The Bandini Affair 25
Draginacht@aol.com (AKA Jeff)
Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.
This story is a spin-off of an earlier story, "David's Initiation." If you haven't read "DI," that won't be a problem because this story can stand-alone. However, some of the characters from "DI" will appear throughout the story. "David's Initiation," along with earlier stories can be found in the Author's section of the Nifty Archive.
Reader comments are welcome, just be sure to include the title in your subject line (even "TBA" will do) so that it doesn't get dumped as spam.
From Chapter 24
Dinner with John and Kate Close was very warm, welcoming and relaxing. Kate baked a large chicken and all the things that went with it. Matt had a chance to show Leo his old room, which Leo found interesting with all the trophies on shelves along the walls. Leo felt remarkably relaxed as he and Matt explained how they met, the first and second times, and about the attempted robbery that sent Leo to the hospital. The conversation continued until they had to leave at 10:30 PM.
The two men felt even closer as they drove home. `Home,' it sounded so good and comforting. Both men were too tired to think of anything more than snuggling and going to sleep.
Tuesday was a normal day, as was Tuesday evening.
Chapter 25
It's Wednesday morning and Matt is sitting at the kitchen table eating his breakfast. He looks up at Leo.
"Ya know, it sure would be nice if we could schedule our days off at the same time." Their current schedule more or less evolved; no planning had gone into developing it. Normally Matt would have Monday and Tuesday off and Leo would be off on Wednesday and Thursday. This week was disorganized due to the football game Sunday and Matt working a half day Monday. Leo hadn't been working long enough to establish a firm schedule; he'd just floated as circumstances dictated. He had decided to take off work today so he could catch up on unfinished business related to his move and to have a long chat with his agent. He also needed to go to the grocery store to get things he'd need to make dinner tonight.
"Yes, I've been thinking about that." Leo replied. "You have any suggestions?"
"No," Matt chuckled, "I hoped you had some." They looked at each other and chuckled more.
"Okay, I also need to take tomorrow off to take care of more unfinished business so how about Friday we talk with Megan and try to develop a plan?"
"Sounds good." Matt agreed. "Friday seems to be Mom and Pop's favorite day to come to the nursery so we can include them." Matt went to the sink, rinsed his bowl and spoon, and placed them in the dishwasher.
"I'm going to do some laundry today; got anything you want washed?" Leo asked as he rinsed his bowl and spoon as Matt had before placing them in the washer. He looked up to see Matt inspecting the jeans he was wearing.
"I think the forecast calls for upper seventies today so I think I'll switch to shorts and you can have these." He turned and walked to the bedroom with Leo right behind him. Leo smiled as he watched Matt's hips move so seductively in his jeans. This was the first he'd felt a real, erotic attraction to Matt's backside.
Leo watched Matt unbutton his jeans and sit on the edge of the bed to pull them off. He was caught off guard when Matt tossed his jeans and they landed on Leo's head, covering his face. Leo instantly felt Matt's body heat that was trapped in the jeans. Also, Matt's scent was everywhere. Leo slowly pulled the jeans from his head as he heard Matt laughing.
"Sorry, I thought you were ready." Matt laughed.
"Yeah, you surprised me." Leo laughed. He really wanted to crawl back in bed with his partner but thought better of it. Now was not the time to start something they both wouldn't want to stop. "I'll wash the sheets while I'm at it."
"Thanks, they need it. And that reminds me... we ought to go buy some extras. My current supply wasn't based on the kind of action they've been seeing lately." Matt added a chuckle to the wide grin on his face.
"You're right, my old sheets sure won't fit this bed. Maybe we could sew them together."
"Can you sew?" Matt chuckled, sounding surprised. He was buttoning his tan shorts and pulling the zipper up.
"No, we'd better go shopping for new sheets." Leo smiled as he stepped up and wrapped Matt in an embrace, Matt's jeans still draped over his shoulder. Although they weren't about to hop back in bed, they could still enjoy the closeness.
Following a goodbye kiss, Matt left for the nursery and Leo started the washer filling with water then went to the bedroom to strip the bed and gather more dirty clothes. The sheets went into the washer first and Leo turned his attention to making the bed with clean sheets. Then he went about he house straightening things up. He even ran the vacuum cleaner down the middle to pick up a few dust bunnies he'd seen in the past few days. There was something about doing all those domestic chores that made him feel useful. He'd never had such feelings before, like he was doing something nice for the person he loved.
The washer bussed, indicating the sheets was done, so Leo placed them in the dryer and began another load of washing with Matt's jeans and other dark clothes.
Sitting at the table, Leo flipped open his phone and hit the speed dial number for Randy. After five rings the call went to voice mail. "Randy, Leo. Call me when you get a chance; we need to talk. I'll be in and out of the house but I'll have my cell phone with me. Bye." Closing his flip phone, Leo felt both disappointed and relieved. Disappointed because he'd been looking forward to that call, hoping Randy would have some suggestions for his professional future. Relieved because he didn't really want to face the decisions he dreaded he might have to make. His transition to a new lifestyle was progressing nicely and he looked forward to a happy future.
I'd better to go to the store and get what I need for dinner,' he thought, so I can get something for lunch at the same time.' It was now almost 10:30. Taking the list his sister had given him, Leo walked to the small grocery story about a block and a half away. He was leaning over the meat cooler looking for the right sized package of chicken breasts when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Leo snapped straight up and spun around, surprised by the touch.
"OH!" Leo exclaimed. "Mike!" Mike Sanchez was looking back at him and Leo's memory flashed back to when they met at Dave's house.
"I'm sorry, Leo, I didn't' mean to startle you." Mike said very sincerely. "I should have said something first."
"No, that's okay, it's just that I wasn't expecting to see anyone I know! I forgot you lived in the neighborhood." Leo was beginning to recover quite rapidly. "I'm gonna fix dinner for Matt tonight and was looking for some chicken. You're not working today?" Leo quickly realized that normally he would expect Mike to be at work.
"Well, Trace has come down with some kind of bug so I took him to see the doctor this morning. And because he's home, I need to make something to feed him for lunch. By the way, why don't you come over for lunch? I'm going to make plenty of chicken soup."
"Uh..." Leo pondered Mike's offer. He had already called his agent Randy, and the laundry should be finished soon. Tonight's dinner was the only item remaining so he saw a big opening in his schedule that he could work around. "Yeah, sure. I can do that, what time?"
"Let me call you after I check on Trace and get lunch ready?"
"Great, I still have a few things to do. I'll be waiting for your call." Leo smiled with some newfound excitement.
The sheets were dry and the load of washing was finished when Leo got home. He replaced the sheets with the wet clothes, then folded the sheets and put them away.
Soon the dryer buzzed indicating the other clothes were dry. He folded them and then sat down to go over Megan's recipe. That didn't take long so he reheated a cup of coffee in the microwave and sat back down to ponder his visit with Mike.
`It'll be interesting to see how two guys decorate their house. Will it be really masculine or frilly feminine? Come to think of it, Dave's house is decorated with more of an eclectic look, a nice mix of many styles. It definitely had a look and feel of a man living there.' Leo looked around the kitchen and front room trying to assess Matt's decorating style. His immediate reaction was, there was ample opportunity for them to create something... if Matt was interested.
I certainly don't have any talent in that direction. Oh well... Now... Ive been given an opportunity to ask Mike about Matt and some of the things he's said, like his "levels of a relationship." I think Mike will know about that. And do I dare ask about anal sex? Maybe he'll laugh at me. I'm sure that because Matt has introduced us as being partners that everyone automatically assumes that we've done it. This could get embarrassing. But I'm sure we're getting close to doing it; it's all up to me. And I'd sure feel more confident if I could talk with someone about it first... and I don't mean Matt. So if I can cover just those two issues, I'll be on solid ground when we finally get around to doing "IT".'
Leo's phone rang. It was Mike calling to say lunch was ready and Leo should come over.
"How's Trace?" Leo asked as he stepped through the door and into Mike's living room.
"He's going to be fine; he's got a bad cold but thankfully it's not the flu."
"Nice place, Mike." Leo looked around and noticed how well furnished and neat the house looked. `Mike and Todd may have copied some of Dave's ideas and added a few of their own. They seemed to have a few more nick-knacks placed around the room.'
"Thanks, we like it." Mike replied almost dismissively. He wasn't one who liked to brag about his house and he got right to the point. "I want to congratulate you on catching Matt. We've all been hoping he'd find someone soon and we all think you two make a great-looking couple. So you've only known each other a short time?" Mike was definitely going for the details right off the bat.
"Well, actually, we met several years ago, when Matt was fourteen and he worked part-time at the nursery." Leo began opening up to Mike very quickly. Leo's normally introverted personality might have interfered with forming a friendship with Mike so quickly if not for their meeting at Dave's house. Leo went on to explain his and Matt's earlier meeting and the circumstances surrounding their getting together.
"You do realize you've made a few guys mad, don't you?"
"Oh?" Leo asked. "I had no idea. How did I do that?" Leo sounded so innocent.
"Oh... I know a few guys who aren't at all happy to see Matt taken off the market."
"Ha-ha, you're kidding."
"No, really! Tall guys like Matt are hard to find and you caught one of the most eligible and biggest." Mike immediately considered the double suggestion he'd just made. "With Kyle hooking up with a guy several months ago, two of the hottest guys are now taken."
"Well, I'm glad I found him." Leo passed on commenting about Kyle; he hardly knew him.
"Those of us who really know Matt also know he's partial to short guys so we're not surprised."
"You sound like you know him pretty well. How long?"
"Well, I guess..." Mike paused for a second while he quickly reviewed his memory bank. "I suppose you could say I've known Matt since he was born. I wasn't there, of course, but Dave and I were Army roommates at the time and I remember how upset he was that he wasn't able to be there when Mark and Matt were born. However, I got to see the boys when they came to visit because Dave made sure to invite me. And then they all moved back here and I got to see them at Dave's house rather often. So yeah, I've known Matt for a long time."
Leo pondered how he might get Mike to divulge more details about Matt's character without sounding too inquisitive.
"I've really known Matt for only a few weeks and I have to say he's very impressive. I mean, he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met."
"That's Matt, all right." Mike stood up. "The soup should be ready so let's move into the kitchen and I'll call Trace." Leo stood and followed Mike to the kitchen.
Trace came out of the bedroom long enough to eat. Mike told him not to shake hands with Leo because of his illness but they chatted pleasantly. Mike explained how Trace came to him and Todd as a foster child when he was thirteen and they had adopted him. Then Trace went right back to bed after downing one bowl of chicken soup.
There was a lull in the conversation while Mike cleared the table and placed the dishes in the dishwasher. Leo's confidence level was growing and he felt comfortable asking Mike the questions he thought of earlier.
"Mike..." Leo paused to make sure he had the question framed properly. Ignoring his self-doubts, he pressed on. "Matt talks about levels of sex, or levels of a relationship. I'm not sure just what he means. Have you heard of it?"
"Ah yes." Mike exclaimed. "The old `levels of a relationship' concept. I remember it well. Let's take our coffee into the living room and get more comfortable." He was smiling as he remembered how that topic came about.
"We were sitting around Dave's hot tub," Mike began, "right after Matt and Kyle's initiations."
"Initiations?"
"Oops! I wasn't supposed to say that."
"Say what, about the levels of a relationship or Matt and Kyle's initiation?" Leo was grinning with the thought he'd caught Mike in a slip-up.
"Yeah, you're kinda like not supposed to know about that." Mike thought for a second. "Oh well, you'll probably find out pretty soon but you have to promise me not to tell anyone you know about it." Mike was grinning, probably at the excitement of sharing a secret.
"Okay, I promise. Now what's it all about?"
"There's a tradition at Dave's house involving the hot tub. Actually, there're two traditions. One is that the pool area is normally a clothes-free zone; that means when it's just the Platoon, we're all clothes-free. If anyone else is there, like Dave's nephews or other family members, bathing suits are mandatory."
"And the other tradition is?" Leo asked.
"The other tradition is that on very special occasions a guy can be invited to become a Platoon member. To do that, he has to get initiated. Very few have actually been invited. The original platoon members were Dave, Dan, me and Todd."
"So," Leo interrupted, "that means Tony, and Berk got initiated?" Leo smiled at the thought even though he didn't know what the initiation rite was.
"Right." Mike was impressed with Leo's quick analysis of the remaining partners.
"And I think you're about to tell me what that entails, right?" Leo was grinning with anticipation. He knew he was pushing but Mike wasn't offering any resistance.
"Uh..." Mike thought for a moment about the best way to explain the ceremony. "Usually..." He still couldn't figure out the correct way to say it. "Okay, all the members get into the hot tub and the inductee sits next to the member who invited him. That member then proceeds to – under the water – take hold of the inductee and jack him off." Mike quickly continued with an example.
"So, when you get inducted into the Platoon we'd all get in the hot tub." Mike's description made Leo's initiation sound like was a done deal and it hade Leo excited. "You'll sit next to Matt and he'll jerk you off." Mike grinned. "As I said, it all happens under water so nobody can see anything but everyone knows what's going on and we watch everyone's faces to see if we can tell when the initiation ceremony is complete." Mike smiled as he paused for a reaction.
Leo stared at Mike with an embarrassed grin. He'd never imagined anything like that happening and he struggled to gain some perspective on the idea. The thought of doing such a thing with a group of guys was both embarrassing and exciting. And before he could say anything, Mike continued.
"But you won't be alone, everyone else in the hot tub will be doing the same thing. It's all in good clean fun; so whadda ya think?"
"Let me see if I got this straight. Matt's now a member of the Platoon and I can expect that he's gonna propose I be invited to join."
"Absolutely right."
"That means he and I will get into the hot tub along with you and Todd, Dave and Tony, and Dan and Berk, and Matt's gonna jack me off... and the rest of you will be doing it too?"
"Right."
"So who initiated Matt and Kyle?"
"Uh, I think Tony initiated Matt. I know Dave said he didn't want to do it because Matt is his nephew and that bothered him. But Tony considered it an honor." Mike grinned. "And I volunteered to initiate Kyle."
"And do the rules permit me to reinitiate Matt?" Leo was now grinning at the prospects. He was even surprised at his own reaction to Mike's explanation.
"Oh, yes, you can reinitiate Matt if you like. Now then, you can't ever tell anyone I told you all this... promise?"
"Promise! I'm looking forward to it. Ya know..." Leo paused then continued." I've never been in a situation where it was okay to stare at other naked men. I will be able to do that, won't I?"
"That's approved. And ya gotta accept getting' stared at, too. And I don't want you to be disappointed with us old men; we don't throw wood as easily we used to."
"Hey, I'm going to be more concerned with my own embarrassment without worrying about what anyone else is doing, ha-ha." Leo chuckled.
"Okay now, any more questions before I move on to the `levels of a relationship' thing?"
"Ready, no questions."
"So, I'm guessing you're familiar with the baseball analogy of scoring on a date... traditionally with a girl." Leo nodded. Mike knew a few variations but proceeded with the one he thought most common. "Kissing is first base, feeling her tits is second base, getting a finger in her pussy is third base and getting laid is home plate for the score. I'm not sure where giving head fits into that scenario, perhaps at short stop." Mike watched Leo nod acknowledgement as he explained the action. Leo had also heard some variations but he saw no need to quibble over insignificant differences.
"Well, as we sat around the hot tub, Matt suggested the baseball analogy was too one sided; it focused too much attention on one person being the aggressor and the other being nothing but a sex object. He wanted to believe a relationship, however casual or formal, should be more than that and after talking about it, we all agreed. Then Todd asked if Matt had a better idea. We all bounced that around for a while and came up with the following alternative system. Although this primarily applies to gay men, I suppose it might be modified to apply to any relationship." Mike paused in case Leo wanted to comment. He didn't so Mike continued.
"Okay, here goes. And for simplicity I'm gonna use graphic language, is that okay?"
"Sure, why not, I'm a big boy." Leo smiled to indicate his interest.
"Starting with Level 1, one guy kisses the other and Level 2, the other guy kisses back. Level 3, one guy feels the other guy up and Level 4, the other guy returns the favor. Level 5, one guy jerks off the other and Level 6, the other guy again returns the favor. Level 7, the first guy sucks off the second guy and Level 8, the second guy sucks off the first. Level 9..." Mike paused as if adding emphasis. "Level 9, one of you makes love anally to the other and Level 10, you reverse roles." Mike paused again, thinking Leo looked like he wanted to comment.
"Well, I can see how that would be more balanced. It's more of an equal relationship, or a partnership, rather than one person being nothing but a sex object." Leo looked down at the floor and thought, `Just as I figured, that puts Matt and me at the threshold of Level 9. So, do I ask Mike about the details of that, and if so how?' He looked up to see Mike watching him.
"Let me fix you some more coffee." Mike stated as he rose from his chair. He held out his hand to take Leo's mug. He had a sense that a break in the conversation was needed at that moment. "Or I have iced tea, if that would be better."
"Yes, iced tea would be good, thank you. Can you point me toward the bathroom, please?" Leo felt that escaping to the bathroom would give him a couple of minutes to think.
"Down the hall, first door on the left." Mike went into the kitchen while Leo walked toward where Mike pointed.
Mike had a strange feeling as he began pouring the tea into the glasses. His impression of last week was confirmed; he really liked Leo, and not necessarily in a sexual way. Oh, he was attractive, all right, but how had Dave put it? Adorable. Yes, he was adorable. But Mike also felt some greater connection. He and Leo seemed to click then they first met at Dave's house. He had a feeling something was bothering Leo and hoped he could get him to open up.
(To be continued.)