Beneath the Mask

Beneath the Mask 50

Written by: J.P.G.

{"Beneath the Mask" is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing, as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it is in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws, a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story cannot be distributed in anyway, shape or form without authors' express written consent.}

Story Written by: J.P.G.

Editor: Ed

Editor: Jack

Editor: Trevor

I have a home page for you to see what the characters look like or what the places look like. If you want to walk in their shoes, please go to: http://jacobmillertex.com/

Chapter 50

As he waited for the elevator to open, Alex saw Joey walking towards the restaurant. He turned to Matt and asked him to go up stairs and he will join him in a few minutes, but Matt did not want to start without Alex. He followed him to the restaurant and as they entered, Matt grabbed a hold of Alex's hand to let him know he was there.

Alex didn't shake off Matt's hand, instead he held it tighter. They walked up to Joey asking if he had a few minutes to talk. Joey nodded and they all sat down at the table they were at. No one said a word for the first few minutes. They just looked at each other and waited to see who would blink first, which was Alex.

"Joey I know what happened here tonight was not what you probably wanted for your hotel. For that, I'm sorry and I hope it is not going to put you and your family out too much. If it is, my family, Matt and I will move out to make it a lot easier for you."

"Look Alex you and I will probably never see eye to eye on many things, but security isn't one of them. I was around when you were at your worst and for that I will never forgive you." Alex looked at Joey a little confused on where this was going. "Jacob and I were an item when you tried to kill him. You made his life a living hell for almost two years. How in the world he ever forgave you I will never know, but I will not.

With that said what happened here tonight I was aware was going to happen before you guys did. Your head of security and Mr. Jackson came to me and informed me what was going on. Then after talking it out, we decided what was best for everyone concerned, which is overall safety.

After we talked it out, Jacob was brought into it. The only reason for that was because of the cost. Someone was going to have to pay for all this, and it certainly wasn't going to be me. Before anyone asked, he made it clear the cost of the security upgrades was going to be paid by him. When he said that, I was satisfied."

"First let me respond to what you first said about me and how I was couple years ago. I'm not going to make excuses and even if I would, you wouldn't believe me. You have already made up your mind about me, and nothing is going to change it. That is said because you got a second chance from Jacob after doing what you did. None of his family or your guy's friends acted or is acting the way you are acting towards me.

I'm sorry for what I did to Jacob and have told him that many times since we started talking and became friends. He has forgiven me and to be completely honest with you Joey, his is the only forgiveness I need. Therefore, if you don't want to do that, it's fine. I will live with it because I will have no other choice but to do so.

Hopefully, the new house will get built as fast as Jacob thinks it will and I'll be out of your hair. When that happens, you and I will never have to deal with each other again. That is something I never wanted because of how much you mean to Jacob, but at the same time I don't want to make you uncomfortable.

Finally, about security and the changes to it, should not be solely on Jacob's shoulders. You know that as well as I do. As soon as I am done talking with you, I will go and talk with Jacob and help out with the cost since the increase is because someone is after me, none of you guys.

You though should be ashamed of yourself on wanting what Jacob did as far as taking the entire cost on his shoulders. Once we move out, all the changes in security will stay in place and you will be able to keep them free of charge. You know as well as I do you would have had to invest in this upgrade sooner or later, but now you don't have to worry about it since good old Jacob has come to your aid once again."

Joey slammed his fist against the table, causing Marco to walk out of the kitchen. He looked over at Marco and waved him off before turning his attention back to Alex. "You don't know what you are talking about. So before you say any thing more, you'd better leave before I actually do ask you and your family to move out."

Alex stood up, followed by Matt. They started to walk out of the restaurant. Matt could feel Alex was hesitant and tried to keep him walking, but was unsuccessful. Alex turned around and walked back to Joey.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you at the hands of your family. No one, I mean no one deserves what you got. However, you choose those that did the most hurt to you over the one that loved you the most. The one that would never have done what your mother and uncle did to you. Jacob would have given everything he has in his life to keep you safe, and I know you know that. Yet you had no problem breaking his heart and almost killing him.

He fought back twice from cancer, me shooting him, beatings and many other things, but the thing that almost took his life was not all that, it was you leaving him. So, before you come to me all high and mighty, you need to look in the mirror. You hurt him as much, if not worse than I ever did and just like me, he has forgiven you.

Hell he and his grandfather just gave you a million dollar hotel, furnished and all without asking for anything in return. Even with that, you couldn't even help out on the cost of the security at this hotel that you will be keeping as I have said. Shame on you Joey, shame on you! All your hype that you have grown since you left here is nothing but hot air, because you haven't.

You came back the same person that you left. As a person that can't defend for himself and always needs someone to be there to lean on when ever things get a little stormy. This someone has always been Jacob and I believe it will always be that way. He has a big heart, and will never turn his back on you, me or anyone he loves.

Think about all of what I just said and look in the mirror and see if you like the person that is looking back at you. You have not earned a thing yet in this world. Everything you have has been given to you, including this hotel. Who here is taking advantage of who. Hopefully when you answer that question, you will go up to Jacob and help pay for the security in the building that was given to you to create your shelter."

Joey just looked at Alex, stunned on how he was talking to him. Every word that came out of his mouth was true and he didn't see it until it was made clear to him. Everything he has is still because of Jacob. His money is getting back to where it was before he left El Paso because of Al, Jacob's grandfather. The hotel and all the success he has had since he has come back here is in one way or another because of Jacob. Something he has not seen because he has been blinded with wanting to succeed with his dream.

Alex and Matt walked out of the restaurant and headed to the elevator. Neither of them said a word, they just stood there in silence. One of the security agents walked up to the elevator and taped a flyer on the wall above the arrow keys. A flyer that had Ashton's name and picture on it, for those who didn't know who he was.

Just as the doors opened, Ismail and Lorenzo walked up. When they looked at the poster on the wall, they started to shake. This is the first time they have been able to put a face to the name they keep hearing and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Alex right away noticed how freaked out his little brother's were of the picture of Ashton. He kneeled down to try and reinsure them that they were safe, but got a surprise.

"Lorenzo and Ismail look at me as I say this to you guys, YOU ARE SAFE! This guy is not going to get anywhere near you, the hotel or anyone of us from this moment on. The security agents here at the hotel are going to make sure of that, okay?" Lorenzo and Ismail did not say a word or move. "I mean it you guys, you are safe."

Lorenzo looked into his brother's eyes, with tears rolling down his cheek. "Alex please don't be mad with us, please Alex." Alex placed his hands on Lorenzo's shoulders and told him that he wasn't going to be mad. "I think we did something wrong yesterday, so please don't be mad at us."

"I promise I will not be mad at you guys, just tell me what has gotten you this way. What ever it is will not make me mad, trust me!"

"Ismail, Ignacio, Morris and I were playing outside yesterday cops and robbers when some guy came walking up to us. He told us he was you friend and asked when you were going to be home. We thought he was telling the truth because you and mom always tell us not to lie, so we believed him and told him when you were going to be home."

"I don't see a problem with that, why did you think I was going to get mad over you telling one of my friends when they could find me here?"

"Because Alex he wasn't one of your friends. He was that guy on the wall." Lorenzo pointed to the poster of Ashton on the wall. "I know we were bad on telling him when you were going to be home. It was just we didn't know he was the guy everyone has been talking about. He even gave us another name when he played with us."

Alex couldn't believe that Ashton actually had the guts to walk up and talk with his little brothers. It was taking everything in him not to jump up, go running out of the hotel looking for Ashton and beating him to death. Matt saw that Alex might lose it, so he grabbed his boyfriends hand and held it tight until color returned to Alex's face.

"What happened yesterday isn't your guy's fault. None of you knew who Ashton was until now, so how could you know the guy that walked up to you was lying to you." Alex pulled the poster off the wall. "Now that you know who Ashton is, you guys need to keep away from him. Take this poster and show our cousins and tell them the same thing I am about to tell you.

If you see him again, don't talk to him. Don't let him get anywhere near you guys. Go and find a security agent." Alex looked down at the floor, scratching his head. "In fact, from this point on I will make sure there is a security agent around you guys whenever you are not inside the hotel. Also you guys can't play outside of the hotel like you have been doing until this guy is caught, okay?"

Lorenzo and Ismail nodded their heads. "Good, now go and have fun and don't worry about anything. I'll make sure you are safe and no one will ever hurt you." Alex's little brothers smiled for the first time since they walked up. They thanked their big brother once again and went running to theatre room where their cousins were.

Alex turned and looked at Matt trying not to get mad. Before his little brothers came and told him what they just told him, he had it out with Joey. He thought he and Joey were getting along, but a surprise there. Then he got a second surprise when his brothers told him about them meeting Ashton. There is no way he will be able to take another surprise tonight because if that happens, he knows he will lose it.

Back in the kitchen, Chase walked in to see when Marco was going to be done. Since Francesca was in there as well cleaning up, Chase could not be as open as he would have liked. Right now, he is still not comfortable on what he is feeling and is still not sure if he is going to go for it with Marco. All he knows is that his heart beats really fast, he starts to sweat a lot and he could barely talk whenever he is around Marco.

Marco turned around to see Chase standing there looking at him. He could have sworn that by his eye level, he was looking at his butt, but he was not a hundred percent sure. Not wanting to embarrass Chase, he didn't ask what he was looking at. Instead, he just smiled and waved him over.

Francesca saw Chase the minute he walked into the door and was one hundred percent he was checking out Marco. She kept it to herself as she walked out to give the two boys privacy. There wasn't much left to clean up, and with Chase's help, they would be out of there in less then ten minutes she figured as she made her way to the elevator.

Chase walked up and joined Marco at the sink. He looked at Marco and smiled back. "It seems every time I walk in here you are always doing the dishes. I thought you told me that you were a cook, so why is it that you are always doing the dishes and not cooking for us living here?" Chase grabbed a pan that was soaking in the water.

"I am a cook and I have done some cooking, but Francesca and Helen like to do most of it for you guys. In order to earn my pay, I do the dishes and clean the kitchen afterwards."

"That's cool!" Chase laughed as he dried the pan that he cleaned.

"So after tomorrow I won't have a problem getting around since Jacob is going to take us to his dealerships and give us each a car."

Marco let go of the water and started to rinse out the sink as Chase finished drying the few pans that were left. "By the way, which one is Jacob?"

"You can't miss him. He is the one that everyone seems to go to all the time. He stands a little over six feet, black hair and a pretty good-looking guy all round. Dewayne, the built white guy who doesn't go to school with us is his boyfriend."

"The guy that wears the uniform just like Joey does, but has a lot more things hanging off of it?" Chase nodded his head. "That's cool and he owns car dealerships?" Marco walked up to Chase and wiped off the soap he got on his chin. "Forget that question, he is going to give everyone here at the hotel a free car tomorrow?"

"Not everyone, just those that live with him. Everyone that came with Joey they don't get a car, but Jacob is going to give the shelter several vans. That way Joey doesn't wear out his truck taking everyone here to where they want to go."

"Yeah Joey's truck is cool, I wish I had one just like it."

"Well this is really not my area to speak on, but the truck Joey drives was given to him for his birthday when he and Jacob were together a couple years ago." Chase looked around the kitchen and was about to say the hotel and everything in it was also a gift from Jacob to Joey, but kept his mouth shut. "Like I said, it's not my area to speak on, so I will just leave it at what I have said."

"I understand and won't press you for any more information. I know there is something going on right now between Joey and the other guy that lives on your floor." That grabbed Chase's attention. He turned and looked at Marco a little confused on what he was talking about. "You know the guy that is going out with the other white guy; I think his name is Matt."

"Oh yeah, Alex, the son of Francesca!" This time it was Marco that looked at Chase with a confused look. "You didn't know that Alex was Francesca's oldest son?" Marco shook his head. "Wow you have a lot to learn about all of us. Francesca has three sons, Alex is the oldest and there is Lorenzo and Ismail. She is also taking care of her sister's two sons, Ignacio and Morris. She has been working for Jacob for a while now.

The rest of us guys, except Andy Jr. are not related in anyway. Jacob's immediate family is his mother Gloria..." Chase went into detail who was who and how they came to live at Jacob's house. Marco stood there listening to every word he was being told. He really wanted to get know how everyone at the hotel became family and landed up living here.

"Jacob's house was burnt down a week ago, and we still don't know who it was. Many of us have our suspicions, but none of us really knows. All we know is that Jacob has the new house already getting built and hopefully in a couple of months we will be out of the hotel and living at the new house, fingers crossed."

"Things are starting to make a lot of sense now. Jacob and Joey were once boyfriends, but they didn't make it, but stayed friends. Now why it is that Joey and Alex are not getting along? They were arguing earlier and what they were saying Francesca and I were able to hear it as if we was standing at the table with them."

"To tell you the truth you would know more than I do right now since you heard the argument. If it gets out of control, Jacob will step in and fix things. Until then, I suggest we stay far away from it unless it lands up physical. If that happens, who ever is standing there is going to have to step in and break those two apart."

"If it does come physical I think Alex would wipe the floor with Joey. I know Joey is my boss and all, but Alex looks like a guy you don't want to cross. He and his friend I have seen a couple of times, they look like they are guys that have been in plenty of fights in their lives already and have won them all by the way they hold themselves."

Chase agreed with Marco and quickly changed the subject. He was uncomfortable talking about these two since he really doesn't want to see it come down to the point they are fist fighting. If that day comes, he knows everyone one is going to have to choose sides and Joey will get a rude awakening. He will find out they haven't forgiven him for what he did to Jacob, they just pushed it to the side since Jacob asked them to.

Satisfied with the kitchen, Marco turned the lights off before he and Marco headed over to his room. On the way out, they grabbed themselves a couple of sodas, potato chips and a few candy bars from the refrigerator. They made sure they had enough to munch on so they didn't have to get up and leave the room to get anything.

On the way, Chase looked around to see if anyone was watching, but for the first time the lobby was empty, which surprised him. Normally the lobby always has a couple of the residents there, but not this time. Chase was not complaining! In fact, he liked not running to anyone so he didn't have to explain what he was doing.

Back up stairs, Jacob, Dewayne, Alex and Matt just finished getting ready for their double date, and were heading to the elevator when it opened. Joey walked out, but when he saw the four dressed up for a night on the town, he turned back around and got back in the elevator. Jacob and the others joined him, but nothing was said between them at first. Neither Alex nor Joey looked at each other, which Matt saw, but not Jacob.

When the door shut and the elevator started to go down, Joey spoke. "So it looks like you guys are going out for the night." Jacob looked over at Joey with a smile on his face, nodding his head. "If you do not mind me asking you, where are you guys going? I know you Jacob and your thoughts on clubs."

"Yeah I really haven't changed my opinion about clubs, but Alex here talked me into going." Joey looked over at Alex and they made eye contact for the first time since they got on the elevator. "There is a new club that opened on the east side of town called Grand Central Station. Alex here was telling me it has five clubs in one, one of them is a gay club. I figured it wouldn't hurt to go and have some fun for once."

"Oh, I wasn't aware of a new club being built on the east side. That is pretty far to go to just to dance. Isn't there clubs closer here for you guys to go like the OP?"

"There is no way I will ever go to the OP after what happened to David there." Joey felt stupid, he had forgotten all about David being raped. "If there are haters lurking around the alleys near the club waiting for a chance to beat on one of us, there is no way I'm going to go. To make matters worse I'm sure the club owners and the city are aware of what is going on outside the club, but aren't doing a thing about it. I really hope many others think like me and don't go because it isn't safe."

Joey quickly thought on his feet and recovered on putting his foot in his mouth. By the time they got to the lobby and the door to the elevator opened, they were talking about the plans for tomorrow. They agreed that once they had their breakfast, they would go to the car dealerships and then to the hospital to see how Davey is doing.

As they walked off, they ran into Francesca in the lobby. She made sure Alex and Matt were set for the evening asking them to be careful. When Joey talked with her, she would respond, but with short answers, almost one worded answers. He felt how cold she was being with him and stopped trying to make conversation. There was no doubt in his mind that Alex had told her about their chat they had earlier.

Since this was the first time the boys have been to Grand Central Station, they had no idea what to expect. They talked about what they thought the place was going to be like on their way up, but when they got there, they were surprised.

First, the club was easy to get to since it was on one of the busiest streets of the east side, Lee Trevino. The parking wasn't that bad, since they had a huge parking lot, which was almost filled. Then when they got to the door and paid their cover charge, they weren't given much of a hassle. They thought that they were going to have problems there since they had a security detail that had guns, but the bouncers at the door let them through once they spoke with the owners of the club.

The guys walked in and could not believe the size of the place. It actually has five full clubs in one. They popped their heads into the first one, which was not for them. The club was playing rap music and those in it were getting rowdy. Alex looked around and could not see where the club ended through the sea of people on the dance floor. The only thing he was for sure of when he walked away was that the club was huge.

They popped their head in the second club, which was Rock, the third one was Country and finally when they got to the fourth one, they were certain it was the club they were looking for. The same sex couples dancing with each other on the dance floor gave it away. Alex and the others walked in and made their way to the bar.

When they got their drinks, sodas since they were not twenty-one, they started looking for a table. Halfway around the club, they found one that fit them all. At first, they just sat there watching the others on the dance floor. Finally, Alex had enough of just sitting there. He got up, pulling Matt up with him and headed to the dance floor.

Just as they walked on the dance floor, the song that was playing ended and a slow beat one started to play. Alex looked into his boyfriend's eyes and saw the twinkle in his eyes that he fell in love with the first day he met him. Pulling him closer, Alex wrapped his right arm around Matt's waist and then with his left hand he gently grabbed Matt's. Matt wrapped his same arm around Alex's waist and held his hand gently as they started to dance for the first time together.

As they danced in the middle of the floor, they didn't care who was looking at them. They were in their own world and no one was going to pull them out of it. As the song went on, Matt snuggled his head into Alex's chest and kept it there. The sound of Alex's heartbeat and his body heat made Matt melt as he always does when he snuggles up to Alex whenever they are alone.

They stayed on the dance floor for several songs. Once the slow song ended, the others were a little faster tempo and the boys enjoyed them. By the third song, Jacob and Dewayne had joined. They took over a portion of the dance floor where they were dancing, which no one was bothered about.

In fact, many of them stood back and watched the two couples dance. They could tell by the way the four guys were holding each other. They were madly in love with each other. A love that many of them heard about, but, had never seen until now. All them wished it was them that were in those guys arms, because they wanted to feel the love that they see right before their eyes in their lives.

After the sixth song ended, the guys went back to their table. It was not that they wanted to, but they had to because they were tired and thirsty. When they reached their table, Matt went around the table to see what everyone wanted to drink. Once he got everyone's order, he left, returning a few minutes later with the drinks.

They sat there drinking their sodas, talking and watching the others dance. Somewhere in their conversation, Alex and Matt grabbed each other's hands. Almost at the same time, Jacob and Dewayne did the same thing. That and everything else that Jacob has been doing all night is rare for him. He rarely shows emotion in public because he feels that the people around them will take offense at two guys holding hands, but tonight he has thrown caution to the wind and wanted to show how he feels for his boyfriend.

It didn't take long for them to drink their soda and gather their strength. After a few songs had played with them off the dance floor, they were back on it. Unlike the last time when they got on the dance floor, the song that was playing was a lot more upbeat. The two couples got right into it and just had fun.

Alex was having so much fun with Matt, he didn't even notice when Jacob and Dewayne had left. When he did notice the two were not on the dance floor with him and Matt, he looked over to their table, but instead of finding Jacob and Dewayne, there were a couple of couples sitting there he did not recognize.

Not wanting to destroy the moment, Alex turned his attention back to Matt. They lost track of time on the dance floor. Before they knew it, the lights went on and a voice came over the intercom saying last call for drinks. Alex and Matt made their way off the dance floor and over to the bar to get something to drink before it was too late.

As soon as they finished their drinks, they same voice came over the intercom announcing the club is going to be closing in fifteen minutes. Not knowing if they should stay where they were or go looking for Jacob and Dewayne, Alex decided to go. He grabbed Matt's hand and guided him through the club and out to the hallway that leads outside. Just as they stepped out of the club, they ran into Jacob and Dewayne.

Jacob and Dewayne were off to the side in each other's arms. Neither Alex nor Matt has ever seen those two like they were at that moment. Jacob's butt was up on a planter and he was leaning forward with Dewayne between his legs. There arms were wrapped around each other tightly as if this was their last night on earth, in a very patient kiss.

Neither Alex nor Matt wanted to disturb them, so they made their way to the side in order to get out of everyone's way. Just as they leaned against the wall, Jacob saw them through the corner of his eye. He broke the kiss, whispered to Dewayne that Alex and Matt had made their way out. Dewayne helped Jacob off the planter and they made their way over to them.

Alex smiled at Jacob and Dewayne as they walked up. He could tell by the look on Dewayne's face that he wanted to say something, but didn't know how to. With a little plodding and pushing, Dewayne finally opened up when they got into Jacob's truck.

"You should have seen this handsome devil in the fifth club." Dewayne turned around in his seat so he was looking straight at Alex and Matt in the back seat. "First the fifth club was not really a club. It had a dance floor and a DJ center, but it also had a stage for anyone that wanted to get up and sing. A few people got up there on the stage and sung, but most of the time the DJ was playing music and everyone was dancing.

Anyways, after the fifth or sixth person that got up there and sang, which they were not very good at all, I got a surprise of my life. The song that was playing ended and the club was completely dark. I turned and reached for Jacob, but he was not there. A few seconds after I noticed that he was not there, the DJ announced that there was another guy that was going to take a stab at singing for them and then announced his name. When I heard it was Jacob, I couldn't believe it.

I turned my attention to the stage and one spot light was turned on Jacob sitting in the middle of the stage with a microphone. Now let me tell you before I go any further, if you think that Josh's voice is low, you have not heard low yet. Jacob here has a very low voice that goes right through you. Makes you feel what he is feeling as he sings.

No one recognized the song at first, because it was one of Josh's songs, `I do'. This guy looked straight at me and by the end of the first verse I was in tears. The song hit me harder than anything has ever hit me in my life. I was not the only one in tears as Jacob sang. As I looked around there were quite a few of girls and guys in tears by the time the song was over and the light were turned on."

Alex and Matt could not believe what they were hearing. Neither of them knew that Jacob could sing, and by Dewayne's tone, he had no idea as well. He was telling the story with so much emotion! Alex felt how much he was feeling when Jacob sang to him.

"Boy let me tell you when the lights were turned on, the crowd in the club just went wild. For the first time they didn't boo, they actually were on their feet applauding. I was the happiest guy in the room because this gorgeous guy was singing to me, not anyone else. On top of that, he told me when he got to the table that he and Josh created that song out of how he felt about me. In others words, the song was made for me."

Tears started to roll down Dewayne's cheeks as he choked out the last part. He turned around, wiping the tears away, trying to get control of his emotions. Jacob reached over grabbing Dewayne's hand holding it tight as he drove down I-10. No one said a word for a while. when the silence was broken, it was Dewayne that broke it.

He pulled out a VHS and showed it to Alex and Matt. "The club actually records those that go up and sing on their stage and let's anyone that wants a copy to buy one. I was lucky to get this copy because they actually ran out of tapes. Almost everyone in the club wanted a copy of Jacob singing and they weren't taking no for an answer."

Alex tried to grab the VHS from Dewayne, but Dewayne wouldn't let go of it. He held onto it, but promised as soon as the get to the hotel, he will put it on for them to see what he was talking about. Alex could not wait, and neither could Matt. They love how Josh sings and if Dewayne is telling the truth, they know they are going to love how Jacob sings as well.

The rest of the way back to the hotel, they made small talk. As soon as they drove up to the hotel and walked in, they headed to the theater room. Joey, Caleb, Chase, Marco, David, Tom, Tony, Andy Jr., Fran, Greg and Jacob's parents were sitting there watching a movie. Alex and the other's that walked in stood against the wall debating on interrupting what the others were watching.

As they talked, they were getting louder. It got to the point everyone on the room was able to hear what they were discussing. David got up from his seat and walking over to Dewayne and took the tape. He looked at it and then back at Dewayne.

"What is on this tape that you guys want to watch so badly?" Dewayne got the short version of the story of what happened. After hearing what was on the tape, David did not ask if he could put it on, he did. He took out the movie they were watching, causing a few of them to yell, but when he pushed play on the VCR and everyone saw what was on the screen, they turned around and watched in awe.

Just as Dewayne described the scene is how it happened. Everyone in the room couldn't take their eyes off the screen as Jacob sang to Dewayne. Every once in a while one of them glanced over to Jacob quickly, but turned their attention immediately back to the screen and what was unfolding at the club.

As the video went on, Joey listened to the lyrics really closely and it hit him, everything hit him. From what Alex told him earlier to what he had done to Jacob when they were going out to how he left him, it hit him like a ton of bricks. The love that he is showing there on the screen was once his, but it now belongs to another. In fact, the love he has for Dewayne he never had from him because Jacob would never have shown that kind of emotion in public with him.

The song came to the end and the entire room was quiet. At the same time there was not a dry eye in the room. Everyone stayed in their seats and just looked at the screen. The first to move was Dewayne. He walked over to the VCR, ejected the tape and walked back over to Jacob's side. He held onto the tape as if it was gold, which everyone in the room understood why he did that.

After what seemed to be a long time, which was only little over five minutes, Alex walked over to Jacob and hugged him. He whispered in Jacob's ear that he was great and that he wished that the song was sung to him. As soon as he let go of Jacob, Matt hugged him and the rest took turns. The last to walk up to Jacob was Joey, who really did not know what to say or how to act in this situation. He stood there trying to figure out what to do, but before he could, Jacob pulled him into the hug.

"No matter what happens to us in our lives, you will always be my first love." Jacob whispered in Joey's ear as he held him tight. "I was able to get up on that stage tonight because of you. It was you that showed me that it is better to be who we are and not hide from the world. I no longer hide, thanks Joey."

Already Joey was tearing up, but after what Jacob whispered in his ear, he could not hold it in anymore. They broke their hug and Joey walked off with Caleb wiping his face. Alex yelled out goodnight to everyone in the room as he grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him into the hallway.

When they turned the corner to the elevators, they ran into Joey and Caleb. They had already brushed their card against the grey box and were just waiting for the elevator to open up. Not wanting uncomfortable silence, Alex turned to the stairs and pulled Matt with him. Quickly he pulled out his card, passed it by the grey box and the door clicked open. Alex opened it and held it open until Matt walked through.

All the way up stairs, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. One would get ahead of the other and the one that fell behind slapped the others butt or even tried to pull down their pants. When they got to their floor, they were out of breath, but that didn't stop them. They walked to their room, and just as they got in, Matt wrapped his hands around Alex. He leaned in and started to lick his ear lobe as he whispered.

"All night long I was thinking about this moment. I couldn't wait to get you back to our room to see how many times I can make you come. I'm going to drain those balls until there is nothing left to drain." Matt reached over and squeezed Alex's already hard package. "Boy oh boy you wait until I tear off these clothes and get you on the bed. I am going to take care of what is between your legs and a lot more."

Alex smiled at Matt's words wondering just what his lover had in mind. In fact, they never made it as far as the bed, Matt began undressing Alex as soon as the door was closed and locked, most of this time their lips were locked together, tongues swirling around. Once they were both naked Matt pulled his lover to the floor moving his hands all over his body making him shiver with each touch.

"I love you so much Alex and tonight I'm going to make you shoot time after time without you or me touching your dick."

A questioning look appeared on Alex' face, but no explanation or idea of what Matt had in mind was forthcoming. Instead Matt moved down between his lovers legs and with both hands underneath his butt he raised it before moving his face down between Alex' legs. Alex looked down but all he could see was the top of Matt's head, but he certainly felt his tongue as it slowly entered his glorious hole, swirling around making his entrance wider before plunging right inside him.

The only thought going through Alex head was, `I never realized how long a tongue Matt had'. Straight away Matt found the `spot' which sent Alex wild he bucked and moved around with the thrill and excitement which was running through his body. He moved his hands down to rub his aching cock but Matt brushed them away as he continued rimming his partners' hole for all he was worth.

"Oh Matt, that's beautiful, it feels so good, Oh baby I'm going to cum let me touch my dick and make it cum I can't hold on any longer."

Just then, his dick spurted a massive load of juice that went all over him even into his hair.

Instead of letting up Matt went to work with his tongue even harder and faster than before and after only a couple of minutes Alex screamed that he was coming and another load, not quite as much as last time hit his chest and stomach. Matt released one of his hands putting two fingers up in the air to indicate that Alex had shot twice.

Alex thought to himself surely Matt must be getting tired by now, but no he still moved his tongue frantically around his lovers butt hole reaching his spot time after time. Alex dick never went down in fact it was still just as hard and solid as it was when they first started. Once more, the rimming increased in intensity and Alex couldn't believe that he was reaching yet another climax all in the space of about thirty minutes and without any one touching his dick. He never thought this was possible, but then his thoughts were interrupted by another massive orgasm, blowing load after load from his dick.

Alex was beginning to wonder were all that spunk was coming from, surely I don't have all that much in my body. Matt held up three fingers before going back down on his lover. It took a bit longer this time to bring Alex up to his peak, but yet again, he shot another load, which this time only reached as far as his stomach.

Matt came up for air, grinning at his partner, putting four fingers up. Checking the time Alex realized that Matt had been rimming him for over an hour and another thing he didn't know was that Matt had also shot his load all over the carpet twice in that time, but he wasn't finished yet. He rose up kissing his lover before slowly pushing his cock inside were his tongue had been for all that time.

Slowly and methodically he began fucking his boyfriend with the real thing this time. Occasionally pausing to lean in and kiss the man he loves more than anything else in the world. Once again, Alex moved his hands down to grab his own dick and once more Matt knocked them away telling him he was a naughty boy.

Finally Matt couldn't hold off any longer and was soon spewing his juice inside of Alex' hole and unbelievably Alex shot yet another load over his body and Matt held up five fingers. He began to soften and moved to the side with both of them clinging on to each other kissing and holding on tight. They finally began to come down from their high and Alex whispered, "Matt, oh Matt my darling I love you so much."

"I love you too more than words can say."

"Maybe not but you certainly said it with your tongue." Alex said with a grin, "I never knew I could shoot that many times and without my dick being touched by human hands."

He got up and went to pull Matt up but had to wait for a few seconds because he felt weak at the knees. They both had their arms around each other laughing as they made their way to the shower. They washed each other and Alex was amazed that he got hard yet again when Matt's hand began washing his dick.

Seeing this Matt went down once more on his lover, this time using his mouth. Alex couldn't believe it, but he began shooting yet another load, this time down Matt's throat. When he came up for air Matt said, "Six."

They both laughed, happy and in love as they dried each other before heading for bed with fatigue now setting in.

The sun hadn't risen yet when Falster walked into the prison. He had a long list of things to get done, and not enough time in the day to get them done in. Quickly he ran his things through the scanners before heading to his office. Although he has been named the interim warden, he has not moved into the warden's office.

One of the reasons for that is because he didn't want to be sitting at his old boss's desk when he walked in to get his personal items. No matter how anyone would look at it, it wouldn't look good. It would look like he couldn't wait for the body to get cold before taking over the position.

The other reason was simple, the word before his title, interim. As of right now, he is being tested and any mistake can cost him the job. If that happens, he didn't want to be moving his stuff back to his office. Therefore, he figured it was best for now to stay where he is at, at least until the interim is removed that is.

As soon as he reached his office, he told his secretary to call unit leaders in. She nodded her head as she picked up the phone. Before Falster could sit down, his secretary called him on his intercom to let him know that his unit leaders were already there. He asked her to send them in, thanked her and hung up the intercom.

The minute the unit leaders walked in, Falster explained why he called them in. They listened and did not ask any questions. Once he was done, they walked out together and made their way to Unit A. The prisoners had just walked in from breakfast and were about to lay back down when the lights were turned on and they heard the cell doors open.

Unit by Unit was taken apart. By noon, the prison was completely reorganized, and didn't look like the same prison anymore. Any prisoner that was flagged as a gang member was moved out of general population and moved into the unit of their gang. Each gang had their unit, and were no longer allowed, to leave that unit for any reason what so ever.

Once the moves were done, there was one last person to deal with, the elder Garcia. Falster figured since his gang or any other gang for that matter can no longer hurt the regular prisoners, there was no need any more to have him locked down. He will only be able to run his own gang, and that's all. The running of the prison by inmates in the gangs is now a thing of the past.

He walked down to the psyche ward and filled out the orders to have the elder Garcia transferred out. Once all the paperwork was completed, Falster walked over to Garcia's room and unlocked the door. As the door slid open, Garcia jumped up from the floor, moved into the corner, and stayed there like a dog with its tail between its legs.

"You spent your last night in the padded room Mr. Garcia. According to the doctors, you are not crazy. So therefore, I am moving you back to population, Unit C with the rest of your gang. There you will spend the rest of your natural born life, which my staff and I will not make easy for you."

"Why a change of heart Falster? When you put me in here, you made it clear I was never going to get out of the padded room no matter what the doctors said. Then I went and beat up one of the governor's aids. I thought for sure after that I was never going to get out of here on my own two feet."

"Let me clear something up with you before we go any further. You didn't beat up the chief-of-staff of the governor, it was the other way around. That old man whipped your ass and we both know it by the way you were screaming like a little girl when we came running in here. So don't lie to me on what happened that day.

Now with that said the only reason I am letting you out is because of the changes that have taken effect this morning. As I just finished telling your gang, it is a new dawn here at this prison. The days of you guys running things are in the past and that is not just words coming out of my mouth.

Any inmates that has been flagged as a gang member, has been moved into the unit of their gang, where they will serve their time! The inmates in these units will eat, sleep, shit and exercise in that unit. None of you are allowed out of the unit no matter what the reason is, even if you are sick. The medical staff will come to you, the sick inmate, but none of you will ever step out of your cellblock while in this prison. Even your visitations will be held in the cellblock you are assigned to.

In other words, the only orders you are now going to be giving is to the inmates of your own gang. Your gang or the other gangs will no longer be roaming free in this prison causing havoc with the guards, the other inmates that are trying to do their time and get out of here to their lives or the staff of this prison. Those days are gone."

Falster walked over to the door of the room and held it open. "Let's go, I do not have all day to deal with you." Mr. Garcia took a couple steps away from the wall, but stopped. At first, Falster did not know why he stopped. He thought that Garcia was making one last stand, but then he realized that Alex still had the straight jacket on.

He leaned out the door and asked for the keys to the straight jacket. Several nurses walked in, unlocked the jacket and helped Garcia out of it. Once he was out of the jacket, he followed Falster out of the psyche wing over to the changing room where he showered and put on his regular jumpsuit.

When he was done, he found a different guard standing there. The guard pointed to a box on the ground that contained all his stuff that he had when he was in population. He grabbed the box before making his way to his new unit.

As soon as he walked in, his leadership met him at the door. One of them took his box and took it to his room as the others started to brief him on what was going on. They told him, what Falster said, but added one thing that Falster left out, who the new warden was. When he heard it was Falster, he knew why these changes were made and why they were done so quickly after Henderson was taken out.

The Mexican gang leadership gathered around their leader, the elder Garcia to see what he had to say about the changes that just took place. He looked around at his leadership and could not believe how many of them he didn't even know. On top of that, their ages, they are getting younger and younger each year.

"First let me say how pleased I am with how things were run when I was away in the hole or the crazy hall. Those that run this prison have tried everything to break us, but they have failed. We are stronger today than we ever have been and that is thanks to those that tried to dismantle us. Through their tricks and attempts, we got stronger.

Now that we are bigger in strength than the other gangs here in the prison, we are going to be able to control what ever we want. I know, right now it looks like they have us, but this set up will not last for long. If we need to, the new warden will go out as the warden did before him so we can get back to the way things were, us running things."

"You all know me; I have been the one carrying out the orders of our leader while he was put in the hole. Things have changed in the last couple of months, and one of the things is how we are going to live. So we are going to have to figure out how we are going to run things when we're not allowed out of this unit. Being locked down in here, with no access to the rest of the prison pretty much locks away our ability to run things."

All the leadership shook their heads as they looked at each other. The very first thought that crossed Alex's mind was how he is going to be able to get his gang to still run things here in the prison when Falster told him of the changes. The long walk from the psyche ward and the shower he took before getting here gave him nothing but time to think about just that. Although he hasn't figured out how yet, he was not going to let his gang know.

"Look for now we need to sit back and see how the guards are going to run things with the new changes put into effect. Who knows, we might be able to get to these guards as we have done in the past and get things done. There is no way they are going to be able to keep us locked up in here forever. They will eventually lose their grip."

Once again, the leadership shook their heads. "Since we are all gathered here I need to let you all know about the call I just had with our contact to the outside world. He went over several items with me, and I am pretty sure you all know what was on the top of the list." Everyone looked at Alex and then back over to the leader Alex appointed to run things while he and the other leadership was in lock down.

"Before I go there, I need to let you know about one of our members that have gone crazy down in El Paso. A young kid by the name of Ashton, Ashton Rocha who was sentenced to juvenile dentition, but like the others was moved to that brainwashing camp, now a detention facility for gang members.

The kid actually got his case over turned by mistakes the DA made, but went and screwed everything up by shooting up a high school, killing a cop. He was captured, and was being transported back to that new jail when somehow he broke free and killed two more police officers. Now he is on the run, and the police are turning the city upside down looking for him.

The reason I am telling you al this is because it is affecting us. State wide the police are cracking down on our gang and pulling in every member. They are destroying our business on the outside. If we can't fix that problem, and soon, it won't matter if we get back to the way we were, we will not be able to keep control of it."

"I am pretty sure the chiefs have sent out to all of our members in the free an order to do whatever it takes to get this guy?" Alex butted in. "Between us going after him and the police, he is pretty much a gonner."

"Well our contact told me to inform you what is going on and let you decide what to do in this matter. After all that kid is going after your grandson. That's why he shot up a school, he wanted your grandson and they think that is why he escaped. He wants your grandson more than you dead by the look of it."

"Let's make one thing clear about my grandson. He didn't give the warden or the staff here any information about how we are running the gang. Warden Henderson hoped by telling me, and the rest of you that lie, we would have turned on each other and given him the information he wanted. Not only did that not happen, he was the one that landed up leaving this place on his back.

With that said, until the bosses give the green light, there is no green light on him. That message needs to be sent out to our members in the free as clearly as possible. If we have to do what our bosses did to make it clear the order will not be questioned, so be it. Kill any member that seems to not want to follow the order." The leadership looked at Alex stunned on what he said last. "You heard me right, kill any member that wants to go on their own and disobey the standing orders from our bosses.

That also goes for this Ashton kid. Not only is he going against standing orders, he is throwing a wrench in our business. That we can't have and will not have! It doesn't matter who the person is, including myself, no one in this gang has the right to do what that kid is doing. No matter what, the gang must survive and stay strong.

So let me make it as clear as possible, get our hands on that Ashton kid before the police do. I want him taken somewhere in the city and disposed of. If any other member is helping him do what he is doing, they must meet the same fate. We can't allow the police to get their hands on Ashton alive. Who knows what he will tell them in order to save himself from death row."

Not questioning, the order that was given, the leader that Alex had put in charge while he was in the hole headed to the phones. A few minutes later, he returned and informed Alex that the order went out. Happy with the quickness, Alex changed the subject back over to how he plans to get control of the things they once controlled.

As they listened, they couldn't believe how well thought out his plan was. It is going to take some time, but it will be worth it. In the meantime, they agreed with Alex they will use the time to get stronger in numbers. There is no doubt in any of their minds they are going to have to recruit new members in order to get control of things. The only hurdle they see at the moment is once they get new members, how to keep them from getting flagged and placed in with the rest of them.

Meanwhile as the elder Alex was getting his house in order, his grandson was getting up from a night that he would not forget for a very long time. He has never made love in his life the way he and Matt did last night. Most of the time he was seeing stars and he knows Matt was right there with him.

The sun, getting through the crack of the curtains in their room shown right into Alex's eyes, bring him back to the land of living. He tried to pull the covers over his eyes to block out the sun light, but then he got too hot. After a while of trying, he gave up and pulled himself out of bed.

He looked over at his sleeping boyfriend and couldn't help but smile. Leaning down, he kissed Matt once on the forehead before heading to the bathroom to shower. Matt didn't stir once while he was in the shower, which surprised Alex. He thought that the sound of the shower would have woken Matt up and he would have found his way into the bathroom and got in for a little playtime.

Alex finished rinsing himself off and turned off the water. Before going back into the room, he dried himself off and tossed the towel in the hamper. He didn't bring any clean clothing, so he walked from his and Matt's bathroom as naked as the day he was born to the bed. As he sat down, he felt warm hands on his shoulders, then lips on his neck.

"Good morning, my gorgeous boyfriend!" Matt whispered in Alex's ear. "I thought after the love making we did last night, you wouldn't have got out of bed all day, but boy was I wrong." Matt moved forward until he was able to see Alex's lap. "It looks like you are ready to go another couple more rounds."

Matt reached around and grabbed Alex's dick that was hard already. He softly squeezed it a couple of times and stopped when he felt a stream of pre-cum leaking from the head. He wanted so badly to fall to his knees and put Alex's dick into his mouth once again, but he knew they didn't have time for another session of love making.

Not wanting to leave Alex with blue-balls, Matt stopped squeezing Alex's dick and got off the bed. Alex just stood there with a hard on watching as his boyfriend walked to the bathroom with a smile on his face. Under his breath, he playfully cursed Matt out. He knew why Matt stopped and didn't blame him at all for doing so.

As those two were finishing getting ready to join the others, Ashton was waking up after a rough night. He was heading back down to the hotel to see if he could get back in, but ran into roadblocks. The minute he spotted the roadblocks, he turned around, but had no idea there were police cruisers hiding in wait for those that did what he just did.

They immediately turned in their lights and Ashton knew he had only one choice if he wanted to stay in the free and get the last thing he wanted to get done, and that is try and outrun the police. He knows every alleyway and back street of the Westside and central side of town, so he figured he could do it. Stepping on the gas, he sped up to sixty on the empty side streets near the hotel.

Constantly he kept looking back to see where the police were, and that is where he made his mistake. The third time he looked back, he did not see the car pulling out of its driveway until it was too late. The horn of the car already halfway into the street started to blare and that is what got Ashton to look forward, but it was too late.

Just as he turned around, his car hit the car that was pulling out going almost seventy, throwing the car he hit into the air. He couldn't believe how far up the car went and when it came down, it came right down on one of the police cruisers that were chasing him. The other police cruiser was stuck in the middle of the flames and flying metal, Ashton thought he was in the free, but boy was he wrong.

The car he was driving coasted to a stop several blocks away, with smoke coming from the engine. He tried to start it, but it wouldn't kick over, He quickly jumped out of the car and started to run, with several offices right behind him. Running through yards and back alleys, he was able to get a jump, but that did not last.

Lights from several helicopters came shining down at him, causing him to panic. He was unable to think on his feet, so he kept running; looking for somewhere to go into that the helicopters couldn't follow him. His prayers were answered, he spotted off to the right a gutter he knew really well from when he was a kid.

He quickly turned and slid down the muddy banks of the gutter, landing on his feet, he ran towards the concrete tunnels. Knowing if he could get into the tunnels, there was no way the police was going to be able to catch him. He knew the tunnels like the back of his hand and once in there, he was a free man again.

The police officers that were on foot continued their chase after Ashton into the tunnels. They followed him in unable to see what was right in front of them. Quickly they reached for their flashlights and turned them on. Not taking any chances with the guy they are chasing, the pulled out their weapons as well. None of them wanted to be the next notch on Ashton's belt.

About fifty feet into the tunnel, the officers were called back out of the tunnel. After hearing the call, they were not too happy about it. They knew if they didn't stay on Ashton's butt, he had a real good chance on getting away. So they tried to ignore the order, but when it came over the second time, they reluctantly turned around.

When they got out of the tunnel, the K-9 unit was getting ready to go in. The first officer that saw Ashton turn around couldn't help but think what a bad idea it was using the K-9's since they did not have anything the dogs could get Ashton's scent from. On top of that, the kid is in the sewers, which that alone will throw the dogs off.

Not saying a word, he walked pass the K-9 units as they released the dogs into the tunnel. The officers followed the dogs, but just like the officer that knew this was not going to work, the others found out he was right. The dogs lost Ashton's scent a little further from where the officers were when they were called out of the tunnels.

It was an area of tunnels that broke off into six different tunnels, leading in different directions of the city. Ashton could have taken any of those tunnels, and even if they guessed the tunnel right, there were several points like this throughout. There is no way they will ever guess the tunnels right every time and catch up to Ashton now.

As soon as they realized that, they turned around and made their way out. Once they were, the first officers on the scene radioed in and gave their two cents to their boss. They made it clear that they didn't like the order and if they were not forced to follow the order, they would have had Ashton in custody. The desk sergeant knew he messed up, so he didn't try to defend his order. He let the officer's blow off steam.

While they were blowing off steam, Ashton was making his way down the tunnels to freedom. When he felt that he was safe, he stopped running, and then eventually stopped all together. He slid down to the ground and sat there trying to catch his breath as he figured out what to do next. Somewhere in his thoughts, he fell asleep and did not wake up again until the next morning.

As he got up, he could barely move. Every inch of his body hurt. Some of it was caused from sleeping in the tunnel, but most of the pain was caused by the crash. He didn't feel it until now because the night before all he wanted was to get away and stay free. However, now he is feeling everything, and it didn't feel good at all.

At that moment, he didn't know that he had broken his nose. All he knew is that he couldn't breathe through it, so he breathed through his mouth. His right side of his face hit the steering wheel, and his right eye could barely open due to it being swollen. His right pant leg was torn when he pulled himself out of the car. He didn't feel when his pant leg caught on to the dash board that was pushed in by the engine and tore, which also snagged his leg, cutting it very deep, causing him to lose a lot of blood on his evening jog.

One way or another his right side was hurt, but Ashton was not going to let that stop him. Forcing himself up and he started his way out of the tunnel. He knew he had to get another car, get to Alex, kill him, and then get out of the city without anyone catching him. That is a lot for one person to do, but he believes he can do it.

Back at the hotel, little by little everyone made their way down to the restaurant for breakfast. Alex and Matt were not the first, but they were not the last to walk in. As soon as they took their seats, Joey, Caleb and a couple guys from his shelter walked in. Both Alex and Joey looked at each other, but didn't say a word to one another. All they did is nod reluctantly, which both Helen and Francesca saw and weren't too happy with.

They didn't want to make a scene, so they held their tongues until they could get the boys by themselves. The last to walk in was Jacob and Dewayne, and they had the same glow on their faces that Alex and Matt had, so everyone knew what was up. They started to tease them, but as soon as breakfast was put on the table, everyone stopped talking and dug in. It didn't take them long to clean their plates and ask for seconds.

When they started to eat their second servings, they began to talk about going out car shopping. It was finally the day, and everyone was really excited. They knew exactly what car they wanted from the color of the outside to what they wanted in the inside.

Alex looked around the table and couldn't help but laugh as he looked at his friends. They were like little kids on Christmas morning begging to open their gifts. The only ones that were not really smiling were Joey, Caleb and their group. Alex knew Jacob didn't keep them out of this to be mean, he did it because he didn't know the guys.

Still he didn't want them to continue to feel uncomfortable, so he changed the subject to Jacob's performance the night before. No one had a problem talking about that. In fact, they all wanted to know why he never said a word to them that he could sing. One after another asked Jacob that question, but in a different way.

"Hey guys I really don't think I sang that good." Everyone shouting at him that he is good stopped Jacob. "Okay, okay I'll take your guys words for it that I can sing outside of the shower. However, what I did last night is a once in a blue moon kind of thing. I am nowhere near as good as Joshua Lopez and I know you guys can't disagree with that." Jacob looked around the table and saw them nodding their heads.

When he reached Chase, instead of seeing him nodding his head, he spoke. "The only thing that Josh has over you is that he believes in himself. He knows that he is a great singer and loves doing it. You on the other hand don't know or refuse to admit that you are as talented as Josh is when it comes down to singing. Both of you guys have that low voice that many country singers that sing today would kill for.

I will tell you what I would like to see and that is you and Josh on the stage singing together. Not so much you joining Los Tigres, but just you two on stage belting out song after song. With you two on a ticket, the place will sell out and it will be an awesome concert to see. I would pay to see you guys perform, which I know I won't have to since you will give me back stage passes for free." Chase started to laugh.

"Let's not get so far ahead of ourselves here. I doubt that will ever happen since Josh already has his first CD and popular singers like George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Patron and many more wanting him to tour with them. There is no way he is going to say no to them and then yes to me. So for now let's drop this and go out and buy you guys the cars or trucks you have been talking my ear off about for the last week."

No one needed to be told twice. All at once, they got up and made their way to the lobby. Once Jacob and Dewayne joined them, they headed out the door. Alex kept looking at Jacob and decided that there was no way he was going to let Jacob give up on something he is very good at. One way or another, he is going to get his friend to see the light and at least try to see what he can do in that industry.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome back one and all to another filled chapter of "Beneath the Mask". Before I say anything about the chapter I just finished writing, I would like to say a few things about one of my other stories, "Regrets and Heartaches". Many of you dropped me a lot of emails telling me you want more posting of the story, which I have increased by your demand. However, since the increase on the postings, the readership has dropped off that story really bad. I'm thinking about taking the posting back to a chapter every month and half to two months because there the readers were coming. Let me know what is going on and why you the readers are no longer reading that story please!

Every chapter I write on that story and all my stories takes a lot of time. On top of that, I really work hard on writing those stories for you guys to read. There are times I get mad at myself on what I write because I don't think it is good. So I throw it out and start all over again on the chapter. I try very hard to get out a good chapter. If for some reason I am not meeting what you want in a story, let me know. I will either fix it, or stop writing all together. I have said many times what keeps me writing are you guys coming in reading, but if you guys stop coming, there is no need for me to write anymore.

Enough of me being on my soapbox, let's get to the summation of the chapter. It kind of started out slow, I rewrote that part several times, but once you were in the chapter, it got very exciting and it was no longer putting you asleep.

The reason I wrote out the beginning of this chapter the way I did is to remind all of you of the first chapters of "Jacob Finding His Way" and what he and Joey went through. As this chapter gets posted, I have two hundred and twenty-two chapters posted or written between all four of my stories. They all average about twenty pages, over fourteen thousand words. Reading all that, we tend to forget how it all started. I brought you back to how it started and hopefully those that have written me saying Joey has been treated unjust can now see he isn't. He is the one that needs a little more growing up to do and he realizes that as well.

Before I go any further, sorry you guys, I would like to tell you my thoughts about Joey. Although we broke up as it was written in "Jacob", I still love him very much. I will never speak ill of him because he holds a special part of my heart. Throughout the stories I think I have done a very good job on not being one of those ex's that talk bad about their ex. I love Joey and nothing will ever change that in me.

Now again off of my soap box and back to the summation. I don't think after Helen and Francesca seeing how Alex and Joey looked at each other and didn't talk to each other this will go on for that much longer. Either those two women are going to pull those two aside and knock some sense into them or Jacob will. One way or another, they will be friends again before the weekend is out, hopefully.

The double date went very well and I know the sex scene is going to be great since Trevor is writing it. The video of Jacob singing and how that happened will be in either "Jacob" eighty or eighty-one. Right now, I haven't written it out, but I have already created the video and let me tell you guys you will not believe your eyes when you see it.

Alex's little brothers finally saw who the guy that approached them the day before is really. They were scared and thought that they made a mistake, but Alex explained to them that they didn't. He acted like the big brother we all have gotten to know and love. In future chapters you will see them more together as you saw in the past when Alex first got out of detention. Also, Matt's cousin will be back and let's not forget Alex's.

I hope there was no really big surprise when we went back to the prison and Falster changed it up some. By the looks of it he is going to get control of the place once and for all. Also, by the look of it, the elder Garcia has seen the light and knows his grandson didn't do what Henderson did. Only time will tell us if what the elder Garcia said to his leadership was just a show or did he mean it.

The car chase, man oh man, what can I say about that except Ashton has more than nine lives. He has to know the only reason he has been so lucky is because of the mistakes the local law enforcement keep making. If they stopped making mistakes, he would be caught. I hope he does get caught soon before anyone else gets hurt.

I know you guys forgot about the car shopping, well it's here and there is where we left the chapter at. The guys are going out to buy their cars. The only thing I am wondering is what they are going to get. Tune in to the next chapter of this story, or it might be in the "Jacob" story. Keep your eyes peeled ladies and gentleman.

Before I go a few small reminders. There have been a lot of add ons to the main page. There are poll pages for each of the stories, as well as discussion pages. Please go on over to the poll pages if you haven't yet and give your opinion. Who knows you might be the one that shapes a plot in the stories. Also from now on I am going to answer all the comments you guys write to me in the story chapters in the discussion page of that story. In other words if you leave a comment or a question on this chapter page, go on over to the main page to the discussion page "Beneath the Mask Discussion" and there you will fine my response. I hope you guys are enjoying my site and keep coming back.

I know a lot more happened in this chapter and if I missed any of it, Trevor will cover it in his editor's corner. In addition, there are a lot of open plots still dangling out there in the air that will come back and as well a whole lot of new ones. So please stick around as I have said and keep on reading. I hope that you all enjoyed what you have read and will keep coming back week after week to this saga.

I do not want to say too much more and spoil the future chapters to come, so I will not. I warn you though! Do not skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacob@jacobmillertex.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

First I think the reprise at the start of the chapter reminding us were everyone fits in was welcome because I don't know about you but I get a bit confused sometimes on plots and what's happened in the past.

Jacob gets very upset when he thinks things aren't going as well as he thinks they should and as he told you a lot of time and effort is put into his stories. A few nights ago, I know he was up until five am because things weren't going how he thought they should.

I never for one minute thought that he would open up his heart about Joey to you guys like he did just before, believe me he still dearly loves that guy and I reckon always will.

Now about the story, I thought Jacob did a wonderful job of showing to you all how much these guys love each other.

Writing the love scene for Alex and Matt was a pleasure and I know some of you will tell me it was too long and drawn out, but after a night out like they had I'm sure that's how it would be, long, drawn out and loving.

Alex and Joey I think are still sizing each other up, both of them did wrong by Jacob but in different ways, Alex as accepted what he did and has been accepted and forgiven for his actions. Joey has been forgiven but as not yet fully accepted what he did wrong. I'm sure they will both come to terms and become friends. Maybe not close friends.

As for Ashton, it's a wonder with a corrupt police chief and a bunch of incompetent underlings how any one gets arrested in El Paso. They are a bunch of first class idiots.

Surely his time must be about up, let's hope the call from Alex senior is taken up by the gang members on the outside and they take him out, doing the police a favor.

Please keep on reading our stories and let us know how we are doing. As Jacob pointed out a lot of time and effort goes into our stories and the web site.

Hugs Trevor

trevor@jacobmillertex.com