Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:34:36 -0400
From: William Marshal <williammarshal5301@gmail.com>
Subject: A Shelter From the Cold

A Shelter From the Cold

Harrison

Harrison Gray was cleansing his mind, body, and soul. Whenever he needed to
sort out his life, Harrison headed for the mountains either to hike or
cross-country ski. Today he was skiing on fresh snow on back-country
trails. He knew it wasn't the best idea to be skiing the backcountry alone,
but his ex-ski partner, ex-boyfriend, ex-housemate, ex-soulmate, was a
fucking cheater. Harrison's new rule was: Cheat on me once, shame on
you. Cheat on me twice, I'm kicking your ass to the curb.

Just ahead was a branch trail that would lead to Uncle Raymond's
cabin. Well, the cabin was actually Harrison's now, along with Uncle
Raymond's house and business. Harrison was his uncle's sole living relative
and heir. Actually, Raymond Gray was Harrison's great uncle, and more
father than uncle, having raised Harrison since he was three. Harrison's
parents were killed in a car accident and Raymond fought to get custody of
his nephew. There weren't other relatives stepping up to take in Harrison,
but an ass-holier-than-thou in The Kansas Department of Welfare thought the
foster system would be better than a being raised by a gay uncle.

It took six months and a shit-load of legal fees, but Raymond eventually
got custody of Harrison. Raymond and his partner Miguel Aquino lived in the
Baker neighborhood of Denver. Raymond and Miguel were urban pioneers,
yuppies from the suburbs, who were attracted to the potential of inner city
neighborhoods. Gay couples were the often the trailblazers for
gentrification because they had two incomes and could afford to rehab old
houses; also they didn't fit into the family culture of the burbs. As a
result places like the Baker neighborhood became gay enclaves.

In addition to the gay community, the Baker neighborhood was about 40
percent hispanic. Miguel managed a branch of one of Denver's large
banks. Being Puerto Rican and speaking Spanish, the bank hoped he would
increase business in the growing latino community. What the bank execs
didn't say, was that they also wanted the banking business of the gay
community. Uncle Raymond was a property developer. He started with several
rental houses, then moved into rehabbing and flipping houses, and
eventually became a major commercial property owner in the city.

Raymond and Miguel were the best parents a boy could have. They loved
sports and the outdoors, and Harrison grew up playing baseball, soccer, and
later lacrosse, hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. In
elementary school and junior high, Harrison was an average student, but he
flourished in high school. He was a varsity lacrosse player, participated
in debate, and had a diverse group of friends.

During his senior year, Harrison decided to come out. One would think
coming out to gay parents/uncles would be easy, but he struggled with how
to do it. Harrison knew that he wasn't gay because Raymond and Miguel were
gay. They had been very open about the entire spectrum of sexuality and
encouraged him to discover for himself his own orientation, but still the
act of saying "I'm gay" was hard. In a straight family, the default
sexuality is straight. So unless otherwise stated, everyone knows you are
straight. However, in A gay family, at least Harrison's gay family,
sexuality was not assumed. Harrison dated, and occasionally had sex with
girls, he experimented with boys, and for two days actually considered the
possibility of taking a vow of celibacy. Well, not really celibacy, he just
tried giving up masturbation for Lent.

It was just before Christmas his senior year that Harrison came out to
Raymond and Miguel. They were shopping for Christmas presents at the mall
and Harrison said he wanted to go into A&F and do some shopping. Raymond
said, "Don't go buying a bunch of clothes before Christmas," and Harrison
said, "I'm not shopping for me." Since Raymond and Miguel never bought
clothes for themselves at A&F they were pretty sure the present was for
someone else.

At dinner, Miguel asked, "So Harry, did you find your friend a present?"

"Uh, yeah," Harrison said.

"Be sure to keep the sales receipts in the event you got the wrong size,"
Miguel said.

"He and I are the same size." Harrison said quietly while looking at his
plate.

"Oh," said Miguel. Miguel didn't mention that the previous week he had
found a pair of briefs in the laundry that didn't belong to anyone in the
house. He'd also noticed they were going though soda and snacks faster than
normal.He suspected Harrison had a guest over after school.

Miguel exchanged a look with Raymond and then changed the subject to
Christmas plans. It had been a tradition to spend the holiday up at the
cabin and Miguel and Raymond were talking about what needed to be packed
for the holiday.

Eventually Harrison interrupted the planning and said, "I have a
boyfriend. His name is Diego. He isn't out to his parents, and until now I
haven't really told you guys that I am gay."

Raymond said, "Diego is welcome in our house any time."

"I was sure he would be, but I am glad to hear you say that," Harrison
said. "He plans to tell his family this weekend. He may need a place to
stay."

As it turned out, Diego was kicked out of his house and lived with Raymond,
Miguel, and Harrison for the rest of the year and through college. Diego
and Harrison went to prom together, celebrated their graduations together,
and before heading off to different colleges decided to be brothers rather
than boyfriends; although, during holidays and summer break, it was often
brothers with benefits. They still were close, Harrison was Diego's Best
Man, and was Godfather to Diego's and his husband's two boys.

When the cabin came into view, Harrison had to smile remembering all the
fun he and Diego had here. He thought he should fly out to San Diego to
visit his best friend and the rest of the Sanchez-Lopez family.

Harrison was pulled from his remembrance when he saw what looked like a
brown sack leaning against the front door of the cabin. As he drew near the
sack moved, and Harrison realized it was a person. He hurried to see what
was wrong and found a young man, shivering uncontrollably.

Harrison recognized the signs of hypothermia and quickly opened the door to
the cabin. Once inside, he said, "We need to get you out of these wet
clothes." Harrison began stripping off layers of wet garments until he
reached a young man in need of serious body warmth. Harrison helped the kid
get into his bed under layers of quilts. Harrison then stripped off his own
clothes and crawled into bed as well. "This may be a bit awkward," Harrison
said, "but skin to skin contact is the safest way to get your body temp
back up."

"I know," the kid said through chattering teeth, " I was a Boy Scout."

When Harrison spooned in behind him, the kid instinctively snuggled back
into Harrison's body. Harrison wrapped an arm around the kid and put his
hand over his chest so he could monitor his patient's heart.

"I am going to ask you simple questions," Harrison said, "because you
shouldn't go to sleep and I want to make sure you are coherent. Do you
understand?"

"Yes."

What is the capital of Colorado?"

"Denver."

"What is 4 times 5?"

"Twenty."

What is..........

Ethan

"Fuck you asshole," Ethan screamed as the Chevy Silverado and horse trailer
pulled away, but Ethan knew he was he one who was fucked. "Why in the
fucking hell would you antagonize a guy giving you a lift?" Ethan said out
loud and to no one. "So what if he listened to right-wing AM shit for the
las 2 hours, it was his fucking truck. You should have just kept your mouth
shut."

 The day before, Ethan Martins had been kicked out of his parents
house. Ethan's father was a deacon in the Cherry Creek True Life Church.
True Life was certain of many things, and one of them was that gay people
were going to hell. So there he was, gay and homeless, standing on a
deserted highway on his way to Cripple Creek. Oh yeah, storm clouds
appeared to be slipping over the western mountains. Looking around, the
only hope was a smoking cabin chimney what looked to be a half mile off the
road. So he grabbed his duffle and headed down a narrow road leading in the
direction of the chimney.

The road turned out to be closer to a mile. When he got to the cabin he
pounded on the door, but no one answered. He slumped to the porch and tried
to decide whether to break in or hike back to the road. He hadn't noticed
the approaching man, until he unlocked the door and pulled Ethan inside.

While the man wouldn't let Ethan fall asleep, Ethan wasn't really awake
either. He remembered crawling into a bed naked, saying that Denver was the
capital of Colorado, telling the man he had been a Boy Scout. He also
remembered being held close by someone with strong arms and a warm body.

When the strong armed guy believed Ethan was beyond the risk of going into
shock, he allowed Ethan to fall asleep. However, sleep was not restful. His
subconscious continued to loop the events that brought him to this
cabin. It started when another boy from the church confessed that he and
Ethan had given each other blow jobs in the dorm. Pastor Norm called
Ethan's father to tell him he had a decision to make, his position in the
church or his son.

Ethan was in the basement rec room watching a movie when he heard the front
door slam. Then his father yelled, "Ethan! Get your ass up here!"

Ethan started to run through his mind all of the things he had and hadn't
done that would piss his father off. The top of the list was that he still
didn't have a career. Sure he had a job, actually two jobs, but barista and
freelance photographer didn't count as careers to Kurt Martins. On the list
of possible offenses could be anything from leaving a sock in the dryer to
using too much water for a shower, but nothing prepared Ethan for what had
his father on a rampage.

Ethan found Kurt Martins looking out of the window of his home office.

"Yes sir. What do you need?" Ethan said as differentially as he could
muster.

Suddenly his father turned and unleashed a backhand that dropped Ethan to
his knees. Kurt Martins stood over Ethan and yelled, "Are you a fucking
faggot?"

Ethan was stunned and didn't respond fast enough to satisfy his father and
another backhand crashed into his jaw. "Did you suck Jimmy Water's cock?"

Ethan started to cry and nodded his head. The fact that Ethan was crying,
infuriated Kurt Martins and he pulled Ethan up and yelled in his face, "No
son of mine is a crying fag. You have one of two choices. You either check
into a treatment facility, or you have five minutes to get what you can
carry and get out of my house."

Ethan saw his mother standing in the doorway, and instantly knew she
wouldn't stand up for him. He ran to his room and grabbed some clothes, his
billfold and ID and a couple of hundred dollars he had stashed in his sock
drawer. He thought about his phone and decided to leave it. Since his
parents paid the bill he doubted he would have service for long, plus he
didn't want them to be able to track him or call him. His parents were
dead.

Sitting in the truck stop cafe, Ethan was listening, hoping to find someone
headed for Cripple Creek. Ethan's cousin lived there and worked at one of
the casinos. His cousin was the black sheep of the family, until now, and
once told Ethan he would let him crash on his couch and get him a job at
the casino.

Ethan looked out the window and saw a pickup pulling a horse trailer sign
that said Lazy B Ranch, Cripple Creek, CO. He quickly paid his bill and ran
out to see if he could bum a ride.  The ranch hand driving the truck looked
Ethan up and down, then finally said, "Ten bucks." Ethan handed him a ten
and got in the truck.

They weren't far down the road, when Gus turned on the radio and tuned it
to right-wing talk radio. Ethan didn't actually know the name of the guy
driving, but he looked like what Ethan imagined a Gus would look like. Gus
would periodically yell at the radio to either agree with the hosts' wild
claims about the government, Democrats, and anyone not "American" enough
for his taste, or call anyone stating a rational opinion a "fucking,
elitist, socialist, fag."

For the most part, Ethan just sat in the passenger seat and ignored Gus and
the radio. He regretted not picking up his phone, at least he could have
listened to the music he'd downloaded. They'd just left Woodland Park when
Gus said, "Damn kid, you haven't said two words since we left Denver. What
do you think about the shit going on in this country?"

Ethan should have pretended to agree with the guy or at least said, "I
don't pay attention to the news." Instead, he told Gus what he actually
thought. Big mistake, for the next 15 minutes Gus argued with Ethan, but
when it was clear that Ethan wasn't stupid and was winning the argument,
Gus pulled over and said "Get out."

"No, I paid you to take me to Cripple Creek."

Gus reached behind the seat and produced the biggest pistol Ethan had ever
seen, then said, "I told you to get out."

That's how Ethan ended up naked....in bed....with a stranger....in a
cabin....in the middle of nowhere.

A Proper Introduction

Harrison spent the night checking on Ethan, making sure he was warm,
bringing him water and broth, and most of all making him feel safe.

The next morning Ethan found himself naked...warm...in bed...alone. Ethan
tried to separate reality from semi-conscious delusion and dreams. Was the
naked man with the strong arms real? Ethan wasn't sure. He did hear what
sounded like water running and suddenly needed to piss very badly. He went
in the direction of the water and what he hoped would be a
bathroom. Without thinking he opened the door and saw a toilet. He was well
on his way to an empty bladder when he realized there was someone in the
shower.

"I'm sorry," Ethan said in near panic. "I needed to go so bad, and I'm not
thinking right...I'll get out."

A smiling face popped out of the shower curtain. "Not a problem. I know
what it is like to desperately need to go. Besides, I would much rather you
interrupt my shower than piss in my bed."

"Thanks," Ethan said shyly.

"Hey," Harrison said, "I'm just finishing up. Do you want to take a
shower?"

"That would be great."

Harrison stepped out of the shower, and both men took a minute to scan each
other's bodies.

Harrison had just turned 41 and was a stud. The kind of guy that looked
good in a business suit, hiking in shorts and a flannel shirt, or stripped
to his waist at Pride. He stood six foot tall, weighed 195 pounds, and
packed with muscle. It was his pecs that caught people's attention. They
were well rounded and lightly covered with dark hair that seemed to swirl
around two perfect, erect nipples. Once Ethan was able to pull his eyes up
to look at Harrison's face he was entranced by pale blue eyes and a huge
smile. There was nothing brooding or dark about Harrison, but neither was
there anything weak. He had a strong angular jaw and sported closely
trimmed facial hair and thick, shoulder length, dark hair. Finally, Ethan
dropped his eyes and saw a perfect cut, thick cock. It was all Ethan could
do to resist reaching out to touch it.

While Ethan had been surveying Harrison, Harrison was checking him
out. Ethan was 24 and also stood six foot tall, but in many ways he was
still a boy. Ethan had walnut hair, which was buzzed close on the sides and
back, but up top it was longer and naturally curly. Ethan didn't shave
often and had the scruffy look of a college boy. His eyes could best be
described as sentimental and he had the most kissable lips Harrison had
ever seen. Harrison also noticed a crystal stud in his left ear. Ethan was
athletic with defined muscles that could best be described as sinewy and on
his right arm was a small tattoo of a compass rose. The hairs on Ethan's
chest seemed to form the tributaries of a river that started in his
pectoral cleft and flowed down to pool together with his pubes. Ethan's
cock was cut, slim and beginning to plump.

Finally, Harrison extended his hand and said, "I'm Harrison Gray, most
people call my Harry."

Ethan accepted the hand and said, "I'm Ethan Martins. Thanks for saving my
sorry ass."

Harrison winked and said, "Oh, I don't think your ass is so sorry." Then he
grabbed a towel and walked out of the bathroom.

As he stepped into the shower, Ethan wondered whether there was anything
more to the comment and wink that male locker banter. The warm shower felt
so good. He reached for the soap and noticed that it wasn't a typical
store-bought bar of soap. It appeared to be hand made and smelled like
cedar and spices. He inhaled the masculine scent. As he was drying off,
Ethan realized he didn't know where his backpack was, so he wrapped the
towel around his waist and went to find it.

When he walked into the main room of the cabin, Ethan looked around for his
pack. The main room was a combination living, dining, and kitchen. "Are you
looking for something?" Harrison asked.

"Yeah, I thought I had a backpack."

Harrison pointed to a corner of the room, then said, "When you're ready, I
have some breakfast ready. Ethan quickly dressed, and returned. "Sit down
here at the bar and I dish up a plate." Harrison handed him a plate of
scrambled eggs, bacon, and a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar. I wasn't
thinking that everyone might not like their oatmeal the way I do. I can fix
it differently if you like."

"No, this looks great."

"Do you want some coffee?"

"That sounds perfect," Ethan said, and then took a bite of eggs.

"Okay," Ethan, "I have to ask, what the hell are you doing out here, alone,
on foot, and clearly not prepared for the weather? I thought you said you
were a Boy Scout."

Ethan laughed, "That's funny, but your right, I was totally fucked. I was
hitchhiking and the guy driving and I had a bit of a disagreement. He
didn't like my politics and dumped my ass on the side of the road. I should
have kept my mouth shut and I would be in Cripple Creek right now."

"So Ethan," Harrison said, "what are your political views? I probably ought
to find out who I've let into my nice warm cabin."

Ethan's face suddenly got very serious, and Harrison started to
laugh. "Don't worry, I won't kick you out into the cold... Unless, you turn
the TV on to Tucker Carlson. Then you can just warm your ass in hell."

Ethan laughed again, "Believe me, I would never do that. My family and
friends think I'm a commie liberal because I usually vote Democrat. Is that
a problem?"

"Not in this house. I think of myself as a free-thinking,
socially-conscious, free-enterprise, independent."

"I can respect that."

 Why are you going to Cripple Creek?"

"I have a cousin there. He said he could get me a job working in the
casino."

"I see. Does he know you are coming?"

"Sure...well not really."

Harrison suddenly got serious and said, "Who or what are you running from?"

Ethan tensed, "Why do you think I am running away from anything?"

"Okay let me play Sherlock Holmes. First, you have a faint bruise under
your right jaw. My guess is a backhand. Second, it looks like you had just
a few minutes to pack so just grabbed and stuffed. Third, you haven't asked
to use the phone. So no one is expecting you. Fourth, you talk in your
sleep."

"Shit....what did I say."

"From what I gathered your father found out about you and someone named
Jimmy."

Tears started to run down Ethan's cheeks, and he said, "I'll get my stuff
and leave."

"Like hell, you wouldn't make it to the end of the drive. Even if you did,
it's been snowing all night and they've closed the highway. There won't be
any cars or trucks. You step out that door and it committing suicide."

"Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing."

Harrison grabbed Ethan's head with both hands and forced their eyes to
meet. "Don't ever say anything that fucking stupid again. That would be a
terrible thing. Every year we lose too many of our boys."

Ethan opened his eyes wide and asked, "Our boys?"

"Yes, I'm gay," Then Harrison smiled and asked, "Is that okay?"

Ethan hugged Harrison and whispered in his ear, "You just saved me again."

After breakfast, Ethan helped Harrison do the dishes and clean the
kitchen. "This is a great cabin you have here Harry. Is it alright if I
call you Harry."

"Absolutely as long as I can call you Ethan."

"For sure; although most of my friends call me E or Big E."

Harrison gave Ethan an odd look, and Ethan laughed, "No, my cock is quite
normal. They call me Big E because when I get excited about an idea or
project, I can't let it go."

"Okay, well about this cabin. It belonged to my uncle. He and his partner,
Miguel, and I used to spend a lot of time up here, so he left it to me in
his will."

"Your uncle was gay? Did your parents know?"

"Yes my uncle was gay. As far as my parents knowing, I'm not sure because
they died when I was three. Uncle Ray and Manny were my parents."

"You were so lucky. Not about losing your parents--that would suck, but
being raised by people who weren't homophobic assholes."

"It was Uncle Ray and Manny that saved me." Harrison said. "The social
worker wanted to put me in foster care rather than let two gay guys take
custody of me. Although I was too young to know what was going on. I
eventually found out he threatened to sue the entire fucking State of
Kansas to get custody. I can't imagine what kind of hell it would have been
being a gay foster kid in Western Kansas."

"Yeah, it was bad enough being gay in Cherry Creek. At least I could sneak
off the some of the gay parts of the city to pretend."

"Cherry Creek? I live in Denver, the Baker neighborhood."

"Oh fuck, you live close to Boyztown."

"It's a ten minute walk from my house," Harrison said, "So do you go there
to watch or to dance?"

"I'm a watcher. I have thought about doing amateur night, but I am not sure
I have what it takes."

"From what I saw this morning, I would slip a few bills in your undies. I
might even go for a lap dance."

Ethan blushed a little.

"So, if you don't dance, what do you do for a living? I am a barista and a
freelance photographer. Hardly pulling in the cash. That's why I was living
in my parent's basement. Damn, I am such a stereotype."

"Did you go to college?"

"Yeah University of Colorado. I loved Boulder. It was the first place I
could actually be gay. Okay I was gay on the down-low , but I was actually
gay. But I guess I wasn't down-low enough."

"So, aside from being gay, did you do anything academic while there."

"Yeah, I got my degree. Actually got really good grades. I majored in
journalism and political science. Boy was my dad pissed when he found out I
hadn't majored in business. He told me I'd fucking wasted his money. That
made the whole thing even sweeter. Of course my father has spent the last
year and a half as the conductor on the `I told you so' train."

"I don't want to sound like you father," Harrison said, "but why aren't you
looking for work in your areas of study?"

"I have looked, but when the Rocky Mountain News folded there was suddenly
a glut of journalists and photographers on the Front Range. One of the
reasons I have been freelancing is to build up a portfolio. I can usually
sell three to four photos a month, but at 50 to 100 dollars, you can't live
on that. I have also done some event photography, and I might be able to
build a business there. Well, I could have, but I had to leave all my
equipment and so that option is shot to hell."

"What about Poli-Sci?"

"I wanted to work on political campaigns or even cover politics, but living
with my father, there was no way I could work for the candidates and issues
I believe in. Okay, Harry my turn to give you the third degree. You're not
that much older than I am, how did you do so well?"

"How do you know I have done well?"

"I see, it's my turn to be Sherlock Holmes. First, this cabin. You said you
inherited it, but it takes money to maintain a place like this, pay the
taxes, and just spend time out here. Second, you haven't been the least bit
stressed about being snowed in, so you aren't worried about getting back to
some pissy job. Third, the Tahoe park outside isn't cheap. Fourth, I
overheard you telling your broker to buy 500 shares of Apple. Last week,
Apple was selling around $60 a share."

"First Apple dropped to $56 a share this morning. Second, how old do you
think I am?"

"Thirty, thirty-one."

Harrison smiled, "I'm 41."

"Fucking no way. That's how you've made your money. You found the fountain
of youth and are selling bottles of it to the uber-rich."

Harrison laughed, "No, I got my money the old-fashioned way, I inherited it
from my uncle."

"Wow, not just a gay uncle, a rich gay uncle. Talk about being born with a
silver cock in your mouth," Ethan said and then suddenly panicked, "Fuck,
I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply...I was not suggesting..."

Ethan laughed even more, "Breath kid. That's like the fourth apology this
morning. I may have been born with a silver cock in my mouth, but I don't
have a golden stick up my ass."

"I'm just so used to walking on eggshells around my father."

"Comparing me to your father, now that hurts," Harrison said and grabbed
Ethan to give him a nuggie.

"Ow...ow...I will be nice." Ethan said, and Harrison let him up and
immediately pulled him in for a friendly hug.

"Oh, for the record," Harrison said, "Neither Uncle Ray or Miguel ever
touched me sexually, but I did grow up with lots of love and hugs. So that
was the real legacy they left me."

Harrison noticed that Ethan was getting emotional and he opened the fridge
and got out two beers and said, "Do you object to drinking before noon?"

"Not since I was fifteen," Ethan said and took a big drink. "You still
haven't told me what you do. You don't look like the kind of guy who just
sits around playing video games and eating Doritos between trips to the
gym."

The business my Uncle left me is property management and development. Gray
LLC owns commercial property throughout the Denver Metro. It also develops
multi-unit housing and rehabs older homes. Rehabbing and flipping homes was
how Gray LLC got its start."

"That sounds complex. Did you go to college for that?"

"Sort of, I have a degree in finance and a minor in urban studies from the
University of Denver, but how to run the business I learned at URSA."

"URSA, I've never heard of that university."

"Uncle Ray's Sweat Academy. The summers and weekends of my freshmen and
sophomore years in high school, I worked with Gray LLC's grounds and
maintenance crews. My junior and senior years I worked with contractors
rehabbing houses or commercial buildings. Uncle Ray said, "You have to know
how to do the job to value the job." My freshman year of college I worked
in the office with Uncle Ray learning the business end of Gray LLC. The
next year, Miguel hired me as an intern at the bank branch he managed so I
could understand lending from the banker perspective. Then my junior and
senior years, I was given a property and a budget to develop. Between
school and work, I was lucky to get in a fuck once a week for those two
years."

"That is amazing. It sounds like your Uncle and Miguel were perfect
parents."

"In most ways they were, they were involved in my school, we had great
family vacations, they were home every night, but by the time I wanted to
play sports, they thought they were a bit old to teach me. So they would
hire high school or college players to teach me whatever sport I wanted to
try. Most of them were pretty good teachers, but it was the one thing I
think I missed out on. Of course there was Ricky."

"Who was Ricky?"

"Ricky was my lacrosse trainer. He was a high school junior and a stud. He
went back East to play. The summer before my freshman year I decided I
wanted to play lacrosse, so Uncle Ray found Ricky to teach me the game. I
knew shit about the game, but I was athletic and liked to play rough. One
day he thought I wasn't giving it my best game and he said, "If you can
score on me one on one, I will give you a blow job, but if you don't score,
you give me a blow job. I gave my first blow job that day. That was also
something else Ricky taught me how to do. It was two week before I got my
first blow job, and then I was so excited I shot my load after only a
couple of minutes. When Ricky was a senior, I was the only sophomore on
varsity and I was our leading scorer. Ricky always drove me home after a
game."

"Damn, you have a charmed life."

"Oh, I've had my share of shit to deal with."

"Really, like what?"

"Well this weekend for one. I was supposed to be here with my boyfriend,
now ex-boyfriend. I unexpectedly came home last Wednesday in the middle of
the day to find one of `Cheating Gary's' gym clients balls deep in his
ass. When I called the bank to cancel his credit card, I found out he'd
maxed it out, mainly in $5,000 in cash advances. The asshole has called me
twenty-nine times since I kicked his cheating ass to the curb." Harrison
got two more beers out of the fridge and handed one to Ethan and then
continued, "He must have forgotten that he didn't own `his' gym. I let him
set it up in one of my buildings and I leased or purchased all the
equipment. The only thing in that place that he owns is his jockstrap, and
I probably paid for that."

Harrison was getting worked up and he chugged his beer and opened the
fridge for another. Ethan grabbed his arm and said, "Hey stud, why don't we
talk about something else, or maybe watch a movie."

Harrison looked at Ethan and said, "I'm scaring you."

"A little."

"Your father?"

"No, a guy in college. One of those toxic so good/so bad relationships."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not now, maybe later. What I want to do now is cuddle up and watch a funny
movie."

"Okay, I know just the movie." Harrison led Ethan to the couch, threw
another log in the fireplace, and slipped `The Pink Panther Strikes Again'
in the CD player.

"This is a great movie," Ethan said as he leaned into Harrison and pulled a
blanket over both of them.

After the movie, Harrison switched on the weather channel to see what was
happening. The picture was a bit grainy and Harrison remarked that there
must be a lot of snow on the satellite dish. The weather didn't look good,
another storm was closing in from the west and was predicted to dump
another five to seven inches. Harrison's phone began to ring. He went to
the kitchen to get it and talked for ten minutes with whoever called. When
he came back, Harrison crawled back under the blanket and said, "I hope you
don't have anywhere important to be for the next three to four days."

"No, what's the problem?"

"That was the rancher who I have hired to watch this place and clear the
drive. The Colorado Department of Transportation is saying it will take at
least two day to open the highway, if the snow on the way isn't too bad. On
top of that the rancher has livestock he needs to feed and water, so
opening the drive up here is not a priority for him, and I agreed. I do
have a tractor and blade in the shed, but clearing the drive with it would
be a massive task."

"I don't want to be a fraidy cat, but will we be alright up here?" Ethan
asked.

Harrison pulled Ethan a little closer and said, "We'll be fine. There is a
thousand gallon propane tank that services this cabin and I had it refilled
at the end of November. I also have three cords of firewood. The
electricity comes from a generator in the shed and is powered by
propane. I've got a freezer full of meat and a pantry full of canned and
dry goods. As long as neither of us goes Jack Nicholson, we could last
until Spring."

"Then let it snow." Ethan said with a smile.

"The only problem is we will run out of beer."

"I guess we'll just have to drink water."

"Or, the case of bourbon and two cases of wine in the cellar."

After lunch, they watched an old John Wayne movie, "Big Jake", but both
were asleep before the closing credits. Ethan had stretched out on the
couch and was using Harrison's thigh as a pillow.

The Work Out

Around four o'clock, Harrison woke Ethan and said, "Come on buddy, we need
some exercise." Ethan's smile turned to confusion when Harrison led him
past the bedroom and out the backdoor of the cabin. Almost immediately
behind the cabin was a stone building. When they entered the building,
Ethan saw a Bowflex, an elliptical machine, and what appeared to be a hot
tub at the far end of the building.

"This is the only building left from the original settlers' homestead. It
was the food locker, and when Uncle Ray bought the place, only the stone
walls were still standing. He decided to turn it into a workout room. As he
talked Harrison stripped down to his undershirt and boxer briefs. He then
pulled a mat from hooks on the wall and began to stretch. Ethan was fixated
on watching Harrison. He was finally brought back from his enchantment when
he heard Harrison say, "At least pretend you are going to workout."

Ethen said, "Oh sorry."

"That's five."

"Five sorries."

Ethan smiled and began to strip while still keeping an eye on Harrison
stretching. Eventually Ethan was down to a CU T-shirt and briefs.

Harrison said, Hum, I wouldn't have tagged someone your age for the
tighty-whity crowd."

What did you think I would be into?"

"I would have guessed either plaid boxers or commando."

"I like boxers, but my mom still buys me briefs."

"Your mom buys your underwear?!"

"Yeah, it is embarrassing, but she insists on buying me clothes. So I had
my college wardrobe and my home wardrobe. That's one of the things I plan
to change...if I ever get a job and a place of my own."

"It will happen. Just keep your head up."

Ethan got a mat and started stretching. "I did try going commando once,"
Ethan said. "It was a hot day and I was wearing denim cutoffs. They were a
bit tight and I had classes spread across the campus, so I ended up jogging
to get to a couple on time. My cock was rubbed raw by the end of the day."

"Ouch, that sucks."

"The worst part was I couldn't jack off for two days."

Harrison laughed. Finally he said, "Well, what do you want to start with,
the Bowflex or the elliptical?"

"I'll do the elliptical, if that's alright."

The Bowflex and elliptical faced each other across the room giving Ethan
the perfect vantage to judge Harrison's routine, and his cock was scoring a
perfect ten. When Harrison lay down on the bench for some presses, the
bulge in his underwear was almost more than Ethan could take.

Finally, Harrison said, "Time to change places." It was his turn to check
out Ethan's muscle development. He wasn't disappointed. While not bulging
with muscle, Ethen had the long, defined muscles that came from athletic
activity rather than hours lifting. He'd worked up a sweat on the
elliptical, so he pulled off his wet T-shirt. The sight of Ethan working
his shoulders and chest brought out the wolf in Harrison.  When Ethan moved
to shoulder presses he triggered one of Harrison's fetishes,
armpits--hairy, sweaty armpits, and he had to resist the urge to bury his
face in them.

The sweat had also made Ethan's tight briefs translucent and he seemed
oblivious that his cock was plump and on full display. Instead, he seemed
intent on showing off for Harrison. He was straining to push the limits of
his endurance. He was so hot, but Harrison was afraid he would hurt
himself. So, Harrison cut his cardio short, stripped off the rest of his
clothes and took the cover off of the hot tub. Ethan stopped trying to show
off to stare at his ideal of the male form, his own Vitruvian Man. Harrison
stepped into the tub and slowly lowered himself so sensually that Ethan
flushed with animal lust.

Ethan stood and slid his underwear down as Harrison watched. Never before
in his life had he been so brazenly sexual, so shamelessly carnal. Never in
his life had Ethan felt so free of his puritanical upbringing and guilt.

Ethan slipped into the tub opposite Harrison. As their eyes connected,
Harrison spread his arms to rest them on the rim of the tub. Ethan slowly
submerged until his chin just grazed the surface of the bubbling water. For
the longest time, the two just looked at each other, then Ethan slowly
crossed the tub and straddled Harrison's lap before bending down for a
kiss.

"So Harry, what do we do now?"

Harrison licked Ethan's right nipple, then gently bit it. Ethan moaned and
ground his cock into Harrison's abs.

"Kid," Harrison said, "I want to spend the night fucking."

Ethan smiled, kissed Harrison, and said, "Let's go stud."

They didn't bother to dress and ran naked to the cabin.

Once inside, they stood in front of the fireplace and kissed while the fire
dried their bodies. Harrison took hold of Ethan's cock and slowly began to
stroke it. Ethan moaned and tipped his head back to expose his neck to
Harrison's lips and tongue. After marking Ethan as his boy, Harrison began
to slowly work his way down Ethan's hot body until he reached his throbbing
cock. Harrison licked a drop of precum from the tip of Ethan's cock before
swallowing the whole of Ethan's seven inches. Ethan's cock wasn't
especially thick and Harrison was able to easily accept it into his
throat. When Harrison vibrated his vocal cord, Ethan's cock spasmed and
before he could gain control, shot a load down Harrison's throat.

"I'm so sorry," Ethan said.

Harrison stood, smiled, and said, "I'm not." Then he gave Ethan a kiss and
pushed him back onto an oversized leather ottoman. Ethan grabbed his ankles
and said, "Fuck me stud." Harrison spent a few minutes getting Ethan ready,
before he slowly pushed his 7" cock through the gates of bliss.

"OOOHH FUUUCK!" Ethan moaned and his cock reversed course. It began to
swell again as Harrison massaged something deep inside Ethan. Each thrush
added another log to Ethan's bonfire of the passion.

"Soon Ethan's vocabulary was reduced to moans and an occasional muttered
obscenity. Harrison's inner animal had taken control, and pounded Ethan's
ass. Ethan was completely caught off guard when after so recent of a
release, his cock stiffened, all his muscles tightened, and another stream
of cum exploded from his cock.

The pearly white cum shot onto the mahogany leather ottoman, and began to
pool in one of its tufts. It all was too much for Harrison and he erupted
like a volcano and filled Ethan with white-hot man lava before collapsing
on Ethan's chest. Ethan locked his legs around Harrison's waist and said,
"Your cock is never leaving."

But as much as Ethan wished to remain perpetually impaled, Harrison's cock
eventually deflated and allowed cum to seep out onto the ottoman and then
the floor. While Ethan and Harrison would fuck many times over the next
three days, none would mean as much as that first time, because in that
moment Ethan didn't care what his father thought, didn't worry what would
happen if his father found out, didn't fear being gay.

All Good Things Come to an End

Ethan watched the frontend loader clearing the snow from in front of the
cabin. After four days, the Cabin was again connected to the world. Ethan
had spent the morning helping Harrison clean up the cabin and make sure it
was closed up tight until the next time he visited.

"Hey Ethan," Harrison yelled, "Can you come help me make the bed?"

As Ethan grabbed one side of the fitted sheet, he said, "These smell really
good."

"Yeah, they came out alright. I was afraid we were going to have to burn
them."

Ethan laughed, "They weren't that bad."

"Kid when you cum, you are a super soaker."

"I am not usually like that, but you seem to bring out the best in me."

There was a knock at the door. Harrison answered it and there stood a kid
about 16 or 17. "What up Jeff?"

"I'm headed back to the ranch," Jeff said. "Is there anything else you need
before I go?"

"Come in for a minute, I have a few things I need to take care of before
you leave."

Jeff stepped in and Harrison said, "Jeff, this is Ethan. Ethan, this is
Jeff. Jeff's family owns a ranch down in the valley and they have been
looking out for this cabin since Uncle Ray bought it over fifty years ago."

"Nice to meet you," Jeff said as he extended a hand to Ethan.

"You're much nicer than the last rancher I had a run in with," Ethan said.

"Who was that?" Jeff asked.

"He was driving a truck that had Lazy B Ranch on the door."

"The owner is an ass, and the Lazy B is a shit show," Jeff said. "They are
alway late on settling up their accounts. The only reason people still do
business with them is because the boss' brother is the County Tax
Appraiser, mess with them and your taxes may take a jump the next
reassessment."

"Well, He didn't like my politics."

Jeff said, "Most of this area is pretty conservative, but that bunch is
crazy. Rumor has it they've hosted a few meetings of some right-wing
militia."

"Won't be hitching a ride ever again. Not a fan of having a gun pointed at
me."

While Ethan and Jeff had been talking, Harrison had slipped back to the
bedroom. When he came back he handed Jeff five one-hundred dollar bills.

"Mr. Gray, clearing the snow is included in your contract with dad."

"I know, but this is a tip for you. I know you keep an eye on this place
and do a lot of the stocking of the place when I call at the last minute to
say I'm coming for the weekend."

"I appreciate it, and will never turn down good money, but I just
appreciate you letting me use your gym. It's beginning to make a
difference." Jeff took off his Carhartt coat and flexed his arms to show
off two developing biceps."

"Are you checking the chemicals in the hot tub periodically?"

Jeff smiled and said, "Yeah!"

Harrison pulled Jeff in close and said, "You might want to empty the trash
can a little more often. I noticed a couple of condoms in the wastebasket."
Jeff blushed, and Harrison continued, "I don't care, but when your father's
back is hurting him, he and your mom come down for a soak."

"Shit, Dad would be cool, but I would die if mom decided I needed `The
Talk'."

"I'm glad you're playing it safe and staying healthy," Harrison
said. "Plus, you're too young to be having any babies."

"Joe and I don't have to worry about that" Jeff said with a grin.

"Do your parents know?"

"That I'm gay, yes. That Joe is my boyfriend, dad is a no, mom is
suspicious."

Jeff gave Harrison a hug and shook Ethan's hand, then took off to finish
his chores and get ready for school to reopen the next day.

"Well, that's everything," Harrison said.

"Again. thanks for saving my ass," Ethan said, "I had a really great
time. If it's not too much trouble, could you drop me off at my cousin's
place in Cripple Creek."

"Hell yeah it's too much trouble."

Ethan was shocked at Harrison's response.

"Do you know how hard it is to lose two guys within a space of two weeks. I
don't have the emotional strength to do that. So, you are either going home
with me or walking your ass the ten miles to Cripple Creek."

"You want me to go home with you?"

"Yes. more than anything."

A teary eyed Ethan grabbed Harrison, gave him a kiss, and said, "You are my
savior, my life is yours for as long as you will have it."

********************************

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Quarterback Keeper. You can find more of
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