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 24

Tony was just coming out a very peaceful slumber when he felt something crawling through the hair of his chest. Without opening his eyes he slowly moved his left hand out from under the sheet and then `SMACK!'

"Ouch!" Dave exclaimed.

"Oh! I'm sorry, god I'm sorry, I didn't realize that was you. I'm really sorry!" Tony was a little felt guilty and embarrassed. He still wasn't used to waking up with another man lying beside him and he reacted without thinking. "Forgive me? Let me kiss it and make it better." Now he was joking as he chuckled and reached for Dave's right hand.

"Okay," Dave said as he let Tony take his hand and kiss it. "I've got something else you can kiss."

Tony's eyes focuses in the general vicinity of Dave's crotch, which was still covered by the sheet.

"I'm talking about these," Dave said as he joined his lips with Tony's. With the `good morning' kiss complete, Dave added, "If you have other ideas we can get to them later, after we get cleaned up."

"We gonna shower together?"

"Are you trustworthy?" Dave asked.

"No." Tony chuckled.

"Good. Let's go." Dave was chuckling also.

They had a leisurely `satisfying' shower together then shaved. Tony, wearing only his white Hanes briefs and forgetting that there were other people in the house went to the kitchen to start the coffee and bring Dave some orange juice.

"Whoa, stud muffin, where you goin' dressed like that?" Mike asked. "Nice outfit," Dan joked.

Mike, Todd, Dan and Tom were seated at the kitchen table having breakfast when Tony walked in. Tony was definitely an impressive figure dressed as skimpily as he was. At first Tony was surprised. Then he imagined the four men might be thinking about what he and Dave did last night, and he got embarrassed. That lasted for a couple of seconds until he realized what the four of them had probably done and his embarrassment faded. Tony assumed his most confident Marine bearing and projected an `in charge' attitude.

"Hey, thanks for making coffee. You guys sleep okay last night?"

"Nah, all the noise from the down stairs master suite kept us awake," Mike replied with a big grin.

"Yeah, right! Dave and I had trouble going to sleep with all the noise from upstairs." He winked at Mike. "Sounded like a couple of oxen gettin' gored."

"Okay, boys," Dan interjected, "clean it up. Tom has delicate ears."

"Ohhh, poor baby," Mike moaned sympathetically and stroked Tom's hair. "Don't worry, Uncle Dan will take care of you."

Everyone started laughing. Tony realized just how much at home he felt around these guys. They all had a great sense of humor and it was obvious that they all cared for each other. He poured two juices and two mugs of coffee, drank his juice then picked up the coffee mugs and one juice glass and started walking back to the bedroom.

"Where ya goin' stud, to take your master his juice and coffee?" Mike asked.

Tony stopped, turned his head, and flashed the biggest grin he possibly could and then wiggled his butt and continued down the hall, listening to the friendly laughter behind him.

Dave was almost dressed when Tony returned to the bedroom. He drank the juice and sipped his coffee while Tony dressed. Tony laughed spontaneously.

"What was that all about"

"Oh," Tony replied, "I was just thinking about last night in the hot tub. If three months ago anyone had tried to tell me that I'd be sitting in a hot tub with five other guys and getting jerked off I would have probably beat them to a pulp. Now look at me." He laughed again and Dave laughed with him.

"Speaking of the hot tub," Tony continued, "last night Tom shot his load into the water. Wasn't that dangerous, like, I mean, could we get infected?"

"Not really," Dave explained. "Ya see, the HIV virus isn't capable of surviving the chemicals in the water. Fair enough?"

"Yeah." Tony started to dress and Dave began to make the bed. Tony stopped dressing, helped Dave, then finished dressing and followed Dave to the kitchen. It was little things like helping him make the bed that Dave noticed about Tony. Very few guys would have done something like that.

"The Master arrives with his dog, Spot!" Mike announced. Everyone laughed. "Smile if you got laid last night!"

Mike's challenge was too funny and no matter how hard Dave tried he couldn't control the shy smile that crept across his face as he blushed.

"Ah-ha!" Mike exclaimed. "Gotcha! Finally, payback." He laughed along with Dave, Todd, Dan and Tom. Tony felt both embarrassed and puzzled then concluded that Mike and Dave had a private joke going. He was beginning to develop a better feel for the closeness of the friendship that existed between Dave and Mike and wondered if it were possible for him to achieve the same status.

"Say, Dave, now that you're here and we've eaten all your food, we can leave but I wanna ask, join us for Chinese tonight?" Todd asked.

Dave looked at Tony with a questioning face. "Okay by me, I like Chinese." Tony stated.

"What time?" Dave asked.

"Seven okay?"

"See ya at seven then. Thanks for coming, guys, it was fun."

"Yeah, Dave, we sure had a great time." Todd acknowledged. "We'll be having another party at our place soon so that everyone can meet your friend here," and he winked at Tony.

"Yeah, thanks Dave," everyone repeated and they all lined up and one at a time hugged Dave, then Tony as they walked toward the back door.

On the way out the door Dan turned around and said, "Say Dave, we stripped the beds and dumped the sheets in the laundry room. The first load should be done soon."

"Thanks, Dan, that's a big help," Dave replied.

Tony could hardly believe what he heard. When did guys sleep over and take care of the sheets before leaving? He'd never heard of such a thing. Then he remembered last night when everyone offered to help with the dishes and cleaning the kitchen so that Dave wouldn't be left with a mess to clean up. He could come to only one conclusion: this group of men supported each other in ways that were probably better than most families. They all seemed to work as a team without having to be asked. They could see what needed to be done and did it. `What a great stroke of luck to have found such terrific men,' he thought.

Dave and Tony went about fixing cereal for breakfast and sat quietly sharing various sections of the paper.

"You be interested in playing golf? You did say you played in high school didn't you?"

"Well," Tony hesitated. At his level of income, golf was a little pricey. And he didn't have any clubs so renting would be an additional expense. Rather than admit he couldn't afford it, he asked, "Say, how about we catch a baseball game today?" He just happened to be reading the sports section and noticed the local team was playing a home game.

"Yeah, we can do that. You played baseball too?" Dave had an immediate sense that Tony had intentionally suggested baseball as an alternative to golf and he understood why. He was reminded of the conversation Paul had with him about the disparity in their incomes and knew that he and Tony would have to have that same conversation soon.

"Yeah, in high school."

"Okay, that should work out great. We'll have time after the game to come back here and get cleaned up before meeting the guys for Chinese."

"Great!" Tony replied. He was relieved that Dave had been so agreeable.

They finished breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. The first load of sheets was finished washing so Dave loaded them in the dryer and added the second load of sheets the washer. They moved into the great room and continued reading the paper while waiting for the laundry to finish. Tony sat at one end of the couch and Dave at the other. Before long, Tony was backed into the corner with his left leg resting against the back of the couch and his right foot on the floor. Dave moved into the welcoming space between Tony's legs and lay with his back to Tony's chest. Dave picked up the comic section and began reading aloud. It was a tender moment for both men. Each had random thoughts of dragging the other to the bedroom but those thoughts were neither vocalized nor acted on. Instead, they relaxed and enjoyed the physical closeness of the moment.

Tony insisted on driving and it was the first time that Dave had been inside the cab of the rusty old truck. The interior was in excellent shape in contrast to the exterior. Shortly after Tony turned out of the driveway he decided to explore a topic that had been running through his mind since last night.

"Dave," Tony asked; Dave looked to his left indicating that Tony had his full attention. "Last night at the dinner table, Tom talked about how you took him to a place called Philos and that's where he met Dan. What is it?"

"What's Philos?" Dave somewhat repeated the question. "Well, let me give you some background. No, I'll answer your question first then give the background." Dave launched into one of his favorite subjects. "The Philos Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that provides several different levels of support to people infected with HIV/AIDS. They offer everything from free screening to medication to group therapy to full hospital-like care for end-stage AIDS. The screening is free to anyone but the other services are for people who can't afford care elsewhere. About a year and a half ago we were able to purchase and renovate an old abandoned hotel. Now we even have a section devoted to friends of patients, kinda like a hotel." Dave was so involved in the activities at Philos that he was totally unaware that he has used the term `we' as though he was a part of it, which he was. Tony continued to drive without interrupting.

"I got involved with Philos when I was in college; it was the best thing I ever did." Dave thought about his initial motivation for joining, to find a group of gay men for Mike to get to know. "It got me back into charity work that I had found so rewarding in high school. And now I'm involved to the point that they placed me on the Board of Directors."

"Wow, I'm impressed, a director, huh," Tony smiled at Dave.

"Yeah, I try to contribute as best as I can."

That was the end of the conversation as the ballpark came into view and they began talking baseball. The ball game was exciting. The home team won, which made the local fans cheer that much more. Dave and Tony lunched on hotdogs and beer and enjoyed interacting with the spectators in their section. Sitting in the sun and drinking beer left the men hot and sweaty; they reeked of masculinity.

Sitting close together in the small cab during the drive back home, Tony picked up Dave's scent, it was so lusty and distracting. Then Dave, almost without thinking, placed his hand on top of Tony's right thigh; it got hotter and hotter. Tony's erection was straining hard against his briefs and he was having difficulty concentrating on his driving.

Arriving back home, Dave led the way into the house. Once they were in the kitchen, Tony grabbed Dave, spun him around, wrapped him in his arms and planted an expressively passionate kiss on him. Dave was taken by surprise but instantly warmed to Tony's advances. After almost two minutes Tony released Dave's lips.

"I've wanted to do that all day," he said softly into Dave's ear.

"God, me too," Dave replied.

"I want you... now... in the bedroom..." Tony gasped, his erection pressing hard against Dave abdomen.

"Well stop talking and start acting," Dave urged. Tony's aggressiveness was turning him on. He liked the fact that Tony had reached a level of confidence that allowed him to express his desires openly.

Tony took Dave by the hand and began leading him down the hall. Half way to the bedroom he released Dave's hand and began removing his clothing; Dave did the same. By the time they reached the bed, the only things they had on were their socks. Tony threw the sheets back and pulled Dave down on top of him. Locked in an embrace, they rolled seductively around on the bed enjoying the feel of each other's body.

It was obvious to Dave that Tony was in heat and didn't want to play around. Since they were on Tony's side of the bed, Dave reached to his left, opened the top drawer of the nightstand and grabbed the lube and one of Tony's condoms. Tony took the lube, hastily snatching it from Dave's hand, and applied it to Dave's hole. Meanwhile, Dave opened the condom, unrolled it slightly and then rolled it down Tony's cock, remembering to slide the foreskin back in the process. Tony was leaking so much precum that lube wasn't necessary.

After what seemed like only seconds, Tony's glans was positioned at the entrance to Dave's chute and without asking he began pressing. Tony might have thought he was driving this train but in reality, Dave was in control. From the very beginning he could have stopped this action, like an official on a football field who could blow his whistle and stop play if necessary. But he understood Tony's needs and he was happy to satisfy them. When Tony pressed forward, Dave pushed like he was trying to take a dump and Tony slid into him without any hint of pain or even discomfort.

Tony was like an animal driven by some primal urge. He was forceful but not hurtful and Dave made it as easy as possible for him. This was definitely a new dimension in their relationship and Dave's arousal quotient was pegged at the top. Tony's eyes were closed as he concentrated on his lusty task but Dave's eyes were open. Dave easily imagined he was watching a virtual, interactive porn video, one where he could smell the masculine scent being emitted from Tony's sweat glands and the aromas of male-male sex. Dave spread his hands out across Tony's back where he could feel the powerful muscles move, flex, expand, and contract. Tony wasn't giving Dave's prostate much action but the visual and olfactory senses were sufficiently stimulated to compensate.

As Tony approached his climax he increased his pace and force of his thrusts, a clear signal to Dave that the payoff was near. At last, Tony grunted, almost screamed as his contractions took control of his body. The visual impact of watching Tony in the throws of his orgasm was all that was needed to send Dave over the edge.

They lay quietly. Almost five minutes had passed since they shared their orgasm. When Tony stopped thrusting, Dave continued holding his legs around Tony's waist, his heels against Tony's buns trying to hold him inside. Eventually Nature prevailed, Tony wilted and withdrew without a sound. Following the mating ritual, Tony collapsed into the seed that Dave had deposited between them and after a couple of minutes of gasping for air he calmed down and seemed to doze. They were both covered with perspiration. Dave was enjoying this moment when Tony suddenly pushed himself up and swung around to sit on the side of the bed. He bent over, placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands behind his head. Dave sat up; Tony was upset about something.

"What's wrong, Hun?" Dave asked as he moved along side Tony and laid his right arm around Tony's shoulders.

"Oh Dave." Tony sounded quite sad. "I'm sorry," he groaned.

"Whatever for?" Dave asked, puzzled. "That was great!"

"No, I... I used you; I... abused you for my own self-gratification. I'm so sorry. I'm ashamed of myself."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't talk like that, you didn't do anything without my cooperation, ya know. Look, I was with you all the way. You remember? I even encouraged you when we were still in the kitchen. Like I got just as much out of it as you did." All this time, Dave was caressing Tony's broad back.

"Well, maybe so. But... what I did was disrespectful. I was only thinking of myself; I wasn't thinking of you at all. That's gross. I'm embarrassed. Maybe you should just tell me to leave." Tony sounded really down.

"You listen to me, you hard headed Marine," Dave had a pretty good command voice and he was using it. He also knew that this was not the time to engage Tony in any deep discussion of the finer points of their relationship so he went for a tactical change of subject. "The only place you're going is into the shower and then to dinner. Is that understood?"

Tony sat up, turned his head to his left and looked at Dave. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "Yes Sir," he said submissively. Dave leaned forward and their lips met in a tender, very affectionate kiss.

"Let's get cleaned up. If we're late the boys'll accuse us of doin' what we been doin'. And we don't want that, do we?"

"Fuck no," Tony replied, joy seemed to have returned to his voice.

Dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant was a continuation of the fun that Dave and his platoon had shared the day before. Tony and Tom were both almost in shock when they found out that they would have to use two little sticks to eat with. That requirement provided quite a bit of entertainment, especially when four right-handed guys tried to show a left-handed guy how to manipulate those sticks. Tony and Tom proved quick studies and soon were feeding themselves with enough success to ward off starvation, although not with the same proficiency as the rest of the gang.

During all of the laughter and casual conversation, Todd asked Tony where he was staying. That question contained an assumption that he was not staying with Dave... at least not yet.

"I have a room at the Meadow View Inn, which is kind of a misnomer because there's no meadow, no view, and it's more of an Out than an Inn." More laughter.

"I know that place," Dan interjected, "it's not that far from Philos." Then the conversation moved on to other topics.

As they were leaving the restaurant, Dan asked Dave and Tony if they'd be joining the rest of the group at church in the morning. Dave and Tony exchanged glances, Tony nodded his head and Dave said they'd be there. Dave still wasn't sure just what religious organization Tony was affiliated with but what ever it was, Tony wasn't going to let it stop him from joining his new friends in their church. The rest of the evening, Dave and Tony spent watching the "Gossford Park" video they fell asleep watching the previous weekend. Tony made note of the fact that Dave didn't have a DVD player and filed that information away for further use.

Sunday morning, Dave and Tony were awake early as usual. "You feel like running?" Tony asked.

"Sure do, I feel like I've been lazy lately."

It didn't take long for them to dress and start their stretching routines outside the garage. Then off they went, Tony again leading the way out of the driveway and turning right. This time they were more interested in sticking together as a team instead of engaging in any competition. Near the end of their run they rounded a corner and headed down the street past Sean and Sophia's house and then home. Dave was hoping someone at the McGregor household would be outside so he could introduce Tony but in the distance he could see the McGregor GMC Suburban loaded with the entire family pull out of the driveway and drive away from them. Dave figured that they were going to an early church service.

Dave and Tony showered together but Tony, still feeling somewhat guilty about his behavior the day before was a little more reserved than he had been. They still enjoyed washing each other's body.

Father Tim's sermon was short and inspiring. He talked about the responsibilities of a relationship. Mike had arranged with the gang that when they left the church they should make sure that Dave and Tony went first. Then, Dave introduced Tony to Father Tim who smilingly shook hands and welcomed then and invited them to come again next Sunday. Mike, Todd, Dan and Tom all followed and winked at Father Tim and then directed their eyes toward Dave and Tony. The message was clear, something good might be happening.

Following church, they all had brunch at a favorite restaurant and went home. Once in the house, Tony opened the front door, went out and picked up the Sunday paper. Then they settled down on the couch with Dave between Tony's legs, his back resting against Tony's chest, and together they began reading the paper.

Dave had just finished reading the comics out loud when the phone rang.

"Hi, Sis," Dave answered. He had to crawl out from between Tony's legs to go answer the phone.

"Are you busy?"

"No, just reading the paper, why?"

"Could you PLEASE take the boys for a couple of hours? They want to see you and swim and John and I could use some quiet time."

"Sure, Sis, you gonna drop them off?"

"Be there in about fifteen, okay?"

"I'll be waiting, bye." Dave walked back into the great room where Tony was still stretched out on the couch reading the paper. "Get off your butt, Mancuso, the boys are on their way over."

"Yes Sir," Tony replied as he folded the paper and sat up. "We have anything for them to eat?" Without realizing it, Tony had unconsciously accepted some joint responsibility for entertaining the boys. And it slid right past Dave without notice.

"Yeah, we got plenty of extra munchies when we went to the story Friday. Let's change and get ready."

Dave was waiting on the front step when Kate drove up and deposited the boys. At the boys request, Dave declared this a skinny-dip day and they spent almost three hours running Dave and Tony ragged. Shortly before four o'clock, the phone rang.

"Hey, Sis, you on your way over?"

"Would you mind bringing them home for me, please. I have to start preparing dinner. By the way, why don't you join us?"

"Yeah, I can bring them home and thanks, but I already have dinner plans." He and Tony hadn't discussed what they were going to do for dinner; they'd have no problem finding something to eat.

"Okay, come on in when you get here, I want to see you for a few minutes."

"See ya in a few," Dave said and then hung up the phone. He left the boys under Tony's supervision while he went to the bedroom, threw on a polo shirt and some shorts and shoes. Then he returned to the pool, helped the boys get dried off and back into their Speedo's, then shooed then toward his F-250, their favorite vehicle.

"I'll be back in a little bit and then we can figure out what to do for dinner," Dave said as he followed the boys out the door. He wanted to give Tony a quick peck on the lips but decided not to give the boys anything to think about.

"Okay, I'll change and be ready."

Dave parked the F-250 in Kate's driveway and helped the boys get down. Mark and Matt declined his help; they were big boys and could fend for themselves. JD accepted because the height was just a little bit far for him to jump. He followed them through the open garage door and into the kitchen.

"Hi, Sis," Dave greeted his sister with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Davie," Kate almost exclaimed as she turned, embraced him and returned his affectionate kiss. "Gosh, it seems like forever since you've been over here. Thanks ever so much for looking after the boys, they really love you so much."

Dave saw a relish tray on the counter top and he reached out and picked up a carrot stick. Kate immediately slapped the back of his hand.

"Ouch." And he giggled.

Kate stepped back and stared at him long enough for him to get suspicious. "What?"

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Who?" Dave asked with complete innocence.

"The man who's making you so happy?" Kate asked that question so casually that Dave wasn't sure whether to take her seriously or not. Then he realized she WAS serious.

"Damn, Sis, is it that obvious or are you that good?" Dave asked with another giggle.

"David," Kate exclaimed, "how can you ask that? Of course it's that obvious a nd yes, I'm that good." She laughed. "Now what's his name?"

"Mancuso, Tony Mancuso." Dave was literally beaming as he said Tony's name.

"Oh, an Italian stallion, huh?"

"Kate!" Dave exclaimed. She always knew how to pull his chain.

"Where is he?"

"He should be at the house, we're going to be going to dinner in a little bit."

Kate picked up the phone and pressed the speed-dial for Dave's house.

"Hello?" Tony answered with obvious uncertainty in his voice. He debated whether he should be answering Dave's phone but decided it would be better if he did. He could always take a message.

"Tony?"

"Yes?" Tony was really taken aback that anyone would call Dave's house and ask for him.

"This is Kate, Dave's sister. If you know what's good for you you'll get your butt over here and quick. Go that?"

"Uh... yes Ma'am..." Tony had been caught completely off balance and Kate was taking advantage of it.

"Okay, I'm going to put Dave on the phone and he's going to tell you how to get here; here's Dave." Kate handed Dave the phone.

"You all right?" Dave chuckled when he placed the phone to his ear.

"Wow, was your sister ever a Marine Drill Instructor?" Tony asked in a rather serious sounding voice.

Dave laughed, "Not that I know, she wasn't." Then he gave Tony directions on how to find Kate's house.

When Tony arrived he parked behind Dave and got out of his truck. Dave had been watching from the kitchen window and walked out to meet him, the rest of the family was in the back yard, the boys were playing soccer.

Tony got out of his truck and stood still, waiting for Dave to reach him. Dave walked up to Tony and slid his right arm under Tony's left arm. "C'mon, everyone's in the back yard," and he started to walk forward. Tony didn't budge and Dave almost pulled his arm out of his socket before he could stop his forward momentum.

"I don't know about this, Dave."

"It's gonna be fine, Tony," Dave tried to reassure him. "It's just Kate and John, and you already know the boys. And I'm sure Susan will love you to death." Dave looked into Tony's eyes, still holding onto his arm. "Trust me... please."

"Well... okay," Tony relented. Dave could feel that he was a bundle of nerves. They started walking, slowly at first. They went through the garage and out into the back yard.

"UNCLE TONY!" Three little boy voices announced and they ran to greet him. "You wanna play soccer with us?" Matt asked.

"We have to do some introductions first, Matt," Dave said as they walked toward Kate and John who were getting up from their chairs; John was cradling Susan in his arms.

"Sis, John, this is Tony Mancuso; Tony, this is my sister Kaitlan, Kate to everyone," Kate extended her hand and Tony reached out to shake it only to discover that Kate had a grip like a vice. "And this is my brother-in-law, John Close." John shook Tony's hand.

Something about John set off some bells in Tony's memory.

"It's nice to meet you, Tony," John said and released their handshake. At that moment Tony recognized John Close, number 88, tight end. He decided to remain silent and see how the situation developed.

"So, tell us Tony, how long have you and Dave known each other?" Kate asked. It was the beginning of a long list of question designed to get to know as much about Dave's friend as they possible could.

After about fifteen minutes the boys began pestering the adults to let Tony play and he was released.

"UNCLE Tony?" Kate asked Dave as they stood watching him and the boys; John had taken Susan in the house to change her diaper.

"Well, they met last weekend and again this weekend," Dave replied slightly embarrassed for not having told his sister.

"This sounds serious, Davie."

Dave hesitated. "It might be," he replied under his breath as he looked down at the top of the beer can he held in his hand.

"Well, you have good taste, he's a real hunk," Kate expounded. Dave smiled and started to blush, not knowing why. "You guys have to stay for dinner, Mother and Dad will be here."

"Oh, Kate," Dave caught his breath. "I'm not sure Tony's ready for that."

"Nonsense. You let me work on him.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Dave said jokingly and started to move away from his sister. He wasn't fast enough as she caught him on the side of the arm with her fist.

Kate used her charm to coax Tony into saying for dinner. When Nancy and Bob Baker arrived, Kate, in her own special way introduced Tony as a new friend of Dave's. She did it with such charm that it quickly put Tony at ease. Bob mentioned that they knew Mike, Todd, and Dan and always enjoyed meeting Dave's friends. That immediately helped raise Tony's comfort level.

As the late afternoon became early evening the extended family sat down to dinner. In that time each adult member of Dave's family had the opportunity to chat with Tony and get to know him a little. They were able to learn that he was a friendly, caring, charming, handsome young man who kept glancing at Dave from across the lawn or room. When Dave's father asked for the blessing before dinner he added thanks that Tony was able to join them. During dinner the Baker-Close family drew Tony into the conversation like he was one of them. It seemed to him that the only time he and Dave were close together was when they sat side by side at the dinner table. Tony was careful to keep his hands to himself.

Tony felt like he was back on his heels. He almost couldn't believe what a great family Dave had. At no time did any question or conversation come close to whether he was gay. And after dinner, when Kate placed Susan in his arms, Tony's chest filled with pride and a knot developed in his throat.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, Dave was well aware that Kate and John, then his dad and mother from time to time had isolated Tony to chat with him. He was damned sure going to grill Tony about what was said when they got home. There he was, without really thinking about it considering them together at `home'.

After dinner everyone moved back outside to watch the boys play soccer. Dave and his dad were standing together watching the boys when Bob said something that almost knocked Dave off his feet.

"He's a good man, David. I'd say he's a keeper."

"Wha..." Dave had no response. He looked at his dad who was watching the boys. "What makes you think..."

"I can see it in your eyes, Son. The last time I saw you look this happy was five years ago. You're not gonna string you old man along are you?"

Dave didn't answer; he just wrapped his arm around his father's shoulders and drew him tight.

In another part of the yard John had successfully cut Tony from the crowd so they could chat privately.

"You're THAT John Close, the tight end, number 88, aren't you."

"Formerly tight end and formerly number 88," John replied as he watched his boys scrimmage with the soccer ball. "I'm a high school football and track coach now."

"I was watching that game on TV. I cringed when I saw you go down; I thought you were the greatest. I played that position in high school. I'm really sorry, Mr. Close."

"John. My father is Mr. Close," John looked at Tony with a smile.

"Okay... John." Tony smiled back.

They stood watching the boys for several minutes then John, a bold man who loved his brother-in-law deeply, surprised Tony by going into a subject that under normal circumstances might be considered out of bounds.

While looking out across the back yard, John spoke. "Tony, I don't really know what your relationship is with Dave but I'm going to say something that's got to be just between us, man to man."

Several seconds passed as Tony considered that John might be inferring. "Okay," he replied quietly without looking at John.

"Whatever you do, don't ever hurt him."

There was dead silence as the two men looked at each other. Tony received John's message loud and clear. It was obvious to him that John was being as straightforward and honest as any man had ever been with him. It was also obvious that John spoke from deep within his heart. Tony felt a lump developing in his throat as he tried to fathom the love John had for Dave. That John would risk making such a statement was exceedingly moving.

"I won't, John... I promise." Tony's promise was spoken quietly and sincerely.

"C'mon, lets join the others," John said in a more cheerful voice as he placed his arm around Tony and began guiding him toward the rest of the family.

Tony followed Dave back to his house. What an evening!' he thought. What a weekend!' he corrected himself. His mind was swamped with so many new, interesting, inspiring and puzzling experiences.

Walking into the kitchen, Dave turned and asked, "You survive that okay?"

"Wow! You sure have a great family. They made me feel right at home. Oh Shit!" Tony exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Dave asked, thinking something terrible had happened.

"I still haven't done my laundry and it's time to go."

"Well, let's get to it. There's time," Dave said optimistically.

"But it'll be so late when I get back to my room!"

"Just stay here tonight." The suggestion popped into Dave's brain and tumbled out of his mouth before he even thought about it. "You can go straight to work from here. You won't have to get up any earlier and you'll save time by having breakfast here. Besides, you're closer to the job site from here than you are from your motel."

Tony stood in the middle of the kitchen trying to decide what to do. Dave was right, everything he said was right. And one more night in Dave's bed didn't sound so bad either. Tony agreed.

While Dave started the washer Tony gathered his laundry, including the clothes he'd worn over the weekend. They tossed them into the washer and Tony went to take a shower while Dave sat down in the great room to watch a baseball game. Neither man had showered after swimming with the boys and they wanted to get the chlorine washed off before going to bed. When the washer stopped, Tony tossed his clothes in the dryer while Dave showered then Dave joined Tony in front of the TV for the finish of the game. When the dryer stopped, together they folded Tony's clothes and loaded them into his truck so that would be one less thing to do in the morning. Before going to bed, Dave set the table for breakfast and prepared the coffeepot to start at the same time they would set the alarm clock.

Dave thought about the possibility of a little sex as they slid between the sheets but he had a sense that Tony might still be harboring a little self-consciousness about what happened yesterday and decided to cool it. When the lights were out however, they met in the center of the bed and cuddled with Tony spooning back against Dave.

Monday morning started fast and furious but they functioned like a team in the bathroom and didn't trip over each other even once. The coffee was ready, they chugged their juice, devoured their cereal and were ready to leave with time to spare.

"When will I see you again?" Tony asked as he stopped and turned toward Dave on their way down the hall to the garage.

"Probably Wednesday. I have a dinner engagement with a prospective client tonight and Tuesday, Kate and John are expecting me down at their new home; it's getting close to being finished. And Mother and Dad are expecting all of us for dinner so I won't be back until late. See you around noon Wednesday?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Tony agreed but he really wanted to see Dave sooner.

Dave armed the security system on the way out the door and they both went separate directions to work. All day Tony had to make a special effort to concentrate on the job and not think so much about all of the things that had happened over the long weekend; there would be time for that this evening.

After work, Tony walked into his motel room, a place he hadn't seen since last Thursday morning, and he realized just how much he despised the place. Then he noticed the message light blinking on the telephone.

(To be continued.)

Jeff's comments: My sincere thanks to all of you who have written with your comments, good and bad. I treasure each message.

Now I want to tell all of David's fans that I'll be traveling soon and that means I won't be able to write for a while. However, I'll be thinking about Dave and Tony while I'm away and maybe that will help me write faster when I return. It also means I won't be able to respond to your e-mails as quickly as I normally do so please be patient with me.