The story below is a work of fiction, set in the format of reality. Any resemblances to real people, alive or in the hereafter, is entirely coincidental in nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon persons, in towns, cities, countries, nor governmental areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most state and countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by law. Check with your local laws regarding such.
% Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction. In real life, use protection.
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SEPTEMBER endings and beginnings 01 wriTten by T. Chase McPhee
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Before so many people occupied his pad, Jean-Claude got into the habit of checking his email in the morning before heading out to work. Showered, shaved and dressed, he took to sitting in front of his computer.
On autopilot, when Kevin dressed for the office he put on a speedo and tank top.
"That's fine for surfing, but around the office Kevin...." Jean-Claude was trying to be as nice as possible dissuading Kevin from wearing his `surfing' outfit around the firm, even if he was going to be outdoors part of the day jet-spraying the other side of the building or helping Brendan.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to read Jean-Claude's mind and Kevin jumps in with, "Maybe I should take it with me and change?"
"Sounds like a better idea."
"How do I look?"
Quite the contrary to Kevin's attire, Emre stands there in a suit.
"Well," he replies, swinging around in his swivel chair to face the door, "you and I don't have such a different fit, do we?"
Kevin has viewed both in the raw and differed on Jean-Claude's opinion.
"Thank you for lending me the suit."
"Down the road, when you have enough saved you can invest in your own." Having plenty in his closet, Jean-Claude wasn't looking to getting this one back!
Before Emre could elaborate on the fit, in walks Brendan.
"Oh Emre," he sideswipes Jean-Claude's attention, "on this list it says patio blocks. Um, like there are a million and one designs of patio blocks. I think you should come with us to pick them out?"
"Us?" Jean-Claude makes a bid to fit into this conversation.
"Kevin and me," Brendan replies. "We made a good team yesterday, so I hope it's okay he's been given a reprieve from hosing down the other side of the building?"
"I place him under your direction," Jean-Claude responds.
"Hmm," Brendan replies, wiggling his eyebrows and sporting a suggestive smile.
Boldly, Emre steps out of character and tries his hand at joking, "It is in your dreams Brendan!"
"Darned-it!" Brendan replies, snapping a finger against his palm.
"You tell him, Emre," Jean-Claude says.
Brendan gets back to business, "We're taking off now, so if you're ready?"
"Taking off what?" Jean-Claude joked.
Brendan gives a smile in return, then sweetly gives Jean-Claude a peck on the lips, taking Emre under his wing. Kevin shows, this time dressed in a muscle shirt and denims. He relieves Brendan of his hold on his lover. With the three out of the house the place seemed like a ghost town and as such he thought about those who lived there. Still in question was where he was going to put Sebastien, for sleeping arrangements.
"Where is everybody?"
"Huh?" Jean-Claude swivels away from the monitor. "Tariq! I forgot all about you!"
"I made up the room where I slept."
"I hope the sofa was comfortable?" Jean-Claude asks, not helping himself at focusing on Tariq's frame, padded on the outside with a tee shirt and jeans.
"It was good. I did sleep well," Tariq replies.
Jean-Claude figured he was a heavy sleeper, since he remained dead to the world all through the bit with Sebastien.
"I was wondering," the eighteen year old asks, "what I will be doing today?"
"What would you like to do?"
"I would like to find a job so I can go to college next year?"
He was doing some important work on his computer and wanted to continue when he got to the office, but also had it in mind it would be good if Tariq could get a jumpstart on his college education, instead of having to wait a semester or whole year. As he is about to say something, in walks Sebastien.
"Your sleeping bag wasn't half bad J-C!"
"Where did he come from?" Tariq asks, as he scans Sebastien's bod, the towel around his waist and the rest of him wet.
"I was wondering if you had a laundromat around, if I could wash my clothes?"
Jean-Claude fills Tariq in, "Sebastien is homeless at the moment... was..." Then addressed his new boarders' question, "I take it you haven't worn anything fresh in awhile, Sebastien?"
"I was hoping you didn't notice the wrinkles in my dress clothes yesterday. I tried airing them out on the boardwalk before I changed into them."
Tariq made like he was reading an Architectural Digest magazine, flipped through it three times, then held it in front of himself.
"I swear," Jean-Claude states, "I didn't take notice," though, now that Sebastien has mentioned it, the dress shirt had lines down it, but didn't phase him afterwards because he had stripped it to help Kevin do the hosing down of the building.
Quiet and on the sidelines of the two-man conversation, Tariq was slowly studying every inch of Sebastien's bod. The eighteen year old loved the sight of Sebastien's smooth bod, all the way down to his bellyhole, where a trickle of hair disappeared under the tucked-in towel.
"So, about the laundromat?"
"There are washing and drying facilities in the basement." But on the verge of taking Tariq out, Jean-Claude says, "If we can dig up some clothes for you, perhaps you would like to take a ride with us?"
"Some place specific?" Sebastien asks.
"Uh yes, matter of fact. I thought we would take a spin up to Brookdell Community College. You're welcome to come along?"
Tariq led the protests, "But I told you. I need to work for tuition."
"Like I'm in the same boat, Jean-Claude?" Sebastien seconds it.
"Maybe you two haven't heard of the idea of working your way through college?"
"I suppose I could take one or two courses and work. It'll take me a few semesters to finish up my last year, but I should be able to do it."
In support, Tariq remarks, "If I can do it, you can do it!"
Sending the two off, Tariq to show Sebastien where his closet was, Jean-Claude resumed his business on the computer. He was thinking about the four additions... actually five, counting Brendan and as he gazed at the monitor, x-ed out the current browser screen which faced him. He reflected on life, from two months back and how things were so quiet on the homefront, suddenly escalating to the comings and goings of four youths and... he leaned back in his chair, parking his hands behind his head, thought how lucky a guy he is for meeting up with Brendan. He heard some rumblings up stairs and was startled back into reality. Staring at the next option on the screen, the greatness of the home on the screen, he leaned back in the swivel chair, thinking about the Temel boys. Emre and Tariq seemed as two down-to-earth, responsible and intelligent lads. He wondered about Gazi and where he would end up in life. He summed it up, two out of three ain't bad. He
immediately did not like what he was looking at and x-ed that screen too. He draws comment from his own architectural tastes, "Don't they know how to.... o-o-oh what's this?" Leaning forwards, Jean-Claude eyes up the picture on the screen as if looking at goldfish in a bowl. "Isn't this nice?" He scrolls down to the details, making a sketchy assessment, "new construction... beachfront design, 5 bedrooms, 6 baths... hmmm, nice size... Elevator? Talk about extravagant! Kitchen, with imported marble, hardwood floors, ocean front pool? Oh my!" He continues after taking a deep breath of air, "Brick driveway... what other kind is there?" Jean-Claude laughs to himself before reading on, "Two car garage? That's it?" But he didn't let it detract him from his reading, "Barreled ceiling, huh? Oh now this is nice, large master suite with private decks? I can deal with waking up every morning and having coffee while overlooking the
ocean!" He was smiling because included in the scenery was Brendan. He continued to dream on, eyes closed as he pictured the two sitting in lounge chairs... "Lounge chairs?" He came around, making a disgusted look on his face. "What kind of togetherness is that?" And then he laughs at his own inadequacies of drawing up a scene which include `separation'. "No, for us darling," he began talking away as if Brendan were there in the flesh, "for us it will be a cedar lounger... I'll design it myself... built for two..." Once again relaxing his thoughts, Jean-Claude began picturing him and Brendan out on the deck in their custom-made chair-for-two, naked, the ocean breeze blowing over there bods."
"How do I look?"
"Like me ten years ago! Where did you find those?" Jean-Claude questions Sebastien, decked out in a pair of jeans and buttoned down shirt.
Tariq reports, "Boxes are at the bottom of your closet in the very back. You don't remember they are there?"
Smiling, Jean-Claude tugs at his pants, putting his thumb between belt and bod, "I think my waistline kept me from remembering. What size are those pants, Sebastien?"
"Um, thirty-two?"
"Wow! I better hit the gym!"
In the meantime, Tariq was being nosy, looking down into the computer monitor. "That is nice house. Did you design it?"
"Um, no. Just checking out some real estate."
Sebastien reads the fine print, "Longport? Where is that?"
"Longport?" Jean-Claude questions, looking alert. "Where do you see Longport? I thought I was looking at Asbury!"
A finger touching the glass showed where it was among the other details of the ad listing.
"Oh shit!.... oh, excuse me," Jean-Claude had second thoughts about cursing.
Suddenly Tariq took in an enormous amount of air, standing up and at first holding it in.
"What's the matter?" Jean-Claude looks up at him.
Sebastien too questions him, "What is it Tariq?"
Tariq's outstretched hand reaching in the direction of the monitor, his finger extended, acting like he was afraid to touch the screen, picked out the most important detail for him.
As for Sebastien, he had to take a second look too. "OMG! I thought it said $4,795!"
"You can't get a place on the ocean for that amount," Jean-Claude sets him straight.
"But," Tariq asks with concern, of the small detail Sebastien neglected, "there are three zeros at the end!"
Non-chalantly, Jean-Claude replies, "Yeah, well it's about time I find something worthwhile to invest in, instead of paying rent for this place, my cash going right into the Bermuda Triangle!"
Tariq and Sebastien study the info.
"It says here there is a swimming pool. What do you need the ocean for?"
"The view," Jean-Claude says and not to be taken as rude, he presses a button, the screen diverting to the desktop picture, with words, "I think we should be going now."
"Nice!" Sebastian says.
"Oops!" Jean-Claude renders, closing off the screen altogether after the three view the naked picture of two porn stars making the best of a lonely situation!
"But we've seen naked guys, Jean-Claude?"
He didn't refute Sebastien's statement, saying they better get a move on it.
"Where is this Longport?" Tariq asks.
"Oh, down the shore on the other side of Atlantic City."
Sebastian asks, "Where is the college?"
It stopped Jean-Claude in his steps. "Oh," he thought without answering. "I suppose moving down to Longport would present a problem regarding you two attending college."
"Emre and Kevin too," Tariq points out.
"Well I suppose this cancels out the college trip until tomorrow or another day this week. Why don't you boys go upstairs and change into some city clothes?"
Offering carte blanche, the two helping themselves to whatever looked good on them, Jean-Claude figured it was time for a new wardrobe.
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At Lomberiou, Quezada, O'Keefe, Finsterwalder and `Temel', all was quiet, except Quezada and Finsterwalder, working on some details for the next townhouse going up in the everchanging skyline of Asbury Park.
"You know it's dangerous for us to be together? You know what Jean-Claude said?" Cody says to his partner, partner between the sheets as well as professionally, Jaime Quezada.
As Jaime ignores Cody, he reaches in between the flaps of his suit and remarks, "Jean-Claude may own the building and the business but he doesn't own us!"
"Think about it dickhead," Cody tells him as he pries his partners hands from his torso, "No building, no business. No business, no job."
Jaimes backed off, but not without voicing his opinion, "Listen Cody. About last night."
"That was last night Jaime. This is today."
"But you're still pissed at me for what happened."
Cody replies, "Me pissed? Why should I be pissed at your former boyfriend `accidentally' showing up at Paradise and monopolizing your attention just about the whole night, not to mention when you two were dancing, his hands were all over you Jaime?"
"His hands weren't all over me Cody. What do you want? We were shirtless and he happened to touch me in a few places. It happens when you have sixty guys on the dance floor and we're all bumping into each other."
But Cody wouldn't here of it. Like last night, he complained Jaime didn't spend hardly any time with him, drank way beyond his normal limit, "Juan was like picking up the tab for everything you drank... encouraging you no less to have more. But did you heed my warning when I told you you have enough?" He didn't allow Jaime to answer. "No! You had to insist, because Juan was buying... you had to even get violent with me and as much as tell me to leave you alone!"
"I told you I was sorry."
And outside the office, as Jean-Claude walks in, he could hear Cody shout, "Well I don't accept your fuckin' apology okay? You had a choice last night and rather than listen to me, you chose to side with Juan."
"Listen. He was in from out of town and.... well it was `you' who chose to leave!"
"Damn right! You think I wanted to stick around and..."
From the outer office, Jean-Claude was trying to keep score. He missed some of the gist of their argument, but he was catching up fast. He missed some details, but it didn't matter. He figured he would wait til the waters calmed before he said anything.
"And I didn't bring this up last night because I was like pissed like hell, but where were you until four o'clock in the morning? Paradise closes at two."
"We walked along the boardwalk and talked."
Cody reaches in his pocket and pulls out a napkin. "Then why was this lying on our bedroom floor this morning?"
Jaime turned as white as a ghost and for a Rican with a tanned complexion is was some feat. "I.... um... I..."
"Save it Jaime. I suggest you ask Jean-Claude for the day off and go back to the apartment and clean your things out."
Gasping, Jaime replies, "You can't mean it, Cody?"
"This is the second fuckin' time you've done this to me Jaime. You promised the first time you would not even see Juan again if he came into town and what happens? He shows up at Paradise. How did he know we were even going to Paradise last night?"
"Fluke," Jaime shrugs his shoulders.
"That's a fuckin' lie! I happened to hit redial on the phone and what do you think happens?"
He responds like he doesn't know.
"Somebody picks up and answers the phone, saying the same name as the motel on the napkin I found. There now. You're even lying to me now. If you want your precious former lover, you can fuckin' have him Jaime!"
"But Cody honey," he tried to touch Cody again.
"Don't you fuckin' touch me and don't call me honey! We're through. I'm not waiting around for strike three to hit!"
Jean-Claude sat there at his desk, `pretending' to go over some drawings. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jaime leave Cody's office.
Shoulders slumped, Jaime walks over to the desk where Jean-Claude is sitting.
"Trouble in Paradise?" Jean-Claude asks, seeing Jaime's eyes reddened.
"Yeah," Jaime says in a low-toned, mellow voice. "I need to have the day off."
"I understand," Jean-Claude replies. "Take two if you need it."
"I don't think I can come to the office anymore."
Jean-Claude says, "Do you think Cody is feeling the same thing?"
"Yeah, but... J-C, I lied to him. I more or less ditched my own partner and if that wasn't bad enough, Cody informed me it was time to go and I... I told him I was having too good a time. Probably my first mistake."
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Cody was kind of loud and... I agree with him. Your first mistake was even agreeing to see ... is it Jon?"
"Juan."
"Juan then. I think this got the ball rolling, then mixed with the cocktails you had, you lost control."
"That's about what happened. I feel so bad."
"Let me ask you something Jaime. Do you love Cody?"
He did up until he saw Juan at Paradise, then when they left together and went to the motel Juan was staying at, Jaime was convinced Juan was the man for him. He even told Juan over and over he was the best damn fucker in the whole world. Slowly, last night into morning, Jaime was allowing Juan to ruin the two years he and Cody had built their relationship upon. "I don't know J-C."
"I'll take that as a `no'," he put it, even though it sounded cold.
"I like Cody an awful lot J-C..."
Cutting Jaime off, Jean-Claude rationalizes, "There's a big difference between like' and love'!"
Jaime didn't say a word.
"What I suggest Jaime is you take the rest of the week off. After four days, when you walk in here Monday morning, maybe you will have some more insight to how things have been and do some soul-searching. See what you can come up with. Also, do you think Cody is responsible for any of this?"
"No," Jaime replied with frankness. "I was a real jerk last night and I lied to him."
"I overheard," Jean-Claude responds.
It was winding down with little else to say, so Jaime went back to his office and in a few minutes time he was on his way out of the building.
"Whew!" Jean-Claude said. Now he felt part of his referee job was done. He walked towards Cody's office, the blinds shut tightly. He opened the door and rapping with his knuckles three times he said, "Knock, knock, knock?"
The small scale city lay spread out on a board. In the middle of the townsquare, between the retail center and a high rise office building, Cody's bod lay bent over the table. His elbows lay in the spot where fountains would be spouting water into the air. Right now there were puddles on the stones which would encompass the circular pool of water.
"Cody, are you alright?"
Cody said nothing. Suddenly he sat up on the tall bench next to the model. Sniffing, he ran his right hand over his face. "No, but I will be."
"If you think you need it, you may take the day off?"
"What?" It angered Cody to think, "And have to deal with that scumbag?"
Both looked at the table Cody's fist pounded on. Small items, people, telephone poles and some trees were in shambles.
"At least we know the buildings are earthquake-proof!" Jean-Claude tacked a little smile onto it.
But it didn't amuse Cody. "No, I have to work today. I can't stand being around him. When I go home I don't want to see him. I told him..."
"I know. I heard."
"I don't know what I'm going to do J-C."
Seeing Cody's eyes begin to mist up, Jean-Claude walks over to him and cradles him, "Come on now. To me it looks like you did the correct thing. I would be upset too if the man I loved did to me what Jaime did to you."
"It's not like it was the first time J-C and after the first time I even forgave him. He said he broke off all communication and then... I bet Jaime was in contact with Juan all along."
"Now let's not jump to conclusions Cody. You don't know that for sure."
"But a lot of things fit into perspective J-C... we don't go out to a place like Paradise on a week night, Jaime `knew' Juan was staying at a motel.. he knew to call him there before we left home... I bet he called Juan to tell him what time to meet him there and...and..."
"Sh-h-h," Jean-Claude cooed into Cody's ear as he held him to his chest. "I know it's going to be tough, but... do you think it'll come to reconciling?"
"No. I can't trust Jaime."
"Sounds final and now that Jaime isn't a part of your life now, you've got to try to forget him."
"It'll be tough, especially when I have to see him at the office everyday," Cody responds.
Breaking off their hug, Jean-Claude states, "At least you won't have to worry about it for a few days. Jaime asked for a day off and I told him to take off until Monday. Now why don't you go to the jon and freshen up?"
"Why the glum look?" It was Brendan, returning from Forte's, the `in' place for upscale landscaper supplies.
However, Brendan made Jean-Claude lose the sad clown face, seeing the sweated shirt clinging to skin, a perfect curvature of pecs and abs silhouetted by the sweaty residue of his labor.
"What?"
"You. If you weren't sweating like a hog I'd come over there and show you `what'!"
Brendan put on a big grin.
Getting serious, Jean-Claude says, "We've got boy problems at the office."
"Oh? Denny and AJ wrestling again?"
"No. Much worse. Cody and Jaime have split."
"Split?" Brendan didn't get it.
"Like in they are no longer partners?"
"Wha-a-at? I thought they were a tight couple!" Brendan exclaimed.
"Me too, until World War III started this morning."
"It didn't get violent, did it? I mean I could picture Jaime slugging it out."
"Me too, but unfortunately he had nothing to slug about. It seems it was all his fault and believe me... I didn't mean to listen, but Cody was being kind of loud about it and trust me, It `was' all Jamie's doings. The guy didn't cover all the bases and left himself wide open for ridicule."
"J-C?" Cody's voice was heard from the end of the hallway.
"Yeah, Cody?"
"I think I'll take a little walk and get some fresh air."
Jean-Claude slaps Brendan's chest with the back of his hand, "Wait. I'll go with you."
"No. I need to be alone," Cody tells him.
Only comment Brendan could think up is, "Sounds depressing."
"I don't doubt it with all the mud-slinging going on."
Then on with business, Brendan says, "You should see the lovely slates Emre picked out for the backyard!"
When Jean-Claude and Brendan proceeded out the back door, they came upon Emre measuring something. Kevin sat in a wheelbarrow, his legs hanging over the front of it. Lying back, back braced up against bags of cement, his shirt up and placed over his head, parked behind his neck. Like sunning on the beach, his shades pointed towards the sky.
"Yes, I agree... very lovely!" Jean-Claude comments.
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Copyright 2009 T. Chase McPhee
This story may not be sold, nor made part of any collection, without prior consent from the author. If you don't adhere to this condition, you run the risk of having your pants sued off you... might lose your shirt too!
The more you stretch, the more you can fit in... 'spread' happiness! TCMcP.....