The Arrangement chapter 6

Have you ever wished that you could fall out of love with someone? No, you probably haven't. I mean why would you? Love is a beautiful thing isn't it. Two people meet and there's this spark, no one can adequately explain it. Writers, philosophers and poets, they can all come close. But they can never quite get to the essence of your feelings of love. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because it's different for everybody. Every person that you will fall in love with in your entire life will bring something new to you. Something quite extraordinary.

So why would I wish to fall out of love with someone? Okay, sorry. Let's take this down to what I am really thinking and stop fucking about with this pseudo psychoanalyst essay.

Why would I want to fall out of love with Dane?

Love may be a many splendid thing, but not when it is unrequited. When you love someone who doesn't share the same feelings as you do, it's pure bloody hell. It saps at your strength and your self-worth.

And you know what the worst part of it is? You can't even blame the fucking bastard for it. After all, where does it say that just because you fall in love with someone, that they have to love you back? It would be a great world if they did. But life is not like that.

So? So what? Get over it? Move on?

Yeah, nice one. Thank you for stating the bleeding obvious! Why hadn't I thought of that? Maybe because it is far easier said than done.

If you want to belittle my feelings for Dane, you could say that I had a crush on him. It's pretty common. You see someone you like, you fantasise about them, and you convince yourself that you love them. That's what a crush is, isn't it? But that definition doesn't come anywhere close to my feelings for Dane.

Obsession? That's a good one. I could almost agree with that definition, except that it does have bunny boiler connotations. I don't think that's really me though. I'm not one of those `if I can't have him, then no one can' type people. Sure I'm jealous of Michelle. I'm jealous that she has a place in Dane's heart and Dane's life that I can never have. But not jealous enough to cut the break cables on her car so she'd crash it, like she did that day when she came over to my uncle's place to meet up with Dane.

That's got you thinking now hasn't it. Could I have done such a thing? Am I capable of such a malicious act? To get her out of the way so that I could have Dane to myself?

Oh come on people. This isn't a bloody soap opera.

Firstly, although I am jealous of her, my number one thought is that Dane is happy with her. If Dane is happy, I am happy. No it's not ideal. But I love him, and although I know that I could make him just as happy as she can, it's not going to happen.

Secondly, I know eff all about cars. You put petrol in, you turn the key and it goes. That's about my limit in automotive knowledge. I wouldn't even know what a break cable looks like and would probably end up severing the car radio or something.

Thirdly. PAY ATTENTION! I was stuck in the bathroom the whole time that Michelle was with Dane in my bedroom.

Sometimes accidents happen!

So yeah, I acknowledge that I do have an obsession with Dane. After all, Dane has never been too far from my thoughts. I can't think of a day over the past few years when I haven't thought about him.

Although you could say that I didn't know him, and you'd be right. Aside from sharing the same form room, some of the same classes, true, I didn't know him. But when you fall for someone you notice everything. I loved the way he would laugh, the way he would smile, act the class clown, walk, talk, eat. That all sounds a lot like obsession to me.

But then, through our arrangement, over time I got to know him. And you know what? Even seeing for myself that he was not as perfect as this god that I had put on a pedestal, didn't put me off of him. Finding out that he was just as flawed and fucked up as the rest of us mere mortals just gave him more dimension in my mind. It made him more human and probably made me love him more.

And then with our arrangements I was getting what I had spent years of my life fantasizing about. Well almost. I had some of those intimate moments with him that I had only dared to dream about and as much as I should feel like the happiest guy on the planet, I found that after nearly every single encounter, after the wave of excitement and bliss had subsided, I felt empty, shallow and alone.

Because no matter how much I kidded myself, I knew that love would be only ever one sided. I knew in my heart of hearts that our arrangement should come to an end, because the final outcome could only be me getting more hurt.

Imagine, doing my final exams and leaving school to go to university without what had happened this year with Dane and our arrangements. Sure, I'd have been sad that I would never see this hot guy ever again. But, with new surroundings all thoughts of him would eventually fade to a distant memory. But now, because we'd actually spent time together. Because he had needed my help so much that he was prepared to do almost anything (within or near to his famous lines that can't be crossed) my obsession had become a real person and I knew that sooner or later our paths would go off in different directions and it would become a lot harder to get over him and move on.

So yeah, sitting in my room in the New Year, with Dane having been away in Dublin for Christmas, I found myself wishing that I could move on and fall out of love with him.

That thought stayed with me once we returned to school after the holidays and grew stronger by the day. But I still couldn't work out a way to fall out of love with him.

Unrequited love sucks!

On our first day back to school after the Christmas holidays I was sitting at my desk waiting for the bell to go for my first class. Dane arrived and got a ticking off from our form tutor for being tardy. He just shrugged it off with a barely audible `whatever'. I smiled and nodded hello to him as he passed my desk on his way to his own at the back of the classroom with his mates. He didn't return the smile. He didn't even acknowledge me. He looked tired and there was clearly something wrong with him, like he had a lot on his mind. Yes, that must have been it. After all, why else wouldn't he nod hello to me? Okay, so before I started tutoring him he would never have nodded to me. I was just another face in class as far as he was concerned. But over the past few months that had changed. He would often stop by my desk for a quick chat, or at least smile and nod hello.

But not that day, it was the first day back and the first day that I had seen him since I gave him a blowjob before he went to Ireland. Part of me had worried throughout the whole Christmas holiday that I'd pushed him too far and that in the cold light of day he would be freaking about it.

I must have picked up my mobile to call him a dozen times, I needed to hear his voice. I needed to know that we were alright. But each time I never pressed that green button. What if he was pissed off? What if he put the phone down? Or even worse, what if he chose to ignore my call and sent it to voicemail?

I reasoned that if we were going to have a conversation that I was not going to like, it would be better to do it face to face rather than on the phone.

But now I wasn't even sure that was a good idea. When he passed my desk he didn't even look at me, but the frown on his face spoke volumes. Was this going to be worse than I had thought it would be?

The bell rang and we filed out of the class room to head for our first lesson or study period. I looked back to see if Dane was heading in my direction, but as I did I bumped into someone in front of me.

"Fucking watch it!"

I snapped my gaze away from Dane and saw a very pissed off looking Abdul Khan. He'd stopped walking to pick something up and as I wasn't looking where I was going I went straight into him.

I apologised and that should have been that, Abdul was one of the good guys. Not exactly a friend, but we had studied together in the library over the years and I knew that he didn't have a hate bone in his body, he was just one of those live and let live guys. But walking just behind me was Tony Isaacs, one of the class pricks and someone who always took delight in bullying me.

"Hey look everyone. Baker's bumming Khan!"

Abdul was clearly embarrassed by what Isaacs had said and pushed me backwards into Isaacs while saying to him "Fuck off you prick". I don't think Abdul meant to push me as hard as he did, but he did mean that statement to Isaacs.

Isaacs grabbed hold of me and slammed me into the wall while saying loud enough for everyone around to hear.

"The bender wants a bit of me now."

I think I whimpered or something equally as pathetic.

Isaacs just grinned malevolently at me as he slammed me back into the wall again. He pulled my arm up into a half nelson and the feeling of pain that was shooting through my body was intense.

His body pressed up against mine as he pulled my arm up so high behind my back that I was sure that he was going to pull it out of its socket. Then he leaned his head towards mine and although his mouth was very near to my ear he shouted, probably for effect, as he was obviously playing to his audience.

"I said, do you want a bit of me bum boy?"

Call it new found courage, or call it utter stupidity, but you've got to remember that I had put up with years of this crap from the likes of Isaacs and his mates. I had tried to ignore it, tried running away. There was no point in fighting back because I'm a weedy jerk and they were all much stronger than me. Even if I had the courage to fight back and by some miracle managed to land a punch, I'd only pay for it later. There were a lot more of them then there were of me and all it would take was for me to be walking home on my own and I'd be jumped by a bunch of them.

So what did I do when Isaacs slammed me up to the wall for the fourth time and announced to the world that I wanted him? Well, through the pain and gritted teeth I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Judging by that boner of yours that is sticking into my back I'd say that it was you that wanted a bit of me."

Yep. Really stupid. Embarrass the bully in front of everyone. Not a winner. Oh and before you start to wonder, no, he didn't have a boner, at least not that I could tell.

He pulled my arm up even higher, I didn't think that I could bare this much pain. But through all that I heard his audience laugh at my remark.

Isaacs sneered that I was going to regret what I had just said, and to emphasize his point he slammed me into the wall again.

That's when I heard Dane, who had just walked out of the classroom, shout in a tone of voice that I had never heard from him before.

"ISAACS! Leave him alone."

I was slammed against the wall again and then let go of as Isaacs turned to face Dane. I crumpled to the floor as Isaacs stepped away from me. The pain that he had caused me made my whole body ache, but I had to turn round to see what was happening

They squared up to each other and Isaacs said.

"Sorry O'Hanlon, I forgot that you don't like your boyfriend roughed up any more."

There was no warning, no macho bravado, just Dane's fist smashing into Isaacs face.

Stunned and bloody faced, Isaacs stumbled back and Dane looked like he was going to hit him again when he was dragged away by our tutor, who had just stepped outside his class to see what the noise was about. He told us all to disperse and get to our lessons and then instructed Dane to go back inside.

Isaacs left still looking stunned that his friend could have hit him, so he paid me no further attention. The rest of the class that hung around to watch Isaacs try to humiliate me dispersed except Abdul, who offered his hand out to help me back to my feet.

"Sorry Baker. I didn't mean to push you when that jerk said what he did."

"I know you didn't." I replied.

"Well, I've got to get to class. You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna hang about to make sure that they don't suspend Dane."

"What do you care if he gets thrown out? He's just as bad as the other meatheads."

"No he's not!" I replied sounding a bit too defensive, so I added. "He's not as bad as most of them, besides, I don't want him getting in trouble just for defending me."

Abdul shrugged, turned away and headed off to class.

Moments later just as I was going to go into the class to give my side of events Dane emerged from there pushing past me, looking even more sullen than he did when he came in this morning.

"Dane, are you alright?"

But he just ignored me again and started walking along the corridor. I picked up my book bag and went after him shouting out

"Dane, what's up? You didn't get suspended?"

He turned round to face me and the look he gave me was one of contempt and he sneered out "Just leave me the fuck alone."

And then he walked away. So I called out after him down the deserted hallway "No one asked you to play the fucking hero Dane!"

My voice echoed around until it was drowned out by the sound of the main door slamming.

For the rest of the morning all I could think about was Dane and that look on his face. It wasn't exactly hatred, but it wasn't far from it. My mind worked overtime wondering as to what would have put him in such a mood with me. The conclusion that I kept on coming back to was that when we last saw each other before Christmas the blow job that I gave him had gone too far for him and he was now regretting it.

If this was the case it would probably spell the end of our arrangement and of our embryonic friendship. Fuck! Why did I push him too far? Why couldn't I just have been content with what we already had?

Because I love him, that's why. I told myself. That and because he was making it easy for me to push him over his lines that he had drawn. This was so fucked up.

I didn't see Dane for the rest of the week until Friday afternoon after school when I was at home doing a little light reading when the doorbell rang. My mother was still at work and I wasn't expecting anyone so it was with a bit of reluctance that I put my book down and went to answer the door to probably someone wanting to sell me double glazing.

When I opened the door my heart skipped a beat, like it did whenever I saw Dane.

"Are you gonna let me in then?" he asked with a half smile.

I'd obviously starred at him for too long, but it was only because I couldn't believe that he was there. After not hearing from him for the week I figured that our friendship was over. But there he was, standing on the bottom step to my house.

He looked a bit tired and he was dressed as I had never seen him before. Covered in dust and dirt, his clothes, a pair of track suit bottoms, a hooded jacket and under it a thick winter sweater were old and threadbare and he had on his feet an old pair of scuffed up steel toe capped Dr Martins boots.

Obviously sensing that I was curious about his appearance he volunteered "Your house is on the way home from work so I thought I'd come straight here than go all the way home to change first. I ain't gonna stay long. Can I come in?"

I stepped aside and motioned him to come in.

"Cheers." He said as he passed by me. "Mind if I grab a drink? It's freezing out there."

I replied "No problem" and we went straight into the kitchen and made him a cup of tea to help drive the cold out from his bones.

I put the kettle on and he sat down at the kitchen table. When I placed a steaming mug in front of him I asked him what he meant by work? I was worried that if he'd got himself a job already then maybe he hadn't been suspended by the school, but expelled. After all, they were supposed to take violent incidents seriously. Supposedly our school had a zero tolerance policy on bullying. But that only works when the bullied report incidents and that hardly ever happens, because although the school are at pains to say that they will protect you. What can they do for you outside school? The teacher never saw me being pushed around by Isaacs, but he did see Dane punch Isaacs out. Maybe the school had no choice but to expel him after that violent assault. With that one action Dane's dream to go to university could have been crushed.

"Maxwell sent me home after I freaked out at Isaacs and then the school called my parents to tell them that I had been suspended for a week. Well, me dad said that he wasn't going to let me sit around on me arse, and that I had to help him out on the building site while I was off of school."

"That sucks." I replied to him. He shrugged so I added. "I, I'm sorry that you got suspended because you tried to help me."

"It's not your fault. It was that twat Isaacs; he just pushed a wrong button and got what he deserved."

"When he called me your boyfriend?"

Dane didn't answer that. I hoped that I hadn't just pushed one of his buttons as he really didn't seem his usual self. Not then and not now.

"Dane, is everything alright? I mean, aside from being suspended. It's just that you looked pissed off that morning even before you decked Isaacs."

I half expected him to shrug and almost laugh off my concerns as he usually would. Dane's a lad and lads don't share their feelings or woes with other lads.

He sighed and looked like he was having an internal battle with himself as to whether he was going to answer my question. Eventually he broke his silence.

"No, things aren't alright. Things seem really fucked up since Christmas."

The next question I had to ask him I already knew the answer to. I'd feared that answer since Christmas. But I felt compelled to ask him anyway.

"Is it because of our last arrangement, before you went away. When I..."

The words `gave you a blow job' got stuck in my throat.

"Partly. I've just had a load on my mind and to be honest I don't want to talk about it right now."

"I've been thinking about that night ever since and I'm sorry. I pushed you too far." I looked down as I said that. I just couldn't look him in the eye.

I could tell that he was about to say something but I cut across him as what I needed to say I had to say now or I may never find the courage to again.

"I think we should end our arrangements. I think for different reasons they're doing our heads in and I can't handle it anymore."

"What?" he replied with a tone that sounded like disbelief. I figured his tone was because I was going back on what I had promised him. A blow job for using my uncle's place so he could spend the night with Michelle.

"I mean, I'll pay up on our last arrangement if you want. I owe you that. So bring Michelle round to my uncle's for the night. But I really think that should be the last of it."

He looked at me strangely and then said

"Well I wont lie to you that the reason I came round tonight was because I wanted to see if tomorrow was okay for using your uncle's place. But Sammy, don't be daft. You don't want to end our arrangements. And right now that's the last thing I need."

"Huh? I asked a little confused. I mean I had rehearsed this conversation in my head dozens of times. It always went that he agreed and we went our separate ways.

"What I mean is that I'm missing a week of school and because I'm working on a building site all week, without you I've got no chance to catch up with my school work. My parents don't care about that. All they see is that if I'm not in school then I should be pulling my weight by working."

I really felt bad for him, but I was resolved to end this mess.

"C'mon Sammy, are you really telling me that you don't want any more of this?"

He took hold of my hand and placed it on his tracksuit covered package and pressed it down.

When I didn't answer his question he seemed to take that as a sign of indecision on my part. In truth it was more like shock. He was still holding the back of my hand as he stood up from his chair and motioned me to do the same.

When both of us were standing he took a step closer to me and with his free hand he pulled out the elasticated of his tracksuit bottoms and plunged my hand down there where I instinctively wrapped my hand around his underwear covered package and began to slowly massage his shaft.

As his tool began to grow Dane said to me "You see, he'd..." Gesturing down to his groin "...kind of miss you and I think you would miss him too."

And if that wasn't enough, he did something that made my eyes bulge out in shock. He let go of my hand leaving it in his trackies, and pulled his own out and cupped my own package that grew hard as soon as he took hold of my hand a few moments earlier and then said

"Well at least I know that a little piece of you would miss this." He chuckled.

Despite my shock I managed to retort "Little? I don't think so."

"Well I'm no expert, so maybe you're right."

In my defence I was wearing jeans, not exactly the easiest of materials to get a proper feel from. And also I knew that I was only an inch smaller than Dane, although yes I will concede that his girth was much more than a handful compared to mine.

He moved his hand away from my jeans and took a step back before he asked me his next question.

"So, are we still on for our arrangements?"

Any resolve that I had built up in the past weeks had gone, so I just nodded.

"Good." He replied and then he took another step back from me and I had to extend my arm to keep hold of the mound in his trackies.

"Erm, Sammy. That's your cue to let go of my dick."

"But I don't want to." I whined.

"Seriously, I've been at work since six this morning and I'm knackered. I doubt I could get it up right now even if I wanted to."

Reluctantly I let go of his bulge and withdrew my hand from his tracksuit bottoms. I guess my expression fell into a frown as when he looked at me he said.

"What?" Then he chuckled "It's not like I said never again. Just the opposite when you think about it, what with our arrangements and all that. Just not tonight. Besides, I've got to save my strength for Michelle tomorrow when we come round to your uncles' don't I?"

Did you catch the high point and low point of what he just said? Yep me too. For a brief moment I was giddy with ecstasy and the next I came crashing down when he mentioned Michelle's name. I wondered if he knew that he had the power to change my mood so easily?

"Anyway," He continued. "I've got to head back home. Get showered and sorted to meet up with the guys down the pub for eight."

"Okay." I huffed.

"Hey, why don't you come too?"

"What? Go down the pub with your mates? I don't think so."

"Why not?" He asked then added "Most of them know that we're friends now."

"Even so, I really don't fancy an evening with your meathead mates taking the piss out of me."

"They won't do that. I promise."

I gave him the illusion that I was thinking about it. After all, it was a genuine offer from him. But not one that I would ever consider taking him up on.

"Nah," I finally replied. "I want to finish my homework tonight before heading off to my uncles'. He's away for the weekend and I was planning to be over there."

"Okay, suit yourself. But if you change your mind we'll be in the Red Lion all night."

He turned round and headed down the hallway to the front door and I followed him to see him out. Just as he turned the lock he looked round at me and with a slightly mischievous grin he said

"I almost forgot. I bought a present back from Dublin for you."

"You did?" I said with a note of surprise in my voice. "What is it?"

"Ah, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for it."

"You are so infuriating at times, you know that don't you?" I told him.

"Yeah. But only because you make it so easy." He laughed.

"Out. Go on, go. Get out of here." I joked while pushing him into the door.

***

Later that evening I grabbed my bike and cycled down to my uncle's house. He was away for the weekend as usual and I quite liked the feeling of having the place to myself. My mother had started dating a guy a few months before and while I thought he was alright, I didn't really want to be around them for long. And as she never got on my case about spending my weekends at my uncle's house I'm guessing that she was happy to have her own space as well.

I set about my cleaning duties to get them out of the way and then went into the den to carry on reading the book that I was into earlier. But my mind wasn't really on it. I kept on thinking about Dane and how he seemed when I said that we should stop our arrangements.

Could it be that he actually liked them? Was this straight guy who I had fancied for years really saying that he wasn`t as straight as he had thought he was? Or was it just about that he still needed my help with his school work and put the arrangement back on the table for the incentive for me to change my mind?

Then I thought about his offer to go to the pub with him and his mates. Although it was not something that I would have done, I mean half of his mates were responsible for giving me a hard time at school, there was a part of me that wanted to go.

I had never been part of a crowd of people before, therefore I had never been to a pub before, other than with family and that doesn't count. As I spent the rest of that Friday night alone with my thoughts I wondered what it would be like just to hang out with a bunch of people.

I was awoken by the sound of the doorbell repeatedly ringing and through blurry eyes I managed to make out that the time on my alarm clock said 7am. I pulled my dressing gown on and went downstairs to answer the door with half a mind to chew out whoever it was for waking me up at such an early hour.

It was Dane. He was standing there dressed in his jogging bottoms and a sweat hoodie and he had a backpack over his shoulder. His cheeks glowed red with the cold and he had quite a bit of sweat running down his face.

"Hey Sammy, I thought we'd go for a run."

"Huh?" I replied still rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"I like to run most mornings so I thought as I was going to be coming over here later anyway, I might as well jog over now and we can get an early start."

"Early start?"

"Well yeah, Michelle's going out shopping with her mates this morning and won't be here until the afternoon. That gives us a few hours for you to help me catch up with my homework and hang out together. It's much more my idea of fun than going shopping with Michelle."

I liked the idea of hanging out together, and that he said that he'd rather be with me than shopping with Michelle didn't pass me by. But I wasn't too keen about going for a run and I said as much to him.

"C'mon Sammy, a good jog helps clear the mind."

"But it's cold." I whined.

"It won't be once you get going. Now get upstairs and get dressed."

I did as I was ordered, all be it reluctantly and five minutes later I was back down in the hallway with Dane giving me instructions on how to warm up properly.

"You don't want to pull a muscle do you"

On each of the warm up exercises he helped correct my posture or position my limbs so I'd get the best out of it. I could help notice that he seemed to keep his hands on various parts of my body for longer than was strictly necessary.

Then we stepped out into the cold January morning and set off at a slow jog, Dane saying that I need to ease into it before we pick up our pace.

We pounded the pavements until we hit the local park and started running round it. Darkness had given way to dawn and the frost on the grass crunched beneath our feet.

As Dane picked the pace up it wasn't before long that I dropped behind him, finding it a real effort to keep up. I knew that I wasn't exactly fit before this, but I had no idea how unfit I was.

There was however a plus side, I got a great view of his track suited buns moving up and down as he jogged along. If nothing more that was the biggest incentive for going out for a run with Dane.

He looked over his shoulder and called out to me "Come on Sammy, you've got to try to keep up."

"I'm alright." I panted, trying to find enough breathe to reply. "Besides, I like the view from back here."

"You do do you?"

And without breaking his stride he pulled his jogging bottoms and shorts down just below his butt and then called out "Is that better for you?" Then he turned round and started running backwards, his dick flapping up and down as he went.

"Or do you prefer this view?" he asked with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I told you before, I like both." I replied between deep breaths.

"Well if you want it you'd better catch me up then." He still had that glint in his eyes.

I instantly picked my pace up, but even though he was running backwards he still managed to keep more than an arms length ahead of me.

He took hold of his dick and gave it a couple of pulls then said while laughing his head off at me "Come on Sammy, it's all yours if you can catch me."

My chest felt like it was on fire as I tried to catch him up and just as I was almost there he turned round and immediately sprinted several feet ahead of me, calling over his shoulders "Too slow Sammy, too slow."

He pulled his tracksuit bottoms back up and then shouted as he picked his own pace up another level.

"Once more around the park then we'll head back. I'm going to go at my usual pace, so no cheating. If you stop or cut through I'll be angry. Okay."

"So what do I get if I don't cheat?" I called after him as his lead ahead of me widened.

"A sense of accomplishment." He called back.

"Big deal." I shouted, but I don't think he heard that as he had really picked his pace up and before long he rounded a clump of trees and was out of sight.

It would have been easy to have stopped, slowed down or have cut through the middle of the park. But something kept me going. I don't know if it was a feeling that I needed to prove to myself or Dane that I could do it or what? I am not a competitive person when it comes to sports. I know my physical limits and I am happy not to try to exceed them. So it was a surprise to me that I not only went on, but I kept to what Dane had said and did the final full lap of the park.

By the time I saw Dane again he was stretching by the park gates way ahead of me. He looked up and saw me jogging towards him.

"That's it Sammy, nearly there. Just four hundred meters and you're done. You can do it!"

Despite my lungs being on fire and my legs feeling like they were turning to jelly I didn't slow down and Dane carried on shouting words of encouragement until I almost collapsed with no breath in me at his feet.

Dane steadied me by putting his hands under my armpits and told me to try to take a few deep breaths. He then bent me forward and started rubbing my back and slowly my breathing returned to normal.

"Sammy, I'm well proud of you. You see what you can achieve if you put your mind to it."

As we started to walk back to my uncles' Dane continued to praise me for the effort that I had put in, then he told me that he had something for me and fished a wad of black material out of his hoodie pocket.

"I got so far ahead of you that you gave me enough time to take these off."

He handed me his sweat socked compression shorts. On impulse I held them up to my nose and got a full blast of Dane's manly smell as I breathed in.

He chuckled and said that he still didn't get what the big deal was, but I thanked him all the same.

"No problem." He replied. "Besides, it's an advance payment for your help with my home work when we get back."

Then I suddenly remembered him mentioning about a present from Dublin and said as much to him.

"Ah, all good things to those who wait." Was his reply.

As we got back to my uncle's Dane laid out the plan for the rest of the morning.

"Shower, breakfast, then we hit the books till we get bored."

"Okay." I replied. "You know where my room is, you can take a shower there. I'll get a start on breakfast.

"Or, we could grab a shower together." He suggested with a cheesy grin.

"Nah, I'll start breakfast and grab a shower after."

Dane looked quizzically at me for a moment, then he said "Suit yourself." Then he grabbed his backpack that he left in the hallway before we went for our run and headed upstairs.

I trust, dear reader that you didn't miss that opportunity? Well I did! A dream come true you could say. Dane asking me if I wanted to shower with him. Why did I turn him down?

Oh come on, keep up. Dane, the image of my fantasies for years, next to me, puny and skinny. Are you there yet? I'll spell it out for those who are a bit slow on the uptake.

Dane, in my mind anyway, is perfect. He has a body to die for. I on the other hand have a body that someone has died in. I was ashamed of looking so skinny, especially when up next to someone like Dane. There was no way that I wanted to embarrass myself in front of him. Sure, in all my fantasies my body size is not an issue. He never mentions it once. But in reality I am too body conscious to strip off in front of him or anyone else for that matter.

It was different in P.E, you had no choice and when I got changed I did so in a corner of the changing rooms, hoping that no one would see me. It didn't always work and it often just added to the list of things that certain people had to bully me about.

So yeah, I chickened it. But there was something else as well. He took me by surprise. I mean Dane o'Hanlon asked me to shower with him. What the hell was going on here?

Kicking myself for my blatant streak of yellow I set about making Dane and I breakfast and ten minutes later Dane appeared in the kitchen freshly showered and dressed in a new pair of sweats and tight fitting t-shirt that he obviously brought with him in his backpack.

I wasn't sure what he'd want to eat and I figured that as pancakes were my favourite breakfast treat. At least one of us would be happy. Normally I'd have a bowl of cereal and some juice for breakfast on school days, on weekends when I'm at home my mother would cook a full English, that's sausages, bacon, scrambled egg, baked beans and fried tomato. But when I stay at my uncle's it's pancakes all the way. He showed me how to make them a few years ago, he likes them the American way, thick and fluffy, dripping with butter and lashings of maple syrup.

In fact my uncle loves a lot of things from America. His house looks a bit out of place here, he modelled it on one he used to rent in up-state New York. He imports quite a few food items that you can't get here including Maple syrup from New Hampshire. I told Dane this as I poured the sweet syrup over his plate of pancakes.

"Humm, looks good." He commented as he sat down at the breakfast bar.

"So do you." I replied as I eyed him up in the tight t-shirt that he was wearing. It showed off every muscle on his torso and made his arms look even bigger than I had remembered them to be.

He'd just stuffed a wad of pancakes in his mouth as I said that I thought he looked good and he nearly choked them down as he laughed. When he'd managed to compose himself enough to swallow and breathe he replied "You know, Sammy. At times I just don't get you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Just that. I don't get you. I know what you think about me, you've made that clear many times. But you pass up a shower together just now. I'd have thought you'd have jumped at the chance. And now you're looking all gooey eyed at me again, but you could have seen more earlier. You just don't make any sense to me."

"Well maybe I've seen enough of you naked. What's one more time?" I replied.

"I seriously doubt that." He laughed.

"Or maybe I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable. You know, both of us naked in the shower and all that."

Again he laughed and then replied "Sammy, I got over my discomfort around you ages ago, and you know that." Then he stopped laughing and suddenly looked quite concerned as he said

"So what's the issue?"

I looked down at my pancakes and didn't say anything at first. He reached over and put his arm around my shoulder saying

"I know it's not that you've gone off of me, so what is it?"

"It's not a big deal. I just didn't fancy a shower. Why do you care all of a sudden? Sounds like you're disappointed."

See what I did there? Turned it round on him. Put him on the defensive.

He jerked his arm away from my shoulder for a moment his face had an expression like a bunny caught in the headlights. Then he put his hand back on my shoulder and gripped it firmly and said

"Not disappointed. Maybe a bit surprised. That's all."

"Talking of surprises." I said, seeing an opportunity to change the subject. "I seem to remember mention of a surprise from Dublin for me?"

"I did, didn't I."

"So where is it?"

He took another bite of his pancakes and said with his mouth full "I'm wearing it."

He pulled the waistband of his track bottoms down a few inches to reveal a shiny red strap on his hip that was about half an inch wide and could only have been a thong. Then he let the waistband snap back and returned to his pancakes. Damn that fine breakfast!

After a couple more mouthfuls he had finished and stood up. Then with one movement he pulled his track bottoms down to show me the full product. A shiny red PVC thong. I drew my hand to the pouch and tentatively gave it a squeeze, it made an odd sort of plastic crumpling sound.

"You like?" He asked.

"Uh huh." I replied

"It feels a bit strange, like that leather one you got me before Christmas, but this one's got a bit more room up front for expansion, if you know what I mean."

"Is expansion likely then?" I asked while massaging his package.

"It is if you keep that up."

"Then I can't think of a good reason to stop."

He took a step back and lifted my hand off his pouch while saying "I can, if we're going to get any studying done before Michelle gets here." He nodded at the clock which showed that it was gone ten o'clock.

Great, I thought to myself. Studying, then enter the girlfriend. Not really my idea of a fun day with Dane. Okay, so I knew that the main reason he was over was because of our arrangement where I let him have Michelle over here so he could use my room to fuck her in. But the reality of it was that I'd be sitting downstairs while they were getting their rocks off.

Sure, I could go home and leave them to it, but I doubt that my uncle would be too happy with me letting two strangers to him have the run of his house. I knew that he'd be gone for the weekend, but knowing my luck he'd come back early and I'd be chewed out a new one. I'm a class is half empty kind of guy when it comes down to it. But as they say, pessimists can't be disappointed!

Resigned to the rest of the day being one of study and jealousy on my part I said that we should go into the office at the back of the house. Dane didn't bother putting his track bottoms back on, in fact he stepped out of them and went back into the hallway and took his books out of his backpack and asked which room was the study.

I motioned him to a room at the end of the house and we went in. The office wasn't a big room, my uncle used it when he worked from home. But as he hated to bring too much work back with him he didn't spend too much time in there. It had a desk with a PC, there was a leather three seat sofa and floor to ceiling bookshelves, mostly full of box files and books to do with his transport business.

One good thing that could be said about the room was that being at the back of the house, you had a very good view of the back garden, the pool house and the forest beyond through the floor to ceiling window. My uncle had placed the desk so that he could use that view when he was bogged down with work.

I motioned Dane over to the desk chair while I sat down on the sofa. He pulled out an A4 piece of paper and glanced at it then handed it to me saying that he was sent that by the school for things to do while he served his suspension. I read through the list, which was mostly chapters of books he had to read and there was a multiple choice question test to be done and a bit of writing up to do for the coursework that had to be in by Monday.

I said that it would be best if he did the coursework first as that had a deadline. He agreed, so we fired up the PC and ploughed through all that needed to be done. Luckily it was mostly stuff that we had covered before and the text books that he had with him had the answers to anything that we didn't know. But it took us the best part of an hour to complete. Then we went on to the multiple choice test. I read the questions out and he gave whatever answer he thought was right.

"God I'm bored." Dane announced.

We were about halfway finished and he got up out of the office chair and stretched himself so that his tight t-shirt pulled up over his bellybutton revealing his light treasure trail that snaked down into the pouch of his PVC thong. Then he sat down next to me on the sofa and told me to continue with the questions.

Then he did something that totally surprised me. He twisted in his seat and laid his back down on my lap. Looking up into my eyes he smiled a cheeky grin and said

"What? I'm just getting comfortable. Next question."

I read out the next question while at the same time placing the book down on the sofa arm to free up my hand which I placed on his chest. When no objection came I asked him another question while gently brushing my hand over his rock hard pecs. Then with my index finger I traced around his nipples.

I asked him the next question on the list and as he answered he let out a huge sigh. I glanced round from looking at the paper to looking at him laying there on the couch and if hearing him sigh like that wasn't clue enough that he was enjoying himself, I noticed that his pouch was looking a lot fuller. Not quite hard, but more than a semi.

Returning my eyes to the paper and constantly bombarding him with questions from it, I let my hand wonder down his chest to his stomach until the tips of my fingers touched the waistband of his PVC thong. I felt his stomach muscles tense up a little and instinctively pulled my hand away and asked him another question as if nothing had happened.

Dane replied with the right answer while at the same time putting his hand over mine and directing it not onto his pouch, but in it until my hand made contact with his tumescent flesh. Wrapping my hand around his shaft I began to gently rub it up and down. Dane then pulled his hand out and lifted his body up slightly and eased the sides of his thong down. Then looked back up at me and said

"More breathing room. What's the next question?"

The only question I could think of wasn't on his test paper, but was more like `What happened to those lines that you have that can't be crossed?' of course I didn't vocalise what was on my mind. So as his pole grew more rigid in my hand I found my place again on the paper and asked him the next question.

He shifted his body slightly to free his arm that was next to my stomach and raised it until his fingers were touching my face. He traced the outline of my cheekbone and then he caressed my lips with his thumb.

I shifted slightly in my seat as he did that because my dick, which was hard from the moment he laid himself down in my lap, pulsed and grew even harder and the weight from his body was pressing down on it.

He got the hint and moved himself away enough to get off my dick, but not enough for me to have to let go of his tool, which by now was oozing enough pre-cum to keep him lubricated as my hand pumped faster.

Dane lowered his eyes from mine to see the tent that I was pitching in my tracksuit bottoms and then he removed his hand from my face and placed it on my package.

There may have been two layers of material between me and his hand but it was enough to send me over the edge. He'd barely wrapped his hand around my shaft and jerked it a couple of times when I shot my load into my briefs.

Momentarily phased from my eruption I had let go of Dane's dick and closed my eyes.

"So what? You get your rocks off and I've got to finish myself off?" he said.

"Huh?" I replied. Then I realised what he had said and went back to pumping away at his hardness until he arched his back and let go of several shots of his juice.

As he finished up with a few final pulses of cum I let go and sank back into the sofa. The multiple choice test that was on the sofa arm fell to the floor, but I didn't bother to retrieve it. I was quite content to stay exactly where I was and bathe in Dane's post ejaculation glow.

He didn't seem to be bothered about moving either. He just lay in my lap, covered in sweat and catching his breath. We must have stayed like that for ages, until I eventually broke the silence.

"Who are you and what have you done with Dane o'Hanlon?"

Dane sat up and shifted himself round so that he was sitting on the sofa and pulled his red PVC thong, that was around his knees, up and adjusted it in place and then answered my question.

"If it bothers you we can stop anytime." There was a hint of sarcasm to his voice.

"I didn't say that it bothered me. I was just wondering where all those lines were that you go on about."

He replied with a grin and then said. "Oh, they're still there. But I'm just not quite sure where they are right now."

After a few more minutes of silence he started to tell me about his Christmas break in Dublin and about his cousin. How he found out that this guy who he had known all his life was bi-sexual and that helped him realise that he might be too.

"So what you're telling me is that you play for both teams now?"

"I didn't say that. But while I'm firmly part of one team, I'm not unhappy about being on the substitutes bench for the other. It's not like I'm now going to go out and eye up guys or anything. But if something happens, I might not be so uptight about it."

"Well I guess in Dane's world that makes a lot of sense. But hey, I'm not complaining. If I ever meet that cousin of yours I'll have to shake his hand."

"I think knowing you if you ever met Fel, shaking his hand will be the last thing on your perverted mind."

"Why, is he hot?"

Dane got up from the sofa and rummaged round his rucksack until he found his mobile phone and pressed a button a few times until he got what he wanted, he passed it to me and said "You tell me."

I looked at the picture on his phone and saw Dane and his cousin, arms round each other, laughing at something.

"It was taken this Christmas." Dane said.

The resemblance was uncanny. They looked more like brothers than cousins. I said as much to Dane. That's when he finally opened up about what was on his mind since coming back from Ireland. He found out that his uncle was his real dad and the whole thing had been fucking with his brain.

As he told me about it all, I couldn't help notice that his whole persona changed. Dane's not a serious person by nature, he has his moments, but generally he's a light hearted guy, not given to deep thinking. Or at least that was my perception of him. Now, as he was telling me his story and even his deepest darkest feelings I saw a whole new side to him, one that I am sure was there all the time, just covered up by bravado.

When he finished he looked like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe talking to someone who isn't involved and is emotionally dethatched from the situation really does help.

To me, the way I saw it was that although his parents, aunt and uncle had lied to him, they still loved him and that it was up to him how he handled it. I told him about my father leaving me and my mother when I was four and that I hadn't seen him in years and really couldn't care if I saw him again and how that my uncle was more of a father figure to me than my real father was. If anything, Dane was lucky, he had two dads, both of whom wanted some part in his life.

All the while I had his phone in my hand and every now and then I glanced down at the picture of these two perfect looking guys smiling back at me.

"What I don't get is how you guys never worked it out for yourselves before. I mean, look at you two. Okay, so you don't look like twins to me, but I'm sure that a lot of people would think that you were brothers."

"Most people do." He replied. "but I guess when you're in the middle of something, it's hard to see the full picture."

I handed Dane back his phone and remarked that his cousin was a good looking guy. Then I added "But you're hotter."

"Good answer Sammy."

As Dane clicked off the picture on his phone he looked at the time and said that he thought we had about an hour before Michelle was due to come round. So he suggested that maybe we went for a swim.

I'd told Dane about the pool house in my uncle's back garden before. But now when he mentioned about going for a swim I seized up. It was that whole body image thing again. But unlike last time when I changed the subject I felt that as we'd spent the past half an hour of Dane opening up to me that I should do the same for him.

So I told him that I really wasn't comfortable about being naked around people.

"Who said anything about being naked. I'm sure you're got some swimming trunks upstairs that we can change into."

"That's not what I meant Dane." I took a deep breath and composed my thoughts for a moment. "I'm not as confident about my body as you are. I hate the way I look, I'm too skinny and next to you I look like a puny weed."

"That's bollocks. What about the time when were swapped underwear in the audio room at school. You didn't seem to mind stripping off then."

"I did mind. I was as embarrassed as all hell. But I guess I was caught up in the moment and your need not to have been wearing that thong that you were when you had to go down to football training."

"I think I remember telling you then that I wasn't bothered about seeing your body and I'm sure not going to judge you or anything. So I don't see the problem."

"Well you wouldn't Mr Perfect body would you?" I replied with a huff.

"Okay, if you really don't want to go for a swim then we might as well just hang around until Michelle gets here. Or..."

Dane pulled my arm so that I had to get up from the sofa and then he bent forward and the next thing I knew he did a fireman's lift and flung me effortlessly over his shoulder and made his way out of the study and headed upstairs.

"Dane, fucking put me down."

"What's that? Can't hear you."

Laughing all the way he carried me up stairs and plonked me down on my bed when we got into my room.

Then he put his put his hand over his shoulder and rotated his arm a couple of times while saying that I was heavier than I looked.

"Well you're thicker than you look." I retorted.

"Ouch. You really know how to hurt a guy Sammy."

I didn't mean what I said and I had forgot that while I might have some very real issues with my body image, Dane was used to people all his life telling him that he was just a thick sporto. I for one knew that he was anything but stupid. After all, I'd been helping him with his school work enough for him not to even really need my help any more.

"I'm sorry Dane, I didn't mean that."

He smiled at me and replied "See, we've both got our demons and you've got to get that rubbish out of your head. There's nothing wrong with you or the way that you look."

Yeah, I heard what he said, but I didn't believe him. I guess it's hard to take a complement.

He offered his hand to pull me off my bed so that I was standing in front of him and then he said

"Take your top off."

I didn't respond at first, in fact I recoiled back from him. I just couldn't get past years of body angst. Really stupid huh? Dane thought so.

"Sam, take your sweatshirt off or I'll take it off for you."

I looked at him wondering why he was doing this to me. As if he read my mind he said

"Come on mate, you've helped me a lot, it's my turn to help you. Yes I know you're skinny. So fucking what? It could be worse. You do no exercise, you sit in front of a computer or a book all day. You could be lard bucket with that kind of lifestyle. Count yourself lucky that you're not obese."

Hesitantly I pulled my sweatshirt and vest off in one go to reveal my puny torso to Dane. I looked into his eyes with fear that his reaction to seeing my ribs poking through my chest would send him scurrying away in horror. No such reaction came other than for him to say

"Now the jogging bottoms."

Slowly I hooked my thumbs under the waistband and pulled the track suit bottoms down to my ankles and stepped out of them.

I was feeling very self conscious that I was now standing in front of Dane naked, but a pair of semi transparent red Hom bikini briefs. Cum soaked from earlier when he had stroked my bulge.

"Nice pants Sammy. You look good in them."

For a few seconds I felt a glow of embarrassment reddening my cheeks. I really wasn't used to getting complements like that. In truth while I really liked the Hom briefs that I had, I also knew that they didn't look that good on me. Yes, they showed off my package well, and they were so skimpy and light weight it almost felt like wearing nothing. But being as skinny as I was I knew that the back view wasn't all that. Even in these tight fitting briefs, my non-existent or flat arse made the back view look baggy.

That's probably why I prefer thongs. Baggy material at the back is not an issue.

"Okay, time's a wasting. Where do you keep your swimming trunks?"

I pointed over to a drawer in my wardrobe and Dane went over to take a look.

I don't have as much of a collection of swimwear as I do underpants, knowing full well that I'd never have the guts to wear some of the styles on the beach or in the public swimming baths as I would have liked I had pretty much limited my purchases.

I had several pairs of board shorts that went down to my knees, a few pairs of Speedos ranging from trunk style to very skimpy quarter inch sides and one Speedo thong that I bought in a moment of madness.

"So, I'm guessing I know already what you want me to wear." Dane chuckled as he held up the white Speedo thong.

Taking my tentative grin as an affirmative he dropped his red PVC thong and pulled his tight t-shirt off and then pulled the Speedo thong on and adjusted his package in place. It was a little on the snug side as I hadn't bought them for him in mind.

I may have mentioned this before, but although Dane was several inches taller than me and far more muscular, his waist size was only a couple of inches up on mine. Most of what I wear is a size small, whereas he was a size medium in most underwear. Although he told me that most of the boxers and boxer-briefs that he wore were a size large as they wouldn't be too tight on his legs. I think that's why he'd quite taken to the briefs and thongs that I had introduced him to. He didn't have to worry about them being too tight around his muscular legs and they fitted well around his waist.

Meanwhile I went to the drawer and fished out a pair of board shorts.

"What do you think you are doing?" Asked Dane.

"Frying an egg." My sarcasm is instinctive.

"So I've got to wear these for you" He replied by pointing at the white thong "While you get to cover up with a pair of shorts? That doesn't seem right to me."

"Why are you so bothered about what I wear all of a sudden?"

"Just levelling up the playing field. Mind you, I'm guessing that these will go see-thru as soon as I get in the water, maybe you should consider going au naturel."

He pulled out a red pair of the skimpiest of my Speedos and held them up in one hand while with the other hand he pinched his thumb and forefinger together as if he were holding an invisible pair of pants.

As if he were weighing up the options for me he said "So which is it to be?"

I grabbed the red Speedos and pulled my briefs down and replaced them with the swimwear.

"Happy?" I shot back at him.

Dane shrugged his shoulders and replied "Doesn't bother me either way to tell you the truth. But I think that you should be happy with yourself. That's more important."

"That's easy for you to say Mr. Gun Show. Even when you're not flexing your muscles show off well. Mine are like small knots in rope sized limbs."

Then Dane did something that I would never have expected. He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye while saying

"I don't see anything wrong with you. But if you've got a problem with your body then it's up to you to do something about it"

He took a step closer to me and pulled me into a hug. For the first time ever our near naked bodies made contact. The warmth emitting from him seemed to envelope around me. I felt so safe in his arms. I looked up into his face and saw him smiling down at me. Then slowly, as if he were unsure of what to do next, he leaned in and his lips touched mine.

I felt a bolt of electricity fire through my body but before I could respond to his kiss in kind he pulled back looking a bit embarrassed with himself. I wondered if he felt that he'd gone too far or something. Not for me, but for himself. I'd say that by the look on his face he was shocked at what he had just done.

But then, what with all our emotional baggage sharing that we'd been indulging in over the past hour to me it seemed the most natural thing for us to have done.

I put my hand back on his shoulder and said to him "Dane, it's alright."

We stood there together, almost statue like, not moving for ages. Dane's chest was moving up and down as if he were trying to catch his breath.

Then he looked down at me and with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes he replied "I know. I know it's alright. I guess I kind of shocked myself. Y'know."

"I know, and if it means anything to you I liked it."

That bought a proper smile to his face.

"Of course you liked it. You're gay and totally into me."

I could sense the usual Dane coming back. No more deep thoughts or emotions, just bravado. Don't get me wrong, I like both Dane's and to be honest I was only just getting to know this other side of him. I didn't think it would last long and I knew just how to respond to that.

"Totally into you? Don't give yourself designs."

"Hey, don't even think about denying that you're so into me. Not when that lump in your trunks is giving you away."

He pointed to the bulge that was tenting out my Speedos that was there from the moment that he had pulled me into a hug.

"Oh yeah? Well people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." I replied pointing at his package, which while not actually tenting out his thong was looking fuller than its placid state.

"That?" he said pointing down to his package. "That's just good circulation."

I placed my hand over his bulge and gave it a couple of squeezes while saying "The beast has awoken, you know it's only a few strokes away from standing to full attention."

He playfully knocked my hand away from his pouch and replied with a mischievous grin "You're going to have to catch me first." And with that he took off out of the bedroom and pounded down the stairs, so I shrugged my shoulders and charged after him.

By the time I had got down stairs he'd already got to the back door and was halfway across the lawn heading for the pool house. I hesitated before stepping out of my uncle's warm house into the freezing January afternoon. Barefoot and almost naked, Dane wasn't in slightest bit worried about the cold. Me? I could see my breath coming out of my mouth and I could tell that my cheeks had reddened even before I was properly outside.

Dane had reached the pool house and looked back at me and laughed

"C'mon wuss, a bit of cold never hurt anyone."

That's not entirely true I thought to myself as I stepped out of the house and ran through the garden to the pool house. The next thought I had was that I was so grateful that the garden wasn't over looked by neighbours or else the redness that was in my face from the cold could easily turn into redness from my blushes as I ran almost naked up to Dane.

He opened the door and the lights came on automatically and as we stepped in we were consumed by the warmth of the building.

And before any environmentalists get on your high horses about wasting energy keeping a pool house warm when it is not in use let me tell you that my uncle's house creates its own energy. The roof is covered in solar panels that generate more electricity than is ever needed, so my uncle sells it back to the national grid. Don't preach about the environment unless you're doing something about it.

"Wow Sammy, this is amazing."

Dane looked awestruck as he looked around the pool house. The building was very much like the design of the house. Large glass walls and a glass roof that could slide back in the summer to give the feeling that it was actually an open air pool. Aside from the pool itself there was on one side a giant 10 man Jacuzzi spa bath, and a lowered area with three very large shower heads. Next to that was a Nordic sauna and to the back of the room was a muilti gym. What can I say? My uncle likes his health equipment.

"Wow! You didn't say anything about a gym." Dane exclaimed as he walked up to it with sheer admiration in his eyes.

"I forgot." I shrugged and followed him.

He went over to the bench and lay down on it, the bar above him had several large plates on and he lifted it like there was almost nothing there. He did several reps and then got up.

"Sammy, why don't you give it a go?"

"Me? No. I don't think so."

He got up off the bench, walked up to me and put his arm around me and said

"Listen dude, you're embarrassed about your body, then why don't you do something about it. You've got all the stuff here that you'll ever need. Give it a go."

He took the key out to lighten the load so I could manage it without doing myself an injury. Then he showed me how to correctly position myself and I lifted the bar.

"Good, and another one."

I did, and then a few more, by my seventh lift I was starting to struggle and on the eighth I was ready to quit.

"Come on, just two more. You can do it."

"I can't" I panted.

"Two more and I'll let you feel me up."

I pushed another then struggling I managed the tenth.

"Well done Sammy. Get up and shake it off."

I did as he said while puffing away. When I caught my breath back I looked over at him, he gestured for me to come nearer I took a couple of steps to him and placed one hand on his soft package and the other I placed on one of his hard cheeks. He looked at me and said

"You see, exercise should be a reward in itself, but with you I know we're going to need an extra incentive."

I grinned and nodded while continuing to play with his soft goods for a few seconds until he put his hand over mine, figuring my play time was up I pulled away slightly. My hand still in his, with the other he pulled the front of his thong down until it rested under his balls. Then he placed my hand on his bare flesh

I cupped his balls and gave them a tender squeeze, then took hold of his soft member and run my hand over it a couple of times, Dane laughed and lightly brushed my hand away, telling me that my time was up.

"Okay, give me ten more reps."

"I can't" I whined

"Will you give me ten more reps if I stand over you without anything on?" He pulled the white thong the rest of the way down and stepped out of it. "Come on, get back on the bench. I've had enough of you whinging that you're puny, we're gonna do something about it."

I got back on the bench and good to his word he stepped over me and helped me lift the bar down. His goods were dangling just inches in front of me as I did my reps he shouted words of encouragement, telling me how good I was doing and urging me on for the next one, I got to nine and had been really struggling for the last two and I didn't think I could go on.

"Okay Sammy, one more and I'll let you kiss it." He said nodding down at his dick.

I gave everything I had for the last one and just about managed it. He then helped me replace the bar on the stand and took a step towards me, his soft dick was right in my face. I didn't need to be told, I leaned in and kissed it and then collapsed back on the bench exhausted.

"There you go Sammy. Well done."

He went back over to pull the white Speedo swim thong on and told me to move over on the bench. I did and he sat down next to me. He then put his arm round my shoulders and looked over to me and smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"I've had an idea. We're going to get you fit. I know you hate playing sport so we can use this gym, if you do it regularly you'll soon notice the difference."

"I don't wanna go to the gym."

"I know you don't, but I figure if you had the right incentives you'll go."

"What incentives?" I asked sheepishly.

"Okay, so here's my new idea, a new arrangement. You still help me out with my assignments; I'll still wear whatever pants you want and when we've done the work I'll pass them on to you as usual. But this is now a carrot and stick situation. Other than for homework, you'll never see me in them, or see me naked, or be able to touch any part of me unless you exercise with me at the gym or in the pool."

"I don't like that new arrangement. I prefer the old one."

"Of course you do. Now. But I think given time and when you start seeing results you'll much prefer the new one."

As he said that he lowered his hand to the bulge in my Speedos and started stroking my dick through the stretchy lycra material.

I gasped as his fist encircled my engorgement and a wave of pure pleasure filled my brain. They he spoke again.

"So do we have a deal? Or..." He pulled his hand away. "does this all stop?"

In a nanosecond the possibilities of this new arrangement went through my head and I found myself agreeing to his terms.

I had hoped that he would go back to doing what he was doing, but Dane had other ideas.

As he stood up from the workout bench he said that we would have to sort out some evenings when we could both come over here after school to do our work out. I replied that I would check with my uncle to make sure that he was okay with it, but I didn't see a problem. Then he nodded over to the pool and asked if I fancied a swim?

Not waiting for my answer he strode over to the pool's edge, my eyes were glued to his muscular tight buns separated by the cord of the Speedo thong. Such a sight of perfection.

He looked back at me staring at him and said "Stop checking my arse out and get in." And with that he dove straight in and swam almost the length of the pool underwater before resurfacing then with just a few strokes he front crawled back to the edge of the pool to where I was now standing, contemplating diving in.

I must have stood there too long, because Dane seemed to get impatient and leaped up, grabbed my legs and pulled me in.

I wasn't prepared for that and when I hit the water and went under I hadn't taken a breath so I spluttered for air as I resurfaced.

"You wanker!" I called out as he laughed at me. So I splashed him in the face.

He was momentarily fazed and then splashed me back while calling out "So you wanna play rough?"

I was just about to splash him again but he dived underwater and the next thing I knew was he grabbed my waist in his arms and was pulling me under. I struggled to break free from his hold but he was much too strong for me. I think he knew that this wasn't a fair fight and I felt him slacken his grip enough for me to push away from him.

Or so I thought, just as I was almost clear of him, Dane lunged out and I was back in his clutches. He was toying with me like a cat with a mouse. And while I wanted nothing more than to be in his tight embrace I got the feeling that playing along with this aquatic wrestling bout could lead to more of the type of games that I wanted to play.

I struggled in his arms for a while, making out that I wanted nothing more than to escape his clutches. My arms flayed about splashing water at him until he once again loosened his grip on me. Then I made my move and grabbed his cock through the material of his/my Speedo thong.

He froze for a second. But unlike previous times I was not worried that I had gone too far. I could tell by the glint in his eye that he wasn't going to freak out.

"So Sammy, you can't beat me fairly so you're gonna to play dirty?"

I didn't answer by saying anything, I let my actions speak for me as I slipped my hand into his pouch and took hold of his dick which instantly boned up in my grasp.

He let me stroke him a few times then still with that mischievous glint in his eye he said "You'd better swim away as fast as you can."

"Why?" I asked, not taking my hand from his tool.

"Because of our new arrangement. This hasn't been paid for."

"Well do you take credit?" I asked with what I hoped looked like a cheeky grin.

"No, but I'll take ten laps of the pool."

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"You heard me." He replied.

"Ten laps just for grabbing your dick?"

"Yep, and stop whining or I'll add another ten."

With that he pushed me away, forcing me to let go of his tool.

"I don't like this new arrangement." I muttered as I waded to the wall to push off for my ten laps.

"Really? I don't think that's quite true." He replied, then added. "Especially when you're going to do it naked."

"What?" I asked. But he didn't reply. Instead he dove underwater and the next thing I knew he was tugging at the sides of my Speedo. Shocked by the suddenness of his move I offered little resistance as he pulled my trunks down and tugged them off of my feet.

He resurfaced with a beaming smile and while twirling my Speedos around his finger he repeated that I needed to do ten laps of the pool and then a further five if I wanted to get my trunks back.

Resigned but not down hearted I started to swim length after length of the pool. Fortunately it wasn't a very big pool, just twenty meters by fifteen meters. But by my seventh lap I was really starting to feel my lack of fitness catching up on me.

While I was swimming flat out, Dane, who was swimming along side of me was obviously swimming at what must have been a leisurely pace for him. He shouted out encouragements as we went, much like when he did earlier during our run. If nothing more he was showing his seriousness with his self appointed task to get me fit.

Okay, so yes I have an aversion to any form of sport or exercise. But I have to admit that it did make me feel kind of good. That is to say, it felt good that Dane was encouraging me and willing me to do well.

When I completed my tenth lap I clung to the pool wall while trying to get me breath back. Dane put his hand on my back and started patting me telling me that I had done good. But as soon as my breathing had returned to normal he looked at me with that glint in his eyes again and reminded me that I had to do another five laps if I wanted to get my swimming trunks back.

He unfurled the wad of lycra material in his hand and started twirling them around his finger again. I made a lunge at him to try to get them back but he was too quick for me.

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that if that's the way you want them back."

"Or, maybe it's time for you to lose yours." I replied as I advanced on him.

"If you think you've got a chance for that to happen, go for it."

I dived under the water and reached my hands out until I felt his hips and then the sides of his thong, but as I managed to tug it down a few inches it hadn't occurred to me that this was a bit too easy. He hadn't tried to swim away, nor push me away and for a moment I thought that he was going to let me strip them off of him.

But nothing is ever that easy with Dane, for as I lowered his pouch enough to see the base of his shaft, he suddenly swam round and grabbed hold of my dick in his hand.

The shock of him doing that was enough for me to let go of his thong and come up spluttering for air.

Laughing at me, Dane released my tool and said "See, I told you that you ain't gonna do it."

"No?" I repled. "But it's going to be fun trying if that's how you're going to stop me."

I went for it several more time and each time he would let me go so far and then he'd push me away or swim out of my reach. He didn't try to grab my cock again but each time he threatened to do so.

So I tried again and again, but this time I took a deep breath and decided to try a different tactic, I went to lower the pouch of the thong and once more he offered no resistance. I managed to lower it as far as his shaved balls, but then he once again made a quick move and swam round and the next thing I knew he was swimming through my legs and then I was piggy backing on his shoulders.

Wading along while threatening to drop me Dane was laughing as much as I was. But then he suddenly froze. I carried on laughing for a moment until I realised that he wasn't. I looked up and ahead of me and saw what had made him stop fast in his tracks.

There was silence until Dane said one word.

"Michelle"

Okay, firstly I would like to that all those who wrote to me about this story. Your encouragement spurred me on to continue.

Secondly, I am sorry that there has been a long delay in finishing this chapter. It is purely down to me having my mind on other things. In the late summer I decided that I wanted to move houses and I have spent the last few months in one form of hell or another. I am still waiting on the legal bods to get their act together and all being well I will be moving sometime in the new year. Then hopefully I can de-stress, relax and hopefully write the next chapter.

If you would like to e-mail me and let me know what you thought of the story so far that would be great.

dandevdrew@sky.com