Date: Fri, 05 Jul 2002 15:04:41 +0000
From: Ben nobody <ben_sc@hotmail.com>
Subject: Berto" Roses XXXXIV-Beginnings

Berto's Roses

By Ben

Part XXXXIV

I sat in private misery on the flight to Chicago. How could everything have
gone so wrong? Would it ever be right again? The party had been a complete
disaster and it started when people started showing up early in the
morning.

Mack drove up in his Jaguar just after eight o'clock. He brought his
partner, Nathan, with him. The two black men were dressed casually, as I
had asked everybody to do. They both wore jeans and Hawaiian print shirts.

Nathan wore white jeans and a red print shirt. He looked comfortable and
very handsome. Mack wore brand-new black jeans and a gold shirt. Given that
I found his general appearance left a lot to be desired, he didn't look too
bad this morning.

I was just heading for the garden and offered Nathan a cup of coffee and
the grand tour. He had not been to the casa before. He followed me around
and verbally appreciated the things we had done to the place. He especially
admired the sunroom with its see-through fireplace and view of the garden.

We walked outside and strolled through the garden to the break in the wall
leading to the beach. The sky was bright although dark clouds showed on the
horizon over the gulf. The sea breeze was strong and I hoped this wasn't
the beginning of another storm. I so wanted everything to go well with this
party. We headed back inside.

Manuella had gone earlier and collected her sister to help prepare the
food. They were chattering away and busy when I stepped into the kitchen to
introduce Nathan. She looked over the tall, attractive man, surveying him
from head to toe. One thing Manuella was not was subtle. Nathan withstood
the inspection with style and grace. I wondered again just what he saw in
Mack.

We walked up the stairs to Bob's third floor office. Mack had disappeared
up in that direction when I had started showing Nathan around. I opened the
door and saw Bob hurriedly closing his pants while Mack struggled to get up
from his kneeling position.  "Jesus Christ!" I thought to myself, "Mack
just rolled into the driveway. Was his need really that urgent?"

I hoped that Nathan hadn't seen what was going on, but one look at his face
told me that he had. His expression turned from surprise to outrage.  Heavy
silence hung over the room and then Nathan, with much dignity, managed to
say, "Mack, may I speak to you downstairs?"

I moved aside as Mack followed Nathan down the stairs.  I looked at Bob
with a "How the hell could you have done that?" expression. He flopped down
in his desk chair and sighed heavily. "That's not good." Bob understated "I
told Mack to leave me alone. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't take no
for an answer."

"I have the feeling that he'll be hearing a lot of that and more from
Nathan. Did he know that Mack and you fooled around before this?"

Bob leaned back and rubbed his eyelids with his thumb and
forefinger. "Hell, I don't know. You know how Mack is. "

We heard a car start and I walked to the open window and looked out. I saw
the Jaguar drive out onto the street and Mack was standing in the driveway,
waving his arms and shouting obscenities at the top of his lungs.

"Oh shit! Nathan just left Mack and took off toward San Diego." I turned
around and looked and Bob. "I guess we have on e less party guest. Well,
now you and Mack can have your fun uninterrupted." I walked out shaking my
head.

Jake stuck his head in the hall as I reached the first floor. His hair was
disheveled and he had sheet marks on his face. "What the hell is all the
yelling about?" He wondered.

"I'll tell you about it later. Why don't you get a shower and come on in
for breakfast?"

"You want to join me?"  Jake licked his lips provocatively.

"I don't think I'd be very good company right now. I'm pretty pissed." I
saw Jake's questioning looked and added, "Not at you, buddy, at Mack and
Bob. Go on and get cleaned up. We have a lot to get done for the party, not
to mention you still need to pack." I gave him a quick peck on the lips and
walked toward the kitchen.

Manuella and her sister were looking out the window at the ranting
Mack. They shook their heads and clucked to each other in Spanish. I
cleared my throat and they turned around and smiled conspiratorially

"My apologies for the idiot in the street, ladies. I'll go out and talk to
him." I was headed for the door when it banged open and Mack stumped up the
stairs. I returned to the kitchen.

"Manuella can Jake and I get some breakfast, please."

"Of, course, Senor Ben. What about Senor Bob and `el pero negro'?"

Masking my surprise at her unexpected insult to Mack, I replied, "I don't
think they have much of and appetite this morning. " At least not for food.

Jake strolled in with a wet head and without a shirt. This got the
attention of the women, and, yes, me too.  "Buenos Dias!" He said
cheerfully. He always could manage to light up a room with his good looks
and outgoing personality.

"Buenos Dias, Jacob." Manuella hugged him and introduced him to her sister,
who spoke little or no English. I don't know what Jake said to her, but it
caused her to blush and giggle self-consciously.  What a charmer.

"Jacob, I shall miss you when you have to leave tomorrow." Said Manuella.

"If you would but consent to marry me, mi amiga, I would stay here with you
forever!" teased Jake. He danced her around the large kitchen and ended by
leaning over and kissing her pudgy hand.

Manuella beamed and said, "Oh Jacob, you are muy loco, but must come back
to visit, no? Now come and eat your breakfast."

We four sat and ate. The conversation was in Spanish, so I was left out of
most of it, although I was picking up more of it than I use to. Jake and I
helped clear and then were shooed out of the kitchen by the women. We
needed to take down the bed in my room and move it to the studio, then set
up the remaining bed in its place. In our quest to christen each new bed
with sex, it was the one remaining holdout.

There were no signs of life from upstairs and I wasn't about to venture up
those stairs.  Jake and I went to my room and stripped the linens from the
bed.  I carried them to the studio while Jake began disassembling the bed.

I returned and helped him carry the pieces to the studio, then we set it up
again. I suggested that we go ahead and set up the new bed in my old room,
then I could put the linens on both while Jake got packed for his trip back
to Jacksonville the next day.

Of course, Jake had his own agenda. No sooner had we put the new bed
together, then he grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me down on the
bed, smothering my face with wet kisses. He was intent on initiating this
bed as well. Jake lay on top of me and reached his hands between us to
fumble with the zipper of my khakis.

"Are you serious, Jake?" I asked. "We have a house full of people who will
be here at anytime. We don't have time for this right now."

"Aw, c'mon Ben. We'll just get a quickie. This it the last one, compadre,
and I'll be leaving tomorrow." He now had my pants open and had worked them
down to the middle of my thighs. I couldn't help thinking that it would be
easier if he got the hell off of me. As it turned out the bed was never
christened. At least not by me.

The flight attendant interrupted my gloomy reminiscence to offer me an
in-flight beverage and snack. I accepted a bottled water and the world
smallest bag of peanuts.  I absently stared out of the window as the plane
pushed through the clouds. I needed to snap out of it before getting to
Great Lakes to attend my son's boot camp graduation.

Jake and I were interrupted by Manuella's voice ringing loudly. "Senor Ben!
Jacob, Senor Chavez is here and he has brought Berto!"

I pushed Jake off of me and nearly dumped him in onto the floor. He
recovered quickly enough to beat me to the door. Part of this was due to
the fact that that my half-hard cock flapping in the breeze and had to
stuff it back into my pants . The other part was that he was anxious to see
the newcomers, especially Ricky.

I walked to the carport and saw the big, burgundy Mercedes and Jake hugging
Ricky unashamedly. I looked around for Jose, but didn't see him. Then I saw
Berto climb out of the back seat and reach to hug his mother.

"Hola, Mama! I want you to meet mi amigo Raul. Raul, this is Mama."

Manuella hugged the tall young Latino and chattered to him in
Spanish. Meanwhile, Ricky caught my eye over Jake's shoulder and gave me
his infectious grin. Every time I saw him, he became more handsome. He
finally escaped Jake's embrace and greeted me in a somewhat more subdued
manner than his usual run and jump approach, although I still got a strong
hug and a kiss on the lips.

"Where is Jose? Isn't he coming? I asked him.

"Oh, si. He is flying down in the Lear to bring Papa and Carla, so he can
fly everybody to Mexico City tonight. He will call me when he is close by
and I will pick them up at the air field."

Berto called to me and beckoned me over to where Manuella and his friend
were talking. I had not yet seen Raul's face. I gave Ricky another kiss and
walked to the other side of the car.

Berto gave me a hug and then turned to his friend. "Raul I would like you
to meet Senor Ben. Remember I told you about him? Senor Ben, this is my
friend Raul."

I extended my hand and turned my gaze from Berto's sweet face to that of
Raul. My heart stopped as I instantly recognized the young man from
Mazatlan, who had been wearing the mariachi costume. A quick flash of
surprise flashed across his handsome features as, he too, realized when and
where we had met before.

Raul shook my hand and said, "Hola, Senor Ben. It is good to see you
again." He gave me an expression that told me that he would like to
continue where we left off at his hotel room.

"You have met before?" I turned and looked at Berto's confused expression.

"Uh, yeah..." I stammered, blushing. "We met at Don Chavez' fiesta in
Mazatlan. Raul was with the band.  Is that right?"

Raul chuckled. "No, I was not playing with the band, Senor Ben. That was
only my costume for the evening. But I did not know you were the `Senor
Ben' that Berto speaks so highly of."

"Well, I guess we weren't exactly properly introduced, were we." I gave him
what I hoped he understood was a "let's keep this between us" look. He
appeared to understand and we all headed into the house. Berto took Raul up
to his room to drop off his things and I joined Ricky and Jake in the
sunroom.

"I came a bit early because Berto told me that Manuella needed him to help
her and Raul agreed to help out also." Ricky explained.

"Well, whatever the reason. I am just glad you are here. Are you going to
Mexico City tonight with the rest of the group?"

"Si, Carla will drive Berto and Raul back to San Augustin in the
morning. That way Manuella has a bit more time to spend with her nino."

"Sounds like a plan. Jake and I will be heading up to San Diego in the
morning as well. He's going back to Jacksonville and I'm headed for
Chicago."

"Ah, si. I remember. You will be attending your son's military ceremony? Is
he as handsome as his Papa?"  Ricky teased.

"Both of my sons are very good looking young men. Have I not showed you
their photos?" I asked.

Both Ricky and Jake shook their heads in a negative answer. I took out my
wallet and displayed the pictures of my progeny with obvious pride.

Jake whistled. "Man, if I was a chicken hawk, those two would be in serious
trouble."

"And so would you, my friend, if you began sniffing around either one of
them." I warned, only half- jokingly.

"They are muy lindo, Ben. Are you sure you are their Papa?" Ricky doubled
over in laughter at his joke.

I laughed, too. " Yes, wise ass." I countered. "They're mine." I grabbed
him and tickled him until he was red face and breathless. I had him pinned
on his back with his head in Jake's lap.

"Senor Ben?" It was Berto's voice. "Mama said to ask you if you wanted
lunch now."

I let Ricky up and turned towards Berto. "Yes, I think that would be a good
idea, Berto. Let's have it out here, if that's okay with Manuella. I'll go
up and tell Bob and Mack."

Berto's expression darkened, visibly. "Oh, I did not know Senor Mack was
here. I did not see his car."

"Yes. Well, his partner brought him down, but couldn't stay for the party."
I explained.

Berto nodded his understanding and I climbed the two flights of stairs to
Bob suite. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't find them joined by any
type of body parts, although I had purposely made as much noise as I could
coming up the stairs. Mack had a sour expression on his face and was
punching numbers into his cell phone with a vengeance. Bob was sulking in
his overstuffed chair.

"Excuse me, guys. Manella is putting lunch in the sunroom. Ricky, Berto,
and his friend got here just a few minutes ago. Will you be joining us?"

Bob started to shake his head when Mack threw the cell phone on the bed and
grumbled, "Hell, we might as well. It's not like I can go anywhere else
since Nate took the FUCKING CAR!" He got up and stomped down the stairs.

"This should be fun." I quipped to Bob. "Shall we?"  I gestured towards the
door. Bob heaved himself from the chair and preceded me down the stairs.

Mack was standing near the table when we arrived. "Where do I sit?" he
muttered.  Without speaking to him, Manuella pulled out a chair for him,
next to Jake.  He sat down heavily. "You got a beer in there?"

Manuella left for the kitchen and we all found our seats. Bob sat next to
Mack at the round table. Ricky was seated on Jake's right. Berto sat next
to him and steered Raul to the chair next to himself. This left the empty
chair between Raul and Bob for me. The women appeared carrying food and
drinks for the men.  Manuella thumped a Corona in front of Mack and he
drained half of it before he put it down to look around the table.

His gaze fell directly across the table to Ricky, Berto and Raul. His eyes
glazed over in lust. "Ah, and who have we here, Berto?" Mack licked his
lips, nastily.

Berto just glared at him and I hastily made introductions for
everybody. Conversation was sparse and we mostly just ate. Berto was
clearly uncomfortable to be at the same table with Mack and Bob was still
in a gloomy mood. To make matters worse, Jake took every opportunity he
could to lay hands on Ricky and Raul took several liberties with me,
running his hand down my thigh, clandestinely, on several occasions.

It was the most uncomfortable meal I could remember in my recent
history. Mack kept leering at the young men across from him. I tried
several different tactics to engage somebody, anybody, in conversation, but
gave up after I found myself sounding like a chatterbox. After what seemed
to be hours, we began clearing our plates and Berto and Raul carried them
into the kitchen. I hoped this atmosphere didn't carry over into the party.

After lunch, which would normally be siesta time, Mack headed up to Bob's
office, presumably to abuse his cell phone some more. Bob, Jake, Ricky and
Raul started putting up the decorations for the party, while Berto and I
went to the garden.

"The roses look happy, Senor Ben. You must have taken very good care of
them." Berto smiled at me, melting my heart. He could not have given me a
better compliment.

"I think they may be happy to see you, Berto." I countered. "I know I am."

Berto colored, slightly. "Thank you, Senor Ben. It is good to be home.

We worked together in silence for awhile, just the way we used to do. Berto
stopped what he was doing and turned to me. "Senor Ben?" I looked up at his
face from where I had been admiring his firm young ass. "Yes?"

"You said you met Raul in Mazatlan, si?"

"Yes, Berto. I was sitting on a bench on the beach, resting after having
danced and he happened by and we talked."

"I see. Why did you not tell me you had met him before?

"Well, Berto, I didn't know he was your friend and we didn't exchange
names, so I just never put all the pieces together. "

Berto nodded and continued with his work, but I could tell there was
something more he wanted to ask. I didn't pursue it. I didn't know just how
close he and Raul were and I didn't want to upset him. I made it a point to
speak to Raul alone as soon as I could.

The flight attendant was gathering up the cups and trash. The pilot
announced that we would be landing at O'Hare in approximately 15 minutes. I
put up my tray and sat back heavily in my seat. "Maybe," I thought. "Maybe
I should have just told Berto the truth about my meeting with Raul in
Mazatlan.  It sure couldn't have made matters worse, could it." As things
stood now, it would take a lot for Berto to trust me again. If he ever did.

Hmm, doesn't look good, huh?  Keep reading guys. Lot's more to come. Please
write to me at ben_sc@hotmail.com. If you haven't read any of my other
stories, check them out under the "Authors" link. Look for "Lyle Benton".