Some Guys

by Greg Bowden

jg.ps@gte.net

Chapter Four

In which a closet gets smaller and momentous decisions are revealed.

Mike was tired by the time he got to Some Guys, even tough he'd only driven from Pasadena, a matter of two hours. He guessed he was more tired from the emotional scene of the night before than from the drive. Somehow though, just being here, not even inside yet, made him feel better than he had in the past week or so. He'd done a lot of thinking, both last night and on the drive down and had decided, for all the pain it might bring, he really was through with Bond. At thirty-one he had to get on with his life and his life up to now was not the one he wanted.

He rang the bell and Ed let him in. "Hi young man," he said. "You are..."

Mike shook his hand taking in the fact that he was naked. "Mike," he said, "Mike Davis. I called..."

Ed shuffled some papers. "Oh yeah, here you are." He put a paper on the counter. "You just fill that stuff in. Don't forget the car license. How're you paying?"

Mike dug out his Visa card and handed it to Ed. "I said four nights, didn't I?"

"That's right. Four nights." He pointed. "That all your stuff?"

Mike nodded and smiled. "That's it. I travel light these days."

"'Round here you don't need much of anything anyway. We advertise `Clothing Optional' but like I told you on the phone, we really mean `Naked.' Especially in the pool and hot tub." He looked through the window. "Here's Harry. He'll take you to your room and give you a little tour of the place."

Harry was naked too and Mike could hardly take his eyes off the man. He shook hands, said his name and pointed to his luggage, all the while looking Harry up and down. He'd never seen anyone with that much body hair or a dick that big. Harry just smiled; he knew the effect he had on most men and he enjoyed it.

In Mike's room Harry showed him how to run the air conditioning and how the little coffee maker worked and pointed out the wine chilling in it's bucket on the dresser. "I got a little time now, if you want a tour of the place."

Mike, still having trouble keeping his eyes off Harry, nodded and said, "Sure. Uh... Should I..."

Harry finished for him. "Take your clothes off? That'd probably be best. You're going to be naked around here most of the time anyway. Might as well get started right." He grinned. "You want me to wait for you outside?"

Mike blushed at the implication. "No. No, it'll just take me a second." He toed his shoes off and sat on the bed to pull his socks off. He suddenly realized that he hadn't undressed in front of a man— well, except for Bond—in over five years. He unzipped his pants and slipped them off, wondering if he was going to get hard. He took off his polo shirt, folded it and put it on the closet shelf. That left nothing but his boxers. He flexed his cock a little, trying to judge it's state.

Harry had to turn so Mike wouldn't see the smile on his face. He'd seen this many times before but it never failed to amuse him. The guy was a little embarrassed about getting undressed in front of him and, based on the way he'd looked at Harry, was probably afraid he was going to get hard. Harry waited a moment and then, with his back still turned, said, "You ready?"

Mike took a deep breath, shoved his boxers down, stepped out of them and said, "Yeah. Sure." He was pretty puffed up but still presentable. Maybe people would think he was always like that, like Harry.

Harry took him on the usual tour, showing him the picnic area, the TV room, the hot tub and, finally, the sundeck. There were four guys on the sundeck, two fucking, one sucking and one watching. Mike's eyes got big but he took it in stride. When they came down the steps Mike said, "That's okay up there? The..." He trailed off.

"The sex? Yeah, it's pretty much okay anywhere and you'll probably see it everywhere. In the TV room at night when it's cool, in the hot tub, wherever. You okay with that?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I'll even get into some of it, who knows?" He looked at Harry, wondering if he might get into it with him. "But for now, I need a swim and a nap."

Early that afternoon the phone rang in the office. A deep voice asked if Mike Davis was registered. "Sorry there buddy," Ed said. "We never give out that kind of information."

"Shit, I know he's there. Listen, you give him a message."

"Well, if someone by that name comes in I'd be happy to give him a message." The message was to call Bond.

An hour or so later the guy called back. Ed said he hadn't seen the person but still had the message. A little later Harry came in and Ed asked about Mike.

"Oh sure. I just saw him out by the pool. Nice looking guy, nice smile."

Ed handed him the message and asked him to deliver it. Right after Harry left there was a knock on the door and when he opened it he broke into a wide grin of pleasure. "Well if it isn't the kid," he said, giving the man a hug. "Your dads are due in a couple of days but they didn't say anything about you being here."

Sam smiled. "Well, they don't exactly know about it. I didn't know myself until a day or so ago. I guess it'll be a surprise for them. Is Harry..."

At that point Harry came into the office. "I gave him the message. He said the guy can shove it up his ass and don't tell him he's..." He saw the third man in the office. "Sam? Sam, is that really you?"

"Yeah, it... it is," Sam stammered. "I... Well, I just got in and I thought..."

Ed looked up from the desk. "How long you going to stay, son? I got a room for your dads of course but..."

Harry broke in. "It's okay, Ed." A long look passed between Harry and Sam. "I think he'll be bunking in with me. If that's okay." He was talking to Ed but he hadn't taken his eyes off Sam.

Ed, suddenly getting the picture, said, "That's fine. And Harry, why don't you let me do the wine and cheese tonight. You and Sam must have a lot of catching up to do."

Harry nodded, picked up Sam's suitcase and went to the door. "Thanks Ed." He still hadn't taken his eyes off of Sam.

The phone rang and it was for Mike again. Ed told the man that his party was not there and not to call again.

In his room Harry put Sam's suitcase down and gathered him into his arms. "Are you all right?"

"I am now. Harry I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was coming but things... well things got a little complicated." He kissed Harry, for a long time. When they broke to catch their breath he added, "It's okay now. Everything just sort of happened at once."

"I missed you Sam and I don't care about `everything.' I care about you." He paused to kiss Sam again. "And me." He felt Sam's crotch and smiled. "Well, at least I can still do that to you."

Sam took his hand and put it back on his crotch. "More than you know. Look, Harry, I went back because I had a lot of thinking to do."

"Fucking, too. Eh? Can I do this?" He started to unbutton Sam's shirt.

"Can you undress me and listen at the same time?"

"I don't know." He put his lips over one of Sam's nipples and grazed it with his teeth.

Sam gently lifted his head away from his chest. "I can't talk when you do that."

Harry put Sam's hand on his erection. "Then don't"

Sam gave himself up to it and began combing his fingers through Harry's silky pubic hair. He had to raise his hands when Harry pulled his shirt off and then, while Harry worked on his belt and zipper he took Harry's dick in both his hands. It felt very warm to him and very alive.

Harry squatted and slid Sam's pants off. Sam carefully stepped out of them and Harry looked up at him with a grin. "What's with the no underwear?"

Sam grinned back. "If you do it, I can do it. Besides, it feels good."

Harry stood up and folded Sam into his arms pressing their hard dicks together. "You want to kiss or you want to talk?"

"Kiss."

They fell into Harry's bed and laid dick-to-dick, their heads pulled back so they could look into each other's eyes. After a time of silent communication they leaned in and their lips touched in a long, gentle kiss. When the kiss became less gentle and the need became almost unbearable Harry murmured into Sam's mouth, "You or me?"

"You. Please?"

Harry reached behind him and felt around in the drawer in the bedside cabinet. He came up with a condom and some lube which he handed to Sam. Then he turned Sam on his back, took hold of his dick and went down on it, taking it all into his throat. Sam groaned and put his hand on the back of Harry's head, holding him still but Harry had no intention of moving on Sam's dick. He was just coating it with his saliva. He pulled back and tore the condom package open with his teeth. Then he gently pulled Sam's foreskin back and unrolled the condom on him.

Harry moved to the middle of the bed and slipped a pillow under his hips. Sam got between his legs, spread the lube generously over the condom and Harry's sphincter. When he pressed the head of his dick against him Harry opened like a flower and welcomed him in. When Sam was in as far as he could go Harry wrapped his legs around Sam's hips and held him tight against him.

Harry looked in Sam's eyes and saw in them a combination of lust and love, passion and need. He wondered if his eyes showed the same thing and then decided they must, the way Sam was kissing him.

They lay still for a time, each savoring the feel of his body melded with the other. Then Sam began to move, slowly at first but building up to long, fast strokes. Harry loved the feel of Sam's smooth skin rubbing along his dick and thought that alone might make him come. Sam slowed several times, letting them back off from the edge of pleasure they were both feeling but he never completely stopped. They kissed, breathing each other's air until they were dizzy and then took a fresh breath and started again.

When they couldn't do it anymore Sam shifted to short, fast strokes which drove both of them to the edge very fast. When they tipped over that edge the fall took a long time.

They lay together for a time, still connected. "You want to talk now?" Harry asked, ruffling Sam's hair.

"Yeah." Sam kissed him. He was quiet for a long time.

"You want me to guess?"

"No. I... Well, when I left here I was a very confused straight man. I mean, after sleeping... No, I mean after having sex with you for four nights, great sex I might add, I didn't know who or what I was." He chuckled. "I even told my dads I was going to go home and fuck my brains out."

Harry tightened his legs, pulling Sam deeper into him. "Yeah, you said something like that to me, too. Just before you left." He kissed him. "Did you?"

Sam sighed. "Yeah, I guess I did. For almost a week I had sex with any woman who would have me." He put his hand over Harry's mouth and smiled. "Hey, there are women like that. They like me, even say I'm good in bed."

Harry licked the hand over his mouth. "Speaking only for myself, they don't know the half of it."

"But things were different. When you touched my balls or my nipples it drove me up the wall. When they did—nothing, not even a tingle. I liked the sex with them, getting my rocks off but it... it just wasn't the same."

"Different strokes for different..."

"No, it wasn't like that. It was... Well, after five or six days of this I woke up alone one morning, really horny. So I started to jerk off. I was picturing sex with some woman when suddenly you were there, kissing me. I came like I've never come before, jerking off. And when it was over you were grinning at me." Sam began moving in him again, slow, lazy strokes.

"So... what did that tell you?"

"I thought about it all day and couldn't figure it out. Then, in the middle of the afternoon I did it again only this time I started with you. I pictured the things we'd done and tried to feel the things I'd felt then. The more I thought abut you the better the jerk off session got." His strokes grew longer and a little faster.

"And what did you learn from jerking off?"

"That I'm somehow connected to you in... well, in a way I guess I'm not connected to women. Emotionally. Physically." He lengthened his strokes until they were both breathing hard. He didn't pause at the edge, he just took them over.

"I love you Harry. That's the connection."

When he could breath normally again Harry looked deep into Sam's eyes. "It turns out it's a two way connection Sam." He laughed. "I guess we're kind of alike."

Sam raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, you may be straight and I may be gay but we seem to work things out the same way."

Sam got the point and smiled. "And you didn't even need an address book."

"No, that I didn't need. And I guess it was kind of fun. But like you and your women, there was no connection. I got my rocks off a lot and it felt good and all but the satisfaction wasn't there. Not like it was with you. It took a couple of weeks but I finally figured it out." He very gently kissed him. "I love you Sam. I fell in love with you that first night but it took a while for it to sink in. I guess I'm not so swift after all."

They showered, swam and even helped Ed with the wine and cheese. After dinner they swam, showered again and spent a long night short on sleep.

The next morning, just before eleven, they were in Ed's studio, helping him pack. I'm going to miss this place," Ed said, "but I'm looking forward to being able to paint all I want, when I want and how I want." He looked at Sam who was packing books in boxes. "Your dads will do okay here I think. Between them, they've got the temperament for it." The bell at the front desk rang. "I guess you're going to be helping them out son so you might as well start learning. Harry, go show him what to do."

They found an extremely good looking man standing at the desk. He did a true double take when he saw Sam and Harry.

"Uh... How come you guys are naked?"

Harry smiled, watching the man look them up and down. "You must not have a reservation. If you did Ed would've made sure you knew the place was mostly naked. We can call around and find you a place at one of the clothed resorts if you like." He reached out to the phone.

"No! No, I want to stay here. I just... Well, it'll be nice, no clothes. In the pool I guess."

It was Harry's turn to look him up and down. The guy was well dressed. Expensive shoes and slacks that were probably custom tailored. "Mostly everywhere," he said. "We encourage our guests to be naked pretty much all the time." He paused, letting the guy finish looking Sam over. "Like us."

"O... Okay. Yea, okay. You got a room?"

Sam went around the desk but realized he didn't have any idea how to tell if they had a room or not. Harry rescued him, pulling a ledger sheet out of a drawer. He ran his finger down a column and nodded. "Sure." He pointed so Sam would see what he was looking at. "Number fourteen, across from the sundeck."

"Thanks," the man said, handing Harry his Visa card. "Just for tonight."

Harry handed back the card. "Sorry. It's Friday and we have a two night minimum on weekends. Actually, most places do."

"Okay, okay. Two nights. Whatever. Just give me the damn room."

After the paperwork was done Harry offered to get the man's luggage out of his car but the man declined. "I'll get it later. For now I want a shower and a swim. Just point me to the room and the pool."

After he'd left Harry observed, "Our Mr. Johnson seems to have something of a problem."

"That's his name, Johnson?"

"Yeah, Robert Johnson. Now, you want to pack more books, learn about desk clerking or go for a swim?"

Sam opted for the swim.

When they got to the pool Harry put his hand on Sam's shoulder and stopped him. "Uh oh. Looks like trouble."

Sam saw what he meant. Robert Johnson, fully clothed, was standing in front of a lounge containing a guy who had checked in the day before. Robert Johnson was standing very rigidly and had his fists clenched.

Never taking his eyes off the two Harry said, "That's Mike Davis on the lounge. He got a couple of phone messages yesterday from some guy named Bond. I'll bet our Mr. Johnson is also called Bond. Come on."

As they approached Mike got up from the lounge to stand almost nose to nose with Robert Johnson. "No, I will not go with you. Where would we go, your place? I don't think so. I'm finished, Bond. I can't live like this anymore."

"What's wrong with the way you live," Robert Johnson yelled. "You got everything you could want, including me."

Mike laughed. "No Bond, you're the one thing I don't have. The one thing I want."

"Come on, Mikey, let's go."

Mike raised his hand and they thought he was going to hit the other man. Instead he spit out, "No!" and pushed him into the pool. Under his breath he said, "That'll cool you down."

Harry, at six-foot-five was a very imposing figure, naked or not. "Trouble?" he asked in a calm voice.

Mike looked up at him. "No. He'll be okay. Just a little ex-domestic spat."

Robert Johnson pulled himself out of the pool, looking like a stunned and very wet puppy. He ignored Harry and Sam, seeing only Mike. He stood in front of him and hung his head. "Please Mikey. Please?"

Mike shrugged and looked at Harry. "Is it okay if he stays in my room? He'll be quiet, I promise." He looked at the man he called Bond. "Okay?"

Bond nodded and Sam thought he saw a tear in his eye although it might have been pool water.

"He has his own room," Harry said. "Shall I cancel it?"

Mike nodded. "Yes please."

Harry turned to Bond and put a hand on his arm, squeezing a little so he'd know Harry meant business. "You'll be quiet and you'll behave yourself. Understand? Or you'll be spending the night in the Palm Springs jail."

Bond nodded and Mike took his hand. "Come on. We're over here."

Harry watched them go. "He's pretty contrite. I don't suppose we'll have any more trouble with him." He looked at Sam. "Swim first, then you learn how to cancel a room."

In their room, Mike and Bond stood and looked at each other. Finally Mike broke the silence. "You'd better get out of those wet clothes."

Bond fumbled with his shirt. "But I didn't bring any..."

"So? You'll be naked like everyone else."

When Bond was undressed and dried off and his clothes were hanging over the shower bar he put his arms around Mike. "Come on Mikey, don't be mad. Let's just, you know, go to bed." He began to fondle Mike's dick.

"Oh no," Mike said, pushing his hand away. "We do that and we'll be right back where we started. I love you Bond but it's not working and it's never going to work"

Bond back away and hung his head. "Why Mikey? Just because we can't live together?"

Mike walked over to the dresser and opened the wine in the cooler. Bond didn't move or raise his head until Mike pushed him into a chair and put a wine glass in his hand.

"No Bond, it's not just because we can't live together. It's because we can't go anywhere together. It's because we can't be together. It's because I can't live like this." He held up his hand to stop Bond's interruption. "No, let me finish, then I'll listen to you. I know playing ball is your life and I know you're afraid of what being gay might do to your career but I can't live that way, always so deep in the closet you can't even peek through the keyhole." Bond laughed and Mike threw him a look. "Don't. This is serious, this is about my life and your life. We just don't have the same values or goals or, I don't know, philosophy of life." He paused, looking in Bond's eyes. "And I'm very tired of being alone."

Bond took a long swallow of his wine and stood up. "Look Mikey, I'm not the smartest guy on the earth but I know what would happen if Mr. Brown or the guys found out I was gay. Brown would fire my ass so fast the guys would hardly have time to spit on me. The fans would boo me and I'd never, ever again get a table at Patina. I'd never get another job, either. All I know is playing ball! Who's going to hire a gay ex-ball player? To do what? Towel boy in the baths maybe." He began to cry very quietly.

Mike went to him and put his arms around him. "Don't, Bond. Don't." He pulled back and looked at him. "If it came to that you'd get another job. I'd have them lining up to have you endorse one product or another. But it isn't going to come to that. They're not going to fire you, you're too good a player and they know they need you, the team needs you. And it's not like you have to go and tell anyone anything. Just start being yourself. Let them figure it out for themselves, those that want to. The rest won't notice."

Bond brightened a little. "You think so? I know you've said all this before and I know I haven't listened but I will now. You'll see, I will." He hugged Mike tightly. "I don't think I could live without you Mikey. Will you help me? Be gentle with me but help me get through the bad..."

Mike kissed Bond on the ear. "Of course I will. That's what lovers, partners whatever you want to call it, are for." He smiled. "Well, that and maybe some other stuff."

"Like this?" Bond began fondling Mike's dick again.

"Yeah, like that. And this." Mike led him over to the bed and gently pushed him on to it. Then he got on too, so they were laying head to cock. He put his mouth over Bond's cock and pushed his foreskin back with his lips, slipping down until his moustache was against Bond's balls.

Bond sighed deeply as his cock was enveloped by Mike's mouth. He loved the feel of being in Mike's mouth almost as much as he loved the feel of Mike's cock in him. Mike's cock wasn't long but what it lacked in length it more than made up for in thickness. Bond put his thumb and first finger around it and even squeezing hard couldn't make them meet. That little itch began at his ass, that itch of anticipation. He took the head in his mouth, being careful of his teeth against it's wide flare. The itch got stronger.

Mike let Bond's cock slip out of his mouth and he moved to his balls. Bond's ball sack was sensitive and Mike nipped at it, making it wrinkle up and the skin to thicken. It also made Bond growl. Then he moved on, forcing his head between Bond's legs and nipping and licking along that seam between the balls and the sphincter. When he reached the sphincter he kissed it and then lapped at it. Bond groaned and tried to ask for more but Mikes thick cock in his mouth made the words unintelligible. Mike knew what he wanted though and gave it to him, stabbing his wet tongue against the sphincter until it began to relax and open to him. It wasn't long until he was ready.

Bond rolled them over until Mike was on his back. Bond turned and knelt over him, facing him. Mike handed him a tube of jell. Bond put a thick coat of jell on Mike's cock and then, holding the tube against his ass, squeezed some into himself. He handed the tube back to Mike.

"Gently," Mike whispered. "Take it slow and very gently."

Bond pressed himself against Mike's cock and felt himself relax and open to it. When the head pushed in he felt a wave of great pleasure which had a thin patina of pain to it as well. He welcomed the pain, which made him a man, and anticipated the great pleasure to come, which made him a god. He stopped to let himself accommodate the seemingly huge presence inside him.

Mike was fighting for control. The feel of Bond's ass sliding over the head of his dick, opening to it, was almost more than he could handle without coming. In fact, he sometimes did come while he was pushing into Bond but he always managed to come again. This time was close but he held it off.

As Bond settled down, taking the last of Mike's thickness into him he sighed and opened his eyes. He mouthed the words `I love you' but didn't lean down for a kiss. He couldn't. He knew that any movement at all would throw Mike into an orgasm, taking him along. So he sat perfectly still on Mike's cock, looking into Mike's eyes, trying to tell him how much he loved him.

It took several minutes but finally Mike nodded. Bond moved slowly on him, rocking forward until Mike's wide flair pulled at the inside of his sphincter then settling back, taking Mike's thickness back inside him. As they went on he increased the length, but not the speed, of his movements, until he thought Mike's cock would pull back through his sphincter and pull his guts out with it.

Mike reached up and took Bond's nipples in his hands, not squeezing, just rubbing them softly between his fingers. Bond closed his eyes, threw back his head and began a barely heard, high keening. Mike began to buck in him, thrusting up when Bond settled on him and then pulling back, hammering on his sphincter when he rocked forward. His breathing grew ragged and he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep this up for much longer.

For Bond the electricity generated by his sphincter was spreading through his body, combining with the wondrous feeling coming from this nipples. He looked down at Mike who seemed always to know what he wanted, what to do.

Mike found the lube on the nightstand and spread some on his hand. He made a tight fist and slowly forced Bond's cock into it, clear to the base. He loosened his fist, moved to the head, tightened it and again forced it over Bond's cock. The third time he did it Bond came, spraying cum over Mike's chest. His orgasm spread from his cock to his gut and from there to his ass which clutched at Mike's cock, right at that place just under the head. Mike held on to Bond's dick and thrust his pelvis up, burying his cock as far into Bond as he could before he let go.

When the pleasure subsided Bond bent down to kiss Mike. "Are you going to get soft any time soon or am I going to have to pull my guts out getting off this thing? I have to pee."

Mike laughed. "If you'll sit still for just a minute I think it'll go down a little. Enough to let you off intact. And I have to pee too. Want to do it together, in the shower?"

When they finally disconnected they did just that: they got into the shower and peed all over each other's cocks. Then they washed each other, head to foot. It took a long time, especially since they got each other off again, this time with their mouths.

Bodies dried, teeth brushed and hair combed Mike said it was time for wine and cheese. Bond looked at him and blushed, wondering if he could possibly go and have wine and cheese with a bunch of gay men. With Mike. Naked. In the end it turned out he could.

Harry and Sam were pouring and they both made a point of asking if everything was all right. Assured that it was they passed Mike and Bond off to Ed who introduced them to several of the other men there. It took some time but Bond began to relax and actually enjoy himself.

Bob and Roger arrived the next afternoon. Ed greeted them at the door and welcomed them with a kiss. "I'm still packing," he told them, "so I put you over in Five, just across from the pool. I promise I'll be all packed and have my stuff out in a couple of days."

Roger patted Ed's naked butt. "Doesn't matter and take your time. Escrow doesn't close until Thursday. If you're still not ready, no big deal. Besides, you have to tell us all your secrets for running such a great place."

"And I'll help you pack if you like," Bob said. "Besides, our stuff won't be here for weeks and weeks."

Ed gave them each another kiss. "Thank you for that. Look, why don't you go on down to your room, have a shower or a nap or whatever. Harry has promised to cook tonight so at least dinner is secure."

When they got to their room they got something of a shock. While Roger was getting the door unlocked Bob turned and surveyed their new property. Looking at the pool he thought he saw a familiar face but couldn't quite place it. Turning to Roger he said, "Don't we know that guy over there? The one sitting with Harry?"

Roger looked for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yes, I think we do know that guy. His name is Sam, sweetheart, Sam Andrews-Carmichael."

"Oh my God, it is, it's Sam. What's he doing here?"

Roger shrugged. "I suppose we'll have to let him tell us that. Come on, inside. If we're going to be naked innkeepers we need to get naked." He pulled Bob into the room. "Now get undressed, comb your hair and we'll go ask him. I will make one prediction, though. Improbable as it may seem, I'll bet Harry has something to do with it."

Faces washed and properly undressed they went out to the pool. Harry saw them first. "Our dinner guests have arrived," he said to Sam.

Sam caught sight of them and ran to meet them, hugging first Bob and then Roger. "Dad, Pop!" He hugged each of them again. "It's so good to see you. Sorry I couldn't come to dinner last week but I really was pretty busy."

"So I can see," Bob said, looking at Harry. "What're you doing here? We thought you were fucking your brains out and looking for a job."

"I was for a while. Well, not the job part. Would you like a drink? I would. Then I'll tell all. There's even part of it that Harry hasn't heard. Gin and Tonic?" not waiting for an answer he took off up the path to Harry's room.

"He's a little excitable just now. I think because he's nervous," Harry said, looking after him.

"Kind of like his dad I should guess," Roger said with a grin at Bob.

"I am not," Bob exclaimed. "I'm always calm."

Roger smiled and nodded. "Anything you can tell us?" he asked Harry.

"No. It's his story and I think he should be the one to tell you. And I have no idea about the part that I haven't heard yet."

They talked about the resort until Sam came back with four tall drinks on a cart. As he passed them out Bob could tell he was excited and Roger could tell he was nervous. Harry just watched him with a smile.

When they all had their drinks Bob looked at Sam and said, "Okay young man. Let's have it. What are you doing here?"

Sam got an impish grin on his face. He'd planned this for days and Bob had provided the line, acting unwittingly as the straight man. "Harry," he said and waited.

When it came the reaction was just as he'd bet himself it would. Bob's eyes went wide and he nearly choked. Roger raised one eyebrow and smiled at him, waiting for the rest. Harry blushed.

Bob recovered first. "You mean you've... you've changed? Become..."

Sam got up and went around the table to him and hugged him. "Well maybe but I don't think so. I mean, I'm the same man I was. Before Harry. I don't feel any different except that I'm so content." He kissed Bob on the cheek. "And love. A kind of love I've never felt before." He went back to his seat, hugging Roger on the way. "Not exactly the love I have for you Dad. And Pop. This love is filled with a contentment and a large measure of... Well, of lust, too." He blushed and looked around the table. "Well, why can't a straight man love another man? Who says you have to change to do that, be someone different?"

Roger, good, steady Roger was the first to react. He held up his glass, "Here's to our son and the man he loves." They all drank. "And the rest? The part your lover doesn't even know?"

Harry got up and freshened everyone's drink.

"Remember when we were here last time? That guy Brian I was always talking to? Well, he and I do pretty much the same kind of programming and we have pretty much the same ideas about how it should be done. He hates his job and is tired of the hassle of living in L.A. So, we've decided to pool our resources and start a little programming company down here."

"You mean here, in the desert? Is there a market for that sort of thing?" Roger was already with the program. If Sam thought it could be done he had no doubt it could be done.

"A big market. These desert people, they're different from the L.A. or S.F. guys. They don't like dealing with them but it's all they've got. But given a small, local outfit we think they'd flock to us."

"Financing?" That from Roger again.

"Well, I sold the condo and I have some money in the market and, let's see, almost four and a half months of salary coming to me. Brian has some savings and some stock options he can exercise. We're pretty sure we have enough."

Harry winked at Sam. "And if not, you could always take in a silent partner."

Bob asked, "What will you call yourselves? Your company name?"

Sam broke out in a grin. "Naked Programs."

"You've been a busy lad," Roger said. When does all this come about? And where? Do you have a location in mind?"

Sam shook his head. "No location yet. I'm supposed to be scouting them now but," he smiled at Harry, "I've been sort of busy."

Harry snorted. "Well, as of now you're un-busy. Well, except at night, maybe."

Sam nodded. "I know. I know. I'll start talking to real estate guys tomorrow."

"Well, well, well," Bob said, raising his glass. "To new frontiers and new lives. For all of us."

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To be continued—as the spirit moves me and as time provides. Comments, criticisms and story ideas always welcome and always answered.

Greg Bowden

jg.ps@gte.net