The story below is a work of fiction. It may contain erotic or sexually explicit behavior between males. If you find this work offensive or are too young, please leave now.

The author reserves copyright privileges. This work my not be reproduced, except for private use, without permission of the author.

Dedication:

Prologue: This story is a continuation of the story Ron and Bryan. While it is not essential that you read R & B first, it is recommended. I hope you enjoy this story. JETjt@aol.com

                RON AND MATT

                    Chapter One

“How’d the day go love?” Ron asked Matt whose torso and attached appendages were covered with dirt. Matt’s 5’-10” 155 pound sweat-soaked body staggered through the door then headed for the kitchen where he poured himself a large glass of iced tea.

“I’m pooped.” Matt answered as he lowered his tired 26-year-old body into a chair. “I never knew that construction could be so tiring. That Terry!” Matt began, referring to the job superintendent, “What a slave driver! He never let me or Tony sit down the whole day!”

Ron laughed. “That’s what he gets paid for. How’s the project coming?”

“Good, I guess. We’re doing finish work. Boy, those construction workers sure make a mess to clean up! I swear, if they were standing on a trash can they’d throw their shit on the floor!”

“Hey! You asked for it, Babe.” Ron replied, as a smile broke out above his angular chin, and his blue eyes twinkled.  “You’ll think twice next time before you ask for a menial job with nobody knowing who you are. Ya gotta take the advice of an older guy.”

“Yeah, like 29 is really ‘older’. I admit though that I was probably crazy. I know Tony thinks I’ve lost my mind. The guys on the job gave Tony and me a pretty hard time when we first went out there. I guess it was pretty obvious that we didn’t know a two by four from a pipe wrench, but I have to say, after a few days of busting our asses they came to accept us. Most of ‘em turned out to be pretty good guys. They finally told us to pace ourselves instead of going all-out all the time. Probably a good thing too, I don’t think I could have gone much longer at the frantic pace we set for ourselves at first. Terry doesn’t let us slow down much though. He’s given us regular things to do plus he gives us specific tasks for the day. We do the specific jobs, then move to our regular things. Whew! That young Tony is a hard worker, too!  I have to really bust ass to keep up.

“That’s good to know Babe,” Ron commented. “I’m sure his mother, Mabel, is proud of him and the money comes in handy too.

“He told me she was making him put half of it into savings. He gives her about a quarter of his wages for expenses, and has the rest for himself. He asked me to ask you if you would invest his savings for him.”

“Tell him I’d be glad to, Matt. It’s never too early to become an entrepreneur.  Well, now that you’ve had a taste of it, are you ready to quit?”

“Nah,” Matt replied to his 6 ft 175 pound blond lover, “ I’m thinking we should be finished with the Center, in about two weeks. Then there are all the beds and furnishings that we have to set up. I think we’ll be out of there in about three weeks or so. I’ll stick it out ‘til then. Besides I’d hate to have Tony think I’m a quitter.”

Author’s note: The Ted Thornton Center for Gay Youth is named for Ted Thornton, who lost his life as a result of a gay bashing.

“I’m glad you took my advice about driving the Jeep to work.”

“Yeah me too. It would have looked a little strange for a laborer makin’ ten bucks an hour to arrive at work in a Mercedes sports car. I’d probably never have lived it down. Either that or I’d have to explain that my boyfriend gave it too me. Ha!”

“Yeah, that would have gone over like a Baby Ruth in a punch bowl. I know that we have a non-discrimination policy that’s strictly enforced, but there’s no point stirring up the ants’ nest. We live in an environment that our sexuality doesn’t matter, but some of those boys out on the job are not that liberal minded.”

“I’d tell ‘em if they asked,” Matt said with a determined look. “I just figure it’s none of their business. We’re out there to work. I hear comments now and then but so far I’ve just ignored them and consider the source. I’m not sure that Peter Sigler is so lucky. I guess the word has gotten around that he’s gay, and while most of the guys are either friendly or just leave him alone, there are a couple that give him a hard time.”

“Who’s Peter?” Ron asked.

“He’s one of the laborers like us on the job. Damn good worker too. He’s been around longer than we have so he runs a lot of errands and does a few skilled labor tasks, helping some of the work crews that are short handed.”

“What kind of things are they saying?”

“Oh, I heard ‘em asking him if he had put in his application to live in the ‘queer house’. You know, stuff like that.”

“If it starts getting out of hand, talk to Terry about it. I’ll not have harassment of our workers, no matter their race, religion or sexual persuasion!” Ron said, showing concern.

“OK, if you think I should,” Matt replied. “I’m just tempted to punch those guys’ lights out myself though. Those training sessions with Tyler might come in handy.”

“Not recommended, Matt,” Ron said seriously. “Some guys are just spoiling for a fight. I’d sure hate to see ya all mashed up, cute guy. I like ya unblemished just like ya are. If Peter was in imminent danger and there was no alternative, you know I’d back ya, but violence is rarely a solution.”

“I know that Sweetheart, and I’ll do my best to let Peter deal with it his own way. Besides, the two guys that are pickin’ on him each out-weigh us by 60 or 70 pounds. Peter’s no bigger than me.”

“I think I’ll pay the site a visit tomorrow,” Ron said. “I’d like to see how it’s coming along.”

“Uh, do me a favor Ron?” Matt asked. “Don’t let on that you know me. I’d like to just be ‘one of the guys’ ‘til the job is over. I don’t want any favors, and I don’t want any shit either.”

“Is it ok that I know Tony?” Ron asked smiling.

“Yeah, I’ll clue him in on the plan. I already told him to keep his mouth shut about me. There’s no need for anyone knowing that I’m the boss’s boyfriend. Tony’s sure missing that little Johnny though. Seems like that’s all he talks about when we’re workin’ together. He’s heard the shit with Peter though, so he’s pretty close-mouthed around the other guys.”

“Yeah, he’s a smart kid. No point in takin’ chances,” Ron said in agreement. “What do you think about washin’ off some of that dirt in our shower?  I’m available for ‘Rub-a-dub, I’ll give you a scrub’ duties.”

“Mmmm. That sound’s wonderful! You might even get a raise out of it.  Errr… or is that a rise? I can never keep that stuff straight”

“I’m sure I can find something straight to stuff with,” Ron said with a gleam in his eyes.

“Best offer I’ve had all day!” Matt replied with a grin. He rose from the chair and followed Ron toward the Master Suite of their palatial Las Vegas home.

        *        *        *

Tyler was tired too. The month that had passed since Christmas had been very busy at Aztec-Turner Security. The company was growing at a rapid pace with new contracts coming in almost too fast to man properly. Tyler had spent a great deal of time on the overview for new employee selection, as well as the expansion and improvements to their training program, in order to meet the demand with qualified personnel. The changes proposed by the whiz kids of Ron’s Turner Consulting operation, Jeff Davis and Phil Thompson were already making a positive impact on Aztec’s bottom line.

If that weren’t enough, a very good agency in St. Louis had come up for sale. Tyler was forever grateful for the help of his brother Ron’s Executive V.P., Will Nuggent. Will had taken care of all the initial negotiations, with Tyler only looking on as a quick learning bystander. Tyler, again with the help of Jeff and Phil had studied the operations of the potential acquisition and found them sound, if a bit stodgy.

In spite of the immense amount of work, Tyler found time to spend at least part of each weekend at ‘home’, Ron and Matt’s Las Vegas estate. Their guesthouse had been converted into his own personal place. Other guests were housed in one or more of the other 5 guest rooms in the main dwelling.  Matt had wanted to make sure that he had his own ‘house’ where he could come and go at will, yet walk into the main house, just like it was ‘down the hall.’

‘How he loved those guys!’ he often thought. Ron was the brother he’d never had and Matt showed his love for the new addition to their family with every thing he said or did.
The emptiness that had lingered too long past the death of Tyler’s mother was now gone. He’d not only discovered his mystery father, now dead, but also found in his father’s son, Ron, a real live brother who he loved and admired. Ron had made him a rich man, a condition that Tyler largely ignored. He was too busy to even contemplate what he could do with the over $40 million that he’d received as his portion of their father’s estate.

Tyler looked forward to the coming weekend. There was only one more day to go before leaving on Friday after work for Las Vegas. Most weekends he just hopped a Southwest flight for the short trip to Las Vegas, rather than take one of the company planes. This weekend would be different. The Citation II would be waiting tomorrow afternoon at the Burbank airport for the trip. Jeff and Phil had been in town since Wednesday reviewing the implementation of their initial suggestions and working, after an earlier in the week trip to St. Louis, on a program to merge the St. Louis purchase into Aztec-Turner.  Tyler had spent several hours with the handsome couple and was properly grateful for their help. Running a finely tuned business was far different than managing the explosive internal growth they were experiencing and the challenges brought on by the acquisition of another operation.

He had hoped that by this time moving the headquarters of Aztec-Turner to Las Vegas would have been finalized, but it was not to be. The changes in the Los Angeles operation, the opening of their New York office, and the purchase of the St. Louis company had consumed his time and delayed the transition. To add to the current madness in Tyler’s new life, Ron had also bought the towering structure that housed the security firm’s L.A. offices. There was now a Turner Properties management office in the building staffed with a small group of efficient managers.  He had noted subtle differences in the building’s management though. Small improvements had appeared that bespoke the professionalism of the Turner Properties’ staff. The public areas of the building were kept polished and bright, and new move-ins were made evident to the longer term tenants. Tyler turned his 5’11”, 180-pound frame around in his chair, kicked off his shoes and picked up the phone, dialing a long string of numbers. As the call was ringing through, he leaned back, putting his stocking clad feet up on the large cherry desk.  

“Hello,” said the voice on the other end of the connection.

“Hiya Babe,” Matt said to Dan Barnes in New York.

“Hi, Tyler, I was hoping you’d call.”

“Yeah, I’ve been missin’ ya,” Tyler admitted. “It’s been 10 days since I was in New York and it seems like forever since I was with you.”

“For me too, handsome. I’ve got something to tell you. I was gonna wait, but now seems as good a time as any. I hope I’m not premature.”

“Shoot, big guy,” Tyler said, suddenly full of curiosity.

“Well, you know Steven, the guy that I told you I’d been dating? I had dinner with him this week.”

“Well, you’re still a free man. I guess I can live with that, though I’m not sure that I’m particularly pleased,” Tyler admitted.

“I hope you will be when I tell you the rest.  I told Steven that I couldn’t date him any more. I told him that I had someone else that I was interested in. He wasn’t happy about it, but finally accepted it. Maybe I’m rushing things a bit with you, but I think you know how I feel about you. I can’t seem to think of anyone else.”

A huge grin spread over Tyler’s face. “You’ve made me a very happy man; I’m about to bust a gut with happiness.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m too forward,” Dan said.

“I love your forward and your backward too,” Tyler quipped.  “It’s too bad I’m not there to show ya how much.”

“I’d love that too, Big Guy.”

“Don’t suppose you could jump on a plane to Las Vegas tomorrow do ya? I’ve got this powerful itch that needs scratchin’.”

“Wow! This is sudden! Seems like a mighty long trip, just to scratch an itch.”

“Well, I’m sure we could find something else to do too. You know, we could check out the re-striping of a road or two, and watch the rocks grow…. stuff like that. Las Vegas is full of excitement. Heck, I’d even spring for a Big Mac!”

“You goofball! I bet you could even make those things fun for me. It is kind of expensive though and I’m not sure I could get reservations at this late date either.”

“Hey! You let me worry about that. Just say ‘yes’ and have a change or two of clothes ready to go. I’ll call you at Construction Leasing in the morning with the plans. Us Turner guys can get anything done. I’ll have you back in time for work on Monday too, you just leave the problem with me.”

“Did I ever tell you, that I think you’re sweet? Of course I’ll come. But look, if you can’t make it happen, just call me. I’ll be disappointed, but not mad. We can wait, you know. What’s so special about this weekend anyway?” Dan asked.

“You mean besides me wanting to see your backside?  Nothin’ much, I guess; we’re just havin’ a little last minute party.”

“What kinda party? I gotta know these things, ya know.” Dan said. “I might need to bring my bikini or somethin’ appropriate.”

“Nah that would be a waste. Bringin’ all that just to wear for five minutes? You know I’ll get all horned up in a hurry as soon as I see your skinny butt. I’d just as soon skip the preliminaries. Hell, I’m getting all worked up right now, just thinking about you.”  Tyler wasn’t exaggerating. His sizable weapon had begun swelling as soon as he heard Dan’s voice. Now it was full staff, and leaking precum.

“Cut the shit, babe.” Dan chided. “Tell me about the party.”

“Well for one thing, I’m not lying to ya, and if you call that clear sticky stuff that’s leakin’ out of a certain organ ‘shit’ then ya need some glasses. Ok, look, I told ya the party’s no big deal. I told Ron and Matt last weekend that I’d decided to change my last name to Turner. They’re throwin’ a little party on Saturday to celebrate. I didn’t know about the party ‘til today when he called. Ron’s got the ‘thingy’ with the Judge all set up on Monday to make it all official.”

“Wow, that’s great, Tyler! I’m really excited for you!  Hey, I have an idea. Make my reservation to return on Monday after the ceremony. I want to be there to be part of it.”

“Are you sure you can get off from work? I told ya it’s not a big deal.”

“Sweetheart, I’m surprised that Ron doesn’t have ‘em turn off the lights of the Strip for a minute or two as a salute to the occasion.”

“Hey! Don’t say that too loud. Ron’s just crazy enough to try to make it happen. I’m just happy to take our family name. Ron and Matt got all excited when I told ‘em. I practically had to throw cold water on ‘em to get their dicks to go down.”

“Hehehe,” Dan giggled. “You are too much!”

“Then how come you kept yellin’ ‘More! More!’ the last time we made love? I was beginning to feel inadequate!”

Dan doubled over in laughter. “You jerk!” he said gasping for breath. “You know what I was yelling about. It was the greatest! I couldn’t get enough.”

“ I guess not!  My poor pecker was sore for a week! Not only that, it took days for the teeth marks to disappear. When I said ‘bite me’ I didn’t mean it literally!”

Tears of near hysteria were pouring out of Dan’s eyes as he rolled and fell off the sofa onto the floor.

“Stop! Stop!” He pleaded, as he laughed and choked. “Get off this phone before I wet my britches. Now I’ve really got to go!”

“See? You thought I was jokin’ when I tole ya about my thingy leakin’, Tyler said, thoroughly enjoying Dan’s discomfort. “Now yours can leak too. Just a little more runny, I guess.”

The connection was lost and Tyler was grinning. Three minutes later his phone rang. He let it ring 4 times and picked it up, just before the answering machine did it for him.

“Never-never land, Tinkerbell speaking,” Tyler announced into the receiver in a high voice.

“I’d like to speak to the Chief Fairy,” came the reply of the much deeper voice on the other end.

“Who is this?” Tyler asked suddenly embarrassed.

 “It’s Ron, you ding-dong. Who were you expecting, Captain Hook?”

“Well, no. Actually, I thought it might be Dan. I was just talkin’ to him. He hung up on me, laughin’ his ass off.”

“Hmm, that might explain why he just called and asked me to call you right away, without explanation,” Ron said laughing. “I think he just scored a ‘gotcha’!”

“Ooooooo! I’m gonna get even!” Tyler said grinning as the color of his face returned to normal. “That boy just declared war!”

Ron laughed. “Hey, bro. I’d think twice about that. I’m guessing that you just met your match.”

“I hope so, Ron. I hope so. Well, since I’ve got ya on the line, I could use a little help.”

You’ve got it, Tyler. What can I do for ya?”

“Well, I invited Dan out for the weekend. I…uh…kinda promised him that I’d take care of his plane reservations. I know it’s hard to make last-minute reservations into Las Vegas on weekends. Do ya think you could help?”

“Consider it done, Bro. When does he want to leave New York and then leave to go back?”

“He can leave anytime tomorrow after work, and wants to stay over until Monday after the name change thing. I know it’s awfully late to be askin’ but I really need help. I promised him.”

“Sure Tyler. Tell him to be at Kennedy Executive Terminal at 6 P.M.  Have him ask for Captain Johnson.  He’s the captain of one of our time-share jets. It’s all set up. He can return on the G-V with Jeff and Phil who are going back to New York to help Jack for a few days on Monday. Oh, and by the way, Bryan and Alan will be traveling both ways with him.”

“What?” Tyler asked, astounded.  

“Yeah, Matt’s had everything arranged since Wednesday. You didn’t think we were gonna have a party and not invite a few friends, did ya?”

“I’ll be damned!” Tyler mumbled in wonder.

            *        *        *

Cody Desmond was exhausted. The trip from Nebraska had been exhausting and difficult. His clothes were dirty and he was hungry and cold. He had been hitchhiking for four days since his father had thrown him out. He knew that he couldn’t stay in the small farming community where he had spent the last 13 years of his life. He knew that once word got out that he was gay, he’d be at best an outcast, and at worse get beaten up regularly by the younger adults in town. Hard work and the early maturing of his body had left him with the appearance of a boy four years older than his true age. At 145 pounds, and 5’9” tall, the youth was considerably larger than his peers of the same age. Girls were attracted to his handsome, if youthful face and trim body, but he felt no attraction to them.

Los Angeles was where he was headed when he left home. He knew no one there but he felt that if he could go to a big city, he could find guys like himself, and maybe find a life amongst them. The five dollars that he had left home with was gone after one day of travel. Only a meal provided by a truck driver and a sandwich given to him by an old man who had picked him up for a short ride had kept him from starvation. He knew that unless he could find a ride all the way to L.A. in one hop, he’d never make it. He could feel the weakness in his knees as he stuck his thumb out for a ride beside an on-ramp of I-15 in Mesquite, Nevada, 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Peter Sigler was glad for the diversion from his regular duties. His boss at Turner Construction had instructed him to take a flatbed truck to Mesquite to bring tools and miscellaneous construction items back to Las Vegas, from a job that Turner had just completed at one of the Casinos in that town. The 19-year-old’s lithe frame was tired after loading the truck, but the months working in construction had firmed up his 155-pound body with firm and nicely defined muscles. At 5’ 10” Pete was not considered large in the conventional sense, but he was more than adequate in the sexual equipment area. His large tool had been admired with envy by many of his classmates in gym when he was in school, and even though none of them had ever seen him hard, he knew from Internet sites that his nearly 9” dick was considerably larger than average.

 The truck was loaded down with the items left for him to bring back and everything was secured with chains between the sideboards of the truck. He entered the ramp leading to I-15 on the south end of town as the truck labored to pick up speed with it’s heavy burden. The glare of the afternoon sun blazed through the windshield of the flatbed making visibility difficult, so he raised his hand to shade his blue eyes from the sun’s rays. The truck was only traveling 25 miles an hour when he saw a man ahead with his thumb out asking for a ride. Pete knew that it was against company policy to have others who were not employees riding in the truck, but as he got closer, he saw that the traveler was just a kid and carried only a small back pack, wearing a light jacket. He slowed as he approached the youth, and then making up his mind, pulled to a stop not far beyond the youth who had seen his brake lights and was now running to join the driver only slightly older than himself. The boy slipped off his backpack and held it in his left hand as he reached for the door handle, pulling the door open and climbing into the seat beside Pete.

“Where ya headed?” Pete asked as the new passenger placed his backpack on the floor and fastened his seat belt.

“I was planning to go to Los Angeles, but I guess I’ll be staying in Las Vegas for a few days. I need to find a job and make a little money.”

“My name’s Pete, what’s yours?”

“Cody,” came the reply. “Thanks for pickin’ me up.”

“You’re welcome. I’m really not supposed to let non-employees ride in this truck, but you looked like you could use a break.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Cody replied. “I’m about on my last leg.”

“You got people in L.A.?” Pete asked.

“Nah, just thought I’d go there and look for a job. I had to leave home and there aren’t any jobs in the small town I came from. Where do you work?”

“I live in Las Vegas, and work for a construction company called Turner Construction. I’m just a laborer so the pay’s not real good, but I’ve been with them for about 8 months and have had two raises. Most of the guys are real nice, but I’m workin’ on a job now where there’s a couple of ass-holes that give me a hard time.”

“They got any openings? I’m a hard worker.”

“I don’t really know.” Pete answered. “The job I’m working on now will be over in about a month. There’s usually a need for quite a bit of labor at the end of a job. You know doing landscaping, clean-up, setting up furniture, that kind of thing. The superintendent, Terry, makes you work hard, but he’s a nice guy. We can go by the job when we get into town and see. Oops!”  Pete said looking at his watch. “We’ll not get back before he’s gone. Oh well, you can come by in the morning.”

Pete could see the look of desperation in the eyes of his cute young passenger. He could see the tears beginning to form in the youth’s eyes.

“Uh, you got a place to stay?” Pete asked.

“No,” was Cody’s answer as he looked forlornly at the floor.

“I know of a couple of real cheap places you can stay,” Pete offered.

“Uh, thanks anyway, but I don’t have any money. Maybe I can find a shelter.”

“Those places are pretty full-up this time of year, what with homeless folks trying to stay out of the cold.” Pete said. “ …Look, I’ve got me a little rat-trap place but if you want, you can stay with me, at least for a day or two ‘til you find a job.”

A glimmer of hope appeared on Cody’s face as he said, “I’d like to be proud and not need your generosity, but to be honest I’m too exhausted to do anything but say ‘thanks, I accept.’ I’ll help with whatever you want me to do to try and make it up to you.”

“As I said,” Pete responded, “it’s not fancy, but if you don’t mind squeezing into a small place, you’re welcome to stay.  I even have some hamburger in the fridge and some buns. We could cook us up a couple apiece and we can pick up some potato salad at the grocery store on the way home and have us a real good meal.”

“That sounds really great, Pete. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you leave home? I’m not trying to be nosy or judgmental or anything, it’s just that sometimes it helps to talk about it. I’d had my own problems, so you’re not likely to find me unsympathetic.”

Cody paused, torn between risking the loss of his newfound benefactor and the relief he might feel in being able to be honest about his sexuality. Unable to get himself to reply, he sat in shamefaced silence.

Pete broke the deadlock by offering, “Look, I know it’s hard to talk about unpleasant things sometimes. I’m gonna tell you something about me. You may change your mind about staying with me, but it’s your choice.” Clearing his throat he said softly, “I’m gay. You don’t have anything to fear from me, though. I’m not gonna try anything with you. I just thought you might want to know.”

A look of surprise crossed Cody’s face. “You’re gay? Wow! I never would have guessed.”

“I hope that doesn’t make a difference with you, but if it does, it’s too bad. As they say, “I’m queer, and I’m here, get used to it.”

Cody grinned at Pete’s little joke and said, “I guess that describes me too, then.”

Pete grinned back. “Well, now we’ve got that out of the way, does it make talking to me a little easier?”

“Yeah, it does.  Thanks for confiding in me. I guess there’s nothing original as to why I left home. My dad found a couple of gay sites I had visited on the Internet, and we had it out. There really wasn’t much choice. He didn’t want a gay son and threw me out. My mom wasn’t home, so I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Cody’s eyes filled with tears.

“My dad told me that if he ever saw me again,” Cody continued between sniffs, “he’d tell the whole town about his ex-son, the queer, and that I’d better stay away from the house and never see my mom or younger brother again. He said he’d call the sheriff and tell him that I had molested my little brother if he saw me again. I knew I had to get out of town. I packed a few things in my backpack, gathered what little money I had and left. I’ve been on the road ever since.”

“That’s a tough break, Cody. I’m sorry that you had to face that. When I came out to my parents, they were disappointed, but once they were convinced that it was not just youthful experimentation, they accepted it. They didn’t like it, but they loved me more than they hated my sexual orientation. Once I got my job with Turner though, I decided to move out. I still visit them, but occasionally it’s uncomfortable. As I said, my place isn’t fancy, but it’s my place. A place I can be myself.”

“Wow, that’s great Pete. I wish things weren’t so upside-down for me now. I’d like to start living a normal life again. The last year has been hell, first with self-doubt and then my dad rejecting me. Now I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m going to do.”

“Let’s hope we have some luck with the job. I’m sure you could do it.”

As the truck continued south toward Las Vegas, Cody looked out over the barren desert landscape north of Las Vegas and said, “Yeah, lets hope.”

        *    *    *    *    *

I hope you enjoyed the start of this story. JET