I Nearly Missed America

I Nearly Missed America

I Nearly Missed America

by Steve Snow

I plead with you to get off the faceless interstates and freeways and see America again from its main streets. Look not only at its neon signs but also the more subtle indicators like the white 8 1/2 by 11 notices taped up inside the windows and don’t forget the churches and cemeteries. One such cemetery appealed to me by looking skyward with all its obelisk-like monuments reaching for the heavens with their penultimate crosses held high.

I am on a mission and I am also on a bus pointed north. Believe it or not, I’m heading fourteen towns north of Albany to begin my two-week vacation with a very specific goal in mind. I plan to travel back towards Albany one town at a time each day and explore the town thoroughly. I also intend to pick one representative guy in each town I visit for my special attentions.

First, a note: There’s something about this area that I’ve not experienced in my hometown.  The guys here are just nicer!  I call them “farmboys” even though I know only a few of them are actually from the farm.  They are uniformly more pleasant, polite and helpful than their urban counterparts.  They smile more which automatically makes them more attractive.  It’s a paradise for a connoisseur of fine males like myself.  The only problem is, they all set off my sensors.  I need to be constantly mindful that what I interpret as a come-on at home is very likely just a straight guy being NICE here.  It makes it so that to overcome my reduced sense of mutual attraction, I’m sure that any guy who wanted to be seduced would need to work especially hard to get my attention.  Because of that, and since it’s my first night out, and since I’m in a celebratory mood I find myself in a gay club.  While getting my bearings, I meet Ralph who is a rare beauty; an Indian man whose good looks would rival the young Bollywood studs that grace their cinemas with a handsome intensity.  I ask: “What is a stunning, exotic hunk like you doing in this town?”

“I have been hired to work on the lake boat for the summer. Many of us come here about this time each year as foreign workers. We all have a great time and it is quite a community unto itself.”

“I’ll say - I’m sure I’d never want to leave!”

We dance together on-and-off for a couple of hours and then he asks me “Want to go get some supper?”

“Naturally. Lead on!”

He takes me to a little out-of-the-way Thai restaurant he had discovered last year and we have a grand meal and some interesting conversation. I make a point of ordering decaf at the end of the meal and he does the same. He asks: “Nick, where are you staying tonight?”

“I hadn’t decided yet. There are a number of good motels along Main Street and the season isn’t in full swing yet so all of them have vacancies.”

“Well, if you would not mind, you could stay with me tonight. I would like some company and my lodging is comfortable and nearby.”

“That’s a nice invitation. You’re very generous. I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“My pleasure.”

“How did you come to be known as Ralph?”

“Nobody here can pronounce my name so I took Ralph as a substitute - less intimidating on my name tag.

“Perhaps later you could teach me to pronounce it.  What language is it from?”

“Hindi.”

We get our check and though I offer to pay, Ralph insists we go dutch.  I’m starting to like him even more, strictly for selfish reasons.  He leads me through the town to his place and into his digs which are nice but somewhat spartan.  He starts setting the mood as he lights incense and turns the room lights on only to dim and I have to suppress an urge to laugh since this is a very ’60’s image of a romantic evening but I need to remind myself that he’s from a very different culture and their ideas of romance are different from ours.  I try to get into the mood and he’s being a very good host.  He brings me to the couch and we sit together and he takes me in his arms and kisses me first tentatively, then passionately.  We are in a clinch and he’s exploring my body as he goes.  I feel free to do the same but I think it would be prudent to follow his lead and not to ad-lib here.  It isn’t hard to be sincere while still sensitive since this is such a magnetic, attractive guy and I really want this to go especially well and not to blunder.

After we break the clinch I want to express all this: “Ralph, although I’m experienced in the matters of love, I must admit sadly I’m mostly unaware of your culture and so I hope that you will treat me as somewhat inexperienced.  Please, I won’t be offended if you are more explicit in your directions than you would be ordinarily.  I’m enjoying your company and I wouldn’t want to ruin the mood with a mis-step.”

“Nick, I thank you for that.  I am aware of most of the practices here and I do not think I could be easily offended.  I do have my preferences, though, and I am glad you mentioned this.  I will try to clearly ask for what I want.  What about you?  Will you want anything particular?”

“Ralph, I’ll just be glad to be in the same room with you.  Use me as you will.  I’m sure I’ll be thrilled.”

Ralph got to work kissing me again.  This time, though, he also starts undressing me.  He will go so far and look to me to do the same.  I am happy to play follow-the-leader at this point.  The action still is getting me hotter with every garment we discard.  I am down to my underwear as is he when he leads me over to the bed.  At last he reaches out and gently pulls down my underwear and gives me the chance to step out of them.  I am prepared to reciprocate but I don’t get the chance.  He indicates I should lay down on the bed and I do.  He climbs over me and starts to fellate me.  He is quite thorough but is using techniques I’m not familiar with.  It is sending shudders of delight all up and down my torso.  I can feel it from my nipples to my knees and the sensations are exquisite and intense.  I can only make out that there is a vibration present that I have not felt before and it is making my experience extraordinary.  I can tell that at this rate, I won’t last long.  It is as if he read my mind because it is at this precise moment that he shifts gears.  He cools down the action by eliminating the vibration and lazily stroking my member with his lips.  He isn’t putting the pressure or the suction on, he is just covering the distance from just behind the head to three quarters of the way down just lazily stroking me and avoiding most contact with the head of my dick, especially in the tight spaces at the bottom of his throat.  If I show the signs of losing interest judged by my losing my firmness, then he will take a longer stroke and squeeze my dickhead just the slightest bit with his throat and I am back to full mast again.  Ten minutes of this (and I’m not watching the clock, I assure you) and he shifts back into high gear again.  It is a roller coaster ride up hill and down again for at least three cycles; I can’t be sure since I am so delirious near the end.  He finally takes me to the precipice and abruptly stops any movement but only keeps up the vibration and slides his head down the shaft carefully until the waves are maximized on the most sensitive part of my organ.  I could tell my orgasm is coming and I know he can tell because in one swift downward stroke he swallows my dick down to the root and holds the head there in a vice-like grip at the bottom of his throat and stops all motion again.  I rise up my head and shoulders and moan loudly and I come what seems like torrents down his throat and he doesn’t miss a drop and is rooted in place until my spasms finish.  I collapse back down on the bed, spent.  Then he slowly, maddeningly withdraws to the very top and as he arrives there he puts on the vibrations again just for a second but it has the effect of a sledgehammer to my gut and I rise up a second time and wail for that same second and more until he finally releases me from his grip.  I fall back down onto the bed and do something I never thought I would do:  I laugh out loud like I have just heard the funniest joke ever.  I laugh for minutes way past the point where the laughs turn to tears of joy and happiness but I laugh until my belly is in total pain from the strain.  He takes on an amused look on his face and watches my antics until I grow too weak to laugh any further then he smothers me with kisses and I could swear that he breathes the life back into me so I become calm and satisfied.  It is then I decide this is one special guy indeed.

Ralph waits until my breathing returns to near normal and pecks at my lips off-and-on and when I calm down he says: “OK, Nick.  It is my turn.  Flip over, please.”

I think: OK now, here it comes.  He reaches over to the bedside table and brings back a container of lubricant (I have to assume) and he stands up to remove his underwear but I am too exhausted to crane my neck back to see the tool he is proposing to impale me with.  I just trust that he will use good sense with me and I will do fine.  I am still basking in the glow of that exceptional experience and he could be an axe murderer at that moment and I will die with a smile on my face.  As it is, I feel him apply the lube to my rear in an unexpected pattern and the pause leads me to believe that he is applying the lube to himself as well.  I can feel him shift his weight onto my back and then I feel the head of his dick nestle itself in the crack of my ass far below the target.  I think of saying something then think better of it and wait for the action to begin.  Just at that moment he sinks down so his legs are just touching my legs and begins a slow thrust which I can feel all up and down my lower body.  I am thinking that this will be my strangest fucking of all when he slides right over my hole and right on up to the top of my ass.  Suddenly I get the message: this is going to be the old friction-fuck: frottage.  This will be a first for me.  Just as I start getting used to the idea, the scent of the lubricant arrives at my nose.  I don’t know what it is but it is like sex for my nose.  It is at least half again as exotic as he is and as I start to enjoy the sensation I notice that the whole space between my ass cheeks is starting to warm up noticeably and rapidly as if the friction has started off a chain reaction.  This is going to be good and I can see he will be good at it.  The next opportunity, I clamp my cheeks together briefly along with a nod of my head when he comes to the top to acknowledge him.  He let out an “unkh” sound but keeps on stroking.  Shortly, he is able to scratch his fingernails a little on my side so (I presume) he could let me know he understands.  His thrusts are pretty regular for another ten minutes or more (no slouch, he, in the stamina department) when he starts to accelerate.  With this, I can tell he is more distracted since the friction between his body and mine has increased some everywhere but in the operational area.  He’s getting more agitated as well since I can feel the vibration being transmitted to me through the bed.  Soon his breathing becomes quicker and he is trying to form some words at first not audible, though.  Finally he comes up with a plan.  He nearly shouts out the words one-at-a-time at the top of his stroke when he exhales naturally: “Nick...please...squeeze...now!”  I clamp my cheeks together forcefully upon hearing the last word.  He struggles mightily and sways side-to-side to add that last little bit of stimulation he needs and I can feel the result on my back in the form of a warm bath over my tail bone.  Ralph collapses onto my back and exhales forcefully one last time which I can feel blast past my shoulder.  His breathing is now returning to normal and I take the opportunity to reach out my hands and caress what I can find of his thighs.  He groans a while and starts to revive.  Finally, he whispers in my ear “Thank you, Nick.” and kisses my neck.  He pushes off me and onto his feet.  He grabs tissues from the bedside and wipes off my back.  When he is through and takes a step away I say to him: “Hold there, Ralph.”  I get off the bed myself and wrap him in my arms.  I kiss his cheek and then push him away just to finally get a look at him.  I don’t let go, however, keeping my hand on his shoulder.  I turn him around and look him over on all sides then I pull him back to me for another hug.

“Outstanding performance, Ralph!  You exceeded all my expectations.”

“Thank you, Nick.  May I put my underwear back on?”

“Of course.  Are you shy about your body?  It’s just wonderful in my eyes.”

He reaches down and grabs his underwear from the floor near the foot of the bed and slips them on.

“I am not accustomed to being naked most of the time.  Just a little modest I suppose.”

“Certainly not a problem, but I will say I was enjoying looking at your body while I could, and I’m most impressed with your technique.  I could use some lessons from the master.  Could you teach me some of that?”

Ralph sits down on the edge of the bed and I sit down as well.  I can see he is thinking about his answer.

“I could teach you but I think you could teach yourself just as effectively.  It is all there in the Kama Sutra but please avoid the old Victorian translations.  They are plentiful and less than worthless.  An illustration...  Suppose someone were to ask you to learn how to raise chickens from a text where every description of a chicken and every description of any part of a chicken was like the description of a ping-pong ball: hollow and lifeless.  How much do you think you would learn about living, breathing chickens by that method?  Choose carefully a modern, learned translation and everything will be revealed to you.”

“Thank you, Ralph.  I seek to learn that way.  I also noticed that you were circumcised.  I understood that wasn’t very common in India except for the Moslem population.  Are you Moslem?”

“No.  The Moslems in my town offer the children of the town to circumcise them and explain the benefits of it.  I was convinced of their claims and agreed to be circumcised when I was just ten.  They did the job in the ritual way as is their custom.  My parents were upset when they discovered that I had been circumcised but they eventually accepted it.  I am pleased with the change and I understand that women in my town seek out circumcised men first when they are seeking husbands.”

“Fascinating.  One last question: your name.”

“Indrajit”

“In..dra..jeet?”

“Close.  In..druh..jeet”

“OK.  In..druh..jeet.”

“Better.”

“So forever forward I’ll call you  In..druh..jeet.  If I slip, pinch my bottom or whatever you can reach and tell me.”

“Of course.  Nick, you are so special to care that much.”

“You deserve that and more.  Are you ready for bed?”

“Nearly.  Just a visit to the toilet and I will be.”

“I’ll follow as soon as you’re done.”

Once we’ve both finished our toilet duties and are at the bed, Indrajit asks: “How would you like to arrange this?”

“You’re in charge.  Please suit yourself.  I have no preference.”

“Fine.  Could we sleep face-to-face then?  I’d like that.”

“Just fine.  Get in on whatever side you prefer and I’ll accommodate.”

“Thank you, Nick, for being so flexible.”

“I wasn’t kidding earlier.  I’m so glad to be with you, I’d sleep anywhere.”

Indrajit gets into bed where he is standing and settles in on his side.  I enter from the other side and take his hands in mine and wish him goodnight with a kiss.  I brush his forehead with mine and smile broadly at him.  I whisper “Good night, Indrajit.  Sweet dreams.”

“Good night, Nick.”

He takes his hand and puts it on my hip and gives it a caress and this is how we will fall to sleep.

In the morning we awaken nearly simultaneously.  Indrajit speaks first: “Good morning, Nick.  How did you sleep?”

“I slept well.  You don’t seem to snore.  And you?”

“Fine.  You do snore a little but I found it pleasant.”

“Good.  Are you ready to get up yet?”

“Just a few minutes and I’ll get ready for work.  Will you be joining me in the shower?”

“I’m surprised you asked.  What happened to your modesty?”

“I think I have nothing to hide from you, my friend.”

“Thank you, Indrajit.  It would be a pleasure to join you.  What shall we do in the meantime?”

“I hope I can hold you close for a few minutes more.”

“That would be delightful.”

Indrajit drew me to him and we cuddled and kissed for that next few minutes.  We both knew that was nearly all the time we would have together and we wanted to savor it.

...

It’s my second day out and I’m despairing of finding a guy in this town.  I spent most of the day sightseeing and just walking around.  Nobody is catching my eye.  I’ve already taken a motel room and I’ve stopped at the grocery store for some supplies to make my night more comfortable.  I make my way to the cashier to pay for my purchases.  Nothing much, just some snacks and my favorite brand of soda to drink.  I pay the total and thank her and wish her good night.  I reach for the bag and the bagger hands it to me and says: “I double-bagged it for you.”  He holds my gaze and the bag just a little too long and our fingers touch for a moment.  He’s giving me ‘the look’...

Thinking fast, I ask him to please hold my bag for a minute since I just realized I forgot something.  He smiles and says: “Okay.”

I go to the back of the store and grab a big case of individual bottles of drinking water.  I pick up the case and start to pretend as if it’s too heavy for me to carry comfortably.  I bring it forward, being careful not to over-act and bring it to the same cashier I’ve just used and explain that I forgot I needed drinking water for the rest of my trip.  I heft it onto the belt and make sure I look tired from carrying the weight.  I pay for my new purchase and wish her good night again and when I get to the bagger he is looking at me expectantly and I ask him just a bit too loudly if he could carry the case of water out to the parking lot for me.  He smiles his consent and we walk out of the store together.

Once outside and out of earshot, he asks me “Where is your car, sir?”

I say: “Uh, sorry, I don’t have one.  I’m on foot.”

He responds: “I see...  where would you like me to take the water?”

I answer: “You can keep it if you can use it.  Take it to your car if that’s OK.”

He says: “I could just kiss you... What an act.”

“Why thank you.”

“Follow me...”

He led me to his car and dropped the case of water in the trunk.  When he was through I introduced myself:  “Nice to meet you.  My name is Nick.”

“I’m Thad.”   He shook my hand and lingered a bit before letting go.

I asked him: “Is Thad short for Tadeusz?”  I gave it the full Polish pronunciation.

“Why yes it is.  Nobody around here can pronounce it so I’m only known by Thad.  How is it that you can pronounce it?”

“Confidentially, I had a boyfriend who was originally a Polish citizen.  He would never let me get away with pronouncing any proud Polish name with the American pronunciation.  I had to learn all the common Polish names to please him.”

“The only time I ever hear my real name is when Mom is pissed at me.  Then I can tell how much trouble I’m in by how many names she uses.”

“My mother was the same way - different names but the same effect.  It must be universal.  Say, what time do you finish work?  You need to get back inside, I’ll bet.”

“I’ll be finished at eight.  Should I meet you here then?”

“That would be great.  We can continue to swap stories.  Will anyone else be hanging around then?  I don’t want to blow your cover.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem but give it a minute or two and then come here if I’m alone.  I promise to wait for a while.”

“Great... see you soon, Tadeusz”

I went back to the room and kicked around for a while.  I waited ’til almost eight then returned to the grocery parking lot and hung back like he suggested and good thing I did because one of his fellow workers was hanging around kind of roughhousing with him.  Thad seemed bored with it all but stayed positive with him until he seemed to tire of it.  Finally he took off and I still waited another couple of minutes to see if anybody else would show.  I sauntered over to where Thad was standing.  He suggested we get in his car and I did.  He drove off and I suggested he park in some neutral territory in a spot without so much light.

We started up a conversation immediately: “Looks like a budding romance there, Thad.  That guy couldn’t keep his hands off you...”

“I suppose you’re right though I never thought of it.  I guess I’m just not interested.”

“But why?  He’s handsome enough if a little bit goofy.  You couldn’t get into him?”

“I don’t seem to have much in common with guys my age.  What would we talk about?”

“That’s a pretty mature attitude but I’ll bet the sex would be OK with him...”

“Probably so, but I think it wouldn’t last too long.  I’ll bet he gets off in a minute or so.”

“You could be right.  So, nobody in your class turns you on?  Not the football stars or the swimmers?”

“Yeah, I’ve had a couple of crushes in High School but they never know I’m alive.  Most are hetero and the others have plenty of offers.”

“Tadek, my boy, that sucks.”

“What did you call me?”

“Tadek is the familiar form of Tadeusz.  I hope you don’t mind if I call you that or would you rather I wasn’t so familiar?”

“Nick, right now I wish you would be a lot more familiar...  Can we go to your motel room?  I’m dying to kiss you.”

“Tadek, I’d like nothing more, but I think we need to set some ground rules first...  How old are you anyway?”

“I’m seventeen and I’ll be eighteen in a month or so.”

“And I assume I won’t get any surprises if I ask to see your license.”

“I’m being honest, Nick.”

“Good.  Now here’s the deal: technically you’re still jailbait if only for a month more.  I need to be able to call the shots tonight.  What I will do may sound silly to you but I need to assure myself I’m acting in both of our best interests.  I don’t want you to be disappointed if I call a halt before we go too far.  Personally, I’d love to jump your bones and do everything at once but I’ve gotta tell you, I respect your mother too much to do that to you.  She did a great job bringing you up and I think she’d be upset if she heard that you were whoring around at a local motel with an older guy.  Thad, tell me I’m wrong.”

He looked sheepish and said: “I guess you’re right.”

“Next question: Are you an only child?”

“Yep.”

“OK.  The answer to my next question is guaranteed.  Does your mother have her spies watching out for you?”

“I never really thought of it but that would explain a few things over the years.  I guess she does.”

“My mom did too and news travels like lightning.”

“Amazing.”

“So you won’t complain if I need to put on the brakes?  After all, I’m only human and you are just so wonderful.”

“Now you’re making me blush...”

“So we agree?”

“Agreed.  I just want you so much now is all.”

“Then you shall have me.  I’ll walk over to the motel over there and you drive over in a few minutes and come to Room 117.  I’ll have the door open.  Just be sure you park the car out-of-the-way and also be sure nobody who knows you sees you.”

“OK, James Bond.”

“You know how tongues wag in a little town like this, Tadek.”

“Of course you’re right.  I know you’re only trying to protect my reputation.”

“OK.  Let’s synchronize our watches.”

“Dork!”

“See you in ten, baby.”

“In ten.”

I’ve gone before him and opened the door.  As promised, he follows a few minutes later.  He enters and closes and locks the door.  He walks over to where I am seated and grabs me and brings me to my feet.  A soon as I am nearly on my feet he plants his lips on top of mine and starts to kiss me so urgently that he is literally shaking.  He has put his arms around my back and has me in a bear hug.  I am starting to get into this with him and he has infected me with his urgency.  He’s opened his mouth and is pressing into mine with his tongue.  We joust around with our tongues playing tag and suddenly he lets a long breath out of his nose and somewhat bumps his forehead against mine.  He’s putting all his weight on my back and he’s walking us back against the bed and we finally fall together onto the bed with Thad on top.  He’s still kissing me with a massive passion and I can now feel that he’s put his body over my left side and he is literally dry-humping my thigh.  I can see that what’s going to happen next is going to be inevitable and I think to myself that we can do this so much better.  Rather than two rutting animals, I want this to be more personal.  I break off his kiss to get some air and place my finger to my lips and catch his eye as I sound out “Shhh...”

I have his attention now and I wrestle him over onto his back.  I give him a quick kiss on the lips and he is grinning - a bit too broadly, even cartoonishly as I crawl down his body.  I wipe the spittle from my mouth as I descend down his body because I need to do this in the driest way I can find.  To my surprise, I find that while we were kissing upright, he dropped his pants to his ankles and is now under me clad just in his underwear.  Bright boy.  He has made this easier for both of us, I hope.  I’m tracking down the length of his torso trying to excite him with my hands and mouth while searching for my prize.  I’m still dizzy from his intense kisses and too close to him to see clearly and I’m just doing this by feel but I don’t want to break the contact we have.  Presently I find his underwear-clad dick and it’s steely and erect as it can be.  I can see that a wet spot has formed near the head and this is why I need to be careful to not add any additional moisture to the situation or this will be uncomfortable for him.  I bend down and place the most feeling-filled but almost chaste kiss on the tip of his dick  (if anybody can be said to kiss a dick in a chaste manner - silly me!)  Then, mindful of the wet spot growing here, I nuzzle it with my nose breathing in to try to catch some scent of his essence.  The only scent I find, though, is the faint smell of fabric softener.  I smile.  I locate my right hand over that same spot.  I climb up his body once again and start the kissing over again.  This time, though, I’m in charge.  I control the kissing and I also control the tempo down below.  I’m pushing, pulling, rubbing, stroking, squeezing, thumbing and even pinching his organ to achieve what we both want.  But keeping in mind his disdain for quick finishes, I’m determined to make this last a while.

I believe that if I was evil, I could send this boy ’round the bend with his palpable need for release and my determination to force him to go slow.  I try to remember all the old tricks to sense when he’s approaching climax and the ways to cool his jets.  I bring him to the brink over and over and will him to back off but each time it is more difficult.  I know I can’t prolong this much longer partly because his sounds are getting more strained and staccato.  I decide that on the next upswing, we’ll go for it and this gives me renewed strength.  The time has come and I begin his ascent again.  I am doing all the right things and he senses now that I won’t be backing off this time.  He’s starting to hump my hand and setting the perfect rhythm for him and I’m all on board with that.  I finally let him run the show and he is a machine concentrated right where my right hand is.  His thrusts are more accentuated and sharp and his orgasm is about to overwhelm him.  I can feel the mounting tension in his dick.  Then he surprises me by clamping down with his lips on my tongue and stretching his back out to pull my tongue out of my mouth into open air.  He’s not using his teeth but just the strength of his lips and it’s driving me crazy.  Just as suddenly as he had been pulling on my tongue, now he releases it and presses his hips up and his head back down into the bed and he experiences a shuddering orgasm that he expresses with sounds I can’t remember ever hearing from any former lover.  It’s kind of a vocal ack-ack which keeps up as long as his dick keeps pulsing.  In my current mental state, I seem to think it will never end.  Fortunately for my Tadek, it finally does.  I’m thinking now that I may have earned the right to call him mine in some small way.  I hope the experience was memorable for him since I will never forget it.

Thad’s breathing is slowing down now and he’s starting to stir after virtually collapsing under me after his climax.  I’ve been kissing him and tongue-bathing his face all since then to comfort him.  His eyes flutter open and he focuses on my face and the first word he says is a hoarse “Whoa!”

“Welcome back, beautiful.  You had me worried a little.”

“Nick... That was intense.  I’m not sure I ever want to go there again.  I loved it the once but I got scared afterward that I was falling forever and would never be able to climb out.”

“Tadek, you’re just fine.  I didn’t intend to frighten you.  I’m so sorry.”

“It’s OK now, Nick.  I guess I just need to process it all.”

“Relax buddy.  You’re safe with me.”

“Please, Nick...  Hold me.”

I wrap Thad in my arms and squeeze him tight.  He seems to measurably relax in my hug and he starts to hum.  Some song only he knows the words to is involuntarily escaping from him.  For a long while we stay wrapped up so close but finally he stops humming and whispers: “I think this is the best part of it all... feeling so close to you.”  We roll apart but he keeps the connection between us by holding my hand.

Thad and I have been lying together for quite a while now and I’m starting to get anxious that it’s getting late for him to go home but I can’t stand the idea of separating from him.  A germ of an idea is forming, though, and after thinking for a few minutes, I decide to approach Thad with my idea.

“Tadek, it’s getting late.  I’m worried what will happen if you go home now.  I have an idea, though.  Let me come home with you and meet your mother.  I won’t lie to her if she asks me point-blank but I can be pretty charming and I should apologize for keeping her son out late.  What do you think?”

“Nick, I haven’t checked but you must have balls like bowling balls.  It’s an interesting idea, though.  I like the thought that we could be honest with her.  I have come out to her but she’s never met any of the other guys I’ve been intimate with.  Let’s do it.  I’m sure she will be up waiting but I don’t think she’ll be angry with me yet.”

“Okay, buddy.  You get dressed and we’ll go face the music together.”

Thad and I took off for his home.  I started to think what was ahead of us.  I realized I didn’t even know Thad’s last name.

“Hey Tadek, what’s your last name?”

“Novak.  Why?”

“And how does your mother like to be addressed?  Mrs. or Ms. or what?”

“I think she prefers Ms. though she’s not particularly liberated.  She’s raised me as a single mother and was never married.”

“OK, Thanks.  I didn’t want to make a stupid mistake.  You’ll introduce me, then.”

“Sure, Nick.  What if she asks me how we met?”

“Be truthful.  I don’t want to whitewash any of this.  She deserves the truth.”

“OK.  I’ll tell her I picked you up from the grocery line five hours ago.  That ought to thrill her.”

“Tadek, I think you could be more diplomatic than that without lying to her.”

“I know, but this is just so strange.”

“Give her some credit.  She’ll probably surprise you.”

“Knowing her, she’ll ask some other tough questions...”

“I’ll try to run interference if I can.  But if push comes to shove, just level with her.”

I could see he was thinking about this as was I.  We drove in silence the rest of the way to Thad’s home.

Once we arrived, he parked his car in the driveway next to his mother’s older model sedan.  I squeezed his hand before we got out and we walked together up to the front door.  He unlocked the door and opened it and called out: “Ma, I’m home.”  From a distance I could hear her answer: “Tadeusz... why are you so late?”  He responded: “Ma could you come to the living room.  I have somebody I’d like you to meet.”

Thad’s mother came to the living room door and my Tadek introduced me: “Mom, this is Nick.  Nick, this is my mother.”

I crossed over to where she stood and shook her hand.  “Ms. Novak.  I’m so glad to meet you.  I need to apologize to you.  I’m afraid I kept Thad out too late.  We just lost track of time.”

“Nick, Thad.  Sit down.  So Nick, what were you two talking about?”

“Well, we talked about a lot of things.  He told me some things about his life here and his frustrations with the fellows in school and we swapped mother stories.  It seems you and my mother had quite a lot in common.”

“I see.  You wouldn’t be buttering me up, would you?”

“That depends if it’s working...”

“Not on your life!”

“Then I guess not.”

“So what is it that you two have so much in common?”

“Well, to start with we’re both gay and we’ve had some of the same experiences.  His, of course, are more recent but we were sharing our feelings about growing up gay and I was explaining that he needs to give his feelings some time.  I told him some of my stories about growing up gay as well and I hoped it would illustrate that he’ll get more comfortable with it as he grows.”

“And Nick, how old are you, anyway.”

“Ms. Novak, I’m 40.”

Thad pipes in with: “You’re THAT old?”

He’s got this incredulous look on his face that I can’t figure.  Just when I’m getting worried, he breaks out into a broad grin and I know I’ve been had...  “Cut that out, you stinker.  I almost had a heart attack!”

Thad replies “At your age you have to be careful.” Then he delivers a less-than gentle elbow to my ribs.

Ms. Novak says: “Well, aren’t you two cozy.  Ordinarily I’d mind my own business but you’ve got me curious:  Did you two have sex?”

Thad whines: “Mom!”

I say: “Tadek, it’s a perfectly reasonable question.  Ms. Novak, I have to admit, we came very close.  I was a little freaked out about the age difference and the fact that Thad hasn’t reached majority yet and I felt it would be better to wait.  I will tell you that a lot of our conversation was held in the horizontal position.   You’re son is a major-league kisser.”

Now it’s my turn for Thad to whine at me: “Nick!”

I’m sensing something is odd with Ms. Novak.  She’s starting to giggle a little and it’s escaping.  “Oh, you two.  Nick, you already have an endearment name for him... You’ve got it bad.”  I nod my agreement while she chuckles.  Once she slows down she continues: “You’re a pair of dummies!  Nick, you know you should have done your research before you came to New York on vacation.  The age of majority here is 18 but the age of sexual consent is 17!  And Thad, you should have known, too.  Didn’t anybody in school wise you up about that?”

Thad looks at me and I look at Thad and we both break out in this big grin.  I take his hand before I respond.

“Ms. Novak, first off, I’m not a perv.  I never planned to meet anyone the age of your son.  And, yes, I could very much see myself falling hard for this great guy.  I’m halfway there now, but I am encouraging him to look to his own age members for a lover. - It’s not fair to him to fall for someone that much older than himself and then there’s the problem of a long-distance romance.  A relationship is tough enough without two strikes before you begin.”

I look over at Thad and he’s getting a little misty.  This is a lot for him to deal with in a short time.  I pull him closer and put my arm over his shoulder.  I turn back to his mom and finish my statement: “With all that said, I need to tell you I have this overwhelming need to rip your son’s clothes off.  Out of respect for you, I won’t start right here.  I guess we should go up to his bedroom now.”

She smiles and tells us: “Listen, you two.  I intend to get some sleep tonight and I’m not going to with you two hooting and hollering all night.  Take him back to your motel and just promise me you’ll use a condom.”

“Ma’am, if it goes that way, we’ll both wear one.  You and I will need to put our heads together in a day or so.  I want you to take my cell number and we’ll plan to get together while Thad is at work.  I want to tell you more about your outstanding son and he’ll be too embarrassed to have us talk about him.”

“Of course.  Let me get a pen and paper.”

She walks out to the kitchen and Thad whispers: “What was all that?”  I respond: “It’s all good.  Don’t worry.”

Ms. Novak returns with the goods and splits a sheet of paper and she copies down her number and mine and she exchanges numbers with me.  She says: “You two have a good night and although I’d ordinarily say pleasant dreams, I don’t think you’ll get much sleep.  I love you Thad and it was very nice to meet you Nick.  I’ll talk to you soon.”

I answer: “Thank you, Ms. Novak.  You sleep tight as well.”  Thad chimes in with: “Love you mom.”

We go back out to Thad’s car and start the drive back to the motel.  Now starts the discussion:

“Wow, Nick!  That was awesome.  Mom was pretty cool with it.  I didn’t expect that at all.  It could have gone a whole other way.”

“Tadek, I told you I was charming,  Of course your mom is pretty hip and she knows she can’t smother you.  Eventually, she has to let go and hope you’ll make good decisions on your own.”

“I know but she seemed so accepting and the whole gay thing is sorta foreign to her, I would have thought.”

“Perhaps she’s been reading up.  When did you come out to her?”

“When I was about 15.  We’ve been honest about it all the whole time and although I don’t share all the details, I do tell her who I’ve been seeing with a few exceptions when I was too embarrassed to admit it.  She has been pretty understanding the whole time.  She’s helped me through some heartache and I appreciate her support so much.”

“Truth is, it’s easier for a mother to confront the idea of a son being gay.  If you had to count on a male to support you, it would be much more difficult.  My dad had a real hard time coming to terms with it.  He just went over and over it in his mind and it bothered him a lot.  I could see it.  Some guys can’t put themselves in your place, probably because they didn’t have any gay experiences when they were growing up or never had a crush on another male.  I felt bad for my dad but I wasn’t able to help him through it.  He kept me at arm’s length the whole time but eventually he and I came to terms.  I suspect it was my mom’s influence that turned him around.”

“Wow.  That’s some story.  I’m glad it worked out.”

“So am I.  Tadek, I need to ask you a question: Are you still a virgin in any way?”

“That’s really out of left field!  Why do you ask?”

“Well, we’re about to embark on our own private little orgy and I need to know about your experience.”

“I’m still a little uncomfortable with anal now.  I’ve tried it before with some guys and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.”

“That will come with time.  It does take some getting used to.  You need just the right partner to make it work for you.  Eventually it will be fine.  Just don’t dismiss it completely because of a bad experience or two.”

“No, Nick, I won’t.  Do I take it that you aren’t willing to teach me?”

“It’s not that, Tadek.  I think I could be the gentle lover that could get you to enjoy it but I also think that would be unfair to the guy who will eventually become your lover.  You two should share that learning experience together.  It will bring you closer.  This isn’t entirely about my pleasure, after all.  It should be mostly about you.”

“That brings up another subject, Nick.  I have to tell you, I feel a little bit rejected.  I want YOU to be my lover.  I really feel strongly about you and I want you so much and now that we’re free to do what we want, why are you pushing me away?”

“Tadek, I’m not pushing you away.  You will see that I want you as much as you want me, but for now that’s our hormones talking.  It’s a good thing but it isn’t the basis for a relationship.  I could easily fall for you but if we were to go down that road, it would be exceptionally difficult to make a relationship work.  I would be so proud to have you as my lover but think about where we’d be in ten, twenty, thirty years.  I’m twenty-plus years older than you - old enough to be your father myself.  When you will be the age I am now, I’ll be sixty two.  Think about that for a while.  I don’t think I have to spell it out for you.  Tadek, I’ll always love you and I hope you’ll feel that tonight but I don’t think it’s realistic to take that love and build our future on it.  Do you understand me?”

Thad is crying beside me and I need to ask him to park somewhere so I can comfort him and so we can get to the motel eventually in one piece.  He does park and we cuddle for a while.  Soon, he is able to continue on.

Eventually we do reach the motel and I can tell that Thad’s mood is lightening.  We enter my room hand-in-hand and although once we close the door we aren’t tearing off each others’ clothes, soon we are lying naked together in each others’ arms.  I kiss Tadek and he kisses me strongly.  This is familiar territory and we know how this will go.  I could do this all night, but other pleasures call out to me...

I rouse myself to start the action but one thought occurs to me.  I break off the kiss with Thad and I start to speak.  “Tadek, I wonder...”

He shushes me and whispers in my ear: “Nick, just stop talking and do me!”

Properly chastised, I start to do the job we came here to do.  First up, I’ve decided that I want to have Thad inside me and I figure no red-blooded horny teen can resist an upturned ass so I reach inside the bedside drawer and fish out a condom.  Thad’s eyes widen at the sight of it.  I think he’s wondering who’s going to wear it.  I beckon him near and start to roll the condom over his by now fully erect penis and illustrate silently by example that he needs to leave a proper space at the tip to prevent blow-outs.  I finish rolling it on and lie on my back and with one finger I motion him to the starting gate.  I have taken a container of lube from that same drawer and hand it to Thad to slick me up.  He applies the lube a bit generously to my hindquarters and then slips the tip of his finger inside and massages the lube around and I position my legs on his shoulders and motion that he take it slow at first.  He places the tip of his equipment near my entrance and rubs it up-and-down feeling his way and once centered on target gives a slight push.  The head pops inside and I savor the intrusion, marking it with a smile.  He places his hands on my ribcage and gives a slow first tentative thrust.  Soon I am filled with Thad and he’s athletically pumping me and it feels so good.  I notice that he’s applying some of the lessons from the previous session and modulating his approach to extend the time of our coupling and making the experience last.  He occasionally drops down to me and kisses me passionately if briefly and then returns to his natural rhythm.  I suppose it could have been hours though its more likely it was less than an hour we were suspended like this.  During the time, Thad has paid some attention to my dick but he isn’t taking me towards orgasm but only giving me the occasional caress and I expect he has other plans for my organ.  He finally has decided he’s satisfied with the plowing and he speeds up the action.  He’s peaking in intensity and passion and he’s breaking a sweat finally.  He steadies himself a little bit more surely and kicks it up a notch more and he’s getting glassy-eyed and it’s clear his time is near.  Soon he’s grunting with the effort and I’m feeling the heat myself and I start to urge him on with my own animal vocalizations.  Only a few more thrusts and soon he tenses his legs and abdomen and he’s exploding inside me and I can feel the heat of his ejaculation or is it my imagination?  He stays upright while his contractions lessen and soon he gently lowers himself and resumes kissing me lazily trying to prolong the experience.  I’m savoring that feeling too knowing that physiology will eventually take over and that sweet, intimate bond will be broken.

We’re lying together wrapped up in each other and soon he’s starting to revive some and I reach over into that same drawer next to the bed and grab a piece of paper I’ve concealed there.  He’s wondering what I’m doing and I unfold the sheet and show him the characters I’ve printed there: “10”.  He smiles broadly and says: “Nick, you dickhead!  What’s that about?”

I say: “Tadek, I just knew you’d be a ten and I wrote that while you were still working this evening.  If I had been disappointed, I’d have ignored the whole thing.  My only regret is I didn’t predict that you’d turn out to be a twelve!”

“Why Nick, that’s so sweet of you.  I hope to keep my standing in your eyes.  Now, it’s my turn to rate you.  Enough talk for now; just enjoy.”

He goes straight to his work and soon he’s giving me a thoroughly enjoyable BJ.  He’s doing a creditable job and I can see he will be torturing me like I did to him hours ago.  He’s pretty good at the art of judging my level of excitement and he extends this experience beyond the ordinary.  I peak and ebb at his command and I know I’ll be in for a great time.  The only slight flaw is that his jaw tires eventually and he needs to take me to the top and over before his strength fails him.  He works me to a fever pitch and just before I orgasm, he gently gathers my testicles together in one hand and exerts a slight downward pressure on them stretching my sack out.  This is not painful but does stimulate me even further as I shoot off.  He quietly goes about accepting my offering and only misses a few drops which dribble down his beautiful chin.  When he comes up to my level, I lick these few remains off and share them with him as we kiss.

We lie together for a while and wordlessly touch and cuddle.  We could drift off to sleep but both of us are too stimulated still for that.  I say: “Wow you can give a mean blow job!  You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?”

Thad says: “I’ve always tended toward oral as my most favorite kind of sex.  Sometimes I obsess over it.  Tonight, though, I experienced a great pleasure in fucking you.  I don’t remember ever having it feel like that.  I may need to reevaluate it.  Thanks for the loan of your ass.”

“Tadek, you have it more than just on loan.  It will be always aching for you.  I need to do some reevaluation as well.  I’ve been thinking that there is one thing that I can do for you to assist you easing your time accepting anal intercourse.  With your permission, I’ll try it.”

“Nick, I place myself in your capable hands.”

I position my Tadek on his back with his legs hanging down over the edge of the bed and I kneel on the floor in front of him.  I notice he’s only just showing a chubby but not yet at full mast.  I hope that will change soon.  I lift Thad’s legs up to my shoulders and hook his knees there exposing his sweet rosebud to me.  I nuzzle his balls with my nose and cheeks and start my descent.  I aim the tip of my tongue at his hole and give it a thorough exploration.  I try to memorize the nooks and crannies and catalog them mentally for later stimulation.  I work the area in a preliminary manner and start slowly probing the center, pushing and prodding a bit to see how tight it is.  I’m pleased he’s not clenched but seems to be receptive and willing and judging by the sounds I’m hearing, he’s with me so far.  I return to the folds and start to stimulate each of them in turn with gentle licks and pushes, alternately tickling and stimulating.  I circle the edge and work inward in a spiral towards the middle prize.  In the meantime, I am caressing Thad’s bubble butt cheeks with my hands and kneading them and occasionally running my nails over their surface to keep the heat on.  As I approach the goal, I roll my tongue into an appropriate probe and dip in gently and then more firmly hoping to breach Thad’s defenses.  He seems to be enjoying the attention and I can feel him moving on my shoulders from side-to-side and occasionally his legs stiffen as I give him maximum stimulation.  Eventually he comes to realize he is in charge of the pleasure control and he pushes out tentatively and it lets my tongue enter further.  Each time he will do this, he gets an extra shot of stimulation as I take advantage of the greater access to probe his depths.  He’s starting to get the connection and he invites me ever further into him and I reward him with more elaborate patterns and stronger pressure on the sides to open his portal further.  It isn’t long before I can probe his depths at will.  I reach what I can and use my tongue to lap at the edges and then diving swiftly in-and-out of the inner chamber.  I suspect I’ve met my mission here and I gently blow a cool breeze into the open anus and I can tell it has started to close slowly.  I ease Thad’s legs off my shoulders and place a few fingers over his opening not probing him but touching and massaging his hole as it contracts and keeping up some stimulation while I go directly to his now erect dick and swallow it whole.  He bucks up at this stimulation as I give him a good stroke to the top and down again.  His sphincter twitches in time with the strokes and I’m making the lasting connection between pleasure and ass that I’m seeking.  I continue to blow him thoroughly and allow my hand to linger between his cheeks, gently stroking him there, loving him there.  I won’t try anything to extend the experience this time aiming only for a thorough climax to seal the deal.  Soon, I’m drinking in his nectar as he writhes beneath me and my fingers do my bidding by touching him ever so gently now and eventually withdraw leaving him at once expectant and empty.

Once we are thoroughly exhausted we drift off together to a deep sleep.  I wake up with the first sun but Thad is gently snoring beside me and I am content to let him sleep for as long as I can.  I reflect on the wonder that was last night.  I also sadly contemplate two things:  First, I will need to leave eventually.  Also, I have made up my mind that we mustn’t engage sexually again.  I need to develop some distance from Thad or the separation will be impossibly difficult.  I think what we will need is some level of engagement, though, so I will suggest we sleep together though no sex going forward.  I know he will resist me but we need more time to talk together and sex will only diminish that communication.  I first need to convince myself, then I need to convince him.

It is so pleasurable lying here with Thad’s morning erection poking me in the belly and mine against his thigh.  It wouldn’t take much to wake him with a blow job but I need to stay firm in my conviction.  If I weaken, I don’t know how we will eventually separate.  I do know that I will need to redirect my love for him in a way that will do him some tangible good.  An idea is taking shape with me and it’s an idea that I will need to explore with his mother.  I’ll need to be diplomatic, though and not step on too many toes.

Finally Thad awakens and I engage him verbally.  I have noticed that for all his conversation about the future the one missing piece of the puzzle is his ambition.  Once he graduates, what will his future look like?  What are his prospects?  I have been able to determine that his grades were pretty good, even outstanding although Tadek doesn’t boast much.  In his eyes, he was an average student even though I can sense he is proud of his accomplishments it’s almost like they are behind him now and not worth further mention.  I am somewhat confused by his attitude.

I kiss Tadek goodbye after he showers and he heads off to school.  It’s that time when the seniors just are floating along waiting for graduation.  Final exams are through and the clock is ticking down.  Most of them are looking forward to their prom and following closely on the heels of that fateful night, is graduation.  Tadek seems aware of these but is looking forward to neither.  I wait until his mom comes home from work and I will begin to explore these issues with her.

I call Thad’s mom at about 4pm just as she’s getting home from work.  She invites me over and our discussion begins.  She says: “Nick, call me Natalie.”

“OK, Natalie.  I’ve observed something strange with Thad.  He seems to view his future with some distance.  He’s not excited; he’s not nervous.  What is up with him?”

“Nick, because our means aren’t very good, he has known for a number of years that he wouldn’t be able to go to college.  He took his SAT’s just to be a part of the crowd and have something to talk about with them.  The cost wasn’t prohibitive and I couldn’t see any harm in it.  His scores were good but we just couldn’t afford to apply to a number of colleges for him and the situation is that he isn’t poor enough among his peers to apply for and win full-boat scholarships which would have been the only way he could go on to college.”

“Natalie, I am stunned that his counselors couldn’t come up with some way for him to go to college.”

“They are over-worked and they put their efforts into the poorest and brightest students and they do outstanding work finding them opportunities and I’m afraid Thad fell between the cracks.  He’s very disappointed but I haven’t been able to find any way to make it happen either.”

“Natalie, I have been thinking this over in my mind since I met Thad.  I’d like to help this happen  for him.  I know a number of people in the higher education establishment who I will call on to help with this but I think I may need to engage in some subtle lies to move this forward and I wanted to talk to you first and be sure I wasn’t treading where I shouldn’t.  What can you tell me about Thad’s father?”

“You mean Thad’s sperm donor?”

“That’s mighty harsh, Natalie.”

“It may be but it’s also accurate.  Thad’s father abandoned me a couple of months into my pregnancy before even I knew.  We also experienced the age difference issue.  He was twelve years older than me and fancied himself a ladies’ man.  He moved on to the next likely prospect and I was left to bear Thad alone and raise him alone.  Don’t get me wrong, Thad is the love of my life but it’s been a struggle all along just to make ends meet.  I’ve never told his father that Thad existed and now, I couldn’t locate him if I wanted to.  What is the nature of the lie you wanted to tell, if I may ask?”

“Under some circumstances my inquiries into this subject may require that I claim to be Thad’s biological father in order to authorize me to look into opportunities for him.  I was going to develop a backstory that included your contacting me at this late date to ask me to try to get him into college.  I wanted to ask you first so that I wouldn’t be opening an old wound or insulting his real father’s memory.  I think you have laid that fear to rest, but I may need you to be prepared to respond to inquiries confirming my story.  Would you mind that?”

“Nick, first up I can’t believe you would go to all this trouble to help Thad.”

“Natalie, I’m prepared to go much further than that.”

“Then I’m in.  I can go you one better, though.  I’m prepared to write you a carefully worded letter that will give you my permission to make inquiries on Thad’s behalf and closely skirt the issue of his parentage without my needing to commit fraud to do it.  Do you think that would help?”

“It certainly would.  My claim of parentage plus your letter would clinch about 90 percent of the situations.  Everybody else can go fry.  I think we have a very good chance of getting him into a top notch school for second or third semester admission and possibly with no or little cost on our part.  I’m not willing to saddle Thad with any debt so I want to apply for scholarships and grants only and any additional costs, I’ll cover.  Have you ever thought about where you would want Thad to attend college?”

“In my private heart I did think about it but, of course, I never thought it would be possible.  If I was being selfish, of course, I would want him close to home.  In his best interests, though, any good school that would have him would be fine.  I think, though, you will find he’ll want to be close to you for obvious reasons.”

“I agree and I suspect that unless he gets into Harvard or MIT, his opportunities close enough to me to be practical will mysteriously dry up.”

“Nick, I have to ask about your motivations.  What is it about Thad that makes you put yourself out to this extent for him?”

“Simple answer... I love him.  I see the great potential he has and I want him to achieve that.  I also want him to have a good and full life and find love for himself.  He might do all these things without my help but I hope to make his path easier and less stressful.  I can see my love for him changing before my eyes from simple infatuation and need to a more mature parental love and one way I can feel close to his heart is to pose as his father.  I wish I were his father, if you want to know.”

“Frankly, so do I.  Too bad you’re gay.  I might go for you myself otherwise.”

“Natalie, I would be honored if it were possible.”

Thad’s mom and I continue to conspire and come hell or high water he’ll be off to college soon though he doesn’t know about it yet.

I also checked with Natalie if it was OK if I continued to sleep with Thad while I was still here and she had no objection.  Tonight, armed with the information Natalie and I discussed, I will continue to probe Tadek and explore his interests and aptitudes and start to get an indirect picture of what he would do with the rest of his life if he had the opportunity to go to college.  I want this to be somewhat of a surprise to him, so I need to approach this in a roundabout way.  I don’t want his hopes to be raised and then have him disappointed if we can’t arrange something.  I also need to ask him to get me a copy of his high school transcripts while the school is still open.  It will be much harder to get once school is out for summer break.  I think I will tell him I’m trying to get him evaluated for his job prospects after school closes and what careers he is suited for.  Seems a bit lame to me but it might do the trick.

After our discussion last night I’ve found out some additional things... Thad seems to do best at analytical subjects; the sciences, mathematics and, surprisingly, music.  This is sort of what I thought might have been the case.  His success in the humanities is more modest but still respectable.  It will probably be an engineering or science school where he’ll be the best fit.

Tonight is our last night together; each of us knows it.  He has complained loudly about the enforced celibacy of our nights together and I’ve been impressed that he hasn’t tried to wheedle me too much.  I think he feels the tension of our parting as strongly as I do.  I go off to the bathroom and get ready for bed.  When I come back I’m surprised to find him naked on top of the covers with his ass in the air.  He looks at me with his oh-so-expressive eyes and asks me: “I won’t ask you for another thing ever if you’ll just please fuck me.”

I should talk about horny teenagers - I was up for the challenge instantly.  I told him: “I have only one request of you... I want you to promise me that you will go out with your friend from the store - the one who couldn’t keep his hands off of you.  That’s my price.”

“But Nick... Tommy is so immature.”

“Take it or leave it...”

“OK.  I’ll go out with him.  I’ll even let him have his way with me if you’ll just get down to business.”

“With pleasure.”

I signal Thad to turn over and then I start just the way I did several nights ago and rim him within an inch of his life.  He is thoroughly enjoying the sensation as before.   This time, though, I don’t stop with that.  I probe him with my lubed up index finger and try to stretch him open gently.  I am watching his expression and particularly when the first finger goes in.  He seems shocked for a moment at the deeper intrusion than I can provide with my tongue but shows no distress.  I massage him from inside-out for a while hoping he will become comfortable with the presence.  When he seems ready, I add a second finger.  He does register a little discomfort at this point but bravely nods to me that he is alright with the second intrusion.  I can use the two fingers against each other stretching the muscles out and rotating the pair to even off the stress.  I stay with this for a while hoping Thad would be more comfortable after a few minutes.  Then I decide that it is long enough and I tap a third finger along the edge of his stretched hole to let him know to be prepared for an additional invasion.  He opens his eyes and looks at me trustingly and nods his assent.  I start to insert the third finger and I can see that it is giving him some pain.  I start to withdraw the third finger and he says “No!”  I hold in place and wait for a while and soon he shows me what he wants.  He grunts and pushes out and his muscles relax measurably and the third finger slips in of its own accord.  He softly smiles and I know he is past the worst of it.  I continue to turn and stretch working the opening and hoping to spare him any further discomfort.  I have now done all I can so I kiss what I can reach of him and say “You ready baby?”  He nods and I remove the three fingers gently and line up my sheathed dick at the entrance.  I push slightly and he opens his eyes in response and they focus on my face.  He mouths “I love you.”  Then he grunts again, louder this time and pushes out again harder still and I can feel myself slipping into him.  His expression is priceless.  He looks so relieved even through his discomfort.  I lean down to him and kiss him on the lips and for once, he doesn’t try to feverishly kiss back but just goes through the motions.  Leaning in has driven my dick deeper into him than I intended and he lets out a groan that is hard to identify whether it is from pleasure or pain.  I hold my position for a long while and then he starts a gyration of his hips to signal me to go deeper.  I start to slowly inch into him on his command and recognize that there is no need to stop again.  Watching Thad’s boyish face for the slightest sign of pain, I continue to push in until I am fully inside Thad.  I start my withdrawal, also slowly and carefully watch for the signs I am almost out of him (because I don’t want to have to insert myself a second time.)  When I sense I am on the edge I start to move in again, faster this time and soon bottom out with a slap between Thad’s ass cheeks and my thighs.  Thad is starting to noticeably react now and it is clear he’s getting pleasure from me.  The next in-out cycle is that much more energetic and, comparatively old man that I am, I’m starting to expel my breath in a blast at the bottom end and holding it during the stroke.  I know this is a recipe for hyperventilation and I don’t want to go unconscious on top of Thad right now so I need to go into workman mode and regularize the action here.  I’ve done this countless times before and I need to forget it’s Thad that I’m plowing and do the job properly.

I now start to fuck the body under me energetically and the old rhythm is there.  I plunge in and withdraw efficiently and with practiced strokes and start to look around me to see what’s happening.  Thad has lost his hardon and is only concentrating on the sensation I can bring him.  I keep up the strokes while watching his face impassively.  He’s so concentrated on the sensations he’s not thinking about the face he’s presenting to me.  His eyes are closed and he has a generally neutral expression but I can see he’s letting a little stream of saliva out one side of his mouth and his head is lolling from side-to-side slightly with the rhythm of my thrusts.  I’m not in any hurry now and I am going to try to prolong this for a while but I need to keep in mind that I don’t want to have him to wake up sore tomorrow.  I’ve already decided what I’ll use to spur me to orgasm when I need it and I put that away for the moment and let the workman do his job for a while.

Soon enough I’m satisfied that I’ve given Thad a sufficient introduction to the sweet art and it seems it’s time to kick into overdrive and I start to concentrate on the one item I can see that is very distinctly Thad which I can use as my inspiration: Thad has an elongated birthmark on his abdomen that is rounded top and bottom and straight-edged on the sides.  It is perfectly symmetrical and one uniform color and is about six shades darker than his other skin.  I’ve noticed it before but now I concentrate all my focus on that one point.  I’ve come to love that mark and I just find it so perfect and characteristic of Thad.  Without noticing it, I’ve increased my pace and I’m only just becoming aware that I’m closing in on an orgasm.  Thad starts to notice this too and he’s starting to show some interest.  I’m driving into him more energetically and I can see he’s starting to smile and participate more.  He’s opened his eyes and he catches my glance and I hold his eyes with mine.  I’m nearly there and I nod to indicate I’m close and Thad does something I don’t expect: he squeezes his muscles down to increase the pressure on my dick.  He starts to match the squeezes to my thrusts timed with my outermost point to achieve the most stimulation but I’m a little alarmed that he may accidentally lock me out with a too energetic squeeze.  I slightly adjust my stroke to reduce that possibility and let his squeeze come on the widest part of my organ just a half inch behind the flare.  This enhances the sensation, too, since not much give is available there.  I make only a few of the new modified thrusts and I can feel the orgasm welling up in me.  The last thrust is the one that sends me over the top and I hold in place at the deepest position and abandon myself to the feeling.  I feel myself pump about seven times and I think I’m feeling light-headed.  I let out a big breath and lie down on Thad’s chest.  His legs drop down to the bed.  The final weaker spasms are just finishing now.  In a turnabout, I can feel that I’m drooling onto Thad’s chest but I can’t summon the energy to move.  He lifts his hand to my cheek and caresses me gently.  I move my arms to his sides and slide them under his back and hold him to me and once I find the strength, I lift him up into the rocking chair position with our two bodies counterbalancing each other.  Later, he tells me that by moving to that position, he experienced the deepest penetration of the whole experience and he tells me it was an eye-opener because it was just then I drove my dick directly against his prostate and gave him a huge jolt.  I wondered at the time why he trembled in my arms.

...

Tadek has called me to let me know that he has had his first date with Tommy and that it wasn’t what he had imagined.  He informed me that Tommy was a gentle sweet lover who lasted far longer than predicted and that they had a great night.  He still complains, though, that after sex they have little to talk about but I encourage him to persevere.  He says “I suppose so...”

...

Thad called me tonight to explain that he has met some of Tommy’s friends and among them is Gerry who Thad thinks might be “The One”.  I counsel Thad to tread carefully since he, more than anyone, should be careful that Tommy shouldn’t feel abandoned.  He should be cherished for his contribution to Thad’s life and honored as a lover Thad will always remember.  Later that night I hear back from Thad who describes how he and Tommy had a heart-to-heart talk where Tommy revealed that he was thinking of breaking up with Thad because he wasn’t ever satisfied.  Thad took this as the best bad news he ever got.  He also told me he had revealed to Tommy his feelings about him as I had described (and as he truly felt...) and that he and Tommy cried together for half an hour and then made love one last time before parting as friends.  I jokingly asked Thad for Tommy’s phone number (which I never got...)  Thad was so full of emotion knowing he would be free to pursue Gerry and he hoped to make him his lover.

...

Speaking solely for myself, my whole “vacation” has been kicked into a cocked hat.  Since I’ve left Thad I’ve just wandered aimlessly from town-to-town unable to even look at another guy with anything approaching desire.  I can see it will be a number of days more before I’m emotionally able to handle any strictly sexual encounters.  All I can think of is Thad and our perfect last night together.  His power over me is so complete and he’s about to take Gerry as his lover if he’s successful.  I’m so hopelessly lost.  I hit upon a plan to expel Thad’s power over me with one massive orgasm which will symbolically put his effect on my life in perspective.  I work myself up into a frenzy and before I can shoot, I fall asleep with my hand still wrapped around my limp dick.  I decide in the morning that I must be a truly pathetic case.

...

I’ve sat down in a public square where a solitary figure is playing Hacky Sack.  His close-cut curly hair is so dense it fits him like a tight brown knitted cap. His eyebrows are so full and luscious shielding his notable hazel eyes.  His mixed-race background gives him very appealing features and attractive, almost luminous skin.  After looking at him for a while, I also notice a splash of darker freckles across the bridge of his nose and spilling onto his cheeks.  I’m instantly taken by his beauty.

He’s playing with an intensity and abandon that’s a wonder to me.  His expression is really confident and I can see he’s in his element.  He plays the game for nearly an hour during which time he’s focused solely on that little bean bag; keeping it in the air and chasing it around.  I’m just having a ball watching him get his exercise.  Finally he seems to have exhausted his energy and he turns away to retrieve the sack one last time.  He stands up and starts toward me and once I see his face again I can tell his whole demeanor has changed.  What was rapt attention and absorption in the game has changed completely.  He’s no longer open but grimly defensive and almost confrontational.  I can’t believe the change.  It’s like he’s saying with his features: ‘Go ahead, get it over with.  Insult me already.’  Perhaps I’m making more of it than I should but it wasn’t anything like I expected.  At least he’s coming over towards me rather than walking away.

“Hey.”

“Hi.  I’ve been watching you for a while now and you really are good at Hacky Sack.  Nice technique.  Sit down and catch your breath.  I’m Nick, and you’re?”

“...Uh, Daniel.”

“Hey, Daniel.  I couldn’t help noticing that you’re kind of different now than you were when you were playing.  Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“It’s just that you seem to be kinda grim.  It’s almost like you expect me to be unfriendly.  The change surprised me.  Actually, I don’t bite.”

“Listen, I’m sorry.  I know you’re just trying to be friendly but lately, every time I turn around it seems, it’s the same old song and dance.  I shouldn’t let it upset me so but it’s hard to stay positive.”

“Daniel, I’m glad you can be honest about it with me.  It’s difficult to deal with people’s attitudes sometimes and it gets old.  I have an idea and if you’d be willing, I’d like to stage an intervention with you.  See if you and I can get to the heart of the matter and give you back some of that smile I saw when you were playing.  Would you be willing to try it?”

“I dunno.  An intervention?”

“Sometimes it’s helpful to get someone else’s view of a problem.  Get another pair of eyes to look at it from a different perspective.  Would you like to try it?”

“It could be interesting.  How do we start?”

“First, you and I probably should take this somewhere more private.  Often it gets emotional and other folks might misunderstand.”

“It’s just that I’m so tired of the whole thing.  It upsets me a lot.  Maybe this could work after all.  Still, I don’t know you.”

“Hey, I told you I don’t bite... You are in charge.  If you aren’t comfortable with it, I’m on my way.  No problem.”

“OK.  Come up to my place and we’ll try this.”

“Good.”

Daniel and I walk a number of blocks silently and he leads me into a building and up several flights of stairs.  We end up in front of a door and he pulls out his keys.  I see him eyeing the corridor and I figure he’s checking to see if anyone is watching.  He opens the door and leads me in then closes it behind me.  Nice place with good light but a bit cramped.  Still, not a bad environment.  It’s a studio arrangement and pretty open.  His bed is in the corner and the kitchen is just over the other way.  I’ve lived in these kind of spaces when I was younger and it takes me back.

“Okay.  How do we start?”

“Daniel, I find people are most honest with me and more importantly with themselves when they can confront the issue directly.  Would it be safe to say that your appearance is at the heart of the problem?”

“Yeah.  That would be safe to say.”

“Then you need to confront your appearance.  You should do this full-on and not flinch from it.  You should probably do this in a mirror.  You have a full-length mirror, don’t you?”

“Yeah, there’s one inside the closet door.”

“And to be totally honest, you probably need to be naked.”

“Oh, man!  I don’t know about that...”

“It really would help.”

“It doesn’t seem fair, though, me being naked and you with your clothes on.”

“That’s fine.  It only seems fair.”

Trying to be an example, I walk over to the kitchen area and start undressing.  He stays in the area of his bedroom and grudgingly starts undressing as well.  Once I finish, I call over to him: “Now that you’re nude, stand in front of that full length mirror.”

On the way toward him, I see a set of encyclopedias and I have a thought.  I take a particular volume out and thumb through it and find the right page.  I take it with me.  I walk over to the closet door and position myself to his side and slightly behind.  “Daniel, what do you see?  Better question, what do you think I see?”

“I see a familiar guy that nobody wants.  Black guys don’t want me because I’m too white and white guys think I’m too black.”

“That was very clear and courageous.  Okay, come back to me in a minute.  Here, look at this picture of the statue of David from the encyclopedia, he must be close to your heart.”

“Not particularly.  He looks like some of the Italian toughs that used to make fun of me.”

“Look a little closer.  Forget what you know about David and think of him freshly.  I know that he’s made of marble but imagine, instead, he’s made of bronze.  What’s the first difference you see between him and your image in the mirror?”

“He has loose, curly hair and a lot of it.”

“OK.  Imagine him with a mohawk.“  He giggled a bit at the thought.  “Now what else?”

“Because he’s bronze, he’s green like the Hulk.”

“Yes, he certainly would be.  That’s a natural color that bronze becomes when it ages.  Imagine what he looked like when they broke the mold off him?  Do you know what bronze is made of?”

“I know it has copper but what else?”

“Zinc and tin.  A bronze sculpture fresh out of the mold is orange yellow and shiny like a new penny but yellower and less reddish.  Maybe sort of pinkish too, depending on the light.”

“Okay but what...”

“Do you remember George Hamilton, the actor?”

“Only a little but I do remember his skin was so unnaturally dark.”

“That’s what the David statue could have looked like in only a few years.”

“That is bizarre.”

“Right. just like a Caucasian who got a lot of sun.”

“I still don’t see...”

“Okay take it another forty five years.  What color do you suppose he would have been then?”

“No idea.  Darker, I suppose but?”

“Hold up your hand in front of your face and tell me what you see?”

“I like to call myself mocha.”

“Then when David was fifty, he would be a mocha beauty just like you are.”

“Really?  It’s hard to imagine.”

“Believe it.”

“Interesting.”

“Now, what other differences do you see?”

“His dick?”

“Yes, the men from that time were uncircumcised as most Italian men still are today.”

“I see...”

“Anything else?”

“I can’t see it in this picture but I remember he has a pretty nice butt too.”

“So do you.”

“Stop.  You’re making me blush.”

“How do I tell?”

“Hmmm.  I never thought of that.  There must be some way.”

“I could touch your face to feel the heat.”

“Yeah, that might work.”

I set the encyclopedia down on the bed.  I touch his face, gently: “Yes, I do feel some extra warmth.  You are blushing.”  I leave my hand there and gently caress him.  He leans into my hand.

“See, I told you.”

I slide my hand down to his shoulder and put the other one on the opposite side.  I’m not letting go.  I move directly behind him and step up close but not touching.  I look over his shoulder into the mirror and engage his eyes in the mirror image.  I start to gently knead his shoulders: “Okay.  Now go back to what you think I see, Daniel.”

“A skinny kid with a hardon.”

“Well, you’re partially right.  I do see that you’re getting hard.  Nice one, too.  But you’re not skinny and hardly a kid any more.”

“I guess it’s just what I’m used to seeing.  I don’t look at myself much in the mirror.”

“You should try it some more.  I see a young adult growing into his maturity.  There’s nothing skinny here.  If you were, I’d be able to see your ribs directly beneath your skin.  I see a sheet of muscle over those ribs and I also see the beginnings of definition in your belly and abs.  You are growing into your frame and nicely so.  I also see little bits of baby fat here and there.  David had that, too.  Just over his hip bones and along his flanks.  Not unsightly but perfect for his age; perfect for your age.  What else?”

“I see those damned freckles.  I always hated them.”

“Oh, but why?  They make you so special.  It’s like looking at a mocha colored leopard getting ready to pounce on his prey.  Daniel, what is your prey?”

“I don’t know.  I never thought about it.”

“What do you want the most right now?  What is your prey?”

“I could pounce on you.”

“Then go ahead and pounce.”

Daniel turns away from the mirror and pantomimes a big cat’s claws and sounds a Grrr sound.  I back up in mock fright.  Daniel then pounces on me and acts like he’s taking a bite out of my neck while letting his teeth brush me and transforming it into a kiss.  Then he moves to my mouth and we kiss for seemingly ever with steadily increasing intensity.  Soon he has his hands on my shoulders and he’s putting on the pressure downward.  I take the hint and start to descend down his body paying attention to all the trigger zones along the way.  I linger a while on his armpits which are fragrant and luscious at the same time.  He’s been out playing for a while and I didn’t pause to have him shower when I got him into the nude and I don’t mind a bit.  I’m allowing his animal urges to affect me too.  He’s still growling at me off-and-on and urging me to move faster but I need to be thorough - he deserves it.  Eventually, though, I’m on my knees and I see that he has grown a bit since I saw the beginnings of his erection in the mirror.  He truly does have an impressive endowment.  Not thick but especially long and a lighter shade of mocha with some contrast in color around the circumcision scar.  I just know I’m going to want to linger here for a while.  I tentatively reach out and tickle the place where his frenulum was attached and lick upwards until I reach the opening.  He lets out a deep sigh and thrusts forward slowly hoping to enter but I’m still staking out the territory.  I tongue-explore around the edge of the corona and generally put plenty of attention on the skin just below the edge which is the most sensitive. I trail my tongue down over his urethra and onto the space between his nuts and then take first one and then the other into my mouth and roll each one around sensuously.  If we were prone, I would dive further and get between his legs but since he is standing, I can only wonder what it would be like.  Perhaps later, I’ll find out.  It’s time to get to work and I retrace my steps upwards until there is nowhere left to go but down.  This time it’s over his dick head I go and try to swallow his sword thoroughly.  I get within an inch or two of his groin but I find I’ve run out of throat for now.  I’ll need to try harder to open up and take him all the way with the next descent.  He’s starting to react in the old reflexive manner and soon I won’t care about that at all.  A couple more up-and-down cycles and I’ll be ready for whatever he throws at me.  For now, though, I urge him to go slow with gentle pressure on his thighs with my hands.  Soon I’ll be moving my hands around to his rump and urging him to go faster rather than slower.  With each cycle I’m getting used to the invasion and trying to swallow his head past my defenses.  I do need to be careful because in these cases it’s sometimes necessary to remind myself to breathe since I become so focused on the task that I forget that necessary concession to my own body.  This cycle I’m able to swallow part of his helmet and can sense the goal is within reach.  His pubes are similar in texture to his head hair and I so want to bury my nose in them and I will the next time, I am sure.  This time, though, I need to be content with a tickle instead.  I rise up to the top and start the slow descent the third time.  This time I know what is to come and I make that last effort I need to accommodate his size.  Unexpectedly, I am assisted with a short thrust from Daniel just as his head is ready to pass the obstruction and I can feel him thoroughly enter.  I linger here a while holding my breath knowing the action is about to start in earnest.  I move my hands onto the globes of his ass and by that I signal him to take over the reins.  My nose is now exploring the forest below and I love wandering this particular forest.  Daniel’s in charge and he gets to work now.  I can see he’s a little raw and unpracticed and although he knows what he wants, he needs a bit of guidance to get there from here.  I need to help him help me to get him off.  The first sign is that his thrusts are sharp and not rhythmic like they need to be.  He’s using his dick as if he was stabbing me with it.  From what came before, I’m pretty sure he’s not working out his anger, he’s just inexperienced.  I’ll find out soon.  We’ll need to share the responsibilities for a while and I’ll temper his thrusts while he controls the rhythm overall.  I move my hands back around to the sides of his thighs and keep my thumbs free to exert backwards pressure when he gets too ambitious.  His most problematic time is in the middle of the stroke since he is already aware that being too energetic at the top of the stroke can have painful consequences and bumping into my face too hard at the end is equally unpleasant.  So, I only need to guide him for about half of the stroke.  I let him initiate each stroke and then start to press back with my thumbs to smooth out the rough edges.  We proceed this way for about ten strokes then I have him try one without guidance.  He seems to be learning the lessons since the next strokes weren’t bad at all.  I still need to be mindful (and thumb-ful) that he may forget most of the lessons learned when the heat gets high.  He’s on a roll now and I take the time to caress his ass properly and I’m spending some time there kneading and tickling him.  My arms aren’t long enough or I’d be spending my time in his crack as well but Daniel is a big old stud with muscular glutes and I can’t possibly get there.  Oh, well.  I’m getting mouth-fucked by a great guy and I’ll need to suck it up and just manage.  I’m also noticing that all that ass-play is having some effect.  He’s starting to accelerate.  I decide I’ll try to avoid correcting him if I can.  I can only hope his legs are a little fatigued and that will do the trick.  I do keep up the rear attention that he seems to like.  He’s shifted from a canter to a gallop and he’s doing great.  His legs are beginning to stiffen and I need to follow his crotch upwards to stay on-target.  He’s moved his hands from my shoulders to the sides of my head and he’s caressing my ears and I figure that’s a sign he’s stretching out his spine as well.  As he strokes inward, I’m aware that though Daniel’s been silent since we really got into it, now he’s letting out a little muted “nmph” sound with each thrust.  I know that signals that he’s close.  He makes a few more thrusts and lets go with an explosion of obscenities that come out all jumbled and he thrusts into my mouth one last time and holds his place there and releases a torrent of cum that is even too much for me to handle.  I’m swallowing what I can and he gets the message as I sputter a little and pulls out and just drenches my face with the rest.  He may not be able to see it yet but I’m smiling now.  He seems surprisingly strong and not at all weakened as he grabs me under my arms and pulls me up to his level.  He plants a kiss on my lips and proceeds to start to clean up my face with his tongue.  He sees my smile now and smiles back.  He’s still cleaning off my face and I can see he has a good deal of his cum on his own face from kissing me so we proceed to clean each other like two sibling leopard cubs would do and he’s laughing with the feeling and so am I.

Daniel leads me to the bed and I reverently move the encyclopedia away so we can both sit down.

“Daniel, that was something else.  I’m just getting my breath back.  Do you have much experience getting blown?”

“Not since I was a young one.  The only thing I get now is a rather impersonal fuck once-in-a-while and only ever face-down kissing a pillow.”

“Daniel, that’s a damn shame.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like a good fuck but it’s never gentle or caring.  There’s always some other agenda there and it hurts me in the heart even when it feels good up my ass.”

“Just on principle I won’t be going there then.  I sensed that you liked what I was doing to your ass but I don’t see what else we have left to us.  I don’t want to be just another someone who uses you.”

“Nick, I wouldn’t let that bother you.  I know you’re not like that.  I do have an idea, though.  How about we play a modified sixty-nine?  You tongue my ass while I blow you.   I’d love to give back a little of what you were able to give me and I know that’s what you want, too!”

“What an idea.  It’s almost like you can read my mind.  You’d be OK with that, then?”

“For me it would be wonderful and a new experience to boot.  I must warn you I haven’t given head in a long time.”

“Daniel, ever ridden a bicycle?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Same principle.”

“I’ll try to be careful.  Just warn me when you get close.  I don’t know if I can handle a full load.”

“I will, but only do what you can.  I’m afraid a sixty-nine might be a strain on your back, however.”

“Nick, when I'm feeling especially lonely I try to suck my own cock.  It works, sorta, but THAT is a strain on my back!  This oughta be a piece-of-cake.  If it's too difficult to get down there for you, just finger-fuck me.  I'll enjoy that as well.”

“Before we start, I want you to know something.”

“What’s that, Nick?”

“Daniel, your best and biggest endowment isn’t this one.”  I reach over to caress his dick.  “Your best endowment is this one right here.”  I tap on his forehead between his eyes.  “Don’t ever let those fools who put you down get inside here and change you.”  Another tap and a kiss.  “You are funny and intelligent and sexy and don’t ever forget that.  Anybody who just looks at your skin and decides what you’re worth is so wrong that it hurts.  There will always be someone who will appreciate you for what’s inside you.  You just have to have the courage to let them see inside.”

“Thank you, Nick.  I know that came from your heart.  I won’t ever forget you and your intervention.  Now lay down and let me thank you properly...”

...

He was a twitchy hustler who was at once weaselly and endearing in an ‘Artful Dodger’ sort of way.  He hit me up with his best and I gave him a couple of bucks and he moved on to the next.  Eventually the train came and all that was left on the platform was him and me.  He came over and sat beside me.

“I’ve been watching you and I’m impressed.  I appreciate the art of the hustle better than most people, but I think I have a much better deal for you.  What’s your name, anyway?”

“I’m Willis but everybody calls me Sparky.  And yours?”

“Nick.  I used to know another Willis.  He used to do a Jazz program on Voice of America.  You don’t know anything about Jazz do you?”

“No, nothing.”

“He was one in a million.  He’s passed on now but I came to know him from a couple of fan letters I wrote him and his thoughtful answers back.”

“So what’s this deal, anyway?”

“I was thinking you’d take the afternoon off and I’d compensate you for what your average take would be.”

“You’d need to trust me.”

“No problem there.  I’m sure you’re an honorable guy.”

“Actually, I am.  I may hustle the tourists but I think of it as entertainment.  Just like playing a violin in the subway or a mime.”

“Oh no! Not a mime... those guys scare me.”

“C’mon.”

“No, not really.”

“Okay.  I guess the thing is I’m wondering why you want to spend time with me?”

“I find you interesting.”

“In what way?”

“In a whole bunch of ways.  You live a kind of life I’m not familiar with.  That’s a good reason to hang out with you.  Then, there’s the off chance I can convince you to sleep with me.”

“Might not take a lot of convincing but it feels a little iffy for you to be paying me money then we could do it.  I know you understand but I still need to say I’m not a whore.”

“I wouldn’t go with you if I thought you were selling your body.  Instead, I will leave it up to you.  No hard feelings if we don’t.  Does that make you more comfortable?”

“Somewhat.  I would probably make fifty between now and six when I go home.  Am I worth a fifty to you?”

“Willis, you are worth any price.  I bet you ‘share the wealth’, don’t you?”

“Come with me and I’ll show you.”

Show me, he did.  He brought me to an abandoned warehouse near Albany.  Someone broke in a door and that’s how we enter.  He’s sharing the wealth with a community of mostly gay men who are hanging together on the outer rim of society, hoping not to fall off.  Many are ill or dying, some are addicted; few are employable.  Some hustle like Willis, some panhandle.  Many turn tricks when they are desperate if they still can.  They all pool their resources and hang on to each other tight for support and caring on the sharp edge of the city.  This isn’t fucking ‘Rent’, folks!  Nobody here is living the Bohemian life, unfortunately.  I wonder what Jonathan Larson (poor, dead, Jonathan Larson) would make of this?

I meet some of the guys Willis hangs out with and discover a little of what Willis is motivated by.  I ask if he can introduce me to a few of the straight guys in the group.  He says “Sure.”  Some of these men are sitting together and we talk for a while.  I ask them why they hang with gay street folks.  To a man, they agree that they feel safer here than anywhere else they have tried.  Homeless shelters are swill pits compared to this, they say.  The gay men always have your back, and not in a bad way.  They self police the group and if anybody acts out, they are dealt with firmly but lovingly.  They are good friends and they share what they have without discrimination.  I thank them all and come away impressed.

Willis and I go back out on the street.  We go for a bite and he asks if he can stay with me at my motel tonight.  I assure him he is welcome.  We make it back to my room and the first thing in the door, he’s asking me if he can take a shower.  I tell him: “Sure.  First, though, what’s the rush?”

“Well, staying at the warehouse, sometimes hygiene is kinda tough to achieve.  I want to be clean for you.”

“Willis, of course you can.  Do you want to put your clothes through the washer/dryer?  I can do that while you wash up.”

“That is so nice.  I’d love that.  I don’t spend enough time at the laundromat either.  Try to save all my money for the guys at the warehouse.  They need so much and I just want the best for them.”

“By the way, I haven’t been offended by you yet and we’ve spent a good deal of time together now.  You must have some secrets.”

“Yes, I’ll let you know as soon as I get my shower.”

“Good.  I’ll come by and collect your clothes in a minute.”

“Perfect.”

“Use all the toiletries in there.  I generally bring my own.”

“Thanks.”

Within a minute or two I collect Willis’ clothes and clear them of personal items.  I leave his change and wallet on the dresser top.  Clearly he doesn’t need keys or the other things that most of us burden ourselves with.  I look surreptitiously inside his wallet and he does have an ID and a couple of bucks on him and also an old tired condom tucked into a corner of the wallet.  Not a lot of possessions for such a responsible guy.  His clothes are solid but worn and I see his underwear are threadbare.  I wonder if he will allow me to buy him a couple of pairs tomorrow.  I’ll need to judge if his pride will come into play.  I walk down the hall to the laundry room and put his clothes and some of mine into the washer.  I buy some soap and fabric softener and start the process off.  I go back to the room and wait a while for the wash to be finished.  Soon Willis is sitting on the bed with the towel wrapped around him.  I can see he’s of pretty average build though a bit short and looks healthy enough.

“Willis, my man.  How was that shower?”

“It was quite a luxury.  Don’t get to do that too often.”

“I’m sure the creature comforts are much more precious for the guys living at the warehouse.  If you don’t mind, how did you come to be living there?”

“I was very lucky.  I had a bad breakup with someone and it left me nearly suicidal.  I was befriended by someone who lived in the warehouse and he and the other guys there strengthened me with their love and concern.  Since then, I’ve made it my life’s mission to make their lives more comfortable and to help each of them any way I can.”

“That’s very noble.  Do you sometimes think about returning to your old life?”

“No, never.  I didn’t have much of a life before.  I was a wage slave and with that and unsuccessful relationships, I don’t miss it.  I feel I’m making a difference at the warehouse.  Making a lot of guys lives better.  People I care about.”

“It’s almost time to switch the clothes to the dryer.  I’ll go down there and switch them over and be back in a few minutes.  Turn on the TV and get comfortable.  Get into bed if you like.”

“Thanks, Nick.  Please don’t dry them too much.  I can’t afford to have anything shrink.  I barely fit in my clothes as it is.”

“OK.  I’ll be careful.  See you in a few.”

“Nick, thanks.  You’ve been so nice and you treat me like an equal.  Don’t see that much outside the warehouse.”

“My pleasure.”

I take a few minutes to switch the clothes over and I set the dryer to “low” and choose a shorter drying time than I would ordinarily.  I buy a small pack of dryer sheets from the vending machine and throw them into the dryer.  I walk back to the room to find Willis asleep naked on top of one of the beds with the TV on.  I strip off a blanket from the other bed to drop it over Willis and take the time to look him over more thoroughly.  I was right initially that he is average in almost every respect.  After I put the blanket over his sleeping form, I reflect that the only thing extraordinary about him is his huge heart.

I watch the TV for a while then a half hour later I go back and collect the clothes.  I return to the room and quietly hang up or fold both Willis’ and my laundry.  I debate for a while if I should wake Willis or let him sleep and I decide he probably doesn’t sleep too soundly at the warehouse and decide to let him be.  I lay down in the other bed and shut off the TV.  I awaken later to a light touch on my face.  Willis is trying to gently wake me and I ask him if anything is the matter.

Willis answers: “No.  I woke up to take a piss and saw you sleeping in the other bed.  I saw how you had folded and hung up my clothes and I had a little cry about that.  Is it OK if I sleep with you?”

“Of course.  I just thought you could use a good sleep.  I didn’t want to wake you.”

“And I hope you don’t mind about the sex.”

“No problem.  We’ll see what develops in the morning.  I would have been poor company last night anyway.  My mind was too full to do a good job.”

“Understood.  It will be good to at least hold you, though.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”  He slips into bed with me and kisses me sweetly.  He arranges us so that he is behind me and wraps his arms around my chest and shoulder.  He puts me back to sleep with gentle kisses to the base of my neck.  It is very soothing.

I awake with the sun to find Willis still in the same position as he was when I fell asleep.  It occurs to me that he’s assumed the role of my protector tonight.  He’s ‘got my back’ - literally.  I have a feeling this is his most familiar position at the warehouse when someone needs comforting.  I could cry thinking about it.  Soon my mind is racing again with thoughts of the warehouse and Willis’ role there.  He must be a self-appointed den mother figure and the competing demands on his time must be enormous.

I’m lost in my thoughts when Willis stirs about twenty minutes later.  He kisses the back of my neck again and greets me with: “Good morning Nick.”  Then he stretches a bit and I can feel his morning erection against my rump.  He quietly whispers in my ear: “Pardon me, Nick.  Normally I’d have on my underwear.”

I turn over to face Willis and kiss him then ask him: “Why underwear?”

“It’s less provocative in the warehouse.  Just about everybody does it as a courtesy.  It’s like a uniform at night.”

“And what about sex?”

“The main motivator is to not attract attention.  Mostly, in my experience, it’s one-way jerk-offs with no real reciprocation.  It’s done mostly to soothe the recipient or as a reward.  It’s done quietly because if sex is detected, it can draw quite a crowd.  Sometimes they are respectful, but most of the time it’s a raucous show with catcalls and suggestions being thrown out.”

“Man.  That’s a tough environment in which to get your rocks off.  What do you do for yourself?”

“I have a few guys I can rely on who will help me out when I need a ‘hand’.  I hardly ever sleep alone so jerking off is almost never possible.”

“As I thought.  Since we’re talking about sex, what type of sex do you crave the most?  What do you miss?”

“To be honest, I’d love a sweet, long blow job.  It’s a luxury we can’t bother with much.  Particularly for me because I can’t help getting vocal.”

“Your wish is my command.  You know I’d give you anything just now, Willis.”

“I thought so.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

I proceed to lavish Willis with kisses and all the foreplay he can stand. Then I give him one of the best blowjobs I’ve ever given. He IS vocal and I pity the neighbors on both sides of me but this early bird is going to catch Willis’ worm and not much is going to stop it.

Eventually he comes and I can only hope it was long enough for him.  We both lay down for a while to recover and finally I say: “What do you say we blow this joint.  I don’t want to wait around too long so the complaints come in through the office.  You WERE right about being vocal, pal.”

Willis says: “I warned you.  I’ll get dressed and you pack up and we’ll leave when you’re ready.”

“Right.  I’ll go face the music for check out then we’ll reunite after I get my lecture.”

“What?  We’re staying together for a while?  I was just going back and start ‘work’.”

“Oh, no.  We’ve got a pretty full day ahead of us.  Why don’t we pick a spot so we can sit and talk after I get checked out.”

“Okay.  There’s a little park about a block or two from here where we can go.”

“Fine.  Hang out near the office and I’ll catch up with you there.”

“Good.”

I got my little lecture about courtesy to the other guests with what I guessed was a wink and a nod and then Willis and I walk the couple of blocks to that park which is perfect for what I have in mind.  Nobody is there yet.  We sit down and start to discuss the day I have planned: “You must be wondering what I’m doing.  I have some ideas I want to pass by you.  First, understand that my main philosophy here is the same as the Hippocratic oath: ‘First do no harm...’ So, I want to be sure that nothing I propose will upset that finely-tuned apple cart that you have there in the warehouse.  Second, I am interested in your personal safety and health.  Nothing I suggest should impact that negatively.  That’s very important to me.  Feel free to call ‘bullshit’ at any time I step out of line.  My first suggestion and my first intention is to go out and get you a disposable cell phone.  It’s important in my mind that you have a life-line there at the warehouse in case you need to call 9-1-1 should somebody need an ambulance or there is violence you can’t handle or any number of reasons.  They’re cheap insurance.  What do you think?”

“I see your point.  I have felt pretty alone when someone is sick and I need to send someone out to find a phone in a crisis.  The only issue I see is that having a cell phone could be an issue.  If word got around then I could be barraged with requests to make a call.  Then there is no immediate way to recharge the thing.  There’s no power at the warehouse.”

“OK.  First, I’m thinking you would want to silence the ringer - you will never receive a call on it as far as I can see.  You probably could keep it powered off unless you need it.  They’re small and shouldn’t take up much space in your pocket.  You would only need to charge it once a week or less and you can go into a coffee shop or the library or the train station to plug it in.  If you were to lose it, no big loss.  They’re replaceable for nearly zero money and if we work it right, the number wouldn’t even change.  That’s how I work my cell phone and it’s been OK for me.  So that should work, then.”

“Yeah.  I don’t have too much of a problem with that.”

“OK.  Second, I wonder if any of the trusted guys at the warehouse have a P.O. Box?”

“Not that I’ve heard.”

“OK.  We’ll go down and open up one today.  I’ll take care of the box fee and you keep the key and I’ll put it in your name.”

“What will we use it for?”

“I’ll be sending you money orders monthly for what I guess is one day’s take on the hustle.  That way, if you feel you want to take a day off, you can without feeling guilty.  I think it works so that if you don’t collect the mail for a while they won’t send it back unless the box gets full but we can check on that.  If you don’t feel like checking the box for a while; OK, don’t.  You shouldn’t have any problem cashing the money orders and we can choose one type that will be particularly easy for you to cash.  I confess I looked into your wallet last night and I see that you have an ID and that’s all you should need.”

“OK.  Hold on.  I’m not upset that you checked out my wallet; in fact I’m sorta glad you did.  But what’s all this with money?  I don’t need money.”

“Willis, I know you don’t.  But I want to make your life a little easier and let you have a break when you need one.  I can see that you’re driven by your desire to support the needs of the folks living at the warehouse.  I don’t want that constant pressure to make you ill or burn you out.  You have a need to give until it hurts and I want to take away the ‘hurts’ part.  I’m not rich and I can’t afford much but this much I can do for you.  Let me do it.”

“Let me think about it.”

“OK.  Speaking of breaks, I want you to know that if you ever decide you need some time off, you just let me know and I’ll make sure there’s a bus ticket for Boston waiting at will-call for you.  You are always welcome in my home.  You are always welcome in my bed.  You are always welcome up my ass, for that matter, or whatever way you want it.  Willis, I love you and I only want what you want.”

“Nick, that’s the nicest thing you could have said to me.  I know I feel the same way.  We may need to negotiate the specifics about which orifice we use, but in more general terms, I accept.  Nick, I love you too.  I was pretty certain of it last night but now I’m sure.  Of course, we can’t be together much.  I need to live here and continue to do what I do and I’m sure you have ties to Boston but we both know who we belong to now and we’ll work out the rest between us.”

“I’m very pleased.  Also, for your safety, I think it would be prudent to open a bank account so that you won’t need to carry around cash any more than you do already.  That neighborhood is pretty isolated and seedy and I don’t want to think about you being mugged.  If you think it’s important then you may want to include some trusted residents as additional signers on the account.”

“There is a more senior resident at the warehouse we all call ‘Poppa’ who I should consult about that idea.  I think it’s a good one but let me check first.”

“Of course.  There is still the issue of your losses for yesterday and today.  I propose I cash in the rest of my traveler’s checks and give you that as a down payment.  We can put what ever makes you uncomfortable in a money order for another day.  I’m leaving town tomorrow anyway.”

“Will you stay with me at the warehouse tonight?”

“Of course.  We’ll need to be quiet, though.”

“Maybe not.  Perhaps an audience might be OK this time.”

“I’ll think about that.”

Willis and I go off to cash in my travelers checks and open that Post Office box and then from there to see what places are near there to cash a money order.  We discover one at a convenience store that I recognize from my local area and we settle on that brand.  We go off to pick up the cell phone and on a whim I buy two (one for Poppa) since the cost is pretty small.  We sit down and activate both phones on my cell via a call to Mumbai and I copy down all the information so I can re-charge their minutes remotely later.  By now it’s long past noon and I’m hungry.  Willis and I take the time to wolf down some lunch.

Over lunch, I get to talking to Willis about his raggedy underwear and I plead with him to let me buy him a couple of pairs.  He refuses repeatedly and I ask him why.  He explains that it would never do for him to show up at the warehouse in brand new underwear.  He feels it would set him apart and insult all the rest who only have old, worn, yellowing underwear.  I can see his point.  I suggest that maybe we could pick out a couple of pairs at a local thrift shop that don’t look too new and he agrees to this.  It’s a bit of a hike to the next town north but there’s a Salvation Army thrift store there and we go in and start some obsessive underwear shopping.  He finally finds a couple of pairs that are just right (and don’t look much better than the ones he’s wearing) and he insists on paying for them from the money he’s carrying now.  Finished, we hike back to where we started.

After our little shopping spree, Willis informs me we have one more stop to make.  We walk down to the local grocery where he loads himself and me with two gallons each of store-brand water and explains how this is the life-blood of the warehouse and makes everything else possible.  I ask Willis if we should split up the cash we’re carrying between us for safety and he agrees.

Willis and I make our way back to the warehouse without incident.  We drop off our precious cargo and go directly to Poppa.  Willis introduces me.  We hand him the two big wads of cash.  Poppa proclaims: “Sparky, I can see you finally took my advice and got yourself an apprentice.”

Willis explains to Poppa that I’m vacationing here and I am his new long-distance lover (I like the sound of that) and Poppa gathers us into his arms for a group hug and kisses each of us in turn.  He says: “Sparky, I didn’t think you had it in you.  Nick, you take good care of this one for me.  He’s the best there is.”  I nod my full agreement.

While we are talking, Poppa introduces me to Matthew who is hovering nearby,  From the context, I can tell that Poppa is grooming Matthew to be his successor and is already his second-in-command.  Poppa then proudly shows me his stash of remedies he keeps close: room-temperature Coke for whoopsy stomachs, Kaopectate for the other end, Pepto, expectorant, NyQuil, ibuprofen and bottles of generic antacids.  He also keeps handy some sealed bottles of dark Karo syrup and some Gatorade for the residents who can’t keep anything else down so they can keep their strength up.  It looks as if he’s covered all the bases and he so obviously cares about each of the residents deeply.  I slip him the second cell phone in a paper bag and tell him to keep it under wraps and that we’ll talk later.

Afterwards, I overhear several times residents refer collectively to the trustees as “Matthew, Mark, Luke and Sparky” which reveals their reverence for the awesome jobs that the trustees do around here.  I ask Willis about the origin of his nickname and he tells me Poppa chose that name because he was like a young firehouse dog in the beginning hanging around Poppa constantly.

...

Later, when most of the residents are settling down, Willis and I have a whispered planning session where we decide finally if we should ‘share’ our lovemaking with the residents.  He easily convinces me that it would be fine.  We plot what we are going to do and I produce some lube and a condom from my backpack and we apply same once we get undressed under his blanket.  All this is accompanied by suppressed giggles between us.  Finally, the time has come and as we have planned, I whip off the blanket covering us and give his ass a loud slap and say: “Okay, get to work!”  At this many heads turn and when they see that Willis is about to mount me they start to gather.  We have prepared a bit more than folks know and I am already well opened for his entrance and Willis takes me publicly in a single seemingly savage thrust that still takes my breath away.  By now we have a considerable group around us and more on the way.  I can see that Poppa and Matthew are coming over arm-in-arm and watching from a safe distance.  Normally Poppa would ignore the show and by that behavior not endorse the tomfoolery but he has recognized my voice and realizes what is happening.  Willis is getting fully warmed up and he’s vocalizing now.  As he thrusts into me he squeals and yells and this is making the crowd respond with their own chant: “Spar-ky, Spar-ky, Spar-ky” in sync with his thrusts.  Occasionally Willis delivers a slap to my rear and the group cheers it each time.  This goes on for a long while and now Willis is peaking.  He thrusts in harder now and I can feel his passion.  He makes the final move inward and holds in place.  Suddenly the crowd goes silent as he lets out a loud cry and then collapses onto my back.  They cheer for us and we slump down onto his bed, spent.  One of the residents picks up the discarded blanket and drops it over our bodies and pats Willis’ rear in congratulations.  Willis is trying to remain still and prolong the coupling long past the ordinary.  I agree with him that if we separate, it will be too final and I cooperate in trying to keep him inside me for every sweet second possible.  I think I may have fallen asleep this way since when I awaken with a start, Willis is still on my back and I can feel his member still inside me.  He shushes me and kisses me from his lofty perch atop my ass.

...

I’m waiting in the Greyhound Bus Depot at Albany for my bus home. It’s been a long vacation and I’m anticipating my arrival home soon. I’m lost in my thoughts and reminiscences when I become aware of something. What is this vision I see before me? He’s young and blonde and cute as hell. He’s been here a while waiting in the same line I am and he’s got a camouflage duffel bag, a camo backpack, a camo pillow no less and as he stretches to the sky his plain white t-shirt rises and he shows off camouflage underwear.  What the fuck?  He’s wearing basketball shorts and showing a buzz cut under his ball cap. His long legs sport blonde hair that may be longer than any he has on his head and now I’m seriously smitten! (I always was a sucker for a guy’s shapely leg covered in blonde hair. It’s one of my weaknesses...) Right here and now I decide I’ll compromise my plan just a bit and offer him the opportunity to become number five if I ever get the chance. I sit across from him near the back of the bus in the bad-boys’ row and engage him in conversation. I need to be careful here because he’s obviously athletic in a swimmer’s kind of way and he could make life painful for me if he decides to.

I engage him in quiet conversation as appropriate for the hour while almost everybody around us seems to be sleeping. I tell him the (cleaned-up) outlines of what I have been doing the last fourteen days and ask him some interested questions about his life. I note his apparent fondness for camouflage and he shares with me that he is a Marine recruit on his roundabout way back from two weeks of leave and wanting to spend his last couple of days of freedom with his girlfriend in South Boston before returning for additional training. Of course, red flags pop up in my head at this point and I am thinking of wrapping up our conversation but he starts to ask probing questions about my two week’s journey just concluded and I don’t want to be rude or cut him off. We have started to whisper together since the subject has become more intimate and he motions me to move across the aisle to the seat next to him to better be able to talk.

While I am mulling over the way I could approach the delicate subject at hand, he surprises me by asking: “Well after all that, did you get laid?”

I have to acknowledge that that was at least half of my plan when I started my odyssey and I, without bragging, have to explain that I had done better than even I had expected. He starts to press me for details and I have to stop him long enough to be sure he really wants to hear what I have to say. “Before I get to that, I want you to know it might not be what you’re expecting. I don’t want to shock you at all but you should know that I’m gay.”

He smiled and told me he had thought so. He says: “What other guy would want a conversation with me this late at night?”

I have to agree with him and compliment him on his perception. I say: “So you don’t mind, then?”

He says: “Go on... I’m listening.”

Having his permission, I go on to tell an abbreviated version of what I’ve told you. He seems intent on the tale I am spinning and smiles knowingly at all the right places. He seems to be shifting in his seat to get more comfortable and I notice I am getting a ‘rise’ out of him while I tell him my stories. When I finish the tale I wait for his reaction.

He says: “That’s amazing!  You seem to have had a great time.  Aren’t you exhausted?  I would have thought you’d be fast asleep at this hour.”

I explain that I probably would be but I am awake only because I am ‘on the prowl’ again and the excitement is making my adrenaline flow.

He asks: “Is it me?”

I tell him: “Yes.”

He responds in a whisper: “I’m not surprised. Here I am sitting next to you with a hardon and why would I think anything else?”

I say: “I noticed.  I’m happy you enjoyed the stories that way.  I’m also glad you didn’t take offense.”

“How could I?  I’ve been on an odyssey of my own visiting some old friends and doing some of the same things you described myself.”

Now it is my turn to be surprised.  “I thought you had a girlfriend.” I whisper.

“I do and I love her a lot.  But I have a history too and that includes some guys I care a great deal about.  I am trying to sow some wild oats before I go back and I don’t discriminate where I sow them too much.”

With that he looks around us and takes my hand and puts it on his pole and encourages me to explore.   I feel the length and girth of the member in my hand and caress the sensitive head with my thumb.   He’s started rummaging around in his backpack for something and from it he produces a light blanket.   He urges my head down close to his crotch and spreads the blanket over my body to shield me from view in case anybody might take note of our activities on the way to the bathroom.  First I nuzzle his dick through the shorts he’s wearing and then I reach up and take hold of his shorts and underwear by the waistband.  He gets the message and lifts his ass off the seat so I can slide them both down his incredible thighs and I get a chance to caress their smooth surface on the way down.  This is what I’ve been dreaming of since I first spotted him but I never thought I’d be able to realize the goal.  I notice that the buzz cut on his head is matched by an identical buzz down here below which makes my job more difficult and more rewarding at the same time.   I come to eye level with his erection and put out my tongue to take a first tentative lick.  I can hear and feel his sharp intake of breath at the initial contact.  I put my hands on either side of his waist and run them up and down his sides as if to say ‘thank you’ for the opportunity he’s given me.  Eventually my hands settle on his hips and I set to doing what I’m here for.  I open wide and swallow his dick in one motion as far as I can.  He’s pretty well hung and I know I’ll never be able to completely engulf his member but I’m game to try.  I work my way up until the ridge behind the head is just inside my lips.  I start to mop his dickhead with my tongue and then I poke at the slit with the tip of my tongue as if I was trying to reach inside.  He is starting to squirm and I take that as a sign that the feeling is a little too intense.  Back down the length of his dick I push and let the head tickle the entrance to my gullet and then slowly back up to the top I go.  This time I let the head escape from my lips and gently blow a cooling breeze over it.  He exhales slowly until he reaches the bottom of his breath and his belly quivers with the strain.  I swallow his dick again until I’m fully impaled and I can feel he’s started breathing again.  It’s time to establish a rhythm with him and so I start the up-and-down motion that will hopefully bring him to climax.  He seems willing to guide me since I can feel his hand on the back of my neck and though he’s not exerting much pressure, he’s clearly going to set the pace.  I’m now concentrating on technique and letting him do the driving with his gentle urgings.  He’s pretty good at giving direction by remote control and I absently wonder if he was in the construction trades once because I get the sense he’s got some experience with this.  In the meantime I’m trying to enhance the heat of the moment with different techniques; positioning my tongue first on one side of his shaft then the other then straight down the underside.  Although his dick is long, I can still sneak past the shaft and push my tongue over my teeth and occasionally lap on one or the other of his balls or the space between when he bottoms out.  I just need to be careful to get my tongue back inside once I reach the top since it could get squeezed between his flared cockhead and my teeth at the top of the stroke.  This interval only lasts a while and I can feel from the tension in his thighs that he’s getting close.  Things are speeding up and I have no time now for the niceties.  I just need to go along for the log ride and enjoy the splashdown at the end.  I can hear that he’s suppressing most noises but there is a barely audible squeak above me when he bottoms out.  That informs me that when he does cum it will probably be at the end of a downward stroke.  I try to remember this for reference’s sake so that I will try not to stay on the bottom when that time comes for fear that he’ll drown me but rather I’ll need to move up slowly to leave room for the volume of his emission and not having it coming out my nose and all over and giving me a coughing fit.  That will attract all the wrong kind of attention.  I soon have the chance to try out my plan...  He starts to be a bit more assertive with his hand on my neck and I can sense that it is time.  My next thrust downward is met with a similar upward motion with his pelvis and we meet somewhere in the middle and he bumps into the back of my throat.  He holds me there with that single hand and I can feel the spreading warmth pulsing against my throat wall.  I incline my head just slightly to let him know to give me back control and he does release his grip somewhat.  As I thought, I need to move my head up just a little bit to leave room for his gushing gift to me and I am managing the flow OK.  Eventually I’ll need to swallow but not until his firehose stops.  In the meantime, I’m patiently breathing through my nose and he’s massaging my back involuntarily while I get the few last precious drops.  Now I know that some guys are excruciatingly sensitive at this very moment and I have that thought in mind as I gingerly move up and disengage from his dick.  I swallow lustily and lick my lips to remove any tell-tale traces.  I signal him to lift his ass again and I raise up his shorts and underwear to approximately the right position.  He slowly lifts off the blanket from my back and I am greeted with a breeze of fresh air.  He looks around us to see if we are being observed and finds that we have gotten away with it.  He moves to kiss me and I share with him some of his sweet nectar.  He smiles and says: “I need to get to the bathroom for a piss.  Thanks so much.  You’re a boy’s best friend.  When I get back from the toilet change places with me and I’ll see what I can do for you.”

Now this is turnabout at its best.  I’m appreciative that he wants to reciprocate but I hesitate for two reasons...  First, even though the differences were plainly manifest, I’ve been thinking about Thad much of the time I was giving this Marine head.  Second, I can’t believe that our luck would hold through a second performance.  When he comes back from the toilet, I tell him: “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather talk some more instead.  Thank you so much for the offer, though.”

Later, in our conversation, I ask him about his pubic hair and he tells me this is the traditional style for young recruits.  I can only ponder...

...

Dearest Natalie,

You are not going to believe the news I got today... Thad has been accepted to Northeastern University, my alma mater!  And they have made him a very generous offer of a scholarship plus other forms of assistance so that the actual cost of his schooling will be very affordable.  You also know what that means: I‘m going to have a new roommate!  Yes, Natalie, no mere dorm room for Thad, he‘ll be living here with me and going to school as a commuter.  Fortunately, I have a spare bedroom I‘ve been using as a home office.  You know I was going to reject schools near me but once I became aware that Thad had taken a lover and that it seemed it was going to last a while, I figured there wouldn‘t be any harm.  I don‘t think it hurt his chances that they considered him a “legacy“ student (however nontraditional) after my claim of parentage.  I have written to Gerry asking his opinion and swearing him to secrecy.  I don‘t intend to give him veto power over our plans but I do need him to be 100% behind us in this otherwise Thad will be too distracted to do well in his studies.  I have enclosed a copy of my letter for your information.

All my love,

‘Uncle’ Nick

...

Dear Gerry,

I‘m writing to you confidentially and I need you to keep this letter private and I ask you not to share the information with Thad.  I am Thad‘s “Dutch uncle” Nick.  For a while now his mother and I have been engaged in an attempt to get Thad into college.  You need to be informed about this and I ask your cooperation in making this happen.  Since I met Thad it was my certain knowledge that it would be a supreme injustice for Thad to go through his life with just a High School diploma.  He‘s much brighter than that and he needs at least a college degree if he is ever to live up to his God-given talent.  I know you love him and from what Thad tells me, he loves you very much.  He needs your unconditional support now as he is about to start his college career.  You should know what will be required of you:  Thad will be enrolled in Northeastern University starting January 3rd as a freshman starting one semester late.  The dean assures me he is bright enough that they expect he will become even with his classmates quickly.  He will attend five years divided into four semesters; each semester alternating between classwork and workstudy after his freshman year.  I will ask that you be forgiving of his heavy schedule.  He will get time off and I will be sure he travels back home for those periods.  When he is here in Boston I will crack the academic whip and you can be assured I will insist he be faithful to you.  You may already know that Thad and I have a short sexual history together just previous to your time together and I can also assure you I will not abuse your trust.  I am very thankful that Thad has found you and I want his mind to be totally consumed with his studies and assured of his relationship with you.  I need to ask you if you can continue your relationship under these circumstances?  I will take your opinion seriously and try to honor what you tell me.  I do not wish to come between you and Thad since I can sense your shared love but this opportunity is not to be ignored.  Please let me know by return mail what your answer is and please do so soon.  We need to make plans and I will ask you to come together with his mother and I when we tell him the good news.

Sincerely,

Nick

...

Dearest Natalie,

This has been some amazing time in the last couple of days... Yesterday, Gerry showed up unannounced at my door and once we made the introductions he grabbed me in a bear hug and kissed me right there in the hallway!  So much for keeping a low profile at home!  We haven‘t discussed what excuse he gave to Thad for his absence (it must have been a doozie!)  I took him on a tour of the campus and Boston generally and he seems most enthusiastic.  Here‘s the kicker, however:  He talked about moving to Boston for the duration!  That‘s right, Natalie:  I won‘t be having one roommate, I‘ll be having two youthful, horny roommates!  Looks like the shoe‘s on the other foot now!  I can‘t tell you how many times during this adventure I‘ve said ‘In for a penny... in for a pound’ but I just said it again.  It may be more than an old man can take!  Not fifteen minutes ago I ran into Gerry coming back from the bathroom stark naked carrying the bath towel and using it to dry his hair!  Shit, Natalie.  I‘m in deep trouble here!

Seriously, though, we need to plan a get-together to let Thad in on the news and soon.

All my bedraggled love,

‘Uncle’ Nick

...

Tonight Gerry came to my bedroom and asked to talk with me.  He was naked again and said: “Nick, I’ve done just about anything I could to get you to notice me except wiggle my dick in your face.  I can’t seem to get anywhere with you.  Why is that?”

I answer: “Gerry, sit down here on the bed.  First, you practically did wiggle your dick in my face with that stunt in the hallway.  I just thought you had little modesty.  I didn’t think you were trying to be seductive.”

At this point, Gerry laughed a bit.  I continue: “I love Thad too much to let you cheat on him with me.”

“Thad doesn’t need to know...”

“Wrong answer, Gerry.  I wouldn’t lie to Thad if he asked me and I advise you to do the same.  Thad is enough for any man.  You shouldn’t need to fuck around on him with anyone.”

“I just wondered what he sees in you.  He can’t say enough good things about you.”

“Gerry, Thad is everything to me.  You don’t know how much it hurt for me to leave him or how lost I was afterward.  You also don’t know how happy I was to find out that Thad had found his soul-mate in you.  For that alone I will love you forever.  I can see you complete each other.”

Gerry started to tear up hearing this and responded: “So true.”

“Gerry, you’ll think I’m a total jerk but here goes...  I’m a momma bear where Thad’s happiness is concerned.  If I ever get the impression you’re cheating on Thad, first I’ll punch your lights out and next I’ll go straight to Thad.”

“Ouch!”

“I wouldn’t go to Natalie about it because she’d take out a contract on you.”

“Whoa...”

“So, now you know where I stand.  You are completely welcome to live here with Thad if you want.  You can fuck him ’til sunup and stroll the hallways naked if you like.  But, if you make my baby cry, you answer to me.”

“Shit, Nick.  I didn’t know.  I’m sorry.”

“That’s all right.  I think we understand each other now.  Come here and give me another one of those hugs.”

He stood up off the edge of the bed and I got out of bed naked.  He wrapped me in his arms and I grabbed a handful of his fabulous ass just to let him know that he was desirable to me.  He held me tight and he started to cry great heaving sobs. I held onto him for all I was worth.  Once he was cried out, I invited him into my bed wordlessly and spooned him until morning.

Once morning came he told me: “I guess I found out just what I needed to know.  Thanks, Nick.”

“There’s more where that came from if you ever need it again, Gerry.  I love you, guy.”

“I really appreciate that, Nick.  I’m pretty wrapped up in you now, too.  Last night was the deepest sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

“There’s something about taking away the ‘performance anxiety’ that calms me down a lot.  I just concentrate on the person and not what they expect of me.”

“That must be it.  When Thad and I sleep together, the hormones are always flowing and you never know when we’ll want to do it.”

“You two need to find a rhythm that includes ‘sex-free’ times when you can relax and just be together.  It will make the eventual sex even hotter.”

“I like that idea.  I may need to wait a while, though.  I don’t want Thad to guess I’ve been here to see you.  He’ll know I would never think of that idea by myself.”

“Too horny, huh?”  He nodded vigorously.  “By the way, I’ve been thinking for about an hour while you slept and I realized that after last night holding you in my arms, I’d never be able to hurt you even if I was very angry with you.  I don’t want you ever to be afraid of me.  I hope that you will be able to confide in me.  I guess I was just blowing smoke.”

“I do understand the emotion, though.  I’m starting to feel pretty protective of Thad myself.”

“Good.  We’ll have something in common.  By the way, what were you crying about last night?”

“I was so scared that I’d done something to make you disappointed in me or maybe even hate me.  I thought I’d really blown it with you.”

“You’re still young and finding your way...  That will buy a lot of slack with me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t abuse your trust either.”

“Sounds like we’ve started off on the right foot.  Mind if I take a shower?”

“Do you want some company?”

“Only if you behave yourself.”

“Purely saving water, my friend.”

“Admirable.  Lead on, Gerry.”  I lean into him and give him a kiss on the cheek.  This time we both stroll the hallways naked on the way to the bathroom.  The shower was never intended to handle a twosome so it is pretty intimate but we are able to take care of business.  Gerry washes my back gingerly and I return the favor.  When I am through I notice that Gerry is reluctant to turn around and I figure I know why.  I turn Gerry around and as I expected, he is nearly at full erection.  I whisper in his ear: “Don’t worry...  It’s natural.”  He takes the soap from me and starts to soap himself up.  I figure he thinks getting involved with something familiar will make his erection go down.  It doesn’t.

He rinses himself off and says: “Sorry.  I guess I’m just too horny.  I was saving myself for you.”

I reply: “It’s OK if you want to jack yourself off.  I can’t promise I won’t look, though.”

“I don’t mind.  I just need a little lube.”

I step out of the shower and reach into the medicine cabinet and grab a bottle of sex gel.  I hand it to him and step back into the shower.  He applies it liberally to his dick and adds some to his other hand.  I become a little suspicious and keep a bit of distance.  He starts to jack himself and uses the other hand to yank on his balls and he will let them pop out of his lubricated grip one-at-a-time which seems to excite him greatly.  I relax instantly and put my arm on his back to encourage him.  He purrs his approval and kicks up the strokes a notch.  He seems to be getting into this and is moving his hands with some abandon now.  He is jacking at a furious place and his face is getting serious.  He starts to turn away to cum and I take him by the shoulder and turn him to face me instead.  He looks into my eyes quizzically while not missing a beat.  I nod my approval and smile at him.  He takes this and runs with it.  He’s letting his head hang down looking at the action and I step forward and press my forehead against his.  This final bit of contact seems to inspire him and now he is ready.  He groans once and his hand is fairly flying now and in a second he’s starting to erupt.  His first shot lands on my chest just under my breastbone.  The next ones bathe my belly and abdomen in warm nectar.  The last few shots land in my pubes and slide over my balls.  It’s a glorious feeling.  I’ve been so absorbed in what Gerry is doing that I’ve ignored my own sex completely.  I’m a little surprised I’m not rock hard watching this hot scene.  Suddenly Gerry is starting to sink down after his effort.  I reach out to grab him under the armpits but I’m at a disadvantage.  I shuffle my feet to get better leverage but I’m unable to stop him, only to slow him down.  He lands softly on his knees and sits back on his calves, breathing hard.  The water is still spraying down on both of us.  I reach back to shut it off and I can see Gerry is regaining his composure and getting his breathing under control.  He finally says: “Your turn, Nick.” and hands me the bottle of lube.

I say: “You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Just fine.”

He motions me nearer and points at his face and smiles.  I see what his intention is and I say: “Incorrigible.”  He nods and watches me as I pour a bit of the lube into my hand.  I start jacking on my cock and although it isn’t hard yet, what I’ve seen and Gerry’s smiling face is enough to provide me with all the inspiration I need.  He appears to be watching the action intently and I’m starting to get up to the task.  He tentatively reaches out and while watching my face, he gently touches my balls which I’m presently ignoring.  He looks for my approval before doing anything further.  I look into his eyes and don’t object and he grips them a lot more gently than he was treating his own earlier.  He uses them as a tether and draws me toward him until I’m within inches of his face.  He’s been particularly careful not to brush my dick or hand while I’m jacking and I appreciate the gesture.  Gerry releases his hold on me.  He wants as much of a front-row seat as I can provide while still not breaching my rules.  He has my instant respect and also my attention.  I’m energized knowing Gerry is expectantly waiting for my offering.  I stroke harder still and I’m sure I’m at full mast now.  I put a little english on my rhythm altering the angle and twisting my hand to provide more friction.  Gerry is watching closely and has an idea.  He’s not waiting for my approval any more.  He takes my free hand and picks it up and puts it onto the top of his head.  This forces me to lean in even closer to him.  I can see, though, that I’ll need to be careful to not bump into Gerry’s face with my other hand.  I step back an inch or two while transferring some of my weight to Gerry’s head.  This does make the feeling more intimate and I now see more clearly that we’re sharing something important together.  Now, connected as we are, Gerry and I are heading down the home stretch and I’m starting to tear up being so close to him.  I can even smell Gerry’s freshly shampooed hair from here.  He sees that I am getting emotional and he caresses my knees.  The dam breaks for me just before I orgasm.  I’m crying with joy while I’m bathing Gerry’s face with my cum.  He’s opened his mouth and is trying to get most of the shots into it though he’s taken a partial load on his cheeks and nose.  I can’t see clearly through my tears so I have to piece it together from what I find once I calm down and wipe my eyes.  I lean down and kiss Gerry on the top of the head.  Then I step back and take a look at what I’ve done.  Gerry is a sticky mess and although he’s trying to lick off the remains, it is clear we’ll both need yet another shower eventually.  I reach out a hand to draw Gerry up to a standing position and he unfolds himself and sticks his butt out just before he takes my hand for a pull up.  For the briefest instant, I’m sad that I don’t have that rear-end view that he’s giving to the shower wall just now.  I realize I’m hooked for life here and Gerry will always be part of me in my heart and in my groin.  It’s more than an emotional bond now.  I’m imprinting him into my sexual being as well and any time I make love in the future, he’ll always be on my mind.  I pull Gerry up and I give him another bear hug and kiss him through some of my fluids and taste my own flavor.  I don’t ever want to let go now.  I lay my head on his shoulder and it’s his turn to be strong as I cry again holding him so close.  Finally I stand up straight and I can see he’s full of questions and I look in his eyes and indicate to wait.  I turn the shower on again and we rinse off.  I step out of the shower and get a towel for each of us and we dry ourselves silently.  When we are through, I take his hand and we walk back to the bedroom and sit on the bed for a talk.

I start: “Gerry, I’m a little scared here... this feeling is kinda overpowering.  I haven’t felt this way about anybody before.  I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like the feeling of being out-of-control like this.  You probably figured it out that I’m a bit of a control freak and this isn’t like me at all.  Even with Thad, I stayed much more in-control than this.  The worst of it is that if we can’t rein in these feelings, both our worlds could come crashing down and Natalie will have to take out a contract on me!”

“Nick, I don’t know what to say.  I followed your rules as I understood them and didn’t insist on any real sex.  We can say honestly that we didn’t do anything we’d be ashamed of.  I feel strongly about you but I think my feelings are mainly lust.  I have come to care about you a great deal but I don’t think that what I feel is love the way I feel it for Thad.  There is something else here, though.  We seem to be connecting on a much deeper level than any I’ve experienced before and there is something I can’t put my finger on.  If I was spiritual I’d think it was a past life connection or that we were related in some way with a whole lot of history between us - but that’s an impossibility, I think.”

“Yeah, I can see something in that.  Wouldn’t that be something if we were lovers in a past life and this was a reunion.  Of course I suspect neither of us believe in that stuff seriously, but wouldn’t it be cool.”

“Nick, you’re going to think I’m a first-class asshole for saying this but I think you’re just on a sex-high and you need to come down to earth a bit.  If you think about what we’ve been saying just now, I’m being the mature one here and that’s a role-reversal for us.  Earth to Nick!”

“Gerry, you’re not an asshole.  I knew that when I first met you.  And you are being more mature.  It may take me some time to get perspective about this.  I won’t push the panic button just yet.  Don’t worry too much.”

“Look, Nick, you just had a pretty intense climax and I just ate a pretty good meal and I think we need to chill out for a while.  What do you say to some mindless TV?”

“Gerry, that’s just what the doctor ordered.  I do think we need to put some clothes on, though.”

“That’s the old Nick.  Good idea.  You know, I’m going to miss the vulnerable Nick when he leaves town.”

“I hope he will always be here somewhere for you.”

“He will be in my heart, anyway.”

“Aw!  You say the sweetest things!”

After some additional good-natured banter we have our clothes on and move to the living room.  On goes the TV and I don’t remember just what we watched but it did help to ease the worry I was feeling.  I guess Gerry was right about the high.  The intensity I felt before is replaced by a warm fulfilled feeling.  What we had together for that brief instant was better than sex, in my view.  Less about plumbing and more about hearts.  I let Gerry know I’m feeling better and he leans into me and we cuddle together.  I’m so glad that I didn’t chase him away with my foolishness.  Plus, I can see now that Gerry can be trusted to do the right thing in the tough spots.  That’s a comforting thought.  It’s something I’ll need to communicate to Thad without explaining how I know.

Gerry sees that I am drifting towards sleep here with his head on my shoulder.  He fingers the remote to shut off the TV.  I respond sleepily: “Hey, I was watching that.”

Gerry says: “Bullshit.”

I respond: “Yeah, probably.”

“Hey do you want to eat something?”

“In a minute.  But first, I wanted to talk for a while.”

“Oh, God.  More talk...”

“Gerry, I need to say this.  I’ve been thinking about what happened in the shower and I think I’ve got a partial explanation for it.  You told me that I was experiencing a sex high and I suspect you were somewhat right about that.  But there was something else that I was trying to figure out.  I realized that what I also experienced was a Gerry-high.  I was so comfortable with you in that place at that time and you were so self-contained...”

“Hey, that makes me sound like an appliance!”

“Yeah, I know that isn’t right. You were so... self-reliant, so resilient that I didn’t need to worry about you at all.  Whatever happened, I knew old Gerry would be all right with it.  I mean, yes, if I couldn’t have gotten it up or couldn’t get off, you would have been disappointed but I knew nothing bad would come of that.  You would be fine either way and you would support me either way, too.  That was what I was amazed at.  I just knew you were accepting my offering whatever it was with no pressure, no consequences.  That feeling has been so rare in my life.  For me, sex is almost always that Nick has to play ‘Julie, your Cruise Director’ worrying about everyone but me; making sure my partner is enjoying himself, perhaps to the extent that I can’t feel free to have as good a time myself.  With you this morning, it was different; radically so.  I just felt so loved and supported that I could concentrate on me, alone.  The pure joy of that was what made me cry.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, Nick.  I felt it too.  It was pretty special.”

“Yes, and I can’t help thinking that you need to help Thad achieve some of that same attitude.  Right now, he’s a little dependent, vulnerable, fragile even and my wish for him is that he can learn from you those skills that make you the way you are.”

“I’ve been trying to show him by example to be more laid-back but it’s been tough.  I want that for him too.”

“I think you need to step it up a notch.  I make you a professor in Gerry’s school and I’d suggest that by the time Thad graduates from college, he also graduates with an A in Gerry’s course in resilience, self-reliance and even self-containment.  It will make him a better student, a better employee, if we’re lucky a better manager and just a better human being.”

“All right.  I can do that.”

“And, I also thought about the fact that what we experienced this morning was a fitting end to my vacation.”

“But you came back from your vacation a month ago...”

“Right, but you’ll see what I mean.  You don’t know why I was on vacation out there in New York in the first place.  I started the vacation with a very specific agenda.  I was going to be out there for fourteen days on vacation, and not just for sightseeing.  I wanted to travel from town to town working my way back towards Albany and for every town I’d visit, I planned to also meet a guy and bed him for the night.  No stress, no strings, just joy.  I wasn’t looking for anonymous sex; each of the guys I met knew my name, they have my phone number and address, I hope to call some of them my friends and one particular one my lover eventually.  The major problem was that Thad was to be Number Two.  He doesn’t know any of this and I hope you won’t tell him just now.  He’d be hurt thinking that was what I was after with him.  He knocked me off my feet, literally.  After meeting him and getting to know him vertically and horizontally, my whole plan was gone to shit, and I knew it immediately.  We spent four glorious days together and I was so much in love with Thad by the end.”

“But why didn’t you stay and make him your lover?”

“Thad deserves better.  Thad deserves you.  That’s all I can say.  I realized that he needed to be with his contemporary, someone who would fully understand him and could stand beside him as he grew.  I’m too old for that task and out of practice at being youthful.  You, on the other hand, have youthful coming out of your pores.  You even smell youthful, you bastard.  You are the right guy in the right place at the right time.  Embrace it.”

“Oh, I do...”

“I know.  In the meantime, I’m an ersatz father figure now for Thad.  It will be awkward in view of our history, but I need this as much as Thad does.  I need to give to him what I think he needs from me; an education, some guidance, some parental love and care ‘in loco parentis’.  Together we’re going to make a terrific team as long as we stay focused on the goal: Thad.”

“Wow.  You really have this worked out, don’t you?”

“I wish I could say it will work the way I plan it but it won’t be all successes.  There will be rough patches, too.  That’s where I’m counting on you to soothe him and encourage him.  Love him with all you’ve got and he’ll be able to get through it fine.  When there’s discipline required, let me be the bad guy.  You can complain about what a prick I’m being and then build him back up with your love.  We CAN do this together.”

“I’m sure of it.  What you said about your vacation... you never finished that, did you?”

“No.  What I meant was that after I left Thad it was almost a week before I could even look at another guy with any desire.  I just played tourist and thought about Thad.  He and his mother kept me up-to-date on the goings-on there by cell phone.  It was an odd time.  Finally, I did start seeing other guys and there was joy there but always in the back of my mind, there was Thad.  Finally I came home and started to work on finding a college for him and that kept my mind busy.  I didn’t have time to miss him while I was busy like that.  During that time I found out about you.  I had heard even before I left New York that Thad had been seeing you but only after I was home a while, I heard that you two would be something special.  You would become lovers.  I was so high over that.  And now, I get to meet you, to touch you, to worship you.  This is very special to me.  It finally brings closure to that part of my life; my vacation.  I can never thank you enough.”

Epilogue:

Willis was pleased to receive his check monthly and he told me so in a letter which had some embarrassingly pornographic passages (which I loved...)  With a little encouragement of the local community here the checks to the P.O. box were to multiply many times.  Other things were stirring as well.  I had made some inquiries and a wealthy real estate owner who wasn’t worried about being a slum landlord has arranged to buy the warehouse from the town for back taxes through a complicated ownership arrangement and started making improvements including all-new wiring and smoke detectors.  He also had a new roof installed and new ventilation in the roof for the hot summers and paddle fans to exchange the air.  The water was turned on and an army of plumbers descended and not only fixed the toilets but added a shower room as well.  He also arranged for an unused space off the warehouse floor to be upgraded into an infirmary of sorts where the men who were ill could get out of the heat and into some air conditioning.  This was all ‘in preparation’ for reopening the warehouse which never came to be.  Eventually, Poppa received a long-term lease for the property for the consideration of a dollar a year and this was accompanied by a set of keys.  The town couldn’t sanction what was going on but they couldn’t complain much either because the situation was vastly better than it was before and the men were much safer.

Once the warehouse usage was formalized Poppa negotiated with several local grocery chains to have water and trash bags delivered to the loading dock of the warehouse by the same trucks that deliver to the stores and at a significant discount.  They can use street-delivered water from the bathroom sinks in a pinch but because they are in a warehouse district, the quality is not so good.

Even before all the changes at the warehouse, every once in a while a surprise delivery would show up there.  The first of these was a great box I asked the Saint Vincent de Paul society to put together which had enough freshly laundered used underwear for all the residents and some to spare.  It was a mix of assorted sizes and mostly tighty whities with a few white boxers mixed in.  Willis texted me that it was a big hit.  Also, occasionally a pizza party would materialize with plenty of pies for everybody.

Willis hasn’t visited me yet but he promises that soon he will.  There’s that itch I have that only he can scratch and I keep reminding him of it with text messages.  I even sent one particularly pornographic text message to Poppa by accident.  He showed it to Willis and jokingly asked him to get me neutered or at least get a leash on me before I send any more of those to him.  I’ve adopted Poppa’s nickname for him in my text messages. (I love you, Sparky...)

Daniel wrote that he has been much happier lately and has met a few men who are of like minds with me and through them he’s also meeting some other mixed-race folks who are beginning to support one another emotionally and hanging out together.  They even go out occasionally for a game of Hacky Sack.  Daniel doesn’t play alone anymore.

My friendly marine recruit, Randy (yes!) also wrote to let me know he had a great time once he arrived back in South Boston and he has convinced his girlfriend to try giving him the occasional blow job and he is threatening to put her in touch with me for some pointers.  Oy!

Indrajit has written only once this year on the anniversary of our night together but he is sweet and busy and commuting back-and-forth from here to India yearly and has taken a girlfriend there and is soon to be married.

And what of me, you ask?  Besides my day job and organizing at this end for Willis I am having a busy life with my two roommates who are doing just fine as well.  Thad is doing very good work at Northeastern and has started to branch out.  Next semester he will be taking some additional courses at Berklee and the administration is seriously thinking about his suggestion about a course in ‘Music as Engineering’ and he thinks this will be a whole new way to achieve synergy between the arts and engineering disciplines.  Gerry has also decided to go back to school nights and is starting some courses at U-Mass.  They’re both energized by their studies and each other.  Unfortunately, they are still walking down the hallways naked and although I complain, I do get a thrill from it.  And just now there’s a knock on my bedroom door and I know there are two youthful horny guys out there and they need something.  I tell them to go away but they ignore me and come in anyway.  Naked.  Again.  Life is good here.

Author’s Notes: First up, please consider donating to nifty.org  They are the founders of this feast and if not for them, what would all of us horny, voracious readers do?  http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

In addition, and in no particular order, please consider a donation to:

Fenway Health Center, Boston  http://www.fenwayhealth.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FCHC_h2h_help_overview

Whitman-Walker Clinic, D.C.  http://www.whitman-walker.org/donate

The archives at The LGBT Community Center, New York City... “If you don’t learn from our history, you are bound to repeat it.”
http://www.gaycenter.org/support

Also consider your favorite AIDS charity, either research, providing support to people with AIDS or prevention.

Please, don’t just give from your wallet, give from your heart: volunteer.  There are so many worthy organizations where you can make a difference or simply help out one-on-one.  Mentor someone or visit elderly members of our community.  Reach out; you’ll be glad you did!

Thanks for reading and acting on that impulse.

This story is dedicated to my sister who lives in the area described here.  Visiting her by bus several times inspired this story.  Hi, Sis!

To “Randy”:  If you are reading this you must recognize yourself.  There couldn't be two of you!  It is with much respect and awe that I describe you.  Thanks to you and your girlfriend for inspiring me and thanks for your service to America!

You may contact me at snow.steve22_AT_yahoo.com if you have questions, suggestions, niggles, complaints, cease-and-desists, propositions or whatever.  Just don’t bother to spam me.  I don't have the time or energy.  Thank you.