Will and Scott Have a Wild Night with Keanu Reeves

When I met Will the Bondage Boy in November 1987, he was the picture of a Silverlake leatherman.

He was in his 30s, short and compact, bearded, with a muscular, hairy chest and a little belly.

He worked as a bartender at the L.A. Eagle, he wore chaps, boots, and a leather jacket almost everywhere, and he had a fully equipped dungeon in his basement.

Will wasn't averse to going down on guys, especially if they were big beneath the belt, but he preferred S&M.  He was into intricate, complicated scenes with dialogue and plots, like "prisoner of war" or "interrogated spy."

I naturally assumed that he had been into leather as long as he had been out.  But no: not too long ago, he was a West Hollywood twink, with a closet full of polo shorts and cargo pants, Duran Duran on his car stereo, and no bondage experience except for a few vague fantasies.

He claimed that his awakening came in the summer of 1986, during a wild night with film star Keanu Reeves.

West Hollywood, July 1986

Although Will and I were both living in West Hollywood during 1985-86, our paths never crossed, that I know of.  I was into the Metropolitan Community Church, Asian guys, and Muscle and Fitness.  He was into musical theater, fashion, and...well, dancing.

He and his best friend, Scott, were at the Rage, the twink dance club, with occasional forays to Mickey's and Studio One, four or five times per week, every week, month after month, year after year, dancing and cruising, dancing and cruising.

"It was like we were killing time, just waiting around for our life to begin," Will says.

One night in July, a couple of weeks after Gay Pride, Will and Scott were in the Rage, as usual, when Scott started cruising a Cute Young Thing: tall, thick black hair, sharp features, a soft, smooth chest, and an enormous basket.

His name was Keanu, which he said meant Breeze over the Mountains in Hawaiian.  His parents were native Hawaiian and British, but he grew up in Canada.  He just moved to L.A. a few months ago.  He was living with his stepfather and trying to make it as an actor.

After they danced and fondled for awhile, Keanu said "Let's get out of here!"

Scott blanched -- "tricking," bringing someone home after just meeting, was taboo in West Hollywood.  Besides, you didn't abandon a friend in the middle of the evening.

"Oh, I don't mean anything like that," Keanu said.  "I meant let's go have some fun.  Both of you, of course."

Wondering what could be more fun than dancing at the Rage, they followed him out of the club and got into his battered Volvo.

"You got into a car with a guy you didn't know?" I ask, shocked.

"Well, there were two of us and one of him, so we thought it would be safe.  Besides, Scott was really into him."

They drove all the way through Beverly Hills, Century City, and Santa Monica to the Pier, where they got out and walked along the beach.

Gay men in West Hollywood simply didn't go to the beach, so it was quite an adventure walking on the sand, Scott and Keanu holding hands and kissing.  Will, feeling left out and a bit jealous, pushed himself into the group and kissed and fondled them both.  Soon he was going down on them.  Scott had a Kielbasa+, and Keanu had an uncut Mortadella.

After a few minutes, Keanu pulled him to his feet, zipped up, and said "This guy can't wait, can he?  We'd better cool him off, or he'll never last the night."

They climbed back into the car and drove into Beverly Hills.  Keanu parked in a back alley off Rexford Drive.

"Is this where you live?" Will asked.

"No, I live three doors down.  But this house has something my stepdad doesn't.  A pool."

"Wait," I protest.  "You were just on the beach.  Why didn't..."

"What can I say?  It was a wild night."

Before they could question, Keanu was taking his clothes off, leaping over the fence, and diving headfirst into a stranger's pool.

Scott eagerly followed.  Will followed, too, reluctantly.

"What if the people inside hear us?  We'll be arrested -- and you know what that means."

 In 1986, the LAPD was notoriously homophobic.  They would be laughed at, called names, lectured on the book of Leviticus, and probably assaulted.

"Spoilsport!" Keanu exclaimed, splashing him.   "I know these people -- well, I've seen them, anyway.  From a car as we drove past."  He got on his knees and tried to go down on Scott underwater.

Will pulled him to his feet.  "Are you crazy!  Now it's not just indecent exposure and trespassing, it's lascivious behavior -- a felony!"

Keanu tried to grab Scott's penis, but Will pushed him away.

"Sounds like somebody needs some discipline," he said.  "You ever been spanked, boy?"

It was oddly exciting to be called "boy" by a Cute Young Thing barely out of his teens, and the prospect of a spanking...maybe it could be a teacher-student thing, like in his high school fantasies...besides, anything to get them out of the pool!

So they stopped at Laurel Hardware for some clothesline and clothes pins -- rather a popular purchase at 2:00 am -- then returned to Will's apartment in West Hollywood.   Will stripped to his underwear, and Keanu tied him to a chair with his hands behind his back.

He was gagged, fondled, whipped lightly with a belt.  Clothespins were attached to his nipples.

Then Keanu said "We've been lovers for ten years.  You never knew that I've been seeing other guys on the side.  One day you come home unexpectedly to find me with my boyfriend.  We tie you up, make fun of your tiny penis, and force you to watch."  He led Scott to the bed and kissed him passionately, then moved him into the 69 position.

Will was already a little jealous, and he found himself getting into the role easily, struggling against the ropes, yelling into the gag, feeling real anger and betrayal -- and becoming tremendously aroused.

They took their time, making the act as slow and romantic as they could, which aroused Will even more.  He really believed that he was watching his long-term lover cheating on him!  Keanu looked over a couple of times and smugly fondled Scott's Kielbasa.

When Keanu finished, he lay there for a moment, then came over to Will,  took off the gag, and untied him.  Will pulled him into a long kiss.

"Did you like that?" Scott asked anxiously.  "Or was it a little too weird for you?"

Will stood,  still sticking straight out, and made his way shakily to the bed.  He grinned. "Are you going to punish me for being late to class, Teacher?"

They never saw Keanu again, but the next Saturday night Will was standing at the entrance of the L.A. Eagle, wearing chaps and a leather vest.

Were Will and Scott telling the truth?

1. Guys often have a second "coming out" into the leather scene, but Will's transition from vanilla sex only to complicated role-playing bondage games seems a little abrupt.

2. They got some biographical details wrong: Keanu was born in Lebanon, not Canada, and in the summer of 1986 he was already established as an actor. 

3. But he did drive a battered 1969 Volvo, and he was living in Beverly Hills with his former stepfather, director Paul Aaron.

4. Keanu apparently has a rather small penis, not a Mortadella.  But that might just be the convention of West Hollywood storytelling, where everyone is enormous.

5. In 2014 a female intruder went skinny dipping in Keanu's pool.  He called the police and had her arrested.  He never mentioned any similar acts in his youth.

6. There's no evidence that Keanu Reeves is gay.  Although he is unmarried, he has been linked with several women over the years, including Winona Ryder, Cameron Diaz, Parker Posey, and most recently trans actress Jamie Clayton.  He is a strong gay ally, so surely if he was gay or bi, he would have outed himself by now.