Be True to Yourself

Be True to Yourself By Adam Stewart

Author's note: A gay love story about two guys who knew each other at school and meet later in life. The story charts the problems of having a tyrannical father which makes it difficult for one of them to be true to his sexuality.

Warning: It contains explicit m/m sex.

As Tom made the final touches to the head of hair he'd just cut he noticed a gorgeous young guy enter the shop and sit in the waiting area near to where his chair was situated. Tom had worked for Mario, who owned the men's hairdressing business, for the past four years. He'd joined as a trainee at the age of twenty having completed his two year hairdressing course at college. Mario was thirty five and a lovely guy. Okay, he was married with two young children, a delightful little boy age three and a new baby girl who was now six months old, but he had no hang-ups about employing Tom knowing he was gay. In fact he saw it as an advantage for the business since the shop was situated in the centre of Newcastle which was always teaming with young guys from the two universities, many of whom were gay.

He also employed Becky who was thirty and seemed to have a string of boyfriends but she and Tom got on well and were frequently joking with each other. Tom liked Becky and found he could talk to her about anything including his many boyfriends which seemed to change as frequently as his underwear. Mario's attitude was that if the members of staff were happy then the customers were happy and that meant more profit so everyone was happy.

"Hi, I'll be with you in a moment" Tom said as the guy sat down. He smiled and Tom felt his whole body tingle with excitement as he looked into the guy's gorgeous brown eyes which seemed to sparkle. As he added the finishing touches to the customer sitting in the chair, Tom was conscious of the other guy looking him over. Whenever he glanced to where he was sitting, they smiled at each other. Okay Tom was also a good looking guy and when he was dressed in his black trousers which snugly fitted his rounded butt, guys often admired him before having a look at what was on view at the front. Seeing the guy admiring him made his body react as a gay man's body always does when the hormones get excited and he could feel the tight fitting bulge growing slightly.

Even Becky had noticed the guy as she worked her magic on her customer and grinned at Tom in the mirror before mouthing an erotic kiss as if to say 'look at that sexy guy'.

"Is that okay?" Tom was now asking his customer as he held up the mirror for him to see the back.

"Perfect as usual Tom, thanks"

Having shaved off a few stray hairs off the guy's neck, he removed the black cape, shook it on the floor and gave him a tissue before moving over to the till. When the guy paid him he thanked Tom once again and gave him his usual tip before leaving. Mario let his staff keep any tips they received so Tom dropped it into the pot at his work station and turned to Mr Gorgeous.

"Right, I'm Tom, how are you today?"

The guy gave another of his winning smiles and sat down in the chair.

"I'm fine thanks Tom, I'm Gareth" Tom had found that giving his name frequently encouraged the customer to give theirs which meant he could talk on a more personal level rather than use the impersonal 'sir' which even Mario hated to use unless there was no choice.

"So, what can we do for you today?" Tom asked as he placed the cape round Gareth's shoulders and then let a hand rest there whilst they looked at each other in the mirror. In his mind he was thinking of all kinds of things he'd like to do with Gareth but unfortunately they were not on the menu.

"I'd like to change the style of my hair; I'm fed up with this floppy bit that keeps falling over my eyes"

"Any particular style in mind?" Tom gazed into the gorgeous brown eyes that were looking at him in the mirror and smiled.

"I rather like the way your hair is styled" Gareth replied smiling, "Do you think that would suit me?"

Tom ran his fingers through Gareth's fine dark brown hair to see the length before answering. He loved working with a guy's hair. It gave him so many opportunities to touch a guy without anyone querying what he was doing. He found there was something very erotic about touching a guy's head and running his fingers through or over the hair.

"It would mean cutting it a lot shorter but yes, I think it would suit you"

"Great, let's go for it; my dad will probably kill me but what the hell; I am twenty three for fuck's sake so it's time I made my own decisions."

Tom grinned and looked at Gareth again. So he was only a year younger than him but it seemed his dad ruled the roost. He thought back to his parents who he loved to bits but from the time he was sixteen he told them what he was going to do with his life, including being gay which at the time they were somewhat shocked about but had since accepted and in fact seemed to enjoy having a gay son. His older sister had married and produced the grandchildren so it had let Tom off the hook.

Seeing Tom's expression, Gareth decided he should give further explanation. "I'm a designer and work for my father's design company; you've probably heard of it 'Chambers Product Design Co'.

Tom gasped, yes he'd heard of Chambers. They were a well known company in Newcastle and had been in existence for several years. He also happened to know that Frank Chambers, the owner of the company and therefore Gareth's father, was a big shot on the local Council and here he was about to cut his son's hair.

"Wow" was all Tom could say, "Let's hope he likes what I do".

"Oh don't worry Tom, he won't come round and thrash you but I can guarantee he'll have something to say to me when he sees me."

Tom chuckled and said that it would be best if he first washed the hair since it would make it easier to cut. Gareth nodded knowing that would increase the price but what the hell, he had plenty of money. Tom placed a towel round his neck and gently lowered him over the basin until his head was at the right position to start washing the hair. He noticed the hair flopped forward over Gareth's forehead which he found rather sweet but he could understand why he wanted it cut shorter. It did make him look a bit like a geek and he had the feeling Gareth didn't want that kind of look.

Having thoroughly wet the hair, he poured some shampoo into the palms of his hands and set to work. This was something else he loved doing, washing a guy's hair since it enabled him to massage the scalp with his long fingers which most guys loved having done to them. Some even said it was very erotic and the thought made his bulge grow even more. As he massaged, he glanced down at Gareth's back. It was firm looking and very sexy as his muscles showed through the stretched material of his white shirt. He also noticed the tail of the shirt had slipped out the top of his trousers, which like Tom's were low cut so he could see a band of naked flesh above the waistband of his briefs. He smiled when he saw the red lettering round the waistband. He too had a pair of the same designer white briefs. His mind was in overdrive as he continued massaging, probably far longer than he needed but this guy was certainly pressing all the right buttons for him.

"Mm, that feels nice" Gareth murmured which caused Tom to come out of his dreamy state.

He laughed, "Yeah, lots of guys find it quite erotic". Oh god, why had he said that? The guy's probably straight and will take the comment the wrong way.

"I can see why" Gareth replied making Tom somewhat relieved.

Tom decided it was time to rinse off and get Gareth sitting upright again so once done, he wrapped a towel round his head and gently rubbed the hair dry. Drops of water dribbled down his neck so he quickly touched them with the towel. Even that simple action made his whole body jump with excitement.

As he stood behind Gareth drying him off, Becky was busy sweeping the floor round his chair. When she moved past him he felt her hand brush against his butt. He looked at her and she grinned. She often did this when she could see that Tom was enjoying dealing with a customer and she wasn't surprised he was enjoying this one. The guy was drop dead gorgeous.

"Okay, time to start snipping, so are we quite sure?" Tom asked as the scissors hovered above Gareth's damp hair.

"Yep, go for it"

As Tom worked, Gareth watched the intensity of his expression. He clearly knew his stuff and liked the guy. It also appeared he'd not recognised him so said nothing but one thing was certain, he definitely wanted to meet up with Tom outside of work. The problem was, how did he do so?

"You got a day off work then today?" Tom asked as he cut the long hair bringing it to the length that Gareth wanted.

"Nah, have been to see a client this morning so thought I'd pop in on my way back to the office. Don't get out much so I make the most of it when I do."

"Let's hope your dad doesn't regret letting you out when he sees your new hairstyle"

Gareth laughed, yes he knew he was going to have a battle on his hands since his father was very old fashioned in his ways and certainly didn't approve of gays saying they were a disgrace to society. That was another battle he had ahead of him but for the moment he'd taken the easy option.

"That looks fantastic, thank you so much Tom; its brilliant" Gareth exclaimed once the final cut was complete and he gazed at his new look.

"So you like it then?" Tom giggled as he held the mirror up at the back for Gareth to see.

"You bet I do, I love it"

"Great" Tom grinned placing a hand on Gareth's shoulder, "We aim to please but I have to admit it is a big improvement on your previous style".

Gareth beamed, he liked Tom's approval and turned his head from side to side to look at the new look again.

When he'd slipped on his jacket, Tom brushed his shoulders and down the back. As he did so he glanced at Gareth's nicely formed butt and felt his bulge take another jump. He then noticed that Gareth had his eyes on it and blushed slightly. He was still not absolutely sure about the guy but he had a strong feeling that he might be right.

"Thank you so much Tom" Gareth said as he slipped him his two pound tip. As he did so, he held Tom's hand for what seemed like ages. Tom's heart stopped at the feel of the warm flesh against his.

"I shall definitely be back and perhaps see you around" Gareth finally said as he went to leave.

"Great, look forward to it" Tom replied and almost added 'I so hope so'.

Seeing that there were no customers waiting and the only one in the shop was being served by Mario, Tom slipped into the small kitchen at the rear of the premises where they made their tea and had their break.

"So has Mr Gorgeous gone?" Becky grinned.

Tom blushed slightly and nodded. "He's the son of Frank Chambers".

"Fuck, you mean the Frank Chambers who's a Councillor and owns the big engineering company"

Tom nodded.

"Well, I should get in there quick mate; they're loaded"

"That's assuming he's gay"

"Come off it Tom, the guy was drooling over you; of course he's gay; what's happened to your wonderful Gaydar you're always going on about?"

"Yeah, maybe but since I probably won't see him again or it won't be until he needs another haircut I doubt I'll have much chance to find out."

Becky stood up and took Tom into her arms. She liked Tom and found him very sexy. The problem was he was gay like so many gorgeous good looking guys but that was life. Tom felt himself being wrapped in her arms and pulled up against her breast. As she kissed him on the cheek he felt her hands roaming across his butt inside his tight fitting trousers. She loved feeling his two rounded globes whenever she had the chance to do so and he never seemed to mind.

"Come on love, look on the positive side; you might go out tonight and bump straight into him; before you know it you'll have him in your bed fucking him like mad".

"Becky, do you mind" Tom laughed.

"Well if you don't, I certainly will" she laughed.

"Thought you had a boyfriend in tow at the present"

"Yeah, well, no harm in seeing what else is around is there" she giggled as she gave Tom's arse another pat before letting him go.

It was Friday and when Tom finally left work at six that evening he made his way home. At least he had a long weekend ahead of him since he wasn't working on Saturday morning and Monday was his day off because they worked a ten hour day from eight in the morning till six at night four days a week plus a Saturday morning every other week. The hours were long and they worked hard but the pay wasn't bad and he enjoyed his work and the people he worked with so life wasn't too bad. He just wished he could find a guy to love and have a relationship with instead of eternal one night stands which seemed to consist of a quick fuck and saying goodbye.

When he reached his bedsit which was above a shop in a side road just five minutes' walk from the shop, he stripped off, showered and got into his casual gear which consisted of a T shirt and jeans. Not much different to what he wore at work since Mario didn't want his staff wearing a uniform so they could basically wear whatever they wanted but Tom generally wore a pair of black trousers and a white T shirt. It looked smart and was comfortable. He'd also noticed that guys often enjoyed seeing the naked flesh that appeared between the bottom of his T shirt and his briefs when he lifted his arms to work on the top of a customer's head. He certainly did so he imagined other gays did too.

Once changed, he looked in the small fridge to decide what to eat before going out.

"Fuck, not much there to tempt me" he said out loud so decided instead to go to Harry's cafe which was round the corner. He liked Harry and often ate there since his food was nice and good value.

He found his usual window seat was free so sat down. He enjoyed watching the guys go up and down the street which always amused Harry who knew he was gay. He ordered Harry's special, which was a steak and kidney pie with lashings of gravy, potatoes and carrots. At least it would give him sustenance for the night ahead, assuming he was lucky and managed to get laid by some guy when he went onto a gay club later.

The gay scene in Newcastle had blossomed in recent years and there were now several gay bars and clubs. Most didn't open till late and went onto the early hours but Tom never minded that so he took his time eating his meal and chatting to Harry when he wasn't busy serving customers.

As he looked casually out the window, his eyes fell upon a guy walking along towards the cafe. He looked again and was certain it was Gareth. His heart raced with excitement and he was just about to pop his head out the door when he noticed a girl who appeared to be draped over his arm although Gareth certainly didn't seem to be enjoying her presence. Each time he tried to shake her off she clung back on like a limpet. Tom's heart sank. So he wasn't gay after all at least that was what it looked like even though he didn't seem to be enjoying the fact that he had a girl on his arm. He couldn't make it out and kept looking until they were almost passing the window. Not wanting Gareth to see him he quickly looked away and put his hand up to his face to hide. Once the pair had walked by he looked out again and still the girl was clinging on to Gareth's arms but his whole demeanour indicated he didn't really want her there. The question was if he was gay then why was the girl hanging on to his arm? She was much the same age and was clearly not his sister from the way she was looking up into his eyes as if he was her dream man. Tom couldn't understand it.

"Fuck" he exclaimed which made Harry look up.

"Sorry Harry"

"What's up mate, seen your favourite boyfriend shagging another?" Harry always had a way to bring things down to earth which made Tom laugh.

"Almost" he replied and told Harry about Gareth and how Becky was certain he was gay.

"And what did your Gaydar tell you?" Harry grinned. He liked Tom and was never afraid to talk about gay issues despite him being happily married with two adult kids.

"Yeah, it sort of said the same thing but I've just seen him walking down the road with some chick on his arm"

Harry giggled and suggested that perhaps young Gareth was bi but for some reason Tom didn't think that was the case. He didn't give the impression of a bi curious guy or from what he'd just seen that he even liked girls draped over him. In the end he decided to expunge the image and Gareth from his mind. There was no point in beating himself up over it when the chances of seeing him again or having any chance of taking it further was slim to say the least. As Becky was always telling him 'plenty of other fish in the sea' so it was time he went looking.

He decided to go to Rusty's first. It was a relatively new bar that had topless waiters who were cute, classic cabaret and daring drag. After that he'd go to Powerhouse but that club didn't open till eleven so he had three hours of drinking to get through. One thing was for sure, he was desperate to be laid as he hadn't been fucked for over a week so he'd keep his eyes open for a likely candidate.

Having bought his first drink from a gorgeous topless waiter, who was a guy he'd fucked several months ago when he'd finished his shift, he moved into the main bar area and people watched. There was the usual bunch of guys none of whom he found particularly interesting. Besides, he'd had sex with most of them over the years so there was nothing there. He moved over to the other side and leant against the wall for a while to watch who came in.

"Hi Tom" a voice suddenly said beside him. It was Adam who he'd spoken to on several occasions but he was generally with his boyfriend who never seemed that friendly so Tom had kept clear.

"Hi Adam, on your own tonight?"

"Yeah, he's fucked off to see his parents for the weekend"

"Ah, so you're off the leash then". Why Tom had made the comment he didn't know since he knew nothing about Adam's relationship with his boyfriend.

"You could say that; you know what they say; when the cat's away the mouse will play"

"And you intend to play"

Adam grinned. "Sure do if I can find a willing partner; how about you?"

"You know me, always on the lookout". Tom regretted saying that as soon as the words were out of his mouth but it was too late to take them back. Adam beamed and put his arm round Tom's waist. He'd often imagined getting into Tom's pants but his boyfriend always kept him on a tight leash.

"Another drink?" Tom looked at his glass and realising it was empty accepted the offer. If he could get a few free drinks then better still. Adam almost skipped across the floor to the bar. He'd bagged the only decent guy in the bar and he intended hanging onto him all night, preferably in Tom's bed. It was too risky going back to his place just in case any tell-tale signs got left behind for when his boyfriend returned on Sunday.

As Adam made his way, Tom eyed him up and down. He had a nice looking body on him so he could do worse and it was obvious that Adam was interested. He'd see how things went and if a better option came along he'd dump Adam as kindly as he could.

As they chatted and drank, Tom found out more about the missing boyfriend. He certainly sounded like a control freak and Tom felt sorry for Adam.

"Fuck, I couldn't put up with that" he exclaimed, "Why do you stay with him?"

Adam explained they'd bought a flat together and had a mortgage which would be difficult to extricate himself from.

"Besides, he's a nice guy really ... and he's good in bed"

"Ah, cock overruling the head" Tom laughed and stupidly grabbed hold of Adam's crotch. To his surprise his hand came into contact with a full erection and it wasn't small either.

"Fuck, that's some cock you've got there"

Tom's action seemed to release Adam's inhibitions and he was soon all over Tom. He took him into his arms, kissed him passionately and felt Tom's appendage which as usual rapidly responded.

"You're not so bad yourself and if I'm not mistaken I can feel some metal at the end"

In an earlier moment of madness some years previous, Tom had his cock pierced and a Prince Albert fitted. He'd often thought about removing it for good but guys seemed to like being fucked with it so he'd kept it. Tom grinned and admitted he had a PA.

"Fuck, that's awesome, would love to see it and see what it's like to be fucked with one; take it you're a top".

Tom said he was versatile so took it both ways. "Brilliant, so am I although my boyfriend only fucks me".

'That figures' Tom thought. The more he heard about this boyfriend the more he disliked him.

"You planning to go to Powerhouse later?" Tom asked trying to move the topic of conversation away from sex.

"Are you?" Adam asked hopefully.

Tom nodded so Adam said he would too. His boyfriend didn't like clubs such as Powerhouse. "Too many drugs doing the rounds he reckons".

"You're not into drugs then"

Adam shook his head but Tom had a feeling it was more a case of not being allowed to rather than by choice.

"How about you?"

"Not a regular but occasionally do if the opportunity arises provided I know it's good stuff; what about poppers, does your boyfriend use that?"

"Fuck no but I love it"

"Bit of a party pooper your boyfriend isn't he"

"Yeah, he is I suppose". Adam tipped the rest of his drink down his throat and looked at the empty glass for a moment.

"Another?" Tom asked.

"Yeah but I'll get them"

Tom reminded him that he'd bought the last round so it was his round really.

"Fuck that, I'm not counting"

As Adam walked off to the bar again, Tom felt quite sorry for the guy. Why the fuck he put up with his boyfriend was beyond him but Adam was clearly looking for a good night out so he resolved to make sure he had one.

"Cheers, here's to a good night of fun" Tom giggled as he swigged his drink.

"Yeah, why not" Adam grinned and placed a hand round Tom's waist. It wasn't long before it was exploring inside Tom's T shirt and caressing his naked flesh. Tom found it rather nice so placed a hand round Adam's to do the same. They stood in silence with their arms round each other for quite some time just looking at the guys around them as they sipped their drinks every so often. Tom then decided to explore downwards and soon had his hand down inside Adam's briefs. His butt felt good and it caused his cock to grow some more. Adam certainly didn't object and enjoyed the attention. Seeing that Tom was being more adventurous he did the same.

"Mm, that butt feels gorgeous; hope I get the chance to fuck that later"

Tom grinned and turned his head to kiss Adam. "There's a good chance of that but first let's go and have some fun at Powerhouse."

Adam's body tingled with excitement. The night ahead was looking brilliant.

Powerhouse was packed and it wasn't long before they'd stripped off their T shirts. The alcohol was making them more relaxed with each other, and for that matter with other guys who were interested but Adam made sure he hung onto Tom. In no way was he going to lose him now having got this far. He was having the time of his life. Tom seemed to know lots of guys and at times Adam felt very much the outsider. He couldn't understand why his boyfriend so hated clubs like this. He was having a ball and he decided he'd see if he could persuade his boyfriend to change his mind about going to clubs but wasn't too hopeful..

"Okay?" Tom shouted into Adam's ear over the sound of the music.

"Yeah brilliant, not had so much fun for a long time"

"More to follow later" Tom giggled. He put an arm round Adam and plunged his hand down inside the front of his jeans which were well down his backside. He felt the enlarged organ, pulled his hand out and then thrust it down inside his briefs to feel the flesh. Adam gasped and felt behind him to grab hold of Tom's erection. God, he couldn't get this guy into bed soon enough.

They danced, drank and generally enjoyed themselves to around two in the morning.

"Where do you live?" Adam asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"About ten minutes' walk away; you want to come back then?"

Adam gasped. He couldn't wait to get Tom into bed so immediately answered yes above the din of the music. They grinned at each other and continued feeling each other for a while before Tom suggested they make a move rather than wait for the mad exit when the club closed in an hour's time. Adam was up for that so hastily followed Tom outside. Once they were off the main road, Adam put his arm round Tom's waist and slipped a hand down inside the back of his briefs. The feel of Tom's naked flesh made his cock shoot up again.

As soon as they were inside the door that led up to Tom's flat, Adam pulled him into a passionate kiss. As he did so, their hands were all over each other and it wasn't long before T shirts were off and jeans were round their ankles. Adam yanked his own briefs down his legs and squatted down to pull Tom's down as well. He then took the engorged organ into his mouth and almost swallowed it. Tom gasped as Adam's hot lips surrounded his shaft.

"Fuck that feels good" he groaned. As Adam sucked, Tom kicked off his trainers along with his clothes that were round his ankles. Adam did the same without letting go of the gorgeous organ inside his mouth.

Tom's small one bedroom flat was on the second floor. It had a living room at the front with a kitchenette at one end and a small bedroom at the back. Squeezed in between was a small bathroom which contained a decent sized shower. It suited Tom since he preferred showers so the absence of a bath didn't bother him. The first floor was occupied by an office so out of normal working hours, Tom was the only inhabitant. It suited him since it meant he could bring guys back and end up naked in the hallway as they now were. Why guys couldn't wait until they reached his flat never ceased to amaze him but invariably they were all over him as soon as he'd closed the door to the street.

He so yearned for a guy to make slow passionate love to him instead of wild sex but it seemed he was destined not to find that kind of guy. Perhaps it was his fault and he was looking for the wrong kind of guy. As Adam sucked away, his mind went back to Gareth. He struck him as being the kind of guy who would like slow sensuous love making but from what he'd seen earlier that was never likely to happen.

"You'll make me cum if you're not careful" Tom giggled.

"Can't you come more than once in a session?" Adam asked looking up into Tom's green eyes.

"Of course, several times so as long as you're not planning to rush off keep going"

"I've got all night if you have" Adam giggled and went back to his sucking.

"Ah, fuck, I'm coming" Tom cried out after a few more minutes of Adam's attention. He was certainly good at taking head and Tom rather liked it.

Adam took the load into his mouth and was surprised at how long Tom continued shooting ribbons of creamy cum but it tasted good so he was more than happy to accept it. When he'd finished, Adam looked up into Tom's eyes and grinned.

"Let's go upstairs and make ourselves more comfortable" Tom grinned as he picked up his clothes and walked up the stairs naked. Adam quickly followed having collected his own clothes. As he went he admired Tom's naked butt and imagined sinking his cock inside it. He also wanted to feel Tom's inside him to experience the Prince Albert so he looked forward to a long night of sex.

Once inside the flat they slung their clothes into the living room and Tom led Adam into the bedroom. They were soon all over each other and sucking each other's erection. Adam clasped his legs round Tom's neck as he sucked the big cock. As he did so, Tom rimmed Adam's arse. It tasted good as the poppers they'd both sniffed rushed to his head.

"Want to fuck you" Adam groaned after a while in between sucks. Tom was happy to accept him so he moved onto his back, lifted his legs and offered himself. Once prepared, Adam slipped his rampant cock into Tom. "Fuck that feels good". Tom groaned with pleasure as the hard organ hit all the right spots inside him. He loved being fucked so never complained.

Adam continued thrusting in and out until his whole body tensed. Any moment now he knew he was going to fill the latex with his seed.

"Oh yes, ah, fuck" he cried out when the final moment came and his cock burst forth as his whole body shook with erotic pleasure.

"God that was good" Adam exclaimed once he'd come down from his high and collapsed on top of Tom. They grinned at each other before gently kissing. "Thanks, that was brilliant, I so seldom fuck that I'd almost forgot how good it was."

"Is your boyfriend only a top then?

"Yeah, doesn't like cock up his arse"

"Seems to me it's a very one sided relationship"

Adam thought for a moment. Tom was right, it was all about what he wanted and Adam's needs were never taken into account. Perhaps it was time to consider his future.

"You want me to fuck you?"

Adam grinned, "Thought you'd never ask". Without saying anything more, Adam went onto his knees, plunged his head into the pillow and stuck his arse up high with his legs wide apart. Tom moved behind him and looked at the puckered hole. It looked good. He bent over and pulled the two fleshy cheeks apart to open the hole before licking erotically back and forth across it. Adam groaned with pleasure. His boyfriend had never done this to him and it felt out of this world. Tom lubricated two fingers and gently slipped them inside. He probed around and soon found the spot that sent Adam into raptures.

"Oh yeah, fuck that feels so good Tom"

As Tom licked again, he prepared his cock which was now ready for action. Tom gently pushed the head of his cock inside the open hole and Adam could feel the Prince Albert massaging his inside.

"Yeah, fucking brilliant; I want to feel the full length of that cock right inside me."

Tom grinned; the guy was full of wants. With one thrust he pushed in the rest of his shaft and Adam gasped but it felt so good. Tom wasn't in the mood to be gentle so he vigorously thrust back and forth.

"Oh yes, fuck that arse Tom, fuck it good and hard"

Tom was able to keep fucking without reaching his climax for quite some time so he just fucked and fucked but Adam seemed to be enjoying it.

"Want you to shoot your load over my back; love the feel of hot spunk shooting over me"

When Tom was finally at that point, he pulled out, ripped off the condom and shot his load. Despite coming earlier he still had plenty to shoot so by the time he'd finished, Adam's back was smothered. Tom gave Adam's naked butt a good hard smack telling him to stay where he was whilst he grabbed a cloth to clean him up.

Once clean, Adam turned over and Tom lay beside him. Both were satisfied so they talked. Neither was ready to go to sleep and Tom wondered whether in fact Adam would stay or decide to go home.

"Thanks Tom really enjoyed that" Tom grinned and kissed Adam. He decided he was quite a nice guy after all and he felt sorry for him being apparently trapped in a one sided relationship.

"What would your boyfriend say if he could see you now?" Tom giggled.

"Fuck, it doesn't bear thinking about; he'd probably use the whip on me"

"You're joking; he doesn't use a whip does he?"

"It has been known when I've done something wrong"

"Are you his slave then?"

"Not really but I am his sub and he's the Dom; I don't mind really, in fact I rather like having someone take control every now and then"

"So if he found out about tonight you'd be punished?"

"Probably; fuck, you won't tell him will you Tom?"

"Fuck no; what you do with a guy is up to you but don't think that kind of relationship would suit me"

"He's a lovely kind guy really; it's just that at times I'd like a bit of variety and do things we don't normally do"

"What's he like in bed?" Tom giggled although he didn't really expect Adam to divulge such personal information.

"Depends what mood he's in; if he's feeling good then he's kind and gentle but if he's not then he slams his thick ten inch cock into me with such force that sometimes it feels it's going to come out the other end but I like rough sex so it doesn't bother me"

"Do you ever have threesomes?"

"Not like you mean but often he'll invite his friends round and I'm tied to the bed and they spend the night fucking me one after the other. One weekend it started on the Friday evening and went through to the early hours of Sunday morning. My arse was really sore after that; think he invited every guy he knew to come and fuck me and he loves watching."

"If you ask me Adam, the guy's fucking mad"

"Yeah, perhaps; I hope we can do this again sometime"

"Does he go away much?"

"He has done recently; I'm half wondering if he's got another sub hidden away somewhere because he always comes home looking very satisfied and I doubt he'd come home like that if he was visiting his parents."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not really; as long as he's prepared to care for me I suppose I'm happy"

Tom pulled Adam into his arms and they snuggled up close. Gradually they slipped off to sleep.

"You want me to fuck you?" Tom grinned when he saw Adam slowly wake from his slumbers. As usual Tom was rock hard and needed something to relieve his morning urges. Adam grinned and immediately went on all fours again to offer his arse. He was tempted to ask Tom to just thrust his cock in naked but he had a feeling that would be going too far so he waited for Tom to boot up and plunge his stiff cock into him.

"Yeah, love the feel of that PA inside me" Most guys did which was why Tom had kept it even though at times he wished he'd never had it fitted. He'd been persuaded whilst on holiday with a guy when he was eighteen. They'd got drunk and the other guy said he'd have one if Tom did so they found a parlour where they could get their cocks pierced and have the metalwork fitted. He didn't dare let his parents find out. They'd have died with embarrassment. One thing he did always have to do was remove it whenever he was likely to go through a metal scanner. He'd once forgotten to do so and the machine shouted that he had something on him which set it off. Red faced he had to admit to the security guy that he had a PA on his cock. The guy took him into a private area and made Tom show him. Tom was mortified so made sure he always removed it in future.

It was a beautiful day so when Adam had left to go home, Tom decided he'd drive to Whitely Bay and spend some time on the nudist beach. It was a long walk from the main family area but it was generally worth it since it was only used by gays. Not that he was particularly looking for anyone to shag but he enjoyed the freedom of lying out amongst the dunes and letting the sun bathe his naked flesh.

He first went round to the local shop and bought several bottles of water and some filled rolls for lunch and set off on his motorbike. It was nothing grand but it got him about and was relatively cheap to run. Fortunately the building had a backyard where he could park it off the road away from possible theft so it was ideal.

He parked his bike in the car park and checked several times it was well and truly locked to the bike rack. He hitched his rucksack onto his back and set off along the beach for the fifteen minute walk to where the nudist beach was situated. There were few days in the year when the weather was warm enough so when it was he invariably made the trip. He loved being naked out in the open; in fact he loved being naked full stop. Since he was early, the beach was quiet and when he reached the nudist bit he found he was the first to arrive from what he could see. He found his favourite spot, laid out his large towel and stripped naked. He lay back and enjoyed the morning sun which was now warm enough to give him a nice glow. His skin never burnt so he was able to just lay in full sunshine and enjoy the heat on his naked body. He gently felt his cock and closed his eyes. He'd brought his Kindle with him but he'd read that later. He was in the middle of a gay erotic story and knew that as soon as he started reading he'd get an erection. It was all part of the fun of being naked and he loved it.

He'd been lying there for about half an hour when he was conscious of someone walking towards him. He looked up and gasped.

"What the fuck?" he said under his breath.

"Hi Tom, mind if I join you?" Tom gazed into Gareth's brown eyes speechless. For a moment he just lay there not saying anything. He made no attempt to cover his nakedness. Besides, it was a nudist beach and Gareth must have known.

"What the fuck brings you here?" Seeing that Tom wasn't going to send him packing just yet, Gareth walked closer and crouched down in front of Tom. He couldn't help but admire Tom's naked body, including the gorgeous cock with its PA. It was everything he'd imagined.

Tom continued staring at Gareth until he answered. "I'm sorry Tom but I had to see you again"

"Yeah, well, you've done that alright; you've seen the lot as they say"

Gareth lowered his eyes feeling ashamed.

"So how did you know I was here or is this place a usual haunt for you?"

"No, never been here before, didn't know it existed"

"So how did you know I was here?" Tom asked again.

"Fuck, I'm sorry Tom, I shouldn't have come; I'll go" Having got the man of his dreams right beside him Tom had no intention of letting him leave so grabbed his hand.

"No, don't go, sit down"

Gareth looked at Tom to make sure he meant it. Tom patted the ground beside him.

"Just one thing though" Tom grinned, "This is a nudist beach". Gareth grinned picking up on what Tom was saying so having laid out his own towel he proceeded to strip. Tom sat there spellbound as the T shirt was slipped off to show a perfect body then to be followed by the jeans. Gareth carefully folded each item up before slipping them into his rucksack. He then slipped off his designer briefs and Tom silently gasped. The guy was beautiful. He had a gorgeous cock with two beautiful balls surrounded by a patch of short dark brown pubic hair.

"Nice" Tom muttered as Gareth sat down slightly in front of him so they could see each other.

"So is this the first time you've basked naked in the sun?"

Gareth nodded. "I take it you're a regular".

"Yeah, love being naked out in the open air and showing off my bits; I do it at home as well but on days like this it's perfect"

Gareth said he too liked being naked at home and frequently did so.

"So, how did you know I was here if you didn't know about this place?" Tom asked again.

"You'll hate me for this" Gareth replied looking very sheepish. Tom looked at him enquiringly expecting him to continue.

"I followed you"

"You what? You followed me?"

Gareth nodded and tears started to fall down his face. Tom took hold of his hand and held it.

"But why?"

"I needed to see you again"

Tom was about to ask why he hadn't just knocked on his door. "Do you know where I live?"

Gareth nodded. "Followed you home the other night".

"So why the fuck didn't you ring the bell or stop me outside?"

"I didn't have the nerve; I was going to this morning when I came round and then I saw you showing a guy out and lost my nerve again; I'm sorry Tom."

"So you decided to follow me here?"

Gareth nodded, "It just happened and when I saw you park your motorbike and walk along here I hung back for a while and then decided to come along; I'm really sorry Tom; do you hate me?"

Tom pulled him into a hug and it felt so good having his naked flesh against his. "It's okay, weird but okay".

Gareth relaxed and looked into Tom's eyes. The mere act of doing so caused a twitch in his groin.

"So having followed me and found me in the altogether why did you want to see me?" Tom still couldn't make out what the guy was up to in view of what he'd seen the previous evening.

"I like you Tom; liked you from the first moment I set eyes on you"

"What yesterday in the shop?"

"You don't recognise me do you; not that I'd really expect you to; it was a long time ago" Tom was intrigued. He did have a slight feeling he'd seen him before but couldn't place it.

"We were at the same school; I was in the year below you but I knew you alright; you were my hero; the guy who was always so confident with himself irrespective of what others said or did"

Tom laughed. "That was just a front; I wasn't really that confident, especially being gay; you do know I'm gay I suppose". Gareth nodded but made no comment.

"So why'd you want to make contact with me now? I'd have thought you'd have loads of guys, and girls for that matter, running round you; the son of the great Frank Chambers."

Tom could see he'd hit a raw nerve. Gareth almost burst into tears and he'd wished he hadn't been so harsh but he still couldn't make the guy out and because of his own feelings for the guy he'd lashed out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that; I imagine it must be hard having a dad so well known"

"That's only the half of it; you've no idea what I have to endure Tom"

"I'm sorry, I really am" Tom took hold of Gareth's hand again and held it which did nothing to control his own sexual feelings for the guy. "But how can I help?"

Gareth looked into his eyes again. Tom inwardly groaned. God the guy was so beautiful. He was everything he imagined a boyfriend would be but there was still the image of the girl wrapped round his arm.

"I was hoping we could be friends Tom; you may not believe me but in fact I have very few, if any to be honest; yes you're right, most guys, and girls, hitch onto me because they think I'm wealthy but my father controls everything including me and my mother with a rod of iron. One wrong step and everything goes out the window; besides, that's not the only thing I have to deal with but I can't talk about that now."

Tom looked at him and suddenly felt sorry for him. Well he always had been a sucker for the underdog. He pulled Gareth down beside him and hugged him. Oh god, what was he getting himself into? The guy hadn't admitted to being gay and all the signs so far were that he wasn't so what the fuck was he doing.

"Okay Gareth, if you want a friend I'm here for you"

To hear those few words were like honey to a bee. Gareth pressed his head against Tom's naked chest and cried. Tom caressed his newly cropped hair and held him tight.

"By the way, how did papa react to the new haircut?" Tom giggled.

It was sufficient to break Gareth's feeling of despair and he laughed. "Fuck, you should have seen his face when he saw me in the office; he nearly had a heart attack and was about to shout the odds when a couple of female staff said how much they liked the new look and didn't he agree. He walked away saying nothing but I'm expecting a tirade when I next see him."

"Just don't tell him where you got it done, that's all I ask" Tom laughed, "Not sure Mario could cope with an angry Frank Chambers".

Gareth giggled and casually rubbed his hand up and down Tom's naked leg which did nothing to cool his ardour. As they lay together enjoying the warmth of the sun bathe their naked bodies, they talked about their school days.

"Everyone knew you were gay"

"Yeah well, I didn't exactly hide it did I? Especially when I was caught looking at porn on the school's computer."

"Yeah, I remember that and everyone thought it odd that you didn't get expelled. Was it gay or straight porn?"

"Gay of course"

"Fuck, so what did the head say about that?"

Tom laughed and explained that the master who'd caught him at it was also gay and agreed to keep that bit secret from the head. "He just told him it was natural for a pubescent boy to want to look at porn and it hadn't been anything that bad. The fact that it was two guys fucking like mad wasn't ever mentioned because the master concerned looked on as well for several minutes before he suggested I shut the site down. After that we had, shall we say, a mutually satisfying arrangement whenever we were alone."

"You're joking"

"Nope, I used to suck him off every so often and on two or three occasions I went round to his house to strip naked and he'd watch me wank off"

"Fucking hell; did anything else happen?" Gareth was dying to know if either Tom or the master fucked each other but couldn't ask.

"Nope, just sucking and wanking" Tom laughed.

"So when did you first realise you were gay?"

"Twelve or thirteen"

"And when did you first have sex?"

"Had my dick first sucked off by a guy in a toilet when I was thirteen and I was fucked by a guy when I was sixteen"

Gareth was so envious. He didn't dare let on that apart from having a few gropes and sucking of cocks he was still a virgin.

When it was lunchtime and Tom's stomach told him he was hungry he pulled out the food he'd brought with him. Gareth hadn't come so prepared but Tom insisted on sharing his. He had plenty so it wasn't too much of a hardship. By mid afternoon they decided they'd had enough of sunbathing so they dressed and made their way back to the car park. When Tom saw Gareth's car he gasped.

"Fuck, that's quite a car." It was a Mini Cooper.

"My father gave it to me for my twenty first but to be honest I'd rather have a motorbike like yours. This just attracts the kind of people I abhor.

"Can't you sell it and get something else?"

Gareth looked at Tom as if he was nuts, "fuck no, my father would kill me". Tom nodded and realised why Gareth was so lonely. It seemed he had a domineering father and Gareth was not strong enough to fight back, unless there was some other reason which for the moment he couldn't fathom. And there was still the issue of the female draped over his arm which neither of them had mentioned.

"We can meet again can't we Tom?"

"Of course, give me a call and we'll go out for a drink or something" Tom got his phone out and they exchanged numbers.

"Thanks Tom, really enjoyed being with you today"

"And me" Tom replied as he recalled the mental picture of Gareth's naked body.

"Better rush; got to go to a fucking party tonight" Gareth said looking at his watch. He certainly wasn't looking forward to that since it was at his parents' house and he was expected to turn up with Fiona and look as if he was enjoying her company.

"Lucky you" Tom said, "Have fun".

"That's one thing it won't be; any chance of meeting up after work on Wednesday?"

Tom said that would be fine and suggested they have a meal together as long as it wasn't anywhere expensive.

"Brilliant; you can choose, I don't mind where or what"

Tom watched him climb into his car and drive off. There was something not right but he couldn't put his finger on it but what he did know was that Gareth was not a happy bunny. "Oh well, even if I can't get my dick in him at least I can enjoy his company".

When Tom returned to work on the Tuesday Becky could tell that Tom had something on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about Gareth. He'd seen him again walking along the street with the same girl draped over his arm and yet again Gareth was showing no sign of enjoying the situation like any normal boy and girl.

"Come on, tell Aunty Becky all about it" she teased when they were having their mid morning break.

Tom chuckled. She had a knack of seeing right through him. "Can't hide anything from you can I" he laughed.

"Nope, even down to the sexy underpants you're wearing" she giggled and flipped up his T shirt and flicked the top of his designer briefs.

"So, seen Mr Gorgeous again have we?"

"How the fuck do you know that?"

"Come off it Tom, you're going round with the same sparkle in your eyes you had the other day when you were drooling over him and he was salivating over you. Have you fucked him yet?"

"No, mores the pity"

"Ah, is he not a friend of Dorothy after all?"

"I wish I knew" Tom replied and told Becky what he'd seen on Friday evening, what had happened on Saturday and that he'd seen Gareth again the previous evening with the same girl.

"Mm, me thinks I must go along to this nudist beach to check him out; has he got a nice dick on him?"

"Fuck off Becky; this is serious; how the fuck am I going to find out what this girl is doing with him?"

"You could always ask him" Becky laughed.

"Oh yes, I can see it now 'tell me Gareth are you gay and if so why do you have this chick gazing into your eyes trying to seduce you?' I think not."

"Perhaps he's bi"

"Yeah, that's what Harry said but I don't think so; there's something odd going on"

"Cafe Harry?" Tom nodded. He'd taken Becky there on a few occasions after work.

"So what does your Gaydar tell you my love?"

"That he's gay but there's something holding him back"

"In the closet perhaps" Becky had several gay friends and knew all the terminology which made it easier for Tom to talk about his sex life and anything else for that matter. She was like a sister to him. He nodded, perhaps that was the problem. The guy hadn't or couldn't come out for some reason.

"Why not suggest you go to a gay bar and see how he reacts." That was a possibility but Tom wasn't sure it was the right move to make just yet. He'd have to wait and see how things developed. In the meantime it was killing him and he couldn't even consider taking another guy to bed for a quick fuck. Adam had been in contact and wanted to meet up with him again. So far Tom had been non committal and said he'd call him later in the week. He wanted to see how things went with Gareth on Wednesday.

When Tom finished work on the Wednesday he found Gareth waiting for him outside. They'd planned to meet at the Pizza restaurant Tom had suggested so he was surprised to see him.

"Hi, thought I'd meet you here rather than hang about at the restaurant; hope you don't mind"

Tom grinned. Hell he didn't mind but first he needed to go home, have a quick shower and change.

"Yeah, no problem, that's providing you don't mind me coming back to your place whilst you change."

Tom laughed, "You've seen it all mate so I've got nothing to hide". Gareth blushed but secretly he was looking forward to seeing Tom in the buff again and to see inside the flat he'd described during their naked sunbathing.

"Come on in; it's small but it suits me" Tom giggled as he opened his front door and invited Gareth into the living room.

"It's nice; what you might call bijou" Gareth chuckled as he looked around. Tom was a tidy poof and everything was nice and clean. He liked that. Somewhat different to Fiona's flat which was always littered with discarded clothes and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned for the past year.

"There's a beer in the fridge if you want one" Tom said as he moved off into the bedroom. Gareth walked over to the small fridge and pulled out two beers. He flipped his open and took a swig wondering whether or not to take Tom's into his him. Seeing the bedroom door was open he walked in and found Tom standing stark naked.

"Ah, sorry; thought you might like one" he said trying not to stare at Tom's gorgeous body.

"Thanks". Tom took the can and flipped it open. He then stood naked before Gareth as he took several swigs. 'If this guy's not gay then I'm Chinese' he thought to himself noticing Gareth's interest in his nakedness, 'so what the fuck is this girl all about?'

When Tom had showered and changed, with Gareth watching his every move, they made their way to the Pizza restaurant.

"Hope you like pizzas" Tom chuckled as they walked. He'd chosen this place for three reasons. One the pizzas were the best in town, two they were good value and three he knew one of the waiters who he'd fucked on several occasions in the past.

"Hi Tom how are you" Lorenzo beamed as he came up to give Tom a big hug and a kiss. Gareth looked on with envy. If only he could be like Tom.

"This is Gareth, a friend of mine" Lorenzo stepped back and admired Gareth. He looked at Tom and grinned but said nothing apart from "Good to meet you Gareth" and then led them to Tom's favourite table in the window.

They ordered their pizzas and a bottle of Italian wine. It was about the only place where Tom drank wine but he enjoyed a glass of white wine with a pizza so it had become a regular addition to his meal whenever he visited. He also knew that Lorenzo gave him a discount so that helped as well.

"Nice guy" Gareth commented when Lorenzo had left them. Tom grinned. "Yeah and nice in bed too". He'd deliberately made the comment to test Gareth's reaction but all he did was give a big knowing grin. One thing was for sure, he certainly wasn't embarrassed, in fact quite the reverse.

Whilst they ate they talked about work and Gareth told him more about what he actually did in the way of product design. From what Tom could determine the company developed ideas that others produced to make them into practical products rather than coming up with original design. He could see Gareth enjoyed his work but could sense the underlying pressure he was under because of his father's influence. He also only ever referred to him as 'his father', never dad as Tom did his.

"How do you get on with your parents?" Gareth suddenly asked as if he'd read Tom's mind.

"Yeah, brilliant, I love them to bits"

"And when you ... you know... came out, how did they react to that?"

"My mum took it in her stride and said she'd known for a long time and my dad was okay about it; naturally they were disappointed that I wasn't going to get married and have kids but they were more concerned about my happiness so that's all that mattered. Besides, my big sister has given them two grandchildren so they're happy."

Gareth looked at Tom as if he was about to cry. He was so envious but said nothing. Just then his mobile rang. When he pulled it from his pocket he saw it was Fiona calling. "Fuck" was all he said before hitting the End Call button.

"Don't mind me if you want to take it" Tom said realising Gareth's unease.

"It's okay, she can wait"

Tom looked at the dessert menu and decided to have an ice cream. Gareth said he'd have the same and a coffee so Tom called Lorenzo who came running over to his favourite customer to take the order. As they sat casually eating their ice cream and drinking their coffee, Gareth received three text messages from Fiona asking 'where the hell are you?' Gareth had left his phone on the table so Tom saw the name clearly showing on the screen each time.

"Someone is keen to get hold of you" he grinned.

"I'm sorry Tom, I'd better go, see you around" Gareth then shot up out of his chair and ran off without saying goodbye.

"Thanks Tom for a lovely meal" Tom muttered to himself as he watched Gareth run off. "What the fuck is going on?"

"He went off in a hurry" Lorenzo said as he cleared away Gareth's unfinished ice cream and coffee.

"Yeah, don't know what the fuck is going on"

Lorenzo could see Tom was upset and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. He liked Tom and hoped he'd get the chance to share his bed again sometime but now was not the time to suggest it. Tom paid the bill, not that he expected Gareth to go halves but he'd have thought the guy would have at least offered before rushing off. He had a strong feeling that this Fiona bitch had her claws in him for some reason and he couldn't work out why but he intended finding out somehow.

Tom made his way home feeling depressed. A beautiful evening had been ruined by Gareth running away like that. Perhaps he was clutching at straws hoping that things would develop into a meaningful relationship so he sat down, poured himself a stiff drink and looked at the TV. After a while he realised he wasn't watching the programme so he switched it off. He stripped naked, curled up on the sofa and read some more of his erotic gay story on his Kindle. At least that would take his mind of Gareth for a while.

It wasn't long before his dick was rock hard and needed attention so he decided to go to bed. He read some more and brought himself off to a satisfactory conclusion before eventually drifting into sleep.

Some while later he was awakened by the sound of his door entry system buzzing away.

"What the fuck is going on?" he yelled as he clambered out of bed and walked naked to the front door where the door entry phone was situated.

"Who is it?" he asked angrily.

"Tom, it's Gareth, can I come in?"

"It's nearly midnight Gareth; what the fuck are you playing around at?" Tom was angry and wasn't in the mood to speak to Gareth now.

"Please Tom, I really need to see you and apologise for earlier" Tom could sense that Gareth was in tears so he pressed the door entry button and told him to come up to the second floor. He was damned if he was going to get dressed so he slipped on a pair of briefs and sat in the living room having left his front door ajar. He heard Gareth come up the stairs and knock on the partly opened door.

"Come on in and shut the door behind you" Tom shouted still feeling pissed off at being disturbed.

Gareth entered and looked sheepishly at Tom. "I'm really sorry Tom, I really am". Tom felt for him and softened his reaction. He could see the guy was upset about something so the least he could do was sit and listen.

"Come and sit down" Gareth slipped off his jacket and sat beside Tom on the sofa having taken in the part naked body as he did so.

"What the fuck has happened to you?" Tom gasped when he noticed a bruise and a small cut above Gareth's eye.

"Oh, it's nothing" Gareth replied as he held his hand up to cover the injury.

"You been in a fight or something?" Tom asked as he took a closer look.

Gareth squirmed not wanting to say what had really happened and muttered something about having bumped into a door frame. Tom laughed and suggested he took more water with it next time which at least made Gareth smile.

"That cut needs something on it though; looks nasty"

Gareth shrugged but Tom insisted on doing something so he pulled out his first aid kit, cleaned it up with an antiseptic wipe and covered it with a plaster.

"So, what's all this about Gareth?"

"I felt bad having run out on you earlier and wanted to apologise"

"You could have called me tomorrow or sent me a text rather than coming round at midnight"

Gareth took Tom's hand and held it. "I'm sorry but I needed your company; I'll go".

"For fuck's sake Gareth, sit down. You've woken me now so tell me what's going on. Is it something to do with this Fiona who keeps calling you?"

Gareth looked at Tom with tears in his eyes. He nodded but said no more.

"So why don't you dump her?"

"If only I could"

"Why can't you?"

"You've no idea Tom; everything is so complicated; don't think I can stand much more."

Tom pulled Gareth into his arms and gently caressed him. He kissed the side of his head and Gareth settled into his shoulder. He found Tom's caresses comforting which was all he needed at the moment.

"You want to talk about it?" Tom asked quietly hoping that Gareth would open up.

"I can't, not yet but I promise I will tell you sometime once I've sorted my head out. I'm sorry Tom, I really am."

"Don't be daft; it's what friends are for"

"So are we still friends?"

"Of course we are, why do you ask?"

"Thought I might have pissed you off earlier and you wouldn't want to see me again"

Tom's heart stopped. The thought of not seeing Gareth was the last thing he wanted to have happen. Of course he wanted to see him, in fact he wanted to love him and make him feel better because there was something deeply upsetting him at present but he realised there was no point in pushing him for an explanation. He'd have to wait until he was ready to do so.

"It's okay" Tom said, "I'm here for you whenever you need me". The problem was that having the gorgeous hunk in his arms was causing his body to react. He just hoped that Gareth wouldn't see the bulge that was now aching to get out of his briefs.

After half an hour of just sitting there in Tom's arms, Gareth said he'd better go home. Tom agreed saying he had work to go to in the morning.

"Can we meet up again?" Gareth asked as he stood at the front door to leave. Tom nodded and asked when he'd like to do so. "How about coming round to my place on Friday and I'll cook a meal for us"

Tom said that sounded a great idea so took a note of Gareth's address.

'Fuck, the posh part of Jesmond' Tom noted. "See you Friday then".

"So how's lover boy?" Becky giggled when Tom arrived at work the following morning. Tom had told her he was seeing Gareth the previous evening.

"Don't ask" Tom sighed, "Still can't work out what the fuck is going on".

"Come on then, spill the beans"

Tom told her what had happened and she listened intently without saying a word. "Strikes me the lad has some serious issues to deal with" she said when he'd finished the story.

"Yeah but why do I always attract these problem guys; why can't I find a nice ordinary guy to love and fuck"

"Because you're a kind and loving guy; besides, you'd be bored with Mr Ordinary; I'm sure he'll open up when he's ready." Tom nodded but he wasn't sure he could wait until then. It was doing his head in.

"There's a customer outside Tom who's asking for you" Mario said popping his head in the door of the kitchen.

"Sorry Mario, on my way" When Tom walked outside his heart sank. It was Adam and he remembered he hadn't called him to say whether or not he was going to meet up with him again. It seemed the boyfriend had gone off on another of his trips for a few days.

"Hi Adam, what can I do for you?" Tom said breezily.

Adam sidled up to him not wanting to speak out loud.

"Are you sure?" Tom exclaimed once he'd heard Adam's request. Adam nodded.

"Why, you've got lovely hair"

"My master says I have to do it and he wants me to shave my whole body"

"Your master?" Tom whispered incredulously, "Is this your boyfriend?" Adam nodded and explained again that he was his Dom who looked after him and as his sub he had to do what he wanted.

"And don't you have any say in this?" Adam shook his head, "I have to do what he wants otherwise he punishes me". Tom couldn't believe what he was hearing although he had read things about Dom and sub relationships but it would certainly not suit him.

"Okay, if you're sure". Tom invited Adam to sit in his chair and he placed the black cape round his shoulders. He then picked up his clippers and hovered over Adam's head. "Quite sure?" he asked looking at Adam's doleful eyes in the mirror. Adam nodded so Tom set to work and shaved Adam's head.

"There we are all done" Tom grinned once Adam's head was fully shaved. Adam turned his head from side to side to see the effect. It wasn't as bad as he'd first thought when his master had given him the instruction.

"Thanks" he mouthed and then indicated for Tom to move nearer. "Would you be willing to shave the rest of my body? Don't think I can do it myself."

Tom grinned. It wouldn't be the first time he'd shaved a guy's pubes so he agreed. "Cant' do that here though so you'd better come round to my place one evening". Adam asked if he could go round that evening since he had to have the deed done by Friday when his master returned. He'd invited friends round on the Saturday to see his shaved sub which meant Adam would be tied down and fucked senseless no doubt.

"See you around seven this evening then" Tom whispered when Adam had paid him for the haircut. "I'll pay you for the other work" he whispered. Tom placed a hand on his shoulder and said there was no need. He'd enjoy shaving Adam's body all over and perhaps give him a fuck afterwards.

On the dot of seven Adam rang Tom's intercom. He was feeling slightly apprehensive about what he was about to do since he'd never been shaved in his most intimate areas before but he trusted Tom. When he reached the second floor he found Tom standing in a pair of sexy briefs with nothing else on. He'd decided if Adam was going to be stark naked then he couldn't remain dressed. Apart from that he preferred relaxing at home like this and more often went round naked. Fortunately the flat was well insulated and always warm irrespective of the weather but since it was summer it was warm in any event.

"Thought we'd get down to business first and then have a drink after if that's okay"

Adam nodded and followed Tom into the bedroom where he'd already laid out a large towel on the bed and placed the implements he was to use on the side table. Adam stripped naked and Tom told him to lie down on his back. Fortunately Adam was not that hairy but there was still plenty to remove. He started by removing his chest hair using his cut throat razor having wet the area and spread over a shaving gel. Seeing how professional Tom was in using the razor he soon relaxed.

When he'd completed the chest area and removed the line of black hair that joined his pubic hair, Tom told Adam to lift his arms so he could do his armpits.

"I take it your master wants everywhere shaved?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah, every single hair; if he finds one I will be punished."

"And how does he punish you normally?"

Adam grinned. "Normally he likes to bend me over a chair and spank my butt. If I deserve more than that then he uses the whip on me but he knows I like that and find it erotic so he doesn't do that very often. Sometimes he'll take me along to the club and make me crawl naked in front of all the other guys."

Tom laughed "Kinky".

Once the top half was devoid of all hair, Tom told Adam to open his legs out wide so he could remove his pubic hair. This was thicker so he needed to use the clippers first before finishing off with the razor. As Tom held Adam's cock whilst he shaved he noticed a few stray hairs down the shaft. They too would have to be removed. By the time the whole area had been shaved the cock was erect so Tom held it upright and carefully ran the razor down the shaft. Adam grinned and held his breath. Tom then lifted his ball sac and saw more hairs so he pulled the skin taught and gently shaved. This was always a delicate operation but he'd done it before so he felt confident with what he was doing.

"Right, let's see what other hair you have" Tom grinned and told Adam to lift his legs up over his chest so he could inspect his puckered hole. Fortunately there were only a few hairs to be removed in that region but as Tom rubbed the shaving gel round the area, Adam felt a shiver of excitement. He always loved his hole being licked and caressed before fucking.

Having completed the operation he told Adam to turn over so he could do his back. Once again there were few hairs to remove but even so there were several that needed to be shaved off.

"And your legs?"

Adam said everywhere had to be shaved so Tom ran the razor down each leg from the crotch down to his ankles.

"Okay, one hair free body but you realise if he wants you to remain shaved you'll have to have this done on a regular basis."

Adam said he did realise this and asked if Tom would do the operation again when necessary.

"Yeah, if you want but isn't it something your master would do for you?"

Adam shivered at the thought of his master using a razor on him. "No way, I couldn't trust him not to cut me".

Tom suggested Adam had a shower to remove any loose hairs before he applied a lotion over his entire body to stop any razor rash. When he'd showered, Adam lay back down on the bed to have that done. Tom decided to use body oil since he had to cover the entire body. Having done the front, including running an oily hand up and down Adam's shaft which once again was erect, he told him to turn over so he could do his back. Seeing Adam's rather nice butt staring up at him, Tom decided to remove his briefs and straddle Adam's body whilst he applied the oil. He'd previously done a short massage course so as he did so he massaged Adam's shoulders and back. He groaned with pleasure and clearly enjoyed the process. When Tom reached his butt he massaged that too and Adam could feel his erection getting even harder beneath him. When Tom had run his hands down each leg right into his crotch and then ran a finger across his hole he gasped.

"Fuck" he muttered.

When the oiling was finished, Tom slipped a finger inside Adam's hole and probed until he'd found the spot that he knew would cause a reaction. It did so he slipped in another finger to feel again.

"Fuck me" Adam groaned.

It was precisely what Tom had in mind so he grabbed the condom he'd already got ready, prepared his cock and gently slipped it in.

"Yeah, beautiful" Adam groaned. He wondered what Adam's Dom would say if he knew what his sub was doing right now. He doubted this was allowed within the controlled relationship but it was not his concern.

Tom felt both excited and apprehensive as he made his way to Gareth's flat. Excited at the thought of seeing Gareth again and spending the evening with him, but apprehensive as to what would come of this friendship. As Tom expected, the flat was in a very posh area. He pressed the flat number on the door intercom and Gareth let him in. He had to make his way to the third floor at the top of the building. Gareth's flat was enormous. Tom's small one could have fitted in at least three times over. It was beautifully furnished although he had a feeling it included little of Gareth's personality. It was as if he was just staying in someone else's home.

"Nice place" Tom commented as he walked in and Gareth led him into the living room from which there was a large terrace outside. The view wasn't brilliant but at least it provided outside space. "This must have cost a pretty penny" he commented casually.

"My father owns it and pays for its upkeep" Gareth replied sullenly.

"Wow, lucky you"

"Not really; I'd much prefer to have a place I could call my own like yours"

"What, and give up this space?"

"I'd swap with you anytime"

Tom's excitement quickly dissolved when he realised that Gareth was serious. It seemed it was yet another example of how his father controlled him and he wondered why.

"Why don't you find your own place then?"

"If only it was as simple as that" Gareth sighed, "Anyhow sit down and let's have a drink; the meal will be ready in half an hour. Tom sat down on the nearest sofa and watched Tom open a bottle of red wine having checked with him that he liked red. "Yeah, drink anything that has alcohol in it" Tom giggled.

Having poured two generous glasses he sat down beside Tom. "Cheers and thanks for coming".

"My pleasure"

"I really value our friendship Tom" Gareth turned towards Tom and placed a hand on his leg. The touch immediately made Tom's body react in the way it always did when a gorgeous guy touched him. He smiled and placed a hand on top of Gareth's. They sipped their wine not saying anything for a few moments and Tom noticed that Gareth had not made any attempt to pull his hand away from beneath his.

"So, how's work?" Tom asked, more to open the conversation than for any other reason.

"I'd rather not talk about my work life if you don't mind Tom but please tell me more about yours. How did you get into hairdressing?"

Tom laughed. It hadn't been his first job which was working at a massage parlour but when someone said he was good at handling the public and the job he was doing wasn't going anywhere he saw an advert for a men's hairdressing course so he decided to give it a try. Having found he liked the work he qualified and met Mario. "The rest is history as they say" Tom chuckled, "I love the work, love working for Mario and with Becky."

"I envy you" Gareth said still with his hand resting on Tom's leg.

"You seem to envy me a lot" Tom chuckled patting Gareth's hand.

"Yeah, you don't realise how lucky you are"

"What is it Gareth? I'm a good listener you know."

Tom looked into Gareth's eyes and he could see tears forming. "I know you are Tom and I appreciate the offer but I'm too mixed up at the moment to talk about it all".

"Often talking things through can help you know"

Gareth didn't reply and Tom saw tears starting to fall down his face. He immediately pulled Gareth into his arms and kissed him. The first was a light kiss on the lips but suddenly he found Gareth wanted more. Before Tom knew what was happening Gareth's lips were surrounding his. It lasted what seemed like minutes before Gareth pulled away and immediately stood up. "The meal should be ready now" he said as if that was the reason but Tom knew differently. He could tell the guy desperately wanted to take things further but something was holding him back.

"Hope you like pork chops; should have asked really" Gareth said as he served up the meal. Tom said he ate almost anything.

"It smells good"

Gareth smiled as he placed the plates on the glass table that overlooked the terrace. It was so different to his tiny flat which he liked it and found it very homely. This place lacked personality and he wondered whether that was Gareth's choice or his father's.

"Did you have any say in the furnishing of this place?"

"God no, you don't think this is my choice do you?"

"To be honest I didn't think it was your style; does your dad not let you make any decisions?"

"No; how are your chops, are they cooked enough?" Tom noticed the brush off regarding the question about his father so smiled and said the chops were perfect which seemed to please Gareth.

The rest of the meal was spent talking about topics that didn't include Gareth's family or his work. Tom had a feeling they were taboo subjects for some reason yet he was interested in hearing all about Tom's family, his early life, his sister and how they got on with each other and his work life. Tom never minded talking about these topics so was happy to do so. Every so often he realised he was also including snippets of his gay lifestyle which Gareth seemed to encourage. Tom had no doubt in his mind that Gareth was gay but there was something holding him back.

When they'd finished their meal and cleared away the dishes, they sat down on the sofa again side by side. Gareth had opened another bottle of red wine and Tom noted he was becoming somewhat frisky. He decided to let Gareth take the lead so as not to risk causing him to back off or be upset. He'd already noticed earlier that when Gareth received a telephone call, which he guessed was from the mysterious Fiona by Gareth's reaction, that he'd punched the End Call button and thrown the phone onto a nearby chair having made sure he'd switched it off. Tom had said nothing and nor did Gareth.

"I really like you Tom" Gareth was saying as his hand started roaming up and down Tom's leg again.

"And me you" Tom replied trying not to show that his whole body was aching to take Gareth into his arms, strip him naked and get him into bed.

It wasn't long before Gareth's hand was feeling in Tom's crotch. He didn't seem surprised to find the erection that was lying there waiting to be released so Tom let him continue without saying anything. He then knelt on the floor between Tom's legs and slowly unfastened his belt followed by his jeans. Tom was about to ask was he sure he wanted to do this when Gareth slipped Tom's T shirt up over his head and pulled it off him.

"God you're fucking beautiful" Gareth exclaimed as he caressed Tom's chest and his nipples. Tom remained motionless not too sure what to do. His cock was aching to get out and be held. He placed his hands round Gareth's head and gently caressed it as Gareth kissed his abdomen. Suddenly he stripped his own T shirt off and Tom admired his beautiful chest. He couldn't resist brushing his fingers over Gareth's nipples which he clearly liked. Gareth then released Tom's jeans some more and pulled them down his legs. Tom lifted his butt to allow the garment to be slipped off him. He'd already slipped off his trainers earlier seeing that Gareth was walking around in bare feet. Gareth felt the long thick organ now straining inside Tom's briefs and groaned. He bent down and licked it through the thin material whilst Tom lay back watching.

Without saying anything, Gareth stood up and removed his own jeans. To Tom's surprise he was commando style. His erection sprang into life and stood out like a flagpole. Tom couldn't resist taking it in his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze; god how he wanted to feel that inside him.

Gareth then pulled Tom's briefs off him so that he too was naked. Tom expected Gareth to take his hand and lead him into the bedroom but instead he knelt between Tom's legs again and took the rampant organ into his mouth.

"Ah" Tom gasped as the hot lips surrounded his shaft. It was pure heaven. He'd dreamt of this moment and more, so many times since he'd met Gareth that he could hardly believe it was happening.

Slowly but surely Gareth brought Tom off to a climax until Tom shot his load. Gareth continued sucking until every last drop had been sucked from Tom's cock. When he was finally done, he looked up and grinned.

"That was beautiful, thank you" was all he said.

"You want me to suck you off?"

Gareth shook his head and instead sat naked beside Tom and hugged him. "I'd rather just hold you if I may".

Tom had no problem with that so put his arms round Gareth and hugged him closer. If he wanted to take things slowly he was happy to do just that.

Finally the evening came to a close and it was time for Tom to leave. They agreed they'd meet up on Sunday afternoon since Gareth wasn't available on Saturday. By the way he spoke Tom had the feeling it was another meeting with Fiona who in Tom's mind was now the dragon between them. Either that or it was a visit to his parents.

Tom walked home with a glow in his heart. There was hope at last.

On the Sunday morning Tom was looking forward to meeting Gareth that afternoon. They'd planned to go out for a drive as the weather was still good. Instead, he received a text from Gareth to say he couldn't meet up after all. There was no explanation or any alternative date to meet up. Tom was totally deflated and cursed.

"What the fuck is he playing at?" he yelled at the top of his voice although there was nobody else around to hear his outburst. He wanted to expunge Gareth out of his mind, at least for the time being. He'd so enjoyed their time on Friday but it was clearly a flash in the pan.

Feeling sorry for himself he decided to go to the sauna. He hadn't been for several months and only went when he was desperate for anonymous shags or like today needed something to distract him. Once he'd undressed and wrapped a towel round his waist he made his way to the Jacuzzi. Three guys were already sitting there so Tom removed his towel and gingerly climbed into the warm water. As usual all eyes viewed the new arrival as he stepped naked into the water to see what he had on offer. He sat opposite two guys who were clearly enjoying each other's company from what he could see and settled alongside the third guy.

As usual, it didn't take long for Tom to become aroused, especially since the two opposite were feeling each other with vigour and kissing every so often. He felt the guy next to him casually brush his leg against his to see if he was interested in exploration so Tom pressed his knee against it. The guy took the hint and shuffled a bit closer so he could have a feel of Tom's now full erection. The guy silently gasped when he felt the size and the PA. As he continued feeling, the two opposite whispered to each other and within seconds were standing up to climb out. Two erections were now on view as they made their way up the steps to reclaim their towels. One of them smiled knowingly at Tom as he went. He had a good idea where they were off to.

Tom decided to explore his admirer and to his delight found a large erection to hold. They felt each other and caressed up and down each other's legs for several minutes before the guy leant over and asked if Tom was interested in going to a rest room. Tom nodded so they stood up with their erections flapping in front of them and having donned their towels walked upstairs to find a rest room. Once inside, the guy indicated for Tom to lie down on the bench on his back. Without saying anything, the guy knelt across him and took Tom's organ into his mouth. He was good at sucking cock so Tom was happy to let him do so. Suddenly the guy stopped and settled on top of Tom. He took Tom's head into his hands and kissed. Soon their tongues were exploring each other and Tom found it rather nice. So often guys just wanted to suck and then fuck before disappearing so it was rather nice to have a guy who wanted more than that. As they kissed, Tom's mind went back to Gareth. In his mind it was him he was kissing and the more the kiss continued the more Tom's imagination took over. He was desperate to see Gareth again and take him to bed but he wondered whether it would ever happen.

"Do you like being rimmed?" the guy asked having broken out of the kiss. Tom's mind was so wrapped up with his thoughts about Gareth that at first he didn't register what the guy had said.

"Can I rim your arse?" the guy repeated. Tom grinned and nodded lifting his legs over his chest so that the guy could plunge his face in between them. The guy was good at rimming as well and Tom enjoyed the feel of his hot tongue licking across his hole and then plunging it inside as he pulled his cheeks apart to open him up. Again he imagined him and Gareth doing it to each other. Either way he'd be happy. The guy dribbled some spit into his hole and gently slipped in a finger. Tom relaxed to let him in and within seconds the guy had hit his special spot. Tom groaned with pleasure which pleased the guy. He quickly ripped open a packet of lube and used some to lubricate his fingers. Two were then slipped inside to open him up and have a good feel round. Tom loved this and never objected whenever someone wanted to do it. He guessed what would come next and having seen the guy's erection he was more than happy to receive it.

"Fuck that feels good" the guy exclaimed once he'd got the full length of his shaft inside Tom. As he fucked, he massaged Tom's cock in his hand. It didn't take much for Tom to be shooting his load all over his chest and it was quickly followed by the guy shooting his into the condom. Once satisfied, the guy pulled out and lay back down on top of Tom. They kissed and the spilt cum was spread between their chests but neither were bothered about that.

"Thanks, that was beautiful" the guy eventually said as he climbed off and wiped himself clean. "Think a shower is in order now" he grinned and made his way out. Tom wrapped his towel round himself and wandered back downstairs. He first went to the steam room and enjoyed the warmth surround his naked body. Unlike many guys he always removed his towel and draped it round his neck so he could sit naked on the tiled bench seats. Not only did he enjoy the thrill of being naked but it often encouraged guys nearby to have a feel. The guy next to him was also sitting naked and casually stroking his organ up and down. He looked at Tom and grinned. It wasn't long before both were enjoying each other's appendage.

"Want to go upstairs?" the guy whispered after several minutes. Tom nodded. He was sure he could perform again.

Once inside another rest room the guy immediately bent over the bench offering his arse. He clearly wanted to be fucked so Tom grabbed some lube and a condom, prepared himself and the guy's hole and gently pushed his way in.

"Yeah, fuck that feels so good" the guy groaned as Tom's cock slowly filled him up.

After several vigorous thrusts in and out, the guy said he wanted to see Tom shoot his load so when he'd reached yet another climax he pulled out and the guy turned round and sat facing Tom. Whilst the guy wanked himself off, he watched Tom do the same. He pulled Tom between his legs as he wanted the ribbons of thick creamy cum to shoot over his chest. Tom duly obliged as the guy shot his own load over himself. Once done, they thanked each other and went off in different directions.

For a while Tom wandered up and down the corridor of cabins. Several were open with guys sitting and waiting for guys to go in and join them. He also noticed two or three guys who were bent over the bench with their arses in the air ready to be fucked. He seldom took up the offer since he knew most of them wanted to be fucked bareback and he'd never done that even though the temptation had been at the foremost of his mind on several occasions. 'One day perhaps with a guy I know and love' he told himself as he walked on.

He eventually came to the dark room area where guys moved around feeling each other. Even in here he'd often come across guys offering themselves for whoever wanted to fuck them. Tom found the thrill of anonymous fumbling of naked bodies exciting. The usual format was to place your towel round your neck and walk round naked so that everything could be felt by roaming hands in the darkness. After a while his eyes adjusted to the blackness and he could make out shapes but when cocks were available to be held and massaged nobody cared about not being able to see who it belonged to.

By the Tuesday Tom had still not received any communication from Gareth. As he ate breakfast he pondered whether or not to send him a text. He ached to see the guy again despite still feeling pissed off about the abrupt text he'd received cancelling their Sunday meeting. In the end he sent one simply saying 'Hope you're okay, would love to meet up again.'

Over the next few days texts went back and forth and Tom had the feeling that Gareth still wanted to keep friends with him but each time Tom suggested they meet up back came some excuse as to why he couldn't. Most were work related or to do with his parents, but Tom had a feeling the Fiona bitch had something to do with things. On the Friday morning Tom sent another suggesting they meet up that evening for a meal. He was going to suggest they went to a gay bar but kept that back for the moment.

'I'm sorry Tom, I'd love to but can't; have too many problems at present; I hope you won't give up on me, I so want to remain friends with you. Gareth x'

Tom read the text several times having noted the kiss at the end so he replied saying 'I want to remain friends with you too but it's difficult when we don't meet; when can we meet up and talk about your problems? Tom xx'

Tom didn't receive any response to that and when he got into work Becky could see he was down in the dumps.

"What's the matter Tom? You look as if the world is about to come to an end."

Tom looked at her and tears came into his eyes. She immediately took him into her arms and caressed him. The flood gates opened and he cried over her shoulder trying to explain what was going on his mind. Gareth was doing his head in but he couldn't get him out of his mind.

"Becky, a customer is asking for you" Mario said as he came into the kitchen area and saw what was going on. Tom moved away and indicated for Becky to go to her customer. To his surprise Mario came up and took him into his arms.

"Love is such a bitch isn't it? I assume that's what is upsetting you." Tom nodded. "If you want to go home Tom I'm sure Becky and I can manage." Tom shook his head emphatically. He'd much prefer to work and forget the guy who was causing him so much heart ache. Mario released him and Tom rinsed his face with cold water. He then walked out into the shop and saw one of their regular customers waiting to be served.

"Morning Mr Rawlings, how are you today?" Mario and Becky looked at each other and grinned. Tom was back on form which pleased them.

More texts went back and forth and another meeting was arranged for Sunday only to be cancelled yet again by Gareth. Eventually they did manage to meet up for a drink after work on the Tuesday but even that was cut short when Gareth received a text from Fiona saying 'Where the hell are you? I need to see you now!'

"I'd better go" Gareth said despondently.

"Why do you always jump when she says jump?"

"It's a long story"

"Well, it's time you told me Gareth because I'm fed up with our friendship being fucked about by this Fiona bitch so you need to decide; either you want to remain friends with me or sing to her tune; your choice mate but I'm not prepared to have my head done in so I'd rather we said goodbye for good here and now and forgot each other."

Gareth went white. In no way did he want to lose Tom. "I promise I'll sort things out Tom; just give me time."

"Sorry mate but I've given you three weeks to tell me what's going on and let me help you but it seems you don't want me to, so I tell you what, if you want to continue our friendship then meet me outside the shop on Friday at six and we'll go for a meal and whatever we decide after that but if you don't turn up then I'll never contact you again. That gives you two days to decide. Is that fair?" Tom knew he was giving Gareth an ultimatum but he couldn't go on like this. It really was doing his head in and not doing either of them any good. Gareth nodded and said he'd be there without fail but Tom didn't hold his breath as he watched him run off to see the Fiona bitch.

"Your boyfriend is waiting outside Tom" Becky grinned. It was five thirty on Friday. Tom's heart jumped with joy. Perhaps his little speech the other day had done some good. Time would tell. Tom was in the middle of cutting a guy's hair so he excused himself for a moment and went over to the window. He beckoned for Gareth to come and sit inside. He couldn't have him standing outside for half an hour. Gareth beamed when he saw Tom and came running over.

"Won't be long my love" he whispered as Gareth entered the shop. Gareth's heart jumped when he heard the words. It was the first time Tom had used the endearment and he liked it.

"You might as well go Tom" Mario said when he'd finished with his customer and Tom had swept the floor round his and Becky's chair, "Doubt we'll have a rush now seeing we shut up shop in two minutes". Mario always put the closed sign up at ten minutes to six so that the other two weren't starting with a customer at closing time. It was one of the many things Tom and Becky loved about Mario. He never referred to them as staff, always his colleagues and was always thinking of their needs and comfort.

"See you tomorrow morning Tom" Mario called as Tom walked past him having cleared away his personal tools of the trade from his work station and collected his jacket from the kitchen area, "Have fun you two" Becky grinned. Even Gareth looked up and smiled which pleased Tom. Perhaps tonight was going to be the big breakthrough.

"Thought we'd go and eat at Harry's if that's okay with you; basic food but good and at reasonable cost."

"Yeah, sounds good" Gareth replied putting an arm round Tom as they walked down the road. He'd resolved to tell Tom what was going on his life and risk the consequences of what Tom might do or say after that. He owed him that at least after Tom's outburst the other day. He was also fed up to the teeth with Fiona but had not decided how he was going to dump her.

Gareth loved Harry's cafe and when he saw how Harry welcomed Tom and then him, he loved Harry too. They ordered their food and sat at Tom's favourite spot in the window.

"Cheers" Tom said holding up his glass of cider which he invariably had when he went to Harry's cafe.

"Here's to us" Gareth replied before taking a sip of his. He looked at Tom wondering how to begin what he knew he had to say.

"So, are you ready to tell me what's going on?"

Gareth nodded but was still not sure how to start. Tom looked into his eyes and could sense he was finding it difficult to speak.

"Would it be easier if I asked a series of questions and you gave me straight honest answers without prevaricating?" Tom felt proud of the way he'd suggested that as Gareth nodded.

"Okay, so number one, are you gay, straight, bi or bi curious?"

Gareth hadn't expected that question but immediately replied "Definitely gay".

"And for how long have you realised you were gay?"

"For as long as I can remember; certainly whilst at school, that's why I so envied you; you were out and proud and didn't care a damn that others knew despite what they said."

Tom was surprised. He hadn't expected that.

"So what's with this Fiona bitch? Why does she cling onto you like a limpet? Does she not know you're gay?"

Gareth then explained that his father was not only a bastard but a homophobe. "He's a control freak and expects everyone to do what he says irrespective of their views. He even beats my mother into submission, sometimes physically but mostly psychologically so she just says yes to whatever he wants."

Tom gasped; the thought of a husband dominating his wife like that was beyond him when he thought of how loving and caring his dad was to his mum. "So why Fiona?"

He then explained that he was an only child and his father expected him to get married and provide grandchildren. Ever since the age of eighteen Gareth had been presented with a constant flow of what his father considered to be suitable girls but most soon realised they were not going to get anywhere with Gareth, especially not into bed, which most seemed to want to do almost as soon as they met.

"Fiona was different; her father is the company lawyer and my father seems to think she'd make the perfect loving wife for me but Fiona is only really interested in one thing, money."

"Ah, so she sees you as the son of a rich daddy from whom she can get lots of money once married"

"You've got it in one and she's sussed that I'm gay"

"So why is she prepared to marry a guy who she knows is never going to love her as a woman?"

"She's an evil bitch who spends money like water so is only interested in what money she could get out of me once she's part of the family."

"What a cow; so why can't you just tell her to fuck off"

"Because she threatens to tell my father that his precious son is gay."

"So? Is that the end of the world?"

"Not apart from the fact that I'd probably lose my job, lose the roof over my head since he owns my flat and I'd lose my only family, not that I'm bothered about that since I hate him and despise my mother."

Tom was shocked despite having an inkling of what Gareth was going to tell him having pieced together odd snippets he had managed to glean since they'd known each other.

"So what? You could get another job and find somewhere else to live."

"You don't know my father; he's almost as evil as Fiona; it wouldn't be the first time he'd made sure that someone couldn't get a job within the industry we work or for that matter in Newcastle; you know he's a local Councillor I presume."

Tom nodded as he thought through what Gareth had told him.

"If you gave up doing product design, is there anything else you could or would like to do?"

Gareth thought for a moment. "I'm currently writing a computer program that's partly associated with what we do but not sufficiently for my father to have any influence over since he's ignorant of anything to do with computers and doesn't even bother to find out what I'm doing. I've already got a software company interested so I suppose I could take that further."

Tom noticed a chink of light at the end of the tunnel for Gareth. "There you are then; tell your father to stuff his job if he can't accept your sexuality and either offer your services to this other company or set up on your own."

Gareth thought for a moment. Yes he could do that. He'd never really thought it through. He was so used to being controlled by his father that he'd almost stopped thinking for himself. He needed someone like Tom to bring him out of himself.

"Yeah, not a bad idea but if I do that how the hell am I going to afford somewhere to live because one thing's for sure, once I tell my father and leave the company he'll kick me out of the flat and then where the fuck do I go?"

Tom leaned forward and took hold of Gareth's hand. "You could always come and live with me; at least until you're on your own feet; I know my place is nothing like yours but it's better than nothing."

Gareth's eyes glistened with tears. He couldn't believe that the guy he loved was offering a way out.

"Fuck my flat Tom; to be honest I hate it; I much prefer yours which is so much more homely; there's not a single thing in my flat that's mine because my father wouldn't let me have any say in how it was furnished."

"There you are then. Sorted" Tom grinned, "Tell Fiona to fuck off, tell your father you're gay and where to stuff his job and move in with me."

"You make it sound so easy"

"It is if you really want to be true to yourself and move on with your life but if you want to be forever ruled by a tyrant of a father and marry a bitch who'll make life hell for you every time you even glance at a guy, then fine but don't expect me to be around Gareth."

"One thing's for sure Tom, I don't want to lose you; I love you."

Tom looked into Gareth's eyes to make sure he'd heard him correctly. "Did you say you loved me?"

Gareth nodded as more tears started welling up in his eyes. "Have done ever since we met in your shop, in fact I even loved you when we were at school but didn't realise it then; I know I've been a complete pain in the arse and caused you no end of anguish Tom so I don't expect you to feel the same about me but I desperately want to remain friends with you."

Tom took hold of Gareth's hands and held them tight. "I think we'd better go back to my place so I can show you my true feelings for you."

Gareth grinned and his heart warmed. Perhaps at last his troubles were over.

Tom paid the bill and led Gareth back to his flat. Once inside they fell into each other's arms and kissed passionately. Both were feeling horny but Tom was determined not to rush his first time with Gareth. Besides, the evening was early and he wanted to take him to a gay bar before bringing him back for the night when they could make passionate love.

"I need a shower and then I thought we'd go to the Yard for a drink before coming back here" Tom grinned.

Gareth grinned too and agreed. He knew the Yard was a gay bar. He'd walked past it on numerous occasions but never had the courage to go in despite knowing that straight guys went in with their gay friends. They stripped off and walked into the bathroom with erections flying but neither attempted to satisfy their needs. They showered together, got dressed and made their way to the Yard. Tom had chosen it deliberately since he knew Gareth wouldn't find it threatening since all ages, gay, lesbian, trans, and even drag queens frequented it and everyone mixed in well.

Gareth felt like a new man as he walked into the bar behind Tom. It was as if he was outing himself and he loved the feeling. Several guys said hello to Tom and they hugged and kissed which Gareth loved to see. Tom introduced Gareth and several guys gave him a hug and a kiss too. Tom got two beers and they stood talking as they drank. When it was time for another round Gareth insisted on buying it for the guys they were talking to and came back with a load more drinks.

He was halfway through his pint when he was conscious of a woman dragging his arm and yelling. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she screamed as she attempted to pull him away from the group. Tom turned and recognised her as being Fiona. He put an arm between Gareth and her to restrain her.

"Leave my boyfriend alone you pervert" she screamed. For a moment Tom was taken aback and dropped his arm. He then watched Gareth being dragged out the bar. As others watched the spectacle unfold he followed them outside and heard Gareth telling her they were finished. "Fuck off home Fiona, I never want to see or hear from you again".

Tom felt proud of him and moved to his side to support him. "You heard what Gareth said Fiona so just fuck off and leave him alone".

"You fuck off you fucking pervert" she screamed and immediately went to slap his face. Tom was too quick for her and grabbed both her hands. "Fuck off you bitch" he yelled into her ear. She recalled and looked at Gareth. "You are so going to regret this; you wait till I tell your father that his precious son is gay".

"Go ahead" Gareth replied, "Tell him; I don't care, especially if it means I no longer have to have a money grabbing bitch like you hanging onto me all the time." Fiona looked at him realising that her trump card had just been thrown away. She looked deflated, turned and walked away without saying another word.

Tom and Gareth watched her turn the corner before looking at each other. Gareth was white and Tom had a feeling he was going to feint. "Come on, let's get you back home".

They walked the ten minutes it took to get to Tom's flat in silence. Gareth couldn't believe what had happened and Tom wasn't sure what to say. Once inside the flat they fell into each other's arms again and kissed. Gareth now knew that he had to face his father and drop the big bombshell but fortunately his parents were away for the weekend so neither he nor Fiona could contact him until Monday.

Tom led Gareth into the bedroom. Not because he was planning sex because he'd decided that was the last thing on either of their minds but by laying on the bed it meant he could hug him and make him feel safe and wanted. They kicked off their trainers and climbed onto the bed fully clothed. For several minutes, neither said anything. Tom just put his arms round Gareth and hugged him tight.

"You okay?" he eventually asked. Gareth nodded but Tom knew that his mind was in overdrive about what lay ahead with his father.

Gareth decided to go back to his own home around eleven. Tom had said he could stay but he needed time alone to sort out in his mind how he was going to deal with his father and all that lay ahead. He also knew that Tom was working in the morning so had to get up early.

"Can we meet when you've finished work?"

"Of course, come round to the shop just before one and we'll come back here for some lunch and perhaps go for a drive somewhere in the afternoon; think this good weather is going to last over the weekend."

Gareth's face lit up, "Yeah, perhaps we could go to the nudist beach". Tom grinned as they kissed each other goodnight. Tom watched him go down the stairs and when he'd gone jumped up into the air with joy.

Gareth was just about to key in the door entry code to the building in which his apartment was situated when Fiona suddenly appeared.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Come on Gareth, I know you didn't really mean what you said earlier; let's go in and talk."

"I've told you Fiona it's over so fuck off and leave me alone; I never want to see or hear from you again and you can tell my father whatever you like; yes, I am gay and proud of it so just fuck off."

Fiona became white with rage. This was not what she'd planned. Before Gareth knew what was happening she attacked him. She punched him on the side of his head and clawed down his neck. He suddenly felt blood dripping down his neck and soaking into his T shirt. He couldn't believe what had happened. For a moment she just stared at him watching the blood. He turned and ran round the back where his car was parked, unlocked the door with the remote as he ran up to it and jumped in. He started the engine and drove off down the road away from where he'd left her. He didn't want to look back to see if she was still there or not.

Tom had just climbed into bed when his door intercom sounded. He cursed and climbed out again to answer it.

"Let me in Tom, please let me in". Tom could sense that Gareth was in a panic so pressed the door release button. He opened his front door and ran down the stairs. He was stark naked but he didn't care as he met Gareth on the first floor landing and gasped.

"What the fuck?"

Tom led Gareth back upstairs supporting him as they went. Once inside he sat him down at the small table and gently slipped off his T shirt. "Is this Fiona's handiwork?"

Gareth nodded and told Tom what had happened. "She's a crazy bitch" Tom exclaimed as he inspected the wounds caused by her sharp nails. They looked worse than they actually were but Tom knew they'd be painful. He told Gareth to sit there whilst he pulled out his first aid kit. He gently bathed the wounds with an antiseptic wipe and then put on some antiseptic cream. He decided it best to leave them open to the air to heal but they already looked angry.

"Come and sit down over here and I'll get you a drink; think you could do with something strong, how about a whiskey?" Gareth nodded so Tom pulled out the bottle from the cupboard and poured out two glasses. When he turned he found Gareth sitting naked. "Thought as you were naked it was only fair I was too" he grinned. Tom sat down beside him and pulled him into a kiss. "I'm not complaining".

When the kiss had ended they sipped their drink. "That's going to hurt like hell for a while".

Gareth nodded. "Thanks Tom, you're my knight in shining armour".

Tom laughed, "Yeah a stark naked one. What do you reckon she'll do now?"

Gareth said she'd probably call his father on Monday knowing her. "She's not going to lie down quietly that's for sure but have no fear Tom, I'm not turning back, you've helped me move forward and as you say, be true to myself but I'll see my father first and steal her thunder. Once he sees what she's done to me I doubt he'll support her in any event."

"But you think he'll react when he knows about you being gay"

"Fuck yes, I can guarantee that but I've got you now Tom so I feel safe"

Tom felt a wave of pleasure shoot through him and kissed Gareth again. "You're staying here tonight, no arguments". Gareth was happy to accept that and followed Tom into the bedroom. They lay within each other's arms and gradually went to sleep. There was plenty of time ahead of them to do what they both yearned to do, but that could wait for the time being.

"Becky my love, sorry to call you so early but I'm wondering if you could do me a big favour." When Tom told her what had happened she agreed to do his Saturday morning shift. Instead he agreed to do her Monday shift. Since she'd get a whole day off for working a half day, she agreed although she'd have done it in any event for Tom.

"Tell him to stand up to the bitch and his father; oh and tell him from me that he's fucking lucky to have a gorgeous guy like you to support him and that if he fucks you about he'll have me to answer to" she laughed.

"Will do, and thanks Becky, you're a star" Tom chuckled.

"Yeah, just wish I could find a gorgeous knight in shining armour" she laughed.

"All settled so if you want we could go and fetch your stuff and move you into your new home" Tom said once he'd finished the call.

"Are you really sure Tom?"

"I hope you're not having second thoughts"

"Fuck no but ..."

"No buts, just say you want to"

"I want to" Gareth grinned.

After breakfast they drove round to Gareth's apartment and packed up his clothes and personal items. Quite how they were going to fit it all into the small flat, Tom didn't know but they'd manage somehow. Once it was packed in the car, Gareth closed the front door behind him with a sigh of relief. He was glad to see the back of the place. All he now had to do was brave the lion in his den on Monday.

Gareth decided to arrive at work early on the Monday morning. He'd spent a wonderful weekend with Tom even though they'd not actually done it yet apart from sucking each other off but they'd decided to wait for that special moment until Gareth was free from his father and all that entailed.

He chose a high necked shirt to try and hide his injury which was looking angry but not as painful as it had done. Even so, he found the tie that his father insisted on staff wearing caused discomfort so he loosened it not caring what anyone would say. Besides, he'd noticed several guys in the design office jib at the strict code of dress his father required which included a suit, shirt and tie and often slackened off their ties and unfastened the top button as the day progressed. Only when his father appeared did they hastily adjust their dress.

"Morning Mary"

"Good morning Gareth, how are you this morning?" Gareth liked Mary. She was in her fifties and had been his father's secretary for the past three years but she always treated him kindly and often gasped at the way her boss spoke to his son. As she looked up and smiled at him she noticed the scratches that were still evident above the collar of his shirt.

"Goodness, what's happened to you?" she asked very concerned. Gareth trusted Mary so decided to tell her but first ascertained whether his father was in his office.

"He is but I'm afraid he's in a meeting Gareth; in fact he's got meetings one after the other all morning. The earliest time he's free is after lunch at two." Gareth asked her to book him in for a meeting at two. At least it meant the bitch wouldn't be able to get hold of him until after lunch.

He then told her what had happened and she was shocked. She'd only met Fiona once and to be honest had not warmed to her one bit. She asked if the injury had been treated and he said it had so she relaxed. He also explained it was possible that Fiona would try to contact his father and asked her to not put her through until after he'd spoken with him.

"Don't worry Gareth; she won't get near him even if she turns up on the doorstop demanding to see him"

"Thanks Mary you're a true friend, and by the way, keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone, not even my father; I want to tell him myself."

"Of course, my lips are sealed" She liked Gareth and always thought him to be such a kind considerate guy. She couldn't understand why his father treated him so badly. She'd never had children but if she had done so, Gareth was the kind of son she'd have been proud of. Female intuition also sensed his gay side but she never made any reference to it.

Gareth went back into the design office and set to work. The other eight guys were slowly arriving and called out their usual good morning to him but nobody looked at him that closely to see the scratches peering above his collar. As the morning progressed he surreptitiously gathered together all his personal items from his work station and put them into one drawer. He was certain he'd be leaving before the end of the day and wanted to be ready. He even found a cardboard box he could use to place them in when the time came. It contained redundant products that had been worked on in the past but had never been thrown away. He slipped the box under his desk ready for when he needed it. He also made sure he'd got two backups of his computer software programs on USB sticks along with several other files he decided he may need and then deleted them from the server. He went through his email account and forwarded those he wanted to his personal email before deleting them from the system. He was the only person in the office who had administrative rights to the system so could ensure that all trace had gone. As he did so, he felt good. His father was going to regret what Gareth felt sure he would do once he'd been given the big news.

The rest of the morning seemed to drag by because his mind was on what lay ahead and several times he had to bring himself back to the present when someone asked him a question or the phone rang. By the time he was due to see his father, he was geared up and ready for action. Tom's words kept coming back into his head 'stand up to him and don't let him brow beat you'. That was precisely what he intended to do. His father would wonder what had hit him. He smiled to himself as he walked into Mary's office to ask her to announce him. Nobody ever just knocked on his father's office door. It was taboo and unheard of.

"You can go in Gareth; good luck" Mary said quietly and smiled at him.

"Sit down boy" His father seldom called his son by his name. Gareth decided to remain standing so moved up to the front of his father's large old fashioned desk with its leather top. The whole room was like walking back in time with its dark panelling. It was not only ugly but overbearing, which was probably his father's intention.

"I understand Fiona is trying to speak to me" his father said as he continued signing a pile of letters in front of him without once looking up to welcome his son, "What does she want?" he added in an irritated tone.

"Probably about this?" Gareth replied and opened up his shirt to show the full extent of her attack. He'd slipped off his tie before entering Mary's office which she too had noticed but said nothing.

At last his father looked up with pen poised as he did so. Even he gasped before asking, "What the hell have you been up to?" and then continued with the reading and signing of his letters.

"If you could drag yourself away from what you're doing for once and stop to listen to your son for a moment, I'll tell you."

His father threw down his pen and glared at his son. He was about to say 'How dare you speak to me like that' when Gareth cut across him and said that Fiona had attacked him on Friday evening, punched him on the side of his head and clawed his neck causing the injuries now on show. For a moment his father was speechless.

"What did you do to make her do that?"

"I'd told her earlier in the evening that I no longer wanted anything to do with her and to leave me alone."

"Why; I thought she loved you and were soon to be engaged, at least that what she told her father not so long ago."

Gareth laughed. "If you'd bothered to talk to me I'd have told you that the only thing she loves is money, your money, which she hoped to access via marrying your son." His father really did take interest now. The thought of a woman being that devious really got his goat. "The bitch" he muttered.

"Precisely, an utter bitch so that's why I told her to fuck off and leave me alone; besides, I'm not interested in women in any event."

His father sat back in shock for a moment having taken in what his son had said. "What do you mean you're not interested in women?"

"Are you so stupid that you can't work it out?" Gareth threw back at him. He was past caring now what happened. "I'm gay".

His father went white before saying anything. "Don't be stupid, of course you're not; no son of mine is ... one of those."

"You mean the big and mighty Frank Chambers couldn't possibly have a poof for a son? Well you have; I'm gay and proud of it."

"How could you disgrace your mother and me?"

"Grow up you stupid idiot; I know you still live in the past but the rest of us live in the twenty first century."

His father was foaming at the mouth with outrage. He'd never known his son or anyone else speak to him like that before. Gareth went over to the door and opened it to end the meeting which again was unheard of since Frank Chambers always decided when it was time for a meeting to end, not the other person.

"I'm not having a...a queer working in this company" he shouted as Gareth walked out into Mary's office.

Gareth laughed. "You can stuff your job; I'm leaving as of now". Mary gasped as he walked out and back into the design office with his father almost running behind. The other staff all looked up having heard some commotion and stared as Gareth swept the papers off his desk onto the floor, picked up the box he'd placed beneath his desk and tipped the contents of that on the floor before filling it with his personal items he'd collected in his drawer. He placed the cardboard box under his arms and threw his office keys onto the desk. His father looked on dismayed and watched the keys skate across the desk and fall onto the floor with the other debris. Everyone sat or stood silent waiting for the boss to say something as Gareth made his way to the door into the corridor.

"And you can find somewhere else to live; I'm not having you use the flat which I own" his father shouted across the office not caring that the other staff were looking on.

"Already have" Gareth laughed and threw the keys to the apartment to his father. The keys landed at his feet and his father gazed down at them whilst Gareth made his exit.

Once outside, he felt drained. He just managed to get to his car and climb inside before he felt his heart thumping. For a moment he thought he was going to feint but somehow he managed to start the engine and drive off to his new home.

"Get back to work" his father barked once Gareth had left, "And someone clear up that mess". He then marched back into his office yelling at Mary to join him.

"If either Bruce Milner or Fiona his daughter call, tell them I have nothing to say to them. Also give me a list of any work Bruce Milner is currently doing for the company and make sure that no more work is put his way. Produce a list of possible lawyers we can use in his place."

"Yes sir; when did you want this done?"

"Now woman, now." Mary shook slightly at the harshness of his tone and walked out. She decided it was time to find another job. She was fed up with the way this man treated her and the rest of the staff and she knew she was not the only one. She felt proud of Gareth at the way he'd stood up to his father and smiled when she realised she'd been right all along. How on earth a man like that could father such a sweet loving boy was beyond her.

When Gareth had let himself into Tom's flat, which he remembered was now his home, he pushed the cardboard box into the cupboard Tom had managed to clear to make room for his clothes. It certainly was tight but he knew things would work out okay in the end for them.

He undressed and hung his suit up in the cupboard. Hopefully any new employer would not require him to wear that as he hated wearing a suit and tie. As he stood in his briefs he decided to have a shower to wash away all trace of his father's presence. He knew it was stupid to think like that but it made him feel good as he lathered his body. As he did so he thought of Tom. "God I love you so much Tom" he cried out and took his flaccid appendage into his soapy hand. It was soon hard so he continued massaging it until he'd shot a load of creamy cum all over the shower cubicle.

"Fuck that feels so good" he exclaimed and rinsed himself off and the telltale signs of his eruption down the plughole. Once dried off, he walked back into the living room and made himself a sandwich. He could see why Tom liked the freedom of being naked at home, apart from the obvious advantages when they were together.

At five o'clock he decided he could wait no longer to see the love of his dreams so walked round to the shop. He saw Tom through the window busy working away and paused. Tom looked up and grinned beckoning him inside so he entered the shop and sat in the waiting area. He loved watching Tom at work. He was so professional and it was clear that the customer he was attending to loved his attention. When he was done and the customer had left, Tom came up to Gareth and kissed him. Both Mario and Becky were still attending to customers but nobody raised an eyebrow. Gareth felt on top of the world.

"So, how did it go?"

Gareth looked round and didn't like to speak about what had happened in the shop.

"Come on, let's have a cup of tea and you can tell me all about it" Tom led Gareth to the back kitchen and asked Becky to give him a shout if a customer came in. She gave Gareth a wicked grin and winked at him as he walked past her chair. Even Mario smiled at him and he felt so happy.

As soon as they were in the confines of the kitchen, Tom pulled him into his arms. Before any words were spoken they were kissing passionately and both could feel their bodies reacting accordingly until two hard erections were pressing against each other.

Whilst Tom made the tea, Gareth gave him a blow by blow account of what had happened. When he'd finished, Tom came up to him and pulled him into his arms.

"I'm so proud of you my love"

Gareth felt a tear of joy form in his eyes as he kissed Tom again. "Hope you realise you've now got an out of work homeless guy living with you"

"Well, not homeless; that's assuming you want to live with me for good"

Gareth looked into his eyes and more tears of joy filled his eyes. "Do you mean that Tom? Are you really saying we are a couple and going to live together?"

"Well, I am but how do you feel?"

"How do you think? It's the most wonderful news I've ever had; thank you."

"So, how are the two lovebirds?" Becky giggled as she walked into the kitchen to find both guys locked together. "Oh, I don't need an answer to that" she grinned looking down at their crotches and seeing large bulges straining to get out.

"Fucking brilliant Becky; you know Gareth don't you?"

"Know him? I feel I've almost lived with him for the past few weeks" Becky laughed before pulling Gareth into a big hug and kissing him on the cheek, "It's lovely to see you Gareth" and then added "I'll say this once; make sure you treat this guy right otherwise you'll have me to deal with, and believe me I'm nothing compared to your father".

Gareth giggled and kissed her back. "Don't worry Becky, this guy is the most beautiful kind guy I've ever met and I shall look after him for the rest of my life."

"Yeah, well mind you do" she grinned before patting his backside. Tom meanwhile felt tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't really believe that at last he too had the man of his dreams.

"Are you two planning on serving any more customers today?" Mario chuckled having watched the scene in the kitchen for a few moments.

"Sorry Mario, on our way" Becky and Tom replied.

"You young man can stay in here and finish your tea" Mario grinned and watched Becky and Tom run outside to deal with the two customers who were now waiting.

"So, you're the infamous Gareth who we've heard so much about during the past few weeks; I'm Mario."

"Hi Mario and I'm sorry if I've caused problems for Tom at work"

Mario grinned and patted Gareth on the back, "No problem lad, we're used to Tom's love life but you seem to have caused him the most grief so I assume you are the special one."

"I do so hope so Mario; I love him to bits" Gareth said seriously and hoped he was in fact Tom's final lover since he knew he'd had numerous boyfriends over the years.

"I can see you do lad and I'm very pleased for you both; knowing Tom I'm sure you'll be very happy together. Are you free of your father's control now do you think?" Gareth hadn't realised that Tom had told Mario and Becky all about his father and no doubt about the bitch as well.

"Yes, thank god; I've got Tom to thank for that too."

Mario smiled and put a comforting arm round Gareth. "Yes, he's a lovely guy is our Tom; you're lucky to have found him".

"That I am" Gareth murmured, "That I am".

Once the shop had closed, Tom and Gareth made their way home. Tom had already bought something for their meal that evening and he intended celebrating Gareth's new freedom and their new life together. As soon as they were inside, they were once again in each other's arms. They couldn't get enough of each other. When they'd pulled apart, Tom suggested they showered and then prepared the meal he'd planned. Gareth didn't let on he'd showered earlier since he wanted to share one with Tom so they stripped off and enjoyed lathering each other's bodies before rinsing them off. By the time they'd finished both were sporting erections but there was time to satisfy those later.

To keep their minds on preparing the meal, they decided to wear their briefs but nothing else. At least it meant they could enjoy each other's semi nakedness as they worked together and the occasional feel down below.

Once the meal was over and they'd finished off the bottle of red wine Tom had bought to go with the meal, they decided to go to bed.

"So what else do you like doing apart from sucking and being sucked?" Tom asked once they'd stripped off their briefs and kissed and cuddled on the bed for a while.

"Dunno, only ever done that" Gareth grinned.

"What, you've never fucked or been fucked?"

"Nope, I'm a virgin when it comes to that; not even fucked a girl but I'm ready and willing to try anything so I'm all yours."

Tom grinned. "You are in for such a treat; how about we start with me giving you a massage?"

"A massage? "

Tom giggled. "I do know how. It was what I did before I trained as a hairdresser." Gareth grinned. He'd forgotten that so said he looked forward to having a massage.

Tom laid out a towel on the bed and told Gareth to turn over onto his stomach. He pulled his legs apart so he could do what he'd wanted to do for such a long time. Kneeling across Gareth's naked body, he commenced a long and sensuous massage. Gareth loved it and groaned with pleasure as Tom worked his hands into his shoulder muscles and then down his back. He so needed this and by the time he reached his buttocks he was totally relaxed. Tom first worked on each leg running his hands right into Gareth's crotch which caused his cock to become rock hard beneath him. When Tom then pulled his buttocks apart and licked the puckered hole he nearly jumped up in the air. It felt wonderful.

"Oh yes, that's beautiful" Gareth groaned as Tom licked away.

"Mm sure is" Tom muttered in between licks. He was so looking forward to plunging his manhood inside the hole in due course but he wanted to take things slowly so that Gareth felt comfortable and was ready for him when the time came.

"I'm going to finger you now, is that okay?"

Gareth told him to go ahead. He wanted to experience anything Tom had in mind. He'd watched enough gay porn so knew what to expect but to experience it in the flesh as it were was mind blowing and so far he'd not felt a cock inside him.

Tom gently slipped in one finger to feel around shortly followed by a second. Each time he hit Gareth's magic spot which made him jump with joy.

"Mm, me thinks you like that" Tom giggled as he pressed the fingers in some more and found the spot again.

"Oh fuck Tom, I had no idea how good it would feel."

"There's more to come if you want it" Tom chuckled as he ran his erection through his hand.

"Yes please Tom, fuck me please; I want to feel your cock inside me"

Tom leaned over to the side cabinet to pull out a condom and the bottle of lube. As he drew his hand back, Gareth held it.

"Must we use one of those?" he asked fingering the foil packet in Tom's hand. He'd seen plenty of bareback porn and it turned him on so wanted his first time to be that way.

"What, bareback you mean?" Tom gasped, not because he didn't want to but because the thought of fucking Gareth so that flesh touched flesh caused him to jump with excitement.

"Well, since I'm a virgin I know I'm okay and I trust you to say if you're not; I assume you get tested regularly." Tom confirmed that he was and everything on the last test a few weeks ago had been fine.

"Okay then let's agree to do away with protection between ourselves but always use condoms with others" said in earnest.

"Wow, so this is not going to be a monogamous relationship then" Tom laughed hardly believing what he was hearing.

"Knowing your record Tom I don't for one moment expect you to be but it's up to you; I certainly don't have an issue with it as long as we love each other."

Tom collapsed on top of Gareth's back and kissed him. God how he loved this guy and if he'd insisted on a monogamous relationship he'd have agreed without any hesitation but he knew they may want to involve others in their sex life at some point in the future.

"Okay, bareback it is between us alone and condoms with anyone else that's lucky enough to share your arse with me" Tom laughed and gave Gareth's delicious buttocks a playful slap.

"Yeah, kinky, I like that"

When Tom had got his cock fully erect again, he slicked it with lube and gently pushed the head up to Gareth's open hole. He told him to relax and to say if it was too much and he wanted him to stop. Gareth nodded waiting to feel his first cock inside him. He winced when the head breached his entrance but once inside he relaxed and enjoyed the feel of it filling him up. He could feel the Prince Albert massaging his erotic spots inside him and he gasped with joy.

"Fuck Tom, that feels brilliant"

Tom grinned and continued pushing the rest of his shaft inside until his balls were brushing against Gareth's naked butt. Once in he held it there to let Gareth savour the feeling.

"Yeah, brilliant" Gareth giggled, "Look mum, I've got a cock up my arse" he laughed. Tom laughed too and it was so good to see and hear his lover laugh and enjoy life after so much pain and suffering at the hands of the bitch, as she was now called, and his father.

"I wonder what your father would say if he could see you now" Tom said without thinking.

"Fuck him Tom, I don't ever want to see or hear from him again" Gareth yelled vehemently. Tom paused and leaned over to kiss the back of Gareth's neck.

"I'm sorry my love, didn't mean to remind you of him; I just had this mental picture of his face of absolute horror."

Gareth laughed. "Yeah, perhaps we should send him a photo of us at it sometime".

"Now that is kinky" Tom laughed as he continued his slow fuck.

"You want me to come inside you or over you?

Gareth thought for a moment before saying that he wanted to move onto his back and watch Tom fuck him whilst he brought him off to a climax. Tom giggled. His lover was really getting into this.

Having turned over, Gareth lifted his legs over his chest and watched Tom's long thick cock invade him. It was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen despite having watched similar porn scenarios before.

"Yeah, fuck that arse Tom" he giggled enjoying the feel of the hot organ inside him and watching Tom massage his erection.

"Yeah, fuck, I'm coming Tom" Gareth yelled after several minutes of massage. Suddenly he let rip and ribbons of hot creamy white cum shot out over his chest.

"Ah, I'm coming" Tom cried out a few seconds later and Gareth could sense the hot man seed erupting inside him.

When they'd both come down from their high Tom collapsed on top of Gareth and they kissed. It went on for several minutes and as they did so Tom heard his mobile ping to say a message had arrived. He ignored it not wanting to spoil the beautiful feeling he had as they hugged and kissed some more.

"Think I'd better have a shower; I feel somewhat oily" Gareth giggled, "And you'd better see which other boyfriend is after you" he added laughing.

Tom grabbed both of Gareth's outstretched arms and held him down on the bed. "I've only got one boyfriend and he's laying beneath me having just let me give him the most beautiful fuck ever" he grinned, "It's probably one of my other fuck buddies though" he added laughing.

"Well as long as I can join in when you fuck him" Gareth giggled. "Next time I want to feel my cock up a guy's arse."

"Don't you worry mate; that cock is going up my arse before the night is out" Tom laughed as he released Gareth and they went into the bathroom to shower.

After their shower they sat beside one another on the sofa, still naked but feeling sexually satisfied for the moment and Tom looked at the text message he'd received. He laughed when he read it and showed it to Gareth.

'Tom, desperately need to come over for another shave; my master has found a stray hair on my balls'

Tom explained what it was all about and how Adam was a sub and his Dom had insisted on him being shaved from head to toe.

"What, everywhere?" Gareth laughed.

"Yep, had to remove every single hair with my cut throat razor; it was very erotic I tell you."

Tom sent a reply saying to come over the following evening after work and he'd give Adam another full body shave. "Can I watch?" Gareth asked feeling his cock rise at the thought of watching Tom shave a guy's naked body.

"Don't see why not; I'm sure Adam won't object since he's used to being naked in front of guys"

Gareth wanted to know more about what a sub was expected to do and what the Dom did to him. Tom said he was no expert on the topic but relayed what Adam had told him. "Fuck, not sure I could be a sub; a Dom perhaps" he added laughing.

"Yeah, well you can forget that because in no way am I am going to be your sub" Tom laughed grabbing hold of Gareth's cock.

"Spoil sport; not just for an evening for fun? I'd be your sub if you wanted."

"I'll think about it" Tom laughed but secretly rather liking the idea of playing out a short scene with his lover, "In the meantime, I want this cock up my arse".

Gareth didn't hesitate and jumped up leading Tom into the bedroom.

An hour later when he'd shot his load inside Tom's arse he collapsed on top of him and grinned. "Fucking brilliant" He'd so enjoyed licking Tom out and fingering him and then slowly pushing his naked organ inside before thrusting back and forth until he was spilling his seed.

"So, are we a top or a bottom?" Tom grinned although he had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Neither, I'm versatile; I loved it both ways so I hope you do too"

Tom kissed him and assured him he most certainly did.

Whilst Tom went to work, Gareth decided to clean the flat. It was the least he could do since he had nothing else to do, not that the flat was dirty but it gave him something to occupy his day. He also went shopping and bought something for their meal that evening before Adam arrived for his body shave. As he did the chores he wondered how to go about finding a job. He couldn't last too long on the money he'd saved. Once the cleaning and shopping was done he pulled out his laptop and opened up his email account to send an email to the company he'd been in contact with about his new software program. They'd already indicated that they were interested but were concerned about him working for Chambers. Now he could tell them he was free and was available for employment or to be used freelance.

He sent the email and whilst he was going through other less important ones he received a response almost by return. He couldn't believe his luck.

"That's great news Gareth; we had heard and would like to meet up to discuss a proposal we have; would you be free for a casual get together on Thursday evening and bring along whoever you'd like to accompany you since it will be more social than formal just to bounce ideas."

"Fucking brilliant" Gareth yelled out loud as he re-read the email before replying to say he'd be there. He made a note of the rather smart hotel bar where they were going to meet and rushed off to see Tom. He had to tell him about his wonderful news and they had said they'd meet up for lunch even though he knew it would be a short one and probably in the kitchen at the back of the shop.

"Hi Gareth" Becky grinned as he entered the shop, "You'll find Tom in the kitchen". Gareth almost ran to find his lover and when he'd done so pulled him into a big hug.

"Missing me already?" Tom giggled as he kissed Gareth and had a good feel down below since both Becky and Mario were busy with customers. Not that either of them would have worried but he did have a few standards of decorum left.

When Gareth told him the news Tom gasped and clasped him in his arms again. "That's brilliant news, so do you reckon they're interested in employing you?"

"Who knows but we'll find out on Thursday"

"We?"

"Yeah, I want you to come with me; they said I can bring along whoever I like. Besides, I want to show you off; in no way am I going to hide being gay again Tom; you will come won't you?"

Tom said of course he would and looked forward to being introduced as Gareth's beau.

"I've decided I'm going to sell the Mini Cooper" Gareth announced over their meal that evening before Adam arrived. Tom was shocked and queried that surely he'd still need a car.

"Yeah of course, but not that one; I want to get rid of all reminders of my father and that one reminds me of him too much; do you know the fucker didn't even let me choose what I wanted; okay it's a nice car and all that but it would have been nice to have been consulted just once."

Tom could understand the feeling and agreed that perhaps it would be best to get rid of it.

"I want you to come along and choose one with me Tom; it will have to be a second hand job but the Mini has held its value so we should be able to pick up something reasonable". Tom grinned and bent forward to kiss him. "You are such a gorgeous guy".

"You'll have me stripping you naked and taking you to bed if you're not careful and we've got Adam coming shortly" Gareth laughed.

"I was going to talk about that" Tom grinned, "The last time I shaved him naked I ended up fucking him".

"Brilliant, if he wants you to, go for it and perhaps I can as well when you've had your fill"

"For a guy who was diffident about coming out you've certainly come on leaps and bounds" Tom laughed.

"There was only one reason why I didn't come out and we know what fucker that was; besides, I've got a lot of catching up to do."

They'd no sooner finished their meal and cleared away the dishes when Adam was ringing the door entry buzzer. Tom told him to come up and waited for him at the front door. Both he and Gareth had worn their briefs following Tom's after work shower so when Adam arrived at the top of the stairs his whole body filled with excitement at the sight before him.

"Got someone for you to meet Adam, hope you don't mind but Gareth here is now living with me" Adam looked at Gareth and felt the same shudder of excitement he'd had on seeing Tom in his briefs. The guy was just gorgeous.

"Do you mind if Gareth watches me do your full body shave?"

Adam grinned and said Gareth was more than welcome to watch. "I'm used to being looked at when naked so it doesn't bother me" Adam replied and thought back to the previous weekend when his master had invited six guys over to use his arse for their pleasure. He'd been masked, strapped to a bench and fucked whenever they had the urge. It went on most of Saturday and well into Sunday before he was finally released with just a short period in between for him to eat and drink but even that had to be performed as part of the scene his master was playing and involved him crawling naked round the garden before coming back inside and lapping up water and eating his food from a bowl like a dog whilst they smacked his naked butt. To be honest he enjoyed being used like this and his master was on the whole very kind to him and when they were alone he was very passionate. It was only when his mates were around that he portrayed the heavy master role but that was what being Dom and sub was all about.

Tom told Adam to strip off which he did immediately before standing with his arms down his side and his eyes to the floor waiting for Tom to give him his next instruction.

"Come on then, get that naked butt into the bedroom so we can start shaving you" Tom said with a firm voice. Adam dutifully obeyed and Tom grinned at Gareth as they followed the naked Adam.

"How would you like me sir?" Adam asked standing by the bed to be told.

"On your back first" Tom replied as he removed his briefs. He'd decided that he'd perform naked tonight. Seeing him remove his, Gareth did the same and stood beside the bed. Adam gasped at the sight of two gorgeous naked bodies and closed his eyes. Tom straddled his chest and Adam could feel his privates rub against the smooth skin. Tom then lifted Adam's head and rubbed the shaving cream over it. There was a light covering of hair but not a lot so it was soon removed once he'd got Adam to sit up whilst he did the back. As Adam bent his head forward his eyes gazed on Tom's long thick cock and it made his own react. There was just nothing he could do to stop it.

Tom then laid him down again and ran the razor over his chest to remove the odd hair that had started growing again. He asked Gareth to lift each arm as he shaved the armpit and then moved down his legs. When it was time to perform on his genitals, he asked Gareth to hold Adam's cock up high whilst he stretched the ball sac to shave off the errant hairs. Gareth was soon holding an erect cock much to his delight. He was tempted to bend over and take it into his mouth but controlled the urge. They then lifted Adam's legs and Tom shaved round his hole and at the top of his legs.

"Right, time to turn over"

"Yes sir" Adam said immediately twisting over onto his stomach. Tom and Gareth grinned at each other hardly able to stop laughing.

When Tom had removed a few hairs on his back and checked all over again, he passed Gareth the razor to place back on the side table and to give him the body oil.

"I'm going to oil your body now to ease any shaving rash"

"Thank you sir; are you going to fuck me sir?"

"You can either pay me in cash or in kind, what would you prefer?"

"Oh definitely in kind sir" Adam giggled.

Once Tom had oiled his back, down his legs and over his buttocks, he passed Gareth the oil and slipped on a condom. He then slowly pushed his tool inside of Adam who groaned as the long thick organ filled him. He dreaded to think what his master would say if he knew but he couldn't afford to pay Tom for the shave; besides he enjoyed the feel of Tom's cock up his arse and hoped he'd feel Gareth's as well.

After several long hard strokes back and forth, Tom pulled out and offered Adam to Gareth. He soon had his cock inside and Adam groaned with pleasure.

"You want to take both of us together Adam?"

Adam's heart jumped with joy "Oh yes please sir, I love two cocks up my arse at the same time".

Gareth looked at Tom somewhat confused not sure how they were going to do that until Tom told him to pull out and lay down on his back in place of Adam. He told Adam to sit on Gareth's erection and bent him forward.

"Would you tie my hands behind my back please sir; I like to be totally under your control"

Tom looked at Gareth and grinned before pulling out an old tie from his drawer. Having tied Adam's hands behind his back he pushed him down over Gareth's chest and slipped his cock into his arse alongside Gareth's.

"Fuck that feels good" Gareth exclaimed as he felt Tom's PA rubbing against the head of his cock.

"Are you okay Adam?" Tom asked.

"Yes sir, please keep fucking." Tom continued thrusting with vigour until both he and Gareth had filled their condoms with cum. As they did so, Tom reached round and massaged Adam's cock with an oily hand. It too was soon spilling its load over Gareth's chest. When both cocks had been removed from Adam, Tom slapped his naked butt. He couldn't resist it but Adam loved it.

"Allow me sir" Adam then said as he bent down to lick his cum off Gareth whilst he lay there.

When they were done, Tom suggested they all have a shower. There was just enough room for the three to shower together although Adam just stood there and let the other two wash him. When they were done, they dried off and Adam got dressed.

"So is your master away again?" Tom asked.

"No sir but I was under instructions to be shaved as soon as possible. He will no doubt punish me tonight for letting my hair grow."

"You can't stop that happening" Gareth laughed.

"I know sir but I should have come earlier before he saw it"

"How long is it since I last shaved you Adam?

"Two weeks sir"

Tom suggested that perhaps they should make a regular arrangement for him to come each week for a full body shave. Adam liked that idea but said he couldn't afford to pay for it since his master made him pay his own personal expenses.

"If you're happy to be fucked each time then I'm sure we're be happy to do it for nothing, won't we Gareth?"

Gareth grinned and nodded. Adam said that was perfect so it was arranged that he'd come every Wednesday since his master went out to a club meeting on that night to which he wasn't expected to attend.

"See you same time next Wednesday then Adam" Tom chuckled as he watched Adam run down the stairs.

When he returned to the living room, Gareth was in fits of laughter. "That was surreal."

"Yeah, well, whatever floats your boat" Tom laughed.

"Tell you one thing though" Gareth added, "I rather fancy the idea of being shaved down below; I found it very erotic feeling his smooth balls and his cock."

Tom laughed. "Your wish is my command; when does sir want it done?"

"How about now but only if you agree to do the same"

Tom grinned. He'd once before shaved his pubes just for the fun of it and rather liked it so he was up for that.

"I only want my pubic area shaved nothing else" Gareth laughed, "I'm rather attached to the hair on my head". Tom agreed but since neither of them had much body hair they decided to remove what little there was as well.

Once he'd shaved Gareth he performed on himself. He didn't fancy the idea of letting Gareth loose with the cut throat, at least not yet but perhaps he'd train him how to use it the next time Adam came to be shaved; then they could do each other.

Adam's weekly shave and fuck became a regular event in the calendar and eventually Tom did trust Gareth to shave him once he'd been fully trained on the use of a cut throat razor so once Adam had left them, they would shave each other.

Gareth eventually found a car he liked and could afford having traded in the Mini Cooper so once Tom had given his approval the deed was done. He ended up buying a Peugeot 208 which was ideal. It only had a few miles on the clock so it was a good buy and it was dark blue so was totally different to the Mini Cooper.

"The final reminder of him gone at last" Gareth exclaimed once he'd passed over the keys to the sales guy. He'd not had sight or sound of his father since he'd walked out of the office but life was moving forward with great speed in other respects.

The get together he'd attended on the Thursday evening had brought with it several shocks albeit pleasant ones. When he and Tom arrived at the smart hotel bar he'd been told to go to, he found Len, the owner of the software company sitting there but was shocked to see Tony, one of the design engineers from Chambers and Brett, the accountant. For a moment he wondered what the hell was going on until Len explained. It seemed after Gareth had left and shocked everyone to the core, the other design engineers had all got together and agreed they too were going to leave and set up in business on their own. Knowing that Brett was also fed up to his teeth with Frank Chambers, he too said he'd join them. Since Tony had known about Gareth's contact with Len, they contacted each other and arranged this get together.

"What we're thinking of doing Gareth" Len explained "is set up in competition to Chambers and we'd like you to join us with your knowledge and expertise of the new software you designed since we feel that's the way forward. Chambers is too behind the times now so won't have a chance to keep up with us."

Tony then chimed in and said the whole design team, plus Brett and even Mary were leaving Chambers en-bloc to leave his father in the lurch. "I know he's your dad Gareth but the way he treated you and everyone else, I'm afraid nobody has any respect for him".

Gareth told everyone that as far as he was concerned his father was no longer a part of his life. As he said this he took hold of Tom's hand who'd been sitting there somewhat bemused with all that was going on.

"This is the guy in my life now so anyone who can't deal with that should say right now"

Tom felt so proud of his special guy and smiled at him.

"God no Gareth, we have no problem with your sexuality and welcome Tom into our circle" Tony replied, "And that goes for all of us including those who are not present". The others all agreed and looked at Tom with a welcoming smile.

Having agreed the basic format, it was agreed that Len, Tony, Brett and Gareth would work out the detail to put to the others as soon as possible. They knew they had to act now rather than leave it too long, since customers were already getting restless having heard rumbles of discontent within the company. Len said he was certain the vast majority would move with them.

"You realise my father won't take this lying down" Gareth added, "He'll fight tooth and nail".

"I doubt it Gareth, not when I've finished informing the Inland Revenue how he's been fiddling them for years and customers realise they too have been overcharged in several areas. Between what I know and Mary knows, we have him by the short and curlies."

Gareth grinned. He couldn't wait to see revenge on all the years his father had given him. "Great, let's go for it".

Several days later, a detailed plan had been put together and was being presented to the remainder of the team. Everyone was sworn to secrecy since one slight word spoken in the wrong place could jeopardise the whole project but Len and Gareth trusted the team implicitly. He also knew he could trust Mary, who when she met him again with Tom rushed over to give him a hug and then Tom. Brett he knew less about but Len assured him that he too was fully behind the project and had his own reasons for wanting to bring Frank Chambers down.

A month later the deed was done and the whole design team, plus Brett and Mary handed in their notice. His father had never believed in formal staff contracts despite having been told on numerous occasions that he was required to issue them but it was now coming back to hit him where it hurt. By law all of them only had to give a week's notice but when he received all eight resignations from the design team on the same day followed by Brett and Mary's the following day, he smelt a rat but there was nothing he could do. He told them all to get out of the company immediately saying he'd pay their week's notice. He was left with an empty design office and an expensive manufacturing plant with no design team to feed it with new products. Gareth and Brett had said on numerous occasions that it was foolish having a manufacturing unit as well since it was far more cost effective to outsource the manufacturing but Frank Chambers always reckoned he knew best so ignored the advice he'd been given from several sources.

Now the chickens were coming home to roost and he was worried. Especially since when he contacted the recruitment agency to employ a new team of designers he had not a single application. The agency told him that nobody wanted to work for Chambers anymore having heard how the company was run. He couldn't even replace Brett with a qualified accountant since they too had heard about the company's ruthless owner and managing director. Mind you, it hadn't helped that Gareth, Len and Brett had spoken to all the agencies beforehand advising them to steer clear of Chambers in view of a possible melt down.

When the Inland Revenue came knocking on the door, Frank Chambers blew his top which didn't go down well with the inspectors who demanded to see the records having received copies from Brett to give them a taste of what to look for. He raged at home and at work and eventually Gareth's mother decided to leave him and live with her sister. Once gone, she contacted Gareth to try and mend bridges. At first he was wary but Tom persuaded him to at least see her. "Only if you come with me" he told Tom so one Saturday they made their way to see her. Once she'd met Tom she realised how much her son was in love and welcomed him into her new home. Basically she had no hang ups about sexuality. It was her husband who'd told her to shun Gareth when he'd announced her son was gay. In the end, Gareth began to feel sorry for his mother so he relented. Okay, he'd never have the kind of relationship Tom had with his but it was something now he'd lost all contact with his father.

Finally the new company was up and running and the others insisted on Gareth being the lead designer as he had been at Chambers. He was chuffed at being given that responsibility and threw himself into the job. Brett acted as Accountant and General Administrator with Mary's assistance who loved working for the team. They occupied newly refurbished offices that Len had organised at his software company so everybody was happy. They also turned up for work wearing whatever took their fancy. No stupid rules about wearing suits and ties. The only rule they did lay down was that everyone had to look smart but casual, especially when meeting clients. That suited Gareth and the others perfectly.

"Think we might be able to afford a larger flat now that I'm on a good salary plus bonus" Gareth told Tom one evening. Tom hugged him but said he didn't want to move out of the city centre since he loved the vibrancy of it and being near the shop.

"Of course, same here; in fact I've seen a two bedroom flat up for sale not far from here; thought perhaps we could go and view it one evening."

"You sly old dog" Tom giggled, "You've already been looking".

"Well, got to keep my lover in the style that he deserves, haven't I"

Several months later Gareth learned that his father's company had gone bust. It seemed he'd not only lost most of his customers but he'd not been able to replace the design team with anyone who had experience and when he tried to take legal action against Gareth's new enterprise he was told by the lawyers he was chucking good money down the drain since he didn't have a leg to stand on having issued no staff contracts that included a non competition clause, not that they were that reliable in any event.

Once the Inland Revenue had hit him with a massive tax and VAT bill he was done for so closed up shop making the manufacturing staff redundant which didn't do much to aid their opinion of him. In addition the next time he came up for re-election on the town council, he was beaten hands down so he ended up with nothing. Gareth felt he should feel sorry for him but couldn't. What he did feel was never ending love for the man of his dreams.

"Thank you so much Tom" he said one evening when they'd reflected back on things.

"Well, I did tell you that you always have to be true to yourself my love."