The Bandini Affair 31
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 30
"I never considered a time when I wouldn't be working at the nursery but my stroke changed all that. It forced me to take time to think about a lot of stuff. Ben," he looked at his son. "You have a professional career and London is too far away to be involved. Meg," Pop looked at his daughter. "You've always shied away from working more than part-time so you'd have plenty of time for your family." Pop paused briefly then added, "And I support your decision completely." Pop then looked at Leo and paused.
"So, Leo..." he paused again. "Are you and Matt the least bit interested in running the family business?"
Chapter 31
Leo hadn't seen that coming. He was visibly taken aback. His mouth opened but no sound came out. He felt Matt's hand on top of his forearm and turned to see Matt looking at him.
"Uh..." Matt began as he turned and looked at Pop. "My gut tells me to say yes..." He looked back at Leo. "But there's no way I could commit to that without first discussing it with Leo." The possibility of Mom and Pop quitting the business had, in fact, crossed his mind. But being the quiet, private person he was, he'd kept his thoughts to himself.
"Yes," Leo found his voice. "Do you need an answer right now or do we have time to put our heads together?"
"Take you time, a few days," Pop smiled. "Because if you decide running the business isn't for you, then there'll be no need to bother with Matt's proposals for surviving this recession. See what I mean?"
Agreement was unanimous. Without much further discussion, the family meeting adjourned. They were going to reassemble at 7:00 PM for dinner at a favorite Chinese restaurant. Ben called ahead to alert the manager of the large group that would be descending on him.
Matt felt a little overwhelmed. Now he understood why he'd been invited to participate. Pop's offer to run the business was like a formal acknowledgement that he was now considered a member of the family. He had always been treated with respect but Mom and Pop were taking it to a new level. Acceptance is such an important aspect of any relationship and Matt felt he'd reached the pinnacle. He could hear his heart pounding.
Leo unlocked the front door and Matt followed him into the house. They quietly hung up their coats and stood in the kitchen like they weren't sure what to do. They had successfully avoided any discussion of Pop's offer all through dinner and the drive home, each lost in his own thoughts. Now they were secure in their home and it was time to talk.
"I'm going to fix some hot chocolate... want some?" Leo reached into the cabinet and retrieved a couple of mugs.
"Sounds good," Matt replied as got a couple of spoons from the drawer and found the container of instant chocolate mix. "While you're doing that, I'll go the bathroom." The microwave was still running when he walked back into the kitchen.
"If you'll watch that (the microwave), I need to use the bathroom, too." Leo said. When he returned to the kitchen, Matt was sitting at the table stirring both mugs of steaming, hot chocolate.
Leo sat down across from Matt, who slid a mug in his direction. They took a few sips in silence as their eyes smiled at each other over the tops of their mugs.
"Thanks!" Leo began and took another sip.
"I'm not as good a cook as you but it's hard to screw up hot chocolate." Matt chuckled.
"Well... yes, but I was talking about how you answered Pop's question. I love you for that." By now, Leo had set his mug on the table and his eyes were focused directly on Matt's. "And I love the way you always seem to think of me before making any decisions.
"We have to communicate, Leo. Because if we don't, we'll be in trouble."
"You're absolutely right. I've been through that with Marsha and it wasn't pretty. Now, you said your gut told you to say ÔYes' when Pop asked if we might want to run the business. Well, now that I'm over the shock of the question, I feel the same as you."
"Look..." Matt began then paused. "I know... or I think I know that you really love writing as much as I love the nursery business... and some day you may want to go back to that. So... I don't want to do anything that would keep you from doing that. And you're a really good writer, too."
Leo took another sip of hot chocolate as he thought about Matt's comments. Over the past weeks he'd devoted a lot of thought to his professional career and was ready to reply to Matt's comments.
"Look..." Leo was already picking up some of Matt's speech habits. "I... yes, I love writing; it's what I was meant to do. And I also love working with you at the nursery. Since coming back home and getting involved with the business, it's brought back a lot of good memories. It's fun." Leo sat with his mouth open slightly, like he was on the verge of another profound statement. "And my gut tells me the same yours told you..." Another pause. "I'll only do it if I can do it with you."
"Do what with me?" Matt asked with a suggestive grin.
"Now get serious," Leo admonished as he grinned.
"Okay," Matt replied as his smirk turned into a loving smile. "I'm serious. I really meant what I said. But like you, I'll only do it if you agree to do it with me." They sat looking at each other for several seconds; their mugs were now empty. Then Matt decided this was the proper time for the other question he'd been thinking about. "Come with me." He said as he stood up and let the back of his legs push the chair back. He extended his hand toward Leo, who grasped it and stood up.
Matt led them into the front room, sat down on the couch and guided Leo onto his lap facing him, knees on either side of his hips. Once Leo was comfortably settled, they began with a long Ôhello' kiss, one with just enough passion to say ÔI'm with you.' With one arm over Matt's shoulder and the other around Matt's back, Leo could feel Matt's chest expand and contract as they continued their kiss. Now they were communicating physically.
"So... we're going to say Ôyes' to Pop's offer?" Matt asked. He could see the smile in Leo's eyes.
"Yes... I'm ready if you are." Leo replied; Matt's eyes smiled back at him and he sensed a pregnant pause.
"And... will you say Ôyes' if... if I ask you to marry me?" Matt got his answer in the form of a long, more passionate kiss.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Lew finally exclaimed at the end of the kiss.
"Well, I've been thinking... first I gotta say I love you. And I think it'd be kinda nice for us to be married if we're gonna to keep the business in the family." He paused then continued. "I don't mean Ômarried' married because the most we can do is be joined in a civil union, like Dave and Tony..."
"Yes!" Leo interrupted. "I know. Oh Matt! I love you too. And the thought of being with you forever is almost too much to hope for. I've been avoiding even thinking about marriage because of my last experience. But... this time it feels so right." Leo was prevented from saying anything more because Matt's tongue was in his mouth.
Lovemaking that night was especially sweet, tender, rewarding and satisfying. Development of Leo's libido had made significant strides and Matt welcomed the challenge.
Monday morning they happily opened the nursery and went to work with renewed interest. Just after 9:00 PM, Leo called Pop and told him of his and Matt's agreement on taking over the business. He didn't, however, mention anything about their decision to get married. They'd agreed to work out the details before they told everyone.
Monday evening, Leo and Matt had dinner at Applebee's. Leo was the first to bring up the topic living together permanently, setting up a household.
"Look... I think it's time I started contributing to household expenses. Like, I can pay half the mortgage." Leo really wanted to share the financial responsibilities of partnership. "If I were living anywhere else I'd have to pay rent so I might as well help with that."
"Well, it's like this..." Matt began. "There is no mortgage."
"What?" Leo was clearly surprised. "Nobody doesn't have a mortgage!" He exclaimed.
"He-he, Yeah, well..." Matt chuckled. "When each of us kids were born, Mother and Dad set up trust funds for us. The idea was for us to use that money for college. Um... but I never went to college. Instead, I got an associates degree from Junior College. And living with Dave and Tony helped hold down expenses and I worked at the nursery part time. So when I decided to buy this house, I was able to use some money from the trust fund." Matt paused for a moment. You know, it's utterly amazing how little it costs to live when you're not making mortgage or rent payments."
"Wow! I guess so!" Leo exclaimed. "Okay, so that leaves utilities, umm... taxes, umm... insurance, umm... I can help with those."
"Okay, that won't break the bank." Matt chuckled.
"Now, full disclosure, I got a large settlement from Marsha's dad but I haven't done anything with it. It's just sitting in a money market account. Hmm," Leo thought for a moment. "I really need to think about investing that." At this point he hesitated about disclosing the size of his settlement; he didn't want to sound like he was bragging. And just as quickly he reached his decision. "We settled for $1.5 mil but after legal fees and a few other expenses there's just over $1 million left." He paused for a few seconds. "And I have about $7,000 of credit card debt, which I really should pay off." Leo paused and looked at Matt, who picked up his side of the conversation. Would he disclose how much was in his trust?
"My truck is clear, no loan payments." Matt hesitated for a second to consider telling Leo how much was in his trust account. Leo had been honest and so should he. "And the trust is worth almost $900,000.
"Hmm..." Leo mused. "I own my car outright, no loan payments."
"Other than that, no debt." Matt added. That got Leo's attention. "Well, there's probably a couple hundred on this month's credit card bill but I always pay it off each month."
"Wait!" Leo exclaimed. "You're 26 years old and you're and telling me you don't have any debts?! You're essentially debt free? I don't think I know anybody who doesn't owe something. How did that happen?"
"Ha-ha," Matt laughed as he tilted his head back. "Dave said I'd get that kind of reaction. Ya see, when I lived with him and Tony, they put me on to a guy named Dave Ramsey. He has a radio show and has written books about what people need to do to get out of debt. After listening to him for a few months, and with Dave and Tony's help, I learned how to do a simple budget and do some snowballing. And before I knew it I was out of debt. And I don't ever want to go back to where I was.
"Snowballing? What's that?" Lew asked.
"You start by paying off your smallest dept first, then attack the next larger one, and so on. I didn't have a lot of debts so it didn't take long to get free. And as I said, it's amazing how little it costs to live when you don't have any debts."
"Hmm, I guess so. I'd have to say we're in great financial shape. And thinking ahead to what needs to be done to save the nursery, I'm willing to take a hefty cut in salary."
"So can I. My plan is to ask for enough to cover expenses until we get through this recession and then evaluate what I might be worth. I don't really want to dip into that trust fund if I can avoid it."
"Yeah, I understand." Leo added. "Any ideas about how to divide up our household expenses?"
"A few other couples I know have a system they like. They set up a separate joint checking account and both contribute an equal amount each month. Then they pay for household stuff from that account. That lets them keep their personal finances separate.'
"Yeah, I can see some benefits to that." Leo replied. "Now tell me more about that Ôsnowballing' thing; it sounds interesting."
Matt continued to explain more specifics of Ôsnowballing' as they got up and left the restaurant. Leo quickly began mapping out a plan and decided to get started tomorrow.
As Christmas approached, Leo and Matt concentrated on two primary objectives. Tuesday, they sat down with Pop to discuss Matt's idea for economizing to save the company.
Tuesday evening they reached agreement on when to announce their plans to get married. Wednesday morning, Matt called Father Tim and asked if he was available to meet with him and Leo after work. Tim agreed and had an instinct that told him he was about to join two more men in wedded bliss. They had a quick meeting and selected next Sunday afternoon, December 27, at 1:30 PM, as the date and time for the ceremony. They chose that day and time because Leo wanted to have the ceremony before his brother had to fly back to London. Then later they could go to dinner at Dave and Tony's. Everything seemed simple. Each would personally invite family and a few friends and not worry about any of the formalities normally associated with weddings.
Christmas morning the entire Carlsen family was gathered at Mom and Pop's for the family gift exchange. It was the perfect opportunity for Leo and Matt to announce their plans and invite everyone to their commitment ceremony. Later that afternoon, they were at Matt's parents' house for dinner and, again, the entire Close family was there when Matt and Leo made their announcement. Even his twin brother Mark and his family had flown in for Christmas with plans to stay through Wednesday so they, too, would be able to attend.
Matt had been able to do something his Uncle Dave had not Ð he was able to set up his wedding with such short notice that his mother, Kate, wouldn't have time to take over.
Saturday, Leo and Matt first called Dave and Tony to tell them the news and invite them to the ceremony. Since Dave was planning dinner for the Platoon, he offered to host a reception immediately following the ceremony. He knew Georgia (his housekeeper) would love any excuse to bake a cake for the occasion. They then called the rest of their friends and invited them. Kyle and Logan were both shocked and excited. Considering how slowly their own relationship had developed they were surprised as how quickly Matt and Leo had moved to the point of getting married. It gave them something to think about.
Saturday afternoon they went to a jewelry story in the mall and purchased matching rings.
When they awoke Sunday morning, Matt could tell that Leo was nervous. He was well aware of Leo's shyness and feelings of insecurity and was a little concerned about how well his lover would deal with the very public events that lay before them. Throughout the day Matt made a point of placing a hand on his lover's shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze or pulling him into a quick hug. It seemed to help and Leo always gave him a warm smile in return.
The commitment ceremony was a great success. Matt could tell that Leo was a bundle of nerves but so far he was doing okay. Leo and Matt had composed their own vows and exchanged rings. Their only surprise was seeing all the Bandini employees in the church. Leo's sister deserved the credit for that.
Megan had been observing her brother closely ever since she caught him and Matt kissing in the storage shed. And she was pleased at how well he had progressed. Leo now seemed more relaxed, more confident and happier than she could ever remember. And now, sitting in the church watching him say his vows with Matt gave her a warm feeling of comfort.
The reception at Dave and Tony's was well attended. Leo and Matt had specifically requested no gifts and nobody brought any. They felt the greatest gift they received was having family and close friends around them for their wonderful day. Leo and Matt's parents provided campaign and other adult beverages. Before Pop left, he caught the newlyweds in private and told them he didn't want to see their faces at the nursery Monday.
Guests began leaving at 4:30 PM and by 5:15 the only people left were Matt, Leo, and the members of Dave's Platoon: Mike and Todd, and Dan and Berk, and Kyle. Logan was automatically included as Kyle's guest, making a total of five couples. Dinner was served at 6:30 and the men sat round the table tossing humorous, friendly jabs at the two newly-weds. And because Champaign and wine was served with the meal, everyone was invited to spend the night. As was traditional at Dave and Tony's gatherings, the men soon found themselves dancing to romantic music, a perfect setup. Holding his partner close to him, Matt could feel that Leo was still nervous but the high level of tension noted earlier had subsided considerably.
After about thirty-five minutes, Dave nodded to Mike. Mike whispered something in Todd's ear and the two of them quietly slipped out of the room. A few minutes later, after having removed the cover on the hot tub, they slipped back into the room and acted like they were dancing again. Five minutes later Tony stopped the music in the middle of the song, which got everyone's attention.
"Okay everyone," Tony announced loudly. "Out of your clothes and into the hot tub!" Leo and Logan were the only ones who were caught by surprise. Matt quickly realized what was about to happen and smiled. Leo was a little surprised and confused until he saw Mike give him a wink. He winked back as he remembered what Mike had told him that afternoon he spent at Mike's house. Kyle and Matt exchanged knowing grins, and Logan appeared confused but smiled anyway.
Holding onto his new spouse, Matt rested his hand on Leo's shoulder as they walked through the house toward the pool shower/changing-room and was rather surprised that Leo's tension level didn't seem to be getting any worse. They held hands as they stepped through the changing-room door and hurried naked toward the hot tub as thick steam rose into the cool night air.
While the hot tub could seat eight men comfortably, ten men was a squeeze but they all managed to get in. Tony had turned on the outdoor speakers so the romantic music they'd been dancing to could be heard. The atmosphere was definitely exciting and intimate.
"So Leo, how does it feel to be married?" Mike asked to start conversation.
"It's wonderful." Leo replied with an embarrassed grin. That's when he felt Matt's hand slip into his crotch and encircle his rapidly stiffening prick. ÔHe's not wasting any time,' Leo thought. "I've finally found the man I'm supposed to be with." Leo said proudly.
Leo reached over and wrapped his fingers around Matt's cock. It was a familiar grip and when Matt looked at Leo, he saw a big grin. He hadn't expected that. He suspected Leo might be a little too nervous and hesitant to reciprocate. But here his partner was, looking confident and aroused. He quickly leaned in and joined his lover in a lingering kiss.
"Yea-a-a-a-a!" Everyone cheered but there was no applause; hands were occupied in other endeavors and never broke the surface of the water.
Leo observed how quiet everyone became. He felt excited to participate in an underwater circle jerk with a group of trusted friends. Upon looking around the hot tub he observed Kyle and Logan sitting directly across from him; Logan had a surprised look on his face. The kid was the youngest of the group and might be feeling a little intimidated or embarrassed at the moment.
"Watch Logan," Matt whispered in Leo's ear. Leo looked at his spouse and smiled as he continued jacking Matt's large tool. Everyone was quietly concentrating on the task at hand... or Ôtask-in-hand.' Leo continued looking around the hot tub, watching for any changes is facial expressions.
"Oh-h-h-h..." Logan moaned. Leo watched Logan close his eyes and open his mouth. He could see that everyone else was watching Logan then all eyes turned toward him. This was exciting and he was getting close. ÔAm I next?' he wondered. Well yes, he was.
Matt could feel his partner begin to tense up and start breathing faster. He could actually feel the semen surge through the Leo's urethra along the underside of his prick. As Leo moaned, Matt leaned over and covered his mouth with his own. He also slipped his tongue into his lover's mouth believing it would intensify Leo's pleasure.
As Leo came down from his high, he heard another "Oh-h-h-h." He didn't bother to look to see who it was; he was more interested in returning Matt's kiss. He now began a more serious effort to bring his lover to climax.
As far as Leo and Matt were concerned, they were the only two people in the hot tub. They held each other firmly and continued kissing until finally Matt succumbed to the loving pleasure of his partner's hand. A very short time later, all ten men sat looking around the hot tub at each other. Dan was the first to extend his hand toward Leo.
"Welcome, Leo." Leo shook Dan's hand. "And you, too, Logan." Logan shook Dan's hand also. "You've just been inducted to Dave's Platoon." Then all the others offered their hands to the two inductees. Leo had a lot of things going through his mind like, only moments earlier the hands he just shook had been administering pleasure to someone else's cock. Also, they were now sitting around with the hot cum of ten guys circulating around his body. (Actually it was cum from only nine guys because Logan had been so surprised he didn't know he was supposed to jack Kyle off.) Leo needed only a few seconds to rationalize that the whole scene was both exciting and erotic.
"Okay guys," Dave began, "It's time we got out of this tub before our tools shrink up. Let's let the two inductee couples go first and the rest will follow when they've rinsed off in the shower." Matt knew the routine and led the way to shower room. He and Leo stood under one showerhead to rinse off while Kyle and Logan stood under the other one. Leo found it exciting to be showering with two other men he knew but had never actually seen naked. He tried not to stare but couldn't help noticing that Kyle still had an impressive hardon.
"Next..." Matt announced through the door toward the hot tub. "C'mon," he said as he handed Leo a towel. "We can take a real shower upstairs." He was referring to the upstairs master suite the Dave had assigned him and Leo for the night. With the towels tossed over their shoulders, Matt led Leo by the hand through the house, up the stairs, and into the master bath shower. Kyle was right behind them leading Logan by the hand to the bedroom Dave had assigned them. Kyle had spent several nights in the house with Matt when they were in high school and knew his way around.
Weddings are typically filled with joy and happiness... and stress. The newlyweds were exhausted. That, combined with unloading their family jewels less than thirty minutes earlier was enough to wipe them out. That meant there was much less pressure to observe the traditional marital Ôconsummation' on the wedding night. Consequently, the couple enjoyed a relaxing shower, went to bed and quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.
Leo awoke just after 5:00 AM for a bathroom call. His movement getting in and out of bed must have awakened Matt because as soon as Leo crawled backed into bed, Matt made a trip to the bathroom. Leo felt the bed move when Matt returned and soon felt a long, hot, stiff shaft of male flesh press into the crevice between his ass cheeks as Matt's arm wrapped around his chest and pulled them tightly together.
ÔHmm,' Leo thought after waiting several seconds to see if Matt was going to make a move. ÔOkay, it's up to me.' And he knew what he wanted. He'd thought a lot about sex and what he liked most. Although he loved having sex with Matt, any kind of sex, his favorite was taking Matt's succulent member in his mouth and down his throat. He had a number of reasons. One, he loved the way Matt tasted. Next, he loved the silky smoothness his tongue felt as it patiently licked and swirled around Matt's head. Then he loved feeling that head slip into his throat. He'd hold it there and feel Matt's pulse. And eventually he loved the feeling he got when Matt came. The sounds Matt made when he came were very rewarding; it was Matt's way of telling Leo how much pleasure he felt and it was always intense. Sometimes Leo would take Matt's sperm directly into his throat but he liked it best when it flooded his oral cavity. At the last moment, he liked to place his tongue at Matt's tip so he could feel the seminal fluid gush past his tongue to make its escape. And then the flavor of Matt's semen was exquisite, as was the aroma that flooded Leo's nostrils. That's what he wanted to experience at this moment.
Wasting no time, Leo slipped under the covers, wrapped his hand around Matt's long member and guided it between his lips. He experienced the things he loved: the taste, the smooth texture, and the smell. He slowly slurped his way down Matt's shaft until he felt it press against the entrance to his throat. Leo pressed down and felt Matt slowly slip inside. Finally his nose nudged against Matt's nut-sack. The aroma was so exotic and erotic. After a few seconds, Leo could feel Matt's pulse through his dick. It was exciting. He was in no hurry to back off; Leo had learned how to breath through his nose and that allowed him to enjoy Matt that much longer.
Finally Leo pulled back and focused on Matt's glans. After a few trips up and down Matt's meat, Leo felt a large hand on his hip; he paused. Matt was repositioning him. Then a hot, moist mouth engulfed his prick. Even with a large cock in his mouth, Leo managed to smile and resumed pleasuring the instrument in his mouth. Holding Matt's jewels in his hand, Leo detected movement toward Matt's core; he was about to cum. Leo had decided how he was going to do this and he pressed forward until he had completely swallowed Matt's member. Just in time. Matt's hips thrust involuntarily and Leo felt the first volley of cum surge through the shaft. Leo quickly withdrew and savored the remaining volleys in his mouth.
When Matt's orgasm erupted, he ceased action on Leo's dick but he never let it leave his mouth and when he released a series of moans, they were all that was needed to cause Leo to cum.
The two lovers lay quietly, trying to obtain adequate oxygen through their noses but not quite willing to release each other from their mouths. When Leo was satisfied he cleaned every last drop of seminal fluid from his partner's cock, he gently placed it on Matt's abdomen and allowed it to slide from between his lips.
When he felt Matt release him, Leo turned around and their lips found each other. They lay quietly kissing and caressing each other.
"I love you." Matt spoke softly and kissed the tip of Leo's nose.
"I love you, too." Leo replied. And they kissed some more. Leo knew they weren't finished when he felt Matt begin to grow. He knew Matt's favorite position so he began to roll to his left and tug on Matt to follow. In a matter seconds Leo was on his back, his knees pulled to his chest and Matt's tongue at his rear opening. He hadn't expected that last part. As soon as Matt felt Leo was ready, he moved up, aligned the head of his cock with Leo's rosebud and slowly entered his mate.
The lovers were in no hurry and they barely moved for several minutes. They took time to whisper intimate physical and emotional feelings to each other; their mental and spiritual feelings were taking care of themselves. Each man knew he'd found everything he needed in the other.
Both men achieved another massive orgasm before collapsing and falling asleep in each other's arms.
Monday morning Dave was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper when he saw Matt and Leo about to enter the kitchen. He glanced at the wall clock and saw it was almost 10:30 AM.
"Hey, if it isn't the newlyweds!" He put down his paper and stood to greet his guests.
"Afternoon sleepy-heads!" Tony added. He'd just poured for his partner a mug of coffee and set on the table in front of him.
"Were is everybody?" Matt asked, trying to sound innocent but not quite succeeding. He knew he looked embarrassed yet knew he had no reason to.
"Gone hours ago!" Tony exaggerated.
"Have a seat and I'll get you some coffee." Dave said.
"I'm up, let me get it." Tony said as he placed his hand lovingly on Dave's shoulder. "You can have breakfast or... you're not to early for lunch." Tony couldn't seem to resist teasing Matt and Leo.
"I'd love some breakfast." Leo replied and ignored Tony's tease with a smile. A few minutes later he and Matt were shoveling down some cereal and bananas.
"So, do you have any plans for some time off together?" Dave asked. He wasn't trying to pry and he didn't want to call it a Ôhoneymoon' but he had a plan in his mind. He watched Leo and Matt exchange glances.
"Not really," Matt replied. This all came together so quickly we hadn't thought that far ahead."
"May I make a suggestion?" Dave asked and looked at each man.
"Sure Uncle David, er... sorry, Dave." Matt grinned and everyone chuckled. Some habits are hard to break.
"Remember that condo in Fort Lauderdale?" Dave asked.
"The one on the beach?" Matt replied. "Yeah, I remember."
"Tony and I always enjoy going there to get away and we thought you two might like to use it." Tony had been refilling coffee mugs and stopped to lean down and share a kiss with Dave.
"In fact, that's where we spent our honeymoon." Tony added as he refilled his mug and sat the empty decanter in the sink.
"We love to go down there." Dave continued. "We can turn the phones off; we have no interruptions; it's totally quiet; and we're able to relax and reconnect."
"And," Tony added, "you can walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm along the beach and nobody cares. You can even share a kiss if you feel like it."
"Matt," Leo began, "I like that idea. Whadda you think?"
"Or there's Vale," Dave added.
"Too cold!" Matt shuddered with a chuckle. "I'm with Leo; a nice warm beach sounds good right now."
"Okay, just let me know and I'll get it set up." Dave replied.
"Great. We have plans for the rest of the week, including New Year's Eve. After that, we'll take a look and get back to you." Matt explained. Then turning to his partner, "That sound okay with you?"
"Yeah, that's good." Leo agreed. "I think Pop wants to finalize the recession plan and present it to the employees next week. Maybe we could go after that."
"Recession plan?" Tony asked.
Matt and Leo explained how the recession had affected the nursery business and outlined their general plan on how to adjust to it. Without knowing the details, Dave and Tony agreed they were making the right steps.
As Matt and Leo walked toward the door Tony handed them a sack full of the greeting cards everyone had brought to the reception. What a surprise when they got home! Those wedding cards contained cash and checks totaling more than $800.
The rest of the week was devoted to managing the nursery and working with their financial advisor on the final version of the recession plan. Pop selected Tuesday, January 4, as the day to present their plan to the employees.
Meanwhile, Friday evening, Matt and Leo, and Kyle and Logan joined several other gay couples they had become friends with to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. Again, Matt observed how Leo's tension seemed to build the closer they got to social activities. And he seemed to be doing much better; Leo's wasn't completely relaxed but was definitely more at ease. At the beginning of the evening, Leo remained in constant physical contact with his partner. And as the evening wore on he allowed more and more space to creep between him and Matt.
"What are you doing Sunday?" Kyle asked quietly. He and Matt were leaning against the wall side-by-side watching the guests in the room.
"No plans, why?" Matt replied quietly.
"You and Leo want to come watch Logan and me get married?"
"NO-o-o!" Matt exclaimed quietly as he pulled back and gave Kyle a smile of disbelief.
"Yeah." Kyle replied looking slightly embarrassed.
"What brought this on? I thought you said you'd never get married!"
"Well, it's your fault." Kyle chuckled.
"Oh really!" Matt chuckled. "I've got to hear this; it's gonna be really good. So how is it my fault?"
"When I watched you and Leo get married it made me think about my relationship with Logan. He's a really great guy and it's clear he loves me. And when I tried to think of being without him I realized I didn't want to think about it."
"And when did you actually make the decision?" Matt asked.
"Sunday night... We were lying in bed at Dave and Tony's house after inducting Log and Leo into the Platoon. We'd just finished making love and I could only imagine what you and Leo were doing and I... Well, I asked Log what he thought about all that and he said ÔYES.' I mean... I didn't really propose but it wound up that way and I said ÔYes,' too."
"Congratulations, Bud!" Matt wrapped his arms around his longtime friend and they laughed as they hugged. "I think this is something Leo will want to see."
Kyle and Logan were joined in a civil union two days later. Logan and Matt witnessed the event with several of their mutual friends in attendance.
Tuesday morning all the employees of the Bandini Nursery managed to squeeze into the customer area of the main building. Pop opened by acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the meeting and briefly explained the financial stress the company was under. No one was surprised because they could see the decline in business with their own eyes. Then he turned the meeting over to Matt. Although there had been no formal announcement that Mom and Pop were going to retire, no one seemed surprised that Matt rather than to Leo was running the meeting.
"Thanks, Pop." Matt began. "We've agonized over how to go about finding a solution to this problem. I'll tell you right up front that our hearts wanted to reject one option and that was to close the doors and go out of business." He saw a lot of heads nodding in support.
"So we looked around for other options to avoid that one and I'm about to explain what we came up with. I just want to ask that you hold your questions until I'm finished. It isn't complicated so we should be able to get through it pretty quickly." Matt paused.
"Please keep in mind that a key element of our plan is to try to make sure we don't have to let anyone go; we want all of you to keep your jobs." Again he saw heads nodding.
"First we're asking everyone to take a ten percent pay cut until such time as the profits returned to pre-recession levels. And I mean everyone, me included." What Matt wasn't saying was that he and Leo had agreed to a fifty percent pay cut. They could easily survive with small supplements from their other sources of income. This announcement produced a lot of furrowed eyebrows.
"Second, we're going to have to stop all matching contributions to your 401K's." The concerned looks on faces grew even more concerned. "Now, you still have the option of continuing your 401K contributions or you can defer them to offset the pay cut. Or, if you can afford it, take that money and put it in a Roth IRA. We can talk more about that later if you're interested. Again, we plan to resume matching contributions when we return to pre-recession profit levels."
"After all of that bad news, the good news is that you'll continue receiving your current health benefits." The scowls began to fade and were slowly replaced with looks of relief.
"And finally, Pop wants to implement a profit sharing policy. That's still being developed but the goal is to twice a year pass along a portion of the corporation's profit to all of our employees. I hope you can understand that we have to reinvest some of the profit in the business to make sure it continues to grow.
"As I said, our plan isn't complicated. Now I can see by the looks on your faces that you have a lot of questions. The first may be: how and when does this become effective? The answer to that question is in your hands. We all get to choose whether to lay people off or accept a pay cut. We'd like you to take a few days to think about all this and then we'll have another meeting. Does anyone have any questions?" Matt asked.
Leo was impressed by the way Matt conducted the meeting. Self-confidence was one of Matt's strong characteristics that first attracted Leo to him and he felt such pride knowing they were now connected. ÔYes, Matt's the one to run this business.' Leo thought.
The meeting continued for another forty-five minutes until every employee's questions and comments were heard. Judging by the nature of the questions, there seemed to be strong support for the ten percent pay cut proposal but were not yet ready to commit. They all wanted to take the idea home and discuss it with their families before deciding.
"Thank you, Matt, I thought that went well." Pop said after the employees returned to their work. "What did you think, Leo?"
"I guess I'm surprised. I didn't know exactly what to expect but I'd have to say the reaction seemed positive." He placed his hand on Matt's shoulder and smiled. "You did a great job. It's clear that the employees have a lot of respect for you. I predict they'll talk this over and we'll have an answer before the end of the week."
"Well, that would be nice." Matt replied. "Then we could ask Pop for some time off to go to Ft. Lauderdale." He looked at his father-in-law and smiled. All three men knew Matt had found a clever way to ask for time off without really asking.
As Leo had predicted, by the end of the week the Bandini employees had chosen to take a pay cut and everything that went with it. Two employees reluctantly told Matt that they couldn't afford the pay cut and would have to find better paying jobs. Matt accepted their notice and invited them to continue working for Bandini until they found other work. Then he made another offer. Since the two employees were making just as much as some of the others who had accepted the proposal, Matt suspected they might be somewhat weak on managing their incomes. He offered to set them up with a financial planner with the hope that they would find a way to stay on.
Matt was behind the wheel and the passenger compartment had been quiet for some time. He glanced across at Leo who appeared deep in thought as he looked straight ahead. Pop had told them he didn't want to see them for at least a week so Matt called Dave and made arrangements to use the condo. And now they were about ten miles north of Ft. Lauderdale.
"You're pretty quiet," Matt said breaking the silence. They had driven Leo's Camry for better gas mileage and had switched off driving duties during the trip. Matt was driving the last leg because he knew his way to the condo.
"Huh, oh." Leo replied and turned to smile at his partner. "I was just thinking."
"About?"
"Uh, about what I'm going to do to you in about twenty minutes from now." Leo was now grinning at Matt as he reached over and took hold of Matt's right hand, which was resting on the gearshift lever.
"Dare I ask what that might be?" Matt asked, a broad smile taking control of his face.
"You sure you want to know?" Leo chuckled.
"Is it X-rated?" Matt could feel movement in his boxer briefs. They had said absolutely nothing of a sexual nature during the drive but with the condo just minutes away the atmosphere was changing.
"Triple X-rated." Leo squeezed Matt's hand.
"Even better!" Matt chuckled. "So just exactly what do you have planned?"
"First we're gonna get in the shower and get really clean." Leo began.
"Ooo, I love sex in the shower."
"Nope, no sex in the shower." Leo cautioned. "After we dry each other off I'm gonna lay you on the bed and kiss you. I'm gonna kiss your eyes, your nose, your chin, your mouth, your nipples, your belly, and your balls."
"You skipped something." Matt smiled.
"Then I'm gonna do something I've never done before. You've done it to me and now it's my turn." Leo wasn't going to actually say he was going to rim his lover's ass; he decided to let Matt figure that out on his own.
"Hm-m-m, I thing I'm going to like this." Matt added. This was a little like phone sex but in person. He was aroused and a good part was due to Leo expressing a plan to take charge of their lovemaking. That was new.
"And I predict that it won't be long before you're begging me to enter you. And I'm a sucker for beggars... ha-ha-ha." Leo laughed at his little joke. Then he leaned across the armrest and whispered seductively: "Because while I'm inside you I'm gonna take you into my mouth and suck you dry."
Matt was almost shocked by Leo's boldness.
Their first night and the next two days were like a real honeymoon. There was plenty of food in the fridge and they had each other so they didn't leave the condo until after noon the second day. They held hands as they walked along the beach with their feet in the water. Matt's arm was on Leo's shoulder and Leo's arm was around Matt's waist. Occasionally they'd stop and share a brief kiss.
They went out for an early dinner and while walking back to the condo they passed a tattoo shop.
"Hey..." Leo exclaimed. "I want a tattoo."
"Really, what kind?"
"One like yours." Leo responded. And just that quickly, Leo added a tattoo just like Matt's. It measured about an inch and a half by an inch and a half and because Matt's was placed just above the left corner of his pubic bush, Leo had his placed just above the right corner of his pubes. Now when they made love their tattoos would almost be touching. And just like Matt's, it was a red heart with two purple roses behind and a ribbon or banner furled across the front of the heart. Then Leo took it one step further, he had the name "MATT" added to the center of the banner. Not to be out done, Matt had "LEO" added to the banner of his tattoo.
Early the next morning, Leo lay listening to Matt sleep. This time, Matt lay on his left side and Leo spooned behind him. Over the past three days they had enjoyed multiple sessions of lovemaking. They had tried numerous positions, all of which Leo found fulfilling. Yes, they had a lot of uninterrupted sex but there was much more than sex that was going on. There was a form of bonding happening that went far beyond sex. Leo learned to appreciate the deeper meaning of Matt's comment about the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of love and sex.
Of all the positions they'd tried, Leo still liked giving his lover head best. His next most desired position was being on his back and feeling Matt move inside him with controlled physical power. Matt could crush him but Leo never felt threatened.
Matt began to stir. He could feel Leo's erection pressing against his lower back. He rolled onto his back and Leo's lips found his. An hour later they stepped out of the shower, having washed all evidence of sex from their bodies.
"This had been great." Leo began as he finished off his coffee.
"Yeah, Dave and Tony were right." Matt replied. "This has been a wonderful time together. We'll have to do this as often as we can."
Matt got up and refilled their coffee cups. "When do you think we should go home?" He asked.
Leo thought about that question for a few seconds. "I'm ready when you are." As good as their private time together had been, he was interested to know how things were going at the nursery.
"Is tomorrow too early?" Matt asked. He too was interested to know if there were any further developments concerning the recession recovery proposal.
"No... not too early." Leo smiled. Let's spend the day at the beach, go out for a nice dinner, and head home tomorrow.
"Maybe when we get home, you can help me buy some new furniture for our house and do a better job of decorating it." Matt smiled. Now that he had someone to share his house with he wanted it to look like a real home.
Leo Carlsen and Matt Close set off the next morning on the journey of the rest of their lives. Matt became the official manager of the nursery and Leo was his equal assistant. The recession recovery plan worked better than they hoped. A year-and-a-half later the employees pay cuts had been restored and profit sharing checks were about to be distributed.
Leo had stumbled on a part-time job writing for the local gay weekly newspaper and was thoroughly enjoying it. He considered it the perfect world because he could work in his profession without giving up working with Matt. And he also took up martial arts so he and Matt could spend even more time together.
The End