You know the drill: 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, of continents or islands, in countries, counties, cities, towns, villages, neighborhoods, streets, cul-de-sacs, nor governmental or non-governmental areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then why are you here? Seriously, if guy-to-guy sex stuff makes you barf or is going to screw up your mind, you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most states 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.
FOR SALE BY OWNER ~ Life On The Drawing Board 01 wriTten by T. Chase McPhee
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Allowing air to finish drying his hands, Peter slaps his palms together, interrupting Stephen Braddock and his employee, in deep conversation, "Alex says this is good timing!"
"What is young man?" Stephen asks.
"You giving me these clothes," Peter looks down upon himself, in his new, spiffy duds, "because it's almost my birthday!"
Kyle was sure Stephen was going to whip out a gift card or two, but instead invited Tom to help Peter shop, carte blanche, "Thomas why don't you help Mr.... I didn't catch your last name, young man?"
"Who me? I'm not a 'mister', but my brother is!" Peter replies.
Informing Stephen, Kyle says, "It's the reason Peter is in our care. His brother, Chad, is away on business. We're all hoping he is back home for Peter's birthday." He also went on, giving Stephen a short synopsis of Peter's past bout with cancer, followed by the business Chad is in, mentioning Carman, which then included how Carman came into their lives. "Enough for you to digest?"
"I think I got it all, but tell me, when were you thinking of inviting me to this birthday party for the lad?"
Kyle kept his attention divided between Stephen and the focus of the high end male clothing store magnate's attention, watching Peter walk around, Tom on his tail.
"Stephen, we were thinking of a small party around the table. Other than the other children at the hospital, Peter doesn't have any friends his age," Kyle fills him in.
Coming around a corner, Alex holds in his hand some goods, asking, "Stephen, where did you get these silk thongs from?"
"You like them?" Stephen asks Alex.
"Well sure. What man doesn't like silk against his skin... and other parts?" Alex laughs.
Fluttering his hand, Stephen says, "Just take them!"
"I can't take these," Alex replies, holding up the six pair of eighty to a hundred dollar thongs.
"Kyle, talk to him?" Stephen replies, getting involved in Peter picking out clothing, because the kid humored him!
"Alex," Kyle puts his hand on his shoulder, "when are you going to get wise..."
"I know," Alex replies, "if Stephen offers, don't argue, but there's got to be five hundred bucks worth of thongs here!"
"To 'Stephen Braddock' it's like five cents!" Kyle explains.
"Don't they have to take these little sensor thingees off?"
Stealing them out of Alex's hand, Kyle walks around the counter and goes to work removing the little white discs.
Looking around, up and to the side, Alex asks, "Isn't security going to wonder why you're behind the counter?" Kyle smiling, Alex is wondering, 'What?'
Kyle replies, "Before I met you, I tried working here."
"You never said?"
"I know. It was trivial," Kyle replies, shoveling the little white discs in a container, meant for them. Before he escapes from behind the register, another customer advances, placing three dress shirts on the counter.
"Oh excuse me," the neatly coiffed gentleman in the suit and tie asks Alex.
"Finishing up," Alex replied, without making it known he knew Kyle.
Kyle too didn't let the charade die, placing the thongs in a bag and handing them to Alex.
"'Nice' collection," the bearded gentleman says to Alex.
"Yeah," Alex replies.
Kyle smiles, 'knowing'.
"Nice shirts," Alex tells the dude, looking to be in his mid to late thirties.
"Thanks, but let me ask your opinion, do you think this tie goes with the green shirt?" He asks, handling the tie he has on.
Alex gave Kyle a quick glance over the dude's shoulder. Kyle shot him back a wink and a smile, which constituted a signal.
"Well," Alex replies, with a bit of mischief entwined, "when you get home you should change into the shirt and then retie the tie around the collar, 'or', if you don't want to chance having to return it, maybe you should try it on in a fitting room?"
Looking at his watch, the dude says, "Hmm, I'm a little pressed for time." But then he looks up at Alex, saying, "Then again I always hate buying something on impulse and then having to return it!" Of course, he lied a little. Really, his butler would wind up returning it! Too, playing the field he reaches out his hand, "By the way, I'm Garth Chilton."
"Alex Nouguet," Alex replies. Finally fessing up to it, "And this is my partner, Kyle Dryfiss."
Garth turns to the counter, extending his hand, shaking Kyle's, "I think you waited on me a few months back," acting disappointed, "but then you disappeared."
"I tried my hand at sales, but it didn't agree with me," Kyle replied.
"But you're back?" Garth asks.
Alex fills him in, "We're shopping with our friend's little brother."
"It's his birthday next week," Kyle informs Garth as he walks around the counter.
"Well! I suppose he's the one taking Thomas' attention away me?"
"Thomas?" Alex questions.
"Tom," Kyle renders. "He's helping Peter pick out some clothes, as per Stephen."
"Well! Isn't this one happy family, us all knowing Stephen Braddock?"
Kyle says, "Actually, he's a good friend of my father and Alex and I are just getting to know him." Of course Kyle was searching for facts, like how this bearded dude knew of Stephen and 'how' involved their friendship.
Alex was too, even though he didn't voice opinion, but they weren't disappointed when Garth offers, "Well! Stephen and I go way back to college."
"You knew him that far back?" Alex asks.
"Longer than us!" Kyle giggles.
Still with his mind on Alex's incredibly good looks, Garth says, "Well! Stephen and I were roommates and someday, when we're all together socially, I'll have to embarrass the pants off of my roommate!" He laughs his ass off as if telling one or two tales of the days when they were fratguys together.
"Um, I don't think Peter is going to hold out for very long," Alex meant getting tired, "if you want my opinion on the shirt?"
As he walks towards the fitting room, Garth coerces Alex into following, "Oh, would you be a doll and take those pesky little pins out for me?"
"Sure, but just don't go calling me 'Barbie'!" Which brings out a round of robust laughter from Garth, Alex skeptical on whether the joke was going to float.
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"Are you sure this is a good idea, Micah?" Byron questions, the two arriving, unannounced, at Armando Novellino's School of Art.
"Have I failed you yet?" Micah asks, as they pull up in front of a fancy, wrought iron gate, in one of the limo's part of the fleet, courtesy of Cayman Karlyle.
"Not that I can think of," Byron replies. Truthfully, they haven't known each other very long and it was an easy answer.
Too, as they made their exit from the door being held open, Byron wasn't at all used to this high end service. Apparently, Micah was, answering, after the driver asks what time to come back, "Mind waiting? I'm not sure we'll find Mr. Novellino here."
The driver, patient, kind and not at all disturbed by the request, cheerfully states, "Not a problem, sir."
Inside the gate, Byron asks, "Um, does he get paid by the hour?"
"I'm not sure, but what any employee of Cayman thinks, it's a real priveledge working for him and valuing that, they for certain don't want to hear of anyone complaining about them or it's," and Micah slashes his finger under his chin, "off with their heads!"
"Yikes!" Byron replies, as Micah laughs it off.
No sooner had they turned around the side of the building, they hear it said out loud, "Oh fuck!"
In the middle of a courtyard sits a pedestal, a huge chunk of clay atop. But it's not the clay Byron is eyeing up, but rather the man cursing it out, staring at a piece of it lying on the cement apron.
In a cute, playful, boyish tone, Micah says, "Hey-ey, Armaa-ando?"
Throwing his hands up in the air, like he won The Price Is Right, the barechested dude exclaims, "Micah my darling!"
Observing, Byron took notice, the incredibly good looking man running towards Micah, while Micah took a few steps. He smiled, seeing Micah getting smothered by a kiss to each side, with strong hug-holds on the bod.
"And oh my, who is this Adonis?"
Byron looked behind himself, to the right, then left, finally pointing to himself, "Who? Me?"
Micah's friend closed in fast, immediately scooping him up in his arms, saying, "Welcome to my school." Proud? Bold? Conceited? Hardly the last, he says, "I am 'thee artist', Armando Novellino!"
There for Byron to 'recover', Micah says, "Arman, this is my..." he was about to say 'friend', and it being new to him, he had to force it out, "lover, Byron Rockwell."
"Any relation to the 'great'?" Armando asks.
"He means Norman Rockwell," Micah fills in the blanks.
"I don't think so," Byron replies.
"Oh, it's so dreadfully hot out here," Armando looks up at the sun, while fanning his face with his hand. He then realizes, his skin covered with a layer of sweat, "Oh my, I hope I didn't dirty up your shirt?" And then concerned, "Come.... I'll have Aldo get you some new."
"Really... it's okay," Byron says.
With his limp wrists flicking, Armando insists, "Nonsense! We can't have you walking around the school in unbearable clothing!"
As the two follow, Micah says, "Let me give you a tip... when Armando speaks, there's no use disputin'!"
"He's very good looking," Byron quips to Micah.
"Oh, so you're all ready to dump me for an older man, huh?"
"No," Byron replied with conviction.
"I was joking you know?"
"I know," Byron replies, smiling as Micah flops his arm up over his shoulder, leaning in and giving him a little peck on the cheek. He also had a question, "What good thing did you do to warrant all this attention?"
"I was on my first visit to the Karlyle mansion. This guy had a flat tire on the side of the road, so I stopped to helped."
"Armando?" Byron guesses.
"Yeah and before we leave today, you're going to take a look at it. An Alfa Romeo!" Micah gloats.
"Is that a car like James Bond would drive?"
Giggling, Micah exclaims, "James never drove a hot, red car like this one!"
Without knocking or anything, Micah opens the door and walks in, same one Armando preceded them. The place is abuzz.
Armando is ordering dudes around, "Alihaj, would you please round up some clothes for our guests?"
"Right away, sir!" Alihaj replies, sizing the two up. He asks, wagging his finger back and forth, "You two, you aren't?" he meant 'together', like 'very close'.
Smiling, Micah replies, "Yeah, we are."
Snapping his fingers, Alihaj replies, "Damn!"
"He's cute," Byron tells Micah.
Micah replies, "You should see him 'without' the shirt!"
"But Armando mentioned an 'Aldo'?"
Micah returns, "Armando is getting them mixed up all the time." And describing, "You'll see... tall, dark, handsome...."
"I can't wait to meet him!" Then, Byron overhears Armando ordering up some food and asks, "Um, are we staying for lunch?"
"Armando wouldn't have it any other way!"
Seeing all the good treatment his lover is getting, Byron says, "Wow! Next time I see a guy in a hot car with a flat tire, I'm stopping!"
Micah jokes, "And make sure he has an art school and pieces of sculpture in every art museum in the world!"
"Really? I don't think this is for me!"
He goes to leave, Micah tagging his arm, turning right back around, "Wait and see. Maybe you'll change your mind!"
"I don't think I have any talent," Byron pouts. "The only real experience is playing with Playdoh when I was in second grade!"
"Hey, if Armando can make an artist out of me, he can do the same for you."
"He did?" Byron asks.
"He tried. I don't think I'm good at it, but at least I humored the old man."
"Old man?" Byron says. "I didn't think he was more than thirty-five?"
"Good call. He's thirty-four and..."
But before the two could do anymore conversing, Alihaj had returned. This time Byron got his wish, seeing Alihaj stripped down to a speedo.
"C'mon guys! Armando has thrown together an instant party down by the pool!"
Byron exclaims, "Some party!"
"Yeah, right," Micah knocks it off as ordinary, multi-tiered gardens around a contoured, multi-curved pool, surfaces sparkling blue. But it wasn't the platters of food, nor the fountain of drink, but male bod flanking the whole area.
"Where did all these guys come from?"
"Armando probably declared a school day off and invited all the students to party. My honest opinion?"
"What?"
As he takes his tee shirt off over his head, Micah replies, "I think Armando was just using 'me' as an excuse to get down and party!"
"Need some help?" Came by six-foot-three Alihaj, reaching right down Byron's bod and lifting his tee shirt, "Arms up!" Then Micah smiled at Byron, Byron knowing for sure, Micah guessing Alijah rubbing his hairy front against Byron's back!
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"I think I'm a little scared."
"We don't have to go out today, if you don't want to Michael?"
"No. I mean I want to go. I'm just a little scared to get inside and go under the water," Michael confesses to Darryl, as they stand on the connecting dock with the submarine.
"How about I get in first and then you just 'feed yourself' to me?" Darryl suggests.
"I think that might work, having somebody inside before I get in there."
So it went, Darryl climbed into the small, personal submarine like he had done both in and out of the water, hundreds of times. Taking a giant breath, the eighteen year old 'talked himself' into entering the small round hole, which would not fit someone who was obese. Fortunately, Michael, termed by his friends the 'stringbean', fit in easily and just as promised, Darryl's arms were there waiting for him!
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"Alex?" he got tagged on the arm.
"Oh, what's up Peter?"
"I'm getting tired."
Just as Alex had predicted, sitting there on a cushy, leather bench, he invites Peter, "Here, sit down a minute."
As soon as Peter sits down, the guy Alex was waiting for, Garth Chilton, steps out from the booth, saying, "Alex, would you do me favor and get me a larger size?"
Alex obliges.
Facing Peter, Peter asks, "How come you're so hairy?"
Joking with Peter, but speaking on real terms, "Because I'm big, big bear!" and leaning into Peter, "Woof!"
"Woof?" Peter questions. "Bears don't go 'woof'. That's a dog! Bears go," and Peter turns his fingers into claws, "GRR-R-R-R-R-R-R!"
When Alex returns, he sees Peter 'tiring himself out' and thinking Garth the cause of it, "Peter's supposed to be taking it easy."
"Mm-m-m-m-m!" Garth says of Alex's authoritarian manner. But he took the shirt and disappeared back inside.
Having a 'man-to-man' talk, Peter asks, "Alex, how come the man made like he had something good to eat?"
But Alex was accusing himself, 'Why did I let Garth talk me into this?' Answering Peter, Alex figured he would also allow Peter to discover it for himself someday, making excuse, "Maybe he was hungry and needed to go to lunch."
Buying it, Peter took it as the power of suggestion, "I'm hungry too."
"I thought you were tired?"
"I'm hungry first," Peter replies.
As one of his siblings would react, Alex took Peter under his wing and hugged him.
Coming out of the booth, Garth Chilton had on the green shirt and black tie, asking, "How do I look?"
Getting even for the 'trouble' he put him through Alex decided to get even, "Oh no. That tie will never do!"
He smiled, leading the way over to the tie racks, when Garth asks, "Well! What would you suggest?"
The shirt was evergreen, with light green pinstripes. Alex picked out a purple tie with pink diamonds, each diamond encrusted with bright orange silhouettes. "Here, a perfect match!"
"Are you sure?"
Backing him up, Peter stood there with his hands on his hips, saying, "If Alex says it's good, it's good!"
"Well! I guess I better take it." And turning to Peter, he bent over, saying, "Woof!"
Peter replied, "GRR-R-R-R!"
Alex smirked, nodding his head back and forth!
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Copyright 2010 T. Chase McPhee
`FOR SALE BY OWNER ~ Life On The Drawing Board' may not be sold, nor made part of any collection, without prior consent from the author.
The more you stretch, the more you can fit in... 'spread' happiness! TCMcP.....