Berto's Roses

Berto's Roses

By Ben

Part XXXXV

I had only brought a carry on bag with a telescoping handle and wheels. I didn't need any added distress with baggage claim. I gave some thought to Jake as I deplaned and walked up the jetway into the crowded terminal. God, he was such a jerk, sometimes. He really fucked up this time, but I found it impossible to be pissed at him for very long. Jake was just Jake, for better or for worse. He just needed to think with his big head instead of the little one more often.

Berto and I spent a long comfortable afternoon together. It was just he and I and the roses, just as if he had never left for school. Despite the cloudy skies and the threat of eminent rain, he wore his favorite white shorts, but had opted for a pastel yellow T-shirt instead of his usual bare upper torso. The contrast of the pale fabric contrasted his smooth skin, still tanned after the long sun-filled summer.

From time to time we would break our silent activity and talk about school, Carla, San Augustin, his friendship with Raul, my upcoming trip to Chicago, the party and other things. I enjoyed spending this time simply being with him. I came to realize just how much I had really missed him. Of course, the feelings I had for him were making themselves known as well.

With the exception of Mack and Bob, everybody worked through siesta. I didn't know what they were doing, and could not have cared less. Berto and I finished the garden and had an enormous bunch of roses to place around the house and the sunroom for the party. Jake, Ricky and Raul were finishing up the decorations and we all helped to get tables set up so that Manuella had places to put the mountains of food she was preparing.

Jake and Ricky set up a bar on one of the higher tables. There was every sort of liquor imaginable, also several varieties of wine, and of course Corona and other beers. Manella had made some great quesadillas for us to snack on throughout the afternoon. We all knew we would be eating at the party so it was just what we needed.

During the course of the late afternoon I kept trying to get an opportunity to talk to Raul alone to tell him not to discuss our previous "liaison" with Berto, but I never got the chance. He and Berto were always close together. To be sure, he was always very friendly to me and seemed perfectly at ease with the whole situation. I was not.

I knew that at any time that he could just blurt out the nature of our prior meeting in Mazatlan. I didn't know just what the relationship between Berto and Raul was. I didn't get any clues from their behavior or body language. Berto had told me he was a "special friend". But, What the hell did that mean? If it was more intimate than two college buddies, and Berto found out that I had sex with Raul, what would happen then?

I was so caught up in my own nervous thoughts that I didn't notice how close Jake was sticking to Ricky all day. Whatever Ricky was doing, Jake was right there beside or behind him. He made no obvious overtures that I saw, but he stayed close.

When Ricky got his call on his cell phone from Jose, telling him they were close to landing the Lear and the airstrip, and he stated that he needed to go pick up Don Diego, Carla and Jose, Jake asked if he could tag along. Try as I might, I could think of no reason to tell him why he couldn't go. As far as being prepared, we were ready for the party, The guests would all be arriving soon. So, he went with Ricky.

Berto and Raul took my car to pick up Carlos and his wife. We invited everybody who had a hand in helping to make Casa de la Rosa what we hope to be a roaring success. This included the plumber and the adobe mason and their families. Soon the house was filled with music and food and celebrating, happy people.

The weather was turning rough, but the big sunroom stayed snug and dry. We gave everyone free reign of the house, save Bob's office and suite on the third floor. As the lightening flashed and the rain sprayed the large windows, we ate and danced and had a great time. Even Bob and Mack put on happy faces and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Don Diego was held in great esteem by the entire group. He was having the time of is life and danced with every woman present ant least one time. Carla was her usual beautiful, bubbly self. She seemed content to be by my side most of the evening, and was very attentive-laughing at all my lame jokes.

Manuella and her sister were simply amazing. They kept everybody satisfied with food and beverages, enlisting Berto and Raul as servers and bus boys. They also had time to dance and have a good time. I decided, prematurely, as it turned out, that the party was a smashing success.

Jose, looking as sexy as ever and feeling rather proud of himself for completing his training with the Lear, was in fine spirits. He was very popular with the ladies and danced with several. The room was filled with hot young Latinos and I looked around at them all. Then I realized that one of them was missing. Ricky was nowhere to be found. I also noticed that Jake was conspicuously absent as well.

"Oh shit." I muttered as I twirled Manuella around in dance. "Que?" she asked, looking questioningly at me. "Oh nothing, Manuella, I just forgot to do something. Will you please excuse me?"

"Si, Senor Ben. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect." I looked at her and gave her a big hug. "And it's all because of you. You are wonderful! My apologies, bonita." I kissed her chubby cheek and left her to go and look for Jake and Ricky.

They were nowhere in the house. I even checked Bob's office and suite, then I headed for the studio. I walked across the carport from the kitchen door. The rain was crashing down heavily, muffling the sounds of the party inside the house.

I could see that the door to the studio was slightly ajar. I stepped up to the door and opened it further. The sounds and smells of male sex were unmistakable. The lights were not on, so I couldn't tell who was doing what to whom, but I knew for certain it was Ricky and Jake.

Lightning flashed and I able to determine that Jake was lying on the bed with his legs pulled up to his chest and Ricky was vigorously fucking him. Rain pelted and slid down the huge windows as I watched in split-second flashes of lightening. The silver light, so intense and intermittent, then the all-encompassing darkness make the whole scene surreal and intensely erotic.

I stood there, mesmerized, watching and listen. I cock began to grow hard. I heard Jake panting in rhythm with Ricky's stokes, their bodies slamming together. Ricky was moaning and speaking words I didn't understand.

"Oh...God... Ricky!" gasped Jake. "Don't ever ...stop ...fucking ...my ass! Please... come ...with me... to ...Jacksonville. I... don't want to... stop seeing.. you."

"I cannot do that, mi amigo." Grunted Ricky, as he thrust his cock ever more forcefully into Jake's asshole. "I must go to Mexico City with Papa. Besides there is Jose."

"Fuck Jose!" said Jake vehemently. "I want you to come with me. I want to fuck you and be fucked by you, alone. Jose can find somebody else. Please tell me you'll come back to Jacksonville with me."

Lightening crashed again and a voice behind me shouted, "Si, Enrique. Go to Jacksonville with him. I will find somebody else!"

I jumped and turned around. Jose was standing in the open doorway. In the flashing light I could see the reflection of tears streaming own his face and hi expression of agony. "Jose..." I said as I started to embrace him. He shrugged me off and ran into the house.

God I hated O'Hare airport. It was so big and so damned busy. I had to trek for what seemed like five miles to the Rental car counter, then wait in line for an eternity to get my car. When I finally got away from Chicago on my way to the Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, I returned to my dark thoughts. I had to work through this so I could be the cheerful, proud Papa watching my son pass in review with his company at graduation.

I finally found my hotel and used their executive office center to send my son an Email, giving him my hotel and room number. He had his first liberty that afternoon and I had booked a suite so he could spend the night with me. Also I invited any of his buddies to have dinner with us, if any wanted to hang out with an old retired Chief.

The weather was a lot better here than it had been in Santa Rosalia. It was kind of chilly with the wind blowing off of Lake Michigan, but at least it wasn't storming. I had driven through a torrential downpour almost all the way to the border on my way to San Diego the morning after the party. The water sliding down the car windows seemed to match my own tears as I drove almost blindly in the early morning through Baja California.

I turned for one more look of disgust at the surprised Jake and Ricky, then went to find Jose. I found him in the stairway, crying and speaking to Don Chavez. Of course I could not understand what he was saying, other than hearing the names of Jake and Ricky. The Don was becoming angry, but was also very comforting to Jose.

"Jose..." I interrupted. They both turned toward me.

"Ben, would you please stay with Jose, he is very upset and I must go and speak with Enrique." Asked Don Chavez.

"Of course I will." I replied. I stepped toward Jose and this time he fell against me, crying into my shoulder.

"Oh, Ben. I cannot believe it. I thought Enrique loved me. I knew he like to have sex with other men. We have both enjoyed ourselves with you. You are very special to us. But...but ...this Jake! I was always so certain that I had Enrique's heart, that he would always be with me."

"Shhh..." I held Jose and tried to comfort him. "Ricky does love, Jose. He loves no other, I'm sure of it. Jake just refuses to acknowledge this or to recognize that Ricky would never leave you for him...or for anybody else."

"How long have you Known about this, Ben?" Jose stood straight up and looked into my eyes. I couldn't lie to him.

"I saw some things happening, especially in Mazatlan. I spoke to Ricky and Jake and I argued about tit all the way home from San Augustin. I thought we had reached an understanding. I didn't see any reason to hurt you with it."

"Mazatlan? You mean when Enrique disappeared for so long? He was with Jake the whole time?"

I nodded. "I think so, yes. But I was a little bit busy myself for awhile." I said, remembering my guilt and that I still hadn't spoken to Raul. "So, I can't be absolutely sure."

Don Chavez returned and spoke to us. "Enrique will not be going to Mexico City with us this evening."

Jose gasped, but the Don touched his arm and continued. "He will be taking Carla and Berto and his amigo back to San Augustin in the morning. I think you two need a time to be apart and to get over your anger, so that you can both think clearly. When we return from Mexico City, I have told Enrique that you and he must resolve this issue one way or the other. If I did not need for you to fly me and Senor Roberto and the others, I would not ask this of you, Jose. You know I love you as my own son."

The two Mexican men embraced. Don Chavez kissed Jose on the cheek, wiped his tears away, tenderly, and patted his shoulder. "This will pass, Jose. I am certain of it."

"Si, Don Chavez, it will be as you say. Gracias, mi Padre."

Don Chavez walked back toward the party. "Would you like me to stay with you, or would you prefer to be alone for awhile?" I asked Jose.

"Oh, Ben, you are so sweet and so caring. I know you love Enrique, and I know you love me. I also know that Jake is your amigo. This must be very hard for you. I love you for it, but please, let me be alone for awhile. I will find you before we leave."

"Okay, my friend, if you are sure. Here." I opened the door to my old room. "Please lie down in here. I will lock the door so you are not disturbed."

"Gracias, mi amigo." Jose kissed me and I locked and closed the door behind him.

"Now what?" I asked myself, "Do I find Jake and kill him? Do I shit all over Ricky? Do I just leave things alone and let it sort itself out?

I went back to the sunroom and nobody seemed to notice the absence of any of us. I saw that Don Chavez was speaking into Bob's ear and that Bob was nodding his understanding. I wondered just what was being discussed. I didn't have to wait long to find out.

Bob looked around until he spotted Mack and then spoke to him briefly. Mack put on a sour face and turned to go upstairs. Bob crossed to room to where I was.

"What's going on?" I asked

"Don Chavez wants to leave earlier than we had expected. He says he has received reports that the weather will be getting worse and the night goes on, so we need to leave soon. Mack was pissed about it, but he doesn't have anything to pack, anyway. His bags are still in the Jaguar and I'm sure It's back in San Diego by now."

"Oh, okay. Have you told Manuella yet? She'll need to get ready."

"Not yet, but if I know her, she's been ready to go for three days. Will you se if You can find her? I need to get my shit together."

I walked into the kitchen and told Maneulla what was going on. "How will I clean up after the guests have gone, Senor Ben?" was all she was concerned with.

"I'll take care of it, Manuella. You just go and have a good time. I will see you when I pick up you and Bob at the airport on Friday, okay?" She started to protest, but I pushed her out the door so she could get her things together.

I walked back to the studio. The light was on now and Ricky sat alone and fully clothed. I could still smell the sex in the air. They must have been at it for quite awhile. Jake was nowhere to be seen.

"Ricky, I need to see if it is okay for Berto to drive Don Chavez and the others to the airstrip in the Mercedes. Under the circumstances I don't think it would be a good idea for you to do so."

Ricky gave me a guilty look and nodded his agreement. "Here," he said handing me the keys. I turned to go. "Ben." Ricky said. I turned around. "I am so sorry I ruined your party."

"Ricky, you didn't ruin the party. Very few people even know what is going on. What you may have ruined is a very good thing with Jose. He's really hurt."

Ricky looked down at the floor. "Si, I know. I was so stupid."

"Yes you were. And you need to forget about Jake and figure out what really matters to you."

Ricky looked up at me. "It is Jose. It is him who matters to me, Ben. I love him. He is my heart. He is my life. Jake is just...just...a distraction."

"That's a big understatement, my friend. You were certainly distracted when I walked in a while ago. Your father is leaving so I have to find Berto."

I left him alone. I didn't know and didn't care where Jake had gone. At that point I wished he had gone to hell. Damn it, why wouldn't they listen to me?

I found Berto and told him about driving the others to the airstrip. Don Diego had generously offered to have Berto take Carlos, his wife and Manuella's sister home as well. It seemed a great idea, as the limousine was surely big enough to hold everybody. Besides, when was the next time they might get to ride in a car like that?

After the car had gone, Ricky came in to help me clean up. Carla and Raul helped out as well. They didn't know just what was going on, but they sensed something was up. Jake was nowhere to be seen, but the four of us got everything taken care of pretty quickly.

Ricky pulled me to the side and told me that he wanted to drive back to San Augustin, that night. The rain had subsided and he didn't want to stay at the house and chance encountering Jake again. I understood, but was concerned that he might be too tired to drive all the way home. He assured me that he was too upset to be tired, and reminded me that Carla or Berto could drive, too.

With that decided, I had just one more thing to do, and I wanted to get it done before Berto got back. I went to look for Raul. I found him in the kitchen with Carla washing up the last few dishes.

"Carla, I'll help Raul finish this up. Would you please go and talk with your brother? He's pretty upset right now and I think it would help."

"Si, of course, Ben."

After she left, I talked to Raul. "Raul, I need to talk to you about Mazatlan, and about Berto. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Berto, but he's very important to me and I don't want him to get hurt. I don't think you should tell him that we had sex in your hotel room that night. I think it would upset him very much."

"Si, Ben. I understand. I love Berto. He is mi hermano, but he is not my lover. You are the only man I have ever been with. He is not in love with me but I think he loves another."

"Okay, but please, just keep this between us."

"I promise, but ..."

"What?"

"Well, could I have just one more kiss from you before I go. I don't know if I will ever see you again."

I was hesitant, but told him okay. I held the tall, young Latino in my arms and we kissed. He was taking things a little too seriously, but I went along for the ride. I heard a door open and broke the kiss. Looking up I saw Carla and Ricky walking into the kitchen. They looked shocked and I thought it was because they had seen me passionately kissing Raul. Then I realized that they were looking past the two of us. I turned and saw Berto, standing in the door to the carport, one hand holding the doorknob. His mouth and eyes were opened wide.

Before I could say anything, he stepped back and slammed the door behind him. I went out the door behind him but he had gotten into the limousine driver's door.

"Berto, please come out so we can talk about this." I pleaded. He wouldn't even look at me. Raul came out behind me and stood on the other side of the car and asked him to open up. He refused and stared straight ahead with an angry hurt expression.

Ricky and Carla came to see what was going on. Carla came over to me and said, "Ben, let him be right now. He's upset and it will be awhile before he calms down. I will ride up front with him and when he wants to talk about it, I will be there for him."

"She's right, Ben." Said Ricky. "We should go now. Raul and I will ride in the back. I will call you when we get to San Augustin." He herded Raul into the back of the car, gave me a hug and a kiss and followed him. Carla gently pilled me away from the driver's door and hugged me too. "It will be alright, you will see. You mean a lot to Berto. Adios."

Berto unlocked the door for Carla to sit in the front seat. I was tempted to crawl in, but Carla held me back. Berto backed the long car out of the driveway and they were gone. I stood in the road and watched the red taillights until they were gone from my sight.

I hate to leave things here, but there will be much more to the story as I approach the anniversary date of the first chapter. I would like to thank Peter for his encouraging Email, also Rich, Mark and horndog Jim, thanks for your loyalty and patience. Feel free to write to me at ben_sc@hotmail.com. If you haven't read any of my other stories, check them out under the "Authors" link. Look for "Lyle Benton".