Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.
David's Initiation: The Recovery 14
David drove behind his mother and thought how strange it must appear for two cars, each with only one person, to drive up and stop in front of the house. He followed his mother to the front door and she rang the doorbell.
"Hi Nancy... and David I haven't seen you for years. My you are such a handsome young man. How have you been?"
"I'm fine, Mrs. Chambers." David said as he followed his mother through the door. "I'm living in the city now."
Abby escorted Nancy and David into the small living room where Buddy, Danny's father sat reading the paper. He stood up when they entered, shook their hands then sat back down. The visit began somewhat awkwardly but soon smoothed out. Mrs. Chambers wanted to know all about what David was doing now, how had he like the Army, how long he'd been out of college. David was just about to mention Danny when Melanie, Danny's sister entered the room. Once the greetings were over and Melanie sat down David decided the time was probably not going to get any better.
"Mr. and Mrs. Chambers, when was the last time you heard from Danny?"
Dave watched Mr. Chambers for a reaction. He noticed the man's jaw get tense like he was clenching his teeth but he didn't say a word.
"We haven't heard anything since he was home last summer," Abby began. "I've tried every way I know to contact him but nobody seems to know anything. I never thought about you, David, you two were always close in high school, have you heard from him?"
"Yes, Ma'am I have. I..." "It figures," Buddy interrupted, "you're the first person he ran to when he left here last year." Buddy seemed angry, upset.
"Yes, I know where he is," David continued but he hesitated before picking up his comment. "Last year, after he went back to San Francisco, we stayed in contact through e-mail. But then he stopped answering. All I had was an e-mail address, no phone number, no street address. I didn't know what had happened. Then last week he literally showed up on my doorstep."
"Suppose you two are livin' together now." Buddy didn't seem to want to let it go. "You're probably two of a kind."
Dave gathered his courage about him. He was determined not to let Dan's father get him into an argument. "I'm sorry, I came here hoping you might be interested in seeing Danny. He's seriously ill and his doctor advised me that having the love and support of his family would be a big help." Turning to his mother, David said, "Mother, I think we ought to leave, we seem to be wasting their time." Dave stood up as he said that.
"No, wait!" Abby exclaimed then looked at her husband. "Buddy be quiet!" Turning back to Dave, "Where is he? Can you take me to him... please?"
"Yes ma'am, when would you like to go?"
"Now! The sooner the better!"
"I want to go too, Mama," Melanie exclaimed.
"Can you follow me? We have to go into the city." Dave explained.
"Yes, we'll follow you. Buddy, get your keys." Abby commanded to her husband. He was going whether he liked it or not.
"Mama, I'll ride with David, okay?" Melanie chimed in.
"If it's okay with David."
"I'd welcome the company, Melanie, we haven't seen each other for a long while."
A few minutes later David walked his mother to her car and they hugged and kis sed each other on the cheek before Nancy slid behind the steering wheel and David closed the door. Nancy felt very proud of her son, the way he handled Buddy's rudeness. She'd never really seen David so in charge of a situation. Abby watched with envy, wishing desperately that she could once again share such a close relationship with her own son.
Dave used the remote control to unlock his car and as he got into the driver's seat, Melanie got in on the passenger side. As they waited for Buddy and Abby to back the car out of the garage Dave picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Doc, we're on our way... Yes, his whole family... We should be there in about an hour and a half... Okay, see you then. You gonna tell Dan? ... Okay, bye." David pressed the END key and placed the phone back into his pocket. Melanie was not very advanced in the world of technology and didn't know anyone who had a cell phone; she was most impressed. She was also impressed with David's Accord and the leather seats were exceptionally comfortable. She began to see David as a prospective catch. She didn't have a clue.
David pulled away from the curb as Buddy backed out onto the street and they quickly set up a 2-car caravan headed toward the Interstate.
"What's wrong with Dan, David?" Melanie asked, breaking the silence once they were settled at cruise speed on the Interstate. She had to know before she saw her brother.
Dave considered that question for a few seconds then decided, `Why not!' "How much do you know about HIV?" he asked. He heard Melanie gasp.
"Oh, David, no."
David reached out and took her hand. "The doc says Dan should be okay." He glanced over at Melanie, "I'm telling you this now so that you can try to be strong for Dan when your parents see him." Dave then proceeded to give Melanie a complete rundown on Dan's condition. By the time he finished and Melanie got answers to most of her questions she seemed much better.
An hour and twenty minutes later David pulled into a parking space at the Philos Foundation and Buddy pulled in right beside him. David led Dan's family into the lobby where Dr. Gray was waiting for them and took over from there. Dave found a seat in the lobby and tried to stay calm while wondering how things were going with the reunion. A little over an hour later, a very sad looking family walked back into the lobby, Dan among them. Abby had been crying as could be expected but Buddy looked ashen-faced. Dave later concluded that although to him Dan looked better than when he found him a few days earlier, to Dan's family he looked terrible. Buddy must have been shocked by just how sick his son looked and realized he might lose him. Children aren't supposed to die before their parents.
Abby walked over to Dave and hugged him. "Thank you, David, for everything."
"You're more than welcome, Mrs. Chambers. I'm glad I can help."
"Thank you David," Buddy said, "I'm sorry for the things I said earlier."
"That's okay, Mr. Chambers, I understand."
"David, can you recommend a descent hotel near here that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, Abby wants to stay for a couple of days and then Melanie will replace her for a couple more days until Danny is better."
Dave didn't hesitate. "Listen, I have a guest room in my condo and you're more than welcome to stay there as long as you need to."
"No, David, we couldn't... "I insist." Dave interrupted. "Now whenever you're ready I'll show you where I live and we can work things out from there. Will someone be staying tonight?"
"I suggested they go home for tonight and come back tomorrow, if that's okay," Dan interjected. "But could you come back this evening, Dave?"
"Sure, Dan, count on it."
Melanie was intrigued by the way her brother and his friend addressed each other as Dan' and Dave', like they had moved on from the boyhood names they had in their youth.
After a few more hugs and kisses they all parted and Dan watched his parents, sister, and best friend get in their cars and drive away. Then Dan did something he hadn't done for years; he walked into the little chapel, sat down and prayed. He thanked the lord for his good fortune of having Dave for a friend and for helping him reunite with his family.
Dan's mother spent two nights with Dave and then Melanie traded with her for the next three nights. Melanie felt a little uneasy staying in Dave's condo un-chaperoned. After all, she still considered Dave a potential love interest. But something didn't seem right to her. Dave was the perfect gentleman and she saw no indications of any female interests in his life. While in the condo alone one morning she wandered into Dave's bedroom, not really snooping, but just looking around, and saw the picture of Dave and Paul on top of the chest. Melanie knew her brother was gay; that was the cause of the rift between him and his father. She began to wonder. She could ask Dave or she could ask her brother.
"Is Dave gay?" Melanie asked Dan as they sat on the deck of what was now an empty hotel pool soaking up the warm morning sunshine.
Dan looked at his sister for several seconds, thinking what his answer should be. "Why do you ask?" Ah-ha, answer a question with a question.
"Oh, he doesn't seem to have any girl friends and I saw a picture of him and a very good looking man in his room. I just wondered."
"Suppose he is?" Dan was committed to protecting Dave at all costs.
"Are you saying he is?"
"I'm not saying anything of the kind. Why do you care; does it matter?"
Melanie was beginning to get the picture. Her brother wasn't going to answer her question under any circumstance. That meant he was protecting David. And after what he had done for her brother she understood why.
"No, dear brother, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter one little bit."
End of discussion. Melanie knew she owed David his privacy for her brother's sake. Dave would never know that this conversation occurred.
Dan spent the following weekend at home and it turned out just fine. But it made him realize he could never go back there to live. Gradually his strength began to build and his frame gave signs of filling out. It would take months if not years before he would recover anything close to what he used to be. Therapy helped Dan straighten out his head and he started thinking about finding work. With his technical background he had little trouble getting interviews but he couldn't avoid his medical condition. Some employers flat refused to have anything to do with anyone who was HIV-positive. Ignorance abounds.
Dave invited Dan to dinner at his condo one evening, primarily to get Dan out of Philos for a while, and also to get an update on his progress. Dan expressed his frustration in the job market and Dave asked why.
"Well, I found this great software development company that needs exactly what I'm qualified to do. The interview went well, great actually, until the subject of the company health insurance plan came up. I had to tell the lady about my condition; it's not something I can hide; they'll find out eventually and I could be accused of false something-or-other. She wasn't quite sure what to do but was certain that their health plan would not accept me. So I left without getting the job."
"Go back and talk to the lady. Tell her you'll take the job without the health insurance." Dave advised.
"Whatta ya mean?"
"You don't need their health insurance plan. You're covered under my plan."
"Dave, you can't do that forever, it's too expensive!"
"Of course I can. There's an old Chinese proverb that if you save a man's life you are obligated to take care of him for as long as you live... or something like that. I guess I may have saved your life so I have to look after you, don't I."
"That's crazy! I never heard of any Chinese proverb like that. You're just makin' that up."
"And while you're at it, tell the lady that she should add to your salary the amount she would normally have to pay for your health care premiums." Dave wasn't about to give up.
"Damn you, how did you get to be so smart!" Dan exclaimed and he balled up his fist and popped Dave on the side of his arm.
"I went into the Army," Dave chuckled sarcastically, "not like somebody I know who chose the Navy."
Dan went back to the software company and got the job. And when he proposed what Dave had suggested he got that too. His starting salary was more than enough to get him into an apartment of his own and buy a good used car. Mike and Todd had decided to move to a larger apartment in their complex and worked a deal where Dan could get their one-bedroom place. Dan's parents came up with a bed, dresser, and an old kitchen table and two rickety chairs. Dave pitched in one of the chairs from his living room because it wouldn't be long before he moved into his new home. Dan's mother came up with some plates, mugs and flatware but Dan didn't plan on doing much cooking so he didn't need very many utensils. Dave also promised Dan and Mike and Todd that they could have any furniture he decided not to take to his new house.
Sam's crew made excellent progress on Dave's house. Three or four times a week Dave would drive out at lunch or after work to check on how things were going and every time he made a point of talking to each man on the job. At first the men were a little hesitant to talk to him but after a while they began to get accustomed to Dave's questions and Sam said it was okay. Dave just liked to know the people who were doing the work, like back in the days when he worked construction. One large benefit for Dave was that occasionally someone would make a comment that something didn't seem right or it wasn't working like the design said. That allowed Dave to either explain what he wanted or correct a something he had miscalculated. It didn't take long for Sam's crew to open up and accept Dave as part of the gang. One thing that might have helped was that every Friday after work Dave either showed up with a cooler full of beer or treated the men at a nearby tavern. Dave would follow that practice in the coming months as he and Sam began collaborating more and more on building more up-scale houses.
Approaching the end of May, Yee completed his educational objectives in accounting and finance and prepared to return to China. His itinerary would take him and two of his fellow countrymen on a sightseeing tour of Washington, DC and New York City before making the long flight to Beijing. Friday night before his Saturday departure, Mike and Todd hosted a small farewell party with Dave and Dan. They all had a lot of fun and there was surprisingly little alcohol consumed. Dan abstained totally because he was concerned that it might interfere with his medications. The introduction of Dan to the group provided a wealth of education for Yee; he learned so much more about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment than he probably would have otherwise learned. Actually knowing someone with the disease made it real.
At the end of the evening, when it was time for Yee to leave, he said goodbye to all of his friends and gave each of them a hug. That surprised Dave, as Yee had always been very reserved about expressing his emotions. Yee had become very Americanized, why not that. He had always held some of his feelings in check but he often saw Dave, Mike and Todd greet each other with hugs and kisses so perhaps he had picked up that behavior like so many others he had copied.
Saturday morning Dave went by Yee's room and they loaded his luggage into Dave's car. Yee had already shipped the bulk of his things home earlier in the week. Dave went back to the room where Yee was still waiting. They took one more look around and then Yee stepped up to Dave and hugged him.
"Thank you, Dave... for everything. I wish I stay longer so we get to know each other better." Then Yee reached up, pulled Dave's face toward him and gave Dave a very passionate kiss. He even parted his lips a little. Dave was really taken aback by Yee's actions but he returned the kiss just the same. That kiss lasted long enough for Dave to slide his right hand down and caress Yee's bubble butt, something he had always wanted to do. It was a friendly gesture, not an erotic one, and Yee copied what Dave did. Then they separated before each could notice that the other was beginning to get hard.
"You're more than welcome, Yee. Much more of that and I'll follow you to China," Dave chuckled, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"You are welcome to visit any time. I am so lucky to find you, my friend; I will not forget you. Now we must go." And with that, Yee led the way down the stairs and to the car.
Mike, Todd and Dan were waiting at the airport when Dave and Yee arrived and they all waited while Yee and his two travel companions checked their luggage. Yee introduced everyone then said goodbye to his American friends, but it was different than the night before. This time Yee took each man's hand one by one and shook it once as he made a slight, publicly polite bow. It was almost a ceremony the way he did it. Then smiling he turned, joined his friends and they stood in line to get through security screening. On the other side of the luggage screener, before disappearing, Yee turned and waved once more before walking down the concourse. When last seen, he was talking to his colleagues, gesturing with his hands and arms very un-Chinese like, much more like a typical American.
As the four friends broke to go their separate ways, Mike asked if Dave could give him a ride because Todd needed to get to work. That was an easy `Yes' for Dave.
Dave had been driving for several minutes without saying one word when Mike turned toward him.
"You're awfully quiet, what's eatin' you?"
"There you go again, mind in the gutter." Dave chuckled then continued. "Oh, just thinking about Yee." He paused for a minute. "I was remembering the first time I met him. All he really wanted to do was find out what it was like to be with a man and he kinda got burned." Dave was silent for a few mom ents. "I wonder if he ever found out?" The car was quiet for several seconds.
"Yeah... he did." Mike offered quietly.
Dave's head snapped to his right as he looked at Mike questioningly. "And just exactly what is that supposed to mean?"
Mike looked down at his hands then straight ahead out the front window. "You gotta promise you won't tell Todd I told you this..." Mike looked squarely at Dave.
"Now I'm not sure I ought to know," Dave replied. "I promise. Now tell me."
"You remember the last time you went to Dallas? March, wasn't it?" Dave just nodded his head while he kept his eyes on the traffic. "Yee came over for dinner. We had some wine and it must have loosened his brain a little and gave him some courage. He asked me and Todd what it was like to love each other. We thought we answered his question but he kept pestering us and wanted to know about making love, sex."
"Oh man, this is almost too much information!" Dave exclaimed. "So what happened?" Dave was torn. Part of him didn't want to know and part of him couldn't resist knowing.
"Well... you're not gonna believe this... but Todd suggested we show him." Mike looked over at Dave to see what kind of reaction that comment might draw. Dave's mouth was partially open with surprise as he continued to look out the front window. "How much detail you wanna know?"
"You mean there's more?!"
"Yeah... We let Yee join in."
"NO SHIT!" Dave responded incredulously. The car was quiet for several minutes.
"He wanted to, Dave. Over the next two days he wanted to experience everything he could."
"Everything?" Dave glanced toward Mike. Mike just nodded. "Oh-My-God!" Dave exclaimed, almost in a whisper. "So... who took him?"
"Me." Mike said after a moment's hesitation.
"Well that's good, at least you couldn't hurt him." Dave replied jokingly.
"Damn, G.I.," Mike exclaimed as he slammed his fist in to the side of Dave's right arm. "You sure know how to hurt a guy! Not all of us are glandular freaks, like someone I know!"
"Ouch!" Dave responded and began to laugh. "I'm sorry, Mike, I just couldn't pass up that perfect opportunity. So it must have worked out well because Yee left us as a true friend."
"Yeah, after I did him, he did Todd AND me. Ya know the thing he liked most was holding and being held. But man-o-man was he a tiger! And he really liked to kiss. That took a while for him to learn but when he caught on we almost couldn't stop him. I was glad to see the weekend come to an end. But that was the end of it. We never did it again. And I discovered that I don't like to share Todd with anyone."
"That's an important thing to learn, Mike."
"Yeah, now I understand a lot more about what you had with Captain Roehl."
"Wow! That's some story! I envy you."
"Why?" Mike asked.
"I always wondered what Yee's bubble butt would be like."
"Does that mean you're starting to get interested again?"
"I got to admit that Yee sure had my interest. Maybe." Dave said as he turned to Mike and smiled.
June was a busy month for Dave. Sam put the finishing touches on Dave's house and it was time to think about decorating the interior and buying furniture. Dave asked Kate for help and she really wanted to take on the challenge but had to decline because of other commitments.
For his birthday Dave found himself in Dallas for the wedding of Constance Roehl to Adam King, followed by the AANCF Board Meeting.
Dave had secretly conspired with Adam to let the newlyweds use Dave's condo in Vale, Colorado. Dave had never seen it and was happy to have someone use it.
While in Dallas, Dave took the opportunity to ask Art a question. "Hey, Art, I need to borrow your wife for a few days."
"Whoa, Dave, you wanna run that by me one more time? Did I hear you say you wanna borrow my wife?"
"Yeah," Dave chuckled. "My house is finished and I need help with the interior decor. I've always admired what Beth has done with your home and I'm hoping she'll help me out. Think of it this way, it'll be great practice for when I build that house I owe you."
"Well since you put it that way, go ahead and ask her. You may have to include the girls because she's training them, you know. And you'd better set up a very, very large budget because Beth sure knows how to spend money, especially someone else's." Art laughed at his own joke.
Beth agreed. To cut down on travel requirements, Dave sent her copies of the floor plans, then took digital photos of the entire house, outside and inside, and e-mailed those to her. Beth contacted an interior decorator in a suburb near Dave's new house and told them what she wanted in the way of fabrics, paint colors, wallpaper, and window treatments so Dave could see and approve or reject what she was planning.
Dave loved what Beth was doing and suggested only minor changes along the way. His only stipulation was that he didn't want frilly stuff. A lean toward masculinity with a feminine touch would be perfect. For furnishings, Beth shopped at her favorite Dallas furniture stores, found what she thought was perfect and then directed Dave to the websites of the manufacturers where he could actually see and read about the line.
Dave had one request, that Beth order all furniture through the firm of Winston & Baker Furniture Showrooms located in his hometown. Furthermore, Beth should place the order in her name. Dave had kept his home construction a secret from his parents and didn't want them to know until it was completely finished.
Right after the Fourth of July, Beth and her daughters arrived for the final decorating tasks. She was astonished at the size of the place. Although she had seen photos and floor plans they hadn't done justice to the structure. The next day a large moving van arrived and the men began unloading everything that Dave had stored in Texas until he had a place for it. Dave was a little surprised when he saw his silver BMW 540i being rolled out of the van. But his greatest surprise was the baby grand piano.
"Where did that come from?" He exclaimed to Beth.
"Oh, Alex said it was Paul's and it now belongs to you so she sent it."
"I never knew he played the piano!"
"Oh yes, he was quite good too. He was often the life of the party in college."
`That may be the only secret he kept from me,' Dave thought.
"Where do you want this?" One of the movers asked as he carried one end of a large, almost flat crate.
"Oh yes, Dave, that's the `Bathers' picture. Where does it go?" Beth asked.
"In the master bedroom down stairs." Dave smiled. It was like being reunited with an old friend.
The rooms had already been painted and wallpapered to Beth's specifications. She went through the entire house like an Inspector General, making sure everything was done to perfection. She found a few things that needed to be corrected but overall she was quite pleased. Beth supervised the hanging of draperies and then reevaluated the furniture placement before it arrived.
Friday was the big day that Winston & Baker Furniture Showrooms was scheduled to deliver the furniture. Dave's parents had already told him about this large order the store had received and that they planned to accompany the delivery to make sure it arrived in perfect shape. They were also excited to see the house it was going into and wanted to meet the owner. The furniture filled three large delivery trucks.
Both of Dave's cars were parked in the garage and he just made sure the doors were closed. He watched from the large kitchen window as the delivery trucks drove up the driveway, around the circle and stopped in front of the north -facing house. Bob and Nancy brought up the rear and parked behind the last truck. As Bob stepped out of the car he was reminded of the circular drive in front of Steve and Alex Roehl's house. Beth, having already been clued in by Dave, acted as the Director of Interior Design. With her two assistants, she greeted everyone at the front door and began taking everyone, especially the movers, on a tour of the house so they could develop a mind's eye view of where things were supposed to go.
Walking through the main entrance into the large foyer, Beth pointed out the large dining room on the left and the cherry paneled library on the right. Beth had already figured out that Dave had captured the look of Art's library for his own home. From the foyer they walked out into the large expanse of the great room and ooh's and ah's abounded. They were standing on a kind of landing area that served as a hallway that stretched from the kitchen all the way down the length of the great room toward the bedrooms. The floor of the great room was sunk two steps lower than the hallway and was guarded by a railing except for the opening right where it aligned with the foyer. On the left was a built-in entertainment unit that was just waiting for all the electronics to be installed. At the right end of the large room was a large fireplace with bookshelves on either side. Paul's baby grand piano was centered on the room near the hallway. The far wall was made of large glass panels from floor to ceiling, just like the wall Dave remembered from his first visit to the Westin Hotel. It was a favorite memory for him. All eyes were drawn to the shimmering blue water of the swimming pool that was as long as the great room. The pool could be accessed from the great room through two large French-type doors and it could also be reached through the six-garage or from a door at the end of a hallway that ran between the great room and the master bedroom.
Beth led them down the hall to the master suite and bath, and explained where articles of furniture should go. But she bypassed another large room in the front of the house that could be accessed through the master bath. Then she led them upstairs and pointed out a second master suite and bath, and four more good-sized bedrooms.
Their last stop was the kitchen where Dave was leaning against the counter next to the sink.
"Mr. and Mrs. Baker, I think you know the young man of the house..." "David!" Nancy and Bob shouted together. Nancy hurried across the room to give her son a hug and a kiss.
"Hi, Mother, Dad," David said calmly.
"What are you doing here?" Bob asked.
"Welcome to my new home," David said with a smile so wide his face was about to split.
"What!" exclaimed Nancy. You didn't tell us you were building. David, it's just beautiful."
"And BIG!" Bob added. "How many bedrooms did I count?"
"A master down, a master up, plus four more up. That makes six, each with a private bathroom."
"But I thought I counted seven." Bob questioned.
"Oh, you're probably thinking of the one downstairs in the front of the house. That's an exercise/workout area. I plan to have all kinds of equipment in there. I suppose it could be a bedroom if necessary."
"Why so many, David?" Nancy asked.
"So you'll have a place to stay when you visit," came the reply. Nancy had been studying the kitchen.
"David... if I didn't know better I'd say I was in Kate's kitchen."
"Well, in a way you are, Mother," Dave said proudly. "I liked so many things about Kate's kitchen that I copied the features that worked with this house. If you know where things are at Kate's, you'll know where things are here." Nancy was chuckling as she began to open cabinet doors. Bob was wondering how Dave could afford a house this large.
The rest of the day was spent moving the furniture into the house and placing it where Beth directed. Three twin beds and three chests were placed in third largest bedroom in the house. It was upstairs opposite the master bedroom and directly over the exercise room. It was no secret who that room was for.
Dave let Beth do her thing while he took his parents on a special tour. He was very proud to show his father the solar panels on the roof over the great room, they would be used to heat the pool and augment the three water heaters in the house. Dave also showed his father how, under the bathroom sinks he had split the cold water line and installed instant water heaters. Not only did that eliminate a lot of hot water pipes but it also saved a great deal of energy. Bob was really impressed with the special electrical circuit breaker room in the garage that also contained an emergency generator that exhausted to the outdoors. In the event of a power outage, critical systems like heat, refrigerator, freezer, and stove/oven could be operated.
Just before noon, Dave ordered a dozen pizzas of different combinations and soft drinks then everyone went out to the pool area for lunch. After the lunch break Beth got everyone moving again and the house was almost completely furnished by 4:00 PM. Bob thanked his movers and released them to go back home. He and Nancy stayed behind to get one last look at Dave's house in its final arrangement. It wasn't until then that Nancy noticed the two loveseats positioned near the fireplace just like hers were at home. She knew she would always feel comfortable in this house.
In early August, Howard Hastings called Dave and a couple of other architects into his office and announced that the firm had just secured a consulting contract on a major construction project in Seattle, Washington. He needed to send someone to Seattle to handle the preliminary work and wanted to know who among them was interested. One man said he was not the least bit interested. The other said he would love to accept but had a conflict during the first week. After that, he would be completely free. Dave wasn't all that interested in leaving his new home right then but offered to cover the first week then pass it over to the man who wanted the job. Hastings thought that was a reasonable compromise as long as the two men maintained very close coordination and didn't let anything fall through the cracks. They agreed.
The following Sunday, Dave was on a flight to Seattle. He checked into a four-star downtown hotel, got settled and headed for the restaurant. The three-hour time change was new to him. He was used to the one-hour change going to Dallas but this was another ball game. The local time was not quite 5:00 but Dave's stomach said the time was almost 8:00 and it was hungry. He had to wait only a few minutes before being seated in the elegant restaurant. After studying the menu Dave asked the waiter what he could recommend and was told that the poached salmon was excellent.
The first two days went well. Dave kept in touch with his colleague back home and handled every issue easily. Each day he did better at adjusting to the time change but his stomach still wanted to eat not later than 5:15 PM. Monday and Tuesday after dinner, Dave adjourned to the bar for a gin-and-tonic where he could watch the traffic outside the hotel. On more than one occasion, very attractive women approached him at the bar and suggested they knew how to relieve his stress. Although Dave was feeling a little lonely he politely declined but it began to irritate him just a little. If he wanted pussy he figured he knew how to get it and he wasn't in the market for some hooker in a hotel bar.
Wednesday evening after dinner Dave was sitting at the bar looking down into his drink when, out of the corner of his eye he saw a pair of shapely feminine legs slide up onto the barstool next to him. His nostrils picked up the fragrance of a gentle perfume that made him think of home. At the same time he thought, `Oh no. Why can't this hotel do a better job of keeping the whores out of here? If she tries to hit on me, no mister nice guy, I'll tell her to fuck off.' Then he felt a gentle hand rest on his forearm.
"Buy a girl a drink?"
Dave could almost see fire in his eyes. Thinking `fuckoff!' he turned and...
"Tiffany?!" Dave exclaimed in total disbelief.
"Hi David, long time no see." Her voice was dripping with southern charm.
"What... what're you doing here?!"
"Oh, I'm here doing an evaluation on an investment client. How about you?"
"I'm representing my firm on a major construction contract, we're consulting on some architecture issues. What are you doing now?"
"Actually I'm out of New York where I work as a stock analyst for a major Wall Street investment company. I thought I saw you in here last night but you left before I could catch you. That was some pretty lady trying to get your attention."
"Oh yeah, they're everywhere. In fact, I uh... at first I thought you were one of them when you sat down. I'm glad you're not." Dave said with a soft, friendly smile. From the moment he saw it was Tiff with her hand on his arm, Dave's whole attitude began to change.
Something strange seems to happen when you're in some faraway place and encounter an old high school friend, especially when you're feeling lonely. They relocated to the increased privacy of a booth and began getting caught up on their high school friends. Tiff had kept in touch with almost everyone from their class and was full of gossip. They laughed and giggled and had another drink. When Tiffany suggested they retire to her room where they could talk more freely Dave accepted without hesitation.
In Tiff's room, an executive suite on the top floor, Dave removed his coat and tie, sat down on the sofa and began to relax a little more. Tiff excused herself and went into the bedroom to freshen up. When she returned she had changed into a more casual and comfortable blouse and skirt and sat on the sofa next to Dave.
In the company of his old friend and sufficiently numbed buy the alcohol, Dave let his guard down. Poor Dave, he never saw it coming. Tiff began by telling him she had gone to college where she began dating and then married Steve Maxwell. Dave remembered Steve as Kate's date at her junior prom. From his track team initiation he also remembered Steve as one with a short fuse and hair trigger, not the sort of man he thought Tiff would hookup with. When Tiff explained that she and Steve had divorced about a year ago Dave could think of at least two reasons why. Dave gave Tiff the highlights of his life, leaving out any mention of Paul. During their entire conversation Tiff's hands kept stroking and caressing Dave -- his forearm, his hand, the back of his neck, his knee, his inner thigh.
Dave was extremely vulnerable. Tiff was an old friend and he felt at ease with her. His defenses down, the next thing Dave knew he was following Tiff into her bedroom. She undressed him then herself and they slid into bed and wrapped their arms around each other. This was easy for Dave. He knew Tiff. They had a history together. They were consenting adults. Dave's body yearned for sexual pleasure and Tiff was more than eager. Dave mentioned the need for a condom and Tiff said she was on the pill and was clean. Dave was too far gone to question that reply. Their lovemaking was torrid yet tender and slow. Dave easily recaptured to his high degree of control and had Tiff experiencing her second orgasm when he emphatically ejaculated his seeds of life deep into her vagina. Gasping for breath, the two lovers kissed and caressed each other as they descended from the ecstasy of their release.
As Dave lay with Tiffany in his arms he slowly came to grips with what he had just done. He struggled with it for a few minutes but then accepted their coupling as fate; it was meant to happen. They needed each other at that moment. They were good for each other at that moment. What was it Father Tim had said... free will, you make your choices and accept responsibility for them.
They lay quietly for several minutes then they began to talk softly. Tiff reminded Dave of their last encounter and how awkward it had been. They laughed at the memory because now it seemed humorous. As they lay talking quietly, face to face, lips only inches apart, occasionally touching softly, Tiff began fondling Dave's flaccid, weighty penis and balls. In her expert hands, Dave was soon hard again and they took another trip up the mountain and flung themselves over the cliff.
Dave awoke, raised himself up on his elbow and looked across the bed at the clock. It displayed 03:05 AM, 06:05 AM in the eastern time zone, Dave's normal wakeup time. Awakened by the movement of the bed, Tiffany reached out, slid her arm around Dave's waist and sighed. It was a satisfied sound.
"Tiff," Dave whispered.
"Hmmm?"
"I should go."
"Hum-um. Stay a little longer, David."
"I can't. I've stayed too long already," he whispered. "Maybe we'll see each other tomorrow... later today." Dave corrected himself.
"Okay," Tiff replied, still mostly asleep.
Dave found his clothes, went into the sitting room, dressed and went to his room. He was awake for good now. He knew he'd pay for it later that afternoon but there was no use trying to go to sleep now. He sat in the darkness of his room and thought about what he had done. `No harm, no foul,' he thought. But he vowed that would be his last time with any woman. Yes it was sex. It was release. But it seemed empty. There was no love involved and he could only love a man. But what man? Where? When? The next thing Dave knew the phone was ringing -- it was the wakeup call from the hotel operator -- he had fallen asleep. Dave showered and got ready for work.
(To be continued.)