Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2006 12:06:22 -0800 (PST) From: adm2780 Subject: New Horizons Chapter Twenty-One All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. As in real life, the sexual themes unfold gradually and are kept to a realistic level. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author, Dwight Wilson, at adm2780@yahoo.com This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between males, adult and minor. As such it is homoerotic, designed for the entertainment of mature adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral dilemmas, please exit now Note: Once again, I would like to thank Colin for his support and efforts at editing and correcting my errors. His suggestions and comments have been a significant contribution to the development of this story. Chapter Twenty One: New Horizons When they returned to Dr. Thompson's home, the boys turned and looked at Daniel and his dad. Anticipating what the boys wanted, Dr. Thompson answered the unspoken question. "Yes, you may jump in the pool. However, do not leave your clothes in a pile, fold them and place them on the guest bed, please. You may need to wear them again before getting back to Fort Ogden. If anyone's clothes got dirty during supper, the laundry room is off the garage. You will find detergent and any other required cleaning materials in the cabinet above the washer." Before Daniel's dad finished speaking the boys, and Mark, had stripped and headed for the guest room. Daniel stopped the exodus. "Hold it, guys. Is there anyone here who is going to tell me not one shirt or one pair of shorts got food spilled on it during supper? I suggest you give your clothes another inspection. If we have to see the Governor tomorrow, you will be wearing these clothes, not the Cherub outfits." The boys looked at Daniel and then again at their clothes. Almost every boy turned toward the laundry room. The little ones' clothes were particularly dirty. Daniel finally suggested that all of them put their clothes in the washer to avoid any embarrassing moments tomorrow. Daniel and his dad took care of the laundry. Daniel took the opportunity to talk with his dad. "Dad, you know these people much better than I do, what do think is their true feelings about this project?" Daniel's dad paused a moment before answering his son. "Daniel, I thought you knew by now that these men want this project to succeed. You need to think back three months when you made a presentation to this same group. You didn't have to convince them this was the right thing to do; they already knew that. What you needed to do was convince them you were the right person to do it. They wanted to see your compassion and dedication. When they understood your motives, New Horizons became a reality." "Now, there is another reality you seem to forget from time to time. These men are politicians, they answer to the public, and more importantly, they answer through the media. They've already let you know they want to give you what you are asking for; they just need to determine how to do that without being called to task by the media. Understand that not all people wanted to see New Horizons work." "There are people in this world, actually in this state, that look at those boys as nothing more than dollar signs. Sell the boys, generate the dollars, spend the dollars on constituents and win votes; or at the very least, get influence and power. You'll get a call tomorrow morning, I don't know if it will be the call you want. If not, take time to figure out why and then re-address the problem. "Right now, Daniel, there are two immediate issues you need to consider. The first is that you were extremely tense at dinner tonight. Every time someone came close to the table you were uptight. I know why and so do those boys. They understand that you don't want anyone calling on them. They also understand that it may happen from time to time. When it does, they'll deal with it, in the meantime they try the best they know how to be happy." "The second issue to consider is that those boys are out there having a good time. Join them; learn to appreciate the here and now. In fact, I think I may join them; that is, if the boys don't mind." As he spoke Daniel's dad removed his clothes and threw them into the washer with the boys'. "Care to join us, son?" *** The phone rang shortly after 9 AM; it was Ms. Johns, the Governor's secretary. "Good morning, Mr. Thompson. The Governor would like to invite you and your father to meet with the board at 10:30 in the Governor's office, would that be convenient?" "Certainly, it would be our pleasure. Would the governor or board members like for us to bring anything with us, such as our presentation slide?" "He didn't mention anything to me," responded Ms. Johns, "however, it never hurts to be prepared with the Governor." "I understand, Ms. Johns, please let the Governor know we'll be there." Daniel hung up the phone and turned to his dad and the boys. "Dad, the Governor wants to meet with us at 10:30. Boys, you'll need your street uniforms, you're not going as Cherubs today. Mark, I'll ask you to stay with the boys while we meet with the board. We'll try to arrange with one of the guides for the boys to get a tour of the capitol." *** Daniel, his dad, Mark and the boys arrived at the capitol just before 10:30. Ms. Johns arranged for the boys to take a tour of the capitol grounds and buildings while Daniel and his dad meet with the board. Daniel was assured the boys would be properly protected and no one will be allowed to take any liberties with the Governor's guests. They entered the governor's office; Daniel's dad took the lead on the customary greetings. "Governor, gentlemen. Thank you for responding to us so quickly. May we assume you have prepared a draft of the amendment?" The Governor looked at his old friend and smiled, then to Daniel. "Daniel, did you ever notice your dad's habit of trying to lead the person he's addressing to the answer he wants? If you don't stay on your toes you'll wind up agreeing to something you never intended to agree with in the first place." Daniel smiled when he responded to the Governor. "Yes sir, he did it, and still does it, to me; particularly if he thinks I've been up to something. Problem was, he usually knew the answer before he asked the question. In this case governor, I'm hoping that still holds true and a draft has been prepared." The Governor looked at the rest of the men seated in the room. "What did I tell you gentlemen, like father, like son - both can be very smooth. Okay, Daniel, let's get down to business. We fully understand what you want and agree in principal. There are third parties who could be affected by what you propose, and we need to address their interests. If we can agree on those interests, then we can modify the agreement." The Governor continued. "The third parties are business and other creditors of the families these boys come from. You know that under the Wray decision children of bankrupts can be declared assets and sold to liquidate debt. We believe, like many others, that these street kids are either runaways avoiding authorities to avoid enslavement, or have been abandoned by their parents for the same reason. Now, before you get going, let me tell you now that we don't necessarily disagree with your perspective on the issue. However, we are elected officials sworn to uphold and enforce the law. So here's the deal." "We know from information about Sean and Brad that they have been on the street for over one year. The life of a warrant in bankruptcy for seizing and enslaving a debtor's personal property is one year. Therefore, if Brad contacts you there is no problem from a creditor's perspective. However, if he committed a felony crime during the past three years and there is a warrant for him, then he must be surrendered to the authorities." "This same proposition holds for any other child or children that may approach New Horizons for help. If there is a warrant from the bankruptcy court issued within the twelve months preceding contact, the child must be surrendered if he comes under your control. If there is an outstanding felony warrant, the child must be surrendered if he comes under your control. We will make available to you a web site listing the names of all open warrants so if you are contacted by a child you can verify their eligibility prior to taking control. A violation, of course, would jeopardize the agreement. " The Governor paused to give Daniel the opportunity to absorb the proposal. Daniel understood what the Governor said, including the 'under control' portion of the statement. However, Daniel had his own concerns regarding these terms. "Governor, gentlemen, I understand what you are saying and the fairness of the conditions, particularly those concerning outstanding felony warrants. I assure you that New Horizons will not at any time deliberately conceal a wanted felon. Governor, you mentioned a violation would jeopardize the agreement. We would ask that the wording state a 'willful violation'. A child could lie to us regarding their actual name and we would have no way of knowing this without being able to check fingerprints or some method beyond the list you mentioned." "Also, we want to be sure we understand one another regarding the enslavement of innocent children by the bankruptcy courts. We have always let it be known we do not approve of those laws and will work to have them overturned. We need to understand amongst ourselves that New Horizons will not change its position on this matter." "Daniel," said Amos Crawford, "we understand both your personal position and New Horizons' position. We will not consider asking you to change those values. There are many in this room that hope you succeed in having those laws overturned or new laws passed countermanding the enslavement of a debtor's child. Sharing those values is part of why we approved the agreement in the first place. Also, please remember that we must answer to the public, both the individuals and the businesses." The Governor moved to close the conversation. "Gentlemen, the draft of the amendment will be prepared by early afternoon. Unless I grossly underestimate Daniel's anxiety to formalize the amendment I believe he would like to have the matter settled today. I suggest we meet again at 1:30. In the meantime I would like to invite everyone, including the boys, to be my guests for lunch." Ms. Johns sent out a call for Mark and the boys. Daniel's dad took the moment to compliment his son as they exit the governor's office. "Daniel, you did well in there. You're learning to appreciate the small victories and continue to work for the larger goals." "Thanks, Dad, what they asked for isn't unfair. We don't oppose slavery for felons, only for the innocent. I meant what I said in there, we will soon begin a concerted effort to have either new laws passed protecting the children, or laws to nullify existing enslavement laws as they pertain to children." The Governor escorted the group to one of his favorite delicatessens and told the boys to order whatever they wanted. Mark and the boys sat in one area while Daniel and the men sat together. Amos Crawford continued his earlier conversation with Daniel. "Daniel, several of us are anxious to understand more about your views on enslavement and some of the laws you, and your associates at New Horizons, would like to see amended. While ago you mentioned you did not oppose slavery?" "Amos, we don't oppose the concept of enslaving felons. When you think about it there are a number of benefits to society as a whole. Why should society be burdened with supporting a person that is not willing to assume responsibility for themselves? I don't recall the last set of figures that was published before slavery was authorized, but I do remember it cost the public a substantial sum per capita to incarcerate, feed, clothe, shelter and post guards on felons. The slavery law allowed these people to be placed in the labor market, normally handling menial tasks the average person did not want to perform. The owner assumed liability for supervision and care in exchange for labor. The public benefited from revenue generated from the sale and reduced public costs. Our objections arose when society was willing to enslave innocent children for mistakes of the parents." Daniel paused for a moment. "I'll assume everyone here is familiar with Article X, Section 4 of the state constitution which protects homestead property from seizure and forced sale by creditors. In addition to the constitutional protection, statutes protect any property held or titled in the name of both husband and wife from seizure and sale of creditors of one of the parties. The policy behind both the constitutional and statutory protections was to provide protection to the family and assure them shelter. The key element here is the protection of the family against consequences of errors of the parent or parents." Daniel continued. "The statutes of inheritance underscore the intended protection of the family. Under these statutes, when the homestead is titled in the head of the household who dies and is survived by a spouse and minor children, the surviving spouse receives a life estate with remainder interest to the children. The homestead is exempt from administration of the probate estate and, thus, attachment by creditors of the decedent. This assures the children will have a place to call home until they come of age and are competent to make their own choices." "The Wray decision is in direct contravention to these long-standing family value protections. Under Wray, if the creditor cannot attach the homestead to settle a debt the creditor can then attack and destroy the family. The homestead law protects the dirt so children, actually the remaining family, will have a place to call home. Wray allows the law to destroy the family. Which is more valuable, the child or the dirt?" Daniel then directed his comments to the Governor. "Governor, with your permission I would like to contact the television stations that are running the special announcements on Brad and let them know we can offer Brad safe shelter. Hopefully, that will give us a better chance of contacting him." "Daniel," The governor responded, "as I said earlier you can bring Brad in and no one will bother him, you have my word on that. When we sign this amendment you can bring in other boys. When we return to my office, assuming we all approve the draft, I'll have Ms. Johns arrange a press conference to announce the amendment and its meaning. Hopefully, this will help." Daniel's cell phone rang. Daniel knew someone at Fort Ogden was trying to reach him, it was Michael. "Daniel, the hospital called. They want to schedule Sean's tests to begin this coming Monday; he'll need to be there Sunday afternoon. Test results will dictate if and when surgery will be performed. Thought you'd like to know." "Thanks, Michael. Ask Paul to get the message out to the television stations in case they don't know. It's time for us to step up the search for Brad. Ask Paul if he can contact some of our newspaper supporters; maybe they'd be willing to run a sketch of Brad with a 'Have you seen this boy?' type caption. The board is granting the amendment; I'll explain in detail later. You should hear about it on tonight's news." Daniel rapid fired a lot of information, but Paul heard the tone of voice and knew his friend was pleased with the way things had progressed. "Daniel, I'll let everyone know and ask Paul to make the contacts. Any idea when you'll be back?" "Michael, it depends on how late we finish here and how we feel. I asked Dad to put up with us for one night, pushed for two; he may disown me if I go for three." As he said this Daniel turned to see his dad laughing, and possibly contemplating the truth of the comments. The Governor spoke as Daniel closed the cell phone. "Daniel, do you have any photo or sketches of Brad and Sean with you? I think when we get back, and assuming we all agree on the draft of the amendment, I'm going to have my secretary add one more thing to it ^Ö we are going to call this amendment Brad's Rule. As I said before, we'll hold a news conference this afternoon to announce the rule and its effect. It might help if we have the boys with us, but dressed in the Cherub outfits we saw yesterday. What do you think?" "Governor, I think we are deeply in your debt for the support." *** The Governor approached the podium to begin the news conference. He was flanked on his left by the board that approved the amendment and on his right by Daniel and the Cherubs. The governor began the announcements. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for joining us on such short notice. I'm sure you know the members of the cabinet standing to my left, who are joined by Amos Crawford, the head of DCF, and Ron Wilson, the head of DOC. On my right are Daniel Thompson, the head of the New Horizons Project, his Father, and eight of the boys in the project. The boys travel on public appearances with Daniel as the New Horizons Cherubs. We are here to make a special announcement regarding the state's agreement with New Horizons, but first I am going to ask their young spokesman to introduce them." The Governor approaches Danny and holds a microphone in front of him. When the governor nods for Danny to start, Danny first looked to Daniel for a signal and then spoke. "Hi, my name is Danny 02780. These are my friends and we're here to visit with you." The governor pats Danny on the shoulder and returned to the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen that was Danny 02780. He introduces the group the same way at each appearance. I'll ask that each of you think very hard about how he introduced himself. Now, let's move forward with the announcement." "A little over three months ago the state entered into an agreement with New Horizons regarding the private care of abandoned children. As part of the agreement the state surrendered conditional custody of eighty-seven boys being held at the Tampa detention facility. All of these boys, except three who were under age, were scheduled to be moved to the Tampa Auction Center and sold as slaves. So long as New Horizons satisfies its obligations under the agreement, none of these boys will ever be sold as slaves. However, it has come to our attention there is a flaw in the original agreement ^Ö that is what we have addressed today." "I'm sure most, if not all, of you have seen the service announcements on television regarding a boy named Sean and his brother, Brad. Sean is a New Horizons boy with health issues. A hospital in Orlando has arranged for the boy to receive the necessary tests to determine his exact problem and best cure. The doctors believe that Brad is an essential element in Sean's treatment and recovery. The simple solution is to find Brad and reunite him with Sean, right? It's not so simple." "Brad was not a part of the original eighty-seven boys. The state had no control over him at the time, nor does it now. However, if Brad were to appear now and was noticed by a police officer, he would be enslaved and sold as an indigent. If you were Brad, would you be willing to surrender yourself under those conditions?" The governor then turned and looked straight at the camera. "Brad, as Governor of this state, I am telling you personally,^Å I am giving you my personal assurance, that if you surrender yourself to a police officer or any official of this state, or to New Horizons, you will not be sold as a slave, but offered a safe haven with your brother. If anyone has seen this boy, and a sketch of the boy should be on your screen now, please have him contact us immediately." The Governor then looked back to his audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have just heard the essence of the amendment to the state's agreement with New Horizons. We refer to this amendment as Brad's Rule. In essence, the rule says that should any boy ^Ö please, listen to what I just said, not just Brad, but any boy - come to New Horizons for shelter, New Horizons may grant the shelter and take custody of the boy under the terms of the original agreement. There are two qualifying provisions. One is there must not be an open warrant issued by the bankruptcy court within the twelve months preceding contact. Two, there must not be an open felony warrant." "I have two quick items I want to address before we end this press conference. First, our congratulations to Daniel, New Horizons, and its members for the great work they have done in a very short period of time. Daniel made a presentation to us yesterday highlighting the goals and accomplishments at Fort Ogden. All I can say is that if government could be that efficient, maybe we wouldn't have to address this issue today." "The second item is real quick. Tonight, there is a reception at the Governor's Mansion which, I am sure, many of you will attend. I am hereby extending to Daniel, his dad, and the boys, my personal invitation to join us at the reception. This should give you, the press, and many members of the legislature the opportunity to better acquaint yourselves with the project and the people involved with it. Although this is normally a black tie affair, I'm asking the boys to join us just as they are, the New Horizons Cherubs." The governor ended his announcements and asked if anyone had any questions. Daniel was so pleased with this unexpected turn of events he had trouble concentrating. Several members of the press raised their hand to be recognized. The Governor called on someone Daniel was willing to bet the governor knew would not ask any embarrassing questions. "Governor, if I'm not mistaken, you just announced your support of the New Horizons Project. If that is so, does that mean you endorse its values including the abolition of slavery?" The Governor eyed his questioner, this obviously was not the 'put me on the spot' question he wanted, and then he continued. "Rachel, your question has one major flaw. You said New Horizons supports abolition of slavery; that's simply not true. New Horizons opposes the enslavement of children for errors made by their parents. Now, I believe what you really are asking is why am I willing to support this project now, is that correct?" The lady nods her head. "I'll answer in two words: 'family values'. All of you in here now who are parents, when you get home tonight I want you to look at your children and then ask yourselves one question: Are these children gifts to be loved and nurtured, or are these children a commodity to be sold to bail me out of financial trouble because I made a mistake?" The conference ended. The governor approached Daniel. "Daniel, my apologies for the short notice. However, there will be a number of legislators and powerful party members there tonight. Bring the boys and do your program some good. A stretch limo will pick all of you up at seven sharp." Daniel thanked the governor and then took his group back to his dad's house. Dr. Thompson had a tuxedo, Daniel and Mark did not. Daniel gave final instructions before leaving for the rental shop. "Boys, tonight you will be the guests of the Governor. Between now and then you can play in the pool for no more than forty-five minutes. After that, all of you need to get a nap or at least some rest to prepare for tonight. Mentors, we're allowing for a ninety- minute nap-rest time. If the little ones don't want to cooperate, put them down and sit on them if you have to. Everyone will take a rest, no arguing and get rid of those pathetic 'that's not fair' expressions. After nap time, mentors you know what to do. Oil 'em up and everything. Oh, and nobody has to worry about butt plugs tonight. Any questions?" Gregg raised is hand. "Mr. Dan'l, what about supper?" Daniel looked over and saw his dad laughing, seeming to have a good time with this. "Gregg, after the rest time I'm sure my dad has fruit and other snacks around here. Food will be served buffet style at the reception. Each of you can take a small amount of food at a time. You can go to the buffet as many times as you like. However, don't eat so much or a lot of fried foods so you start passing gas in public, okay? Everyone understand?" "Yeah, Mr. Dan'l, that means no fartin' in public, right?" offered ten year old Jimmy. "Yeah, that's right, Jimmy. If anyone does start any fartin' in public I may just wind up plugging you myself right in front of everyone; and, remember, a butt plug can fill a wise mouth, too." Daniel decided to escape before his dad and the boys had too much fun at his expense. First, however, he told Kevin to call Ben before doing anything else and let the boy know he wouldn't be back that night. Daniel reminded Kevin of how Ben had reacted three months earlier when Kevin left without taking Ben with him. *** The limo picked them up promptly at seven; the boys were excited by the idea of riding in a limo. As they unloaded at the entrance to the mansion the limo was bathed in floodlights and flashing cameras. The governor mentioned some of the afternoon's press people be attending tonight, he didn't mention the rest of the media world would be there also. Daniel noticed that the twin, shortly after the spotlight shown on him, reverted to his 'party boy' routine by assuming a sultry, almost slithering walk. The walk was designed to put any gay man or boy worshiper in heat within two minutes. Daniel never realized how many people were involved in the upper echelons of state government that he had never met or heard of. He believed that before the evening was over he shook more hands than he did in the three year battle to win approval for New Horizons. He answered so many questions with a smile on his face that his muscles felt like they had a permanent cramp. The boys moved through the crowd like pros. All of them looked refreshed and had fresh coats of oil. This combined with the colors of theirs flaps and unique accessories made the boys stand out. It looked strange to see eight almost naked boys moving through a sea of tuxedos and cocktail dresses. Daniel noticed all the boys visited the buffet, some more than others with the older teens making the buffet a constant companion for the evening. Daniel hoped no one else saw how often they got food; they'd think Daniel never fed them. Of course anyone with teenage boys knew their stomachs were bottomless pits. Security was given word these boys were off limits for personal satisfaction to anyone; they were under the personal protection of the Governor. Daniel kept an eye on all the boys as they moved about or people came up to them. More than once it seemed someone kept their hands on a silky smooth butt longer than necessary, but that seemed to be the limit. Daniel was concerned about how the boys would react to the large of number of people, but soon relaxed when he saw how the boys handled themselves and there were no incidents. The ladies loved holding the younger boys and hugging the older boys. More than one older lady seemed to be making a visual image of a boy for a permanent memory. Several times boys were asked to pose with guests for pictures. As Daniel watched people interact with the boys he had a thought that he decided to file away as a future goal ^Ö adoption. *** Two of the younger boys fell asleep almost immediately upon leaving the Governor's Mansion; the rest of the boys looked worn out. Mentors undressed the little ones and themselves on the way home. No one had to say anything as the boys walked through the door and found their sleeping spots; blankets remained in place from the rest period. All of the boys were down within a matter of minutes. The mentors pulled their charges in close to protect them. Seeing them you wondered who was comforting whom. Daniel undressed and got ready for bed. It was a warm night and he perspired enough during the party to be uncomfortable. The events of the day had him both elated and on edge. Daniel decided to take a quick dip in the pool to relax his muscles He crept through the living room and outside, slipping silently into the water. Swimming laps was always relaxing to Daniel and let him exercise his often too dormant muscles. After several laps Daniel lifted himself to the side of the pool. When he looked up he was surprised to see Danny standing there just looking at him. "Danny? What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be asleep, little guy." An almost asleep Danny tried to answer. "Kevin, he sa mmmp bllb ..sleep wi' you." The boy was so far out of it he couldn't talk intelligibly. Daniel partially dried himself with a towel and reached his hands out to the boy. The boy responded by holding his arms up to Daniel. Daniel held him in his arms with the boys head on his left shoulder, one arm around his neck and the boy's other arm just hanging. Daniel walked around the pool several times to be sure the boy was asleep again. Little Danny had melted into Daniel and was as limp as a rag. Daniel then took him to bed, copying what the other boys did with their charges as he pulled the young boy in close. The sound woke Daniel. The clock said it was after midnight. The sound was like a patio door closing. Daniel walked through the house checking on the boys. As he neared the patio door he could hear voices from outside speaking in low tones. "Man, don't waste too much time with the foreplay. I need it so bad I'm about to bust. Take me on my back; I can't wait to feel you in me and I wanna watch. Here ^Å..like this^Å.yeah^Åthat's it^Åjust prop my feet up." "I can't fuck you like this. We don't have any lubricant. If I take you dry you'll be screamin' your head off." Daniel could hear the two of them talking. Their voices were so low he couldn't figure out who it was. Daniel continued to listen trying to figure out exactly where they were. 'Don't worry, look what I got. Just pull it out easy and I'll be lubed and there's some for you too. That's it, easy now, oh yeeeaaah, that feels good^Å.finger me some^Åoooohhhh^Åyeeeaaaah^Ånow two^Å..that's it^Å.aaaaaahhhhhh. Now stick me good; when you start just go straight in nice and smooth don't stop. Uuuuggh..uuugggghh^Åaaaaaahhhh^Åyeah..yeeeeaaaahh^Ågaaaahhhhdd that's nice^Åall the way^Å..oooooohhhyeeeaaaah. Sit there a minute and let me get used to it." "Ohhhh fuuuck, you are so tight^Å.god, I need to wait before I blow right now." "Now, Mark, long stroke me^Å.slow and easy^Å.I wanna feel it all^Åyeeeaaahhh^Åthat's right^Å..get it almost all out and then plunge home real hard^Å.AAAHHHHHHHH^Åfuuuck yea^Åkeep goin'^Åoooohhhhman, you're gooood^Å" Daniel stood there partly in shock and partly mad. If that really was Mark having sex with one of the boys there would be trouble. There was a strict rule against staff having sex with the boys. Daniel slipped out the door and crept closer to the voices. He looked around the corner and it was Mark on top of Kevin. It was Kevin begging to be stuffed. The look on his face said he was enjoying everything Mark was doing to him. How long had this been going on? Daniel continued to watch the two guys enjoying each other. Mark was using a slow steady rhythm to work over Kevin's hole. Kevin worked to push himself into Mark with each thrust. There was no doubt this was not Kevin's first time, of course Kevin had previously said he was no virgin. Daniel debated with himself whether to stop this now or deal with it in the morning when he remembered his dad telling him he sometimes expected too much from these boys and should think rather than react. Daniel could see Kevin was getting close. The moans and expressions on his face said he was enjoying what Mark was doing and Mark was letting it be known he was close. Daniel stepped back inside and returned to his bed, cuddling Danny. The matter would wait till morning after he had a chance to think. *** Daniel woke feeling tired and not in the best of moods; he knew why. He grabbed his pants and headed to the kitchen for coffee; thank God for automatic brewers. As he entered the family room Kevin walked in from the patio experiencing the same morning issues most boys his age face ^Ö did he stay out there all night? Kevin saw the quizzical look on Daniel's face and drew his own conclusion. "Good morning, Mr. Dan'l. I was hot last night and decided to sleep on the patio, more comfortable out there." Daniel motioned the boy over to him. Placing a hand around his waist and keeping it there to let the boy know not to move, Daniel moved to the boy's rear. Looking at him Daniel did have to admit the boy had a nice body and a real nice bubble butt. Daniel put his fingers at the bottom of Kevin's butt and felt him. Kevin jumped a little, most likely from surprise. Daniel felt the butt plug, it had been used to keep the boy from leaking. Daniel tapped the plug. "Looks like maybe more than just the weather was hot last night." Kevin looked at Daniel first in surprise, then with concern. Daniel continued. "I want you to go into the guest room and take care of your morning problem. Then get a good shower, get yourself good and clean. After that, take care of Danny. Then we'll talk. Now go." Kevin looked at Daniel like he wanted to say something, his lips started to move. The boy just looked down and replied. "Yes sir." Daniel poured himself a cup of coffee and strolled out onto the patio. There was Daniel's big problem. Lying on the lounge was Mark, sound asleep and stark naked. There was a strict rule for staff regarding no interaction with the boys. As Daniel stood contemplating his next move Kevin came out. The boy was mostly dry and Daniel could guess he was straight out of the shower. "Kevin, did you take care of Danny?" "No sir. He's still sleepin'. Mr. Dan'l, I had to come see you." The boy was obviously nervous and upset. "Mr. Dan'l, am I in big trouble?" Daniel stepped up to the boy. What Daniel saw was one of the best models he could hope to have for the younger boys. Kevin always displayed responsibility, a willingness to do whatever needed to be done, leadership and was way ahead of the standard scholastically. Kevin was the personification of what Daniel hoped New Horizons would accomplish. "Kevin, you're on the review board; you tell me, should you be in trouble?" "That's different Mr. Dan'l. It's different when I look at what somebody else did and then have to look at me. I know that you know we were foolin' around out here last night, but, Mr. Dan'l, we didn't think we was doin' anything wrong. I mean, I was just so horny. Mr. Dan'l, that when the man took me in the conference room I was not only ready, but I wanted to please him and I stayed on edge all day. So, last night, well we just kinda took the edge off. I just had the plug I me so I wouldn't make a mess. Mr. Dan'l, am I in big trouble?" Daniel put his arms around the boy and pulled him in close. Kevin put his face into Daniel's shoulder and wrapped his arms around the man. Daniel could feel the boy shaking inside; he wasn't sobbing, but Daniel felt the tears fall on his shoulder. Looking into the patio door, Daniel saw their reflection. Here he was wearing only his jeans with no shirt, holding onto a naked sixteen year old, rubbing his back. Daniel couldn't help but look at the reflection of the boy and think he did have a nice ass. Daniel held him for a moment to help him settle and then spoke. "Kevin do you remember when we first started I said that I knew each of you older boys had been to the candy store and knew I couldn't ask you to stop now. Even though you performed sexual acts to survive, you did experience the feelings those acts could bring you and it would be very naïve for me to say you had to stop. Do you remember that?" "Yes sir." The boy answered while not moving a muscle, allowing Daniel to comfort him. "Last night you were a horny sixteen year old being a horny sixteen year old. When Danny came to me he didn't speak coherently. I thought you gave him permission to come to me; I now think you told him to come to me. Regardless, you made sure the boy was cared for, that's all I can ask." Daniel felt obligated to continue his explanation. "Sometimes I think I may ask more of you boys than I should. I tend to forget that you're just really kids that have already experienced a lot more reality than you should have. I don't know about the relationships going on between all you guys. I think you deserve to have some privacy if we can give it to you. However, this relationship is a little different, Mark is part of the staff and we have rules in place for a reason. When Mark wakes up, AND THAT SHOULD BE WITHIN TWO MINUTES MARK, we'll sit down and take care of this. In the meantime, don't you worry, nothing's going to happen and you're not in any trouble. BUT IF MARK DOESN'T GET UP HE MAY BE." Daniel gave Kevin a couple of love pats on the butt as his signal to separate. Mark had been lying on the lounge listening to Daniel talk to Kevin and Daniel knew it. Mark recognized the emphasis on the references to him and knew it was time for him to move. He knew staff weren't supposed to interact with the boys, but was he staff or one of the boys? Mark stood and looked at Daniel and Kevin sheepishly; partly because of the problem they were talking about and partly because he suffered from the same morning condition as all mature young males. Daniel looked at Mark and couldn't help but crack a smile. "Mark, why don't you step around the corner and take care of your personal problem and then join us?" While Mark took care of personal business, Kevin retrieved a fresh cup of coffee for Daniel. Both young men joined Daniel at about the same time. "Mark, you know the rules about staff interacting with the boys. Now, before you say anything hear me out. All of us here know you are in a rather special position, you are staff but at the same time you carry a similar status as the boys. When you are performing duties as a staff member you will be expected to follow staff guidelines. However, we know that at your age, nineteen, you have strong sexual feelings that need to be satisfied. Both of you have experienced man to man sex and seem to enjoy it and after what I witnessed last night I'd say it wasn't the first time you had been together. I'm not going to say another word about this so long as two conditions are observed. First, you will use discretion. The two of you are close in age and I can see you being friends. Second, if the relationship even hints at causing trouble for New Horizons, then you will need to split. If you don't split voluntarily, then I will take any steps necessary to protect New Horizons and the rest of the boys. Are we agreed?" Both young men acknowledged Daniel; then Daniel finished. "Mark, right now we are on New Horizons business, you are here to help care for the boys. That means you need to get dressed. When we are not on New Horizon business, if you want to run naked with them that's your choice. So, gentlemen I see some young faces beginning to stare at us, I suggest we get a start to our day." End Chapter Twenty-One To Be Continued; comments and suggestions are welcome, contact Dwight Wilson at adm2780@yahoo.com