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by
Erastes
Copyright 2017 by Erastes
Chapter
1 - An Immodest Proposal.
It was the start of Fourth of July holiday weekend, and I'd just left the house to take a walk when my cell phone rang. I looked at the display to see who was calling before I answered.
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's neither of our birthdays and it's no where near Thanksgiving or Christmas, so is something wrong, Brad?" I asked, since I realized the call was from my best friend, Brad Kruse.
"No, Quinn, but I need you to come see me as soon as you can. I have a proposal to run by you that I don't think you'll be able to refuse."
I was mildly intrigued by what he'd just said, although slightly confused, but I was willing to listen to the reason for this call. Brad and I had been best friends throughout high school and college, and we'd stayed close after graduating, although we no longer lived close to one another. After college, I'd moved to a city about 60 miles (97km) north of New York City, while Brad relocated to L.A.
"Brad, can't you just run this by me over the phone? It's not like you live just down the street and I can get there easily." I was having difficulty understanding why he wanted me to travel all the way to California just so we could talk.
"I know, but this is something we need to discuss face-to-face," he countered without elaborating. "Trust me. You'll understand once you're here and I'm able to explain things in more detail, but I can't do it over the phone. Just fly out here as soon as you can, and if you don't like what I have to say, then you can return home and I'll even reimburse you for your travel expenses."
"Brad, you're not usually this cryptic or cloak and dagger, so it makes me wonder what you're up to? You aren't just trying out one of your script ideas on me, are you?" I was doing my best to make sense of the situation.
"No, it's nothing like that, but I'm convinced you won't be sorry once you get here and listen to what I have to say," he assured me, sounding very sincere.
"Ok, since I work from home and can continue what I'm doing from anywhere, I'll make the arrangements. I'll call you back as soon as I know what flight I'll be on and when I'll arrive." I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since I didn't feel he would lure me all the way to L.A. on a wild goose chase.
Maybe I should explain my relationship with Brad, because it will help you understand why I'd be willing to do this for him without an adequate explanation. I first got to know Brad during our sophomore year in high school, when we both signed up for the newly organized creative writing club. Each of us dreamed that we'd achieve our fame and fortune as writers, although we didn't plan on doing it exactly the same way. Thinking back on some of our earliest conversations, this is how it went down.
"One day I'm going to become famous for writing screenplays that will be made into movies," Brad informed me to explain why he'd joined the club. I was impressed by the extreme level of confidence he exuded in his ability.
"And one day you're going to see my name, Quinn Holt, on the cover of a New York Time's bestseller," I countered, trying not to be outdone. I hoped I'd just impressed him as much as he'd impressed me.
Even though our goals were slightly different, we became fast friends and picked each other's brains over the next three years when discussing story ideas. Once we came up with a concept we both liked, we would continue putting our heads together until we'd worked out most of the details. Then, we would both use that premise for our project, although we'd approach it from slightly different angles.
Since I realized my peers were more likely to read comics or magazines loaded with pictures, rather than books, I decided to create a graphic novel for the club. It wouldn't be a typical graphic novel, though, with each panel showing the action and dialogue, because that wouldn't meet the requirements of the club. Instead, I was planning on writing the story as if it were a standard novel, although I'd use half of every page to add an illustration depicting what was taking place in that section. I had a friend who'd offered to illustrate whatever I wrote and I was eager to use his artistic ability to make this work. Brad, on the other hand, was going to turn the same idea into a screenplay and then film it using members of the drama club to play the various roles.
Our first projects proved to be a lot more involved than we'd anticipated, but we persevered and completed them just the same. When we presented the finished projects to our faculty advisor and she'd had a chance to evaluate them, she urged us to submit our work to different competitions. She suggested a national format for each of us, one that she was familiar with for the medium we'd chosen. Brad and I did ok and our entries were selected to advance from the district to the state level, so we got some minor recognition for our efforts. It was enough, however, to make us want to do even better the following year.
In our junior year, we came up with another joint project, and once again we both advanced from the district to the state level. This time, however, our projects were also selected to advance to the regional level for our categories, before advancing to the national competition. Although we didn't do as well there as we hoped at the national level, it wasn't a total disaster or a complete waste of time, because we learned a great deal after seeing what the other competitors had submitted. In fact, it helped us to be even better prepared for entering the competitions in our final year.
"We've got to come up with a really good idea this time," Brad stated, as we began our summer vacation trying to think of a premise for our senior projects.
"Yeah, I know, but that's easier said than done," I countered, hoping we could actually pull it off.
We tossed around a variety of ideas for over a month before we hit upon something we thought might work. We then spent the next couple of weeks refining the concept until we were both ready to start work on a project we called 'Parallel Lives'.
The concept was about identical twin boys who'd been given up at birth and adopted by different families. The pair never knew about one another and hadn't discovered they had a twin, because they grew up in different communities. Even though they were never together, every aspect of their lives proved to be nearly identical. They not only looked exactly alike, but they had very similar interests, got involved in the same types of activities, and grew up as the only child in a middle class family. The only real difference between them was that one ended up attending a rougher school district and was bullied for most of his life, while the other never had to deal with that situation. We then used this singular difference to show how bullying had the potential of destroying a person's self-worth and altering his aspirations, which in turn affected his ability to be successful in life.
Once again, Brad and I made it to the national competitions, but this time we ended up receiving recognition and praise for our work. Brad's project was selected as the Grand Prize winner for his medium, while mine was chosen as runner up. Even though I hadn't done as well as he had, we hoped our hard work would help to get us accepted into a decent college.
"Are we going to apply to the same colleges then?" Brad asked, as he waited anxiously for my answer.
"Sure, we're a team and do our best work when we're together. All we have to do is figure out where we're going to apply."
"I really want to go to Brown University, because they have a terrific rep for their screen writing program."
"That would be an ideal situation for you, and they have other great writing programs too, but going there would also be very expensive. The only way I can see us being able to attend Brown is if we were offered scholarships."
"But can't we still apply and see what happens?" It was obvious Brad's heart was set on going there.
"Ok, but we'll have to apply to other places too, just in case we aren't offered any financial help. We'll need to have a backup college that our parents will be able to afford."
We ended up applying to several institutions of higher learning and then we began the long wait to see if we'd been accepted. When submitting our applications, we included several glowing letters of recommendation from our teachers, including one from our club advisor, but we knew the other applicants would have similar items. To increase the odds of our being selected, we also listed the various competitions we'd entered over the last three years and noted how we'd done, along with submitting samples of our work. In the end, it seemed to do the trick, because Brad and I both received acceptance letters from most of the schools we had applied to. We even got a letter of acceptance from Brown, but since they didn't offer either of us a scholarship, we chose to attend the University of Iowa instead. The writing programs there had a good reputation too and the total cost for tuition, room, and board was about 20% of what Brown charged.
Brad and I spent our first two years concentrating on our studies and we worked very hard. The biggest difference was that I'd chosen to pursue a minor as well, since I felt I would need the additional knowledge for the types of stories I planned to write. Having a minor also made it much more difficult to schedule the required courses and forced me to take classes over the summer too. Even with this added burden, Brad and I decided to take another big step during the start of our sophomore year.
"Brad, have you thought about applying to be part of the Creative Writing Track for our final two years?" I was anxious to see if he was up to joining me in this venture.
"First of all, they only accept juniors and seniors, and there's a very rigid selection process that includes a 3.3 GPA in order to be eligible."
"I know and I meet that requirement. I'm pretty sure you do too, but we'll need to apply by the second semester if we want to be accepted for next year." I looked at him hopefully.
"Ok, I'll do it, because it will look good on our resumes when we apply for jobs later."
We were both pleased and proud that we were accepted into the program, which turned out to be another feather in our caps. As anticipated, the coursework proved to be extremely challenging, but we both persevered and held up under the rigorous grind, graduating with honors. Now, we had another hurdle to face - getting a job.
"I know we're going to have to start off in entry level positions, but I won't be able to do that back home, so I'm planning to move to L.A.," Brad informed me shortly after we'd graduated. "It's where I'll need to be if I want to pursue my dream."
"Yeah, I know, and I'm going to have to do something similar," I confessed. I hated the thought that we weren't going to be together any longer, but we had to do what was best for us. "I'm going to apply for a teaching position in school districts close to New York City, since that's where most of the major publishing houses are located."
"Why don't you just apply for a job with one of the publishers, maybe as an editor?"
"I could, but I thought I'd have more time to write if I was a teacher."
Once that had been settled, we shed a few tears before going our separate ways. Although we knew it was something we had to do and what was required to reach our goals, it didn't make the parting any easier. I eventually accepted a position as a high school English teacher in Newburgh, New York, which put me about an hour's drive away from the city. Fortunately, it also came with a decent starting salary and allowed me time to write on weekends, during school holidays, and over the summer recess.
Shortly after Brad found an apartment in L.A. and had settled in, he was able to land an entry level position in the publicity department of one of the major film studios. He hoped the job would allow him to meet the right people and establish the contacts he'd need to attain his goal of becoming a screenwriter. It was definitely going to be a struggle and would take time, but he was totally committed to making it happen.
Brad utilized his time making himself known around the studio by performing his duties as well as he could and getting great job reviews, thus making valuable contacts in the process. He even met a young woman who worked as an executive assistant and they were rapidly becoming close. About a month after their first date, Brad finally called to tell me about her.
"Her name's Pam, and she's not only cute, but we have a lot in common too. She's very supportive of what I want to do with my life and has even offered to help me. In a way, she reminds me a lot of you."
"Do you mean because she's good looking, in great shape, has a keen wit, or all of the above?" I teased, since I wanted to see his reaction.
"I've never noticed any of those things about you," he replied, tongue-in-cheek, "but she's willing to gently prod me in the right direction and encourages me not to give up, kind of like you used to do."
"Ah, so she's cracking the whip to keep you in line!" I heard Brad snort after I'd said this.
"Except she's much gentler and easier on the eyes," he added, getting in another barb.
We continued our conversation, and I could tell by the tone in his voice and the things he was saying that this was serious. It was apparent Brad was totally smitten, so I wondered how long it would take before he found the courage to pop the question.
Even though Brad was spending quite a bit of time with Pam, she made certain he didn't lose sight of his other goals. After he'd shared some of the scripts he'd written in high school and college with her, she convinced him to show them to his new contacts too, which led to his next break. After seeing what he was capable of, Brad was offered the opportunity to work as part of a team on a concept that one of the studio executives had come up with for a movie. The big wig merely had a rough idea that he wanted a group of writers to flesh out and make work.
"What we're asking each of you to do is to take this idea and write your own screenplay for it," the person in charge of the project told them. "Several individuals, including the person who came up with the concept, will go over each of the scripts later and evaluate them. Then, the evaluators will meet together and rank them from most to least favorable."
Once the studio executives had read each script, the originator of the idea looked at the evaluations and then selected the script he thought would best translate into a commercial success. He also selected various sections and ideas from some of the other scripts that he thought would enhance the story and asked the team to work together to combine everything into a final version.
In the end, the studio heads were pleased with what the team came up with, but Brad received the most recognition for his contributions. His screenplay had been the one chosen by the studio execs and the one the other ideas were going to be incorporated into. Brad realized this would now allow him to pitch his own ideas, as well as fleshing out the scripts of others.
Seeing his professional career was going well, Brad called to tell me about it. "Quinn, guess what?" he began rhetorically. "A screenplay I wrote has just been selected to be turned into a movie!"
"Hey, that's terrific, Brad! Congrats!" I meant every word and felt great for him.
"I also need to ask you something." I wondered what it was he was about to spring on me. "I'm going to propose to Pam, but first I wanted to make sure you'd agree to stand up with me and be my Best Man."
I answered without hesitation. "Of course I will, as long as it's not during the school year. I'd be honored to do this for you."
"Thanks, man. I knew you wouldn't let me down. I'll call you back once she accepts and we've set a date."
In fact, I flew out early for the big event, so Pam and I would get to know each other first. Pam and I hit it off almost immediately, although she was confused about a couple of things.
"Brad told me a little about you, but I didn't realize you were taller than him." I topped out at six feet two inches (1.88 m) tall, which meant I was three inches (7.6 cm) taller than Brad.
"And better looking too. Did he tell you about that either?" Pam giggled.
"No, but that doesn't mean I don't agree with you." I liked her sense of humor and knew we'd all be really close from now on. I also had no doubt I'd always be included as part of their family.
Just before their first anniversary, Brad and Pam celebrated the birth of their first child, a son, and now they have two sons and a daughter. Although the amount of time I have to spend with them is limited, I manage to visit each year around Brad's birthday in mid-March, and they usually come to visit me around my birthday in late September as well. We also get to spend time with each other when we visit our parents for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or to celebrate the New Year, since Brad and my families still live where we grew up. This way we get to see each other at least three times a year.
During my various trips to L.A., Brad and Pam have made sure to show me around the area, and over time have taken me to see most of the sights. They even invited me to join them when they took the kids to Disneyland a couple of summers ago, so I could be part of the fun too.
In return, whenever they've come out to visit me, I've taken them to the city to enjoy the full New York experience. We agreed not to rush things on any of these excursions and preferred to concentrate on quality, not quantity, when seeing the various sights. We would select three or four spots to visit each time we're together and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time.
It took me a few years to complete my first manuscript, and then I found a literary agent who was willing to accept me as a client and pitch my work to the appropriate publishers. This was important, since most publishers won't accept unsolicited manuscripts, and after several rejections that nearly broke my heart, I was offered my first contract. I immediately called Brad to tell him.
"I finally did it! I'm going to get published."
"Congratulations, and it's about time. Is it one of your science fiction stories?"
"Of course, seeing that's what I prefer to write. Why else would I have minored in Physics and Astronomy in college and taken all of those extra courses? I only did it so I'd be able to present the science accurately."
"And now that hard work seems to be paying off. I can't wait to read it."
To my surprise and utter delight, the book seemed to catch on fairly quickly with the public and sold quite well. Even though my writing career was now taking off and I was beginning to earn money from it, I decided to keep my teaching job for the time being, as I began work on my second novel. I would have preferred to be able to quit teaching so I could focus on my next story full-time, but I felt it would be best if I waited until I'd saved enough money for emergencies first, before I did that. I wasn't prepared to take that leap just yet and felt it would be best to have a safety net for the rough times I knew I might face later. Even though things were starting to come together and life was looking good, it didn't mean it would stay that way.
The recent phone call from Brad happened to come shortly after I'd told him about signing a contract for my second story, so it made me wonder if that or my first novel had anything to do with his call. Was he going to do like we did in school and write a screenplay based on one of my ideas? I thought it might be a strong possibility, plus it was about the only reason I could think of that would require me to meet him in person. For that reason alone, I was starting to get excited about making this trip.
I hurriedly purchased a plane ticket, began packing, and called Brad so I could tell him my schedule. "Brad, I'll be catching a flight Wednesday morning, so I should be arriving at LAX by late afternoon or early evening, depending on the delays I encounter along the way."
"Ok, give me your flight number and I'll make sure I'm there to pick you up when your plane lands." I appreciated his offer, since it would save me from having to take a taxi. "We're also planning on you staying here with us and Pam will have dinner ready by the time we get to the house."
I'd already figured on that, because they always asked me to stay at their house whenever I visited. Brad and Pam would have the boys sleep together in one bedroom, while I stayed in the other. Now that everything was set, I checked to make sure I was taking everything I would need with me, which included my laptop so I could continue to write while Brad and Pam were at work and the kids were in school. The hard drive also contained the final copies of both manuscripts, just in case Brad needed one or the other, since I'd convinced myself it must be what he wanted to discuss.
On Wednesday morning, I made my way to Stewart International Airport in Newburgh and caught a flight to Philadelphia. From there, I made my connection to LAX and flew nonstop the rest of the way. It was a flight I'd made several times before, so I used the time to begin outlining a new story idea I'd been considering, so the trip wasn't a total waste of time. As soon as the plane landed, I rushed to grab my suitcase from the carousel, and then went out to the concourse. I found Brad waiting for me and we gave each other a quick hug in greeting before I followed him out to the car.
We'd been carrying on our typical friendly banter the entire way, asking how each other had been, although I asked him about his family too, and what new things were going on in the other's life. Once we were situated in the car, I expected Brad to start the engine and take off for the house, but he just sat there for a few moments before he turned and looked over at me.
"Quinn, are you still into younger boys?" After hearing his question, my mouth dropped open and my jaw nearly landed in my lap. I was completely stunned by his question and unable to respond, as I wondered what he was getting at.
"Why in the hell would you ask me that?" I countered, trying to maintain my composure. That wasn't easy, though, because I was concerned where this might be heading.
Although Brad had known almost from the first minute we'd met that I was gay, it had never bothered him before. In fact, when we were in high school, he even asked me to give him a blowjob a couple of times when his girlfriend wouldn't do anything sexual with him.
"Calm down and I'm not accusing you of anything," he added while reaching across and touching my arm to reassure me. "It's just that I noticed throughout high school that you only messed around with guys that were at least two years or more younger than you. You also didn't have any hookups that I know of in college, but when we went off campus your eyes always seemed to be following the younger teen boys whenever they passed by." I was now even more flabbergasted than before.
"I didn't hook up in college because I was concentrating on my studies," I countered, trying to justify my actions. "You know how much extra pressure my minor put on me, but I did it because I felt I needed the background so I could effectively write science fiction stories."
"Look, don't get uptight, because I'm not saying anything derogatory about your preference," he stated calmly. "In fact, it's part of the reason I invited you here. I have a proposal I want to make and I hope you'll accept it."
At this point, I was totally bewildered and had absolutely no idea what Brad was hinting at. First, he wanted to know if I was still interested in boys, although he wasn't accusing me of anything, and now he wanted to make a proposition. I'm sure my eyes were bulging out of their sockets when Brad finally started to speak again.
"This has to do with Reid." Brad casually studied my face after mentioning the name of his older son. "Even though he just turned thirteen, I've suspected he's gay for quite some time and recently I caught him in a compromising situation with a neighbor boy who's several years older. I sat down and had a talk with him about it after I caught them together, merely to let him know that I'd love him no matter what his sexual preference was. That's when he informed me about something that nearly blew my mind. Reid not only confirmed that he was gay, but he also claimed he wasn't interested in boys his age, or even a little older for that matter. He informed that he'd prefer to do things with older men, even stating that he liked guys around my age, and that really concerned me."
I still wasn't sure where this was going, although it was starting to become clearer. Did he want me to talk to Reid and explain how dangerous this could be, or was he hoping I could convince Reid to focus on guys closer to his own age? Possibly he was hoping I'd explain how I used to get it on with slightly younger guys throughout high school, to show him that such attractions weren't unusual. However, there was another possibility, but I just couldn't believe Brad was going there, so I quickly focused on what he was saying next.
"Quinn, I know there are plenty of guys out there that would love to use and abuse boys like Reid, and I want to protect him from those types of men. I was hoping that if you were still interested in boys that maybe I could talk you into moving out here and serving as Reid's outlet. When I was discussing what I'd caught him doing, I happened to mention your name and Reid's face lit up. When I asked him about it, he said he thought you were really hot, so I figured maybe you could teach him the ropes and help keep him safe. I felt that if he had you to do those things with, then he wouldn't go looking for someone else and end up with a guy who might harm or even kill him."
Although I hadn't expected to hear him suggest this, he had and now I was fumbling to find the words to respond to his offer. To my shock and horror, he'd somehow figured out I was a closeted boy lover, although I'd never acted on the impulse after high school. Even though he was now granting me permission to do things with his son, providing Reid agreed to the idea too, it was still against the law. If anyone else discovered what was going on I would be the one arrested and thrown into prison, even if I had Brad's approval. This was basically the reason I'd never really acted upon my desire and had only ogled boys from a distance, because I had too much to lose if the situation went badly.
"Brad, I don't even know where to begin or how to respond to this," I answered as honestly as I could. "I see you've figured out that I like boys, even if only in my heart and mind, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy being with older guys too..."
"As long as they look young," he added, cutting me off. "I'm not bothered by that and hope you'll agree to do this for us."
"But you're not even sure Reid will go along with the idea, and even if he does, it still wouldn't negate my other concerns, such as law enforcement," I pointed out, trying to get him to see my point of view. "Besides, I'd have to move here and find a place close enough to you so Reid would be able to visit from time to time. Seeing him showing up at my place so often might be enough to make others suspicious about what we were up to."
"I've already considered that too and have talked this over with Pam. She agrees that this might be the best way to protect our son and we've come up with an idea that will protect you too. You see, Pam and I have been working with a realtor and looking at properties that either have an in-law apartment or a guest house so you would be able to move in with us, yet still have your privacy. We've already selected four potential places, and if you agree to do this, then we'll take you around to look at them too. Once you've seen each one, the three of us will sit down and make the final decision together. What do you say?"
Therein lay the problem, because I was so overwhelmed that I was unable to respond. Brad's comments had left me totally speechless. Not only had he already discussed this with Pam and shared his observations about my predilection with her, but he'd also gotten her to agree to go along with this crazy scheme. She was obviously willing to allow me to become their son's sexual tutor and was even willing to purchase a new house so I'd be able to do it without rousing suspicions.
"Look, if you're worried about being so far away from your agent and the publishers, you shouldn't. You're an established author now and you can fly back whenever you can't do what's needed via a teleconference. You'll be able to work just as well from here, and the weather is much better too, so I know you'll love the change. You can even have your meals with us so you won't have to cook, unless you want to. We don't plan on controlling you, but we'd love to make you a part of the family and have you close enough so Reid doesn't have to go in search of someone else."
"So what you're saying is that you want me to be the in-law moving in with you?" I offered this as a joke to relieve some of the tension, since I was totally blown away by everything I'd just heard.
"Yes, I guess in a way that IS what I'm saying," he replied while also nodding his head. "I guess it's kind of like an old-fashioned arranged courtship, although it may not result in anything more, but I'm convinced Reid will be in favor of this too."
"I'd prefer to talk it over with him first, just so I can observe his reaction and see how he feels about it. I don't want you to take this wrong, but I'm not committing myself to anything yet. I just want to see if Reid is enthusiastic about the idea too. If he isn't, then we'll drop this and not mention it again, but if he is, then we can discuss it further at that time."
"Fair enough," Brad agreed, as he finally started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
Brad tried to talk to me about this some more on the way to the house, but my mind was whirling and I was only able to catch bits and pieces of what he was saying. I think he eventually figured this out after a few futile attempts at trying to get a response and finally left me alone to think about this in peace.
I'd seen Reid when I visited a few months earlier and thought he was cute, but he was younger than my normal preference, which was teens. He'd been twelve at the time and even though he'd just turned thirteen, I wasn't sure if he'd even begun puberty yet or if he still possessed the smaller, childhood appendage. I liked to at least have a mouthful to work with, and I also liked them to be able to ejaculate, so I probably had as many questions and concerns about this as Reid. I just wasn't sure if we'd be able to discover the answers to these questions in a discrete, non-invasive manner so we'd be able to make up our minds.
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E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: ErastesTouch@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.
My other stories:
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/different-points-of-view/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/a-throw-away-kid/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/the-guardian/
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Although the boys in these stories sometimes have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using taking appropriate precautions before engaging in sex.