Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2022 12:31:51 -0700
From: Dave <outinwest@gmail.com>
Subject: The Society Boys Part 190

The Society Boys
By Connor Matthews

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Chapter 190

We'd received the invitations to Walter and Terrance's sexpose art show,
which was this Friday.  It was obviously going to be a dress up affair.
Fortunately, we all had tuxedos and unlike girls, we can wear the same
thing over and over again, and no one cares.  I'll be honest, I don't
actually think guys care if girls wear the same thing.  I doubt we'd even
notice.  I think it's girls that notice and make the bitchiest comments.
Look how they are if two show up wearing similar outfits.  Guys are like,
`dude!'  Then get shirtless and go off and drink.

Jason, J.P. and I decided that since they were promoting the three of us as
triplets in the show, that we'd dress identical, with only pocket stuffy
things a different colour.  We opted to go with open collars and nice neck
chains instead of ties.  I personally don't like ties.  They cut off your
breathing, and I sort of have this phobia that if someone grabbed you by
the tie they could choke you out pretty easy.  Last thing I'd want is to be
choked out by my own tie until I was unconscious, and then dragged out into
an alley and raped.  Full disclosure...that's not the last thing I'd want.
The last thing would be to be told I was too old and ugly and to go away.
The second last thing would be to be ignored and be invisible to people.
The third last thing would be to be homeless with no place to shower and
stink so bad I couldn't stand myself.  The fourth last thing...well you get
the idea... being raped in an alley is not my biggest fear.

Ben offered to babysit the boys Friday night, which I think was nice.
Razor volunteered to help as well.  Blake insisted he wanted to go to the
show, so we asked him to double check that his tux fit, as he didn't wear
it that often.

"I got this, Dad.  I know just the look I want.  This is kinda like a Met
Gala thing, isn't it?"

"Something like that, just not as fancy and with no celebrities," I
replied.

"Except for me and J.P.," Blake grinned.  "I've gotta go shopping so I can
get just the right look.  See ya later."

The last we saw was him bolting out the door, not reappearing until much
later carrying several bags of things he'd bought.

"You going to show us what you got?' Colin inquired.

"You'll see on Friday night when I unveil my look," he grinned before
racing upstairs.

"As long as it's not see-through pants, I think we'll be fine," I said to
Colin.

"Agreed," Colin laughed.  We both questioned whether Blake was mature
enough to be allowed to select his own fashion for an event like this, and
the only way we'll know for sure is when he shows off his look.  Worst case
scenario, we put him back into his tux and march him out like a proper
little gentleman.  Even we can dream.

Colin and I got ready together Friday evening, and we really took our time,
making sure every hair was in the right place and that we smelled amazing.
We don't dress up this fancy very often, but when we do, damn we look good.
I'm talking cover of GQ good, or men's health...just with shirts.  I
decided to wear some tighter underwear this time as I figure if we're
checking out a bunch of semi naked guys in photographs, with the actual
models being there in person, I may need some help with self control.

Jason and J.P. looked just as hot, as did Alex & Troy.  Kyle and Chance
were joining us tonight as well, but they said they'd meet us there.  We'd
all gathered in the great room looking total fire, just awaiting Blake when
the speakers went off with a guitar riff, `Da nah nah nah nah nah.  Several
times, and then the very familiar lyrics `On the day I was born.  The
nurses all gathered round... she could tell right away that I was bad to
the bone... Bad to the Bone.'

Colin laughed.  "Must be Blake arriving."

"Ya think?"

He appeared on the main stairs and paused.  Then moved slowly down towards
us.  Jesus, drama queen much...and I couldn't be prouder.  His look was
actually flawless.  He was wearing a dark pink (almost magenta), low cut,
v-neck shirt underneath a black leather waistcoat, similar to the style Tom
Daley had worn to the Met Gala.  It was closed at mid stomach with a single
button, and he was wearing two chains.  One low down into the V of the
shirt and the other much tighter up around his neck.  His hair was
perfectly combed, but you could see he'd shined it up with product.  He was
wearing a diamond earring in the shape of a star in one ear, and a dangling
one in the other, which you could only see as his hair moved.  I'm assuming
those were new.  He had dark sunglasses on, but they had a hint of pink in
the tint.  Why does that sound dirtier than it should?  Pink in the tint.
He had a large watch on his arm, fastened over top of the jacket, which is
not how I think you wear them, but I don't know much about fashion.  His
pants looked like black skinny jeans, just a lot shinier, and stopped about
two inches above his ankles.  That showed off his extremely colourful socks
which matched the dark pink of his shirt and the grey/black/red of his
designer sneakers.  The pockets on his pants had black zippers, and while
the overall pant looked plain black from a distance, once he was up close
you could see the checker pattern on them.

"Dude, you look sic!"  J.P. exclaimed.  "Holy shit.  They'll make you one
of the exhibits."

"Thanks," Blake beamed.  "Adam, track two."  Bad to the Bone stopped and
the next song started.

"No kidding Blake.  That is one serious look for.  You may look older than
all of us," I told him as the music changed.  I almost couldn't handle it
as he began to dance to `Come and Get Your Love' almost perfectly mimicking
Chris Pratt at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy.  He shuffled up to
us grinning, and then removed his sunglasses, tossing them onto the nearest
chair.  He cupped his hands as if summoning us.

"Come and get your love," he sang. "Come and get your love."

As the music stopped, we applauded.  "Now that's the way to make an
entrance," I told him, with the others agreeing.

"You look totally sic," J.P. repeated.

"Thanks," Blake beamed.  "Check out the pants.  They have zippers on the
side in case you get too warm."

He showed us the black zippers at the side of the pant which were about 10
inches long and went from just below the waist down his thigh.  He unzipped
them and pulled them apart.

"Figured I'd go commando so there were no underwear lines.  Plus, I found
that with the zippers open it cools things down if I get too hot."

"Probably makes it easier to get those tight pants off too," Alex
suggested.

"It does.  Way easier," he nodded.

"Great for giving a guy a handjob too," Troy grinned as he came up behind
Blake and slid his hands in from both sides.  "I should do this to all my
pants."

Blake never flinched, even a little, as Troy obviously grabbed his junk.
He just turned his head and grinned.  "Did you want me to cough, Doc?  I
don't think we have time to do this and if you give me a boner, it's gonna
be pretty obvious as these pants are really tight."

Troy removed his hands and pulled the zippers up.  "Then stop teasing," he
laughed.

I have to admit, the older Blake gets, the more sophisticated his look
gets.  He could easily go to a red-carpet premiere dressed like that, and
hit the best dressed male list.  Once Terrance and Walter, or any of the
other artists see Blake, I have a feeling he'll stir up more than interest
and likely be offered a modelling job.

Colin had arranged a stretch limo for us, which considering how we were
dressed shouldn't have been much of a surprise at all.  When we arrived at
the gallery, it was larger than I thought.  I half expected a seedy hole in
the wall somewhere with exposed brick walls.  This was a modern gallery
with lighting and presentations to match.  The first item at the door was a
water curtain with shots of beautiful scenes with equally beautiful boys
displayed on it.  Each one changing with a strobe of light or a flash of
colour.  I saw the one of the three of us together back-to-back to back.
Fortunately, we were wearing underwear, but it still looked sexy as fuck.

Terrance was the first to greet us all with a hug and kiss.  He floated
ahead of us to show us where our work was being displayed.  It was beyond
anything I could have actually imagined, and I was there for the shoot.
Each item was larger than I imagined, and all of it had descriptions and
names.  The mirror one of us behind frames and in the pool was simply
called `The Reflection'.  Seemed a little boring, but the sequence of
pictures was interesting to view as we walked along the wall.

As we were doing that, Kyle and Chance arrived being escorted by Walter.
"Darlings, these two lovely creatures said they're with you.  How did we
not get them as models?  You simply have to be in our next show.  I could
eat the two of you with a spoon.  I'd stay and explore you more, but I must
be getting back to the door to greet our arriving patrons.  Do be dears and
make sure to find me later.  Kisses," he said as he leaned in to air kiss
both of them.  He and Terrance left to return to the rest of their guests.

"He's fun," Kyle laughed.  "I've never been eaten with a spoon before."

"I think the way he looked at you, you can expect Miss Gropy Hands to feel
for the best parts to eat before you leave here," J.P. warned.

"Says the guy basically naked in all the art work around us," Chance
chuckled. "I like that one of you Colin.  Doing a handstand with that cloth
draped over you.  It shows off all your muscles and makes it just erotic
enough to be interesting.  Did that take long to get right?"

"Longer than I thought it would.  Of course it seemed to take longer for
them to get my positioning right and the cloth draped just the way they
wanted it.  I had to keep standing up so that my head wasn't a bright red
from all the blood rushing there."

We wandered around to check out the rest of the works.  I personally like
seeing the actual models that went with the work.  Made it seem more real,
which I suppose is why we were invited in the first place.

One picture we stopped to look at was of three people in their early 20's.
The front of the picture had a male and female cuddling naked together on
the couch.  Her head was resting on his upper stomach with one hand on his
thigh while she looked at him.  Her long hair on his stomach was positioned
just enough to hide most of the guy's crotch.  Her boobs were clearly
visible, but her vagina was hidden by the placement of her legs.  Behind
the couch was a fully dressed guy, only he had the naked guy's finger
raised to his mouth and was sucking on it.

"How could she not know that other guy is there?" I asked as I thought
about it.  "And more importantly, why would they be naked together knowing
they had company, who isn't naked.  All our guests are naked if we are," I
reasoned.

"Maybe that's the point of the art," Kyle reasoned.  "To get you thinking.
Maybe all three are friends who are comfortable naked.  The two guys are
roommates, but the girl comes over a lot.  She had no idea they're lovers,
and naively thinks they're all just very open friends."

"Maybe he's the type of friend that doesn't need to knock when he comes
over.  He saw his male friend had whipped cream on his finger, so offered
to lick it off so his two friends wouldn't have to get off the couch,"
Colin offered.  We all laughed at that.  First, if he has whipped cream on
his finger, who knows where that finger's been prior.

Chance gave his take on it.  "I think they're both closeted college people.
Naked guy is just faking it for the girl.  Clothes guy is actually his
boyfriend and is letting him know he's horny and would like to hook up
right away."

"Doesn't explain how the chick doesn't know he's there," I repeated.

"Boyfriend is a ninja.  Moving on," J.P. said finitely.  We agreed or we
could be here all night just making up stories about one display out of a
few hundred.

"This one's a bit surreal.  Not sure how the critics would handle the
review," Troy commented as he leaned in to stare at a very large framed
picture of a boy's face.  It was simply titled "Richard'.  From a distance
it was an angled head shot of a beautiful blond boy, perhaps 16 years old,
but as you got closer you could see that the whole thing was made up of
pixels.  As you moved in, those pixels were actually other pictures, but
each one was only of a penis.  So, you had a portrait of a boy made from
penises.  Can't see that being controversial.

"I guess that makes him a dick head," Chance joked.

I wonder if those are pictures of penises from all the models they've
photographed over the years.  I mean they must have thousands of shots that
they don't use in the main displays," Jason reasoned.

"If someone can get me a magnifying glass, I might be able to put a name to
the penises I recognize," I said quickly.

Alex chuckled.  "You've probably done all of those guys."

"Not denying that, just saying I never forget a penis."  We made our way
around the displays which were a varied assortment of pictures, sculptures
and random art.  The ones I really liked were the sets that told a story
throughout the collection.  I saw stickers appearing on the descriptions of
some of the pieces, so asked Colin what that was all about.

"Those are pieces that have sold," he explained.

If that's the case then Terrance and Walter are doing alright here tonight.
One beautiful picture of three boys under a streetlight in the city was
especially interesting.  The boys looked like they were from the 1920's.
The picture was a little grainy with two of them shitless in ill-fitting
torn pants.  The third had a shirt but it was badly ripped, as were his
pants.  All three were barefoot, standing close together, sharing a loaf of
bread.  I was drawn to it.  The boys looked dirty, like they hadn't had a
place to clean up in a while, but despite that, they were beautiful.  Their
eyes appeared huge as they seemingly concentrated on the food in front of
them.  Despite knowing that the streetlight was just there to illuminate
them properly, you could almost feel that it was also there to keep them
warm.  The look of the street indicated the poverty of the neighbourhood,
and you were immediately drawn into the boys' plight.  The thing that made
it feel most real in my opinion is that it was done in black and white.

"What's the three stickers on the tag mean?"  I asked Colin as I leaned in
to give him a bit of a hug.  I was feeling like I wanted to go help these
boys.

"It means it has more than one interested buyer.  It'll likely go to an
auction at the end of the evening."

"Do we have a sticker we could put on it?  I'd sort of like to buy this
one," I said reflectively as we moved closer to the picture.

"It does have a sense of intensity about it," Colin agreed.  "If you look
to your left, you'll see the rest of the collection."  Meanwhile he waved
over one of the gallery workers who put another sticker on the picture and
handed Colin a ticket.  I'd find out later that was out entry to the
auction.

We moved over to check out the rest of the work by these boys, and while it
all had a similar theme from the 1920's, none of it spoke to me like that
first piece.  I liked the boys in a vintage old car that I'm guessing would
be like a 1929 Packard convertible.  God, how did I know that?  Colin's car
obsession is rubbing off on me.  Before you know it, I'll be at a car show
talking engine size, and how the features differed from year to year.
Anyway, the boys were dressed in clothes from that era.  This time nicely
dressed as if they'd been adopted by a middle-class family who'd found them
under that streetlight.  I liked the fact that the boys in the front seat
were fully dressed while the one in the back was shirtless with just
suspenders over his shoulders.  This one was in colour.  Seemed to take
away some of the charm of the era though.

There were plenty of picture of them, and I certainly took my time looking
over the one of the three using an old wooden outdoor shower.  There were
boards around three sides just high enough to cover crotches.  Two of the
boys were in the shower, while the third was on a ladder with a bucket,
pouring water over them.  His ass was showing, but the ladder strategically
hid the rest of him.  It made you think about how this shoot progressed.
This one was also in black and white, but as I looked along the set, I
think you could see what was happening.  The homeless boys from the first
picture slowly had their fortunes turn around.  They showered, were trying
on new clothes in another pictures, found themselves sitting around a
fireplace in a home, then the car picture.  As they went from poverty to
more affluential, the pictures got more colourful.  I liked it, but I still
saw the first picture as the real gem of the collection.  The Picasso
amongst the Rembrandts.  Yeah, like I know what that means.  It just sounds
pretentious enough to be a thing.  I always thought that Picasso lived in
the same time period as Rembrandt in the 1600's or something, but when I
found out he died in 1973, I was blown away.  The things you learn when you
don't even try.

I saw the three models of this collection standing close-by talking to a
couple of older men, so we waited patiently until they were done.  I'm not
sure if you could really call me patient, as I made sure that Colin and I
got close enough to them so that the second they were done, I could meet
them.  I wanted to know that they were okay in their new lifestyle.  It was
cute that they were even dressed in the period pieces of their shoot.

We did introduce ourselves, and found out that the boys were actually
brothers, age 13, 15 and 16.  It was another surprise as they looked
younger.  I complimented them on their work, and said I found it
compelling.  The older one thanked us and said he was happy that we liked
it.  I thought what it would be like to have them at the house to recreate
the picture for my unveiling of it, but in a case like this, I think the
depth of the emotion captured in the actual moment would be spoiled by
having the real boys there.  Plus, what would I do with three semi naked
boys at my house?  I don't even know if we have a loaf of bread like that.
All of ours was sliced.  We moved on to the next collection.

"Hey," I said to one guy standing near a series of pictures depicting a
farm setting.  "Nice shots.  Those you?"

"Yeah.  We had a day on the farm," he replied.

"Lucky horses and cows," I smiled as I looked at the ones of him and
another boy in a field surrounded by the animals.  Of course, the boys were
naked, with their best bits hidden from view.

"That was a bit scary," he admitted.  "The animals kept moving towards us
to see what we were doing, and I kept figuring we'd get caught in some
stampede or something."

"I'm glad I didn't have to do that.  I love that picture there," I said,
pointing to one of the two boys resting together on a few hay bales,
looking out across the landscape.  One was sitting up, while the other was
leaning against him.  The first boy had his arm around the second one's
chest and it looked seriously romantic.  As with all the pictures in the
gallery, the boys were naked, but properly posed to ensure it was family
friendly.  Well, for open minded families.

"I've seen your set too," he admitted.  "I'm Bryce by the way."

"Justin, and this is Colin."

"Nice to meet you.  After seeing your displays, I've never wanted to be a
triplet as much as I do now."

"It's good to have spare parts in case you ever get sick," I joked.  "I
love using that line, although I think in retrospect, Jason and J.P. aren't
as big a fan of it as I am."

"I think I'd have liked to have been out on the farm while you guys were
there.  It looks like you had a great time.  Especially those
roll-in-the-hay shots.  You two looked like you were having a blast," Colin
said as he looked over the collection.

"For the record, a roll in the hay is nowhere near as much fun as they make
it sound.  That shit has sharp edges and hurts like a bitch.  By the end of
the day, I had so many little nicks and cuts, we were having to use makeup
to hide some of them."

"Aww, that's too bad.  The picture makes me imagine the fun that went on
after the cameras were off.  I could just picture you and your partner
going at it on a hay bale somewhere," I said, actually picturing it.

"He's was only my partner for the photoshoot.  He's around here somewhere,
but we're both straight, so nothing happened beyond what the cameras picked
up."

"That's too bad," I grinned.  "You look so natural together.  The chemistry
coming through in the pictures is amazing.  Do you ever do full nude
pictures?"  I might as well ask bluntly since we're at a sexpose art show.

"I have, yes," he admitted.

"Nice.  Wouldn't mind seeing some of those shots."

"What about you guys?  Have you done full nudes?" He asked.

"Not for public display.  J.P., one of my brothers, is an actor, so we
don't want full nude shots of him in case he becomes famous.  A picture of
one of us, is like a picture of all of us."

"Never thought of it like that.  Guess that'd be true though huh?  Were
there were tons of shots of you guys they didn't use for this show?  I know
Trent and I had tons where you could see everything, but obviously that
isn't part of this show."

"Yeah, probably can't avoid it, but I'm sure Terrance and Walter will
delete those, or at the very least keep them secure," I replied.

"I did like the mirror reflection pictures of the three of you."

"That's my favorite as well," Colin admitted.

"Yeah, I liked that too.  It was fun to shoot."

Bryce smiled.  "I also loved the holographic set where the three of you
were together with a cloth draped over you.  The whole thing spins to give
a 360 view.  With the lighting, the cloth doesn't exactly leave much to
imagine.  Were you guys actually erect for the whole thing, or did they use
some sort of prosthetic?"

"It's us.  Terrance and Walter wanted to make sure it looked authentic, and
they didn't seem to mind adjusting us when they though it necessary."

"I'm sure they didn't.  They don't really understand personal space, do
they?"  Bryce said with a thin grin.

"You know them well.  I'm guessing they didn't miss an opportunity to pose
the two of you as required either."

"You get used to it when modelling.  Last thing they want is a bulge in the
wrong place or something showing more prominently than the shot requires.
Oh hey, there's Trent now.  Trent!" he yelled and waved him over.

"Trent.  This is Justin & Colin.  They're both models at the show as well.
He was just admiring our work."

"Thanks.  Nice to meet you, although I feel like I've already met
you...twice.  I ran in to Jason first, and then thought I was having
déjà vu when I met J.P.  Thought maybe Jason just had a terrible
memory at first, since he didn't recognize me.  Then I saw your work in the
pictures.  You guys are amazing, and so identical that if the three of you
weren't actually here in person tonight, you'd have people insisting that
the entire series was photoshopped."

"We get that a lot.  Well, mainly J.P. since he's on a TV show portraying a
triplet."

"You're all actors as well?"  Trent asked, his eyes going wide.

"Nope.  Just J.P.  He plays all three roles, but we agree to go out in
public for marketing purposes.  That way we lend credibility to the triplet
theme."

"Nice.  So people think all three of you are on screen, but it's actually
just one of you?  Now that's Hollywood for you.  How do you get started as
an actor?  That's what I want to do," Trent said showing a lot more
interest now.

"You'd have to ask J.P. about that.  I'm not that sure.  I think you need
an agent and then just go to several auditions to get known.  Something
like that."  Didn't tell him that you could also buy a studio and hire your
friends and family.  That was the fastest way in.

Blake walked up as we were talking.  "Hi Daddy!"  He grinned and put his
arm around my waist.

"Blake.  What did I tell you about that?  People will get the wrong idea,"
I warned.  He had that look on his face that he was out to cause trouble
tonight.

"Sorry Pops!"  He said leaning his head against my shoulder.

"That's two.  One more and I'm calling for the body bag."

"Guys, this is Blake.  Blake, Trent and Bryce."

"Love your pictures guys.  You're both pretty hot," he said as he moved to
look at one picture of the guys in a field looking like they were running
away from a chasing herd of cows.  "Trent is your ass really that good or
has it been enhanced?"

Trent laughed.  "No that's really my ass."

"Nice.  I'd tap that."

"Blake!!"  I said trying not to laugh at his bluntness.

"What?  We're at a sexpose.  I'm sure lots of people would want him, am I
right?"

"You're not wrong," Trent replied.  "I'm guessing you're gay?"

"Your guessing is incomplete," Blake replied smugly as he took a sip of his
drink.  "I'm cisgender abrosexual."

That's new.  Last time he identified, he was omnisexual, which I still
think is just a classy way of identifying as bisexual, but whatever.  I
can't believe there's another `sexual'.  By the time you figure it out,
you're four genders and six identities too late, and have already nutted in
them.  I mean even straight isn't technically straight anymore.

"What's that?" Bryce asked.

"It means I switch genders that I'm attracted to as my tastes change."

"I thought that was bisexual, or pansexual," Trent said to him.

"It's best to just be yourself and do what feels right.  Mostly I'm
omnisexual, but occasionally I change it up. Looking at the two of you in
these pictures, I'd totally go home with you if you're interested."

"Thanks, but we're straight.  How old are you?  You in any of these
pictures?"

"I'm 16," he lied.  "No, I'm more into live modelling than photos.  Turns
people on more when they see me up close and personal.  I'm more lickable
that way."

"You're really shy, aren't you," Bryce commented with a smirk.  Brace
yourself.  That commented included sarcasm.

"No.  I'm pretty outgoing most of the time.  I don't mind getting naked
around someone as long as I get laid afterward."

"Speaking of that," I said to him a little quieter, "your side zippers are
down."

He grinned as he looked at his side.  "Yeah, it's been warm in here, so I
opened up for some air.  Gotta let the boys breathe.  I gotta say, these
might officially be my new favorite pants.  Lots of people have been coming
up to compliment me on them."

"I'm sure they have," I nodded as you could clearly see he wasn't wearing
underwear.  Fortunately, the pants were tight enough, you couldn't see
further in.  "Are you drinking champagne?"  I asked as I went to take the
glass away from him.  He moved it away from my reach.

"No.  You said I couldn't have champagne, remember?  I asked the guy
specifically if this was champagne and he said it could be considered that,
but technically it was sparkling wine, as it didn't come from the place
champagne had to come from."

"So you're drinking sparkling wine?"

"Yep.  That wasn't on your list of things I couldn't do."

"Maybe I should have put it in the category of no alcohol instead."

"You can't change the rules mid game.  That's not fair.  Next time we go
out you could set new rules, but not while we're in the middle of an event.
Anyway, I'd be allowed to have a glass of wine at home, right?"

"Since when?"  I asked wondering when we'd agreed to that.

"Since forever.  It's legal to let someone drink under 19 when at home.  As
long as they're not getting shitfaced or anything."

"I think that rule includes `with parent's permission.'  You don't have
that," Colin reminded him.

"Or do I?"  He said grinning.  "It applies across the multiverse too, ya
know.  If one of my alternates has permission, it flows across all time and
space to include me."

"Holy fuck.  How much HAVE you had to drink?"  Trent laughed.

"This is my first one, and I'm not exactly guzzling it.  Not sure I even
like it, but you gotta have a drink in your hand while socializing.  Any
chance of me hooking up with you guys tonight?"

"None," Bryce replied, with Trent just shaking his head.

"Too bad.  Anyway, if you guys change your mind and want blowjobs, come
find me.  I'd like to explore behind the pictures see what else you've got
to offer up.  Catch you later then.  See ya," he grinned as he took off.
Not sure if he was leaving in case I took his drink away, or because the
two hot boys refused his advances.

"Who is he exactly?"  Bryce asked.

"He's our son, and he's not 16, he's 14.  Before you ask, we adopted him."

"Got it.  He certainly speaks his mind, doesn't he?"

"More than you could ever imagine," Colin said rolling his eyes.

Jason and J.P. joined us, and I introduced them to Bryce and Trent, who
were openly inspecting us with their eyes.

"It's so surreal," Bryce commented.  "I mean I see you guys in your photo
collection and think how cool it would be to be a triplet, but then I see
you in person and it's like a whole different sensation.  Like I'd have a
million questions that you can't ask a picture."

"I'm sure we've heard it all before," I replied.

"I have a question," Trent said once he'd finished looking us over.  "Can
you use each other's faces to open your phones?"

I laughed.  "Okay, I take it back.  I haven't heard them all before."

"We've never tried it, but I'm guessing we could," Jason answered.  "J.P.,
give me your phone."

He handed it over and Jason raised it to his face and showed everyone that
it worked instantly.

"Now we know," I grinned.  "I'm so going back to fingerprints, now that I
know I can be hacked by your faces," I teased.

"Please.  Like your phone has any secrets you haven't already told us,"
J.P. laughed.

"Uhhh, it totally does.  I have a full list of all the guys I've done that
thought I was either of you, and their good and bad points."

Bryce laughed.  "THAT I have to know.  Do you ever switch places to trick
some guy?"

"It has happened, but not usually on purpose.  I walked in on Justin doing
some guy I was with.  Once we saw how freaked out the guy was at being with
the wrong guy, we never did it again.  We calmed him down though by both
taking him."

"Fuck.  Now I wanna meet triplet chicks.  That would be a night I'd never
forget," Trent said excitedly.

"You couldn't handle three at once," Bryce laughed.  "Before he tries to
slap a wig on you guys and mount you doggy style, we should change the
subject."

"Or..." J.P. grinned.  "I have wigs in the car."

"No you don't," Colin laughed.  "Do you?"

"By the time I got him to the car, he wouldn't care."

"Any other photo set that you guys like?"  I asked in order to look like we
weren't all thinking about screwing the straight boys.

"I loved the hitchhiker theme," Bryce revealed.  "I loved how it focused on
the places they went, and not on some stereotypical hitchhiker giving it up
for a ride."

"It's call ride sharing," Jason said trying to sound flippant.  "You
know...a ride for a ride."

We laughed.  Now I'll never think of ride sharing the same again.  I'd seen
those shots, and told Bryce I totally agreed with him.  It started with a
shirtless guy hitchhiking, and as the photos progressed the guys became
closer.  One shot was them at a urinal in some truck stop bathroom.  Then
they'd stopped to take a dip in a small lake.  That was the beginning of
the nudity shots.  They had towels to dry each other off, which hid their
penises, but gave you enough of a visual to imagine more.  It was followed
up with shots of them lying out on sleeping bags looking up at the stars.
There was a blanket partially over their crotches, but what made it a lot
more erotic was them holding hands as they lay side by side.

My favorite of all the shots was where they were still outside, but now a
single candle was the only thing lighting the scene.  The boys were
obviously kissing and the silhouette made it obvious they were into each
other.  You could just imagine what the next few hours would have entailed.
The final few shots were the guys riding off together, clothes apparently
having been forgotten.  I'm so roleplaying that one day.  Oh Colin!!  Wanna
be a hitchhiker next weekend?

We left the guys and headed off to mix with others.  We had a lot of guys
talk to us about our photoshoot and how we looked incredible together.  The
biggest comment was the surprise that we were actually real and not just
one guy posing in three overlayed shots.  Colin had wandered off to see
more collections as I hung out with J.P. and Jason.

"There they are.  My beautiful princes," Walter said as he floated over to
us, his silk scarf flying out behind him like he was in a wind
tunnel. "Darlings, come with me.  I have someone who would like to meet the
three of you.  He's considering purchasing your entire collection."

"That's quite the honour," J.P. smiled.

"It is darling.  It is!  I think he's taken a liking to you.  Ah, there he
is.  Brenton, old chap!" he said waving his hand like an outdoor inflatable
at the opening of a discount furniture store.  We all approached, and the
man turned around, appearing annoyed at being interrupted, until he saw us
with Walter.

"Boys, this is Mr. Castlethwaite.  He's the art enthusiast I told you
about.  Brenton, these are the boys who so graciously provided their beauty
for the project.  Jason, Justin and Jean Paul."

"J.P. is fine," he corrected quickly.

"Boys!  What a delightful pleasure to meet you.  I saw your work and it was
simply stunning.  I thought old Walter here had just gotten creative with
one model, but once I learned that there were three of you, I was
besotted."

Besotted?  Please tell me that's something good.  Not like some serial
killer adjective.  `As the senior detective looked over the bodies of the
triplets, he shook his head in weary distain.  It's distressing when young
people are cut down in their prime, besotted in such a gruesome way.'

"Was any part of that enhanced to make you boys look identical, or are you
really that flawless?"

"I'm not sure about flawless," J.P. replied, "but we are that identical."

"Just standing here in front of the three of you has me wanting to clean my
glasses in case I'm just getting reflections, and that there's not actually
three people standing in front of me.  I told Walter I'd consider buying
the entire collection of you boys, but I'd like to ask for one
consideration before I negotiate the price with him.  Would you be willing
to come to the unveiling of the collection, once I have it set up at my
home?  I'd love to showcase the three of you so that everyone can see how
perfect the collection captures your essence.

Shit!  It IS a serial killer thing.  He wants to capture our essences.
That usually requires nudity and some penis pump thing.  I've seen movies.
And little decorative jars on mantlepieces...where they keep our essences.

"I think we'd be okay with that, if it'll help Walter and Terrance sell
some of their collection," J.P. offered.

Since he volunteered us, he's getting his essence captured first.  It'll
give Jason and I time to get away if it goes wrong.  Of course, I'm pretty
sure Brenton is no match for the three of us in a fight.  I'm not saying
he's old, but one more wrinkle and he'd be a Bassett hound.  His ears were
already drooping that low now.  I'm not body shaming as I'm pretty sure
that's going to happen to us when we get into our 60's as well.  I just
want a few things when I start the aging thing.  I don't want to go bald or
get a beer belly and man boobs.  I mean I like boobs, just not on me.  I
think I'd be okay totally bald, but not with a bald spot or horseshoe
shaped hair on the sides and back only.

"That would be wonderful.  I'd like to ask one more thing from you.  Would
you also be willing to recreate some of the poses from the collection in
person for my guests?  It would be a wonderful addition to the unveiling."

And by unveiling, he means that he'd get to see the rest of us.  The parts
that the pictures left out.  Wait...wait...I'm getting an idea on how to
get Bryce and Trent naked.  I'll buy their entire collection with the same
offer.  Nice!  Or I could just toss them a thousand bucks and tell them to
get naked and start fuckin'.  That seems a little crude though.  Time
effective...but crude.

For Walter's sake, we agreed to be part of the deal to purchase our
collection.

"You have our number, Walter, so just let us know when and where the
unveiling will be, and we'll be there."

Colin strolled up to us with a drink in hand and put his arm around Jason
and gave him a kiss.  "Hey babe.  Enjoying the adorations?"

"HEY!  Wrong triplet, Colin," I said trying to look upset at him, but
coming across more as a jealous smirk.

"I know.  Just seeing how you'd react.  You know I can tell the three of
you apart," he said moving to do the same thing with J.P. next.

"Seriously?"

"Shhh...let the guy have a moment," J.P. grinned as he pulled Colin in
tighter and gave him another kiss.  "I'm sorry about J.P., he's being a bit
weird tonight.  How about you and I excuse ourselves and go into a private
room somewhere," J.P. teased.

"You know I enjoy private rooms with you when you're in this mood, honey,"
Colin said as he seductively moved the glass he was holding down J.P.'s
chest.  "Excuse us gentlemen, I need to borrow Justin for a moment."  He
took J.P. by the hand and led him away.  I stood there open mouthed.

"He does know that's J.P. right?"  I asked looking at Jason.

"It is?  Huh.  How easily we get mixed up," he laughed.

"Does that happen a lot?"  Mr. Castlethwaite asked as he watched Colin
disappear with my brother.

"No.  Once you get to know us, you can tell us apart pretty easily.
Colin's just having fun."

"Would he ever mix you up where he's not fully paying attention?  Like has
he ever found himself in a compromising position with either of your
brothers?"

"I dunno about compromising, but Jason was his boyfriend first, then he and
I switched places way back in the day, and now I'm married to him, while
Jason is married to my best friend.  Worked out for all of us."

"And J.P.?"  He asked.

"I guess we'll find out when they get back from their private room," I
joked.  "Either I'm still married, or looking for a divorce attorney.  Not
likely though considering he'll be judging our skills.  Pretty obvious
who'll come out with the gold on that."

"Yeah, but he was still okay marrying you and letting me have Alex anyway,"
Jason replied.

"Sic!" I said giving him a fist bump as we laughed it off.

"You boys are very interesting.  I look forward to getting to know you
better.  Walter, let's discuss your price for the entire collection.
Please excuse us gentlemen."

They left together and we moved off to look at more of the collections.  We
saw Colin with J.P., talking to a group of other guys.  So much for
private.  What he needs is a Triple J gang bang, and there'll be no
question he married the right triplet after that.

We met lots of models and I have to admit, I was seriously thinking of
becoming a photographer.  While all the art was tasteful, as I knew from
our own shoot, there was plenty of fully nudity behind the scenes.  On
second thought, that might be bad for me.  I might never get the actual
shoots completed.  We circled through the gallery, talking with lots of
people, from art lovers to boy lovers, and lovers of boy art.  So much
love, it feels like I'm in a 60's hippie commune.

I watched Blake walk past, still with a drink in one hand, but now a boy in
the other.  He was holding hands with a Latino boy, and working the room
like a couple of drug dealers at Burning Man.  At first, I didn't think
he'd noticed me, but he turned, raised his glass and gave me a big smile
before he took a sip.  Please tell me that's still his first class of
champagne, and that I'm not going to be holding his hair back while he's
bent over in the back alley emptying his stomach contents.  Other than
that, I only have one question.  Has he already done the boy he's with, or
is he a snack for later?  I never did find out as the next time Blake
joined us; he was alone.

"I should do some modelling Dad," he said as he stood beside Colin and I.
"Tons of people asked if I was in any of this art.  Personally, I think I'd
look good as a marble statue."

"I'll get the liquid marble to dunk you into," I offered.

"Funny.  But don't you think a giant naked statue of me at the entrance to
our driveway would be amazing?" He asked giving a pose.

"Would sure keep away crows and Mormons," Colin laughed.

"All joking aside, I think you'd do really well as a model," I told him.
"Once your acting takes off, I'm sure you'll be doing lots of photoshoots
anyway."

"Probably.  Wait until they do a full story on my diving and have me posing
in my Speedos.  I'll be as famous as Tom Daley.  Imagine how many girls
will have me pinned up on their wall, not to mention gay boys and those
using me as diving inspiration for their own goals."

"Why do I get a feeling that the first person to put up a semi naked pinup
of you on the bedroom wall will be you?"  I chuckled.

"I'd have it done more as a work of art in a giant framed original print.
Probably as the focal point in our entryway," he replied.

"I actually like that idea.  But I'd put it down on the pool level to take
center stage on the main wall," Colin agreed.

"We'd want that?"  I asked, slightly surprised.

"Of course.  Can you think of a better way to kill all the boners that
happen down there?"  He laughed.

"You know that's rude, right?" Blake said as he tried to refrain from
grinning.  "Are you guys taking any of the models home with us tonight?"

"No.  That wasn't our plan," I replied, although if some of them offered,
I'd head home immediately.

"Ummm...if I get Bryce or Trent to come home with me, you guys won't be
jealous or nothing, will you?"

"Nope, we won't be jealous at all," Colin answered before I could.  "Pretty
sure they made themselves clear about their sexuality though."

"Don't they all before you pop a cock in their mouth," he nodded.  "Catch
you later."

I looked at Colin after Blake had wandered off.  "What do you think the
odds are of him getting one of them home?"

"He's your son, what do you think?"  Colin replied putting his arm around
me.

"Shit, he's gonna screw both of them before making them do each other.  We
really have to refocus his energy away from sex for a few years to let his
brain develop with other interests."

"Afraid of the competition?"  Colin teased.

"No, but maybe we should let him join a biker gang.  That'll really change
his focus away from always being horny 24/7."

Colin gave a small snort, almost shooting his drink out his nose.  "You
might actually want to think that one through."

"What?  No chance he's going to screwing cute boys on the back of a hog."

"Instead, he'll be muling drugs, drinking beer at 9am, and throwing women
over a pool table to rape them.  Not to mention the stealing and
terrorizing of neighbourhoods, and all the extra tattoos from head to
foot."

"Like I said...he'll be too busy to pick up boys.  Okay, so maybe biker
gang is a bit much for a 14-year-old.  I'd suggest letting him become a
Mormon, but having him live with all those other Mormon boys for a two-year
mission, isn't going to end well."

"You're missing the obvious solution," Colin said as we moved to go check
out a few more exhibits.

"Which is?"

"Just keep him busy with J.J.  He'll focus on retrieving memories, and if
he babysits him and his friends when they're over, he'll be too engaged and
exhausted to think about sex."

"That's true.  Even I find that when I'm dealing with the kids.  I think
you and I are down to sex only once a day during the week."

"We do make up for it on the weekend though," Colin smiled.

"True, but even that's only twice a day.  I remember entire Saturdays where
we didn't get out of bed."

"I think you're getting yourself confused with Jason," Colin teased.  "That
boy had sex skills to make nymphomaniacs blush.  Why I remember this one
weekend with a bowl of Jell-o and a spatula..."

"Okay, enough," I interrupted.  "We both know who's really better."

"Exactly," he said pulling me in for a hug and kiss.  "...but I married you
anyway."

I pushed him away and laughed.  "Bitch."

"Darlings, could I steal you away for a few moments?"  Walter said as he
glided over to us again.  He pulled us to a back room where the other
models were also gathering.  "We want to do a big final thank you to the
patrons, so I'm going to have all of you in a pair of black boxer briefs.
Grab a pair from the selection over there.  Don't worry, they're all new
and you can take them home with you when this is over.  Get a nice form
fitting pair to accentuate all your hidden features.  We'll go out once
I've rounded everyone up."

"Surprised he's not making us go out naked," Colin said as we went over to
grab a packet of underwear.

"I'd be okay with that," I replied.  "Not like we haven't been to naked
parties before.  Personally, I think it's sexier to see a bunch of
good-looking guys teasing you in hot underwear, than just balls out naked.
I mean you gotta leave something to unwrap once you get your present home."

I wasn't exactly complaining as all the models around us were undressing to
change into the underwear.  That meant they were getting naked to do it.  I
had a chance to check out several of the boys I'd been interested in
earlier.  I saw Bryce and Trent off towards the back looking like they were
having some sort of energized discussion.

I made my way towards them to see if I could hear what they were saying.
Not because I'm nosy, but because I'm...yeah...fuck it, I'm just nosy.
They were already in their underwear, so I'd missed any big, (or average)
reveals they may have had.

Bryce saw me before I got close enough to just hear them, so my cover was
shot.  He waved me over.

"Are you Justin?  I'm Bryce, we met earlier, remember?"  He said quickly.

"I remember, and yes, I'm Justin."

"Trent's freaking out over here, so I wondered if maybe you can help him."

"With what?"  I asked.

"He's worried that he won't be able to keep his boner down if we go out
there like this.  I told him just to picture all the old fat hairy men
naked and he'd be fine."

"Yeah, maybe, but there's also hot women out there looking at my almost
naked body.  My penis knows that."

"Justin, I hate to ask, but would you give him a blowjob to calm him down?
He's not gonna get hard for a long time after that."

I laughed.  "Nice that you're offering your friend up like a meat platter.
Thought the two of you weren't into that.  What do you think about that
idea, Trent?"

"I hate it, but he's right.  One blowjob from a guy, and I'm not going to
be thinking about getting an erection for a long time," he agreed.

I'm not sure how to take that.  Would the climax from the blowjob be
calming him down, or the fact he hated that a guy was sucking him off?
What am I asking?  From my side of it, who gives a shit.  A straight boy
was begging for a blowjob.  This requires I quickly drop to my knees in a
superhero landing stance, and help out a citizen in need.

"Have you had a blowjob from a guy before?"  I inquired.

"I've had blowjobs before," he replied without really answering the
question fully.

"We should hurry," Bryce said looking around.  "I'm sure once everyone is
here, we'll be expected to go out there."

"Agreed," I nodded.  "Okay, lose the shorts.  I can have this done in under
a minute."

"Not here," he said sounding horrified. "Somewhere private."

Straight boys and their privacy issues.  "Let's move into there," I said
pointing to the nearest door.  I hoped it led to a small store room and not
a stage with spotlights, for Trent's sake, not mine.  I was lucky, as it
looked like a meeting room of some sort.  Bryce followed Trent and I in.

"Dude...fuck off," Trent said to his friend.  "You're not watching me get a
blowjob."

"Gross, no.  I was going to stand guard," Bryce replied.

"Stand guard outside.  Fuck."

Bryce shrugged and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"For the record, I'd have been fine with it," I told him.  "Maybe he needed
help too."

"Yeah, mental help if he thinks I'm letting him watch.  I don't even want
to watch."

"You actually sure you want a blowjob for real?"

"No, but I know it'll kill my boner.  No offense dude, but having some guy
suck my dick is going to ensure it doesn't get hard for a few days."

I laughed.  "Don't count on it.  Once I suck that load out of you, you'll
be able to get through the night, but you'll be calling me in the morning
to come over and deal with the morning wood."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen.  We should hurry."

Like I need to be asked twice.  I dropped to my knees and in one expert
maneuver, had his shorts down to his ankles before he knew I'd even moved.
His cock wasn't as hard as the earlier bulge in his shorts had suggested.
I'm guessing just the thought of getting a blowjob was scaring him enough
to get himself back under control, so technically my work here was done.
But I do like to be thorough.  He was cut with a full bush.  Well, mostly
full.  I think he had thinned it a bit, but it still seemed like a lot.

I quickly slipped his cock into my mouth and took hold of his balls.  His
whole body tensed up and when I grabbed his ass, it went rock solid.  I
felt his hand touch my shoulder, and I thought he might be getting into it,
but I think it was more just to steady himself.  He wasn't responding in
the slightest, so I fondled his balls more and ran a finger up the back of
them towards his ass crack.  All that succeeded in doing was getting his
ass clamped even more firmly shut.  I sucked him for another minute before
stopping and standing up.

I was feeling seriously inadequate right now.  I had never, and I do mean
never, failed to get a boy hard, straight or not.  Maybe it happened, but
I've repressed the thought so deep that not even hypnosis could retrieve
it.  This was a warning shot that I might be losing my touch, and need to
focus more.  I looked him in the eyes.  "I have a feeling you're not going
to get hard out there.  I'm guessing you're a little nervous about getting
a blowjob?"

"Really nervous, sorry.  I guess doing it with a guy really isn't for me,"
he apologized.

"Maybe you're more of an anal man.  If you turn around and bend over, I
could bang one out pretty quick," I teased with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure I'd like that even less.  But thanks.  At least I'm not
going to embarrass myself in front of a ton of people."

"Anytime.  If you ever do get curious, feel free to DM me and maybe we can
get together in a less stressful situation.  I know from other straight
boys that they actually find guys give better head than girls.  Just in
case you ever want to test that."

He gave me a small grin.  "Thanks, but I think today proved I'm not into
guys."  He quickly wiped his dick dry with his hand before pulling up his
underwear.  "Thanks for helping though," he stammered before we made our
way out.  Bryce looked at both of us as if waiting for blow-by-blow
details.

"He's calmer now," I said.  "We'll wait until after this is over before I
give you your turn, Bryce.  You can thank your friend for suggesting we
keep things fair."

"What's that mean?"  Bryce asked, then turned to Trent.  "What's that
mean?"

He shrugged.  "I dunno...I don't."

I patted Bryce on the ass.  "I just hope you're as tight as advertised."

I slowly walked away.  It seemed more dramatic that way.

"What did you tell him?"  I heard Bryce ask.

"Nothing.  I swear.  I didn't say a word," Trent replied.

That's a little curious.  Now I'm the one with the erection as I imagined
what secrets those two had between them.  I wonder what I could get them to
do if I offered to do a shoot with them.

"Where did you go?"  Colin asked I rejoined the guys.

"To help a straight boy in distress about going out in just his underwear."

"You mean one of the sexpose models, who basically have everything showing
in their art, is afraid to go out in the equivalent of a swim suit?"  Jason
laughed.

"More like he's worried that the swim suit wouldn't be able to hide
everything if he got too excited.  I gave him a tip.  Actually, he gave me
the tip, I took it from there."

"Slut," J.P. chuckled.  "Why didn't you invite us?"

"Sorry, it was really only a one portion size."

"Which one was it?"

"Girl, you know I don't kiss and tell.  Fortunately for you there was no
kissing.  I helped Trent."

Colin laughed.  "Oh my god.  You and Blake are the same person, aren't you?
He offers to hook up with them, and you actually do it."

I shrugged.  "What can I say?  The student has not yet become the master.
God help us all when he does.  Meanwhile, we have one very relaxed straight
boy ready to face his adoring audience."  I chose not to tell them the
entire truth.  No need to embarrass Trent, and the last thing I need to
hear is bullshit from them about how bad I must be at oral.

We didn't have much longer to wait as Walter took all of us out into the
main room and got everyone's attention.

"Darlings, thank you ever so much for attending our little show here
tonight.  Of course, none of it would have been possible without some
amazing talent.  Ladies and Gentlemen, please show your appreciation to our
models."  He turned and moved his had around slowly to point all of us out.

I don't think that was all that necessary as we were the only ones standing
there in small black underwear.  The room began applauding and it seemed to
get louder and go on longer than necessary.  But is this how straight
people show their appreciation?  At a `Q' event, appreciation usually
involves more physical activity and probably underwear being collected as
souvenirs.

"We thank all of you for supporting the arts.  There are still a few works
for sale, and the auction for the multiple bid items will begin in half an
hour.  Feel free to talk to the models about their work and see if it
raises your interest in any of their art you've considering.  Please enjoy
the rest of the show."

With that he left us all standing there in a group, as the patrons moved in
like vultures to desert kill.  One guy literally bulldozed his way towards
Jason, J.P. and me.  "Fellas.  Loved your work.  Absolutely stunning.
Looks like I missed the opportunity to buy any of it."

"Thanks.  Yeah, I guess some guy saw it earlier and bought everything,"
J.P. replied as we all looked at the guy.

He was probably in his 30's, stood over 6 foot, and had a shirt that was
either three sizes to small for him, or pecs that were two sizes too large.
He bicep was the thickness of my thigh, and I assumed he bench pressed cars
for a light workout.  He had black hair that was slicked back, and if he'd
had dark rimmed glasses, I'd assume he was Superman.

"If you're interested, I run a club downtown and you'd certainly be a hit
during ladies' night.  Once word got out, you'd easily clear a thousand
dollars a night.  Not to mention all the women you could pack into your car
for a fun evening at home."

"Thank but I don't think we'd be interested in that," J.P. replied before
any of us could echo his remarks.

"If you're more into guys, I'm cool with that.  We could have a private
evening where you could entertain the men.  I'm sure you'd make just as
much if not more."

"Thanks, but we only did the photoshoot to help out our friends.  We're not
really into doing more," Justin told him.

"Well, that'd be a shame, but if you boys do change your mind, or find
yourselves in need of some quick cash, give me a call," he said as he
handed over his card, indicating he owned a prominent strip club downtown.

Not sure if I felt flattered or dirty.  The stupid part is I kinda felt
like I might like to try it.  Never worked a pole before.  Let me rephrase
that.  I've never danced around a strip pole in front of a female audience
before.  Words matter people.

J.P. thanked him, but assure him we weren't interested.  After he left,
heading off to meet other boys, I looked at J.P.  "Aren't we though?"

"Aren't we what?" he asked.

"Interested.  It would be kind of a thrill to have one of us go out to get
the ladies all worked up, and then when we're down to just our tiny
g-string, a second one of us comes out, and then a third.  I've read things
that say it's hard to get women to have orgasms.  I'll bet we could give
all of them one at the same time, just by dropping the thongs
simultaneously.  They'd be so wild for us; they'd need extra security to
keep them away."

Colin laughed.  "Is that actually something you'd want?  It's bad enough
with all the guys drooling over the three of you, do you really need to add
women as well?"

I snapped my fingers.  "We could do that at the Slam'r.  Put poles on the
stage and let us strip there," I said almost excite by the spontaneous new
idea.

"Are you trying to cause a riot?"  Jason asked, laughing.  "It's already
ridiculous when we're on the dance floor shirtless.  Anyway, we're not that
type of club."

"We're not?"  J.P. asked with a giant grin.  You literally have a sex club
in the `Cell'r', and 90% of the guys on the main floor are shirtless an
hour into opening.  Don't even get me started on the `Here' lounge.  Having
stripper poles might be the least sexual thing happening."

"Aww, don't you guys look all sexy and shit," Blake said as he arrived
holding the hand of a different boy.  Unlike the last one, this guy was
probably a couple years older than Blake and seemed to be a Latin Asian
mix.  Very good looking with a jawline that could slice through metal.  He
had black hair, but with frosted blond streaks. "This is Kai.  Kai, my dads
and uncles.  Kai is from Croatia."

"Nice to meet you.  Blake showed me your collection.  It's really nice," he
said politely, and in perfect English.  That might be slightly judgemental.
For all I know they speak English in Croatia.

"Thank you.  How'd you meet Blake?" Colin asked.

"He was talking to my boyfriend about his work.  He has some art pieces
here, so we just got talking."

"Once the show is over, we're probably just going to go out for a couple
beers, and then back to Kai's house for a shag.  That's what they call sex
in Europe."

"No, you're not," I laughed.

"It's okay Dad.  In Europe they're allowed to drink at 16," he said staring
at me with laser focus.  I knew that look was to not reveal that he was
actually only 14.

"Maybe, but we're not in Europe and what about your sobriety?  You really
planning on throwing away all that hard work getting your one-year chip?"

Blake just grinned as he recognized me playing along.  He didn't get a
chance to reply before Kia was speaking.

"I'm sorry.  We wouldn't expect anyone to drink.  It was just a casual
thought.  We could have tea instead."

Really?  Even Europeans go straight for the tea as the alternative.  I know
the British stop everything for tea.

`General Smartbones, we really do have to make a decision.  Those nuclear
missiles are less then five minutes away.'  `Oh, sit down Jeeves and have a
spot of tea and lemon.  We're buggered anyway.  Might as well go out with
style, dear boy.'  I get a lot of British shows on my feeds.

"Or we could skip the tea and get right to the good stuff.  I don't need
warming up when it comes to sex.  Do you?"  Blake said looking into Kai's
eyes.

"Not at all.  I'm good to get right to it," he replied.

"They do know we're standing right here, don't they?" Jason asked.

"Okay, later guys.  Oh, and don't wait up.  This could be an all-nighter.
I'll keep my phone on," Blake said, before pulling Kai by the hand and
running off.

"Do you think that was real, or just to get a reaction out of us?"  Colin
asked staring at me.

"I honestly have no idea anymore," I admitted.

As we continued to mingle with the patrons, I noticed that with us now in
just underwear, we seemed to be getting touched a lot more.  I couldn't
help but grin at J.P. as I noticed him looking across at me.  He was
standing right against another model who had his hand inside the back of
J.P.'s shorts.  Unlike Trent, the model didn't seem to care who knew he had
an erection stretching the fabric of the tight briefs.  J.P. leaned in to
kiss the boy, and the next thing I saw was them heading off quickly,
holding hands.  It makes me wonder how much sex is going on in this
building that I'm not aware of, and why am I not part of it.

Terrance announced that the auction would be getting underway shortly, and
asked all the bidders to make their way to the auction room.  The rest were
encouraged to continue enjoying the evening.  This was the models cue to
return to the back area and get redressed.  I made a point of grabbing my
clothes and going over to Trent and Bryce.

"Were you able to stay focused?"  I asked Trent.

"Yeah.  Thanks.  I think I would have been okay anyway, though.  All those
hands brushing against me or trying for a quick feel was a bit creepy.  Not
sexual at all."

"Same," Bryce admitted.

"I dunno.  My brother J.P. had a hand inside his shorts and disappeared
with the guy pretty fast.  He and the other model may not resurface until
morning."

"If I'd had a hot chick model grope me, I might have disappeared too,"
Trent admitted.  "But the only women here were way too old for me.  I'm
okay with cougars, but they still have to be lookers."

"You wouldn't know how to handle a cougar.  You can barely handle a cub,"
Bryce laughed.

"I can handle anything," Trent replied defensively.

"I have to get to the auction, or I'd test you on that," I said as I
dropped my underwear to change back into my own clothes. "I'd get this full
size and see what you could really handle."

"I meant anything with girls," he said quickly clarifying himself.

I watched as the two boys dropped their own shorts to change.  "That
reminds me Bryce, when would you like that blowjob?  Looks like a nice
cock.  What's the size when it's hard, so I know what to prepare for?"

"Ummm...big enough, I think," he replied looking down at himself.

"That means it's probably small.  Mine is 6½," Trent replied.

Bryce laughed as pulled on his own underwear.  "Duh.  He knows that
dumbass.  You're the one he blew."

"Oh right," Trent blushed.  Personally, I'm glad he told me, as all I saw
was the two inches I managed to actually suck on.

"That's okay, we'll measure it once I get you fully excited.  I'll give you
my number and we can hook up at the house.  Trent, feel free to bring your
camera.  Maybe we can make a photoshoot out of it.  If you want to talk
interpretative art, you need the facial expressions of a boy doing anal for
the first time.  You two have perfect faces for those expressions to be
really enhanced."

Trent handed me Bryce's phone where I quickly put my number before
finishing getting dressed.  I left the boys to return to Colin, who was
ready to go and giving me an amused look.

"What was that about?"

"Just teasing straight boys.  I'm surprised you didn't hear their asses
clang shut when I suggested they come over for a fuck photo session."

"One day you're gonna hit on the wrong person," he laughed.  "But if you do
get them over, I wouldn't mind a ride on Bryce."

"I knew it!" I said grabbing his hand and leaning in for a kiss.  "Sharing
a straight boy is better than sharing ice cream, and you can usually get
more licks out of a straight boy."

We made our way into the auction area and took a seat.  None of the people
there were the models, only the patrons.  Colin and I were the only two
under 90 years old.  Sorry, I really gotta stop the ageist thing.  I know
it won't be long before I'm the old guy in the room and the youngin's will
be calling me grandpa.  Just so you know, the first time I get the grandpa
comment, I'm hanging myself...right after I shoot the little prick.

As we sat down, a voice behind us said, `Hi grandpa!'  Have you ever had an
instant flash of true panic?  This was it, and I didn't even have a rope
handy.  Turns out it was one of the models actually meeting up with his
real grandpa.  I think I exhaled the fear out for a good two minutes.

The auction was sort of boring.  Only those who had stickers each item
could bid on it, so we had to wait until our picture came up before we
could participate.  I participated the shit out of it.  At first there were
like six of us bidding, but then when the price got higher and higher, it
was down to us and one other guy.  He seemed determined to get it.  I'd
seen enough auction in movies to know how to do this, so I just kept
raising my hand to increase the bid.

"How much do you think we should pay for it?"  I whispered to Colin.

"That's the beauty of an auction.  It's true value is determined by how
much someone is willing to pay.  With the auction purchase slip and letter
of authenticity, the next time it gets sold, it could command a lot more.
How much you initially pay depends on how badly you want it."

"Cool," I nodded as the auctioneer, called out 7,500.  "I put my hand up
and yelled 10,000."

"I have ten thousand, do I hear 10,500?"  The auctioneer asked, or called
out, or yodelled.  Whatever the correct saying is for that.

The man bidding against me raised his hand.  Asshole.  I don't know who he
is or how much he's worth, but I doubt he'll be able to outbid us.  I
should ease his pain and go tell him to give up now.

"I have 10,500 from the man on the left.  Do I hear 11,000?"

"Jesus.  Fuck me," I said exasperated.

"Now, or after the auction?" Colin whispered back with a smirk.  "15,000,"
I announced.  Beat that asshole.

"I have 15,000, do I hear an advance on 15?"

"16," the man said putting up his hand.  Fuck this, I could have had that
picture for 5 grand if this prick hadn't been here.

"Should I keep going?"  I asked Colin again. "I'm not used to buying things
like this."

"How badly do you want it?"

"At this point, I'd want the real models thrown in so I could hang them on
the wall with it.  But I really do like the picture."

Colin put his hand up. "Twenty-five thousand."

I grinned, but was almost disappointed when I didn't hear a gasp from the
rest of the bidders in the room, like they do in movies when someone bids
high all of a sudden.  That was really anticlimactic.

I saw the man up front shake his head when the auctioneer if there was any
advance on the twenty-five. "I have twenty-five.  Going once.  Going twice.
Sold to the gentleman in the back."

"Awww...that's cute.  He thinks you're a gentleman," I said as I leaned in
to give Colin a side hug.  "Thanks though.  I probably wouldn't have kept
going much higher."

I felt like a bit of a tool later on as I found out the man bidding against
us had bought all the other pieces in the collection.  The picture I'd
bought was sort of the starting point for the whole series.  I felt a
little better when I found out that the models got a percentage of the
money from each sale, so our inflated price would help the three brothers.
Maybe now they could actually afford sliced bread and a bath.

My conscious kept nagging at me for the next little while, so I went over
to talk to Walter.

"When you did that shot that I bought, were there other versions you didn't
choose?  Like maybe from a different angle or slightly different lighting?"
I asked, remembering how many pictures he took of us.  He was pretty much
everywhere snapping shots off.

"Yes, but we only select the best for the show," Walter replied.  "You made
those boys very happy when they saw how much their series sold for.  I
don't think they have figured out what to do with all the money from the
commission yet."

I was going to offer my suggestions but I stayed focused.  "Would you
consider adding one of the secondary choices to the series, and giving it
to the guy who bought all the others.  Not sure if he'd be interested or
not, but it feels wrong to take the key piece from the collection."

"I don't usually as it's about the art.  It'd be like adding another Mona
Lisa, but with her grinning and toothless.  It would take away the mystery
of the original."

"I understand.  But think about it.  I'm sure he'd appreciate the gesture.
I'm not worried about the value of my picture, as I bought it for the
imagery, not the value it may bring in the future.  If I'm desperate for
money, I'll sell one of Colin's cars.  But don't tell him that," I warned.

"My sweet boy.  If you're ever in need of money, you just bring that
fabulous body over to the studio and we'll sell a series of you and your
brothers that would set you up for life.  I can't tell you what a pleasure
it would be to have you back again."

I think he actually looked through my clothes as he licked his lips.  Maybe
older people just have dry lips.  I have a feeling they don't retain water
like younger people.  Maybe their skin gets more porous, which is what
causes all those wrinkles as the moisture leaves.  I'll look into it, but
I'm pretty sure that's it.

Several minutes later, the three boys that were in my picture came over to
thank me for purchasing it.  All three gave me a hug in a true orphan
moment.  Like the money they'd received would allow them to live together
in a shack in the woods and not be separated.  I hugged them back and
almost offered to take them home with me.  I'm sure these kids probably
lived in an upper middle-class home somewhere, but to me they were street
urchins in need of a loving home.  Or at the very least, in need of a
quickie in the meeting room.  They were all very beautiful boys that looked
so much alike, it was clear they were brothers.  It was like looking at one
boy in three different time frames.  I made small talk with them for a
while about their experience modelling for this collection.  I was somewhat
disappointed in myself for not figuring out a way to get them all naked,
but I did say I'd invite them over to see their picture hung up.  It might
be difficult to separate the boys from each other, but the oldest was very
sexy and I'd definitely put him on my list.

We said goodbye and I headed back to the group who were mingling around
some of our other work.  I still like the one where we're naked, except for
paint that had been spilled on us.  The hand prints on my ass were probably
the best.  I did like the paint running down Jason and J.P.'s ass crack.  I
remember dumping that on them.  There was one picture of Jason fully facing
forward, but he had thick paint running over him, so you only had the
outline of his penis, but it was still sexy as fuck.  What wasn't sexy was
the amount of time it took us to clean up afterward, but I don't think
Terrance and Walter objected to having to help.

The crowd slowly began to thin out and we decided it was time for home.
Blake actually joined us as we exited the gallery.

"What happened to Kai and his boyfriend?"  I inquired.

"Nothing.  We couldn't wait until this thing finished, so we ended up doing
it in the stairwell.  They were okay, but not all-nighters.  I made up an
excuse and told them you wouldn't give me permission to go home with them."

"You didn't have permission," I replied.

"Good one, Dad," he said patting me on the back, grinning.  "At first, I
was excited when I saw Kai naked.  His penis was pretty nice and I thought
it would be huge considering how big it was when it was soft, but it was
basically the same size when it did go up."

Jason laughed.  "Yeah, you'll find a few like that.  Best to keep
expectations low."

Blake just nodded.  "I've never been to an art show before.  Are they all
like that?  It was kind of fun."

"I've been to a few," Colin told him as we made our way to the front doors
to wait for the car.  "Mostly they're stuffy boring events with pretentious
people thinking they need to sound higher than their station."

"So a room full of you guys?" He teased, giggling.  We quickly devolved
into a wrestling and tickle fest.  It's still nice to have him act like a
little kid instead of the young man he was rapidly becoming.

"Kyle and Chance said I could go stay with them tonight.  Are you cool with
that?  We'll probably be drinking, smoking drugs and screwing all night,
just so you know what the plan is."

Colin looked at Kyle and Chance who were standing nearby, holding hands.

Kyle just shrugged.  "We never mentioned any of that.  We just asked if
he's like to spend the night at the penthouse."

"We never have a problem with you staying with the guys.  I'm assuming we
don't need to say anything about no drugs or alcohol," Colin replied.

"He won't be getting that from us," Chance assured him.

Blake just grinned.  "Sounds like the sex is still on though."  He quickly
lowered the side zippers as low as they would go.  "Come on boys cool down
and produce more of the good stuff."

"No rush to send him home," I said.  "In fact, just keep him."

Kyle laughed and reached over to push his hand inside Blake's open zipper.
"Mmmm...it's okay, we'll send him home in the morning.  We thought it'd be
bigger."

"Rude," Blake giggled.  "You won't be saying that after you've had it in
you all night."

"Okay, let's leave it there and call it a night," Colin said as the limo
pulled up.  Kyle and Chance had used the car service, so their town car
pulled up right behind us.  We said good night with hugs all round, and
headed home.

"You seemed like you had fun tonight," Colin grinned as we climbed into bed
after our showers.

"I did actually.  Not sure I'd enjoy being a full-time model, but I think I
liked that people enjoyed the art we made.  I'm also loving the picture we
bought."

"Once it's delivered, we'll have to find the perfect spot and lighting for
it," Colin said as we cuddled together.

"Yeah, it should almost mimic the streetlight from the actual shot," I
reasoned.

"We'll have a decorator come in and give us some advice before we hang it.
I mean, just like you, we want it to be well hung," he chuckled as he
grabbed for my penis.  Since I hadn't been laid tonight, it didn't take
much to activate me and we were off for a night of fun.

We slept in late the next morning, which I like doing sometimes, especially
when I'm cuddling against Colin, who is always nice and warm.  He'd be
awesome in one of those survival situations to avoid hypothermia.  We only
got out of bed after J.J. strolled in looking for Blake.

"He stayed with Kyle and Chance last night," I explained.  "Are James and
the twins up yet?"

"Yeah, but I was wondering if it'd be okay if I go hang out at Quinn's
today?  Pierce, Karl, Robbie, and Derrick are gonna be there too."

"Of course you can go.  Sounds like a party.  What are you boys going to be
doing?"

"Dunno.  Maybe ride bikes to the beach, and see if we can catch seagulls.
That's what Derrick wants to do anyway.  Karl just wants to see girls in
bikinis," he said scrunching up his face as if that were the worst activity
imaginable.

"Sounds like fun.  Would you like one of us to drive you over there?  I'm
guessing we should throw your bike in the back too."

"Great. Thanks.  I said I'd be there by 11, so that's not too long from
now.  Did you guys already do your morning kissing?"

"We did," Colin replied grinning.  We hadn't, but he doesn't need to know
that.  "We'll come get you when we're showered and dressed."

"Okay.  Thanks for letting me go.  My mom and dad wouldn't.  They don't
really like Karl and Derrick.  The stopped me seeing them unsupervised when
we got caught setting off firecrackers in our back yard."

"Well we like them, and firecrackers are fun as long as you're careful and
not throwing them at people or animals," I said being fun, but parental at
the same time.

"We'd never do that.  We just like throwing them.  We dropped some in pop
cans before which is fun."

"Sounds like it," I nodded.  "Okay, give us a few minutes and we'll come
down."

He thanked us again and turned to run out.  I turned to snuggle back into
Colin.  "Does this mean our lazy morning is over?"  I asked

"Seems like it," he grinned as he kissed me.  Since we knew we didn't have
time for a full make out session, we headed for the shower and played in
there for a bit.  I guess multi-tasking always saves time.

We both drove J.J. over to Quinn's, and told him to call us when he wanted
to come home.  After we got his bike out of the SUV, he gave both of us a
hug, then ran off to find his friends.

By the time we swung through Tim Hortons for our coffee and breakfast bagel
and got home, Blake was already back.  There goes the rest of the day.
Kyle and Chance were also there, probably waiting for us to inspect the boy
to ensure they'd returned him in the same condition they took him, or deny
they were involved in whatever he'd done.  Their damage deposit doesn't
cover anything broken, or enlarged cracks in his surface.  We gave the
guys' hugs, and asked Kyle and Chance if they were staying.

"We're actually heading up to Squamish to do some hang gliding today.  I
bunch of the club is there today as there's a ridge of rising air blowing
in.  That should make for some good flights.  You can go up with us if
you're not busy."

"Thanks, but I think we've got plans ourselves," I replied.  Last thing I
want to do is leap off a cliff strapped to flimsy fabric and aluminum.  If
I plunge to my death, I want it to be epic, like ejecting from a fighter
jet over a major downtown core.  Then my parachute fails, and I fall onto
the spire of the tallest building impaling myself.  I'd be immortalized,
and it would take hours for them to figure out how to get me off the spire
while news helicopters filmed it live all over the world.  Not that I think
about dying a lot.  Or perhaps I'm at a gas station filling up and yell
`I'd rather die than pay these outrageous gas prices!'  Then I get hit by
lightning and the entire gas station goes up in a ball of flame.  Some days
I think I should up my medication.

"What about you, Blake?  You going?"  Colin asked.

"I would, but I already made plans with the guys.  We're gonna go dirt
biking.  One of Layne's friend's brother is into it, and offered to take
us.  Said he'd even teach us how to ride.  I'm hoping we get to go off a
jump at some point."

"Just don't do anything beyond your ability, and make sure your helmet is
on tight."

"Got it.  Should be an epic day.  I should get a penis helmet.  That is one
bone you do NOT want to break," he chuckled.

Colin and I didn't really have plans, but with the boys out for the day, we
took the opportunity to spend time alone and went for a romantic day out.
Have you ever noticed that anything romantic usually doesn't include sex?
Why is that?  What could be more romantic than a nice boning on the beach
overlooking the ocean, while others watch and applaud...and maybe tipped?

Our romantic day was at the seaside.  I call it that, but I'm pretty sure
no one else does.  It's the Steveston Fisherman's wharf.  Most of it stinks
like fish, but the smell grows on you after a while.  Although I think it's
just that your nose can't really pick up any other smell, so your brain
adapts.  I mean we got ice cream cones, and mine smelled like trout,
whereas Colin's smelled like salmon.  I know that sounds gross, but what
you should be focused on right now, and be impressed by, is that I know the
difference between those two smells.  THAT should tell you how long we were
at the pier.

After spending some time wandering along the waterfront, we saw a bakery
that had amazing looking products in the window. This might be the only
place in town that didn't smell like fish, although there was a high
probability that they had crab cakes, being a bakery and all.  I could
stand in the middle of the shop, inhale, and feel full.  Colin and I
entered holding hands, saying hi to the lady behind the counter as we began
to stroll around, and look at the huge variety of things.  Stores like this
should actually be illegal.  There are so many amazing things to choose
from that you can't really decide, and end up buying more than your stomach
can handle.

"Excuse me," a man said coming around the counter in a hurry.  I hadn't
even seen him when we arrived, so he must have been in the back creating
more things to tempt us.  "We can't serve you."

I'm pretty sure my stomach wouldn't be happy with that idea.  "Sorry, are
you closed or something?"  I asked as we turned our attention to him,
despite the éclair calling out to me seductively.

"No, we just don't serve your kind in here," he said bluntly.  I admit, I
didn't catch on at first, as I actually did a quick check to make sure we
were wearing shoes and shirts.  Some stores still have that rule.  Funny
how pants are never required.

"I'm sorry.  What kind?"  Colin asked him for clarification.

"Homosexuals.  We don't all that sort of depravity in our store.  This is a
family business," he said moving closer as if to herd us out like cattle.
Ouch.  Blunt and rude.

"Because we're holding hand, you assume we're homosexual?"  Colin asked.
"That seems judgmental, and I'm sure there's a big rule about judge not,
less ye be judged."

"I'm not debating religion with you.  Leave before I have to call the
police," he said pointing to the door.  Good thing he did that, or I
wouldn't know which way to go.  These people are so helpful.

"You'd call the police on two guys holding hands?"  I asked.  "You know
that's not actually illegal, right?"

"Not for me to say, but trespassing is.  I have the right to refuse service
to anyone, and I've asked you to leave, so now you're trespassing."

"Come on," Colin said calmly as we moved to the door and headed outside.
"There's more than one way to deal with trash like that."

"Exactly," I said pulling out my phone.  "I have a bulldozer company on
standby."

Colin chuckled.

"I'll get everyone we know to give him one-star reviews," I said as sort of
my plan B.

"No, that'll just give him additional attention.  That's not what we want,"
Colin said, which actually made sense.  Some of those negative campaigns
backfire as people come to their defence.  Last thing we want are cupcakes
against fruitcakes.  One of those is probably offensive to say.  I'll get
over it.

"Alright, we'll arrange for a thousand gay guys to descend on the place,
and really stress him out.  He'll not get anything else done for having to
stroll out a hundred times to kick people out."

"Fun idea, but he'd just close for the day, and re-open tomorrow.  That's
not something that would make much of a difference to a man like that."

"True.  But we're not just gonna leave, and let him keep doing this shit
are we?"  I asked, wondering why we weren't already painting picket signs
for our protest march.

"Of course not," Colin said, looking around.  "There!"  He said pointing
across the street.

"I'm not following," I said looking.  There was a thrift store, an empty
building, an insurance company and a pet store.  My mind immediately
processed options.  We could buy used clothing to disguise ourselves to go
back in, only to reveal who we were, after we'd got the baked goods.  That
would really piss him off.  The other option I saw was to buy insurance on
the property, then burn it to the ground.  We'd then claim the insurance.
Not sure how that would work exactly and it seemed really risky.  Maybe the
pet store sold mice and rats.  We could release them into the store and
call the health department.  That seemed much easier and safer overall.

"That empty building," Colin clarified.  Well not so much clarified, as
made it more confusing.

"Huh?" I said frowning slightly.  "Oh wait.  We open another bakery
opposite and compete with him."

"Close, but not quite.  Likely the town wouldn't give us a licence to
operate an identical business so close together.  I was thinking we open a
café."

"Well, okay.  But now I'm officially lost.  How does that help, exactly?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while now.  These large thrift stores,
some of which have completely lost focus, like Value Village, used to be
about taking items that people no longer wanted, and selling them for a
minimum price so that those on a budget could have nicer things."

"Sure.  It's great for vintage clothes too," I grinned.

"That's part of the problem.  It's being called `vintage', and as such,
becomes trendy.  They've jacked prices to the point where it's almost not a
deal anymore and the company keeps their profits, instead of donating most
of it to charity, like they used to do."

"I understand what you're saying, but not sure how this is related to our
current situation."

"It isn't, but I was thinking what if we open something truly non-profit.
In this case, a café.  Let's open one right there," Colin said as he
pulled my hand, and we ran across the street.

I looked over at the bakery with the éclair now pressed up against the
window screaming, `Come back.  Come back. I want you to eat me.'  I get
that a lot from gay boys, not usually from eclairs.  I still don't
understand where Colin's mind is right now, but then I rarely do with
business stuff anyway.  Fortunately, he wasn't done explaining.

"I'm thinking we charge a dollar for a coffee and two for a specialty
coffee, then we give them a bakery item of their choice for free to go with
it.

I grinned from ear to ear, excitedly.  "Fuck yeah!  Match everything that
asshole makes and simply give it away," I laughed.

"We wouldn't want to make it that obvious.  We'll set it up as a community
service.  In addition to the free items with a coffee, we'll offer up free
loaves of bread and muffins to anyone who wants them.  Those are usually
two of a bakery's biggest items.  Anyone who wants to buy other items after
they've had their coffee, can buy them at cost.

"Did you just think this up on your own?" I asked surprised at the detail.

"It's a hybrid of an idea pitched to us.  It didn't have a strong enough
profit plan, so we turned it down, but I still liked the idea.  Maybe we
could partner with the thrift store next door, as long as they are charity
based and not profit based."

"Oh my god, this would be perfect, but we should make sure we identify that
it's gay friendly.  Maybe even sponsored by the LGBTQI2A+WTFLOLFML
community."

Colin nodded.  "Too many acronyms, but now you're getting it.  We promote
the hell out of the free bread, muffins, and café prices.  When he comes
over to complain, we tell him we don't serve his type."

"What if he just closes up and moves to another location?

"If he learned his lesson, we just let him continue.  If he hasn't, we
could keep having fun if we were that vindictive," Colin replied.

"I'm that vindictive.  I'd open an adult sex shop next door and advertise
in the window.  Maybe we open a drag outfit company too.  Ooohh, better
yet.  We open an offensively stinky business.  Maybe a plant that cooks
tripe.  Ever smelled that shit when it's cooking?  No one could get within
a block, and they sure as fuck wouldn't be interested in baked goods."  I
didn't tell him about my other ideas of sending rats and mice in, but it's
still on the list.

Colin smiled.  "This is why I love you.  You're a total bitch."

"Finally, you see my true worth," I grinned as I kissed him.

"Let's see if this space is even available," Colin said as he called the
leasing number and started the process.  I love shit like this, and it was
nice we had the money to do it.  Nothing like destroying homophobia at the
source.  Even if this cost us ten million dollars a year, to Colin it's
less than two weeks worth of interest on his money.  I'm guessing we'd even
be able to write some of it off as a charitable expense on taxes or
something, costing us even less overall.  Not sure how taxes work, but I'm
sure Colin and his team of accountants do.

Once he finished the conversation and hung up, he said that the space was
still available.

"If we did something like this, are you thinking of operating it just until
that guy goes out of business or changes his ways, or would this be a
permanent thing?"

"It'd be permanent.  I think it'd be nice for the community.  Actually, we
have to go in and talk to the owner of the thrift store.  Apparently,
they're the ones that are doing the leasing.  You want to go through with
this, or find a different way to get even?"

"No, I'm totally into this.  In fact, I want to be here when the guy
realizes what we're doing, and comes over to confront us.  That's what I
live for.  My `Pretty Woman' moment, where I can stick it in their face."

"That's what I figured," he grinned as we headed into the thrift store,
still holding hands.  If we get thrown out of here, we're likely to buy the
entire street, and raze it to the ground.  The second we met the owner; it
was clear she wasn't about to give us any problems.  She was obviously a
lesbian, and with a few rainbow stickers around, it was even more clear
that we were welcome.

"Good afternoon," she said pleasantly.  "Can I help you gentlemen find
anything."

"Do you have anything in a nice revenge pastel?  I chuckled.

"I'm sorry?"  She said looking at us amused.

"You can ignore him, he's still upset at not getting his éclair from the
bakery across the street," Colin chuckled.  "We weren't welcome."

"Oh, you've met the Nadall's I take it.  Great baking, nasty people.  Don't
worry, you're safe in here.  The rainbow flags to those fanatics, are like
crosses to demons.  They'd never try to get past them."

"We understand that you own the empty store next door?"

"I do.  It was originally a restaurant, but they were poorly run, so they
closed up about a month ago.  Why?  Would you be interested in it?"

"Possibly.  Just one question first.  Is this a for profit, or non-profit
business?" Colin inquired.

"We like to think of ourselves as non-profit.  I do take a salary to live
on, and use funds to pay the expenses of the business, but anything else
goes to help homeless youth in our neighborhood.  I wish we could do more,
but we have a limited market," she admitted.

"I think we could help with that," Colin said as she got both of us a cup
of coffee.  The non-fish smelling type of coffee we like.  He explained our
business idea to her and I think she was skeptical at first, until Colin
went into more detail.  When she heard our real motive, that seemed to seal
the deal.  We also found out that her name was Donna, and she lived with
her partner of 15 years.  Her wife worked in construction, which was their
main form of income.  Colin asked if her wife might be interested in
actually doing the work to get the café ready, and it seemed like she
jumped at the chance.  "As soon as I make sure we can get the correct
licence for a cafe, we could get started."

"The licence is already in place.  I actually had it transferred from the
previous owners when they closed up.  They owed me money, so I figured this
might come in handy.  Guess I was right.  I love your idea if you're
serious about it.  Would this be a long-term project for you, or just a
short-term revenge deal?"

I laughed.  "That's what I asked.  But we'd be in it for the long haul."

"Maybe we could arrange a partnership, after I have our team do their due
diligence, and of course provide you with our information as well.  How
about we do something like blow out the wall between us so that we drive
traffic back and forth.

"I'm curious why you'd want to do this.  Surely, it's not just about
getting even with someone who wouldn't serve you for being gay.  I'd think
there were easier ways to do that...and cheaper."

"Probably, but the rewards would be pretty sweet on all fronts.  No pun
intended," Colin smiled.  "We ideally teach someone a lesson, while at the
same time help a community."

Then I'm happy to lease you the property.  I'll not charge you as much
since you're going to be a charity, but I still have to cover my costs,"
she said almost sounding like she was apologizing.

"No.  Charge us a fair market value.  Any surplus you receive above your
costs, add it to your charitable donations," Colin told her.

We exchanged information, and Colin said he'd have our business manager
contact her to get things underway.  Exactly, our business manager would
take care of it all.  Honestly, I have no idea who that is, but sounds like
he'd take a lot of work off our hands.  Revenge is a dish best served by a
business manager.  Not sure that saying works.

Now that we had our revenge charity in its infant stages, I was still in
need of that fucking éclair.  You know how it is when you crave
something; you just aren't happy until you get it.  There didn't appear to
be another bakery on wharf, but after we'd spent a little more time looking
around, we did find one on the trip home, and I got my éclair.  Take
that you homophobe.  Wonder how he'd react when I bite into the éclair
and the crème gushes out, and I moan, mmmm, cream, then lick it up
seductively.

As soon as we got home, Colin was on the phone stirring people up to get on
with our idea.  Mostly his idea, that I was going along with.  Sounded like
he had a business manager, a lawyer, and an acquisitions manager on it.
Not sure what an acquisition manager is, but he seemed important to the
process.  Colin let me join in on the Zoom call which was fun.  All the
people kissing Colin's ass on screen.  Now this is truly not thinking
outside the box.  I mean they're all literally in a little box, but the
ideas flowed fast and furious.  It seemed like they were all pitching ideas
to try and impress Colin, while the whole while making sure to stick with
the original manifesto.

To create a charitable organization.  To destroy a homophobe and ruin his
entire fucking life.  I think Colin's team phrased it as `creating diverse
opportunities for all.'  That seemed like the Disney version.

By the time the meeting ended, his team was fully pumped and energized.
I'm guessing they wouldn't show anything but that, if they wanted to keep
their jobs, or impress the boss.

"How long do you think it would take to get up and running?"

"Once we have the correct business permits and have done the due diligence
on the thrift shop to ensure we're working with someone reputable, the rest
should take less than a month.  Sourcing a good bakery to provide goods,
and training staff properly could have us up and running in eight weeks."

"Wow.  Awesome.  How long will it take us to crush that bakery prick?"

Colin laughed.  "That'll depend on his resources.  We are in agreement
though that if he changes his ways and accepts all people, we'll ease off."

"How would we do that exactly?  I mean we'd still be offering free bread,
muffins and baked goods with coffee, right?"

"Of course.  We're committed to that, but if he shows he can change, maybe
we let him be part of it all and buy some of his products.  We'd negotiate
a cost plus price with him."

"I understand that that's fair, but is it wrong to hope he goes under, and
we get to cheer as he puts a sign up that says `going out of business
because we're bigoted pricks.'?"

"Pretty sure the sign wouldn't say that, but it would be his own fault if
he goes under."

"I wonder if he'll have a four-for-one clearance sale on éclairs?"  I
said licking my lips.

I wondered if all rich people could use their money for good like this?
Crushing the resistance.  Let's start with attending a Karen convention.
Find out what they're into, and work on taking them down from the inside.
Well, technically it'd be the outside, since I'm not a Karen, and wouldn't
be allowed in.

Meanwhile my other business was calling.  I mean it literally was calling.

"Hey," I said answering my phone to Nate.

"Hey.  We still on for setting up the offices tomorrow?" He asked.

"Of course.  I'm looking forward to christening the couches," I replied.

"Please tell me that doesn't include you rubbing your ass on my furniture,"
he laughed.

"Of course not.  I'd be on top.  It'd be your ass all over your furniture.
So, no worries there," I teased.

"Yeah, just so we're clear, no one is getting naked in my office, ever."

"That's fine.  We can use my office.  The leather couch is super comfy."

"I'll pass.  What time you want to get together tomorrow?"

"We should start early.  10?"

"That's early?  How about 9?" He countered.

"Fine, I'll be there at nine, and we can stop at IHOP for breakfast."

It was settled.  We would have breakfast, head over to the new offices to
set them up, and then I'd christen my couch with Nate.  That last part is
still being negotiated.

The next morning, I drove over to pick up Nate for our first real day as
business partners.  We'll spend the day working on setting up our office,
in anticipation of receiving our diplomas.

"You wanna drive?"  I asked grinning.

"Hell yeah!"

We switched places, and as soon as he pushed the start button, the car
roared to life, the way a supercar should.  That's the only downside with
an electric supercar.  They don't make any sound.  What a waste.  We drove
to IHOP first for a big breakfast, and then to Colin's office building.  I
had Nate drive to the lowest level where we parked as far away from other
cars as possible, mainly so it minimizes the chances of it getting hit by
someone else's car door.  I also worry about someone trying to steal it,
but Colin has repeatedly said that's not a concern he has.  First, we were
insured, and second it was a difficult car to steal unless they were
professionals.  Not sure how you think you can take a car like this though,
as it wouldn't exactly be easy to hide.  Some guy would steal it, and we'd
be able to basically track it block by block, as people took pictures and
uploaded them to their social media accounts.  I have heard though that
some real professional thieves just roll up with a tow truck, load up the
car, cover it with a tarp and drive off.  But they wouldn't be able to get
a truck like that into the lower parking levels.  So there's that.  See, I
told you I hate driving these cars.  They make me neurotic.  Okay...more
neurotic.

We made our way up to the office and arrived at reception, which was now a
much larger desk with three receptionists.  It was no longer one desk with
Adrian looking so hot you never wanted to leave reception.  We now had two
women and a guy to welcome you.  I'd not seen any of them before, which as
soon as I tried to walk past them, also meant they didn't know me either.

"May I help you, sir?"  One lady asked.

"No thanks.  I'm Justin and this is Nate.  We work here.  Sort of."

"May I see your identification please?"

"My identification?  Like my driver's licence?"  I asked slightly confused.

"No sir.  Your company identification."

"I don't have one.  We were never given one," I said shrugging and looking
at Nate.

"Since when did we get all this security?  I've always just walked in," I
asked her.

Without missing a beat, she looked at me and bluntly said, "Probably ever
since people just walked in.  Who are you here to see, sir?"

I saw Nate smile.  I was a bit off guard as I wasn't expecting this.

"I'm not really here to see anyone.  We were just heading to our office to
get things set up."

"May I have your name please?"  She asked

"You may, but won't it be confusing if there are two Justin Masters in the
building?"  I said trying to joke.  She ignored me and typed my name into
her computer.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't see your name listed.  You'll have to make an
appointment with someone."

"I appreciate that you're just doing your job, but how about you just call
Colin and let him know I'm here."

"Have a seat please, sir," she said politely.

"Sorry Nate.  This fortified defence shield is new."

"Why don't you just call Colin yourself?"

"I will if we get any more delays, but for now this is kinda fun," I
grinned.  I remember the expression on the face of the receptionist at the
other building when I went in disguise, and Colin rushed out to greet me.
That was a good day.  Losing my memory, not so good.  I could have been
Triton Donnelly to this day.

I saw her on the phone, obviously talking about me as she kept looking over
at us.  I'm guessing if they had some sort of big red alarm button under
the desk, her hand would already be on it.  I should have dressed in all
black with a scar across my cheek to make it even more interesting.  She
had barely put the phone down before Adrian was racing towards us.

"Hi Justin, Nate.  Sorry, we've just enlarged the reception area, and they
haven't met everyone yet.  I should have had your name in the system, but
it totally slipped my mind."  He gave both of us a hug and then turned to
the reception team.  "May I have your attention please.  I'd like to
introduce you all to Justin Masters and Nate Donaldson.  Justin is Colin's
husband, so by extension is also the owner of the company.  He and Nate
will be working out of the large offices next to Colin's.  They'll be
setting up their therapy practice soon."

"I'm sorry Mr. Masters, I didn't know who you were," the receptionist said
as she apologized.

"You're doing your job.  Nothing to apologize for," I assured her.  Adrian
took us past reception into what looked like a lounge area.

"When did all this happen?" I asked as I looked around.

"About a month ago, I guess.  We had so many people coming to pitch ideas,
that we needed a stronger reception presence.  Once they're cleared, we
have them wait here until their appointment.  It looks more professional
than someone arriving and seeing sometimes up to 30 people waiting.  We've
made the lounge a little more comfortable, with complimentary coffee,
snacks, TV, etc.  We've also included charging ports and stations with
iPads to ensure no one is bored while they wait."

"Wish all waiting rooms were like this," Nate commented as he checked it
out.  "I go to the doctor's office and sit there in a sterile environment
staring at walls like a mental patient.  Oops, guess we shouldn't say that
anymore considering our new careers.  By the time they call my name, I've
almost convinced myself I have five new things wrong with me."

Adrian laughed.  "Maybe that's why they do it.  To get more business.  Does
Colin know you're here?"

"Not that we're here, but he knows we were coming sometime today.  You
don't need to bother him.  Nate and I are just going to get the office
ready so we can open up as soon as we get our diplomas."

"Yeah, I heard.  Congrats by the way."

"Thanks.  We haven't got the diplomas yet, but hopefully we'll hear within
a couple weeks.  What do you do now that reception has changed?  Didn't
that used to be your job?"

"Sort of.  I was Colin's executive assistant at first, then when we moved
over here with the new company, I was sort of the gatekeeper.  But things
have gotten so busy, we had to change things.  I'm now the Director of
Administration."

"Fancy.  What does that entail?"

"I'm responsible for all the support staff here as well as overseeing any
of the contractors, and handling any requests from the clients.  Assigning
offices, etc.  Basically, anything administrative falls to me."

"Are you still Colin's executive assistant, or does he have someone new?"

"I'm still his exec, but now I deal with more confidential things.  He has
a personal assistant to help with the more routine things."

"No more shower meetings?"  I teased.

"Sorry, that's confidential," he chuckled.

Nate just looked at us.  "That's really a thing?  Doing your secretary?"

"Executive assistant," Adrian clarified, not dispelling the notion of being
done.

"I think it's only a thing if both parties consent, but I'm still the
jealous partner.  Maybe we should go kick his door down, and see if he's
shtooping his new assistant."

"Would you be pissed off if he was?"  Nate asked, looking concerned.

"Damn right I would.  Why would he get a new assistant and not share him
with me?  That seems rude.  So far I've enjoyed meeting all his
assistants."

"I've been his only assistant that I know of," Adrian commented.

"I know, and I enjoyed it," I teased.  "It's too bad you're straight Nate.
I'm sure you'd like Adrian just as much."

He laughed.  "Even straight, he seems like a decent guy."

"Thanks," Adrian grinned.

"Well, mister executive assistant, you wanna go see if Colin is free, or
does he need a few minutes to put his clothes back on?  We should at least
say hi before we go check out our offices."

"He's free," Adrian nodded as we headed to his office, where Adrian knocked
on the door.  It opened automatically and we all entered.  I was almost
disappointed to see him just sitting behind his desk.

"Hey!"  He said as he stood up and came around to give me a kiss and shake
Nate's hand.  Not to assume anything, but I'm pretty sure Nate would have
enjoyed a kiss too.  Seems straightaphobic not to at least offer.  "What
brings you guys around?"

"Just a second," I said trying to sound serious, while fighting off a
smirk.  I went over to his bathroom and made a point of peeking in and
looking behind the door.  Then over to the closet where I stuck my head in.

"What are you looking for?"  Colin asked frowning slightly.

"Your new personal assistant.  I heard he was cute, and figured he'd be
lurking around here naked somewhere."

"August," Colin announced.

"What!  I have wait until August to meet him.  That's not fair!"

"No," he laughed, knowing I was joking.  "His name is August.  He just
graduated from high school and has the kind of personality I enjoy around
here.  I think you'd like him.  I actually met him at our club, and I
appreciated how he interacted with people.  He was on top of things to
start, but didn't stop until he'd gotten to the bottom of it all."

Got it.  The boy is versatile, and I know Colin's taste so I'm expecting
cute as well.

"I guess personality is a big part of this type of business, huh?"  Nate
asked.

"It has to be if you want us to invest in you and support your ideas,"
Colin nodded.  "Speaking of that, when are you planning on opening your
practice?"

"That's why we're here; to set up the offices," I said.  "Then we launch
our advertising, and start with one client at a time.  We should have an
opening special.  Anyone who does nude therapy gets 75% off their first
three months."

Colin laughed.  "Are you trying to help people, or make them more
neurotic?"

"Good point.  Okay, Nate can take all the regular crazies and I'll take the
sex addicts.  You know what they say.  Hair of the dog and such..."

"Are you sure you actually took psychology?  Those don't seem like terms
you'd hear a professional use a lot."

"They're not," Nate laughed.  "Calling our clients crazies, might not be
the best way to start."

"Fine.  I'll refer to them as our mentally unstable subjects in need of
brain tweaking.  But I'm still a fan of screwing the stupid out of them."

"Yeah, at least one of you is going bankrupt in less than a week.  Good
luck with YOUR practice though, Nate.  I think you'll do very well at it."

"Thanks Colin."

"Okay enough about how great we are," I said licking my lips.  "Where's
this assistant?"

"I sent him on an errand.  He won't be back for a couple hours.  I promise
to introduce you as soon as he's back."

"Couple hours?  Don't think we'll be around that long, but bring him home
for a sleepover.  Then I can really get to know him."

"He's not that personal of a personal assistant," Colin said trying to
sound professional, but he already mentioned they met at our club, and the
only club we have together is the `Q'.  The Slam'r is technically Jason's
club.  That, by definition, means August will be a sleepover kind of guy.
You can't get shit past me, I'm trained to read nuances, misleading, and
deflecting statements.  That's literally my job now.

Colin walked over to our offices with us and Adrian.  This time as we
entered, it felt a lot more real than the other times I'd been there to add
furniture and work things out with Nate.  We had two offices side by side,
which were connected with a door in the middle of the wall.  Mine was set
out more like a traditional office with a couch, chair and darker colours.
We had large windows at the end of the room, but they could be darkened
with the same technology that Colin's office had where you push a button
and the glass darkens.  I still think that's cool and it could be voice
controlled if you needed to.  Nate's office was a bit more modern, and in
slightly brighter colours.  He figured that if the place looked colorful
and inviting, it suited his style more.  What did that say about my side
which was more earthy tones with places to lie down in a darkened
environment?  At least my clients won't be as self conscious when they take
their clothes off.  We never did cover that in any of our classes, but I
think it's just assumed.  Where I had a small wooden desk, Nate's was glass
with black trim.  He also had a bean bag chair, an arm chair, a reclining
lounger, and other such modern furniture.  I might go to him for therapy
myself if I can use the bean bag chair.  I could use one of the ones we
have at home, but this just seemed more relaxing somehow.

Colin gave me another kiss, and said if I needed anything just to let him
or Adrian know.

"We will need a way to get past your gatekeepers out there.  Even when I
told her who I was she made me wait," I said before letting them leave.

"That's their job.  We get a lot of people trying to get direct access now.
Once you basically start handing out money, people come out of the woodwork
to find you.  I even took my name off my office door in case someone got
past."

"Is it getting dangerous or something?" I asked slightly concerned.

"No, just more annoying than anything.  We'll occasionally have someone
we've denied figure that if they come directly to me, I'll change the
decision and fund them.  Not really how it works, so I added a few extra
precautions."

"Hey, just send them to us and we'll see if we can provide them with
therapy to help them understand that no means no," Nate said quickly.  This
is why he'll be a great business partner.  He doesn't miss an opportunity
to source business.

"You might get more of that than you know.  Make sure you let us know how
we can help you be successful.  I'll issue a company wide announcement as
soon as you're ready to go.  Your appointment calendars are already linked
to our reception computers, so any name you add will be greeted properly.
Adrian will get both of you passes and clearance to bypass the desk.  You
simply need to have the transponder on you, and it'll access everything."

"Does it track who uses what and how many times?"  Nate asked.

"It does by default, but we don't look at that at all.  We're only trying
to make sure that things we offer our employees aren't being abused by
those who just wander in."

"He's talking about me and Blake, I think," I chuckled.  "What?  Did we go
for too many massages and others couldn't get in?"

He laughed.  "No.  Well, maybe Blake, but he's got a transponder now, so
it's a moot point.  We did have one of the clients we funded bring in all
members of his family repeatedly.  They literally took over all the
amenities to the exclusion of all others.  It was like a hillbilly
hoedown."

Nate laughed.  "A clear case of a small minority ruining it for the
majority."

"Exactly.  I want people to feel relaxed here, and not like we're making
them go through security checks every five minutes.  That's why we use the
transponders instead of tap cards.  As long as it's on you, you can move
freely throughout the entire building without thinking about it.  Forget
it, and you'll be blocked from almost every area, including reception."

"Nice.  Anything else new since I was here last?"

"Probably just the expansion.  We added two more floors and a new staircase
to them.  It's accessible just behind the south bank of offices.  There's
also an elevator between the floors."

"What's to stop people from entering on those floors without going through
reception?"  Nate asked logically.

"The doors require the transponder to enter or exit.  Except in an
emergency of course, where all those doors automatically deactivated."

"What's to stop someone from just holding the door open, and letting their
whole family in, like those you mentioned?"  I asked.

"If it detects anyone entering without a transponder, it sets off the door
alarm.  That goes for anyone trying to access things without clearance."

"Wow.  Pretty high tech," Nate nodded.  "What about our clients?  Would
they need a card?  I'm sure some of them wouldn't feel comfortable with
that."

"No, if they're only going to and from the office, no card would be
required after checking it at reception.  If you wanted them to have access
to the quiet room, lounge or food areas, then they'd need a transponder or
alarms would go off.  Adrian can go through all that sort of things with
you though.  We can issue a couple generic transponders in case you wish to
show someone around."

"I have a feeling Blake is going to love coming here for therapy," I
smiled.  "He'll tell you all his issues, then go eat half the snacks in the
cafeteria before going for a massage.  Can't see him spending a lot of time
in the quiet room though," I laughed.

"I dunno about that, Justin," Colin replied.  "I found him in there one day
fast asleep.  It's designed to do just that, and he was out like a light."

"And why haven't you incorporated that design into his bedroom? Hmmm?"  I
teased.

We parted company to let Nate and I get to work.  Mostly it was just
administrative stuff we wanted to work on.  Setting up the computer and
making sure we had everything we needed before we opened.  Both rooms were
able to record sessions at the push of a button, and it had been
recommended we do some sort of record keeping, whether digital or manual.
That would ensure we could review our client's information as needed to
steer their therapy correctly.  Our system was designed to not only record,
but to make a transcript of it to their personal, but encrypted, file.
Apparently, it's law or something when you record confidential things like
therapy.  Doctor/patient kind of thing.  If someone hacked in, or stole
your computer, you wanted to make sure they couldn't access sensitive
information.  That's why my porn folder at home has a 14-character
password.  Let's see you crack that and get into my kinky mind.  Although
something tells me that no one is gonna be even mildly shocked by what they
find.

Once Nate and I were done, and satisfied we were ready to open our
practice, we congratulated each other.  This is where straight and gay guys
congratulate differently.  He gave me a fist bump; and I again suggested
that we should christen each office with a romp on the couch, or bean bag.
Seems like a fist bump was more than adequate for him.  I'll tell you one
thing, I'm not sitting in an office for eight hours waiting to listen to
people whine on about how their new Tesla doesn't charge as fast as they
thought, or how their new tennis racket simply hasn't improved their game
like expected, or why they haven't been offered a promotion, even though
they've worked for Soul Sucker Corp. for ten years.  Those are the types of
people you wanna say, `holy shit, first world problem much?  You own a
Tesla, get over yourself.  If it isn't what you want, sell it, moron, and
get a 70's panel van with a furry interior and a bed.  Or with tennis;
sorry honey, you can't slap lipstick on a pig and call it a beauty queen.

I only want people with real problems.  Like they have cancer and need a
kidney while their significant other isn't able to deal with it, and is
having an affair on the side to cope.  Give me that kind of shit.  You
know...real problems.  Not some whiny crap about how the government is
trying to suppress you, and that your taxes are being used to traffic
humans to Mars.  Grow up!  Human trafficking to Mars is completely
privatized, not government subsidized.  America just asks their private
prisons to pick some people they think would be good to send off.  They had
a collab with the United Kingdom on how to accomplish that.  I mean Britain
didn't send prisoners to Mars, but they did send them to the penal colony
of Australia.  That shit sure backfired.  Now Australia is one of the best
countries in the world to live.  Now don't start getting all `let out the
prisoners so we can have a better country'.  That shit took generations to
self correct.  I say send all the fanatical politicians and lawyers to
Mars.  They'll never get there, as they'll fight the whole way over the
best route to take.

Regardless, I'm going to limit the amount of crazy I'm exposed to.  I know
it's been a joke for others, but I really think I'd be good at sex therapy.
I mean they say write about what you know to authors, so why not therapy
things you know, for psychologists.  Some guy comes in and has this
neurotic fear of approaching people for a date.  I teach him how.  They
need sex advice, I give advice.  They want to know the mechanics; I get
them up on a hoist, and mechanic the shit out of them.  If the opposite is
true and they're sex addicts, I make sure they get so much sex that they'll
never want it again.  Like the stories you hear of some dad catching his
kid smoking, and sits him down to smoke the entire pack.  Never gonna smoke
again; or they'll both be so addicted from all the smoke in the air, that
they can share parent/kid bonding time over a beers and cigarettes.  Maybe
I'd even throw in family therapy as one of my specialties.  I mean I have
two kids, and that's going well so far.  I'm like the Wikipedia model for
modern parenting.

Nate and I toured the offices and it really had expanded considerably since
we were here last.  There was still a lot of open space, but things were
much busier, with many more people around.  We stopped in to see Cole and
the guys at their massage offices, but they were slammin' busy (no pun
intended).  Dimitri was the only one we saw in person, as he was doing a
manicure at one of the tables.  He said they were now busy constantly, and
had already added two more masseurs, Jesse and Anders, and were considering
expanding further.

I was happy for them and I could only imagine how tiring that job would be.
Even with just regular massages, rubbing people's bodies to get out knots
and tension for eight hours a day, is going to be exhausting.  They'd
almost need massages themselves at the end of the day.  That doesn't even
take into account those that are looking for the more erotic massages.  I
think even I'd get sick of sex if I had to do it three or four times a day,
EVERY day.  Not for the first five years or so, but after that it'd become
a bit boring, or routine.  I'll have to remember to ask Cole if any of his
clients ask to top instead of bottom.  Things like that are just fun to
know.  I asked Dimitri to say hi to Cole for me, and we headed back to
Nate's office.

"You'll have to stop by and get one of their massages.  With our job of
listening to people whine about their shit all day, it'd be nice to finish
off with a relaxing massage.  You ever had a full-service massage before?"

"What's a full service one mean?"  Nate asked.

"Basically, you're getting a full body massage that turns all your muscles
to jelly as you lie there relaxed, almost to a state of nirvana.  Then the
masseur slides into you and gives you the best, most incredible fuck of
your life."

"You had me up until the fucking," he laughed.

"We both know you're gonna try it at least once," I said patting him on the
back.  "I mean it's pretty inevitable that you'll get hard during the
massage.  Almost every guy does.  Then once the masseur sees it, you'll be
way too horny and relaxed to say no."

"I think that's more your world," Nate said looking at me shaking his head.
"Sounds like you should have become a masseur more than a psychologist."

"I thought about it, but if that was my job, I might not enjoy sex as much
after work.  I'd already be exhausted," I admitted.  "But I'd happily give
you a massage after work if you ever needed it and were too nervous to go
Cole's studio."

"I've been reading up on things, especially gay culture, so that I can
understand it if I get clients are struggling to understand their
sexuality," he said, slightly surprising me, but I guess not really, as
he's pretty focused on being the best psychologist that he can.

"Learn anything good?"

"Tons, actually.  One thing I did come across was this discussion about how
gay guys will go after straight guys they think are attractive, even
knowing that they're straight.  Some believe this is the homosexual
population trying to recruit heterosexuals into their beliefs."

"So, like a cult," I nodded.

"Exactly.  But if you study it further, you find that it's no different
than any other human behaviour regarding attraction.  Heterosexuals do it
all the time.  They fantasize about a woman that is maybe out of reach.
Like say a celebrity, or someone who is already married, etc.  The study
went on to say that in a lot of cases, infatuation was significantly
reduced if they actually accomplished their goal."

"I've always said that," I grinned.  "It's about the conquest.  The
bragging rights, even if only to themselves, that they have some skill or
attraction that validates them."

"Exactly.  You're almost a textbook case.  I've seen it repeatedly in just
the short time I've know you.  You want Casey, and you're slowly wearing
him down by hanging out with him more and more.  I can see that he is
already is more relaxed around you.  Then you've thrown in his best friend
Eric, to almost add some jealousy to the equation."

"Am I really that transparent?"

He laughed.  "Like plexiglass, buddy.  Take you and me.  You couldn't wait
to blow me when we first met, and now that you have, you're not as
interested.  You've moved on to others that so far have been beyond your
reach.  Take Harris in our class.  You can't even talk to him, but I'll bet
in your head, you've had sex with him a thousand times, am I right?"

"God, no!  I've barely had him two hundred times.  A thousand!  Geez, what
am I?  A nympho?"  I laughed.

"Exactly," he said smiling at me.  "You are like that with every guy you
identify as attractive.  Sometimes I've seen you talk to some of them and
walk away, satisfying your curiosity.  Perhaps their personality wasn't a
match and you immediately took a dislike to them.  Other times, you talk
and slowly get to know them, while pretending you're not at all interested
in sex, when in fact, you've already planned the next three or four
interactions."

"Okay, seriously...who let you go to advance psychology classes?"

"We took the same ones," Nate laughed.  "I just researched some of the
topics in a bit more in depth as I found them interesting.  Am I wrong?"

"I dunno," I shrugged.

"Okay, let's take two scenarios.  Casey first.  You want him, don't you?
And be truthful."

"Of course.  Especially once I knew he was whacking off on camera.  That
makes him extremely interesting."

"And when you fucked Eric, Casey's best friend, did you do him because you
liked him, or to affect Casey?"

"I think I fucked him because he asked me to his place, and it seemed rude
not to bang one out when we went to his bedroom.  I don't think I did it to
make Casey jealous.  We didn't even tell Casey about it."

"Not yet.  But if I have this figured out right, at some point, you'll
`accidentally' let it slip out, or you'll arrange to get caught doing his
friend so that you can gauge the reaction, allowing you to plan your next
move accordingly."

"Makes me sound like I should be the lead story on `To Catch a Predator',"
I said, staring at him.

He laughed.  "No, not at all.  You're trying to change Casey's thoughts on
physical sex with a guy, in hopes that you can be the first to take him to
bed.  The second scenario to prove my point is you and me."

"How's that?"  I asked, actually interested in his opinion on this.

"First time you saw me naked at home, you couldn't stop checking me out and
it was taking all your energy not to jump me."

I laughed out loud.  "Boy, do we remember that differently.  If I'm not
mistaken, you spilled a beer on me when we went to your place to study.  I
think we were working on chapter 131 in our textbook.  (That's a hint.)
Then once you basically had me naked, you undressed to let me check you out
as well.  You'd asked questions about Kyle being gay, and I thought you
were hitting on me, but I wasn't sure."

"Yeah, and you were pretending to be straight, so there's some serious role
reversal.  I was pretty sure you were gay, and I'd never had a gay friend
before, so I was curious to see what differences there were between us," he
replied.  I might not have believed that two years ago, but I believe it
now.

"Is that why you got me stoned on the second visit, where we did dares and
you actually ended up fucking me?"

"Probably on some level I wanted to experiment, and being that we were both
stoned, made it easier to deny if it didn't go well.  Of course, I still
figured we were both straight, and just openly curious."

"Didn't stop you from `experimenting' further once you knew I was actually
gay," I reminded him.  "How does this fit into wherever this theory is
going?"  I asked, more than slightly confused.

"I believe that you still have the conquest state of mind with our
relationship.  We've had sex, but it's always been sort of you taking
control.  Whether pretending to be straight while we tried sex together, or
involving a group to make it seem like it was just a bunch of guys hanging
out."

"I'm still not seeing your point," I frowned.

"Think about it.  You've had sex with lots of guys, right?"

"One or two," I smirked.

"And at what point were they no longer of interest?"

"I'm always interested."

"That's not technically true.  Think about the straight guys you've
convinced to have sex with you.  What makes you want them more?  When they
resist your advances, or eagerly come after you for the sex you've
introduced them to?  Which gets you the most excited?"

I laughed.  "Okay, doc.  I think our time is up."

"Come on, don't chicken out on me now.  Which do you find better?"

"Admittedly when they say no, but eventually give in."  I instantly thought
of Kurt, still being completely straight, but allowing me to drop his
underwear and fuck him when he was working on the cars.  He never actually
resisted, but he never fully participated either.

"Do you find the straight guys less interesting if they throw themselves at
you when they come over?"

"I don't know many straight guys that do that.  I know plenty that are fine
having sex with me, but none of them really come over, strip and jump me."

"Okay, but if they did, would you still be as interested in doing them, or
would you consider that conquest over?"

"Truth?  I guess I'd be over them.  Straight boys that are willingly into
it, aren't as much fun, but to be fair, I also lose interest in gay guys if
they're throwing themselves at me too.  Of course, it takes a little longer
as gay guys are better at sex, so it's a while before we exhaust the
different things we want to do together."

"Gay guys are better at sex with another guy," he corrected, "but I doubt
they'd be as good with a girl as a straight guy.  That's pretty logical
since the interest in doing a better job is more about your actual
preference of partner."

"Wow, I'm gonna seriously need therapy by the time this talk is over.
Damn, you're good.  Our first talk as psychologists, and you already have
me signing up for repeat sessions.  That's how you build a good solid
client base."

Nate just smiled.  "Let me ask you this.  Do you want sex with me as much
now as you did when we first met two years ago, or has that diminished now
that we've actually hooked up a few times?"

"Oooh, good question.  I think the first time is always more exciting than
all subsequent times."

"Okay, so you're interested, but less so than at first?"

"Yeah, I guess that's fair.  But for the record, I'd still do it with you
if you were horny.  Just so we're not shutting doors or anything," I
clarified with a grin.

"I think I'm clear on that.  But let me throw in another scenario.  Would
you be more or less interested in a straight boy if you knew he'd had sex
with another gay guy before you got him into bed?"

"Would I know he'd had sex with another guy before I got to play with him?"

"Yes.  Would he still be as interesting as a conquest?"

"Hmmm...I'd like to say yes, but I think I'd be not as interested.  I kind
of like seeing their reaction when they try it.  Some don't like it at all,
others are genuinely surprised that they could actually enjoy it, while a
few even find their orgasms better, but still wouldn't want to not be
straight."

"That's honest.  So let me throw a scenario at you.  And it's 100%
hypothetical, so don't go thinking I'm being real here."

I nodded.  I like hypothetical.  It usually makes good jerk off material
for a dream.

"So how would you feel if I suddenly started hitting on you all the time,
demanding full-on sex every time you came over.  Would you be more or less
likely to come over?"

"We could find out if you wanna take your clothes off," I said licking my
lips.

"I'm sure, but again, that would be you controlling the narrative.  I'm
talking about sex between us only on my terms.  Would you be as
interested?"

"The first couple of times might be fun, but after that I'd totally get
bored of it, and maybe confused considering you're heterosexual.  Straight
boys don't throw themselves at gay guys."

"Okay, so less interested.  Now what if you come over and I have Casey on
the bed, railing the hell out of him.  Are you now more or less interested
in me, and how would that change your opinion of Casey?"

"Is this the part where I ask if you've actually railed Casey already?"  I
said, suddenly feeling a weird twisting in my stomach.

"No.  That's why I prefaced this with the fact I'm being completely
hypothetical.  How would you feel if you walked in on that?"

"When the hell did you get so good at this?  Did I miss a whole semester or
something?  Okay, I can answer that honestly.  At first, I'd be super
pissed at you, considering you know how much I want to be able to do Casey
at some point.  Then I'd be jealous as fuck that you were doing him.  I'd
want to see it up close so I had a visual reference, and then depending on
you two, I'd either want to join in, or I'd leave upset."

"Would you be as interested in doing Casey after that?"

"As interested, no.  Would I try to use it to try and get him for myself?
Probably, but I'd be less enthusiastic about it."

"What about if you went over to Casey's place and found him and Eric doing
it together?"

"Actually, I'd be way cooler with that.  Mostly because I'd take some of
the credit for getting them that far, by outing Eric to Casey in the first
place.  I'd totally want to join in with them, that's for sure."

"Interesting, huh?"

"I'm not sure what this proves, or even what the hell this conversation was
about, if I'm being honest."

"I was just trying to say that I think when it comes to sex, I think your
whole drive is focused on being in charge, and in some fashion, being in
control of the scenario."

"Dude!  You're epic!!" I laughed.  "You do know that if you'd started with
that, I'd have been the first to tell you that I'm a control freak, and
basically a dom instead of a sub.  That's how we're gonna make a fortune.
Take ten times longer than required to actually get to the point of
someone's issue.  Nicely done!"

He laughed.  "Like I said, I did research, and I figured that in order for
us to be the most effective working together, we need to get something out
of the way first."

"Which is?"  I asked, still mostly confused.

"Sex.  We need to have sex together to really get it behind us," he said
bluntly.

Now I'm extra confused.  "We've had sex together, before.  And most
importantly, who is going to be behind whom?  Hmmm?..."

"We've hooked up a few times, sure, but I'm talking complete sex.  You
spend the night at my place and for the entire time we'll make out, fuck,
and do anything we can think of together until we pass out exhausted."

"Is this with or without Casey there? Just so I know if I'll need extra
sleep the day before?"  I said grinning at him.

"Just you and me.  A one night, never to be repeated, full-on, no limit,
bang our brains out sex session.  But with the understanding that I'm in
charge of what we do."

"You're serious, aren't you?"  I asked slightly taken by surprise.

"Yes.  If we get that out of our systems, then we'll be able to work
together with no lingering distractions.  It'll also give us a better
understanding of each other."

"What the hell kind of book were you reading for this research?"  I asked
looking at him intently.

"Does that scenario interest you, or have I pulled the control rug out from
under you?"  He asked bluntly.

I frowned slightly as I looked at him.  "Is this a psychology test?  I mean
we've already hooked up together, and even gone so far as to fuck, so it's
not a curiosity thing any more.  It's also not a conquest, since we've
played together more than once, and I see you naked plenty.  If I refuse an
offer like this, the chances are that it won't be re-offered, so I'd be an
idiot to turn it down.  The downside for you is that I may love it, and
want to do it on a regular basis, become increasingly more aggressive to
get it.  That would drive a wedge between us, eventually forcing the
collapse or our partnership.  Meanwhile, you'd still be seeing me regularly
as I came over to screw Eric and Casey in our newly formed three-way
friendship."

"I'm confident that I understand you well enough to know that I've figured
you out correctly.  We'll have sex on my terms only, and you'll be less
interested from that day forward.  I'm sure there'll be the occasional time
when you drop and blow me at home, but your interest will only be surface
deep.  So, you wanna find out how right I am?"

"Or how right I am?" I grinned cheekily, then laughed.  "Okay, fuck it, and
fuck you!  A night of sex it is.  I'll bring the pail of lube and you
better be worth more than one fuck.  I'm not a fan of the one cum shot
straight boy, and then the whining about being tired."

"And I'm not used to the gay guy who...ummm...yeah, I got nothing," he
laughed.

"Fine, you pick the night, and I'll be there.  Oh, and if you're doing more
research, look up how to eat ass, and how to keep fucking after you cum.
You're gonna need to know those," I teased.

"This should be an interesting study," he nodded.  "I'm looking forward to
it."

"That's what they all say until I get more than five inches into them," I
laughed.

We went for a late lunch and then back to the office to make final review
of our website for Donaldson & Masters Counselling.  It's not as
complicated as it sounds.  We had a company create it for us, so it was
simply a matter of calling to make it go live.

I wanted a catchy tagline like `Feeling squirrely, we'll help with the
nuts', but Nate figured we shouldn't have a tag line at all.  I think he
made that decision only after I pitched my idea.  We did agree to have a
brief description of our specialties though.  He actually surprised me by
putting family therapy as one of his.  I thought after Blake, he'd never
want to talk to another kid, ever.  I actually listed sex therapy as one of
mine, which both Nate and I agreed to do, as we figured there was a demand
in that market.

Nate did voice one concern. "I'm not sure I'd want to take many couples
therapy though.  First because I've never been a couple, so my advice
wouldn't be very helpful, and second because I really prefer the one-on-one
sessions."

We agreed not to list couples as one of our areas of interest.  We'd both
had professional photographs taken for the website, which made me look like
I was posing for the back cover of a novel somewhere.  They'd suggested I
wear a shirt and tie.  I was fine with just the tie.  Joking... but I went
more casual as I wanted us to look our age, and be more inviting than some
boomer with a grey beard and glasses.  Although I still like the glasses
look.  Make me look somewhat reflective.  I know, I know.  They're glasses,
they reflect.  Not what I meant.  I considered having a pipe as it would
make me look more distinguished and intelligent.  Well, maybe not
intelligent because I'd be smoking.  That doesn't scream wisdom, but a pipe
does look cool.

Colin was letting us use the receptionists at the main desk to field our
calls.  For now, that made the most sense, but once we start making real
money, and running a therapy empire, we'll probably hire our own.  Maybe
expand to become Donaldson, Masters and associates.  We'll have a cavernous
office complex, maybe oval shaped with a natural treed concourse as a
waiting room.  All the offices would be around the outside with all the
specialties grouped into areas.  Last thing you need is the introverts
mixed in with the sex addicts.  Hmmm...or is it?  Might cure both at once.
Screw a few introverts to get them out of their shell, and let the sex
addicts get it out of their system at the same time.  Throw in a few
aggressive tendency patients, and you've made an afternoon of it.  Family
therapy will be on a different day.

We went out to the reception area with Adrian to ensure they knew we were
now operational.  They would take the call and simply transfer it to Nate's
cell.  For now, he was going to take all the calls and make the
appointments, since he had the most free time.  What he didn't know yet,
and I was about to surprise him with, is that I'd bought a billboard for
some real-world advertising.  It had both our pictures on it like some ad
for personal injury lawyers.  I'd arranged for it to go up today and I'd
received a text that it was done.  We jumped back in the Bugatti and I
detoured Nate over towards it.  I don't even think he noticed I was taking
a different route, he just seemed happy driving the car.  I smile as I saw
the billboard up ahead. He was so focused on the road and the car, that he
didn't see it until I made him pull over.

"Holy shit!  What the fuck?"  He said as we parked and he looked up at it.
He got out of the car, forcing me to follow, and stood looking up at our
giant faces staring back at us.  The message was simple, professional
simple, not Justin simple.  `Donaldson and Masters.  Therapy Counselling.'
Then our website and phone number.  I'd made sure that Nate's picture was
on the Donaldson side and mine was on the Masters side.  That would make it
easy to know who was who.  "When did you arrange this?"

"As soon as I knew we'd be setting up the office, I had it put up to
coincide with the launch of the website."

"What the hell does something like that cost?  We can't really afford it
yet, can we?"

"No, but if we don't advertise, we don't get business.  It's worth it.
Plus, we look good up there," I smiled as I made him go stand below it for
a picture.  Which of course led to him taking my picture and then a timer
pic of both of us posing like our billboard shots.

"I think as soon as we make some money, I'll have to buy a car.  It'll be
important at times to be able to get to the office faster than with
transit," Nate said as we leaned against the hood of the car and looked at
our billboard.  I feel so professional and grown up.  Then it sort of hit
me.  I am grown up.  I have a husband, two kids, a house, and now a career.
My childhood was gone.  Boo!  Next up Viagra and Polygrip, followed by
adult diapers.  That's not a kink, it's an old age thing and the first grey
hair I get is going to send me into an absolute shut down of all brain
function.  I snapped back to the moment.

"Why don't you just take my BMW?"  I suggested.  "We have a few spare
vehicles."

"Just a few," he grinned.  "Thanks, but I couldn't take your car.  Plus
they're kinda fancy for where I live."

"Would you want a gas car or electric?"

"Ideally, I want to go electric, but my building doesn't have charging
outlets yet.  I think that's gonna be something that is going to have
change if we eventually want to eliminate gas vehicles."

"Then hybrid is where you should start.  They charge themselves from the
engine when you drive.  Plus you can plug them in at the mall or other
places like that."

"True.  Yeah, I've been thinking about that.  Best I could do is hybrid
unless I move of course, but I like my place for now and I don't really
need more space yet.  So I figure I'll save money to buy a car first, then
when we get more regular clients, I'll look at moving to a one bedroom
place as an upgrade."

"Sensible, but I agree that you need a car.  Public transit is pretty good,
especially to downtown, but it's always nice to have the freedom to go
where you want.  Speaking of that, I'm hungry, let's go grab something to
eat."

"Didn't we just have lunch?"  Nate said looking at me as if one of us just
contracted Alzheimer's.

"Yeah, but I could use a donut and coffee."

Nate laughed and then laughed even harder.  I frowned curiously as I
started at him.  "Sorry, it just struck me as funny.  We're hiding behind a
billboard, talking about getting coffee and donuts, like we're some
undercover cops waiting at a stakeout."

It was an interesting thought, but it didn't strike me as funny as it did
Nate.  We should get him into therapy.  You know what I realized?  Now that
I'm a therapist, I'm gonna think everyone needs therapy.  How do you feel
about that?

We jumped back in the car, and I guided Nate to where I wanted to go.  We
parked away from other cars and headed into a Dairy Queen to get Blizzards.
Despite his earlier observation, he had one too.

"Hey, since we're here let's go eat our blizzard over there and check out
cars," I suggested.  He smiled and followed me, like any guy would when it
was about cars.

"Some of these cars are super cheap," I noted with many being under
$10,000.

"Yeah, I think there's less interest in gas cars now, so they're trying to
keep them saleable.  The electric and hybrids are the most expensive now.
Like that Rav4 over there.  It's over 40 grand and it's 3 years old."

"That doesn't seem that expensive," I replied.

"Says the guy driving a two-million-dollar Bugatti," he replied.

"Today, sure.  But not all of our cars are that price.  I mean the Maserati
was only two hundred grand, and the BMW was even cheaper."

Nate just shook his head.  "We live in different worlds buddy.  If I had
two hundred grand, I'd put a down payment on a house, or a condo, not buy a
car.  What's the cheapest vehicle you own?"

"Hmmm...good question.  I know it used to be Kyle's truck or Troy's
Mustang, but we just upgraded those, so I'm not sure.  I'm gonna guess
maybe Alex's Corvette.  I'm pretty sure that was under a hundred grand when
we bought it.  Wait!" I said snapping my fingers.  "Kyle's Ducati.  That
was only 12 grand," I said smiling.

He shook his head again.  "A motorcycle doesn't really count."

"Here, check this out.  A used Star Wars car.  Hybrid and cheap.  Although
it is four years old.  $21,000, so I'll bet we could get it down to 19 if
we haggle."

"Did you say it's a Star Wars car?"  He asked with his interest piqued.
"Is it a special edition or something?"

"No, it's a Toy-yoda Camry," I chuckled.  "Check it out.  Nice blue, good
tires.  Good looking car."

Just as we began checking it out, one of the sales people came out of the
building towards us.  "Hi fellas.  Finding something interesting I could
help you with?"

"What's the mileage on this car?"  I inquired.  "I didn't learn that
question from Colin as all his cars were pretty much new.  I learned my
knowledge the old-fashioned way...from YouTube.

"It's around 68,000.  It's considered low mileage for the age.  Are you
gentlemen looking for a hybrid?"

"Ideally, I would have preferred fully electric, but my building doesn't
have charging ports," Nate replied as we looked the car over.  For its age,
it was in good shape.

"Could we take a look inside?"  I asked as I deliberately took another
spoonful of my Blizzard.  I figure nothing sends shivers down the spine of
a car dealership than some young guy with ice cream asking to go in one of
their cars.

"I'll get the keys for you," he said as he turned to head back to the
office.

"What are we doing?"  Nate asked.

"Looking at cars.  It's way more fun than shopping online for them.  Plus
you can see if it's comfortable or not.  Some cars look great but suck to
drive."

"That's true.  I've looked at Prius before and ridden in one, but it was
sort of like riding on a cardboard box, or one of those milk crates."

I laughed.  "Yeah, Colin won't even allow a Prius on the property.  I think
Chance said he was considering getting one, and Colin told him to pack and
get out."

"Seriously?"

"No, but he did refuse to let him buy one," I smiled as we waited for the
keys.  The salesman returned with the fob and we took a look inside.  It
was clean and well maintained.  I told Nate to start it up so we could hear
it.  Meanwhile I think the salesman was sticking close with hidden
napkins. "Do you have the car fax on this?"

"We do," The salesman said as he opened the folder he was carrying.

"Any accidents?"

"None listed.  The only repair showing here was a new windshield two years
ago.  Regular oil changes were performed as you'll see.  It appears as if
the previous owner looked after it very well."

"Can we take it for a test drive?"  I inquired, with Nate looking at me in
surprise.  "What?  How will you know if this is the car for you, if you
don't mold your ass to the seat and get a feel for it?"

"I have no problem letting you go out in it, as long as the ice cream stays
here.  I'd also have to go with you.  Nothing personal, it's just because
of your age."

"That sounds personal.  Age discrimination included," I said staring at
him, but not with a nasty `Karen-like' demeanour.

"Not at all.  Our insurance only allows those over 25 to drive alone.  It's
pretty standard I'm afraid.  Seems arbitrary to me as well, but I don't
make the laws."

"I've made some, but they usually only apply around my house," I joked.
"Yeah, we're cool if you have to come along."

We did the test drive and it went well.  We actually learned a lot about
hybrid vehicles along the way, as the salesman was extremely knowledgeable.
I think I was being sucked into the sales pitch, but I didn't mind as he
was treating us pretty decent, and I knew lots of the tricks to watch for.
I mean when you live with a car collector, you pick up a thing or two.  Why
do you think we didn't pull into the lot in the Bugatti?  Someone would
have run around the lot doubling the prices in the windshields.

"What can you do on the price?  It seems a bit high for this vehicle.
Average list on a car this age would be around seventeen, seventeen five."

"Possibly, but this had a few additional features.  Sport package, larger
wheels, enhanced audio system, plus the lower than average miles.  I think
the lower price would be more for a base model, but if you're seriously
interested in this car, let's go see what we can do to get you into it."

"Sure.  I'm open to listening," I agreed as we all got out.

Nate came over to me.  "What are you doing?"

"Having fun.  I normally just have to sit quietly and let Colin do the
negotiating.  It should be fun to be the one in the driver's seat for once.
Pun definitely intended."

"Why waste his time though if we're not actually buying?"

"It's good practice for him and us.  It's not like he has a lot full of
customers.  So far we're the only ones here.  Come on, let's see how good
we are at negotiating.

We were shown to his cubicle area.  More of an open area to the side of the
show room where he had a desk.  He quickly turned his computer screen
towards us once he had the vehicle information up.  Colin already told me
that this kind of dealer could be a scam, as they sometimes used fake
information to make you believe you were getting an unbelievable deal.
This is where I got ready to call them on it.

"You can see here, the vehicle arrived as a trade-in about four days ago,
so it hasn't been here long. You have the car fax which you can compare to
the VIN right here to ensure you're looking at the correct vehicle.  Here
are the options and accessories the vehicle has, and you can see it's
loaded.  Now as to what we can do about the price, you'll see here what we
gave the previous owner in trade.  Then the servicing to make sure it was
in top condition, and the work done on it.  You'll see it includes new oil
and filters as well.  All listed here.  Plus our lot fee and small markup.
You'll see there's not a lot of room to maneuver."

"Would you be able to provide all those details in a hard copy if we bought
the vehicle?"  I asked.  That was Colin's influence.  He said they had no
problem showing you a computer screen, but to put anything on a physical
hard copy, could leave them open to audit.  He said anyone refusing the
hard copy, he walked away from.  Now it was my moment of truth.

"Of course.  Feel free to even take a picture of the screen if you wish as
a comparison.  Sounds like this isn't your first rodeo."

"No, I went to one in Calgary before," I nodded.

"I've never been to a rodeo," Nate added.  "That might be useful only if we
were buying a horse though."

The salesman laughed.  "You gentlemen have good sense of humour, I like
that.  I can't do a lot on the actual price of the car, but what I can do
is eliminate the provincial sales tax, which will at least make the final
price less."

"You can do that?"  Nate asked surprised.  "Huh.  Who knew the tax was
optional."

The sales guy laughed.  "Technically we just reduce the price of the car by
the equivalent amount, but it always sounds better than saying we're
reducing the price of the car by 7%.  If truth be known, it's more than
that because the adjusted price for the provincial tax means that you now
also pay less federal tax.  That's like another 70 bucks in your pocket.
Equivalent to a full tank of gas right there.  Of course, in a hybrid
that'll go a lot further than a typical gas vehicle."

This guy was slick, but to me he seemed super honest.  "So, what's the
final price?"  I asked.

He made some quick calculations while we were able to watch on the screen.
So far, transparency seem to be one of their values, and I could appreciate
that.  As soon as he took the tax off, we dropped from $21,000 to $19,626,
which then changed to $20,607 after the GST of 5% was added.

"That made a pretty big difference," Nate commented.

"Anytime you can reduce the base price, you save the tax.  Are you looking
to trade another vehicle in, as that would also count towards reducing the
tax load?"

"No, I don't have a car yet," Nate said quickly.  Fair enough.  I hadn't
given him the big Colin speech about not showing all your cards until you
have the best price.

"Is that the final price or are there other extras yet?"

"The only thing left to add is the $52 registration fee, which is required
by ICBC.  Then of course you have the insurance that'll need to be added to
it before you can drive off the lot."

"Of course.  Don't you have all those other fees like delivery fee, dealer
fee, etc.?"  I asked suspiciously.

"No, we find that our customers don't really like those," he said smiling
as if he'd just won us over.  He had, but there's no need to pump more
helium into his balloon just yet.

"True.  I usually fight that to the death," I admitted, somewhat
disappointed that there wasn't going to be a gladiator battle in the arena,
or where I get to storm out and make him chase me.  This guy was honest,
but boring as fuck.  "You like that car?"  I asked Nate.

"Sure, who wouldn't.  More than I need for a first car, and I still can't
afford something like that though.  Some old beater would do for now."

"Some old beater would spew tons of carbon into the air, guzzling gas at a
rate so fast, it'd be cheaper to buy this car in the long run."

"True, but at least I could afford the gas to get me to work when I needed
to use the car occasionally."

"Dude, using the hybrid mode in the city, makes it cheaper than riding the
bus.  Plus, there's a lot of charging ports in the garage at the office.
Colin made sure to have them included as a perk."

"If I may, gentlemen, you could finance the car and the payments would be
minimal.  Maybe less than the price of buying gas for a `beater'," he
suggested.

"That'd be good, but we're not exactly making money yet.  Once I get a
regular and consistent income then I could finance.  Right now, it's enough
just paying the basic bills."

"Nate, bottom line.  You need a car, right?"

"Of course.  It'd be nice to have that kind of freedom, but not at the cost
of stressing over how to pay for it."

"Then it's a done deal.  I'll buy it for you," I said confidently.

"I'm not letting you buy me a car.  That's insane," Nate said shaking his
head.

"Buddy, we run our own company.  All you have to do is make a couple trips
a month to a client, and boom we write that off as a business vehicle and
claim the expense.  Colin's accountant can help us with those details.  We
buy the car in your name, and then once we really get up and running, we
lease it to the company as an expense."

"Are you sure that's how it works?"  He asked looking at the salesman more
than me.

"I know you can claim a vehicle for work depending on what you do.  I think
that would definitely be decided by an accountant," he replied.

"Done.  I'll take it," I said quickly.

"I still can't let you do that," Nate said as he looked directly into my
eyes.

"Oh well, too bad.  I'm doing it.  But I don't really have a place to store
it at my place, so you'll have to keep it at your place for me."

Nate just rolled his eyes.  "I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?"

"You've known me two years.  What do you think the answer to that is?"

"Fine, but I'll only agree to it if you let me pay you back as soon as I
earn extra money.  Maybe I'll even take a part time job."

"No you won't.  You have to keep your free time available to study since
you're continuing on to your master's degree.  Once you get your PhD,
you'll have a fleet of electric vehicles parked at your mansion."

"One car and a two-bedroom condo is fine by me," he grinned.

"Two bedrooms?  Fancy!"  I grinned, before turning back to the salesman
that we were basically ignoring.

Wait, if he was a transgender sales person would he be a salesthey?  Just
asking as I get confused over new terms.  Frankly if you transitioned to a
male from a female, wouldn't you be happy if someone called you `he or
him'?  That's why you transitioned, isn't it?  To feel like the real you?
I seriously get confused.

"Okay, before he goes all neurotic and has a panic attack, let's write it
up and get it on the road," I said.

"Are you financing, or how would you like to pay for it?"

"Do you take debit?"  I asked pulling out my bank card.

"I'm not sure debit cards have that kind of limit, but a bank draft works,"
he replied.

"My card has that sort of limit," I assured him.  I think he figured I was
just showing off to my friend now.  "But if it doesn't just slap it on the
credit card.  It's unlimited."

He smiled.  "Sorry, we can only take credit cards to a maximum of two
thousand.  Usually as a deposit.  We'll try the debit card first if you
like, and if that is over the daily limit, I can give you the instructions
for a bank draft."

"Or I'll just wire it to you, if you give me your banking information," I
countered.  I'd heard Colin do that several times, so I figured it couldn't
be that difficult.  I had no idea how to actually do it, but I didn't
expect to have to.  My debit card would buy anything up to the limit in my
accounts.  Colin had repeatedly told me that I should have a limit to avoid
someone stealing my card and draining my account, and that it was great at
stopping impulse buying.  Said the guy who buys multi-million dollars cars
on the way home from work.  When have I ever impulse bought?

He did up the paperwork and went to get a signature, probably from the
manager or accountant.

"You're seriously buying a car?  I thought we were just going for ice
cream," Nate said turning to face me.

"We got ice cream.  It melting outside as we speak.  You said you needed a
car, now you have a car.  Trust me, this is a good investment.  Both in you
and in our business."

"Dude, I'm going to owe you money until I'm 40 at this rate.  First my
rent, now this."

"You don't owe me a cent.  Nothing.  Just pay it forward one day in the
future when an opportunity presents itself.  To me, that's how the world
works."

"Is Colin going to mind you paying for things like this for me?"

"Oh, Colin will be pissed," I said giving him a little smirk.

"He will?"

"Sure, he'll be pissed that I bought a used car that wasn't a collector's
item.  He'll say I should have bought you the fully electric car you wanted
and then had a charging port installed at your place."

"No, he wouldn't," Nate.

"I'd ask how much you want to bet on that, but since we just spent all our
money on a car, that might not work."

We didn't have time to debate it further or seal the bet in, as the
salesperson returned.  "We're all set.  I'll go over it with you, get your
signatures and then all that'll be left to do is pay for it.  Are you ready
to proceed?"

"Let get `er done," I grinned.  He went through it and Nate signed `here'
and initialed `there' and agreed to `this and that', but it was finally
complete and it was my turn next.  I pulled out my debit card and we
followed him to their business office.

From the expression on their faces, I don't think they actually expected to
see it be approved.  The look was even more priceless when it went through.
It did take longer than I expected as I had to use my PIN instead of just
being able to tap.

"That's a first," Our sales guy said looking the receipt over to ensure it
actually had been accepted.  Then it was over to the insurance guy.  Nate
provided all his details and almost fell out of the chair when he learned
how much the insurance was.

"What the fuck?  Is it always that expensive?"  He asked, not sure whether
to be talking to the insurance agent or me.

"It gets cheaper the longer you drive, but they always nail younger and
less experienced drivers.  I pay more than Colin, but most of the vehicles
are in his name, with the rest of us listed to be able to drive them."

"That's brutal."

"You can make monthly payments, which would be $306 per month.  You are in
the highest risk age, and the highest rate region.  That combined with less
driving experience, unfortunately pushes rates up.  On the plus side, you
do get a small discount for the type of car you've purchased, and the
safety features included."

"When would rates come down?"

"After a few years of good driving, & once you get to 26 years of age,
you'll see a dramatic drop."

"Justin, I can't really afford $300 a month for insurance.  That's more
than it would have been to finance the car each month," Nate said as he
looked seriously uncomfortable.

"Don't worry.  It's another business expense.  Just put it on my card," I
said handing over the debit again.

It took very little time to get it completed, and by the time we got out to
the car, the plates were on it and it was at the front door waiting for us.
The sales person gave us the fobs, shook our hand and waved as we drove
away.

"I seriously can't believe you just did that.  Totally didn't expect it,
and I honestly don't even know how to feel right now.  But thank you.  If
you ever want it back, just let me know and I'll return it," he said as he
drove over to the Bugatti, and parked beside it.

"Nate, buddy.  The car is yours.  Just enjoy it."

"You've already done so much for me.  I seriously don't know how I'd even
finished school if it weren't for you."

"Are you kidding?  I'd probably not have finished it either if it weren't
for you helping me along.  So, we're good for each other," I reasoned.

We headed back over to his place, and hung out talking about the business
for a while.  We didn't even do anything sexual the entire time.  Maybe
he's right.  Now that he's offering, I don't think I'm as interested.
Actually, you know what I think it is?  I think my brain processes this in
categories.  If I have a straight boy on the line that I'm about to meet,
or have just met, I make a move fast in case he gets away.  If I've already
reeled him in, I want to strike while he's still flopping around trying to
decide if he wants to stay, or jump back in the water and swim away.  This
is starting to sound like a fishing metaphor.  But if he's just offering
himself up, I can justify not making a move, because he'll still be there
tomorrow, or the day after.  I can eat him when I'm hungry.  Otherwise, I
just keep throwing the line out to see what else I might reel in.  Nate is
now one of those I can have when I'm hungry.  Casey on the other hand has
been reeled in, and I'm just waiting for him to calm down before I throw
him into the pan with butter and a nice lemon marinade.  Okay, the fishing
thing got away from me, but you get the idea.

A coupled days later, Blake dropped onto the couch beside us. "Hey Dads.  I
have a million dollars, don't I?"

"You have more than that, but yes.  Why?"  Colin replied.

"Can I have it, maybe in cash?"  He asked so directly that I actually
stared at him to see if he was kidding or not.  I think Colin had the same
reaction.

"Oh sure, would you like that in one or two dollar coins?"  He replied.

"Maybe 20's.  Coins would be too heavy," he replied.  "Oh, wait...you're
doing that sarcasm thing aren't you?"

Holy SHIT!  He got one.  He actually got sarcasm.  This is a sad day
really.  It means he's growing up.  Pretty soon he won't want to hang out
with me, and will think dad jokes are stupid.  I still think the best joke
I remember (and I don't remember a lot of them), is; `I went to my friend's
zoo.  It only had one dog in it.  It's a shitzu.'

"I guess this is the point at which I ask why you want a million dollars in
cash," Colin said while I was still processing the monumental sarcasm event
that no one else seems to care about.  "Not your usual type of request."

"I'm trying to grow my Tik Tok and YouTube channels, and I wanna do MrBeast
kinda stuff.  You know who MrBeast is right?  The YouTuber."

"I know who he is and I agree, he's pretty interesting," I replied, then
smiled and raised my voice.  "I've watched over ONE HUNDRED thousand hours
of MrBeast videos, and HERE'S what I've learned!  That last person to leave
this living room, will receive all my knowledge, which could be worth over
1 million dollars!!"

"What was that?"  Colin asked as he frowned at me.

"That was his lame attempt at being MrBeast.  You needed to us more hand
gestures, Dad," he grinned.

"I'll give MrBeast credit, he does do a lot of good," Colin agreed.  "But
you know he built his brand from the ground up, and most of the money he
gives away comes from his ads, sponsorships, and the giant fan base he has.
He didn't just start handing out thousands right away."

"I know that, but I already have the money, so maybe I could just start
faster.  Think of how fast I'd go viral.  A fourteen-year-old competing
with MrBeast.  Dude, it'd be epic.  I could even challenge him to things.
I've got a wicked idea already.  Could be as big as TeamTrees and
TeamSeas."

"Those were big," Colin nodded.  "We even donated to them ourselves.
What's your plan?"

"No way.  That's proprietary," he said firmly.

"It is, huh?"  Colin smirked.  "So, what's your business plan if you want a
million dollars?"

"Would you really let me have my money?"  Blake asked sitting upright and
getting more serious.

"Let's hear your pitch first.  I mean that is what my new company does
after all.  It'd be hypocritical for me not to hear you out."

"Okay, cool.  I'd set up a studio, maybe for now I could use a spare guest
room.  The one opposite my room with no windows.  That's be big enough to
edit and record some stuff.  Then I'd do things to help other kids.  Like
set up school lunch programs in poorer neighborhoods, buy out entire stores
like MrBeast, but only use small businesses, so it helps them as well.
Then give the stuff to kids in need.  Maybe I could build a brand on being
a kid who lost everything, and found someone to help me.  This is me paying
it forward."

"I like what I'm hearing so far.  What if you're compared to MrBeast?
Doesn't that hurt your `brand'?"  I asked seriously.

"No.  I'd credit MrBeast as my mentor, and for now my first two focuses
would be getting people to know who I am, maybe show them some of the
things I'm interested in, and the focus on helping kids.  Plus, I'd still
have fun content too, like doing surprise stuff and involving all my
friends, or set up a spin and win at a school.  We could set up games, and
contests to get good content, or do stupid shit like sleep at the zoo, (not
the one with only one dog...it's a shitzu...ha!), or prank friends.  Of
course, it'd all be age appropriate so I didn't get haters."

"I like it, and I'm sure it would get traction, but I'm not sure I'd be
happy letting you use your money to do this.  It's going to take you a
while to get noticed, and how would it affect other aspects of your life?"
Colin asked.

"It'd probably help my life.  As an actor, it'd be perfect.  People would
see me on TV or movies, and instantly know who I was because of my social
media.  I could use some of my karate stuff to help other kids get
interested in it.  Diving would make good content as people would see me in
a speedo, and we all know sex sells, Dad."

"Speaking of sex..."  I added.

"Relax," he said quickly.  "You Tube wouldn't allow anything inappropriate,
and I'm sure not going to be doing anything age inappropriate on any
channel.  It's not like I'd be filming a gang bang.  Right there is a good
reason to let me do it.  I'd be so busy with my channel that I'd not have
time to even think about sex.  All my hormones would be focused on great
video content.  A total win for you guys, right?  One other thing too is
that I'd use my friends to help me with camera work, editing and being part
of the videos.  They gain fame as well, and make some money.  That would
help them out a lot too.  I already know Darcy is interested in doing
behind the scenes stuff like the camera and editing, but I'm sure I could
get him out front of the camera, which would help his confidence.  There's
no down side, Dad.  I make money as a kid, and I'm not taxable, so anyone I
give money to isn't taxable either."

"Part of that is true.  If you win a contest or lottery, it's tax free, so
you'd be okay there, but no matter how old you are, if you make above the
minimum threshold, you pay taxes on it."

"What's the threshold mean?"  He asked.

"It's the amount you can make without having to pay tax.  At the moment,
it's something like $13,000.  If you make less than that in a year you owe
nothing, and any tax you have paid will get refunded.  Above that and you
start paying."

"Good thing my job at Domino's didn't pay me that much huh?  Cheapskate,"
he added, looking at me.

"Actually, you have been paying taxes, it's just being done for you," Colin
informed him.

"I have?  How come?"

"Interested earned on the money you have is taxable, and since you have
several million in your name, you owe tax on that interest, but only on
realized income, not on stocks or bonds.  Don't worry though, it's being
done by the accountants, so you have nothing to worry about.  Some of it is
being placed into your RRSP each year, but that's only a fraction of it.
The rest we work to make sure you only pay the minimal rate, but still
submit your fair share."

"Whoa, so I'm a taxpayer.  Now that's cool.  I can finally say to a cop.  I
pay your wages!"

"No.  No, you can't.  That's just being one of those entitled assholes.
We're trying hard not to be that, Blake.  But back to your plan.  If you
make money in your venture, it'll be taxable, however, giving away money
and prizes as part of your business model makes it tax deductible to some
degree.  Plus, if you pay your friends, set it up as a company and pay them
through it.  That'll make the expense also tax deductible.  But you should
make sure all your friends get their parents permission to have a job with
you as it'll affect them."

"It will?  How?"

"Any money your friends earn could affect what their parents can claim."

"This sounds super complicated.  All I wanna do is run a couple channels,
and give people in need some money.  Why wouldn't the government want to
make it easy?  And I don't get how my friend's parents would be affected."

"Some may claim the child tax credit which is given to them for minor
children.  If your friends have no younger brothers or sisters, the money
they make is deducted dollar for dollar against the credit."

"How much is that?"

"Roughly $6,000 a year," Colin replied.

"Whoa.  So if I paid my friends $6,000 it would come right off what their
parents got?  That's bullshit."

"It's more complicated than that, but basically, yes. If you pay them as
employees, it could affect the parents. Depends on how much the parents
earn.  We don't get anything for you or J.J.  For now, if you want to give
your friends some money for helping, just give them the money as a gift.
There's no gift tax in Canada, so you can give them as much as you want."

"That sounds easier than that other shit.  Being an adult seems way tougher
than it sounds," he said sitting back looking as exhausted as I felt.  He's
right though.  Money is super complicated.  "So I have lots to learn, huh?
Think I could still do the channel though?"

"How about you let your dad and me talk about it for a bit, and get back to
you?"  Colin suggested.

"Cool.  Thanks for listening to me though.  I'd still like to do something
like that even it's not as big as MrBeast."  He hugged us as added
incentive, and took off to let us talk.

"And our thoughts are?"  I asked staring at Colin.  This entrepreneur stuff
was more along his line of expertise.  Mine would be more focusing on
keeping Blake from doing something where he could kill himself.

"I like that he wants to give back and help people," Colin said speaking
quieter than normal.  "I've seen a lot of the top channel videos.  In fact,
like I told Blake, we've donated to some of the causes like Team Seas and
Trees, and Color the Spectrum that Mark Rober and Jimmy Kimmel hosted.
I've followed a lot of these guys as they do have some original ideas.  The
guy Blake is talking about, MrBeast, seems to have been the one to have
started this new wave of YouTubers.  He's the level that they're all
aspiring to be, and I can see Blake having that kinda of personality once
he gets going."

"Do we want that though?  I mean YouTube is fun and all, but I'd hate it to
become an obsessive addiction for him as he tries to outperform the biggest
YouTubers out there.  Plus aren't those videos brutally expensive?"

The ones MrBeast and his clones do certainly are, but most have low
budgets, and just provide entertainment.  Blake wants to be an actor.  No
doubt down the road, he'll want to be a director, and who knows what else.
This certainly gives him a chance to shine.  He'll run his own channel,
direct and edit his own videos, and still be able to act.  It'll even give
his friends some direction.  Who knows how many of them he may set on a
path to a new career."

"Sounds like you overwhelmingly approve the idea," I said as we continued
to talk in soft tones.

"Not overwhelmingly, but I support the ambition for him to get it going.
It's a pretty mainstream thing for him to do, and you know Blake, he'll
throw himself into it 100%."

"What about his other activities?  Karate, Diving, Junior Q, School, etc."

"I guess he has to figure out what's important.  That'll be his first big
test."

"Are we really going to give him a million dollars to get started?"

Colin laughed.  "No.  I'm sure he'd like it if we just used a forklift to
deliver a million dollars in cash to him.  It would make a great video all
on its own, but no.  I think we should fund his first video, and have him
present it to us as his pitch for more.  If we like it we fund his second
one, and so on, until he's able to make money off them on his own, then we
let him fly."

"With a few strings still attached, so he doesn't fly to high and pop," I
smiled as I added my own flying analogy.

"Exactly.  I think sometimes both of us forget he's only 14, but he's
certainly smart enough to make this a thing if he wants to.  Most YouTubers
start with nothing but their phone camera and a laptop, and eventually
build up to bigger and better.  Blake already has followers on his
Instagram from his acting, so he should be able to move many of those over
to his new channel."

"I have to admit, I'm kind of interested to see what he could come up with.
My biggest question is will he do something reasonably unique, or is he
going to be a MrBeast clone like so many others.  They all do the same
kinds of things.  Destroy their friends car to buy him a new one; spend 24
hours straight doing some challenge; prank people, etc."

"True, but one good thing about Blake's friends is that they don't own
cars, and destroying their bike isn't going to be as interesting.  His age
may be a hook to drag people along for the short term start up ride, and as
he gets older, he'll have to figure out how to pivot to more adult things
without losing his audience.  That age limitation may force him to find
more interesting ways to create videos.  It could be interesting for his
fans to see him do normal teenage boy things like getting his driver's
licence, or try a new activity for the first time.  Things that make him
more than just some celebrity in TV show or movie."

"Speaking of limitations, what guidelines should we give him?"  I asked.

"First, we control the money & budget for a video.  Until he learns how to
manage his resources, we need to do that.  I can already see us giving him
a million dollars, and on his first or second video he gives it away before
he's even got a following.  We should also limit when he can do it."

"That's definitely one, or he'll drop everything to focus exclusively on
it.  Maybe we restrict him to weekends only," I suggested.

"I'd be good with that, as long as his homework is done first," Colin
agreed.  "I think I'd even be okay letting him have an hour a night to
edit, again, once his homework is done.  I know how much of an addiction
those videos can be.  I've sometimes found myself three hours in down some
rabbit hole, and have to force myself back to reality."

"I hear you.  I do the same thing.  I find myself in a hole, and have to
work hard at cumming back out," I chuckled.

"Stay focused, Justin.  We're talking videos here," Colin smirked.

"Yeah.  You watch one, then another, and before you know it you're buying,
and subscribing, to anything they mention."

"Now that is a good YouTuber and why advertisers pay so heavily.  I saw one
of those MrBeast videos that was a contest for other YouTubers to win a
shoutout from MrBeast.  The kid went on to earn two million subscribers
overnight."

"Do we get the impression that if Blake got a shout out, he'd lose his
mind?" I laughed.

"No shit.  Can you think of any other rules we should have for him to get
started?"  Colin asked.

"Knowing Blake's impulsivity, I think we'd be wise to see his video plan
before he goes off to film it.  He's more mature than a lot of boys his
age, but he's still got a teenager brain that doesn't acknowledge danger or
limits."

"That, I'd agree with.  He only gets to shoot and post if we see the plan,
and then review the video content before it goes live."

"How much would we give him per video as he gets started?"  I asked.

"I think we make that part of his planning pitch for each video.  See how
well he's thought it out."

"I'd agree.  I mean something like doing a polar bear swim wouldn't cost
anything, but giving away an entire store worth of merchandise could be
expensive, and that's pretty much only MrBeast level shit."

"Alright, should we tell him?"  Colin said, smiling.

"Might as well.  ADAM, ask Blake to come to the great room."

The ding sounded, and almost instantly Blake bounced down the stairs,
taking them three at a time. Then he paused, raised his phone up in front
and began talking.  "So, this is it.  The verdict.  Behind me, are my dads,
Colin..." he announced as he used his hand over his head to point to him,
and then to me, "...and Justin.  I'm about to find out if they're the
coolest parents ever, or just more adults out of touch with the young
people in our fast moving modern society."

"You know we can hear you, right?"  I yelled.

"Let's go find out, but I have to approach casually so they'll not be
spooked by my awesomeness.  What's the tea?"  He asked, basically leaping
into the arm chair, while somehow keeping the camera in position to capture
all of us.

"What's with the camera?"  Colin inquired.

"Documenting the exact moment when I either got a YouTube channel, or
packed to move out," he grinned.

"Wait, so if we don't let you have a channel, you're moving?  Like as in
your room will be free to rent out, and we don't have to feed and clothe
you anymore?  Ummm...we might need another moment in light of the new
options," I joked.

Blake just rolled his eyes and shook his head as he looked at me, then at
the camera.  "Anyone need a couple of parents?  Used, but still mostly
functional."

"The `tea' is that we'll let you do your social media.  YouTube, Tik Tok,
and such," Colin announced to him.

"Fire!  Thanks!!  You heard it hear first," he said excitedly to the
camera.  "Watch for my new YouTube channel in the near future."  He then
turned to looked at each of us.  "Ummm...so what're the rules?  You always
have rules."

"Camera off and pay attention first," Colin said wisely.  I was surprised
that he didn't try to argue, but at this point in the decision process, he
made the right choice as he stopped recording and put the camera down.

"You're correct, there has to be some rules, mainly to keep you and your
friends safe.  I mean we want you to have fun with the videos, but stay
with age-appropriate content.  Justin and I would need to review the final
edit of any video.  Not so much for your idea, but to make sure it doesn't
contain any information that could tell people where you live.  Which
includes blurring some backgrounds, licence plate numbers, etc.," Colin
clarified.

"Plus to make sure you're not running around naked in them," I added for
extra clarification.

Blake laughed.  "Don't worry, YouTube doesn't allow that.  Not even sure
you can show butt crack, but it's okay as I want my channel to be family
friendly.  We're not even gonna swear in it.  We might say the word on
camera, but we'll bleep it out.  I still want to talk like a teenager, but
not make it cringey for parents with little kids."

"Because your goal is to be eventually monetized we want you to learn
budgeting and fiscal responsibility as part of this too."

"What's that mean?"

"I mean that you don't spend more than you make, once you start making
money.  For now, we'll agree to fund a video only if you present us with
the budget required before you go to film."

"Okay.  I can do that easy.  What else?"

"School comes first."

"Not true.  Usually I cum first, or second if the other person is a
virgin," he joked.  "I got you.  I wouldn't let my filming come before
school stuff.  Unless I'm filming at school, then they're both sort of
equal."

"We'll let you do one hour of YouTube related stuff on a school day.  On
weekends and holidays you're free to spend whatever time you like on it."

"I can live with that.  Oh, can I put J.J. in some of my videos?  He likes
being in the pictures for my Instagram."

"Yes, I think for anything you do that is age appropriate for him, then
sure, he can join in.  Just not all the time," I said.

Of course, but it'll help us bond as brothers more.  Plus Layne, Darcy and
Cory will be doing this with me, so that'll help too."

"Okay, but we don't want him being used as the butt of a joke with you and
your friends.  That would not be good for him," Colin added.

"I'd never do that, Dad.  If anything, I'll get him to help me pull a prank
or joke on someone else.  The only thing we might do is surprise J.J. with
a present or something."

"The last rule is that we don't want you filming in the house without
arranging it with us first.  That's to ensure we can all still live our
lives without being caught on a camera."

"Oh, what about in my studio?"

"The studio is fine to film.  We'll just set something up to ensure no one
walks in when you're recording.  If you want to film part of your video
using something in the house, let us know in advance so we can make sure no
one wanders into it by accident."

"Cool.  Thanks.  This is gonna be fire!"

"One last thing.  Under no circumstance do any of your filming sessions
break the law.  If you don't know about the law pertaining to your plan,
then research it.  First offense and we shut you down."

"Like what if it's a law we had no idea about at all, so didn't even know
to look it up?  Is there some wiggle room here?"

"Yes.  That's why you'll present us with the plan ahead of filming.  If we
green light it as is, that's your wiggle room, as it means we didn't know
about the law either."

"Cool, I can live with that.  So just to be clear if my plans says I'm
going to rent a tiger for the shoot, and you approve it, I'm good to go?"

"Can't see any circumstance in which we approve a tiger rental, but if we
did, then yes, you'd be good to go," I replied.  Note to self, be sure to
check fine print in his plan, or any spaces where he may be using invisible
ink.

"Alright, so you're good to go have fun with it.  We're looking forward to
seeing what your very creative mind comes up with," Colin said as Blake sat
there grinning.

"Thanks guys.  You're the best parents ever," he said coming over to give
both of us a hug.

"And if we'd said no, would we still have that same title?"  I asked with a
smirk.

"No.  Then you'd be narrow minded adults out of touch with how kids live
today, and I'd hate you forever.  Then I'd dramatically storm out of the
room and slam the first door I passed through, for extra theatrics," he
laughed.

"That actually sounds like a good Tik Tok skit," I said nodding my head.

"Yeah.  We should do that.  Recreate you not giving me permission, and then
giving me permission. I'll go write that idea down.  Could someone take me
to Better Buy so I can get the equipment I need?"

"Sure, I'll drive you," I volunteered.  "When do you want to go?"

"Maybe in 15 minutes.  I just have to review the list I made to make sure I
didn't miss anything.  Oh, can I use my credit card and pay you guys back?
My debit card won't let me spend that much in a day."

"How much are you planning on spending?" Colin inquired.

"I have a list, and we should be able to keep it under $40,000, but most of
that is for cameras and a new powerful computer for the editing & storage
space.  I figure we should get a good one so that it has the power &
quality we need."

"I'd agree with that," Colin nodded.

"I also would like to get three wide screen monitors instead of just one.
That'll make editing much easier as I can throw pieces to the other
monitors.  I'm debating a big monitor for the wall that we could use to
send our production ideas to, and then move around on a touch screen.  I
saw a 65" for $8500, but I didn't know if that would be in our budget, so I
didn't include it."

"I like that idea.  Go ahead and add it.  If we're spending this much to
get you started, make sure you get good quality items.  That way they'll
last longer," Colin advised.

"Thanks Dad," Blake grinned.

"What sort of other things are you getting?"  I asked

"DSLR Cameras, go pros, lights, stands, portable power packs, a 5k drone.
Things like that.  I'll probably need a bigger desk and better chair too,
but we can get those at Ikea."

"We can do better than Ikea," Colin said.

Blake pulled out his camera again and began recording.  "I've been given
the rules which are usual 14 year old stuff.  Don't commit any crimes doing
stuff, don't run around naked...at least not on camera, be respectful of
people who don't want to be filmed, and don't use my little brother as
cannon fodder.  I'm off to look up what cannon fodder is.  But you heard it
here first, and now we're off to buy some better equipment for editing and
recording.  So that this camera quality will now become this..." he said,
then stopped recording.

Will become what?  God, I hate cliff hangers.

"I'll show the difference in editing when I get the new camera," he
explained.  It's still a cliff hanger as I want to see the difference.
Damn YouTubers!  (Insert fist shake here).


End of Chapter.

Blake on social media?  How could that go wrong?  Most of his adventures
will be over on the spin off series Society on the Side. (Probably around
chapter 18.)  This will allow us to follow him without Justin needing to be
there.  Probably a good idea as Justin might stifle Blake's creativity.
Stay tuned.

If you'd like to make suggestions or comments about what things you'd like
to see them get up to, please email me at outinwest@gmail.com, and follow
Twitter @outinwest for updates about new chapters.