Three days later
After carefully considering Fuller’s advice, Tom had formally taken a leave of absence for the remainder of the week. As Booker had been due back at work the day he had started his so-called vacation, he had spent each day waiting expectantly for the young officer to make contact. But after enduring an agonizing seventy-two hours pining for the man who now occupied his every thought, he had come to the unwelcome conclusion that the young officer had decided to end their budding friendship, and therefore, whether he liked it or not, he was left to deal with the emotional impact of his rape on his own.
The realization had hit him hard. Not only did he value Booker’s friendship, the dark-haired officer was the only person
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“Talk to me, Tommy,” he murmured into his friend’s dirty hair. “If you think Booker’s in danger, you need to tell me what’s going on.”
Soft hiccups impeded Tom’s speech, so he shook his head in answer. But Penhall was not easily discouraged, and shifting into a cross-legged position, he placed his hands on Tom’s knees. “Did something happen at the fraternity?” he asked softly.
Tom’s body visibly stiffened. But as much as he wanted to pour his heart out to his best friend, he was too ashamed. In his heart, he knew if he divulged his secret, their relationship would never be the same. Not that it would be Penhall’s fault; he was a kind and compassionate man who would lay down his life for his friends. But Tom was astute enough to understand Doug would never be able to look at him in the same way if he knew seven men had brutally sexually assaulted him. It would forever be the elephant in the room; the unspoken, yet inescapable fact that would eventually drive a wedge between them. However, despite his apprehension, there was now the matter of Booker’s disappearance to take into consideration. If his friend was in danger, holding back vital information about the Pi Taus could prove costly. But even though he had a complexity of feelings for Dennis that had him questioning the very foundation of his sexuality, he could
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Tom stood on the edge of the paved quadrangle outside Stevenson Hall, eagerly watching the comings and goings of its inhabitants, and a wry smile played over his lips. A lot had happened since his carefree college days; he’d dealt with the death of the second most influential man in his life, been rescued from a mental institution, beaten up, shot, and raped, all of which had slowly chipped away at his trusting, carefree nature. After three years, he had seen too much, and he was no longer the same man he had been when he joined the force as bright-eyed, enthusiastic twenty-one-year-old. Time and personal experience had wearied him, and he doubted he would ever revitalize the optimistic spark that now lay dormant, buried beneath his pain in the very depths of his
Burke illustrates Tom’s inner conflict with first-person narration. The guilt he feels over the inactivity he had on the night of the incident, his frustration with Kylie and the added guilt he exhibits because he feels sorry for himself all adds up to his conflicted thoughts. Tom doesn’t know or feel like himself anymore. But Burke brings this to the attention of the reader in a good light when Tom thinks, “But now I knew what I missed most. I missed me, Tom Brennan, and that’s why now I could smile, ‘cause I could see he was coming back.” Thus, when J.C. Burke aptly finishes the book with the line “that was the morning Tom Brennan came back, forever,” the true development in Tom’s character and conflict is shown through the employment of first-person narration. Therefore, J.C. Burke thoroughly addressed the conflict in Tom’s mind as it was overcome in the
The story begins with Tom having to make a choice, going to the movies with his new wife, or staying at his home to unnecessarily finish his work. He decides to stay home and work on his project which makes him someone of a "hot-guilty conscience" so he opens up the window to cool himself off. He has a "hot guilty conscience" because he knows that he should be going to the movie but makes the wrong decision instead. When his wife is leaving she states "you wanted to see it, too." Although the readers know that this is true, he stays home anyway in hopes of finishing a project that
Therefore I can conclude that Daisy’s description of Tom as ‘a brute’ is accurate to say the least, but overall merely scratches the surface on the negative impact he has on the novel. He is chauvinistic, misogynistic, a liar and a cheat. He may not have earned the money he has, but he fully deserves the moral bankruptcy that
Even though Booker had attended over a dozen therapy sessions (both with Tom and without), he still found the experience extremely uncomfortable and he cringed inwardly. He was a private person by nature, and discussing his feelings with a stranger was not easy. The intense psychological examination had him stepping outside his comfort zone and leaping feet first into the unwelcome state of vulnerability and agitation. Although he knew the therapy sessions would not be a walk in the park, he had never imagined how truly invasive they would be. However, he knew it was the only way he and Tom would ever move forward in their relationship and so far, it was working. Their relationship had slowly progressed to gentle caresses and tender kisses and they were both a lot calmer and happier within themselves. But his high spirits did not prevent him from instinctively feeling judged by Li, and his belligerent attitude often came to the fore during their meetings.
It was one of those moments where Tom knew his actions would speak far louder than any comforting words, and without hesitation, he stepped forward and gently placed his hands on either side of his lover’s face. Their eyes locked, and for the briefest of moments, he could see Booker’s soul reflecting through his pain-flecked irises, the depth of his despair shimmering in the desolate black pools. It was a powerfully moving experience and overcome with empathy, he brushed his lips over the dark-haired officer’s quivering mouth, tenderly silencing his fears with the soft caress. Never before had he felt such an overwhelming urge to nurture another human being, the intensity of the emotion rekindling his love for the man standing before him. There was now no doubt in his mind Booker was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and with the knowledge came a sense of peace; he had found his twin flame, and he would do everything in his power to protect him.
It takes a compassionate heart to reveal a big secret like this, infact after keeping it for so long. Tom is very knowledgable to sense that it is better late than never. His idea shows that he can overcome his weakness to maintain justice. Although Tom’s wife is against him at that moment, it does not keep him from standing for what is right just as his father taught
Tom drew in a sharp breath as Jorge’s soapy hands moved over Booker’s torso, his long fingers caressing the dark-haired officer’s flesh with slow, sensual strokes. In the background, the sound of Holland’s voice, teasing, coaxing, encouraging the young Latino with softly spoken commands. “That’s it,” the mogul directed from behind the camera, his voice dripping with arousal, “make the dirty whore nice and clean.” Unable to look away, Tom watched on, his muscles tense, his mouth pulled into a silent scream. But when Holland issued the command for Jorge to touch Booker’s cock, the young officer broke his silence. A low, anguished howl spilled from between his lips, the guttural cry adding an audible texture to the eroticism of the scene. He had become one with the vision, a voyeuristic observer trapped within the scene playing out on his television screen, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not break the cycle and tear his eyes away. By opening Pandora’s Box, the consequences of his decision would impact on his life forever. But it was when Booker pushed his huge erection into Jorge’s trembling body—a look of pure ecstasy radiating from his beautiful face—that Tom completely lost control of his emotions. Loud sobs racked his body, and burying his face in his hands, he mourned the loss of the man he loved. Nothing would
Tom’s Primary Reactions to the incident were despair and guilt. On the night of the accident, Tom cannot face his brother and is most afraid of Fin. In the wake of the carnage caused by accident, Tom experiences a different kind of fear Formerly popular, outgoing and successful, Tom finds it hard to be hated. What fears him the most is exposure, and humiliation it brings him. When Kylie tells the family’s secret in her school presentation, Tom is frightened he will have to endure the same vitriolic and public shaming that occurred in Mumbilli. He is paralysed by a sense of guilt: Daniel his brother and he could have stopped the incident from happening. The “letter of remorse” sent by nicoles family to the Brennan’s is particularly
What once was so important to Tom now was the least of his worries. The only thing that was on his mind was his lover. His wife, Clare. He couldn’t believe he fooled himself into thinking
The first example to be covered is how Tom matured because of witnessing a murder. Topics such as murder, death, and justice are much more serious than Tom is used to dealing
His cock twitched to life at the memory of the young man's soft lips moving over his shaft, and suddenly, he longed to hold the beautiful pool boy in his arms and love him like he deserved to be loved. He wanted to forget about the pain and degradation he had endured at the hands of a psychopath. He wanted to forget he had ever made the absurd promise to Holland in exchange for the tapes. He wanted to put the nightmare he was living behind him and escape to the freedom of the outside world. But most of all, he wanted to forget about Tom. Now, whenever thought about the man he had carried a torch for since the first day they met, his stomach knotted in anger. Rightly or wrongly, his distorted mind now believed Hanson was the reason he found himself in the predicament he was in. He honestly thought the young officer had managed to manipulate him by using his wily charms, and pretty boy looks to convince him he needed saving, and that the only way his life would ever have meaning again was to destroy the tapes. Although a cockeyed perspective of the truth, his ego firmly accepted it as fact, thereby protecting his morality. He did not want to admit he got off on the rough sex, that he had experienced some of the most mind-blowing orgasms he had ever had the pleasure to experience while writhing beneath Holland’s hot, sweaty body. To do so would reveal his darker side, the part of him he had not known existed until he met Ingram Holland. It was an aspect of his personality that concerned him, and he longed to re-bury it deep inside his psyche and forget it even existed. In essence, he wanted to be Dennis Booker again because the man he was becoming frightened
Thinking about what he was leaving behind, his wife, kids, everything he loved. Tom was not ready to leave. Going into war was something Tom never thought he would do. Only 26 years old and he was drafted into war. Tom opened the door and looked back at his family. Why is this happening to me he thought. His wife had been crying since the day Tom found out he was being sent out to Japan to fight.. He left out the door and got into his car. He looked one more time at his wife and had to take a deep breath in. Then driving off with a feeling of sadness knowing he may not see his family ever again.
Because Tom has assumed Dickie’s identity, he inherits this new slate of assumed heterosexuality, and because Freddie is threatening this, Tom must kill
Rolling up his shirtsleeves, Tom washed the blood from his fingers. Once clean, he leaned over the sink, and cupping his hands under the running faucet, he splashed cool water over his burning face. He took a moment to scrub at the flesh around his nose and mouth, being sure to remove all traces of blood from his skin. After several minutes, he turned off the faucet and lifting his head, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Beads of water clung to his hair and skin, the paleness of his cheeks highlighting the dark smudges beneath his eyes. He looked like shit, he felt like shit...in fact, he was nothing more than a piece of shit smeared on the bottom of an unsuspecting jogger’s shoe. But his low self-esteem was only a part of his self-loathing, and he wondered why Booker bothered to take an interest in him. Not that the dark-haired officer would ever really know him, his life was shrouded in secrets and what little he did reveal about himself was a lie. But what Booker didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, and he would keep up the charade to the best of his ability. For the first time in years, he actually had someone other than his brother to talk to, and even though their conversations would never be intimate, it made a
A light wave of chatter undulated throughout the bar, the cheerful voices creating a welcoming ambiance without intruding on Tom and Dennis’ conversation. It was a relaxing environment, open and friendly, yet affording them the intimacy Booker craved. He wanted to get to know Hanson better, and not just in a sexual way. Despite working together, he knew very little about the young officer’s past, and he longed to fill in the blanks so he could understand what made him tick. Curiosity was his curse, and he felt an insatiable desire to know everything about a person. Many accused him of narcissism, but he was, in fact, the exact opposite. People stirred inside him an almost voyeuristic interest; their complexity of mind a constant source of fascination. He could while away countless hours people watching, silently observing their interactions, his active imagination keeping him amused as he psychoanalyzed their various behaviors. Since meeting Tom, he had spent many a lonely night creating visual stories in his mind, while his talented fingers stroked his cock to hardness. He even fabricated fantasies involving the officer’s sexual preferences, which usually contained visions of bondage and whipped cream. He had become so proficient in believing his make-believe world, he almost felt as though he and Tom were in an intimate relationship. Except it was all a lie. He knew nothing about the beautiful man sitting across from him, but all that was about to change. They were alone,