Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 17:36:43 -0800 (PST) From: Orrin Rush Subject: Lifeguard 58 Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go somewhere else. Copyright c 2001 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved. Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed electronically or in any other manner without the express, written consent of the author. This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not intended. They are all products of the author's imagination. -------------------------------------------------------------- THE LIFEGUARD Chapter 58 "We didn't make any money last night, but we got more publicity that we could ever buy," Mark said when we walked into MAURICE. "Have you seen the papers?" We hadn't but Mark had gotten copies for us. "Last night was 'Society', tonight it's the 'Big Shots and Celebrities'. We should get even more publicity tomorrow," Mark told us. The place was ready for that night's "Opening Night". Tables were set with sparkling crystal and gleaming flatware, and even though it was set up for a capacity crowd, the tables didn't seem in the least crowded together. I agreed with Sarah. The Jacobys hanging on the back wall added the finishing touch to a very elegant room. Maurice was nowhere in sight, so I assumed he'd be in the kitchen. Eric and I headed in that direction to say "hello". I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't what we found. The place was humming along like a well oiled machine with Maurice perched on a stool smoking a cigarette, grinning. He jumped down and gave us both hugs and kisses on each cheek. "What do you think?" he wanted to know. "The dining room's a work of art!" Eric told him, "and you sure seem to have the kitchen under control." "Don't believe everything you hear about bombastic Chefs," he said giggling. "It's so much easier to be organized and save my lungs! It also works better this way." "How'd it go last night?" I asked. "Like it was supposed to, not a hitch," he said. "We've been rehearsing for two weeks. I'm a 'Pro', remember," he laughed. "We just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing," I told him. "We'll see you tonight." "You are a table of seven, right?" I nodded. "No menus, and I will prepare your dessert at your table." "I can't wait!" Eric gushed. - - - - - It was a formal affair. Eric looked stunning in his tux, and I didn't look too bad either. Rick looked pretty damned good too. We were dressed and waiting for the ladies to finish when Eric announced "If you want a drink, better have it now. Maurice frowns on booze, but you can drink all the wine you like - at a couple hundred a bottle!" Sarah arrived, looking like a million bucks, about the amount the jewelry she was wearing was worth. Tina was definitely no slouch. In a simple cocktail dress and one of the diamond ensembles she'd gotten for Christmas. When we neared the restaurant, our stretch limo had to get in line. The line of limos, cabs and private cars stretched for blocks, but was moving right along. The doorman was friendly and efficient. There were photographers standing around, but didn't consider us newsworthy, so ignored us. Inside, we gave our name, and were ushered directly to our table and seated. The first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. It was by no means silent, but the noise was muted, soft, and lent an air of expectation. Eric leaned over to me. "All that money they spent on acoustics is really paying off," he said. Those of our group who hadn't been there before were looking around. "Spectacularly simple," Sandy said, "I know that sounds like a paradox, and it is, but the simplicity DOES create a spectacular effect." "I never expected anything like this," Tina said, "you guys did good!" We were seated at a round table with fresh flowers in the center, seven wine glasses in front of each of us, and a menu card on the plate in front of us. I didn't read it, preferring to be surprised, and put it in my pocket as a souvenir. The service was top-notch, not hovering or rushing, but timed so that there were no long pauses between courses. When it came time for dessert, a cart was rolled out and Maurice appeared. He went around the table greeting everyone he knew and was introduced to Bill and Sandy, then went to work. I left a tip that I estimated to be 25% of the tab. No wonder waiters could work for minimum wage and still make as much as most executives! On the way out, the photographers recognized Sarah, and asked for a group shot. Eric and I moved out of the way and let the other five line up. - - - - - On the ride home, the kids went off to sit by themselves leaving the rest of us to talk. "You know," Sandy said, "everything you guys do is larger than life, this plane, the penthouse, that restaurant, and you do it all so quietly." "We're just a couple'a country boys that like purdy thangs," Eric said with a hillbilly twang which got us all laughing. "Yeah right!" Sandy said. "The kind of taste you guys have is a lot more than that!" "Beg ta differ, maam," Eric continued, "comes with the territory for us queerfolk." "Oh, come off it," she laughed. "You guys have more taste and CLASS than anybody I've ever known." "Aww Maam, yer makin me blush!" "I've got a question," Bill said, thankfully changing the subject. "That's one hell of a big restaurant. Do you think you can fill it every night?" "It's already booked solid through the month of April," Eric told him. "Not one but two seatings every night. In two weeks, they'll start accepting reservations for May." "It wouldn't surprise us if they want to expand, real soon," I added. "It's not 'trendy' so I believe it'll have staying power and the concept will work anyplace. Maybe not on the scale of this one, though." "Looks to me like you've got a real winner," Bill said. - - - - - It was only two weeks before we left on our "Honeymoon" and a lot was happening. Annie made a triumphant return. The first thing I noticed was a ring on her left hand. "Aha! What's this?" I asked, holding her hand to take a good look at it. "Oh, just a 'friendship' ring," she said offhandedly. I looked at it closely. A small emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds and pearls. "It's been in Hans' family for over 400 years," she said, showing her excitement. "His family goes clear back to the Middle Ages, rather impressive, I'd say!" She went on to tell us about his family. According to her, they were all "delightful" and had welcomed her with open arms. She'd stayed with his parents, and had visited their castle in the village of Koenigsburg where their title had originated. There had been parties as well as getaways to quiet scenic parts of the country. All in all, it sounded like she'd had a wonderful time. "One more thing," she said when Tina wasn't present, "we'll be announcing our engagement in late June!" I grabbed her in a hug. "Is this what you REALLY want?" I asked her. "More than I've ever wanted anything," she answered. Eric broke the spell. "Does this mean we're going to have to call you 'Your Highness'?" he asked. "Only in public!" she shot back. "Hell NO! That's not the way I am. I'll always be just 'Annie', and Hans will be just plain Hans." - - - - - Several suitable sites for the Plastics plant had been found in Texas. This time, we were going to look them over ourselves before making any commitments, so Bill, Eric and I flew to Houston to check them out. The plant that we were building would handle our current requirements plus 10 or 15%, so growth was inevitable. I wanted to be damned sure that we'd have room. Neil met us and we toured the sites. We looked at a couple in Pasadena, but the larger ones were in Baytown, a quiet community that was reputed to be inhabited by hard-core rednecks. "That doesn't matter," I said. "We'd be coming here to mold plastic, not promote a lifestyle." Neil acted real butch in front of Bill, still not sure how "open" he could be until Bill spoke up. "I've known Dave all my life, and my own son is gay, so relax for chrissakes!" The plot that looked the best to me was a rectangular, flat, 160 acre parcel. The price was pretty steep by Texas standards, but a fraction of what the same thing would have cost in California. After seeing most everything available, everyone agreed on that one. We'd make an offer on it immediately, subject to zoning and local approval. - - - - - Spence invited himself over for dinner one night. The kid literally glowed, and it wasn't the freshly-fucked look either. He was happy. He also looked pretty damned good, which I commented on. "My trainer is a Nazi," he said, "makes me work my ass off and eat all this godawful stuff, but it seems to be working. I've put on 20 pounds, and most of it's going where I want it to." "You're looking pretty hot!" Eric commented. "With your money and your looks, you'll be beatin' the boys off." "Not interested," he said. "I've got the one I want." "And who might that be?" Eric teased. "Your gorgeous cousin Dirk, of course!" he said. "How was your weekend?" Eric asked. "Too damned short, but we did a lot of serious talking," Spence said. "We both had some confessions to make. I told him about my software, and what I've earned from it. At first, he was delighted, but when he thought about it, he wasn't so sure, wondering how my money would affect 'us' if we ever really did get together." "How do things stand?" Eric asked. "He's working through it." "Do you want me to talk to him?" Eric offered. "I went through the same thing with Dave, and we survived." "Not yet, but thanks for the offer. There's more... He told me about his relationship with his cousins." "How do you feel about that?" I asked. "You know about what's going on?" Spence asked, surprised. "They were very up-front about the whole thing with us," I told him. "It doesn't bother us. It's not like they're going to have children." "No," Spence grinned, "but the whole idea really bums me out. Must be my Mormon upbringing." "Look at it this way," Eric suggested. "They're just a horny bunch of guys with the same interests. They play it safe and nobody gets hurt. Sure, I know they care about each other, but what they're doing is more an outlet than anything else." "Incest is incest," Spence argued, "but I will agree with you that it's harmless in the respect that nobody's getting hurt. Dirk has to stop, though." "I'll bet he already has," Eric told him. "The important thing here is that you're being honest with each other. That definitely means something!" "Dammit, I love him, and I'm sure he loves me." "If that's the case, that's all the more reason why you two should work it out," Eric said. "What difference does it really make who he's been having sex with. Wouldn't you rather it was someone clean rather than a bunch of sluts he picked up?" "I'll work on it. We talk every night and we're making progress." "Work HARD at it - if you think he's worth it," I chipped in. - - - - - Neil arrived and got situated in the Metalco part of the building. In a lot of ways, he was very much like Hal, digging in and doing what needed to be done. He worked mostly with Bill and Jeff, both of whom were delighted to have him as part of the team. We hadn't found a manager for the plastics plant, and within days of his arrival, Neil assumed responsibility for coordinating that project too. He was definitely a workaholic. - - - - - Eric was spending a lot of time with the Foundation. The New Hampshire funds had been invested and were earning $80+ million on an annualized basis, and none was being spent, yet, so Eric and George were looking at other programs that they could get into. A lot of Grant requests had come in, some offering some good ideas that could be expanded upon, and these were being analyzed. I remembered a project that Dan had started many years ago, and told Eric about it as a possible project for Lifeguard. It had all started when Dan heard the story of a student at one of the local Colleges. This guy's family had learned that their son was gay and had disowned him. This also meant the end of financial support, consequently the end of college for him. The kid was a good student with the potential of a brilliant future, but now couldn't continue his education. Dan thought that was a real shame and decided to do something about it. He called all of his friends and asked for our help. We all kicked in a few bucks, and the kid was able to finish college and go on to graduate school. The kid is no longer a kid, but a very successful physician. "Was he the only one you helped?" Eric wanted to know after I told him the story. "There were others, I don't know how many because Dan handled the whole thing." "I wonder how many guys and girls are in that same situation?" "I'd be willing to bet there are hundreds, maybe thousands," I told him. "I wonder how we'd go about finding them," he pondered. "I've got a couple of suggestions," I said. "Talk to Dan, for sure. Then, a lot of Colleges now have Gay Organizations on Campus, they might be able help get the word out, and, you could advertise in Local and National Gay Newspapers." "I think it's a great idea, something we could do relatively fast, and I believe, fill a real need. There'd have to be a thorough screening process to make sure students really needed help and not just looking for a free ride. "Let me talk to George, see what we can come up with." - - - - - This time, when we had our monthly "meeting" with all of our top people, instead of seeing them separately, we got them all together at the same time. My idea was that this would give them all an idea of what other segments of the business were doing, and promote working together. It wasn't formal, no conference table, everyone gathering in the comfortable conversation area of my office. Since Metalco, Hydra, and Lundborg Rush were all "family" owned, they were all invited, even George Wilson from the Railroad joined us. It was quite a crowd. Bill got things started. "Since we don't have a 'Head' of Rush Properties, I'll report on that. By the way, Eric, could you help me on that when you get back?" Eric nodded. "Revenues are fairly flat," Bill continued, "but at a high level. Reserves are growing, and we now have enough set aside to cover seven months' service on our $16 billion debt if revenues were to stop entirely. It may be time to consider expansion, but I'll leave that up to Annie." "I've got some ideas," Annie said. "I want to do a little more research before I present them, though." From there, we went around the room, each Executive reporting on what was happening in his area of responsibility. Quite a few questions were asked, and many areas where cooperation would be beneficial were found. The only real "news" was about our entry into the Plastics business and it was discussed at length. Neil had most of the answers, and when he didn't, admitted it. In three hours, everything was covered. I was "up" last and told everyone that Eric and I would be gone most of the month of April and that I felt everything was in most capable hands. After the meeting broke up, George Wilson came over. "I knew we were part of a large organization," he said, "but I had no idea of the scope of it. This was most enlightening." - - - - - Departure day was approaching and I'd never seen Eric so excited. He packed and unpacked, made constant runs to pick up something he'd forgotten. We limited ourselves to two pieces of luggage apiece, putting a small one inside a larger, third empty one so we'd have a place for our "treasures". The Gulfstream was taking us to Rome, nonstop, and we would continue from there to Cairo on Alitalia. The flight to Rome would take around 10 hours, and we were both prepared. Eric picked up several movies that we hadn't seen and I brought along a couple of trashy books. We also intended to get some sleep. The plane carried the crew that Sam had determined appropriate for overseas flights - three pilots and a steward. Darren, our Steward, was another of Sam's "finds". A very pleasant young guy that was attentive to our needs, but made it clear that we could have privacy if we wanted it. Eric was so jittery with excitement that I didn't think we'd need any. He put in a movie but couldn't hold still long enough to watch it, and changed to music. Sitting next to me, he finally admitted how excited he really was. "Everyplace we've been, up until now, has been pretty 'western', this is the first time I've ever gone anyplace that's really 'foreign'," he said. "It's definitely different," I agreed. "The Moslems are a wonderful people, the Egyptians in particular. I describe them in one word - Gentle." "I've tried not to build expectations," he said, "so I wouldn't be disappointed." "This is one time that whatever your expectations are, they won't even come close to reality," I told him. "No books, movies or TV shows can prepare you. Everything is more than you could ever imagine." He grinned in anticipation. The atmosphere was informal, Darren talked with us, and Ron and Jason came back to talk too. The third pilot was a new one, and bashful, according to them, and we didn't see much of him. Altogether, I think we got 3 or 4 hours of sleep. As soon as our plane came to a stop, an Alitalia Van pulled up. Our luggage was transferred, and we were driven directly to their plane since regular boarding was ready to begin. Usually I got the window seat but this time I insisted that Eric take it. I wasn't sure how light it'd be when we got to Cairo, but I wanted Eric to have his first glimpse of the Pyramids from the air if possible. Eric squirmed for the next five hours. I was as excited as he was. This would be my first trip to Egypt WITH someone, and with that someone being the man I loved, it would be an immense thrill to me to show him all the wonders that I so dearly loved myself. As we circled to land, Eric jumped clear out of his seat. I joined him at the window and could see the Pyramids below in the dusky light. By now, he was on the verge of hyperventilating with excitement. "Oh My God," he kept repeating. In the terminal, I got us a cart so we could collect our luggage. While standing in line at immigration, I saw a guy behind the barrier waving a sign that said "RUSH". That had to be either our driver or guide. We got our passports stamped and sailed right through. Ali was our guide, and pushed our cart on out to the parking lot. "See, I told you," I grinned at Eric as we piled into a 20 year-old Mercedes. "This sure ain't no attention getter!" On the ride into downtown, Eric got his introduction to the way Egyptians drive. Insane is the only description. Eric wasn't missing a thing, pointing out things which Ali identified for us. As we got into downtown where traffic was moving a lot slower, Eric grabbed me. "Did you see that? Two guys were walking holding hands... There's another one!" We stopped at a light and two guys in military uniforms, automatic rifles slung over their shoulders, and their arms around each other, crossed the street in front of us. Ali turned around from the front seat and explained to Eric that Moslem men had no problem with showing their affection for their friends. Now, if Eric and I were to do the same thing, it would be frowned upon. Eric also saw his first galabayas. "Those DO look comfortable," he said. Our room at the Semiramis Intercontinental overlooked the Nile. It was on the 6th floor with a big balcony, high enough to see the surrounding city, but low enough so that the sounds from the Corniche below could be heard. I'd asked for this because I wanted to get the full flavor of the city. We laughed about having to do our own unpacking, Jacques had us spoiled to the point where we had forgotten how to take care of ourselves! Arm in arm, we stood at the balcony railing in the warm night air. Cairo had a definite "smell", one I'd never found unpleasant, and I was happy that Eric felt the same way. It was just "different". He was itchy to do something, so I suggested that we go down to the lobby and exchange some dollars for Egyptian Pounds. We wandered through the shopping arcade. In addition to Egyptian crafts there were a lot of Western shops, and everything had "tourist" prices. We'd do our shopping at the Bazaar. It was relatively early, but after going through eleven time zones, we were ready for some sleep. "First lesson," I told him, going to the little refrigerator. "Don't drink anything that isn't bottled. Here's a bottle of water to brush your teeth with." - - - - - Ali was waiting for us when we got out of the elevator. "What's on the agenda for today," Eric asked him. "The Pyramids," he said, with a wide grin. Eric looked at me, his eyes sparkling and a huge grin. As we drove to Giza, there were glimpses of the tops of the Pyramids. As we got closer their size began to sink in. Even though I'd seen them many times, I still got chills when I saw them. I could just imagine the awe that Eric was feeling. We parked in the lot between Chefren and Cheops. We got out and just stood and stared. "I never expected..." he said. "I told you that nothing could prepare you." We walked over to Chefren's Pyramid, Ali following. Up close, the size of the individual blocks of limestone began to sink in. Ali started his spiel. It was obviously memorized, delivered in a monotone, and even if the content was interesting, his presentation was awful. We listened for about ten minutes, then I interrupted him. "Ali," I said, "can you just tell us the facts and leave all the other stuff out?" "I'll try," he said rather unconvincingly. This guy had to go, I thought to myself. I didn't want Eric's introduction to something so exciting to be presented in such a dull, pedantic way. He continued his dissertation, catching himself when he wandered back to his canned monologue. That, if anything, was worse than before. This was getting to become a distraction, so I pulled Eric along with me and told Ali we'd be back. "That guy's pretty bad," Eric giggled. "Don't worry, we'll have a better one by tomorrow," I assured him. We wandered around, talking about what we were seeing, marveling at the immensity of it all. We climbed up a few levels on the face of Chefren's, the second largest, and looked over at Cheops', the largest. Mostly, we were silent, just taking the whole thing in. "Have you ever climbed one of these?" he asked. "That one," I said, pointing at Cheops'. "It's illegal, now, but if you want to, we can." "Oh God, yes!" "I'll make the arrangements tonight when we see Nasr," I said. "See that corner over there," I pointed. "That's about the only place where it's safe to go up. See all the stone that's sluffed off everyplace else? They've cleaned up that corner so you won't slip off." We wandered back to where Ali was waiting. He told us that it was time for our tour inside Cheops' Pyramid, and that he wouldn't be going with us, thankfully. We lined up at the little entrance. Only a few people at a time were allowed in, and you had to have tickets which Ali produced. The ramp went downward. There were cleats on the wood flooring and handrails so that while walking almost bent double, it wasn't that difficult. Then, the ramp angled upward, ending at a horizontal passage. There was a side passage to the King's Chamber that we explored. Actually it wasn't much. Back, the main passage led to the Grand Staircase. This was truly spectacular, the corbeled passage rising 30 or 40 feet above our heads with dramatic lighting. We took our time ascending, taking everything in. We stopped to take pictures of each other, and another tourist took a picture of us together. At the top was the Queen's Chamber. The entrance was only about three feet high and we had to crawl through. It was a large room made of enormous pink granite blocks fitted so perfectly that you couldn't get a razor blade between them. We looked around. A lidless sarcophagus, carved out of one piece of rock, was at one end, the only thing in an otherwise bare, unadorned room. I went over to the wall, squatted down, and just sat there absorbing the "aura" of this ancient place, Eric right beside me. Soon, his arm crept around my waist and I moved closer to him. We totally ignored the stares that we got. Reluctantly, we got up and retraced our steps back to the sunlight. Ali met us, and we drove over to the building housing the "Solar Boat." He joined us for the tour, babbling incessantly, and I finally asked him politely to stop talking. From there, we wandered down to the Valley Temple, then over to the Sphinx. Eric's first remark on seeing the Sphinx was "Somehow, I thought it'd be bigger!" "Those were my exact same thoughts the first time I saw it," I told him, laughing. Ali was trying to hurry us back to the car, another "no-no" as far as I was concerned. When we were good and ready, we obeyed. "We'll come back by ourselves," I whispered to Eric. On the way back to the hotel, Ali tried to drag us into a "Papyrus Institute", and when we declined, tried again at a "Perfume Bottle" place. I knew that he'd get a percentage of whatever we spent, but I wanted to take Eric to the really good ones. At the hotel, I took Ali aside and explained that we wouldn't be needing his services any further, and gave him a very generous tip. We did, however, want to keep the car and driver for that evening, and those arrangements were made. The first thing I did when we got to our room was call Nasr. I told him about the crappy guide we'd gotten, and he had an immediate solution. He'd give us the details that evening when we came to his house for dinner. We sat on the balcony sipping from our water bottles. "Tell me about Nasr," Eric requested. "I met him quite a few years ago," I told him. "He's a very successful businessman, but I don't know exactly what he does, and he's very 'well connected' in Government circles. Whenever you want anything 'done' you call Nasr." "Is he gay?" "Some Moslem men live by the philosophy that women are for childbearing and men are for love and pleasure. That's Nasr. He's married but I've never seen his wife. Remember, in the Moslem world, the donkey ranks higher than females do. "I don't know if he has a lover, but he knows I'm gay. I do know that he's a wonderful friend, and I'm sure you'll enjoy him as much as I do. And, no, I've never slept with him." - - - - - I gave our driver Nasr's address. I was prepared for what we'd find there but Eric wasn't. The big wooden door was set into a dirty plastered wall. The street itself was strewn with trash. I banged the door with the big ring hanging on it and waited. A moment later it opened and I ushered Eric inside. We found a cool garden, fountains bubbling with orange and lemon trees around them. We followed the servant who'd opened the door on into the house. The interior was like a scene from the Arabian Nights. Nasr was standing there, a huge smile on his face. "Welcome to my humble abode," he said in perfect English, then stepped forward to take me in his arms for a hug and kiss on each cheek. "This is Eric," I said proudly. Nasr offered his hand and when he collected Eric's in his huge paw, added a second hand. "Shame on you, David," he said seriously, "your description of this man was criminally understated. Now, I've seen perfection!" I smiled and Eric reddened. "Come," he said, leading us further into the house. We ended in what I knew to be Nasr's favorite room. It was dimly lit with candles and furnished with low couches, hassocks and pillows. Art was everywhere. In the center was a large, low round brass table. He motioned for us to sit, Eric looked at me for direction, I smiled and lowered myself into a semi-reclining position. Eric followed, but stayed real close to me. A servant entered with a tray of drinks. "The only place in Cairo where you can find good Scotch," Nasr chuckled. We raised our glasses to our host then sipped. "This is one of the most beautiful rooms I've ever seen," Eric spoke up. "It's my favorite in the whole house," Nasr said. "It's a wonderful place for conversation, sharing food, and I like to make love here too, something you two should try while you're here." "Now, tell me about your guide," he continued. I told him about Ali, his canned speech, and how bad he'd been. "Some are like that," Nasr agreed. "That will be changed tomorrow. I've got the best guide in Cairo for you. He's interesting and knows his stuff. He'll stay with you for the rest of your trip." About this time, a young man walked in. "Ah, Adel, do you remember my good friend David?" Nasr asked, rising. "Barely," Adel said, "I think it was a long time ago." We also rose to shake hands. "This is Eric, David's lover," Nasr continued with the introduction. "And partner," I added. Adel was one of the most striking young men I'd ever seen in my life. Tall, slender but with broad shoulders, and a face that would immediately make him a top model or movie star if he tried. His almond shaped eyes were so expressive, and his smile was contagious. The only way to describe him was "beautiful" but definitely masculine. Nasr, noticing me looking his son over, commented "Isn't he gorgeous? I'm so proud of him. His boyfriend is almost as goodlooking, and from what Adel tells me, has the biggest dick in the Middle East!" he chuckled. Adel didn't seem to mind his father's frankness, and continued to give us that gorgeous smile. "Adel," Nasr said, "why don't you take Eric on a tour of the house. David's seen it before." Eric and Adel rose and took off. "You are a lucky man, David," Nasr said. "I can see the love in both of your eyes. He is good for you." "I'm happier than I've ever been in my life," I told him. "I can see that." I went on to ask about my two favors - the Pyramid climb and access to the Ark chamber in Luxor on the 12th." "Gamal, your new guide, can arrange for you to climb the Pyramid," he said, "just ask him. For the other, I will make some calls and let Gamal know who to pay. It will be expensive, a lot of people will require 'baksheesh', but I don't think that'll be a problem for you," his eyes twinkled. "Gamal will handle that for you too." Adel and Eric returned, chatting and laughing like they'd been friends since childhood. We had another drink and talked while servants began filling the brass table with food. The table was soon covered with delicacies, barely leaving room for our plates. Thank God Eric wasn't squeamish. Some of the dishes looked REALLY exotic. Sitting on hassocks, we took our time eating. In fact, we spent several hours at it, then reclined on the couches and pillows to continue our conversation. It was the wee hours before we said goodnight. - - - - - The late hour hadn't phased Eric. He came out of the bathroom sporting one of the stiffest hardons I'd ever seen on him, sticking almost straight up and begging for attention. "It's been three days," he pleaded. He got no argument from me! I pulled him over to the bed and took that beautiful throbbing thing in my mouth, my own dick rising to the occasion. God he was hard! What I really wanted was to have him inside me, and made that clear by letting go of his dick and rolling back on the bed. With a gleam in his eye, he grabbed the lube and climbed on top of me. His kisses were frenzied and I reacted accordingly, wrapping my legs around him and humping upward. He rolled off, and had me loosened in no time. His dick followed, and I could definitely feel his steely hardness. He bottomed out, pulled back, and on his first stroke, came violently. "Sorry about that," he grinned when he regained control. "I couldn't help it. Ready for some more?" I nodded, feeling him inside me as hard as ever. He started the long strokes that drove me nuts, my feet locked around him, pulling him into me on every inward stroke. The tempo picked up a little and he changed position so that his dick was raking my prostate on every stroke. I reached the edge but he wouldn't tip me over, holding me suspended to the point where I wanted to scream. He reached between us and took my dick in his hand then leaned forward to lock our lips together, then tensed up and pushed us both over. It was so intense that I totally blacked out. We stayed locked together until he softened completely and fell out. He must've dropped a couple of huge loads because I could feel his cum running down my leg. - - - - - Gamal walked up to us as we got out of the elevator, saying he recognized us from Nasr's description. His car was a newer Mercedes in better condition than the last one, and his driver was friendly but didn't speak any English. Gamal suggested that we visit Saqqara that first day, then discuss the rest of our sightseeing that evening. Fine with us. We started at the Mere-Ruka Mastaba, then on to the little Pyramid of Teti. The Serapeum, with its massive sarcophagi for mummified bulls was exciting to both of us, and we spent several hours touring Zoser's Step Pyramid and the area surrounding it. Throughout the day, Gamal's commentary was knowledgable but informal, telling us what we needed to know so we would understand what we were seeing, but without any long lectures. He didn't rush us, and whenever we asked, left us alone to contemplate and soak up the ancient splendors. He was exactly what I'd wanted in the first place. On the way back to the hotel, I requested that we stop at one of the "good" galabaya shops so Eric and I could get outfitted. That evening we agreed on what we'd see for the rest of our stay in Cairo. The Pyramid climb was set too. The minute Gamal was out the door, Eric was undressing to try on his galabaya. He looked sensational, but hell, he looked great in anything he wore. "This feels so good," he said, "lots of ventilation, but it's a cinch I'm gonna wear underwear. These things are semi-transparent!" "Come here," I asked. When he stood in front of me, I started playing with his dick through the fabric. He responded quickly. "THAT could be another problem," I laughed as I looked at the huge protrusion in front of him. "And, I promise to play with you every time you're wearing it." "Asshole," he grinned, "I know you would, too." "Damned right I will." "I forgot to tell you last night..." he said, "Adel invited us to join him and his boyfriend to go to some 'interesting' night clubs with them. Wanna go?" "Sure, might learn something," I said. - - - - - We spent the whole next day at the Egyptian Museum. Gamal was a perfect guide, pointing out the important things and giving us a brief background. The Tut exhibit was the most fascinating. We spent more than an hour in the "Gold Room" where the gold face mask and mummy cases were displayed. In my opinion, it was a crying shame that they were so poorly exhibited. The following day we started with a tour of the City, and ended up at the Khan al Khalili Bazaar, one of my favorite spots. Gamal left us alone to wander and shop. Eric saw something he wanted and paid the asking price. For that, he got a lecture. "You never pay what they ask," I told him. "They expect you to haggle, and usually settle for around 30 to 40% of what they first ask. Don't worry, they won't sell at a loss. Watch me." I spied a T-Shirt shop. Those were always great gifts to take home, so I went over and took a look. They were good quality, interesting designs, so I asked how much. "30 pounds," I was told. "I'll give you 5," I told him. He acted insulted, so I walked away, Eric following. A minute later, the guy had me by the arm. "Fifteen pounds," he said, "my best price!" "Five," I said and continued walking, dragging him along. "Ten pounds," He countered. "How many do you want?" I shook my head. "Five pounds," I said again, not budging and still walking. "Eight," he shouted. We were getting closer. "Seven," I said. He moaned and rolled his eyes skyward, but led us back to his shop. I picked out the ones I wanted and paid for them. "Unbelievable," Eric said, shaking his head. "What's your secret?" "Decide what you want to pay then stick to it. Don't move up until they're almost there or walk away. There's lots of shops selling the same stuff, so if they walk away, you'll know you're too low and can move up a bit at the next one." We found a goldsmith and ordered gold cartouche pendants for everybody back home, after haggling, of course. They'd be ready in an hour or so. Eric caught on to the haggling real fast. I believe he bought a lot of stuff just to try out his new-found talent. We stopped for mint tea and a puff or two on one of the huge hookahs that were offered. I'd seen a couple of Ushabtis that I wanted for my collection, so we went back to get them and collect our cartouches and buy gold chains for them. Promising each other that we'd come back, we found Gamal and headed back to the hotel, toting all of our "treasures." Eric had been in touch with Adel, and they were coming to pick us up after dinner. Neither of us had any idea of what to expect, but we were game to try most anything. Adel and Khalid met us in the hotel lobby. They were both wearing galabayas, and insisted that we go back and change into them too. "Easier," Adel enigmatically explained. The four of us piled into a taxi, an ancient Toyota, with Eric, Adel and me in the back seat, Khalid riding shotgun. Nasr had been right. Khalid WAS gorgeous. He wasn't as slender as Adel, but you couldn't tell much in the galabaya he was wearing, but he was incredibly handsome. When we got to wherever we were going, Adel took over, talking to the doorman in rapid-fire Arabic. With a lot of bowing, we were led to a large, dim room. There was a small stage on one side, and on the other side were deep alcoves, the center of the room was piled with pillows interspersed with small brass tables. It wasn't crowded, but many of the pillows were occupied by lounging Arab men. We went to an alcove directly opposite the stage. "Make yourselves comfortable," Adel suggested, and started arranging pillows. It took Eric and me several tries before we got comfortable, stretched out in our favorite position, spooned together with his crotch against my butt. "Good thing I wore jockeys," he whispered, humping me gently. "You can't hide an elephant under a handkerchief," I giggled back. The first surprise was our waiter, a young guy, about 16 or 17, I'd guess, totally nude. "Nice, huh," Adel said, as he reached up and fondled the cock in front of him that was more than six inches long totally soft. "I'd recommend tea or Coca Cola," he continued, still stroking the guy, "the booze here is pretty bad." When he returned with our Cokes, he also put small pipes in front of each of us. I picked one up and looked at Adel questioningly. "Excellent hash," he explained, handing me a lighter. "Makes you super horny." Our waiter reappeared, this time with an armload of towels which he put on the carpet in front of us. Before I could ask, Adel explained. "Cum towels," he said matter of factly. "You'll need them." "What're the rules here, or are there any?" Eric asked. "No fucking," Khalid said, "that's for the stage only. Anything else is OK." Eric and I discussed whether or not we should try the hash, and decided to give it a try. I took one of the pipes and got the little lump fired up. I took a puff then handed it to Eric. We each had a couple of puffs then put it away. Adel and Khalid were watching us with big grins. It didn't take long before I felt a warmth spreading all through my body. Eric was feeling something too because I felt him "growing" behind me. "If you guys still have your shorts on, get 'em off or you'll be in pain," Adel said, patting my crotch. We didn't waste any time remedying that situation! Before he resumed his position behind me, Eric pulled the back of my galabaya up, and the front of his down so we were skin to skin. I leaned back and we had a long, passionate kiss. When he settled down, his hand was over my hip holding my dick. The music started, the lights in the room got even dimmer, and lights on the stage came up. I love Eastern music. This was Belly Dancing music, but the dancer who shimmied on stage sure didn't have a belly! He was a tall, muscular guy, wearing a belly dancer costume minus the tittie covers. His undulations were sensuous, and the g-string under his jangling belt seemed ready to burst. Eric squeezed my dick and I humped back into him. The guy on stage turned his back to the audience. When he turned back, the g-string was gone and his semi-hard dick hung halfway to his knee. His hips continued to sway and his dick started to rise. It pointed down, then out, then straight out then up to a 45 degree angle from his stomach. Precum dripped which he collected and sucked off his finger. He continued this until the music ended and the lights went out. I glanced over at our companions for the first time since the show started. They had moved, now lying side by side, their galabayas pulled up to their chests, and were stroking each other right there in plain sight. Adel turned around. "What do you think, so far?" he asked, still stroking. "Hot!" Eric said, "but I don't know which is hotter... the stage or right here." "You like?" he chuckled, wagging Khalid's dick at us. "Very nice," I said. Khalid was pretty big all right, about 8+ inches, but really thick. Adel looked longer but nowhere near as thick. The show started up again. A couple of dancers in elaborate costumes were doing a simulated battle with long sticks. I wondered how they were going to manage getting out of all those clothes. They battled for a while, then "magically" as one of the sticks passed, a piece of clothing ended up on it. This continued until they were both nude, two of the biggest cocks I'd ever seen sticking straight out. They dropped the sticks and continued the "sword" fight with their dicks. If the dicks hadn't been so spectacular, it would have been comical. As the music ended, they stood with each other's dick in hand and bowed. Eric pushed me on my back and dove on my cock. He pulled out every trick he knew, and I had no control over the situation at all. In minutes, I was tensing and feeding him my load. I rolled over, yanked up his galabaya, got into position and took him to the bottom. Not too many strokes later, I started humming. That did it for him, blasting my tonsils with tasty cream. "That was awesome!" Khalid commented from behind me. "I didn't think anybody could take a dick that big! How do you do it?" "Practice," I grinned. "I wonder what it'd feel like," Khalid said, NOT saying that he'd love for me to show him how it felt. I looked at Eric who was grinning hugely. He nodded. "Wanna find out?" I asked Khalid, crawling in his direction. "Oh my God," he said, stretching out and spreading his legs. I crawled between them and pulled his dick up from his stomach. I licked my lips and took him in all at once. He groaned loudly. I gave him a couple of strokes then a few seconds of humming and pulled off. He lay there dazed. "Want a try, Adel?" I asked. "Oh Yes!" he answered. I gave him the same treatment then moved back to Eric. Noticing he was still hard, I went after him again. I sucked him lovingly for a few minutes, then turned up the pressure... One hand rubbing a tit and the other one up his butt. This time it was an extra long double. He twitched and spasmed, giving me load after load, stopped for a second then did it all over again. He was slow recovering, and was in my arms when he came to. I glanced over and the two boys were 69ing. Neither one could get much more than half in their mouths, but it seemed to be working fine. We had a couple more hits on the hash, and I felt the warmth again. "Damn, I wish we could fuck," I said. "Me too," he said, playing with my still-hard dick. There were three more "performances". Each one got a little raunchier, but nobody on stage had reached orgasm. We all did, though, getting off at each break. That was a LOT for both of us, but we were perpetually hard and ready to go. All of the performances had consisted of imaginative methods of removing clothing then adoration of the male member. It had been hot, arousing, and we'd seen some of the biggest dicks in captivity. None, however, that I'd be interested in doing anything with except looking at. The music started again and all the performers came on stage. They were in various stages of arousal, some already wearing condoms. "Anybody can go on stage and do anything they want," Adel explained. "I think we'll pass," I told him, "but it may be interesting to watch." The first "volunteer" got on his hands and knees in front of one of the rubber-clad studs. The stud pushed the guy's galabaya up to his shoulders and started pushing his humungous cock in. We had a side view, and that cock, without exaggeration, had to be a foot long. When he got it all the way in, it only took a dozen long strokes before the guy below was shooting all over the floor. Others were getting fucked, and some were sucking on the monsters in front of them. It was exciting, but I either wanted my dick up Eric or his up me! The boys agreed. They were ready to go. Eric and I put our jockeys back on, and manhandled our dicks into position so they wouldn't stick straight out. I noticed Eric pick up the unfinished pipes then try to find a place to put them. Galabayas don't have pockets. At the hotel, we asked the boys in, but they said no. They had some other "pressing" matters that needed attention. The minute the door was closed, we both pulled down our jockeys. It had been painful. One look at each other and we both got the giggles. We looked like we were riding broomsticks. "Let's have a couple more hits of that stuff," Eric suggested, "then I want you to fuck me until I can't walk." "I'm ready, as you can see," I told him. I don't know what that hash did to me, but I was unsatiable. Eric had two huge orgasms while I was inside him, then returned the favor. We made such a mess that we had to sleep in the other bed. - - - - - to be continued. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate hearing your comments on the story, my writing, and anything you would like to offer - good or not so good. Send me a message at orrinrush@yahoo.com Plot suggestions particularly appreciated