too fast and spook the obviously nervous brunet.

With one smooth movement, she slipped her hand into Starsky’s jeans, fondling him through the thin material of his briefs. Even flaccid, Starsky’s cock was larger than most men and Alice was an expert on men’s cocks. Alice smiled to herself. She had always suspected that the cocky brunet was just as well endowed as his bigger partner. His skin tight jeans left little to the imagination and clearly accented his natural assets.

“Can I take ’em off?” Alice said, asking permission before going any further.

Starsky nodded almost absently and raised his hips to make it easier for her to tug off his jeans and underwear in one fluid motion. Alice eyed his lower body with a practiced eye. His soft cock lay against one thigh, the shaft long and thick, the head circumcised in accordance with his Jewish religion. His well shaped balls were heavy, cradled gently in a nest of thick wiry curls between his chorded thighs.

Starsky hissed through tightly clenched teeth as her delicate fingers closed around his limp cock. It had been so long since he’d felt a woman’s intimate touch on the most sensitive part of his anatomy. Alice began to stroke his shaft lightly, calming his anxiety at his lack of response to the stimulation. His breathing deepened as her touch turned firmer, the strokes a bit faster. His stubborn cock twitched with interest but remained flaccid.

Alice let her other hand drift down to his balls, fondling them gently as she rolled them between her talented fingers. Starsky gasped in pleasure. He had always enjoyed having his balls played with, something most women seemed to hesitate doing. He felt his body beginning to respond accordingly with a flush of pleasure that made it feel as if the temperature in the room had gone up twenty degrees.

Alice smiled as she leaned over and gently lapped her tongue against the tiny slit in the head of his cock, tasting the clear drop of pre-cum that had gathered there. Starsky cried out softly and arched his back, tangling his fingers in her hair, as she opened her mouth and closed her lips around the head of his cock, sucking gently. When she felt the resistant cock begin to thicken, she used her talented mouth to coax Starsky into a full blown erection. As the familiar sensations swept over him, Starsky began to coach her on the way he liked it best.

As his lust mounted, he began to thrust his hips gently, careful not shove his cock too far into her mouth and choke her. He knew from previous experience that most women could not accommodate the length and width of his erection. He was pleasantly surprised when Alice turned out to be the exception, opening her mouth wider and relaxing her throat as she swallowed his cock whole, something no woman had ever been able to do. He screamed as he came explosively, his entire body almost convulsing with the force of his orgasm. Still shaking, he felt Alice swallowing all he had to offer, then she gently licked him clean and let the overly sensitive head slip from her mouth.

Alice leaned back and smiled as she watched Starsky struggle to regain his composure and slow his breathing back to normal. She didn’t think he would be having any further problems in the future with his manhood.

Grateful to Sweet Alice for helping him to overcome his ‘little problem’, Starsky pulled her into his arms, determined to return the favor. Alice had not been expecting anything in return for her services and had learned long ago to put her own natural responses on hold when she was with a client. When Starsky kissed her, his hands moving underneath her clothing to touch the wetness between her legs, she melted. She soon discovered first hand that the rumors about the brunet were true. He was a skilled and considerate lover who paid special attention to his partner’s needs. He enjoyed foreplay and used it to make sure his partner was well satisfied before addressing the demands of his own body.

When his hard, thick cock slid inside of her, Alice cried out and came almost immediately, even though the brunet had already made her come twice with his talented mouth, tongue and fingers. He moved his hips, thrusting gently, as he climbed the heights to his second orgasm of the evening. Afterwards, he kissed her again and said,

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, sugar,” Alice said softly, watching sleepily as he pulled on his clothes and prepared to leave. She was sorry to see him go. She knew that her time with the brunet would be a special memory that she would always cherish. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel ashamed of what she had done and she knew that Starsky didn’t think any less of her for it the way some men did. He hadn’t just fucked her, he had made love to her, an unheard of event in her line of work. As Starsky left her apartment, Alice was pleased to note that the bounce was back in his step and that strut back in his walk. He turned to give her a wink before walking out the door, that devilish sparkle back in those beautiful eyes and that cocky smile on his face. Alice smiled brightly. David Starsky was back and better than ever.