Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 19:46:47 -0800
From: qwb224@gmail.com
Subject: Stonegate Stables ch 34

Stonegate Stables

Chapter 34


Wednesday was the one year anniversary of the day that
Vincent and I had decided to become a couple.  I'd been
thinking about what to do for a while, and had all the
arrangements made.  I snuck home a little early to finish up
some last minute stuff, and was just closing the front door
behind me when Vincent came around the corner from the hall
with a wooden spoon in his hand.

"What the hell are you doing home?" he asked, pointing the
spoon at me as we stared at each other in surprise.

"I could ask you the same question," I replied testily,
putting my hands on my hips.  "You're not supposed to be
home until six tonight.  You said so this morning."

He glanced down, then back at me and started to laugh.  "I
just wanted you to not rush home so I could get dinner
ready."

"And I came home to put the finishing touches on my
surprise."  We stared at each other for a moment.  "But it
doesn't matter.  We'll eat your dinner, and then do my
surprise."

I love lamb chops, and Vincent had done them up with fresh
green beans, baby carrots, and sliced tomatoes, accompanied
by a marvelous chardonnay.  He had set places at our little
table on the patio, and we ate out there as evening fell.
The day had been warm, and as the sun went down, it cooled
off just enough to be comfortable.  The air was still, and
as we sat there quietly, a coyote trotted across a corner of
the pasture, getting a vigilant look from Zena.

Vincent lit candles as it got darker, scooting his chair
around next to mine as we enjoyed the last of the wine.  He
brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.

"Do you remember that morning you called me to come over?
Your voice was all shaky, and I asked if you were all right.
You sounded so upset that I was sure you were going to tell
me that you were in love with TJ, and that we were through."

I had turned to look at him while he was speaking, and as he
finished, he met my eyes.  We stared at each other for a
long moment, each of us remembering that day clearly.

"No."  I paused and slowly shook my head.  "I was so sure
about what I wanted, and so afraid that by then you'd lost
interest, or changed your mind, or some other damn thing . .
.  and you took so long to say anything that I almost died
waiting."

We watched the sun narrow to a sliver as it dropped behind
the trees, briefly lighting the sky.  Vincent was looking at
the sunset, and I was looking at Vincent.  The golden light
turned his skin a deep honey brown, and I felt a surge of
emotion so strong that it caught my breath for a second.  I
reached up and ran my fingertip across his mouth, then down
his goatee until I could hook my finger under his chin and
turn him to me.

I studied his face carefully, noting the lines around his
mouth that hadn't been there eight years ago, the touch of
gray at his temples.  His eyes hadn't changed much, except
for the little fan of wrinkles at the corners; they were
still dark and liquid, regarding me with a somber
expression.  He leaned his face into my hand as he held my
gaze.

"I love you, Vincent."

He finally smiled back at me.  "I know you do, baby.  That's
maybe the one thing in my life that I never doubt."

He leaned over and kissed me slowly, running his tongue
along my mouth and sending little trickles of heat to my
dick.  I slid from my chair and knelt between his feet,
gripping his thighs as I buried my face in the crotch of his
jeans and blew a warm breath through the fabric.  When I did
it a second time, and then a third, Vincent dropped his head
back with a groan.  As his cock thickened, I opened his
pants and reached in to straighten it up towards his belly,
but left it in his shorts.

I rose up a little to lick my way up his stomach, teasing
him with nibbles and kisses.  As I pushed his shirt higher,
I glanced up to see him watching me with a smoldering
expression, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed.  I sat back
on my heels to unbutton my shirt, pulling it wide to stroke
my hands down my body, ending with one hand gripping my
crotch.  I lifted the other to my mouth, sucking on my index
finger before reaching it slowly out to him.  He watched it
coming, lowering his gaze as my wet fingertip made contact
with his nipple.  He drew a quick breath at the coolness of
it, and his cock flexed in his underwear.

The tip of his erection strained against the waist of his
shorts as I mouthed him though the thin fabric.  Vincent
pushed his jeans and shorts down a little to lift his cock
and balls up over the elastic.  He dropped a hand to the
back of my head as I sucked down his erection.  The taste
and smell of him hardened me quickly, and I ripped open my
fly with a moan, grabbing my dick in one hand as I reached
for his nuts with the other.

As I blew him, Vincent put his hands on my shoulders,
holding me lightly as he watched.  Before long, he began to
thrust quickly, arching back as he pumped out most of his
hot load onto my hand.  I kept hold of him as I stood up,
jerking my cock and grimacing as the pressure in my nuts
increased.  Vincent scooped some cum off his belly and began
to knead my balls, sliding them around in his slippery hand.
A few seconds of that finished me, and he grinned as I
sprayed his chest with strings of ejaculate, each one
accompanied by a soft grunt as I panted through it.

We wiped up with our dinner napkins, and put ourselves back
together as we settled into our chairs again.  Vincent put
his arm over my shoulders as I leaned my head into his.  We
sat like that for a long time - with full stomachs, empty
balls, and happy hearts.


At eight, I ran upstairs to check on things, and then came
back down for Vincent.  As I led him along the hall to our
closed bedroom door, he looked at me curiously.  He was
always surprising me with wonderful experiences, so I had
really worked at thinking this one up.  I reached for the
knob and turned to watch his face as I pushed the door open.
His eyes went quickly around the room as his face broke into
a delighted smile.

"Arabian Nights?" he asked in a goofy accent.

"Something like that," I agreed.

I'd arranged to have our room swathed in yards and yards of
jewel-toned fabric with tassels everywhere.  A satin canopy
hung from the ceiling, draping the bed in deep crimson.  The
room looked like the inside of a sheik's tent with dozens of
candles flickered in the breath of air from the open window.
As we stepped inside, two hot-looking young guys dressed
only in crimson jocks stepped out of the shadows.

Now, I have no idea what sheiks wear under their robes.  I
expect it isn't a crimson jock, but I'd asked for two
scantily clad sensual masseurs, and this was what they sent
me.  On these two it worked, believe me.  Vincent rolled his
eyes to me, and I grinned back.

They led us to massage tables set up head to head near the
big window that overlooked the back meadow.  The sky was
clear and full of stars, and we lay on our stomachs holding
hands as we were kneaded and pummeled.  The boys rubbed and
pressed their crotches against us as they leaned into the
massages.  It was as intimate and calming as I'd hoped, and
I felt myself drifting away in a cloud of chardonnay and
scented massage oil, Vincent's hand warm in mine.

But these were to be sensual massages, and eventually my
masseur began to concentrate on my ass, stroking his hands
up my crack, over and over, so that the sensation was one of
endless touch.  He nudged my legs apart, reaching deeper to
grasp my testicles in both hands, compressing them in his
palms.  As he tugged and squeezed, he slid a thumb up and
into me, moving it just enough to keep my attention.  As I
arched up into his hands, Vincent's tightened grip and low
moan told me something similar was being done to him.

They didn't get us off - I'd instructed them to stop short
of that - but after they'd gotten us close a few times, they
led us to bed, blew out all but a couple candles, and left.
Matt's drawing crossed my mind as Vincent pushed me onto my
side and wrapped his arm around my chest, pulling me into
the curve of his body.  Being held like that is the most
secure feeling in the world, and I wasn't surprised that
Matt had depicted himself in that position.

We dozed for a while, and when I woke up around eleven
thirty, Vincent was already awake, lying on his side with
his head resting on his outstretched arm.  When our eyes met
in the dim light, his mouth moved in the faintest of smiles.
His hand was resting on my chest, and I covered it with my
own as I looked at him.

"Make love to me," I whispered to him in the stillness of
the room.

He didn't reply, but his expression softened and in it, I
could see the same tenderness and devotion that I felt for
him.  We lay quietly for several minutes, gazing at each
other, my hand still over his on my chest.  Just when I
couldn't stand it another minute, his hand began to move.
He drew his fingers in and then spread them back out slowly,
his thumb brushing across my nipple each time.

He watched me carefully as he intensified the movements of
his hand, and when he pinched my nipple the first time, I
cried out.  His face tightened, his cock jerked against my
leg, and he covered my mouth with his, smothering my next
cry as he kissed me deeply.

We took our time, touching each other's bodies with hands
that slowly grew more urgent.  Sex with someone new is
exciting and I love it, but making love with a person you
know well and love deeply is as good as it gets.  Vincent
knew my body intimately, and used that knowledge to bring me
close with his hands and mouth.  After my nuts tightened up
for the third time, I was panting and moaning and begging
him to fuck me.

He scooted up to my ass, his knees spread wide around my
hips, and I felt the wet tip of his cock press firmly
against me.  I pulled my knees to my chest and groaned aloud
when he finally began to push into me.  He stopped with just
the head of his penis in me, and waited until I looked up at
him.

"I love you, Sean," he whispered to me as he ran his hands
up my body, then back down to hold my thighs.  As he pulled
me onto his cock, he held my eyes.  "I love you," he said
again, so softly I could barely hear him.

That night a year ago when we'd decided to become partners,
I'd never been in love before and hadn't realized how my
feelings for him would deepen over time.  It had only been a
year, and already our relationship had evolved and matured;
I couldn't imagine my life without him.  Watching him as he
began thrusting steadily into me, the muscles of his stomach
flexing with the effort, I knew that he and I shared
something deeply intimate that many couples don't find in
their relationship.

He brought me to an intense climax before pulling free and
straddling my waist.  I rubbed his hard dick in the cum that
covered my belly, and then stroked him as he squeezed his
balls in one hand.  Each time my fist slid over the head of
his cock, he let out a soft, incredibly sexy grunt - little
'unh,' 'unh,' 'unh's' that grew louder and more frequent the
closer he got to shooting.  In just moments, he rose to his
knees; his entire body tense as he fired onto my chest and
stomach, grimacing each time his cock spurted.

When he gained some control over his body, he lay down next
to me, his ragged breathing slowly becoming more regular.
His hand slid up and down my arm, tugging at the hairs on my
wrist, stroking his fingers between mine.  He was quiet for
quite a while, but finally he rolled to me, taking my face
in his hands, talking softly to me from five inches away.

"Sean, your love is the most wonderful gift anyone's ever
given me.  It makes me strong, and it keeps me humble, and I
love you so much."

Of all the things he'd said to me over the past year, these
words touched me the most.  I reached out to cup his cheek
in my hand and we kissed then - a soft, searching kiss, his
lips warm on mine - a kiss that held all the wonder and awe
we felt for what we became when we were together.



The gymkhanas grew more popular each month.  July was the
fourth one and we had to cut back on the number of events to
fit all the contestants in.  They were paying for themselves
now, which was all I'd been aiming for.  I viewed them more
as public relations events and something fun for the local
kids.

Kelly won the ring toss on Rascal, getting all five of his
rings on the poles in the quickest time as he cantered
along.  Kelly was doing well under Tommy's watchful eye.  He
was strong and durable, and worked hard at whatever was put
in front of him.  After a month of extra meals, both he and
Rascal had put on several pounds and looked healthier.  He'd
gotten a lot more comfortable around the barn, and grinned
at me whenever I came across him.

Katie came home first in the water bucket race, soaking wet
and grinning all the way.  She and Zena were quite a team,
and I was starting to believe she could do damn near
anything on a horse.  She was beginning to get Calvin over
fences consistently, learning to control his moods and his
temper.

Matt spent the day in the announcer's booth since Adam was
on a horse-buying trip.  I don't know if it was his artistic
streak or what, but he was a great announcer, adding all
sorts of silly comments and little jokes.  He went out into
the crowd at lunch, doing impromptu interviews with the kids
and their horses.  He'd make up a goofy voice for each
horse, and it was pretty funny, a side of him I hadn't seen.
He was becoming a very confident person - not just because
of Vincent and me, I don't think - but also thanks to Adam,
Katie, David, and all our other friends.  They'd given him
back the free spirit that had been quashed for so many
years.

The crew I'd hired to do work on the rodeo preparations was
moving right along.  Stout pens had been built off to one
side of the western arena, with alleyways connecting them to
the bucking chutes that were still being built.  I'd watched
the workmen one afternoon as they set massive timbers one
after another, and then tied them together with 2x6s set a
foot apart.  It looked plenty strong to me, and I hoped it
would look as good to my insurance guy, who had paled when I
told him bulls were coming in September.

The promoter showed up again on the day of the gymkhana,
taking a bunch of pictures that I began to see on posters
around town and in an ad on the local TV channel.  He
dropped off a few posters at my office, and I put them up at
the stable, figuring most of the rich owners would attend
just for the novelty of it.

Cody had shown some interest in the tie-down calf roping
event when I told him about the wild card entries.  He
hadn't roped seriously in years, so he'd started practicing
daily, flinging his rope at anything that moved.  It got so
bad that we all began looking around corners before stepping
out into the open for fear of getting lassoed.  Luckily, his
aim improved quickly, and he went to work on actual calves
that he borrowed from the place we got the steers.  Most
afternoons you could hear their bawls all over the property.

The horse really has to know what it's doing - top notch
roping horses sell for well into six figures.  Queenie
wasn't that good, but she caught on quickly, backing up just
enough to keep tension on the rope so that Cody could get
the calf down and tied.  He was having a good time with it,
whooping and hollering every time he made a quick run.

I talked to Katie about the barrel racing.  She was
interested in at least giving it a try, so one day we set up
the cloverleaf pattern in the arena, and she began trotting,
then loping through it on Zena.  We knew she wouldn't be
competitive with the pros in so short a time, but I was
going to run a novice division for the local girls, and she
definitely had a chance there.

As I watched Zena swap leads coming around the final barrel,
Tommy walked past with Ginger on a lead rope, heading for
the wash rack.  I remembered Ginger had stopped on a dime
that first time I'd ridden her and had a stock horse
pedigree that just wouldn't quit; I had an idea.

"Tommy, bring her over here."

I waved Katie to the gate, and we tacked Ginger up with
Katie's gear, then she climbed on.  She'd only ridden Ginger
a couple times, so we did a little flat work first, letting
them get used to each other.  Ginger eyed the barrels with
interest, her ears forward.  I hollered at Katie to circle a
barrel the next time past, and when Ginger realized that's
where Katie was aiming her, she took off like a rocket.
Katie grabbed the horn and held on as Ginger dropped her
shoulder into the turn, almost brushing Katie's foot on the
ground before powering away toward the next barrel, clods of
dirt flying out behind her churning rear feet.

Katie pulled her up partway to the barrel.  "My god, she
almost dumped me!"

"I think maybe we've got a ringer here.  Take her down to
the far end and make a run on her.  Don't urge her at all
let's just see what she does."  As she trotted away, I
added, "But hang on like hell."

As Katie circled to face the barrels, Ginger began to crab
step sideways, fidgeting with the bit, and tossing her head
in her eagerness to go.  Katie pointed her toward the first
barrel and leaned forward.  Ginger shot away like she'd been
goosed, slowing at the last second to round the barrel, then
sprinting toward the second one, doing a flying lead change
halfway there.  The second turn was as clean as the first,
and then they were pounding toward the last barrel.

Katie had lost her hat on the second turn, and Ginger's ears
were pinned flat to her outstretched head.  As they
straightened up from the last turn, Ginger went into a full
gallop with no input from Katie, slowing only to avoid
running through the arena fence.  Katie trotted her back to
me, her mouth open in wonder at the thrill of it.

"God, that was fun!" she yelled.  "That's as cool as taking
Cal over a big vertical!"

"She's obviously done this before," I remarked, patting
Ginger's warm neck.  "But she hasn't done it in a while, so
that's it for today."

We gave Ginger back to Tommy so she could have her delayed
bath.  Katie rode her daily from then on, and when I timed
her the week before the rodeo, she was within hunting
distance of the pros that'd be here soon.  Now it was even
more of a mystery why someone had so badly neglected a horse
of Ginger's caliber and training.


Wade's and Vincent's birthdays were later that week, so of
course we threw a party.  I had a big tent erected down by
the creek, hired a company to roast a pig, dug horseshoe
pits, marked out a diamond for softball, and invited
everyone I could think of.

Sunday was warm with big puffy clouds that gave an
occasional break from the sun.  Chex and Zena were still at
Stonegate, so we opened the gate to the pasture and let
everyone park there.  Close to a hundred people showed up
everyone's parents, all our friends, most of my employees.
Jesse and Ben drove over for the day, and even Dylan made an
appearance.

He looked good, leaner than the last time I'd seen him, and
his hair was buzzed.  He greeted me with a hug and a kiss,
and seemed friendly and relaxed.  I saw him now and then
throughout the afternoon, finally catching up with him as he
sat out a round of horseshoes.  He was sitting in the grass
watching as I sat down beside him with two cold beers.

"Thanks."  He glanced at me, and then looked out across the
meadow.  "I need to apologize to you, Sean.  I was a real
shit the last time I saw you."

"Apology accepted."  I looked down at my beer, rolling it
between my hands as I continued.  "Can you tell me what was
bothering you back then?  It really hurt that you wouldn't
talk to me."

He heaved a big sigh, and was silent for a few moments.  "I
was jealous of what you had with Vincent."  He held up his
hand to silence me as I looked up quickly.  "Not that I
wanted to be with you myself, but that you'd found someone
that you could have that kind of relationship with.  You
looked so fucking happy."

"I was.  I still am."

He smiled.  "I know, and I'm happy for you, both of you . .
. honest, but it made me realize that I really didn't feel
like that about Adam, which made me feel guilty because I
know he cared a lot for me."

"He loved you," I told him quietly.

He glanced at me.  "I know."  He sighed again, softer this
time.  "I knew it wasn't fair to keep seeing him, and then
after I broke up with him, I had to stay away for a while,
to get over him and....  I don't know.  I missed you guys a
lot."  He waved it away with a swing of his bottle.
"Anyway, I'm sorry.  I was really glad
when I got your invitation so that I had a
reason to come out here."

"Jesus, you don't need a reason or an invitation, for
Christ's sake!"

"You know what I mean."  He dropped his arm over my shoulder and
pulled me to him.  "So Adam's still seeing Matt?"

"Yeah."  Just the thought of them made me smile.  "They're really
good together.  Matty needs someone sensitive and gentle, so Adam
is perfect for him.  And Matt's real affectionate, which Adam
loves."

"Sounds like a match made in heaven," Dylan said lightly, but I
knew it bothered him still.  We went on to talk about our
families, catching up on various happenings.  Our relationship had
changed in the months we'd been apart, and as we talked, I
realized that I would never sleep with him again.  We would be
friends and family forever, but our time of being lovers was over.

I watched him as he talked, thinking about all the things we'd
shared - our fumbling teenaged jerk-off sessions, that first
miraculous time of sliding my dick into his virgin ass, our
companionable evenings on the couch.  He turned to me and stopped
talking when he saw my expression.

"What?"

I smiled and hugged him.  "Nothing.  I'm just glad we're friends
again."

He smiled back, a rueful one-sided smile that made him look twelve
years old.  "Me, too."

I saw him a little later speaking with Adam.  As I watched, Adam
pulled him into a hug, which Dylan returned and they stood there
for a long moment, wrapped in each other's arms. Dylan was making
up with everyone today, it seemed.  He found me a while later to
say goodbye, thanking me for the invitation, but claiming he had
an evening's worth of work to get through before Monday morning.
I watched him go, pleased that we had patched things up somewhat.

Jesse turned out to be the home run king, smacking the ball almost
to the far fence a few times.  David had a dead eye in the
horseshoe pit, scoring enough ringers to have people shaking their
heads in admiration.  Bonnie had a great time galloping around the
field with the other visiting dogs, all of them ending up in the
creek periodically to cool off.  It seemed like the whole pack of
them waited to shake until they were in the middle of a crowd of
people, scattering shrieking women in all directions.

In the late afternoon, we demolished several pigs, roasted in a
pit in the meadow until they were falling apart.  After dinner,
families started leaving, taking home cranky children and tired
dogs.  By eight, it was down to just us boys, so we went up to the
house and sprawled in and around the hot tub.

David leaned across Gabriel who was on my left to ask me, "What
are you doing about 'Full Moon'?"

I frowned at him.  "'Doing' about it?  Nothing, it's sitting on
the mantle.  What do you mean?"

"What's 'Full Moon'?"  Danny asked from across the tub.

David ignored him as he shook his head.  "Matt didn't tell
you, did he?"

"David..."  Matt said in a warning tone.

I was clueless and must have looked it.  "Tell me what?
What the fuck are you talking about?"

"What's 'Full Moon'?"  Ben asked from my other side.

David ignored him, too.  "We sent it out for framing, and while it
was at the framer's, a collector from Chicago saw it.  He was in
town for a show at the museum.  The framer knew it was a gift, but
the guy bugged him enough that he finally called me."  He paused
as he met my eyes.  "He offered me $25,000 for it.  Said he didn't
care that the artist was unknown, he had to have the drawing."

My eyebrows were somewhere in my hairline as I stared at him.
"Twenty-five grand?"  I swung my head to Matt, who just shrugged.

"What the hell is it?"  Jesse demanded.

David glanced at him.  "A drawing Matt did for Sean and Vincent.
You haven't seen it, huh?"

"No one has," I replied.  "We haven't had anyone over since he
gave it to us."

"You need to get it insured," David advised.  "If that one guy
wanted it that badly, no telling what it would go for at auction."

"I'm not going to sell it," I said indignantly, as Vincent's hands
tightened on my shoulders.

"I know that, Sean," David replied with the exaggerated patience
you show a slow three-year-old.  "My point is that it's an asset
that needs to be appraised and added to your homeowner's
insurance."

"One of Matt's drawings is worth $25,000?"  Danny asked.

"Fuck, I guess so," I said.  "Jesus."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and narrowed my eyes at Matt, who
was suddenly fascinated with the hairs on Adam's leg.

"Matt sold a painting for $25,000?"  Cody asked as he came back
from taking a piss.

"Good god," I muttered in exasperation.  "No, he didn't."

"Let's go see it."  Gabriel this time.

Finally, it became easier to announce a trek to the house to view
the drawing than it was to correct all the misinformation flying
around.  We climbed out of the tub, dried off, and pulled our
shorts on.  I sent Matt ahead to turn on lights, and so that he
could see everyone's reaction when they first saw 'Full Moon.'

Appreciation of art is truly in the eye of the beholder, and it's
always interesting to watch people view a piece you yourself are
already familiar with.  As they came into the
room, faces filled with expectation softened into expressions of
delight and amazement that 'our' Matt had produced such a fabulous
portrait.

The power of the drawing was such that it made couples reach for
each other.  Vincent had reached for me that first night, and now
Jesse stepped behind Ben, looping his arms around Ben's waist to
gaze over his shoulder at 'Full Moon,' their faces close as Ben
leaned back into him.

Wade put a big hand on the back of Cody's neck as his eyes ran
over our naked bodies.  Cody stepped closer to pull Wade's arm
down across his chest.  Wade was quiet while the others were
commenting on how detailed it was, how the light was just right,
how it captured us so perfectly.

Danny was the last one through the door.  He was laughing with
Gabriel as he looked up at the drawing.  He sobered quickly and
his laughter died as he walked slowly forward. He stared at the
drawing for several moments, and then looked to me.  His
expression had a hunger to it that I hadn't seen before, and we
stared at each other across the room until Gabriel said something
to him.

Adam had walked to the window and was gazing out into the night,
his back to us.  Matt looked at him occasionally as he answered
questions about the drawing.  Wade glanced at Adam also, then to
Matt.  When his eyes came to me and held, I realized that he
understood what was going on with the four of us.  He looked away
from me as Matt walked to Adam, touching his shoulder tentatively.
They spoke for a moment, then Adam walked over to us with his arm
over Matt's shoulder.

"Can you do something like that for me and Cody?"  The deep rumble
of Wade's voice made us all turn to him.

Matt looked at him and nodded.  "Something like it, yes.
And I won't charge you twenty-five grand for it, either," he added
with a smile.

Without looking away from the drawing, Wade replied, "I'd pay it."

Matt stared at him for a moment, and then looked back to the
drawing.  In his face was the realization - finally - that he was
a gifted artist.  He hadn't really believed it before, but now,
with 'Full Moon,' I could see that he understood what it meant to
be able to create something that moved people so deeply.

---------------------------------

Thanks to David of Hope, who's keeping me going.
My email has changed to qwb224@gmail.com .