David's Initiation

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 21

The `morning after' should be expected to have some awkward moments. Dave lay snuggled close to Tony, feeling his upper abdomen rise and fall, listening to his heart, and hearing his soft, masculine snore. The sun was up but Dave didn't know what time it was; he refused to lift his head to look at the clock because it might awaken Tony.

`What's going to happen today? Will he wake up and want to leave? Will he want to stay? If he stays, what do we do all day? Will he still be here tomorrow? How do we pass the time? I really should run this morning. Should I go running and leave him here? Maybe he'll run with me. I'll need to go to the store to get something for lunch and dinner. If I leave, will he stay? We could swim for a while... I guess he knows how to swim. How stupid, of course Marines have to know how to swim. What do we talk about? I'm sure there's more he could tell me and I haven't told him one thing about me, I really should do that if there's going to be any kind of relationship between us. Listen to me! How did I get to talking about a relationship? You're getting ahead of yourself, David, take it easy. Right now I need to pee, can't wait any longer. Maybe I can get to the bathroom and back before he wakes up.'

Dave slowly moved away from his sleeping giant and carefully crawled off of the end of the bed. He was standing at the urinal, just about finished with his eyes closed when he felt a presence on his left side and a hand touched his right shoulder. Opening his eyes, Dave saw Tony standing right next to him. Tony's left hand was against the wall supporting his weight and his right hand was aiming his penis toward the urinal waiting for the flow to begin.

"Thought you'd get started without me, did you?" Tony sounded like he was in a good mood.

"You were sleeping like such a baby I just couldn't wake you," Dave said playfully. And then a devilish grin crept across his face as he remembered something that happened in Texas five years earlier. He stepped back from the urinal, slid behind Tony, wrapped the fingers of his right hand around Tony's pecker, slid his left hand under Tony's armpit and pinched Tony's left nipple, then stood on his tiptoes and stuck his tongue into Tony's right ear. Tony was caught completely off guard but his body responded and he was instantly hard; his stream, which had just started, stopped. Then Dave turned and ran out of the bathroom giggling like a kid.

"You little bastard, you'll pay for that," Tony shouted; he was also chuckling.

Dave ran to the chest, pulled out a pair of black compression pants and slipped them on. Then he found a pair of socks and sat down on the end of the bed to put them on. Just as he slipped the second sock on, a naked Tony stepped directly in front of him. Dave looked up to see Tony trying to appear very sinister. His eyebrows were doing their part but the corners of his mouth were not cooperating and curved upward.

"Going somewhere? " Tony asked in his most quietly demanding tone of voice. He was now bent over, his nose was pressed against Dave's and they were eye to eye. Tony began to press forward, forcing Dave to lay back onto the bed.

"Well... I..." Dave was barely controlling his giggles as Tony slid between his spreading legs. He felt Tony's weight press down on him; Tony's crotch was grinding into his. "Running?" Dave more or less asked and stated at the same time. Dave was so turned on he was beginning to not care if he ran. Tony's arousal was obvious also.

"Would you like some company?" Tony asked quite slowly, making it sound like a challenge. He wasn't opposed to continue doing what he was doing but really thought it might be better if he lightened up on the sex.

"Think you can keep up?" Dave threw the challenge right back at Tony.

"Runner-up in the Marine Marathon the last two years," Tony proudly countered Dave's challenge.

"Ooooo, I'm impressed," Dave sarcastically replied. "You gonna run in your com bat boots, Jarhead?"

"I got stuff in the truck, my little friend," Tony was losing his battle against smiling, even his eyebrows were giving up their scowl. There was something about the way Tony said, "my little friend," that made Dave giggle.

"Well, if you don't stop what you're doin' we'll never get out of the house."

Tony pushed back and stood up, his cock standing straight out but the hood still covered the crown. He glanced at Dave's cock, shook his head then extended his hand to help Dave up from the bed.

"Is it okay if I dress in the garage?" Tony asked.

"Oh please do, that'll be most entertaining," Dave was really enjoying this little mental ballet they were engaged in. "Why don't you go ahead while I put my shoes on? I'll start the coffee so it'll be ready when we get back."

"Okay, see ya in the garage," Tony agreed and began walking out of the bedroom.

"Nice ass, Tony," Dave said playfully, trying to get something started.

Tony blushed. "Nice of you to think so," he replied as he wiggled his butt and disappeared through the bedroom door.

Dave slid his feet into his runners and tied them. Then he slipped on a T-shirt that Lt. Col. Lewis had sent him. On the front was printed "GO ARMY" and on the back was printed "BE ALL YOU CAN BE." Perfect!' Dave thought. At that moment the security alarm sounded and Dave realized he'd forgotten to disarm the system before Tony opened the back door to the garage. He lunged at the control panel and quickly silenced the alarm then disarmed the system. Dave went to the kitchen where he plopped a packet of coffee into the holder, filled the reservoir with water and pressed the START' button. The clock on the coffee maker read 06:35. By the time he walked into the garage Tony was ready to run dressed in running shoes, athletic shorts with very likely a jock strap underneath and a T-shirt. Dave noticed that Tony's T-shirt had "USMC" on the front and when Tony turned around, the back had "Semper Fi." `How appropriate!' Dave thought.

Dave led the way out the side door to the garage and made sure it was locked. One feature Dave had incorporated in his house was mechanical five-button cipher locks. That eliminated the need for keys and he could change the code any time he felt it was needed.

The two men went through their rather complex stretching routines, a good indication that they took running seriously. Dave finished first and watched as Tony finished his routine. Tony was the first to speak as they started to climb the driveway from the garage level.

"How far?"

"Five miles?"

"Perfect," Tony agreed and stayed along side Dave as they began to jog down the driveway to the street and turned right.

They'd jogged in silence side-by-side for about five minutes when Tony began to pick up the pace. Dave stayed right with him. Since Tony didn't know the neighborhood, Dave told him where to turn, down one street and then another. Soon both men had broken a sweat and then their endorphins began to kick in. Tony picked up the pace again and Dave stuck with him. Dave knew what he was doing; he was letting Tony be the rabbit. And Tony thought he was winning just because he was in the lead.

Dave felt like he was in Heaven. It had been quite a while since he'd had someone to run with and this felt great. Tony really was a good runner and presented him with a challenge, but not too much of one. Tony was just running to beat Dave. He was used to running with some of his Marine buds but that was now in the past. Eventually they turned down the street toward Dave's house and Tony recognized where he was. That route would take them past Sean and Sophia's house.

As they approached the McGregor house Tony shouted, "Race ya to the house!" and he took off. Dave noticed Sean removing a travel bag from the trunk of his `airport car' and guessed he'd just returned from another read-eye flight. He wanted to shout a hello but had to kick into high gear to catch Tony. They both ran as hard as they could and Dave managed to turn into the driveway just ahead of Tony. Not knowing exactly where the finish line was supposed to be, Dave continued up the driveway then down to the garage area and tagged the side of the garage next to the door.

"Damn!" Tony exclaimed as he bent over, placed his hands on his knees and gasped and gulped for air. "Why didn't you... tell me you... knew how to... run?"

"City-Post... marathon champ... two years... in a row," Dave announced proudly, a big smile on his face and his hands on his hips as a signal that he was in better shape than Tony.

"You sand-bagged me," Tony said as he straightened up.

"You didn't ask," Dave grinned.

Tony felt a little confused. Dave was destroying all of his preconceived ideas about gays. Dave was very masculine. When pushed, he pushed back. He was a real stud. Dave was well educated and obviously intelligent but was careful not to patronize someone who wasn't. He was also quite wealthy but seemed unaffected by it -- he was `normal.' Tony walked over and stopped directly in front of Dave and looked down into his eyes. Dave was also the sexiest man Tony had ever met, he was sure of it. He wanted to take Dave into his arms and cover him with kisses. He'd never felt this way about anyone before, man or woman.

Dave looked up into Tony's eyes and wanted to throw his arms around the hunk's neck and shove his tongue down Tony's throat. The sexual tension was so electric you could almost measure it with an ohmmeter.

"Want some juice?" Dave asked in an effort to diffuse the moment. He could feel himself losing control and grasped at any diversion.

"Juice would be nice," Tony accepted, glad that Dave had deflected the tension. `I'd like some of your love juice if you don't mind,' Tony thought as he watched Dave open the door and walk into the garage.

Upon entering the short hallway leading to the kitchen, Dave stripped his sweaty T-shirt up and over his head and draped it over a drying rack then turned to Tony, "T-shirt please." Tony pulled his soaked shirt over his head and handed it to Dave. Tony's body heat still permeated the dripping-wet fabric and Dave enjoyed the feel. Dave draped Tony's T-shirt on the rack next to his then turned around and continued on into the kitchen. He got two large glasses from the cabinet, retrieved the orange juice from the refrigerator, filled the glasses and handed one to Tony. They stood facing one another as they brought the glasses to their lips and began drinking. The sexual tension was beginning to rise again and both men were sporting softons.

They drained their glasses at about the same time and Dave stuck his hand out to take the glass from Tony's hand. Their fingers touched and each man was sure he felt a spark. Dave carried the glasses to the sink and rinsed them out. Tony watched the muscles on Dave's back move under the skin and couldn't take it any longer.

As soon as Dave set the glasses down Tony moved in behind him, slid his hands under Dave's armpits and wrapped his arms around Dave's chest. Although Dave was a little surprised he didn't flinch he seemed to welcome the attention and melt back into Tony's grasp. Dave could feel Tony's erection pressing into his crack and his body and mind wanted more of it.

Dave brought his hands up and held onto Tony's arms in such a way that said, `don't let go.' And when he felt Tony's hot, wet tongue began to lick the back of his right ear, Dave swooned, "Oooooh." Tony's left hand found Dave's right nipple and stroked his rough thumb across it at the same moment that his tongue started at the bottom back of Dave's left ear and slid toward the top.

Lust was flowing from the tips of their engorged penises causing large wet spots to form on their shorts. Dave turned his head to the left where his lips came into contact with Tony's and as they kissed, Dave managed to twist around until they were facing each other and grinding their crotches hard together.

The more than 24-hour growth of stubble on Tony's face was giving Dave a good case of whisker burn but he didn't care. When their lips finally parted to allow them to breathe Dave suggested, "We need to shower."

"Right," was Tony's response as he looked deep into Dave's eyes. He started another kiss while he released Dave from his arms. Then he took Dave's left hand and began leading him toward the bedroom. But he didn't stop there, he led them straight into the bathroom and into the shower then took Dave into his arms and kissed him again.

Dave felt like he was being swept off of his feet. He loved the way Tony was taking command of the situation. They stood kissing for a few moments than Dave reached out and started the water. It was almost immediately the correct temperature and Dave maneuvered them into the spray created by three showerheads -- they maintained their kiss through all of this.

Tony's hands had not been still; they roamed all over Dave's body. Now they went to the top of Dave's now waterlogged shorts and began rolling them down his hips until they slid down Dave's legs to the floor. It released Dave's aching, throbbing member to sway in the spray.

Dave could feel Tony's rod through his shorts and knew it yearned to be free just like his so he slipped his thumbs under the waistband of Tony's shorts and then under the waistband of his jock strap and slid them all over Tony's hips. However, due to being wet, they hung up and didn't slide to the floor like Dave's shorts had so Dave crouched on his haunches and forced the articles to Tony's ankles and help Tony step out of them.

When Dave raised his head he was staring straight at Tony's leaking cock. Without giving it a second thought, Dave opened his mouth and took Tony all the way to his pubic hair. It was the first time in five years that he'd done that and although it was a little tight it excited Dave.

"Oh Dave," Tony gasped. It was so unexpected and no one had ever taken him completely like Dave had just done. It was great but Tony had other plans and when Dave backed off, Tony reached down, placed his hands under Dave's armpits, lifted him to a standing position, backed him against the shower wall and kissed Dave while pressing his body firmly against the smaller man. Dave offered no resistance. He felt rather turned on by Tony's strength and decisiveness. The contrast of the cold shower wall against Dave's back and Tony's hot body against his front was another shocker.

Tony began gyrating his hips while pressing their erections between them like he was trying to cause them to merge into one. Dave's hands found a bar of soap and rubbed it between them until they were slick with suds and it intensified the sensations exponentially. Tony continued gyrating and pressing and kissing Dave while his hands were exploring every inch of Dave's body that they could reach. When Tony's hands cupped Dave's glutes Dave lifted his legs and wrapped them around Tony's hips. The next thing Dave felt was one of Tony's fingers sliding into his rectum. Dave became very tense at first but then relaxed and moaned as the penetration began to feel so good.

"Oh god..." Tony gasped softly and then thrust very hard against Dave. Tony was cumming. The aroma of fresh cum permeated the humid shower air as Tony continued to thrust against his new friend. It seemed like his orgasm lasted several minutes but in reality it only took a few seconds. Tony reached between them, wrapped his left hand around Dave's cock and began to stroke. "Cum for me Dave," he pleaded in a deep and soft voice that was just above a whisper. The emotion of Tony's plea reached somewhere deep inside Dave and, like a key unlocking the gate on a dam Dave's fluid of life gushed forth and coated their abdominal flesh.

Both men stood locked in an embrace, using the shower wall for support. Dave's legs slid slowly over Tony's hips until his feet reached the floor and he could support his own weight. It seemed to Dave that Tony's climax couldn't be complete until Dave achieved one too because the minute Dave shot, he felt Tony relax. The embrace that Tony held him in was just as strong but felt more sensual, softer, more caring.

Dave wanted to stay like that forever. But Nature has a way of changing things. Their erections waned, their senses returned, and they could look into each other's eyes again in wonderment.

"I feel like I ought to say something profound but for the life of me I can't think of any words," Dave said softly into Tony's right ear.

"Yeah... me too," Tony agreed. Then he pulled his head back, looked into Dave's eyes again and they kissed. "I always dreamed of doing that someday... and I can't think of a better man to share it with," Tony added after they stopped the kiss.

"Well, I'm really glad I could be of assistance," Dave finally found some words. Then he reached for the bar of soap again and began rubbing it around on Tony's hairy chest. That was the signal that the lovemaking was over and they were both somewhat relieved to be moving on.

Dave washed Tony thoroughly, including an interesting exploration of Tony's foreskin. After rinsing, Tony washed Dave and seemed to devote extra attention to Dave's ass. They also continued to plant kisses on various parts of each other's bodies and by the time Dave turned off the water they were beginning to show a little firmness. They finished by drying each other and it gave Tony his first opportunity to really examine another male body up close and personal.

They went into the bedroom where Dave dressed and Tony stepped into his briefs. "I need to go to the garage to get the rest of my stuff, is the alarm turned off?" At that point Dave was struck by the realization that Tony had arrived prepared to stay if things worked out that way. He smiled.

"Yeah, the alarm is off. Say, I need to run to the store to get something for lunch. You won't run away while I'm gone, will you?"

"No sir, I shall await your return, sire." Tony grinned at his own playful expression of respect for his elder host.

"You're incorrigible," Dave groaned with a smile and a chuckle as he turned and walked out of the bedroom. Then he turned around and came back into the bedroom. "Turkey sandwiches for lunch and steaks on the grill for dinner sound okay to you?"

Tony hadn't planned on staying for dinner but Dave was presenting him with an opportunity to stay. It was definitely an invitation. "Steaks are great. Can I do anything?"

"You know how to make a salad?"

"Sure do, my sister calls me the Salad Man. If you get some feta cheese I can make a Greek salad."

"Good, I'll expect great things from you... at least in the salad department, that is." Dave grinned and left again.

Upon returning from the grocery store, Dave parked the 540i in bay number 2, gathered the sacks and walked up the steps leading into the house. When he opened the door he heard piano music. He listened for a moment and identified the song as one of Beethoven's sonatas, "Fur Elise." `Tony must have found the CDs. Good, I could stand some good music. But I don't remember having that one," Dave seemed puzzled. He quickly placed the frozen stuff in the freezer and the cold stuff in the refrigerator and then he heard a mistake on the keyboard and the music stopped for a second then continued.

Leaving the rest of the groceries on the counter, Dave quietly walked toward the great room. Tony was seated at the studio grand piano wearing tan Bermuda shorts and a dark green polo shirt and his fingers were dancing on the piano keys making the instrument come to life. The house was filled with the most lovely sounds it had ever heard. Dave quietly found a seat on one of the sofas and listened. The way the piano was oriented, Tony's back was turned toward the kitchen door and he didn't see Dave enter the room. Tony continued the sonata to the end, often playing with his eyes closed. When he finished he folded his arms on top of the piano and rested his head for a moment. This was the first time in years he'd played and he realized just how much he missed his music.

Tony lifted his head and spun around on the bench to find Dave staring at him with tears in his eyes. "How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Long enough," Dave replied. "That was beautiful, Tony, absolutely beautiful! "Fur Elise" wasn't it?"

"Ye... yes it was!" Tony seemed surprised that Dave had correctly identified the piece so quickly. "You like classical music?"

"It's one of my favorites. I love Beethoven and you play so beautifully."

"Thanks, but I haven't played in years and it sure shows. You probably like symphony orchestras too," Tony questioned.

"I go as often as I can," Dave stopped short of asking Tony to join him for the Fall Season. That might have been just a little too far ahead of what was happening.

"What'd ya get for lunch?" Tony wanted to get off the subject of his piano playing. "As my stomach recalls, didn't we skip breakfast?"

"No wonder I'm hungry!" Dave exclaimed. "I guess there were more pressing issues to take care of," and he grinned at Tony. "How about some boiled ham or some turkey with lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese and mustard?" Dave suggested, glad to be off on another topic.

"How about all the above," Tony jumped at Dave's suggestion. They moved to the kitchen, constructed some sandwiches and sat around the table eating.

Dave brought up the next subject, or more correctly, brought up an old subject.

"Last night..." Dave cleared his throat. "You asked what it's like to be gay." Tony looked straight into Dave's eyes with anticipation, like at last all of his questions were about to be answered. "I've been thinking about how to answer that. There must be as many answers as there are gay men who ever lived. So I think I'll just tell you about my experience and share some of my decisions and how they turned out, then let you decide for yourself. How's that?"

"That'll be great! As I told you last night, I've never known anyone who I knew was gay."

"And I have some friends who will be willing to share some of their experiences. But for now here's I handled it," Dave looked up at Tony and saw that he was about to laugh at Dave's last statement. "Okay, so I could have said that a little better. Deal with it." And they both chuckled.

"I'm a rather private person. By the time I was thirteen years old I'd figured out I was different, then I figured out what gay' meant. But I wasn't active. When I was fourteen, my sister figured it out but she kept my secret. She was really my rock, someone I could depend on for clear thinking. The summer before my junior year a friend and I managed to satisfy out curiosity about most things gay. We were both very careful and did a good job of hiding it. We saw what happened to guys who were labeled as queers' and we didn't want any of that. When my friend graduated he joined the Navy just to get away from the entrenched bigotry of a small town. By the time I graduated I could see the wisdom of his decision and I enlisted in the Army."

Having finished their lunch, Dave and Tony, placed their plates in the dishwasher, refilled their iced tea glasses and relocated to the same comfortable sofa they had occupied the previous evening. Dave continued.

"I got a nice deal with the Army, only two years and out. I figured I could survive that and then I'd be able to go to college to become an architect. Oh, I forgot to mention that there was an architect who worked at the construction company where I did and he kind of took me under his wing and introduced me to that business. That's what got me hooked. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah.

"After the Army I moved here to go to school. I had a lot of credits to transfer from courses I took at a local community college while I was in the Army so I had a nice head start." Dave looked down into his glass and decided to use it as an excuse for a break.

"I need some more tea, want some?"

"Yeah, thanks," Tony responded almost surprised. He'd been so engrossed in Dave's story that he wasn't aware that his glass was empty. Together they went to the kitchen, refilled their glasses and returned to the sofa.

"College was a great awakening for me. It gave me the opportunity to find out who I was. The one important decision I reached early on in college about being gay was that I was through denying what I was. Yeah, I was gay but that wasn't who' I was; I was a lot more. At the same time I wasn't going to walk around with a bullhorn announcing my sexual orientation. My close friends, most of whom were straight, already knew I was gay and they accepted it. But if the question ever arose I decided not to deny it unless there was some question of safety involved. And even then I might even admit I was gay. I found a student organization for gays on campus and got involved. The organization was more of a behind the scenes type, they didn't do parades and neither did I. I met some really great guys who helped me get a handle'," Dave look at Tony and smiled, Tony smiled back, "on being who I was. I think it's really liberating that first time when you meet a group of men who know how you feel. You don't have to be on guard all the time; you don't always have to watch what you say. You don't have to explain yourself. Man, that was a real rush!"

"So, all in all, I have to say my life had been pretty dull... and secure... and successful. I have a close circle of great friends, some gay, some straight, and we get together often to socialize."

Tony kind of stared at Dave for a few moments trying to think of how to ask his next question. "I always imagined gays having endless orgies. Is that true, does that happen?"

"Ha-ha-ha!" Dave laughed out loud uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Tony, I wasn't laughing at you, it's just the thought of my gang having an orgy struck me as being enormously funny. No, not the people I associate with. We're all very boring but we love each other very much. My Army roommate is in a committed relationship with a great guy and I would find it hard to imagine them getting involved outside their relationship."

"I know it's none of my business but... if you don't mind my asking..." Tony wanted desperately to know if Dave had a `best' friend and Dave seemed to sense that was where his question was headed.

"I'm not seeing anyone right now... except you of course. I'm seeing you at this moment." Dave was smiling from ear to ear.

Tony blushed. He wanted to say something but his voice was quiet. The phone rang and Dave excused himself, got up and walked into the library to answer it. He motioned for Tony to follow him, thinking they could continue their conversation in that room. Dave considered it a more intimate setting anyway.

"Hi Sis, `sup?"

"David, you and that infernal Caller ID," and she laughed. "The boys want to go swimming and I wondered if it would be okay with you."

"Sure, bring `em over, I'll be ready. I went to the store this morning so I have lots of bad stuff for them to suck up."

"You'd better not be feeding them junk food, dear Brother! I'll collect them and shoo them into the van and be there in about fifteen minutes. Is that enough warning?"

"I'll be on the front steps waiting!" Dave chuckled then hung up the phone. He stood staring at the phone for a few seconds wondering how to manage the scene with Tony around.

"How are you with kids?" he asked to Tony who had seated himself in one of the exceptionally comfortable leather chairs.

"Love `em. My sister has three kids, a boy and two girls and I just love being their uncle."

"Well, my twin six-year-old and four-year-old nephews are on the way over to go swimming. You wouldn't by chance have a bathing suit in that bag of yours would you?"

Tony chuckled, "No, I never considered that."

"C'mon, I have extras for occasions such as this. Normally swimming around here is done in the raw but I have a rule that when the boys are here the adults have to wear swim suits." Dave took hold of Tony's hand and pulled him out of the chair he'd sunk down into. They went out to the small shower room off the pool and Dave showed Tony a drawer with several suits in it and told him to pick one, they were all clean. Tony selected a pair of boxer style trunks, maroon, and then followed Dave to the bedroom to change.

Dave put on some dark blue Speedo's and Tony had to concede that they did about as good as humanly possible of concealing Dave's abnormally ample package. Dave said he would wait for the boys on the front steps and suggested Tony go ahead to the pool and get wet.

Kate drove up the driveway, around the circle and stopped at the front steps. The side door of the van slid open and three excited young men jumped out and hugged their uncle.

"Boys... BOYS!" Kate shouted to get their attention. They stopped chattering and turned to face their mother. "No skinny dipping, understood?"

"Yes Ma'am," three little boy voices replied meekly.

"David?" Kate looked at her brother with raised eyebrows as if to ask, `Did you get that?'

"Yes Ma'am," Dave replied with a smile.

Dave and Kate waved at each other then Dave closed the van door and Kate aimed the van down the driveway and disappeared.

The boys had begun walking in single file, like they were marching or something like that. This was something new and Dave didn't know how that got started but it was fun to watch. Mark led the way through the front door followed by Matt with JD bringing up the rear. Dave closed the front door behind him and tagged along behind the boys as they marched through the great room, opened the door and proceeded out into the pool area.

Tony had been waiting off to the side and when Mark saw him he stopped. Just like a scene out of a "Three Stooges" movie, Matt collided into Mark and JD smacked into Matt. Dave and Tony both wanted to laugh but were able to suppress it.

"Who are you?" Mark demanded.

"Men, I'd like to introduce Mister Mancuso, he's a friend of mine. Tony this is Mark, Matt, and JD," Dave completed the introductions.

"JD stands for John David; that's my real name," JD added just as seriously as he could.

"Is he like Uncle Mike?" Matt asked.

"Well..." Dave thought for a second. Tony hadn't met Mike yet but what difference did it make. "Yes, he's kind of like Uncle Mike.

"Then can we call him Uncle Tony? Mister Manco, whatever, sounds funny," Mark requested. Dave and Tony were about to burst out laughing but managed to control the urge.

"I would be honored if you would call me Uncle Tony," Tony jumped into the mix. "And I'm happy to meet you Mark (shook his hand), Matt (shook his hand), and JD (shook his hand). And I think John David is a neat name, JD."

"Thank you sir, my middle name is for my Uncle David," JD said quite proudly.

"Is it okay now?" Mark turned to Dave and asked.

"Yes, it's okay now," David replied with a big grin.

"Yeaaaa!" three little boy voices yelled in unison as they slipped out of their trunks and jumped into the pool.

Dave and Tony stood at the edge of the pool watching the boys swim and chase each other around in the water. After about fifteen minutes the boys were calling for the men to join them in the water. They began playing tag and in ceremonial fashion, Tony was the first to be it'. He chased the boys making them laugh when he almost' caught them but didn't. Then Dave was `it' and played the same game. Just to make the game seem fair, Dave tagged Matt and then Tony immediately let Matt tag him. Each of the boys got tagged at least once but either Dave of Tony was always readily available to be tagged.

Finally, as Dave began to feel exhausted, he asked if anyone was hungry and three high-pitched voices yelled Yes'. He left Tony in the pool while he went to the kitchen. He fixed some orange slices, poured five glasses of lemonade, stacked some oatmeal-raisin cookies on a plate (Dave had made them Thursday evening) then loaded it all on a platter and carried it back to the pool. Arriving at the pool Dave found that the boys had managed to talk Tony into being a boy launching platform'. That meant Tony would pick one boy up and launch him into the air as high as possible so that when he came back down he caused a large splash. They boys were laughing and yelling, "Me next, me next."

"Food's here!" Dave announced loudly as he set the platter down on a table. That immediately stopped the `launch' business as the boys swam as fast as they cold across the pool, climbed out and rushed to the food. "Okay, get your stuff and sit down to eat." Dave wanted them to calm down a little.

"Damn," Tony said softly when he reached Dave's side, "I hope you brought enough for me."

"I see they tricked you into the game they like most," Dave quietly replied. "Better you then me, Senior." Dave chuckled and handed Tony a glass of Lemonade and a cookie.

"I can't remember when I've had this much fun," Tony replied. "It kind of reminds me of growing up with my brothers. We did things like this, but at a public pool. But I sure was glad to see you come back with food for the masses, I was about to go under," Tony laughed.

Dave and Tony stretched out in lounge chairs to rest and when the boys were fed and calmed down, after a short waiting period Dave gave in to their pleas to swim some more. Mark went into the shower room and found a tennis ball and they began to play a different version of tag while their `Uncles' watched.

"This is really amazing, Dave, it's like you're living a normal life."

"Yeah, isn't it great!" Dave replied. "I love to have the boys over, partly because I love them so much and partly to give my sister some time alone with her newborn, Susan. I think it's good for the two of them to have some quiet time together. My brother-in-law, John is gone today. He recently accepted a position as the football and track coach at our old high school and he's down there getting ready for the beginning of school. He'll be back this evening in time for dinner and the boys will be tuckered out and ready for bed, which means he and Kate will have some quiet time of their own."

"You said `our old high school'," Tony picked up on what Dave had said. "Did you all go to school together?"

"Yeah, Kate and John were classmates two years ahead of me. They went to college together and then got married. John's a really great guy, kind of like a brother I never had."

"What's his last name?"

"Close, John Close," Dave offered. The name sounded familiar to Tony but he couldn't place it anywhere in his past. "Anyway, they're building a house down there that I designed for them. I'll be going down on Tuesday to check on how it's coming. The significance of that is that soon they will be moving away and I won't be seeing them as often. Plus, their new home will have a pool and the boys won't have to come here to swim. So you can see why I'm always available when they want to come over."

Tony could hardly believe what he was hearing. Here was a man, Dave, who was going out of his way to care for his family. Tony didn't know exactly what to make of it.

By five o'clock, the boys had been there a little over three hours and it was no surprise to Dave when the phone rang. He answered the poolside phone, had a very brief conversation then hung up. He walked over to where the boys had dropped their trunks, picked them up and carried them to the deep end of the pool. The boys hadn't noticed what he was doing.

"Okay, men, time to get ready to go home," Dave shouted. "Time to get dressed," and he tossed their bathing suits into the middle of the pool.

"Awe, we don't wanna go," three boy voices complained in unison. Then they hurriedly swam to the middle of the deep end of the pool and caught their trunks before they reached the bottom. With bathing suits in hand, Mark, Matt, and JD swam to the shallow end of the pool, put their suits back on and climbed out of the water.

"Can we have more cookies?" JD whined.

"No, it'll spoil your dinner," Dave explained as he tossed each of them a towel. Once dried, Dave led them back through the great room and out the front door where they sat down to wait for Kate to arrive. They waited less than two minutes before the van drove up the driveway, round the circle and stopped in front of the steps. The side door of the van slid open automatically.

"Hi guys, did you have fun?" Kate queried.

"Yes," came three replies as the boys walked slowly toward the waiting vehicle. They didn't seem too happy about it.

"Did you thank your Uncle David?"

"Thank you Uncle David," came three seemingly unhappy replies. This was the usual scene. The boys really did have fun, they were just unhappy that they had to stop. Dave understood perfectly and smiled.

"You're welcome men, come back again some time."

"We will," JD shouted as the van door closed. Kate waited until the boys were buckled in before moving the vehicle. On the short trips between her house and Dave's, she often didn't bother with safety seats.

Dave waved as Kate began driving away and she waved back. Dave could see that the boys were in the back seat talking about something. Dave wondered if they would say anything about having met `Uncle Tony', oh well...

"How come you threw their suits in the water?" Tony asked.

"Dave smiled and chuckled. "Their mom doesn't want them skinny-dipping so we make sure their trunks are wet when they leave here. It's our secret." Both men laughed. "Hey, you ready to think about dinner?"

"Yeah, that cookie just didn't do much for me, chocolate-chip would have been better."

"Yeah, but I try to give the boys something like oatmeal that won't do so much harm. I'll make you some chocolate-chip cookies if that's what you want," Dave offered with a grin.

"Gee, mommy, can you, please?" Tony was putting on his best little-boy impersonation.

"Sure, little boy, but you have to be real nice to mommy," Dave replied suggestively.

Tony stepped up to Dave and said, "Oh, I'll be verrry nice to mommy." The more Tony saw of Dave, the greater his admiration of his new friend became. He felt really good about himself and about Dave.

"I'm looking forward to that Greek salad you said you were gonna make," Dave said as he looked up into Tony's smiling eyes. The sexual tension between the two was growing again.

"Well, let's get to work!" Tony said as he followed Dave into the house.

They both took quick but separate showers to wash off the chlorine, each wishing the other were in the shower with him. In the kitchen they set about making dinner. Tony assembled all of the ingredients for his salad while Dave unwrapped the steaks and placed them on a plate so he could carry them to the gas grill. As they moved about the kitchen, each man was keenly aware of where the other was, almost like they had proximity radar operating. They kept sneaking glances at each other, one occasionally catching the other and they'd smile. The sexual tension in the air seemed electric.

"How do you like your meat?" Dave asked innocently.

"The same way I like my men, hot and raw," Tony shot back with a devious grin and doing a Groucho Marx move with his bushy eyebrows. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist, I've always wanted to say that," and he chuckled.

"Okay, aren't you going to thank me for feeding you that straight line?"

"Yeah, that was great," Tony replied as he stepped in front of Dave who had the plate with the steaks in it ready to go outside. They stood still for several seconds just looking into each other's eyes. "I owe you a straight line someday," Tony finally said, it broke the tension for a few minutes.

"Okay, you're forgiven, now how DO you like your steaks?" Dave chuckled.

"Medium, please."

"That makes it easy because that's the way I like mine. Go ahead and make that salad and I'll be back in a few minutes." Dave carried the steaks out to the gas grill, which was at the east end of the pool area. After placing the steaks on the grill, Dave returned to the kitchen and placed the potatoes in the microwave oven, set the time and pressed the start button.

Tony continued creating his salad and by the time Dave went outside to turn the steaks, the salad was ready to serve. Remembering where the plates, knives and forks were located, Tony was just about to set the kitchen table when Dave changed plans.

"Let's eat in the dining room tonight," Dave suggested. So Tony carried the things into the dining room. He'd not really been in that room before and was quite taken with the impressionist motif. Dave turned the potatoes, restarted the microwave and went back outside to get the steaks. When he came back inside, Tony had pulled a couple of beers from the refrigerator and they were ready to eat. Neither man gave much thought to the idea but they seemed to work naturally as a team with little planning or discussion.

Dave sat at the end of the table closest to the kitchen door and Tony sat around the corner to his right. Once they were seated, Dave reached his right hand out, palm up as an invitation for Tony to place his left hand in it. Dave bowed his head and silently asked Jesus to bless the meal and the new friendship he had formed. He and Tony raised their heads and opened their eyes at the same time. `I wonder if he's Catholic?' Dave thought.

"Tony, this salad is terrific!" Dave exclaimed after his first bite. "Where did you learn how to make it?"

"My grandma taught me."

"An Italian who makes a great Greek salad? Sounds a little strange," Dave questioned.

"Well, she's Greek." Tony smiled and shoved a slice of steak into his mouth. "And your meat... er steak is perfect." Both men chuckled at the little joke.

"Your grandmother was Greek?"

"Yeah, ya see..." Tony paused to think about the best way to explain his grandparents. "Three of my grandparents are Italian and my mother's mother is Greek. Both of my father's patents are Italian. Grandpa Mancuso came to the U.S. after WWII when he was about twenty years old. After six years he'd saved enough money to go back to his village and marry Grandma. They were kind of promised to each other, something like an arranged marriage."

"So your father is like first generation Italian-American?"

"Yeah. My grandpa Como's family was originally from Italy but they've been here for a long time. When Grandpa was in the Air Force, he got stationed in Greece and that's where he met my grandma and they got married."

"Let's see, that makes you what, one quarter Greek?"

"Yeah, I guess it does," Tony admitted like the idea had never really occurred to him. "But we, the whole family always felt like it was half and half. When I was... I think six or seven, our grand parents took the whole family to Italy and on to Greece. We visited the villages where they came from and I thought it was really exciting."

"Wow, that's really amazing. Was that the only time you got to go to Europe?" Dave found Tony's family experiences intensely interesting.

"We went several times. Each time we got to see more. As they got older, my sister and then my brothers dropped out; they had more interesting things to do during the summer. But I always liked going. I remember one year we came home through Paris and visited a lot of museums. Another time, we spent a week touring Rome, the Vatican and the ancient ruins. Athens was always interesting with the Acropolis and the place where some dude drank something called hemlock. The museums were the greatest, especially in Paris. There's one place, I can't remember the name, but it has lots of impressionist paintings. And I like those the best. By the way, didn't I notice a picture of Van Gogh's `Yellow House' in you library earlier?"

"Yes, you did, that's pretty observant considering that we were only in there for a few minutes," Dave was impressed.

"And that big picture in your bedroom, isn't that the `Bathers'?" Tony asked further.

"You sure seem to know a lot about art, Tony, and you play the piano like a pro. That seems so out of character for a Marine!"

Tony laughed. "Yeah, maybe I wasn't really cut out to be a Marine but I did love it, still do." Tony tipped his can of beer and emptied it as he thought. "You built this house, right?"

"Yes," Dave said proudly. "It's kind of like my dream house."

"I've seen a lot of this style in France, nothing this big of course, but it's so warm and friendly and inviting. You have good taste. And it seems to me that you've managed to introduce a lot of impressionism to the interior."

"I had a lot of help. The wife of a friend in Dallas did it for me. I gave her a checkbook, told her what I wanted and turned her loose."

"Well, you can be proud. This place is beautiful." `And so are you,' Tony thought. He was also thinking about how he was going to politely excuse himself to go back to his motel room after Dave had been so gracious. It wouldn't be easy; he had really enjoyed being with Dave, not to mention the sex.

"Let's take this stuff to the kitchen and place it in the dishwasher," Dave suggested. "Then I've got a couple of video tapes for us to watch. When I went to the store I rented A Few Good Men' and Gossford Park'."

"Oh man!" Tony exclaimed. "I love `A Few Good Men', I've only seen it once but it's great. What's the other one about?"

"I'm not sure, I think it's a period piece set in England around 1900 to 1910, I'm not real sure. One of my clients suggested I watch it because she says there's a guy in the movie who looks like me."

That presented Tony with a dilemma. Should he leave now or later after he watched `A Few Good Men'? He decided to stay. They placed the dishes in the dishwasher and generally cleaned up the kitchen.

The tension between them had morphed into one of attraction and comfort. They adjourned to the great room where Dave opened the entertainment center, turned on the large TV, inserted the cassette in the VCR, then joined Tony on the sofa facing the TV. He pressed the start button and they settled in to watch the movie.

They made running comments about the characters, the actors, and the plot. They were having a lot of fun. When the movie ended each man needed a bathroom brake, Tony went to the master bathroom while Dave switched the tapes, then he went. Tony was somewhat relieved to go alone because he was beginning to feel a growing desire to be with Dave again... sexually. If he didn't leave soon he wasn't sure what would happen between them but his imagination was very active.

Dave returned from the bathroom and sat at the left end of the sofa turned sideways with his left foot on the floor. His right foot was up on the cushion with his right leg resting against the back of the sofa (he and Tony had not worn shoes all day). Tony sat looking forward, waiting for Dave to start the tape. At first the movie didn't seem to have much promise. But then the guests began to arrive and when the character played by Ryan Phillippi appeared Tony set upright and leaned forward.

"Dave, look at that!" he exclaimed. "That guy looks exactly like you!"

"You think so? I'm not so sure," Dave said skeptically. "Well... maybe a little," Dave finally agreed after he had a better look. "I'd have to see him naked to make a real judgement," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I doubt if he could `measure up', Tony added with a grin.

"Com'ere and let's watch some more," Dave invited. He held out his hand, beckoning Tony to slide across the sofa. Tony couldn't resist. He moved toward Dave and turned so that he was positioned between Dave's legs leaning his back against Dave's chest. Dave felt the weight of Tony's body settle against his chest and thought how wonderful that weight felt. Tony didn't seem heavy, just comfortable. Dave draped his right arm over Tony's shoulder so that his hand rested on Tony's chest. Tony stretched his legs out on the sofa and placed his right hand on Dave's right knee. Both men thought they could feel their bodies vibrating. A feeling of comfort swept over them and they settled in to watch the movie.

The movie was good but it couldn't seem to hold their attention. It wasn't long before eyelids began to droop and finally close. After all, they had started the day with a five-mile run, had sex in the shower, and played almost to exhaustion with the boys. They had a reason to be tired.

The click of the VCR stopping and the whirr of rewinding woke Dave. He picked up the remote and stopped the rewind, he'd do that tomorrow with his rewinder before returning both movies to the store. Then he leaned over and kissed Tony on his temple. Tony began to stir.

"Time to go to bed, Prince Charming," Dave spoke softly into Tony's left ear. Tony's eyes fluttered open and he turned his head and looked up at Dave.

"What time is it?" Tony looked like he was still asleep.

"Time to go to bed," Dave answered. Tony didn't argue. He sat up, rubbed his eyes then stood somewhat unsteadily. "Why don't you go ahead and I'll lock up?" Dave suggested. Tony didn't answer he just turned and started walking toward the bedroom. He was more tired than he thought.

By the time Dave locked the doors, turned out the lights and walked into the bedroom, Tony was already asleep on his right side and in a fetal position. Dave turned out the lights, undressed, and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he walked back into the moonlit bedroom Tony was already on his back near the center of the bed and was snoring softly. Dave walked around to what was now his side of the bed and got in. He scooted toward the center and when he got close enough, Tony reached out and pulled Dave into a spoon position. Dave felt so comfortable, so relaxed that he fell asleep immediately.

(To be continued.)