The following fictional narrative involves sexually-explicit erotic events between men. If you shouldn't be reading this, don't.
In the world of this story, the characters don't always use condoms. In the real world, you should care enough about yourself and others to always practice safe sex.
The author retains all rights. No reproductions or links to other sites are allowed without the author's consent.
I'm happy to welcome my Nifty Six colleague Ash Bradley back to the Archives. Ash has just posted a touching story, "How Will I Go On?" in the College section. Check it out.
Thanks as always to all of my Nifty Six colleagues and especially to Tom, who edits this for me.
timmead88@yahoo.com
Chapter 47: Celebrations
TIM:
When I got home one nasty afternoon, there was a letter from the Law School of the University of Michigan. Ced had already been accepted at the law school of our university and at OSU, but I knew he was really hoping for Michigan, which was one of the most prestigious in the country, the most prestigious in the Midwest, except, perhaps, for Northwestern.
I changed out of my teaching garb into a flannel shirt and jeans and assembled a casserole to pop into the oven when he got home. As I waited, I pulled out a set of student essays, got out my green marker, and began to read.
About 5:00, Ced came in. He had ended the "Honey, I'm home," routine after I asked him to.
Instead, he just said, "Hey, babe," and came over to me. I stood, and we sucked face for a while, his hands on my butt cheeks, as I'd come to expect.
Junior was hard, and I could feel Sneaky through my jeans and his.
"Do you want to go to bed for a quickie before supper, or do you want to open your mail?" I asked.
"Fuck the mail!"
"Well, studly, ordinarily I'd agree with you, but this one is from Michigan."
"Ohmygod, Tim. Really?"
"Yeah."
He sat on the sofa and pulled me down next to him. "You know, baby, I'm afraid to open it."
"Nonsense. You've been admitted here and at Ohio State. Michigan will be stupid if they don't snap you up. And, if they don't, it's their loss. Open the letter."
"I know what you're saying, sweetheart, but this means a lot to me."
"I know it does, love."
"Could we have a glass of wine? What's for supper?"
"Okay, we'll do this at your speed. I'll put the casserole in the oven, and I'll get us some wine."
He went over to the table inside the door where the mail was, picked up the letter from Michigan, and returned to the sofa. "I won't open this until you get back, Tim."
I went to the kitchen, turned on the oven, opened a bottle of shiraz, poured two glasses, and went back to the living room.
"Do you want me to open it?"
"No, I'll open it, thanks. Just give me a minute."
The oven beeped that it was up to heat, so I went into the kitchen and popped the casserole in. When I got back to Cedric, he was pressing the envelope to his forehead the way Johnny Carson used to do when he was doing his Great Karnak routine.
"Oh, cut the drama, queen, and open the letter!"
Cedric gave me a sheepish grin and opened it. He pulled the paper out of the envelope, scanned it quickly, and jumped up.
"I made it, Timmy, I made it!"
I stood, too, and he grabbed me, pulling me close to him. Into his chest I said, "I knew you would, sweetheart, I knew you would." And I thought how hard it would be to have Cedric in Ann Arbor for the next several years.
* * *
WILL:
You're probably wondering who the hell Will is. You're saying to yourself, "There's no Will in this story." Well, you're wrong. You just don't know my first name. When I was mentioned earlier, I was called by my title and last name. You see, I'm an RN. I work at the same hospital as Dante and Jared, and they have referred to me as "Nurse Martin." So, Will Martin, at your service. And, yes, I'm gay, as the boys suspected. I'm about to tell you how they found out for sure.
I knew what they were getting up to in that big linen closet. I hoped none of the other staff were aware of what was going on, but I'd seen first one and then the other disappear too often to have any doubts that they were stealing off somewhere for a quick grope and a kiss. At least.
One evening we were having a blessed bit of quiet. I didn't know where the boys were, but I hadn't seen Jared since he turned 18, and I wanted to congratulate him on his birthday. Since I couldn't find them around anywhere, I thought I'd check "the closet."
When I opened the door, sure enough, there they were, arms around each other, hands busy, kissing like there would be no tomorrow.
They both jumped apart when I came in and closed the door behind me. I was about to give them the lecture on being discreet.
Jared looked at Dante and said, "Let's get him!"
Dante grinned and said, "Welcome to our lair, Nurse Martin."
They both came at me. I backed up against the door, but I didn't have time to get it open. They were both on me at once. Before I knew what happened, my top was unbuttoned and my pants were around my ankles. Dante glommed onto one of my nipples and began sucking like crazy, while Jared pulled down my briefs and grabbed my cock.
"Guys, you can't, you shouldn't, this isn't . . . " But by then Jared was licking my rapidly swelling cock, and Dante was driving me crazy with his tongue on my nipple. Maybe they shouldn't and it wasn't, but they could, and they DID.
Here's the picture: I've got my scrub pants and CK's around my ankles. The top is unbuttoned and my tee pushed up. My shoulders are resting against the door, my feet a foot out from the door. Dante is alternating between my nipples, and he's stroking my butt.
Innocent looking blondie Jared has his arms around my thighs and is sucking on my dick like a Hoover. I'm thinking that my job is on the line if we get caught, but then . . . .
I feel something going on behind my ass. I think Jared reached up and slapped Dante's hand away. Then he began to run his finger up and down my ass crack.
I swear, they had the whole thing choreographed. Dante stuck a couple of fingers in my mouth, which I, of course, sucked on and got good and wet with my saliva. Jared was doing a fantastic job on my cock. I wondered if he had learned it all from Dante, or whether he had some previous experience.
The next thing I knew was that Dante had taken over the job of sucking my very happy tool, and Jared was frenching me like there'd be no tomorrow. Suddenly, I felt a jolt in my ass. Dante had stuck one of the saliva-covered fingers up my ass. He zeroed right in on my prostate, and I had to be careful not to bite Jared's tongue.
In no time at all, Dante had two fingers up my ass. Jared didn't give any indication that he was ever going to pull away from our kiss, and Dante was sucking and swirling his tongue around my cock like a pro. I had a momentary flash when I wondered how I would explain all this to my partner, Keith, and then just gave in to all the sensations. I wanted to warn Dante that I was coming, but I couldn't because I had Jared's tongue somewhere near where my tonsils used to be.
I wouldn't want Keith to know it, but I had one of the longest-lasting orgasms of my life. (I guess when he reads this he'll know. Keith, babe, I hope you understand.) I slumped. Jared backed away from our kiss. I looked down at Dante, who hadn't been able to swallow all of my cum and had it running down his chin.
Jared stepped back, Dante backed off, and I was squatting, leaning against the door, breathing hard, my pants and briefs still around my ankles.
I looked up. Jared was licking my cum off Dante's face.
Once his face was cleaned, Dante looked down and asked, "Are you OK?"
"Guys, I'm blown away."
Jared snickered. "Yeah, you're blown, all right, Nurse Martin."
Through my fog, I said, "I think you could call me Will when no one else is around."
"So, Will," Dante asked, "you aren't going to rat us out are you?"
"Of course not. But you guys need to be careful. Other staff members won't be as understanding as I am. And you can't blow all those women nurses."
Dante grinned and Jared laughed out loud. "Yeah," Jared said, "that's fer sher! So, thanks for not giving us grief over this."
I chuckled as I tried to stand up. Pulling my briefs and pants up, I said, "Boys, that was quite an ambush! Thank you."
"Any time, Will," Jared said, with an evil leer.
* * *
TIM:
Doug and Stan's visit didn't take place exactly as expected. By the time they had picked a weekend and gotten reservations for their flight, the University's basketball team had been eliminated from the playoffs. They'd just never been quite as good after Stankiwiecz was sidelined because of his knee injury, and they didn't have the depth they'd had the previous season. Mark, Ced, and I coaxed and cajoled, and finally Stan and Doug decided to come anyway.
Max and David said they wanted to host a party for everyone on the Friday evening when the guys from Lake Polk were there. They said we could celebrate Mark's and Cedric's getting into the law schools of their choice, along with Stan and Doug's visit. I told them that Ced and I had planned to have a get-together at our place for everyone, but Max insisted. He said he and David had been wanting to throw a party, and this was the perfect occasion. So it was agreed that the party would be at their place.
I had told Max all about the trip to Chicago to see Rick, including my bad behavior.
"So much for the benefit of the doubt, huh, Tim?" he said. But he was smiling when he said it.
"Yeah, Max. I was really tense on that whole trip. I was so disillusioned when Stan told me what Rick had done to Doug that I couldn't like Rick the way I had when he was here for his interview."
I went on to say that Cedric had reminded me that Rick was being blackmailed and that he did what seemed at the time the only thing he could do. Max agreed that Rick should have talked with his father at the time, but also agreed that Rick was really caught between two untenable options.
"Who knows what we'd have done at that age? So, are you going to tell Doug about all this when they're here?"
"Yes. I promised Rick I would. He's really eager to see Doug and apologize. I don't know whether Doug will agree to see him, but I'm going to tell him what Rick told Ced and me and see if he'll do it."
"Well, confessing will undoubtedly be good for Rick, but it may be hard for Doug to even see him, much less forgive him. On the other hand, Doug seems to me to be a pretty good-hearted guy."
"Yeah, I got the same impression. We'll just have to see how he reacts and abide by his decision. I'd think he'd be relieved to know that Rick isn't purely evil, that he was being blackmailed to do what he did. Stan says Doug's been hurting all these years because he thought Rick was somewhere laughing at him."
"Who else knows about Rick and Doug's history?"
"Just you, Ced, Stan, and me."
"You haven't told Mark, Trey, or Chaz?"
"No, I haven't. And I don't see any reason for them to know. If Stan tells Mark, that's between them. But Rick is going to be teaching here, and Chaz and Trey will be students here through the end of this year. I don't want to poison the well."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. But you may have to tell Trey something. He's likely to sense that all's not right."
"I hadn't thought about that. Maybe at some point I'll have to fill him in. But I'll wait and see what happens on this visit first."
The forecast for the weekend was for a late-winter snow. Sure enough, the Friday the guys were to arrive, it was snowing lightly all day. Despite what the calendar says, late March in our area is still winter. Spring doesn't usually come until May.
Ced and I had offered to meet Stan and Doug at the airport, but they said that was a waste of our time, that they'd just rent a car. I kept looking out windows all day, out of my classroom, out of my office. It was snowing every time I looked out, and it was still snowing when I drove home that afternoon. Shortly after I got there, Ced arrived.
After he kissed me, he said, "I hope this weather isn't going to keep the guys from getting here."
"If the plane lands at Hopkins, they'll get here. Stan used to live in Meadville, after all, and he knows all about getting around in snow."
Ced grinned. "Yeah, that's right. I keep thinking of them as Floridians, but Stan knows about this kind of weather. So does Doug, for that matter. He taught at Cranmer for a good while, didn't he?"
"Long enough to become a tenured full professor."
Cedric winced. "Damn. And that's what he gave up. When are you going to talk to him about Rick?"
"It's WE, Cedric. You've got to help me. You know Doug as well as I do, and you know Rick as well as I do. We've got to do this together."
He hugged me. "OK, babe. When are WE going to do this?" He paused a moment. "Hey, has Stan told Doug that we've met Rick, that he's coming here to teach?"
"Yeah. I asked him that when I was trying to talk them into coming even though they'd missed seeing Chaz play."
"How'd Doug take it?"
"He said Doug wasn't saying much, that he was being very quiet and pensive."
"I hope we aren't going to ruin their weekend."
"Well, it seems to me Doug will feel better when he learns the truth."
"So, when are we going to tell him?"
"Let's play it by ear, Ced, do it when the time seems right."
He nuzzled my hair. "Mmm! You smell good." Then: "This is going to be awkward whenever we do it, isn't it babe?"
"I'm afraid so. Now! We'd better get going on that soup!"
We went to the kitchen and began to peel potatoes and chop onions and fry out bacon. Just as we had gotten the soup started simmering, we heard a car horn. Ced went to the door, and I followed him. Out in the driveway was a huge black SUV. Doug and Stan were just getting out.
When they got to the stoop, Cedric said, "Man, Pops, a Navigator! You don't mess around, do you?"
A laughing Stan hugged Cedric and said, "We knew it was supposed to be snowing here. I wanted something big and heavy, so the Navigator seemed just the ticket."
We pulled them both inside and everyone exchanged hugs. Ced put their coats in the closet, and soon we were all sitting in the living room talking about their flight, about how nice the weather in Lake Polk was (there had to be SOME reason for living there), the usual chatter when friends get together after being apart.
Ced asked if they'd had anything to eat since they left Florida, and they said they hadn't except for some snacks on the plane.
He went to the kitchen and got some pita chips and put out a nice garlicky hummus to dip them in. I opened a bottle of chardonnay, and they dug in.
"We're invited to Max and David's after a while, so we'll have an early supper, since there's bound to be plenty to eat there. Tim and I have made potato soup, and we'll just have a salad with it."
Doug smiled and said, "Cedric, that sounds wonderful. We don't want to be any trouble."
Stan grinned, put his arm around Cedric, and said, "Nonsense! This stud owes me a meal or too, don't ya, young `un?"
Ced grinned and returned the hug. "I'll always owe you, Pops."
After supper, which was lively and pleasant, everyone managing to ignore the elephant in the room, we helped Stan and Doug get their bags to the spare room.
"I'm looking forward to meeting David," Doug said. "Max seems to be a very special person, and he deserves someone equally special."
I smiled at Doug. "Yes, Doug, Max is indeed a very special person. He and David seem happy together."
"So, Tim, Cedric," Stan asked, "what's the costume for the evening?"
"What you have on will be fine," Cedric answered. "Max said to come casual."
"And when do we have to be there?"
"Around eight."
"And when do we have to leave to get there?"
I laughed. "Around eight. They only live three doors down the street."
Stan grinned. "Cool! Now if you will excuse us, Doug and I need to freshen up."
* * *
DAVID:
I thought I was going to be the odd man out at our party. Max had invited everyone who went to Florida in December to be with Doug and Stan at the protest. He had also invited Lori and Rebecca, but they had said they'd have a girls' night out instead. I didn't blame them, as they'd be the only females there. Philip also begged off, though I'm not sure why. So, we'd have Tim, Ced, Stan, Doug, Trey, Chaz, Mark, and Steve, plus Max and me, of course.
Don't get me wrong. I wasn't nervous or anything. I can hold my own in a group. But I was the only one who hadn't met Doug and Stan, and, frankly, I was looking forward to that.
Max told me that most of the guys were wine drinkers and that those who didn't want wine would be happy with beer, so we had lots of both. We had also brought all sorts of goodies from Fein's, and I'm not talking about corn chips and cheese dip!
It was Max who seemed a little nervous. Over the year, he'd gotten rid of a lot of his thrift shop furniture and he'd bought some new stuff for the downstairs rooms. But he'd never had a party before. I sent him up to get his shower first while I fiddled with things in the kitchen and gave the rest of the place a quick check to see that it would pass inspection. When he came down, looking gorgeous with that glowing, boyish skin of his, wearing a camel sweater and brown cords, I had to grab him. When we finished the kiss, he pushed me away and told me I had to hurry and get ready.
I was drying my hair when I heard the doorbell ring. Leaving the hair down, I jumped into a pair of newish black jeans and the turquoise cashmere sweater Max had given me for my birthday, and went downstairs.
Max introduced me first to Stan and then to Doug. I had been told a lot about both of them, so I wasn't surprised when Stan grabbed me and gave me a peck on the lips. "David, you are as gorgeous as everyone said! No wonder you were able to turn Chaz!"
I sputtered. Max, Tim, and Cedric laughed. And Doug looked uncomfortable. I found words first. "Sheesh, is there anyone who doesn't know about that?"
"Not in this group," Tim said. "We don't have many secrets."
Then Doug and I were more properly introduced, and we hugged, though without a kiss.
As the others began to arrive, there were all sorts of hugs. Stan knew Tim's gang before Tim did, and he practically hugged the breath out of each of them, slapping them on the back, and giving each of them a kiss. Then Doug, at his side, hugged each of them and seemed equally happy to see them, though he was less exuberant than Stan.
When Mark and Steve arrived, Stan hugged Steve and chatted with him for a minute. Then, while Doug and Steve were hugging, Stan turned to his son. Although Mark is a couple of inches taller than his dad, Stan picked Mark up and whirled him around. Then he set him down. "Yale Law! Baby, I'm so proud of you!" And then he kissed Mark fully on the lips. Mark was blushing like a maiden, but he grinned and said, "Thanks, Pops. I wanted you to be happy."
After everyone had arrived, Max nudged me. I whistled to get everyone's attention. "Gentlemen, if you don't have a drink in your hand, please get one." I waited for a few moments while they did that. "Now, I want to turn the floor over to the Lion himself, Dr. Tim Mead."
There were some whistles and cheers. Tim blushed as only he can.
"This, friends," he said, "is a wonderful occasion. Chaz, we're all sorry that we didn't get to watch you and your teammates win a game this evening, but, knowing you, I understand how happy you are to have Stan and Doug here."
Chaz raised his glass of beer, grinned, and said, "That's for sure, Tim!"
"Before we continue with our party," Tim said, "we need to note that two of our group have distinguished themselves."
Some murmurs around the room. I heard several guys say "Yeah!"
"Mark, would you come here, please? And Stan, you come, too, please."
Tim stood to one side of Mark and put his arm around his waist. Stan stood on the other side with his arm around Mark's shoulders.
"This very special guy, this guy that we all love, this guy who is a wonderful sport, though I won't saying anything about lilies . . . "
It was Mark's turn to blush. I had no idea what the lilies thing was about, but Chaz and Trey chuckled.
"Sorry, Mark," Tim said. "This man has just been admitted into the Yale Law School! I hope you understand what a distinction that is." Tim turned to face Mark. "Mark, I'm so proud of you. We'll all miss you, but we know you're going on to wonderful things."
Then Tim pulled Mark into a big hug.
Mark, straight guy though he is, kissed the top of Tim's head. "Thanks, Tim. I love you."
Then Stan pulled Mark around and kissed him on the mouth. Tears were streaming down his face. "Pup, I'll tell you later how I feel about what you've done. But why Yale? What's wrong with Michigan?"
Mark laughed and hugged his dad. Then the two of them walked toward the back of the crowd.
Tim continued. "Come here, babe." Cedric, who hadn't been far away, came to stand beside his partner.
"And now," Tim said, "There's this guy. As you all know, he means something to me. And he's leaving me. I'd be more upset, but since he's going to the University of Michigan Law School, I can't really be too unhappy, can I?'
Again there were applause, cheers, and some whistles. Tim and Cedric were in the midst of a very hot kiss. Stan said, "At least Cedric knows where to find a good law school!"
That brought lots of laughs, and the party continued.
I'm glad Max had an end unit and that the Bermans next door were out for the evening. This group wasn't rowdy, but they were just having a lot of fun. The conversational level started high and kept getting higher as the evening wore on. We went through an amazing amount of beer, wine, and food!
Trying to be a good host, I managed to move about and talk with everyone during the evening. I made a point of getting Chaz to myself so we could have another hug. Then I condoled with him for their elimination from the playoffs. This group might have been watching him play that evening if they hadn't been.
He grinned. "Thanks, David. But the game would have been in Buffalo, so I don't think I'd have had many of you in the audience anyway. Besides, we had a good year. Now I can concentrate on getting caught up with my course work. And," he grinned, "spending more time with Tiger."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Max and I are both unhappy because I have to spend so much time away. I'm sure you're happy you won't have to be away at games any more."
He looked serious for a moment. "Tell me about it. Trey hasn't complained, but it's tough on a relationship when you have to be apart so much."
I also made a special point of talking with Stan, who's amazing. I'd heard about him from the others, but I was still surprised by his vitality, his energy. He radiated charm. And sex. I've never seen an older guy who could make me get a hardon just by smiling at me. Not until Stan, anyway. Don't misunderstand: he wasn't flirting with anyone or coming on to anyone. You could see when he looked at his partner that he loved him. Stan's just a guy with a lot of charisma. He thinks life is great fun, and that's contagious.
Doug, on the other hand, was quiet. He was very pleasant when we chatted. He wanted to know about my work, about my family in Cincinnati. He asked about how Max and I had met, so I had to tell him the story about the party at Tim and Cedric's the previous summer. Doug was attentive, interested, polite. But something was bothering him. His eyes told me he was troubled. I made a mental note to ask Max later if he'd gotten the same impression.
* * *
CEDRIC:
It was after 1:00 when we got back from the party. Doug and Stan, saying they'd had a long day, hugged and kissed Tim and me and went to bed.
The next day was Saturday, so we all slept in. Everyone had showered and assembled in the kitchen by about ten o'clock. I fixed us all omelets, and we put out some Danish from Fein's. Typically, Stan did some teasing.
"Timmy, I know now what you see in this guy. You must keep him around for his cooking."
Tim chuckled and told the story about my cooking breakfast for him and Max last summer.
"Well," Stan said, grinning, "the ability to cook is something one looks for in a wife, isn't it, Tim?"
Tim laughed, but Doug popped Stan on the arm and said, "Watch it, there, Mason!"
Tim put his arm around my waist. "Bet you guys didn't know my Cedric should be a decorator instead of a lawyer."
"You better explain that," Stan said.
"Maybe he had better not," I said, giving Tim a look.
Tim grinned and said, "Well, for starters, he knows the difference between mauve and puce."
Doug seemed to find that funny. He laughed more than I'd seen him do since they'd arrived.
"Besides," Tim went on, "this guy picked out all the furniture you see in this place. And his apartment in Cleveland is fantastic, all of which he decorated himself."
Stan looked at Doug and grinned. "Uh oh. Sounds pretty faggy to me."
"Well, here's the clincher," Tim said. "When we were in the Art Institute recently, he was more interested in their decorative arts collection than in one of the world's great Impressionist collections."
Stan shook his head and looked at Doug, very seriously. "I don't know. The young man sounds definitely gay to me."
"I didn't think there was any question that I'm gay. But I am going to whup one sorry little white butt if its owner doesn't change the subject."
That brought more chuckles, and we went on to talk of other things. I was relieved that Tim's mention of the Art Institute didn't get the subject on to Rick. I knew we had to deal with that problem, but I didn't want to just then.
Tim had suggested that Doug needed to be introduced to Stefan's, so we were to go there for dinner. They were going to spend the rest of the day with Mark and Lori but promised to be back here in time to change to go to the restaurant.
* * *
TIM:
After our guests left, Cedric asked me when we were going to talk to Doug about Rick.
"It will have to be this evening, won't it, since they're leaving after breakfast?"
"We've all been pretending the thing's not there," he responded, "but it is. I guess what I meant was, are we going to do it at dinner or after we get back?"
"I don't know, babe. I hate to spoil our evening at Stefan's, but I don't want to wait until too late to bring it up, either."
"Then perhaps we should just play it by ear. If it doesn't come up at dinner, we'll have to deal with it when we get back here."
With that masterpiece of decision-making behind us, we put a cd of Bach cello concerti on the stereo, and Ced studied while I marked papers.
Stan and Doug were to be back at 5:00. Cedric and I were showered and dressed when they got there.
Cedric wore his navy blazer with a regimental stripe tie in red and blue. He looked gorgeous, of course. I wore my black suit with a dark red tie. And my glasses.
"Tim, I thought for sure you'd wear your green blazer for Stan! And why the glasses, babe?"
"You may call him Pops, but I don't want to be mistaken for anybody's son. Besides, I'd forgotten about the blazer."
"It would mean a lot to Stan, I think. And it's not too late to change. You could leave on the black pants and just change your tie. The red would be a little too much like Christmas."
"Yes, Mother." I went back upstairs and changed to a green and black tie with a small geometric pattern, and carried the blazer over my arm downstairs. I left on the glasses.
I had just put the blazer over the back of one of the dining chairs when Stan and Doug got back.
They talked briefly about what a nice afternoon they'd had with Mark and Lori and then excused themselves to go upstairs. I paced around so much Ced commented on it.
"Baby, calm down. These guys are friends. Nothing terrible is going to happen. And a lot of good may come of this. Had you thought of that?"
"I hadn't thought beyond the likelihood of giving Doug pain, I'm afraid."
"Well, I think he'll be relieved when we tell him Rick's story. And if all this will bring some kind of closure, that's good, isn't it? Besides, what if there were a reconciliation? Wouldn't it be great if when Rick comes to town he can fit into the group without anybody having to worry about his and Doug's history?"
I went over and gave him a kiss. He smelled wonderful and looked incredible. "Cedric, you're amazing! What in the world am I going to do when you're in Ann Arbor?"
He held me close, so my face was against his necktie. "I guess we'll just have to live for the weekends when you can come up or I can come home, sweetheart."
Somehow, I didn't think he'd have many free weekends as a first-year law student, but I didn't say anything.
"Awww, look, Doug. Isn't that sweet?"
Stan and his partner had managed to come downstairs without our noticing. They were both wearing navy blazers, too. I felt a little strange in my dark green one.
Stan said he'd drive since their car was in the driveway, and he knew the way to Stefan's as well as we did. I suggested that Ced ride up front with him, and Doug and I sat together in the back. During the fifteen-minute drive, Doug said, "I'm glad you wore that blazer. It will make Stan happy. He said he hoped you would, since he's never seen you in it."
"Oh, he told you about our first dinner at Stefan's?"
"Yep, even the kiss. He said he thought you'd shit your pants when he did that."
"Actually, I got a terrific boner."
It was good to see Doug laughing heartily, for he'd been pretty withdrawn during most of their visit.
None of us knew the kid who parked the car, but Maurice made a big fuss over all of us, especially Stan. He apologized that the table in the alcove was too small for us, but he seated us at a table by the window, the one which looked out on the now-frozen lake, which was beautiful in the snow.
Maurice left menus, and almost immediately Kent appeared.
"Mr. Mason, Dr. Mead, Cedric! It's good to see you all, especially you, Mr. Mason."
Stan stood up and hugged Kent. "It used to be Stan. What happened, Kent?"
Kent grinned and said, "Well, I didn't want to call you that in front of your guest, whom I don't know."
"We'll take care of that immediately. Doug, this is Kent Statten. Kent, this is the love of my life, Doug Curtis."
"Oh, Dr. Curtis, I've heard about you. It's a real pleasure to meet you, sir."
"Kent, it's a pleasure to meet you. And it's Doug, please." The two shook hands.
Across the room Maurice was frowning. I'd have to say something to him to get Kent off the hook for being familiar with the patrons.
Stan and Doug sat back down. "Now, Kent, I'll bet you've gotten admitted to more than one law school. Tell me about them."
Kent smiled broadly. "Yes, sir. I've been admitted to Duke, OSU, and here."
"Congratulations. Which one are you choosing?"
"Well, I originally thought I wanted to stay in Ohio, but Duke has such a good reputation, I've about decided to go there."
Stan was quiet for a moment. "Let me suggest something, if I may, Kent."
"Sure."
"Doug and I have learned what it's like to be openly gay in the South. Duke has a very fine law school, and Durham isn't quite the same as a small town in central Florida. But if you're going to go to Duke, you should be VERY careful. And if you plan to return to Ohio to practice, you could do a lot worse than Ohio State."
"I hadn't thought of that, Stan. I promise I'll think about it. And thanks for the warning."
Stan grinned. "Tell ya what, Kent. I've got a friend on the law faculty at Duke. I'll call him and see how things are. Then I'll be in touch. I'll make sure to do that as soon as we get back so you can get your response back to both schools, OK?"
"Are you sure, Stan? Sounds like a lot of trouble."
"Kent, it's no problem."
Kent smiled. "Then that'd be great, Stan, thanks."
After reciting the long list of daily specials, Kent took our drink orders, and left. When he got back with the wine, Cedric ordered a crab cake appetizer, and Stan had prawn cocktail. Doug and I, probably for the same reason, passed on the appetizers.
When Kent came back to see what we wanted for the main course, I was embarrassed because I hadn't even thought about that. I wound up ordering mahi mahi. I don't remember whether it was any good or not (though at Stefan's it probably was), and I can't remember what the others ordered.
After Kent brought our salads and hot bread, Stan said, "OK. We've avoided this as long as we can." He looked at Doug, who nodded almost imperceptibly. "So you've seen the bastard. I assume you confronted him in Chicago. What did he have to say for his miserable self?"
It was Cedric who stepped in. "Cool it, Pops. Yes, we saw Rick in Chicago. We saw him when he was on campus, too. So we've spent two full evenings together, one of them right here."
Doug was looking at Cedric as if mesmerized.
"So, Stan," Ced continued, "let us tell you about Rick. And you have to promise not to interrupt, OK?"
Stan looked at Doug again and, rather grimly, said, "Yeah, OK. You guys go ahead."
"I want to ask a question first," Doug said.
"Sure, Doug. What's your question?" I asked.
"How IS Rick?"
Not the question I'd expected. "Doug, he is in good physical health. But he's far from well emotionally. He's ridden by guilt. And he loves you!"
Stan was about to say something, but Ced gave him a look and he stifled it.
Doug closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and seemed to relax. "Please, tell me what he had to say."
So, Cedric and I took turns telling them Rick's story. Kent brought the entrees and took away our barely-touched salads and gave me a puzzled look. I mouthed "It's OK," and he left.
"So, you see," Cedric said, "he's been wracked with guilt ever since. He knows he made a terrible mistake. He tried to find you to explain, but the folks at Cranmer wouldn't tell him where you were. Besides, he was afraid you'd never agree to talk with him anyway."
"Doug," I said, "you know what he told me? He said he was going to devote his entire teaching career to trying to be as good a man and as good a teacher as you were."
Stan snorted. "It sounds to me as if the slimy little bastard has got both of you on his side."
Doug took Stan's hand under the table. "Stanley, please!"
Stan said, "Sorry, Dougie" and picked up his fork.
"Tim," Doug said, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but Stan's told me what Ced's friends did to you."
Cedric frowned at Stan and said, "You told him that?"
"Ced, do you keep secrets from Tim?"
"No, of course not."
"Nor do I keep secrets from Doug. What I know, he knows. OK?"
Ced looked at me.
"Of course he would tell Doug, baby. It's fine." Then, to Doug I said, "Go on, Doug. What were you about to say?"
"As I understand it, you were, uh, blackmailed, I suppose, into doing some things that you thought you would never do. Isn't that right?"
I could see where he was going and heaved a sigh of relief. "Yeah, Doug, I did."
"But what Timmy did hurt no one but himself," Stan interjected.
Doug turned and said, "Stanley, would you just cool it!"
Stan grinned and said, "Douglas, I love it when you get masterful. Go on, babe. I promise to keep quiet."
Doug grinned and said, "Yeah, right! Now, here's what I was thinking. You say Rick really did love me, as I had thought?"
Cedric looked Doug in the eye and said, "Yes, Doug. I'm absolutely sure of that. It broke his heart to do what he did to you. Only his love for his father could have made him do it."
"Then . . . " Stan started to say, but Doug gave him a look and he stopped.
Doug appeared to be mulling everything over. He took a bite of something from his plate and chewed it while the rest of us watched.
"So . . ."
Three of us were holding our breath to see what Doug was going to say.
"So Rick did love me. He couldn't see any way out of doing what he did. And he's been sorry ever since?"
"Doug," I said, "I think Rick has been one very miserable man ever since."
"Does he know about Stan and me?"
"Yeah," Cedric answered, "and he's really happy for you."
Doug picked up a piece of bread and chewed on it. He followed that with a swallow of wine.
Again, no one else at the table was eating.
"Then how can I help relieve Rick's misery?"
I knew at that moment why both Rick and Stan loved Doug. Stan, however, looked as if someone had punched him.
"You want to relieve his misery? There are all kinds of things the little pissant could have done but was too stupid or too selfish to do!"
That was the first time I had ever heard Stan say something that I thought was really imperceptive. It was Doug, though, who answered him.
He turned toward Stan and said, "Stan, I love you for your loyalty. You are the only one who knows how much I've been hurting all these years over what happened between Rick and me. I'm happier with you than I ever thought I could be. But think about it. Use your fine legal mind, babe. Rick was a victim here as much as I was. Isn't it time to give him some relief from his suffering?"
Stan put his hand behind Doug's head and pulled him over for a quick kiss. "Of course, professor. If you can forgive the bastard, I guess I can, too. One thing is for certain. I know why he fell in love with you."
I think Doug blushed at that moment. "So, guys," he said, looking at Cedric and me, "what can I do for Rick?"
Ced nodded for me to continue. "Rick wants to see you. He wants to tell you in person how sorry he is for what he did. Do you think you could do that?"
Doug didn't bat an eye. "Of course. I'll always love Rick, you know. And now that I know he wasn't just being malicious, I'd like to see him."
Stan closed his eyes for a moment but didn't say anything.
"All right!" Ced exclaimed, beaming.
"You two are planning to come back to see Mark and Cedric when baseball season starts, aren't you?" I asked.
Stan, who'd looked grim as death throughout the conversation, smiled and said, "Yeah, Tim, we wouldn't miss that, especially after missing out on seeing Chaz play one last time."
"Then Cedric can give you a copy of the home schedule, I'm sure. Why don't you two try to pick a date before you leave, and I'll see if Rick can be in town, too? We can manage a time for Doug and Rick to meet, alone, or with as many witnesses as Doug wants."
Stan looked at Doug. "You OK with that, babe?"
Doug smiled. "Yes, Stanley, I'm OK with that. I am eager to see Rick. He obviously needs forgiveness. I don't want what happened between us to ruin his life. I hear he's a promising scholar and a promising teacher, right Tim?"
It was my turn to beam. "Absolutely."
* * *
PHILIP:
By agreement Geoff and I didn't get together on Monday nights. I had to finish off my column and send it to the newspaper that night, and he used the time to catch up on his schoolwork, since he was out late on Friday and Saturday nights and slept late the next mornings. We almost always were together on those nights, plus Sunday, which was really great. He was rested and full of it, ready and randy.
One Monday evening about 11:00 I had just about one more good graph to write in my article before I sent it to the paper when the doorbell rang. I opened the door, and there stood a sight! Hook was in the doorway, legs spread, arms straight out from his sides, stark naked, his cock pointing somewhere towards my chest.
"You idiot!" I said, laughing and grabbing him by the closest handle and dragging him into the room. "I have enough trouble with my neighbors without them seeing you bare-assed outside my door. Where are your clothes?"
He giggled. "On the floor beside the door."
I looked, and there they were. I scooped them up and closed the door again. Hook was standing there, swaying slightly, hands locked behind his head, showing me all of his temptations. Well, the ones I could see from the front, anyway.
"What the fuck are you doing here, boy?"
He came over and put his arms around my neck. I could smell the beer on his breath. "Fuck's the word, Philip. I've come back for more fuck lessons."
"Whoa, how much have you had to drink?"
He giggled again. "Enough. You don't think I'd do this if I was sober, do you?" He stuck out his tongue and began to lick my lips. In surprise I opened my mouth to say something, and he stuck his tongue in my mouth. Well, what was I going to do.? What would you do if a hot guy had his tongue in your mouth? Yeah, thought so. That's exactly what I did.
Eventually I pushed him away and said, "Ethan, I didn't know you were such a slut!"
He lowered his eyelids and said, "Only for you, babe!"
"Yeah, well, see, that's the problem. Like I told you before, I'm in a relationship. I've got this guy who means a lot to me, and we're only doin' it with each other."
"For real? I didn't believe that when you said that the other morning. I just thought you were jerking my chain. So, that means no more lessons tonight?"
"Fraid not, stud."
All the while he's still standing there, his very inviting rod still pointing me, grinning a goofy grin, and rocking slightly back and forth.
"Awwww!" His expression went from the grin to a pout. "Ya sure? Your guy wouldn't have to know!"
"Look, boy, this is partly my fault. I shouldn't have let anything happen that night you were here before. You're adorable, and I'd love to screw that tight butt of yours again, but it ain't gonna happen."
"How about I fuck you?" The grin was back. Damn! He was cute! Persistent, too.
"Hook, I think you're half wasted. What you need is a good night's sleep. Did you drive over here?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, against my better judgment I'm gonna let you crash on the sofa. You know where the bathroom is. You can use it. Put on your shorts, and I'll bring you a blanket."
"I probably shouldn't drive. You sure it's okay for me to stay?"
"No problem." I went into the hallway, dug a blanket out of the linen closet, and tossed it on the sofa. I took the kid by the hand and led him over to the sofa. Then I grabbed his hard cock and squeezed it. I put the other hand behind his head and pulled his face toward mine. Then I kissed him while I pumped gently on his throbbing tool. He began to moan and really get into the kiss, so I knew I'd better let up.
"Ooooh, Philip, you can't stop now. Don't be a tease, man!"
"And what do you think you are, boy? Coming over here and getting naked in the hall outside my door, presenting me with this cute hardon when I opened the door? You came here to seduce me, you little tramp. But that kiss and a grope are all you're getting."
With that I turned and walked toward my bedroom, where the computer was. "Sleep well, baby."
I closed the door, sat at the computer long enough to finish the column, and hit the Send button. Then, after a little time in the bathroom, I stripped and fell into bed. I confess I didn't get to sleep right away. The thought of that hot kid in the next room kept me awake. And then I thought of Geoff and the warning he'd given me after Hook had been the last time he was here. Finally, some time after 1:00, I got to sleep.
Just before I woke up, I was dreaming. I was sitting on the side of a swimming pool with my legs in the water. It was warm and sunny. There were palm trees and ferns and hibiscus in blossom all around the pool. Geoff was in the water, between my legs,
giving me a blow job.
Then I woke up. I was getting a blowjob, but I was in my bed. It was just beginning to get light outside. I realized it wasn't Geoff sucking my dick. Geoff was better than this guy. Of course, it was Hook. I was too aroused to have scruples at that point. I grunted and put my hands on his head. He looked up at me and I saw the skin around his eyes crinkle. He didn't exactly smile, for he had my dick in his mouth, but he did sort of twinkle at me.
I sat up and pushed him off of me. "Okay, van Hoek, you wanted it. You're gonna get it. On your hands and knees, boy!"
"Oh, goody!" He smirked at me as he did what I told him to. I grabbed the lube and a condom from the bedside table and proceeded to fuck him silly. I wasn't particularly gentle, either. He had asked for it, after all! I had the slut begging me to plow him harder and deeper, though. This was, unless he'd been with someone else since I took his cherry a week or so before, only his second time being fucked. But he was really into it. I suspected another bottom had been born in my bed.
When I came, I pulled out, slapped him on the rump, and went into the bathroom, where I shaved, showered, and brushed my teeth. I returned to the bedroom and dressed. Hook was lying there with that contented look the truly well-fucked often have on their faces just after the event.
"Okay. You can fix yourself some breakfast if you want. Try to get out of here without being seen, for Christ's sake. I've got to get to class."
"Thanks, man! That was great."
"Yeah, right. But get this through your apparently thick head. This was the LAST TIME! Don't come back here again. Find yourself another daddy. Like I said, I've got a guy."
Chapter 48 should be posted in a couple of weeks. --Tim