CHOICES
CHAPTER 3, Version A-2
Steve was in Miami to work with a recently acquired subsidiary of the company he worked for in Utah. It had been a long four long days of detailed work to merge two incompatible accounting systems. Most of the time was spent with Mark, his counterpart, a balding man of nondescript appearance but a keen mind. In spite of the disparity of the systems and the fierce independence of the subsidiary's founder and chief executive, Mark and Steve were able to find solutions to a large number of problems. Converting the subsidiary's financial accounting system to the parent company's system was tedious and exhaustive but there had been no resistance from Mark over the necessary changes.
By late afternoon on Thursday it seemed that the intricacies and conflicts in the two systems were resolved. Steve said, "Thanks, Mark, for your efforts. I hope your family didn't mind your working late."
Mark laughed. "I'm a family of one. My wife divorced me two years ago and my kids are all grown."
"I'm sorry," Steve said.
"Don't be," Mark grinned. "The marriage was rocky at best and I'm a free man now. I've got a great condo overlooking the beach. I'm not accountable to anyone...except at work, of course. I'm a happy man. Now that I've told you about my personal life, how about yours?"
"Pretty ordinary," Steve replied. "Wife. Three kids. All grown. Typical suburbanite."
"But are you happy?" Mark asked.
Steve was surprised by the question and for a while didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to mention the sexless marriage. That was just too personal. And he certainly didn't want to say or even imply his unhappiness over being a frustrated gay. He chose a diversionary tactic. "Yes. Life's been good to me. Since you don't have a family to go home to and I'm stuck in a hotel room, may I take you out to dinner? You'll have to recommend a place since I'm a stranger in town."
"I'd like that. Thanks. I'll pick you up at your hotel. Say...about seven?"
Both men thoroughly enjoyed dinner and their conversation. Within a short time, both felt as though they had been friends for a long time. Mark dropped Steve off at the hotel, thanking him again for the meal and the company, and said, "I guess you'll be going home tomorrow. Your wife will be happy to see you home early, I'm sure."
"No," Steve replied. "My plane reservation isn't until Saturday afternoon. I thought I'd spend tomorrow just being a tourist." He couldn't elaborate, of course, because he planned on ogling the nearly naked men on the beach.
Steve spent much of Friday on the beach admiring the tanned bodies of men and wishing that it were possible to make friends with one who was willing to spend some time with a horny, middle-aged man. It was, of course, an impossible dream so, feeling frustrated and lonely, he grabbed an early supper. He dreaded returning to an empty hotel room and decided to walk around for a while. Turning a corner, he saw a gay bar and was immediately tempted to go inside. At least, he thought, a pick-up in a gay bar might put him in the company of a man who was willing, if only for one night, to share some sex. Nobody in Miami knew him so there was virtually no chance that his carefully protected reputation back in Utah would be tarnished. However, after decades of practice his obsessive concern over hiding his sexuality had become an automatic reflex. He walked past the bar. Less than fifteen minutes later, he changed his mind, convincing himself that it would be safe and that he would be missing perhaps the only opportunity to experience again what had been a suppressed dream since one memorable night in his dormitory room with Jose.
In the time it took to return to the bar, his anticipation created a stir in his groin. He sat at the bar and ordered a drink before turning his attention to the clientele—predominantly young, under 30, and several obvious couples. Their attire ranged from leather-butch to yuppie-chic. Their behavior ranged from pseudo-macho to fairy-feminine. He found none of them especially appealing but neither did he seem to be appealing to them because everyone ignored the fit but middle-aged man nursing a scotch and soda at the bar.
He was discouraged and was about to leave when someone called his name. He turned and saw Mark. In a fraction of a second, his reaction changed from surprise to fear and then to desperately trying to fabricate an explanation for being in a gay bar.
Mark saw Steve's expression of discomfort but graciously ignored it and said very cheerfully, "What a pleasant surprise. I thought our next meeting would be on your next trip to Miami."
Try as he might, Steve could only think of one thing to say. "Good to see you again, Mark." The comment was not only frivolously trite but was a lie. He was not happy to see Mark. He was mortified. His mind was in debilitating turmoil.
Mark sat next to Steve, ordered a beer and another scotch and soda for Steve. When their drinks arrived, Mark paid the bartender and suggested, "There's an empty booth over there; let's grab it. It's more comfortable than these stools."
Walking to the booth, Steve realized that there was no plausible excuse for his being in a gay bar. He made a snap decision to be frank, hoping that the rapport they had developed meant that he could trust Mark not to spread the news. As soon as they settled into a booth, Steve said, "Look. I didn't expect to be recognized in...ahh...in a gay bar. It's...well...it's a side of me that nobody knows." To emphasize the point, he added with distinct stress, "Nobody!"
"Nobody will. I was in the closet for a long time myself so I know exactly how you feel."
"My friends, my family, my business associates..." Steve began.
"Say no more," he said. "They'll only know what YOU choose tell them. Nobody will hear anything from me."
"Thanks for understanding," Steve said sincerely.
"It is a bit of a surprise, though. I mean you talked about your wife and children so I thought..."
"That I was straight? Only to the outside world."
"Let me guess," Mark said. "You've been gay for a long time. You married and had a family because it was expected of you. But the gay side of you never went away. Am I right?"
"Exactly. How did you know?"
"That's my story, too. I've been gay since puberty but only admitted it to myself at about age eighteen. Like you, I married because it was the thing to do."
"And nobody knew?" Steve asked.
"Nobody. Until about three years ago. I made friends with a guy I met on the beach and we...ahh...became very friendly. When my wife found out, she divorced me."
"Then you have a boyfriend?"
"Had. He split, leaving me without a wife OR a boyfriend."
They swapped stories about living straight and being constantly frustrated. Steve felt perfectly comfortable telling Mark of his life-long frustrations and it was liberating. They finished their drinks and Mark said, "Let's go to my place. It's a lot quieter and more comfortable. It's just a short walk from here."
His meaning was fairly clear. The visit to his condo might result in more than conversation. Steve wanted to accept the invitation but his habitual caution made him hesitate.
"Look," Mark said softly. "You've lost some opportunities. Don't let this one slip by. I think we both need some...shall we say... companionship?"
"Thanks for the offer. And the encouragement. I'd love to."
At Mark's condo he fixed drinks and they settled on the sofa.
It wasn't long before Mark asked, "You'll spend the night, won't you?"
With no hesitation, Steve replied, "Yes, I'd like that."
Mark took his guest's hand and led him to the bedroom where a double bed awaited. Steve suddenly grew nervous, which Mark noticed right away. They sat on the edge of the bed. "Relax," Mark said reassuringly. "You set the pace. Take control. Don't feel as though you have to do anything you're not comfortable with. Let's just take it slow and easy and enjoy each other."
Before long, they were naked on the bed, hands and mouths roaming freely across each other's body. Both were driven by pure lust. Steve's cock was harder than it had been for years and the precum was flowing profusely.
Impulsively, Steve switched to a 69 position and hungrily sucked on Mark's rigid cock, tasting for the first time another man's precum. When Mark began to swallow his partner's cock, Steve gasped, stopped breathing for a moment, and felt his heart skip several beats. Mark's skillful mouth and tongue brought Steve to the brink very quickly. Without so much as a word of warning, Steve discharged several loads of cum into a welcoming mouth.
Soon, Mark presented Steve with a considerable quantity of hot cum that was savored before swallowing.
They cuddled together for quite some time, saying little. Steve was surprised that post-orgasm cuddling was as satisfying in its way as the preceding climax. Perhaps, he speculated, it was because Mark was not a casual pick up in a bar but a person he had grown to like and admire. Sharing naked bodies in an embrace was therefore extremely fulfilling.
It was nearly three in the morning, after a second session of sex when they fell asleep in each other's arms and almost nine in the morning when they woke. After breakfast, they returned to Mark's bed where Steve was introduced to the joy of fucking and being fucked.
Steve retrieved his things from the hotel. Mark drove him to the airport for the flight home. During the drive, Steve said, "I really appreciate your hospitality and would like to return the favor. There's a lodge just an hour's drive from my home with a great fishing lake. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I'd like to show it to you."
Mark grinned to signal his understanding of Steve's intent and said, "I've got a vacation scheduled for next month. Lake fishing sounds a lot better than hiking in the Appalachians."
"Great," I said. "I've got plenty of fishing tackle...that is, if you think we'll need it."
THE END