Warning! This is a tale about men loving men. If you find this disturbing - click off. If it's unlawful for you to read this - click off. If you under age - good luck if you can get away with it.

This is not a story for getting your rocks off. Just thought I'd let you know, so you won't waste your time if that's what your looking for. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my writing.

I appreciate feedback and do my best to respond to it all. I may be contacted at: J S.Collection@Verizon.Net

Those Golden Eyes

by JWSmith

Chapter 34

Allen had warned Charley that Jake might reject him on first awakening, but emphasized that it was important that he be at Jake's side when he awoke. "He might not accept you right then, but it will make a subconscious impact on him that you do love him," Allen had said. But still Charley was emotionally unprepared for Jake wanting him out of the room.

After Charley had told the doctor how Jake had reacted on awaking, the doctor had explained to Charley that it would be best if he stayed away until Jake asked for him. He had collapsed into a chair outside Jake's room and thought about Jake's reaction. He realized that Jake'd never said he didn't want him. Jake'd said that he couldn't be with him. Charley saw that until Jake started getting his head on straight, he should probably stay away.

He went back to the house and called his dad and talked to him awhile and came away feeling better. As he later lay on the bed staring at the ceiling his cell rang.

"Hi, Mom." He answered.

"Charley dear, I just want to reassure you that Jake is going to come around. It's obvious that he loves you very much. You're just going to have to be strong for both of you until Jake gets his head and emotions straightened out. I know you to are going to be happy together for a long, long time. I want you to tell him, when your do get to see him, that I am sorry for being such a bitch to him. And I apologize to you, Son, for trying to hang on to you when you've already flown the nest. And even if you do object you'll always be my baby. I love you, Charley.

"Thanks Mom, I love you too."

Charley talked to his mother for a half hour. He hadn't really talked to her since he'd met Jake. But with her changed attitude they both discovered that they had a lot to share. When he terminated the call he felt better than he'd felt in weeks. He hadn't realized how much his mother's attitude had been affecting him. Now if everything with Jake got straighten out his life would be on the high road.

When Jason and Pete came in he told them about Jake waking up. Pete put his left arm, the right arm he still couldn't use too well, around Charley's shoulders. "It's a damn shame that Jim has put Jake in this bad place. Personally, I think that Jim should be prosecuted for it."

Charley gave him a hug which he was needing himself. " I hope that Jake will be willing to throw the book at him. But it is Jake's decision to make. I kind of feel I betrayed him by going along with Jim's coverup with the shrink."

Pete hugged him back while saying, "You're a cop. You know that Jim has no business being an nurse and using illegal drugs. Especially a drug as awful as Date Rape."

"I know, Pete." Charley release him and sat down, scrubbing his face. Jason watched and seeing Charley starting to get down on himself he changed the subject.

"Well, it's too late to do anything like that today. Charley have you been in Jake's apartment yet?" Jason said.

"No, I haven't had the time."

"Let's stop in and check it out before we go to dinner."

"Sounds like a plan. I am curious to see how he lives."

~~~

When Jason unlocked the door to the apartment and stepped through the door he shuddered.

"What's the matter, Babe?" Pete asked putting an arm around his shoulders.

"This place felt good when I came here a few weeks ago." He shuddered again. "It's bad now."

Charley had walked past them and had gone into the bed room. He stood beside the bed, his arms at his sides with his fists balled, and tears rolling down his cheeks. Jason hesitantly stepped up beside him put a comforting hand in the middle of his back as he, too, stare at the bed, imagining what had happened there. The covers were rumpled and in the center of them was a big stain, it reeked of dry urine.

Jason raised his head, feeling the vibes of the room. "Charley, we can't let Jake come back here. It will take a long time for the bad vibes to escape from here."

"Plus he'd have to relive the experience every time he comes into this room." Pete added. Standing by Jason.

Charley nodded and went into the bathroom to splash his face with cold water. He turned to take a hand towel off the rack and noticed the used condom laying over the edge of the waste can. He looked around and picked up Jake's toothbrush and used it to lift the prophylactic and examine it. There were curly hairs stuck to it. The reality of what Jake had been through suddenly hit him. Consumed with the mental image, he howled in agony.

Jason and Pete ran into the bathroom. Seeing what Charley held in front of him, Jason turned and sped into the kitchen, grabbed a zip-lock storage bag and headed back into the bathroom. Pete took the toothbrush from Charley and wrapped him hug. The big guy nearly collapsed on him.

Jason maneuvered the bag under the rubber that Pete held out and zipped it closed after it fell into the bag.

Charley watched with a frown. "DNA evidence," Jason explained.

Charley nodded." I'm obviously not thinking straight. I was ready to flush it when Pete took it away from me. Thank's guys."

Pete rubbed Charley's back, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm all right. I guess the reality of what Jim did overwhelmed me. Tomorrow I'm going to rent a storage unit and empty this apartment

"You're going to have to toss the mattress. It is ruined." Pete said.

"I'd toss it anyway because of what happened on it."

"Yeah." Jason agreed.

~~~~~

Tim lay against Johnny who was attempting to watch the sports news on TV and not having much success. Tim's wandering fingers walked up his thigh. He already had a hardon just from having Tim laying against him. Tim's fingers rubbed up and down the course material of the Levi's covering the hard cock that lay out over Johnny's thigh, occasionally going lower to cup his balls. Johnny had a hard time not squirming from the exquisite torment.

"If you don't stop that your going to get flung over my shoulder and carried into the bedroom." Johnny said through clinched teeth.

Tim pushed himself upright and looked up at him. "Hot air."

Johnny pushed him over and quickly crawled on top of him. "I'll show you hot air."

Tim grinned have succeeded in getting Johnny's full attention. He wrapped his arms around the burly ex-cop and captured his mouth with his. Johnny moved his hands up to each side of Tim's head and caressed his temples with his thumbs as he pulled back to look at his young lover. "I never get enough of you, Sweetheart."

"You've got all of me anytime you want me, John." He reached up and nipped Johnny's nose. "I love you."

Johnny bury his face against Tim's neck. "I love you, Timmy."

"Let's take this to the bed, there's more room in there."

Johnny rolled off of his young lover and offered him a hand. Hand in hand they went into the bedroom.

As Johnny started undressing Tim, Tim said, "I stopped up to see Jake Shipman this morning."

"Now why would you do that?" he asked as he pulled Tim's shirt off.

"After all the things we heard about him at dinner last night, I just wanted to meet him." Tim unbuttoned his own pants. He was already bare footed.

Johnny knelt and pulled his pants down. Tim was commando. Johnny leaned forward and kissed the head of Tim's now flaccid cock and then looked up at him. "So what do you think of him?"

"He was grouchy, and got me totally muddled trying to explain that Charley had been hired to protect Dave." Tim pulled Johnny to his feet and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"You? Mr. Brainiac was muddled? I can't imagine it." He hugged Tim to his chest and swayed with him.

Tim pushed off and pulled Johnny's shirt loose from his waist band."He's good a word games. But the thing that got me was that he didn't act like he even wants to friends with Charley much less his lover."

Johnny dropped the shirt from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor."You do know why he's in the hospital don't you?"

"No, no one ever said why." Tim had unbuttoned the waistband and popped the rest of the buttons. The pants were loose enough they fell around his ankles and Johnny stepped out of them. "Timmy, he was raped. You know Jim, my grand dad's companion?"

"Yeah?" Tim said sliding his hand in the back of Johnny's Jockey shorts and grasping his buns. He loved running his hands over Johnny's hairy ass. He grasped the waist band and shucked them down.

Johnny stepped out of them. "Charley told me that Jim had drugged Jake and raped him." He said, sitting down on the bed and scooting to the middle of it.

Tim stood gloriously naked with his hand on his hips full of indignation."Damn, that's awful. That guy's a registered nurse. Why is he doing shit like that? He should be hung by his balls. Castrated!"

Johnny started laughing and held his arms out to Tim.

"What's so funny?" Tim asked crawling into next to Johnny to be wrapped in a bear hug.

"Jake almost did just that." Johnny said, as he kissed his lover's lips.

For the next half hour as they cuddled together, Johnny told him the tale that Charley had told him at the dinner table the night before while everyone else was kibitzing. When Johnny finished the tale. Tim rolled over and pushed his backside against Johnny. Johnny held him close occasionally kissing the back of his neck. The thought of making love had eluded them as they contemplated Jake's rape and revenge. "I'm hungry. Would you like to go get a burger?" Tim asked.

"I happy to just lay here and hold you, but I guess a growing boy has to be fed. Let's do it." Tim lunged off the of bed and pulled Johnny with him.

~~~~~

Charley with Pete and Jason opted for going up the street from Gio's for burgers and fries. It was the best place in town for a hamburger. It was a college hang out full of boisterous students. Their jollity rubbed off on the three. The bad vibes they'd felt in Jake's apartment dissipated. They had just put in their order when Johnny and Tim walked in. They pulled a fifth chair up to the table and joined them.

Charley, with prompting and fill-ins from Jason and Pete, told them about Jake's place and that he was going to store the contents of the apartment tomorrow. Tim volunteered to help being he only had one afternoon class. Their food came and the table grew quiet as the started eating. No one had much of an appetite as they contemplated what had happened to Jake.

"I ve got a brilliant idea," Pete exclaimed as he tried to talk and chew a big bite of cheeseburger simultaneously.

"What?" Charley asked, grinning as Pete nearly choke.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Jason said.

"Yes, Mom." Pete answered. And got an elbow in his ribs, causing everyone to laugh.

"So what is this bright idea? Tell us before that light bulb above your head burns out." Jason said and giggled when Pete looked upward. He got Pete's elbow on his bicep.

"No, really this is great. You know how Jake's office looked like he'd just stepped out of it for a moment?"

The other two nodded, while Johnny and Tim just listened.

"What if we went in and took pictures of everything in the room, you know close up details of it all. And then moved every thing into the spare bedroom and set it up just exactly like it is now."

Jason and Charley stared at him for a moment like he'd lost his mind and then Charley grinned. "That would be so cool. Let's do it."

Pete's idea had blown away the pall that had hung over the group. Appetites came back and they finished their meal in a more jovial mood. Johnny suggested a Cappuccino to top off the evening and they all strolled up to the coffee shop in Gates-Way bookstore.

~~~~~

Bright and early the next morning Pete, who was an avid camera buff, had his camera out checking it over. He'd taken several rolls of film out of the fridge to let them warm up.

They'd invited Tim to come over for breakfast. Charley had gotten out the yellow pages and found a storage place nearby. He had to wait until 8:00 to call to see if they had a unit available.

Jason started on fixing a hardy breakfast. They were ready to sit down when Tim showed up. He looked at the pile of sausages and the tall stacks of French toast and the platter of fried eggs. "Damn, I haven't eaten like this since I was in high school. Most mornings I have cold cereal. This is a treat."

Jason joked. "Yeah, right! A big guy like you having cold cereal for breakfast doesn't fit the picture."

Tim grinned. "Well, it does take a quart of milk and nearly a full box of cereal to fill me up."

~~~~

Charley headed for the storage place to rent the unit, and then to the local U-haul to rent a small truck. Pete headed for the apartment, while Jason and Tim went to the local grocery to get boxes. While Pete started systematically photographing Jake's office, Jason tackled the kitchen, and Tim loaded Jake's clothes into his Camaro.

When Charley arrived with the truck, he and Tim started loading the livingroom furniture, the dinette set, the bedroom furniture, sans the mattress which they carried out and deposited next to the dumpster.

Pete boxed the books off the office shelves taking care to pack them so they could go back onto the shelves in the same order they'd been removed. He carefully boxed all the papers on the desk ,and then disconnected the computer, copier and fax. The photos and paintings on the wall he stacked to carry out when they moved the rest of the room.

Two hours later everything except the office had been moved into the truck. Tim was not about to let anyone drive his precious pickup, so he drove it back to Pete and Jason's, while Charley followed in the truck.

With admonitions to be careful and not scratch his baby, Tim climbed into the truck with Charley and they headed for the storage unit. Jason and Pete unloaded all of Jake's clothes and personal belonging into the old master bedroom.

Coordinating with their cell phones the four guys met back at the apartment and in hardly any time had the contents of the office in the truck.

Pete took the rolls of film he'd shot to the One hour Photo and had them developed, while the others unloaded the stuff back at the house. Charley returned the truck and met the others at the hamburger joint for lunch.

With hugs from all three guys Tim left to go to his one afternoon class.

~~~~~

Dave had been in New York when Jake had started his book signing tour. Mary and her mother had both lined up to get their signed copies and neither had thought to get Dave and Joe one, assuming that Dave would automatically get one being the owner of the bookstore.

Carl Aldridge had taken Dave and Joe out to lunch. As they were walking back to the offices of Aldridge, Handle and Jones the past a bookstore with a big display of the new best seller "These Shifting Sands." Dave had them wait while he went inside and bought a copy.

The Young lady working the cash register told him that if he came back in a couple of weeks he could get the author to sign his book. Dave turned the book over and looked at the photo of the author on the back. He Thank the young lady and hurried out to show the photo to Joe.

"Look at this. He lives in University City. I've seen him in the bookstore many times. I never realized he is a best selling writer."

Joe and Carl looked at the photo. "Handsome masculine man," Carl commented.

"Yes, I've seen him sitting outside the store reading. He is a hunk."

When they got back to Carl's office and had sat down to discuss business, Dave said, "Oh, by the way, Carl, why hadn't you told me your son is going to college in University City?"

Carl shrugged. "It never entered my mind to tell you. How did you find out?"

He came up to the Eyrie with a friend of his. You remember me telling you about the young fellow that pushed me out of the path of a car?"

"Yes."

"Well, he and Arlen have become good friends."

"I'm glad to hear that he's getting involved outside of the jock groups that he's always run with."

"Well, Pete and Jason won't put up with jock attitudes from him, you can be assured of that."

Carl hesitated and frowned. "You say Pete and Jason as though they are a couple."

"Dave lost his smile. "Is that a problem to you, Carl?"

He looked Dave in the eyes. "Of course, it's not."

"Something bothers you about it. What is it?"

Carl looked from Dave to Joe and back. "I suspect that one day my son is going to come to me and tell me he is Gay. Until I met you to fellows the thought of my son being that way tore my heart out. I always feared that when he realizes it he would suddenly become effeminate and prissy. I never knew there were regular guys who are--- gay.

"Arlen has always been a jock. I've never had to encourage him in that direction. And until he was in his late teens I didn't think anything of him never paying any attention to girls. Now he's twenty and has never had a girl friend. Oh he's dated. No girl twice. And not often. Only when he needed the cover like a dance or a prom."

Dave was nodding, recognizing himself in the description. Joe smiled. Carl, there is a group made up of parents and friends of gay kids that regularly meet to support each other and the gay ones they love. Right in your own neighborhood there is one. They call their association PFLAG. They can help you a lot."

"Since I've come to know you two I don't know that I need such a group. Denise, his mother might. I will tell her about it.

"She'll need your support, too, don't you think?"

"Of course she will and I will join PFLAG, too, to give her that support."

"You're a good man, Carl. That why we do business with you. And don't worry about Arlen. For all we know he may be straight. Either way, he knows we're there for him if he needs us."

"Thanks, Dave. You know I think the world of you and Joe."

~~~~~

It was becoming a weekly occurrence for Angie and Miki to get together with Mary and her mother Jean for a coffee klatch. They traded off on where to meet and today instead of one of their homes they chose the bookstore. Dave happened to be there visiting with Sue when the four women showed up. So the group swelled to six.

When there was a lull in the conversation Miki asked if anyone had read "These Shifting Sands."

"I can't keep that book stocked." Sue said. "I sell out almost as fast as I get a shipment in."

"Mom and I came over and stood in line for an hour to get Mr. Shipman to sign our copies," Mary said.

"I'd love to meet him. He's so handsome." Miki said and gave her brother-in-law smirk. "Even if he is Gay."

All five women agreed. Dave just smiled.

"So Sue," Angie asked, "did you get to meet him while he was here?"

"Sue glanced at Dave and grinned. "Actually ladies, I've kind of known Jake for several years. He's been a regular patron since he was in college. I just wasn't aware that he is a writer."

"So what is he like?" Mary asked.

"He seems like a nice guy, quiet ,friendly, unassuming."

Jean had sat quietly listening to the conversation and watching her son. It was obvious that Dave knew something. "Have you met him Dave?" she asked.

Dave smiled. "I've seen him in the bookstore occasionally for several years. There was a two year period that he wasn't around. I suppose that was when he was in the mid east during Desert Storm."

Jean could see that he was hedging. "So have you ever met him?"

"Yes, this morning as a matter of fact." He gave his mother a look. She smile sweetly back at him

"Really." "Oh my." and several sighs came out all at once.

"There is an article in the paper this morning with his picture. It stated that he's in the hospital recovering from a drug over dose." Sue informed them. They all looked at Dave for verification.

"So you visited him in the hospital?" Mary asked.

Dave nodded and was barraged with questions. He held up his hands for quiet. "The paper is incorrect. He's recovering from an adverse reaction to a drug administered by a nurse. It wasn't an overdose and he doesn't use drugs. From what I've learned about him he will drink an occasional beer or glass of wine. He does not touch hard liquor or drugs."

"So is he going to be okay?"

"He's doing great. He should be out of the hospital in a couple of days."

He fielded a couple more questions and stood up. "If you weren't all family I wouldn't have told you any of this. I will ask him when he gets out if he'd like to meet you ladies. And if he is willing, maybe we will do lunch. Now, I've got to go."

~~~~

Charley spent the day setting up Jake's office in Pete and Jason's spare room. He took his cell phone out of his pocket a couple of times to make sure it was on and working. When Pete came in from class he set to helping and did double checks on everything. He studied each photo meticulously to make certain every detail was the same as in the photos. When Jason came in he was astounded that it looked just like it had in the apartment. "This is amazing guys, Jake is going to be so thrilled."

"I certainly hope so." Charley muttered, not being sure how Jake would react. He was beginning to let his insecurities worry at him. Would Jake ever call him or was the cell phone he'd bought and given to Dr. Chestnut for Jake, a waste of money and effort.

He decided to go for a walk and explore the neighbor hood around the university. As he stepped outside the angst got to him, no longer feeling like exerting the energy he mounted his Harley and toured around the streets surrounding the campus. When he got to the Tower he decided to drop in and visit with his new boss.

The security office was behind the elevators. It had no windows, but it was a large airy room. Joe had contracted with a local billboard company to have the walls covered in a 360 degree photo of the city and surrounding countryside as seen from top of the Eyrie. It gave the feeling of being able to step off the edge of the floor in to thin air. It took Paul several days to get over a vague feeling of vertigo every time he stepped into the room.

Paul Hanson's Office was a partitioned area just off center of the room. A bank of monitors was mounted so everyone working in the room could see what was happening in the building at any given moment. Every time a door was opened on the ground floor, the elevator doors or any of the external doors on the 28^th floor up to and including the Eyrie was connected to a monitor. Every time a door was breached a red light would flash and a beep was emitted every second on the particular monitor until the door closed. The days of the casual unarmed guard on the lobby desk were gone. The two doors into the garage had armed guards on them. An armed guard sat at each external exit and would electronically open the door for each person entering or exiting the building.

Charley hadn't gotten his ID badge yet and had to request entrance to see Paul.

Paul looked up and smiled when Charley paused at the entrance to his cubicle. "Hey, Charley, come on in. How is Jake doing?"

Charley shrugged and slumped onto a chair. "Haven't heard anything ,yet. He doesn't want me in the room with him."

"He'll come around. You've just got to buck up."

""Yeah, I know."

"Johnny was telling that you guys are getting acquainted."

"Funny how we have had dinner together the last two evenings, accidentally."

"So you're staying with Pete and Jason. They're a good couple of young fellows. Dave thinks the world of them."

"Yeah, they are becoming good friends."

"So what can I do for you, Charley?"

"Nothing really," Charley sighed. "I'm just at loose ends and don't feel like hanging around the house. I was just riding by on my bike and thought I'd stop in."

"Well, my day is over. How would you like to meet my lady? She has done nothing but rave about Jake since his book came out. She'd love to meet you."

Charley shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

The two men left their transportation parked in the garage and walked across the campus to he bookstore. Sue was at here desk busy with paper work when Paul entered her office. She looked up and smiled. Charley felt a little envious seeing the love between the two. He watched as Sue stood and moved around the desk into Paul's arms. Shifting from one foot to the other, he watched them kiss. When they broke is Sue asked soto voce who the handsome man standing in the doorway was.

"Oh, Sue, I want you to meet Jake's partner. This is Charley Hill. Charley this is Sue Morrow."

Sue stepped up to Charley and took his hand in both of hers. "It's so nice to meet you Charley. How is Jake?"

"It's good to meet you too, Sue. Jake's doing okay."

"Well, I hope he recovers from that drug reaction quickly."

Charley looked alarmed.

"Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Sue asked.

"No, no. I just didn't know that the drug thing was common knowledge."

"It's not, Charley." she laid hand on his arm to reassure. him. As a close friend of Dave's, I learned about it when Dave corrected me when I quoted what the paper had printed."

"What did the paper say?"

"That he was recovering from a drug overdose."

"Christ. Where did they get that from?"

Sue shrugged.

"I've got to make a call." Charley looked at Paul. "This is something that need taking care of immediately. If you will excuse me." Charley stepped out into the bookstore between the rows where he'd have some privacy and called his dad. When He told Chess about the newspaper article, Chess wanted details and a copy of the article faxed to him.

Charley went back in the office and asked Sue for a copy of the paper and a pair of scissors. He explained to Paul and Sue what he was doing and Sue volunteered the Fax machine in her office.

Charley sent the article and all the info that his dad had requested, and then called him back.

"I'll take care of it, Son," Chess said, "calm down. There will be an apology and correction in the paper tomorrow." Chess didn't say 'or else', but Charley could hear it in his voice.

"Thanks, Pop. I don't know what I'd do with out you."

Chess chuckled. "You'd pay another lawyer to do this, that's all, Son."

"Love you, Pop. Give Mom a hug for me."

Sue and Paul were smiling at him when Charley turned to them.

"Can I take you two to dinner?" he asked.

~~~~

Allen had just collapsed onto a kitchen chair declaring his hunger. Greg, his long time mate informed him that it would be a bit before dinner was ready. He walked over to the table and picked up a newspaper and handed it to Allen. "I saved this . I thought you might find it interesting," he said pointing at the article about Jake.

He took the paper and sat up to read it. "Where in hell do they get their information?"

Greg looked at him and shrugged even though he knew it was just a reactionary rhetorical question. "Have you done anything about that nurse yet?" he asked.

"No, I've been more worried about getting Jake to thinking straight."

"Straight?"

"Don't be a smart ass," Allen grinned at his loves antics. "You know what I mean."

"So how is he doing?"

"You know, I don't think he tried to suicide. I really believe that the whole thing was an adverse reaction to whatever Jim gave him. And from the description Jake gave me of the initial reaction I don't think it was one of the regular date rape drugs."

"How so was it different?"

"Jake said that he was totally alert, and could feel everything, but couldn't move a muscle."

"God, that would be worse than being tied up or held down. At least you can struggle."

Allen shuddered. "I don't want to even imagine what it might be like."

Greg stirred the simmering mixed veggies after adding a ½ tsp. of Chefs Choice chicken bouillon. He refused to used butter for flavoring. "Of course there a guys that are into that kind of thing. You know like total submission."

"I've got a degree in psychiatry and I still can't understand how a human being can do that."

Again Greg shrugged. Allen looked at him in shock. "You can?"

"Dinner's ready." Greg said, changing the subject.

"Oh good." Allen was uncomfortable enough to let it go. "I'm starved. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

They sat down to the plates of healthy low fat foods and started eating, both involved in their own thoughts.

"It's a matter of trust, I would think." Greg said breaking the silence.

Allen looked up startled. "What is?"

"Submitting one's will to another man. One would have to have total trust that the other is not going to harm or allow harm to come to him."

"I don't think I could do that. It's just not in my nature."

Greg smiled his enigmatic smile that always drove Allen nuts. " I think I trust you enough to do it."

Allen stared at his lover in silence for several moments. "God, I love you, Greg."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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