Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:33:39 EDT
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: the-bandini-affair-13

The Bandini Affair 13

Draginacht@aol.com (AKA Jeff)

* * * * * * *

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real
people or events is purely coincidental.  The story contains graphic
descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read
such material must stop now.  This story is being posted to the Nifty
Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.

* * * * * * *

Chapter 13

* * * * * * *

Leo drove his father's car to the nursery and thought about what he should
do in the immediate future.

'The settlement form the annulment gives me unlimited options. Should I
return to Nashville and continue working there? There's no longer any
reason to live there," he thought. 'I could write just as easily right here
where I grew up. That would allow me to stay close to the family. Do I even
want to continue as a sports journalist? Why did I choose that profession?
Yes, I do enjoy writing... and it is pretty easy... but I don't like all
the travel. I'd really like to stay in one place. Maybe I could find a job
in this area; that would be nice.'

Throughout the day, Leo would continue the private conversation he started
with himself. So far, he'd neither disclosed the details of the settlement
from his annulment, nor had he shared with anyone the true reason he and
Marsha split. By now he'd figured out why but was too embarrassed to
discuss it with anyone.

As Thursday progressed, Leo's contacts with Matt were frequent. He couldn't
seem to avoid watching the younger man, the way he moved when he walked, so
graceful, like a cat. Matt's hips moved so fluidly and gave his body great
balance. Leo thought it was sexy. Then he felt slightly embarrassed by such
thoughts.

Around 2:30 PM, Leo entered the break room, opened the refrigerator, bent
over and pulled out a Dr. Pepper.

"Good choice," Matt said as Leo straightened up. 'Kyle's right, he does
have a great bubble butt,' Matt thought.

"You like this, too?" Leo asked as he turned and saw Matt's friendly and
affectionate smile.

"Yeah, when I used to stay with my uncles, they always kept some in the
fridge so I developed a taste for it," Matt replied. Leo stepped away from
the refrigerator, leaving the door open. Matt reached in, selected a
Dr. Pepper and gave Leo a warm smile as he straightened up. Together they
opened their cans to the familiar 'pop-fitz.'

'This is a great time to ask him. I really should ask him; I really should!
C'mon, coward, ask him! Ask him!' "Uh... Matt?"

Matt lowered the can from his face and smiled at Leo. "Yes?" He purposely
said 'yes' instead of 'yeah' as a form of politeness.

"I uh... if I invited you to dinner Saturday evening would you accept?" Leo
said as fast as he could. 'God what a horrible, convoluted way to invite
someone to dinner.'

"Yes I would, Leo; it'd be an honor."

'He's so darned confident! I wish I were like that.' Leo continued. "Well,
I was thinking of perhaps The Outback... but if you'd rather go somewhere
else..."

"No, no," Matt interrupted. "I love The Outback." Matt smiled at Leo's
obvious awkward attempt at being social. "And Saturday will be fine. What
time did you have in mind?"

Leo smiled. "I don't know, what seems good to you?"

"Is 6:30 too early?" Matt asked. But the thought that was going through his
mind was, 'you seem good to me, Leo. I'd like to take you in my arms and
plant hot, wet kisses all over your body.'

"Okay, uh... I'll pick you up if you like..."

"Thanks, but I won't be coming from home so I think it'll work best if I
just meet you there." Again, Matt was thinking, 'what I'd like is to treat
you to the best orgasm of your life.'

"Yeah, okay..." Leo tipped his can and took another sip while looking at
Matt. They both smiled at each other and then the moment began to feel
rather awkward. "Well, back to work," Leo said and moved toward the door.

"Right! Back to work. Ya know the management tends to gets pissed if you
hang around the break room too long." And Matt smiled. Leo chuckled - he
was management. They grinned at each other as Matt stepped aside to allow
Leo to pass. Matt took the opportunity to glance down for another look at
Leo's butt. He followed Leo out of the break room and they went opposite
directions down the hall.

After taking a few steps, Leo stopped and turned to look behind him. He
blushed a little when he saw Matt turning to look back at him. Both men
paused, grinned at each other and continued on their separate ways.

'Darn! I did it! I actually did it. And it wasn't that hard, either.' Now
what do I do? I need to figure out what to talk about. Today is Thursday
and we have a date for Saturday. A date! That sounds so strange. I'm having
a date with another man. It's hard to believe. Yes I am. And... he's
gay... at least that's what Meg and Pop said. I can't just blurt out, are
you gay? That would be a terrible way to start. No, what I need to do is
find out things about him. You know, like about his family and things. Or
what he likes to do in his spare time. Yes, things like that. Matt really
is a nice guy. I shouldn't focus on his being gay. Well, back to work.'

Matt thought as he walked out the door, 'Leo, why do I keep getting mixed
signals? Sometimes I swear you're giving me the "come-on." My gaydar must
be screwed up. He intentionally turned back around to look at me; why would
he do that if he isn't interested?'

The two men went about their work as usual. In quiet moments Leo's mind
returned to his earlier question about whether to stay here or return to
Nashville. He'd enjoyed spending time with his parents but living with them
for any extended time was out of the question. He'd need to find an
apartment or condo. Then Leo had a brilliant idea. The current office
building was actually a converted house. He vaguely remembered the second
floor used to be like an apartment. He wondered what it looked like now.

During a slack time later that afternoon, Leo walked down the hall to the
door he thought would open to a stairway. Sure enough, he found stairs
leading to the second floor. Each step produced creaks and groans
indicating they hadn't had much use for quite some time but they still
seemed sturdy.

At the top of the stairs, the main room opened before him; it was more like
a studio apartment. The place was dusty but it had a welcome feel to
it. Cloths were draped over the furniture: a sofa, a club chair, an old
coffee table, some small tables with lamps on them. In one corner of the
room sat a bed with a wrought-iron frame. The mattress felt firm and looked
to be in good shape. An efficiency kitchen was built into another corner
with a small table and a couple of chairs. Leo wondered about a
bathroom. He saw a door just past the kitchen, walked over and opened
it. Viola! He' found a bathroom with one sink, a commode and a shower. He
left the door open and turned back around for a different view of the large
room.

Two double hung windows at either end of the room provided plenty of light
and they could provide adequate cross-ventilation. Then Leo realized that
the room temperature was quite pleasant. Closer examination uncovered
air-conditioning and heating vents, a feature that must have been added
when the first floor was turned into the sales and business office.

Leo quickly decided it would be an ideal place to stay until he got his
life put back together. It would give him time to look for just the right
condo in the right part of town and he wouldn't be under any pressure to
make a quick decision, which might cost more money.

Thursday evening, after dinner, Pop announced he needed to get out of the
house for a few hours and intended to go the nursery the next day. Gina
voiced her objections, saying he hadn't been cleared by the doctor. And she
was concerned he was moving too fast. Jimmy argued he was going stir crazy
and a short visit would do him some good. Ultimately they compromised on a
visit, not more than one hour long. Jimmy thought he had won and Gina
thought she had.

Later that evening, Leo called his sister and told of their father's
plan. Between them they devised a plan to welcome Pop back to the yard.

Friday morning, Pop did exactly as he planned. Gina drove up and stopped at
the entrance to the yard. Pop was so eager he almost sprang from the
car. He walked through the open gate but didn't see anybody. Looking from
side to side, he wondered where everyone was. When Jimmy arrived at the
office building, he walked up the steps and opened the door. Looking
around, he saw all of his employees grinning at him.

"Welcome back, Pop," Megan said and she took her father's hand and led him
into the room. Together, the group had decided not to shout "SURPRISE!" out
of concern that it might startle their boss. Instead, he was welcomed
quietly with handshakes and hugs. Megan had made a cake and iced tea and
everyone enjoyed having Pop back, if even for one hour. A few customers
arrived and shared in the festivities.

Pop spent his hour walking around the yard and commenting on various
things, happy to add his personal touch to the operation. Occasionally he'd
notice something was different and ask who did it. The answer was always:
"Leo." Pop would smile and move on. True to his agreement with Gina, Jimmy
didn't argue when she announced it was time to go home, that they could
come back tomorrow.

All day Saturday, Leo was a little nervous, maybe even excited. After work
he rushed home showered, and arrived at the Outback about five minutes
early. When he passed through the double doors he saw Matt sitting on a
bench waiting for him. He was wearing a pair of khaki slacks with a medium
blue polo shirt. Leo thought Matt looked devastating.

"Been waiting long?" Leo asked. He'd looked for Matt's truck when he drove
into the parking lot but didn't see it.

"Bout an hour," Matt replied with a frown. And before Leo could react, Matt
grinned and corrected his reply. "Just joking, I saw you drive up just as I
was walking in. Great timing." Matt slid to his left to make room for
Leo. "The hostess says it'll be about another twenty minutes; she gave me
one of these." He handed Leo the vibrator/pager. "I gave her the name Leo
because this is your invite." Matt smiled at Leo the whole time he
explained everything.

"Thanks," Leo replied as he as he accepted the vibrator/pager and slid into
the bench space Matt had created for him. 'I like his good sense of humor,'
Leo thought. He smiled to himself.

The two men sat side-by-side, looking straight ahead with their hands
folded in front of them. Leo couldn't help noticing that Matt didn't seem
as tall. He recalled that when they stood next to each other, Matt was
obviously about a foot taller. But sitting next to each other the height
difference seemed to no more than two or three inches.  Much later, Leo
would realize that most of Matt's height difference was in his legs. With
shoulders and thighs pressed tightly against each other, Leo soon began to
feel the heat from Matt's leg. Of course, the normal physical reaction
occurred, Leo sprung wood. As long as he remained seated perhaps no one
would notice, especially Matt.

Fortunately, after only fifteen minutes, their vibrator/pager
activated. They stood, Leo handed the pager to the hostess and they
followed her to a booth. Matt made sure he let Leo go first because it gave
him another opportunity to admire Leo's butt.

Once seated, they quietly looked at the menu while waiting for a server. No
more than a couple of minutes later, a very friendly young lady approached
the booth, greeted them and asked for their drink orders. Leo had pegged
Matt as a beer drinker so he was a little surprised when Matt asked for a
glass of Riesling from a vineyard in the state of Washington. That sounded
interesting so Leo decided ask for the same. After the server left, an
awkward moment of silence followed. Leo looked at Matt and their eyes
met. Leo took a deep breath and began.

"So... who are you?" he asked. Leo realized his question wasn't exactly
what he'd planned to ask and before he could clarify it, Matt seized an
opportunity. He made a very obvious move to wipe the palm of his right hand
on the front of his shirt then extended it across the table.

"Hi," Matt said with a playful grin. "My name is Mathew Hall Close. I'm
glad to meet you." Matt immediately thought what he'd just said and
realized he could just as easily have said 'I'm glad to meat you.' Leo
would not have known the difference.

Leo began to chuckle as he extended his hand and watched it disappear
inside Matt's.

"I guess I asked for that, didn't' I?"

"Sorry, straight lines like that don't come along every day." Matt smiled
and chuckled. "I just couldn't pass it up."

"Well, I guess I deserved that; consider it my gift," Leo replied with a
smile that seemed permanent.

At that moment they were interrupted by the arrival of their wine and a
loaf of bread. As they consumed the wine, Leo rephrased his question and
asked Matt to tell him about himself. Matt explained that his father was a
high school football and track coach who also taught algebra. His mother
ran the house and was active in many things and was also an elected
alderman in his hometown. (Matt had always wondered if his mother should be
referred to as an alderwoman but nobody seemed to have any trouble with
alderman.) He went on to explain he had two brothers, one older, one
younger, and a younger sister. He did not explain that his older brother
was actually his twin who was only a minute and fifty-seven seconds older.

The food was served and consumed almost unnoticed. The two men were so
engaged in their conversation they hardly realized how good the meal
was. Matt told about attending the local junior college and then joining
the Police Department.  Leo was interested in Matt's police work so Matt
entertained him with a few humorous episodes from his experience.

It was almost two hours later that Leo paid the bill and they walked out of
the restaurant. Standing in front of the building, they shook hands and
parted, each backing away as if they weren't really ready to leave.

"By the way," Matt said almost as an afterthought, "I still have a part
time job with the Police Academy. Twice a month I conduct martial arts and
self-defense refresher training for them. I have a class this coming
Wednesday, if you're interested."

"Yes," Leo replied. "I'd like that." Then he wondered if perhaps he'd
replied too quickly.

"I'll bring you a map and instructions on how to find the place
tomorrow. Is that okay?

"Yeah, sure." Leo smiled. The two men took another step back, smiled,
raised their right hands, made a semi-wave goodbye, turned around and began
walking toward their vehicles. Then, as if on cue, each looked back again
to find the other doing the same.

That's when Leo realized that the reason he hadn't seen Matt's truck was
because they'd parked on opposite sides of the building.

It was after 9:00 PM when Leo arrived home. Pop was already in bed but his
mother sat in the living room reading. She asked about the meal and Leo
said it was good. Then he went up to his room and got ready for bed. As he
lay on his back thinking about the evening, Leo was aware of how peaceful
and calm he felt. Not once during the evening had he felt shy or
insecure. Matt was so easy to talk to and the sound of his voice seemed to
have a calming effect. Leo remembered the awkward beginning and chuckled
out loud. Then he rolled over onto his left side and went to sleep.

* * * * * * *

Sunday at the nursery was busy as usual. Matt brought a map and written
directions to the gym and which door to use. The two men frequently found
themselves standing in some shade and chatting about nothing.

Monday, Megan demanded a complete report on the dinner and Leo did his best
to describe what happened. However, he withheld his personal feelings
because he wasn't sure he wanted his sister to know such private thoughts.

Of course, Matt was off Monday and Tuesday and when he returned on
Wednesday, he reminded Leo of the martial arts refresher training that
evening. Leo promised to be there, 7:30 PM.

Leo was running late and then had trouble finding the correct door to the
gym. Finally, he got into the building and saw a group of men at one end of
the floor, which was covered with mats. He counted seven men, each wearing
those white outfits he'd seen on TV. Matt stood out because he was the
tallest one there. Leo quietly sat down on the bleachers and watched in
silence. He watched Matt demonstrate a move and then have the others
practice it. Leo was amazed at how powerful Matt looked when he moved, and
yet he was so graceful and flexible. One of the other men looked familiar
but Leo couldn't place the face. The man was standing in front of Matt
listening to what Matt was saying.

"Hey Matt," Kyle said quietly. "I think your little bubble butt friend is
here."

"Oh? Where?" Matt said as he looked around. He hadn't seen Leo come in. The
next thing Matt knew he was flying through the air and landing with a
'thump' on the mat. "UMPH!" Lying on his back with Kyle's knee on his
chest, Matt looked up to see his former roommate/fuck buddy grinning down
at him.

"Do you have any idea how many years I've been waiting to do that?" Kyle
said loud enough for everyone to hear. "You were always too good."

"Yeah, ya got me good this time," Matt chuckled and smiled at his good
friend. He watched Kyle look across the gym at Leo and also felt Kyle's
body relax just enough. It seemed like no more than the blink of an eye and
Kyle was flat on his stomach, his face pressed into the mat with his arm
twisted behind his back and Matt's knee shoved firmly into his groin.

"I hope y'all noticed how that was done," Matt said as he looked at the
other men. Kyle just groaned, knowing he'd lost again to his best
friend. They'd been doing this since they were in high school together.

The training session was over by 8:30 and while the men went to the locker
room, Matt and Kyle walked over to talk to Leo.

"Leo, you probably remember Kyle; he was the officer who responded to the
robbery that evening at the nursery."

"Yes, I thought you looked familiar," Leo said, sounding rather timid. He
greeted Kyle with a handshake. "Thank you, very much." Leo smiled. "It's
not an evening I care to remember, if you know what I mean?"

"Yes, I think I do," Kyle replied and shook Leo's hand. "Well, I'm pleased
to meet you again. Sorry to rush off but I have someone waiting for at
home. See ya later." And with that, Kyle turned and walked rapidly toward
the locker room.

"Kyle just wanted to say 'hi' again," Matt smiled. "Glad you could make
it. What did you think?"

"Oh, very impressive! Maybe you can show me some of those moves some day."
Leo was grinning when he said that and Matt wasn't quite sure how to
interpret the comment.

"Hey, what say I change and we can go have a beer?"

"Sounds good. Should I wait here?" Leo found himself hoping Matt would
suggest following him into the locker room. He almost blushed.

"I won't be long... why don't you just wait here and then follow me to a
place I know?" Matt was tempted to invite Leo to join him in the locker
room but thought it might be a little obvious.

***

"Say... are you... you think..." Matt was searching for the right way to
invite Leo to his place for dinner. "Ya know, next Tuesday night I'm gonna
make Chicken Marsala for dinner; I'd sure like it if you could come over to
share it with me." There, he found the right words.

"Next Tuesday?" Leo was jumping inside while trying to appear cool
outside. He didn't' want to seem too eager. "I don't think I have anything
on my calendar then... Sure!" There was a pause in the conversation, which
gave Leo time to think. "Can I bring something? Like some wine or beer,
maybe?"

"Yeah... you don't have to... but that'd be great. Whatever you want." It
would be only the second time Matt had invited anyone to his house for
dinner. The other time was about three months earlier when Kyle and Logan
came over for a private house warming.

Matt suggested Leo get there at 6:30. That would give them time to visit
and have something to drink before they ate.

* * * * * * *

The weekend passed uneventfully and Leo was beginning to think that Tuesday
would never come.

Tuesday, 6:30 PM sharp, Leo pulled up and stopped his father's car in front
of Matt's house. He hadn't made any decision about whether to stay where he
was or go back to Nashville but he could clearly feel the draw to stay.

Walking up the driveway, Leo thought back to the first time he was here. It
was been in the dark of night and he wasn't able to see just how really
charming Matt's little house was. He found the doorbell and pressed it. He
heard the "ding-dong" and noted it was quite ordinary; it seemed to fit
Matt's personality. Leo heard footsteps, watched the doorknob turn, and
realized his heart was racing.

'Calm down, Leo,' he told himself. The door opened.

* * * * * * *

 (To be continued.)