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One more chapter to keep you going, hereon postings will be weekly. Enjoy!!.
Life's Illusions - 10 years on - Chapter 2
This was getting to be so old, the argument had been going on for days, but it had been brewing for weeks, ever since the day that letter had arrived from Pauly's solicitors, it was tiring and Pauly was rapidly running out of patience.
Reece had agreed to come to New York for a week as a belated honeymoon but on the flight over when Pauly had hinted they needed to see his family's solicitors whilst they were here, he'd gone almost ballistic shouting at Pauly.
They were due at the solicitors office in just under 2 hours and Reece wasn't even dressed, he was, according to him, 'not fuckin going'.
Pauly had gotten a glass of water and sat out on the balcony, he was dressed ready to leave and Reece was still strutting around like a cockerel on acid, Pauly had giggled at that thought, it surprised him he could still be amused, then he sank back into a black mood, maybe it was what it was, Reece expected him to be docile, subservient, the dutiful partner who bent over to be fucked as and when required and who shouldn't have an opinion.
Time to act, he walked into the bedroom wrote a note on a large sheet of paper, stuck it to the mirror, collecting a backpack from the closet he started loading his personal stuff from the bathroom along with the contents of the underwear and sock drawer and few T's and some shorts.
Punching in the code for the safe in their bedroom he took out his passport and a few hundred dollars before closing the safe.
Reece had sat in the lounge watching all of this, feigning total disinterest but hardly missing anything, except the note on the bedroom mirror.
When Pauly rang down for a cab he started to believe maybe he'd overplayed his hand, "Pauly, I said we weren't going".
Turning to look at him as he called the concierge to request a cab he said, "No, all I've heard for days is that you're not going, I've listened to all of your macho bullshit until I'm sick of listening, you think you're telling me what I'm gonna be doing, all I can say is, I love you, but dream on, no one, not you, not anyone tells me what to do, you should understand, if you don't I've left you a reminder in the bedroom, when my meeting is finished I'm taking the jet back to Torremolinas, you can sit here and beat your chest, I won't hear you, have a nice life, goodbye".
At that he left the apartment, took the elevator down to the lobby, got into the cab and drove away from Reece, they'd been married only 6 months.
Reece was completely thrown, this should not have happened, he worshipped Pauly, but Pauly was supposed to listen to him, take direction from him, wasn't he?.
He went into the bedroom and saw the note on the mirror,
YOU SAID NO ONE WOULD HURT ME EVER AGAIN WELL THAT WAS BULLSHIT YOU WANT TO SEE WHOSE HURTING ME LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND REMEMBER I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART GOODBYE
Reece had never dressed so fast in his life, in 5 minutes he was ready, well in a fashion, he was in beige chinos, commando because he couldn't find his underwear, navy shirt, dress shoes without socks, they were obviously in the same mystery drawer as his underwear.
15 minutes later he was entering the law offices and interrupting the meeting which had already started.
Reece held out his hand to introduce himself but the lawyer, who had been talking when he'd entered, ignored him and turned back to Pauly.
Pauly spoke to the obviously irritated lawyer who had so far not even bothered to give his name, "I apologise for the late arrival of Mr Caswell, I think there was something important which he needed to get right in his head before he could meet up with us".
Reece took his seat beside Pauly and mouthed, "I'm sorry, I love you".
Pauly mouthed back, "I know".
They were jolted back to reality by a sharp, "If you have quite finished, I do have other clients to see".
Reece watched Pauly bristle and new immediately what was about to happen.
Pauly followed his mother for this, you could pull his chain just so far, but only a fool would give it that last yank without taking cover, and this fool had just yanked it too far.
Pauly's reply was hard, matter of fact.
"Alfred Turner is in the building, I saw him getting on an elevator on my way in here, ask him to come and see me now please, you can go, I have absolutely no wish to deal with you any further".
The young man in front of them who had been so pompous, condescending and downright rude suddenly blanched, Alfred Turner was the most senior partner in the company, he personally looked after PJ, Pauly's father.
He stumbled out a response, "He won't be available, he's far too busy".
Pauly pulled out his phone, "Poppa, apologies for disturbing you but, could you possibly do me a favour, could you please call Alfred and ask him to join Reece and I in the office of the pompous person I'm supposed to be dealing with, I just informed this person, who has not bothered to introduce himself, that I do not wish to deal with him any further, he has gone out of his way to be blatantly rude to us so far".
After listening to his fathers reply he closed his phone and sat back.
"We'll just wait then and if Alfred isn't here in the next five minutes we'll leave".
It was exactly 3 minutes before the office door opened and Alfred Turner entered, he immediately pulled Pauly into a hug, "It is so good to see you, now this I believe is your partner who I've never had the pleasure of meeting".
Pauly did the introductions and Reece held out his hand to Alfred who promptly brushed it aside and pulled Reece into a hug just as he had with Pauly".
Turning with a withering look to the fool behind the desk he said, "Out".
Once they were alone Pauly apologised for having to disturb him but the man he'd just ejected had been unbelievably rude, he hadn't even bothered to introduce himself.
Alfred apologised and they got down to discussing the reason for calling Pauly in.
"Pauly, unless you've used another legal firm which I don't know about, it is my belief that when you married recently you did so without any Pre Nup in place, am I correct?".
Pauly knew exactly where this was going it had been nagging on his mind for weeks now, ever since his father reminded him he would need to give some thought to managing his finances, that in turn had prompted him to suggest to Reece that he ought to be contributing to their finances, hence the start of the argument that had then trundled on, escalating slowly for weeks, and had finally morphed into Reece taking on a domineering attitude.
The thought of what would happen when Reece found out about his trust funds now proved too much and tears started running down his cheeks.
Alfred immediately saw Pauly's reaction but Reece who was facing Alfred and trying to understand what he was saying was oblivious to Pauly's tears.
"Pauly you haven't told him have you?".
Pauly shook his head he couldn't bring himself to answer.
Reece turned to Pauly and for the first time saw the tears, in a flash he had Pauly wrapped up in his arms.
"Wow tiger, what's this all about, nothing is so bad you need to be upset, so how about you explain all this to me and I'll guarantee not to be the stupid ass I've been for weeks okay".
Pauly nodded.
Alfred spoke up, "If you would allow me I'll explain everything, that should make it clearer and less stressful.
They both nodded.
"Okay, in a nutshell Pauly has a share in the master trust fund set up by his paternal great grandfather for the benefit of Pauly and his siblings. The terms of the trust state that upon attaining the age of 18 or upon entering into a state of marriage he must take control of his own portion of the fund. Pauly also has a share in the trust fund set up by his maternal grandparents with similar terms. He has a similar share in the trust fund set up by his parents when the triplets were born, again with similar terms, hence why we are here today".
Reece listened intently and it was obvious from his expression he had been trying to understand why this would upset Pauly, then his expression changed, a light had come on.
He directed his question to Alfred.
"You asked Pauly if we'd had a Pre Nup when we married, I'm assuming that means this is not pin money we're talking about?".
Alfred confirmed Reece's question with a nod of his head.
Reece looked at Pauly, "You thought I'd make this into a problem didn't you?".
Pauly just nodded, the tears were still streaming down his face.
Reece went on.
"I'm sorry, that's my fault, for acting like a macho idiot, I promised no one would hurt you again and I'm the one who's caused it to happen, making you worry about how I would react. You deliberately avoided mentioning your wealth because you were worried weren't you, and you deliberately avoided having a Pre Nup didn't you?.
Pauly nodded.
Turning to Alfred he said, "I'm sorry, our drama has taken up more than enough of your time, please do go on its all ok".
Alfred went on with his explanation, "Your portion of your great grandfathers master trust fund as of this morning when we annexed it stood at a little over 33 million dollars. Your portion of your parents master trust fund as of this morning at the same point stood at a little over 50 million dollars. Your portion of your grandparents master trust fund as of this morning at the same point stood at a little over 19 million dollars. It has always been administered by, and will continue to be in the interim, the same group of investment banking people, overseen by us, and you can elect to continue that arrangement or you can make alternative arrangements, I'd like you to discuss that and give me your decision as soon as possible, that's all we need to do today so you guys go have a nice lunch then I think some kiss and make up is in order".
They both smiled, then thanked Alfred and left the offices.
Back at the apartment Reece took Pauly's hand and led him into their bedroom.
Once the door was shut he pulled Pauly down onto the bed and snuggled into an embrace.
"I'm sorry Pauly, this big macho idiot got it all wrong didn't I, I've been so busy deciding our future I forgot to take into account the fact that it's exactly that, our future not just mine, if I ever get like that again just make sure you reign me back in okay?".
Pauly sighed, "It wasn't all your fault, I should have told you about the trust funds, but I know how fiercely independent you are, I was worried you wouldn't accept that it's ours now, not just mine, I guess when I was faced with it in that office I had visions of us crumbling into nothing, of losing you over something stupid like money, it was like being back at that day when I had no control".
Reece realised now what a complete idiot he'd been.
"Pauly you'll never lose me, I'm yours forever, lifetime guarantee. Yes you should have told me about the trusts but that's not really your fault either, it's mine for not building the framework where you could feel comfortable and safe telling me everything, so I'm proposing we have a clear up session, everything out in the open, no question off limits, no secrets, you okay with that?"
Pauly liked this idea.
"Yes I am, can I kick off with a question?".
Reece nodded.
"Why are you so fiercely independent, I know you started your business off with nothing and built the one gym into 5 but that independent streak is still there and I don't understand why you don't want anyone to help you?".
Reece had his head down on Pauly's chest when he answered so Pauly couldn't see his face.
"I was abandoned when I was 12, my mother told me she was sick of looking after me it was time I looked out for myself, she just walked away.
I'd never know my father, she always told me he was just someone she met on a one night stand.
She left me in our apartment, went out one day and never came back, I was so frightened, I waited for days watching at the window before I realised she wasn't coming back, it seemed like I cried forever.
I stayed there eating scraps from neighbours trash for 3 weeks then the landlord came one day, threw me out and changed the locks, I had just a backpack with my whole life in it, that was the day of my 13th birthday.
I was a small gangly 13 year old, I knew I wouldn't survive on the streets so I went to a police station and they passed me over to Child Services.
I went from one foster home to another for 5 years, I never experienced love or affection, none of them ever cared about me, they only wanted the money, I never had anyone I could count on to help me with anything, I worked any job I could get after school and on weekends, saving most of what I earned.
At 18 I was officially old enough to get a passport, I'd dreamed of a life in the sun and I made it to Spain on my meagre savings, got a job in a gym in Benalmadena, I worked there for 2 years learning as much as I could and when it went into administration because the owners were drunken fools I bought it from the bank for a song.
The rest you pretty much know, I plowed everything back into the business and gradually I went from one gym to the five I now own, or rather we own, I had this vision like I told you when we first met, I'd have a simple format, low subscription cost but good equipment, clean comfortable surroundings and a gym in every major town and city, I didn't need anyone else in my life.
I never had a relationship, I didn't believe in love it was a myth".
Reece paused, thinking or reliving his life so far, Pauly couldn't tell which.
"You derailed me, totally derailed me, I'd been asked by your school governors to speak about personal fitness and its importance in our lives, I'd held three sessions with different age groups, then your class came in and there you were on the front row, wow, I looked at you, our eyes connected and there was never going to be an option to undo that look.
You asked if I would meet you out of school for further discussion, hell I would have crawled over hot coals naked to get there if I needed to.
I don't remember a single word from that meeting, I spent the whole time staring at you, I was in love, it was true, love did exist".
Reece looked up at Pauly with moist eyes, "I've never talked about how lonely and frightened I felt when I was abandoned, I fixed a hard independent image in place like a shield, no one ever got past it, I'd never let that shield down until you came along".
Pauly realised he wasn't the only damaged soul in this relationship, there was the potential for each to hurt the other through not being honest and he vowed then he'd never knowingly hurt Reece.
Pauly had answered all of Reece's questions including the one where Reece enquired jokingly if Pauly was likely to be dumping any more obscene amounts of cash into their finances.
Reece had stared open mouthed when Pauly told him the rough estimate of his parents nett worth, a portion of which, probably exceeding a billion dollars, would come his way some day.
For the next few days they played at being tourists in the Big Apple.
2 days before they were due to fly home Reece got a call from Lenny which he did keep secret for a good reason.
That same evening Reece took Pauly to SPECTRUM at the Fielding and as they were led to their table Pauly's eyes lit up seeing his parents along with Billy and Julia Fielding already seated, after greeting them all with hugs and kisses he turned to Reece smiling and grabbed his ear, "I'm assuming by the lack of surprise on your face you've been keeping secrets from me, well in this case you are forgiven but don't make a habit of it buster or it could prove painful".
Reece was just laughing as were the others.
Lenny told them they'd be staying with them for a couple of days but Reece was a little surprised when Billy asked if he could spare a few minutes to look over the Gym and Spa.
Billy and Reece went off to look at the Gym and Pauly enjoyed a chat with his parents and Julia.
PJ asked how they were getting along and Pauly felt no need to hide the truth, "It's been damned rocky, all because of money, it seems I'm not the only traumatised member of this relationship, I won't tell you the details of that, if Reece wants you to know he'll tell you himself, but I went against your advice Poppa and I'm sorry, I was wrong, you were right, I should have come clean before the wedding. We're okay now, we had a question and answer session where we laid everything bare, and I have to say it feels good not to have secrets anymore. We made a decision to leave the trust fund management team looking after our money as they've always done".
Billy and Reece returned just as their starters arrived, they'd become firm friends since being introduced just after Pauly and Reece's wedding which Billy and Julia hadn't been able to attend.
On a recent visit to Torremolinas Reece had taken Billy on a tour of his Gyms and Billy had come back raving about the layout and the easy way customers passed through the Gym, that had been his reason for having Reece look over their Gym and Spa within the Fielding International, it seemed the Gyms in most of their properties were not very popular and received only moderate or poor ratings from their clientele.
Dinner had turned out to be a lovely evening and before they left Julia asked if everyone would be available for lunch the following day at their apartment, the boys had only a few sightseeing ideas in mind so everyone accepted and after goodnights went their separate ways.
Back at the apartment Reece, who'd had only club soda all night suggested a nightcap then went into the kitchen and to looks of surprise on the faces of the kitchen staff made hot toddies of chocolate and Brandy Liqueur with whipped cream peaks for everyone, including the two he made for the kitchen staff.
Back in the lounge when Lenny asked Reece if they'd enjoyed their break in New York Reece surprised everyone when he answered, "We're enjoying it now that I've stopped being a stupid Macho idiot, look, I don't know if Pauly will or won't tell you about this but I've been giving him a hard time for the last few weeks, I'm not proud of it, in fact I'm ashamed of it, but thank god, you raised an incredibly sensible son who made me see what I was doing.
Reece paused for a moment and Lenny put her arm around his shoulders, "You don't have to tell us this Reece, it's yours and Pauly's private business, we don't have a right or a need to know".
Reece smiled at her.
"I'm not telling you to excuse my actions, I'm telling you because I'm incredibly proud of Pauly for getting me to admit it, for getting me to talk it through and understand what I was doing and for loving me enough to put up with my stupidity while we worked through it".
At that he leaned over and kissed Pauly before continuing and held his hand.
"I was a throw away, the only relative I ever had was my mother and she told me she didn't want me, walked out one day and never returned, I've lived all my life since I was 12 believing if I wanted it to happen no one was going to help me or even care if I failed, when I was keeping Pauly safe I had a purpose but after we married I was out of my depth, I didn't understand or I couldn't work out, what my role should be, somehow I fell into a role as the master of the house where he should abide by my rules. I'm thankful he made me not just see what I was doing, he encouraged me to ask myself why. I'm determined to see a councillor to continue what Pauly started and he's agreed to do that with me, above all I thank god every day for bringing him to me".
Lenny made them all laugh by saying, "Clever little bugger isn't he".
PJ just looked at Reece and said, "He is a clever little bugger, Lenny's right, but he brought you into a family Reece, we're all here if you need us and don't be afraid to ask for help, it's not a sign of weakness, it can be a sign of strength to get a more rational or more varied take on a situation".
At lunch the following day Billy and Julia surprised Reece with an offer to take over the Gym and Spa franchise at every Fielding International, to make it a clean, simple, cost effective and pleasant experience on the lines of Reece's Gyms in Spain.
Reece was completely at a loss, Pauly could see he was trying to work out how much he would need to borrow to bankroll such a project and it was obvious he was thinking negatively on the amount involved so Pauly jumped in, "Thanks Guys could you give us about 24 hours to talk through the financials and come up with a concept for you and we'll talk tomorrow?".
Reece looked at Pauly with a what are you doing look and Pauly mouthed 'Trust Me'.
Back at the apartment Pauly could tell Reece wasn't happy.
"Okay big boy remember the agreement, no secrets, if you're upset with me it's okay, but you have to tell me why".
The look on Reece's face was one of relief, it was obvious he'd expected Pauly to be angry.
"You're not angry?, I thought you would be".
PJ and Lenny were watching and listening to the exchange with interest as Pauly replied.
"Nope, not even rattled because I knew what you were doing back there, you were running it through your head and I could tell when you realised how much financing was needed you dismissed the idea, that's when I jumped in because you were about to make a mistake and I wanted to see if I could help you take another look at it with all the facts laid out, if you still think it won't float after we go through it again I won't interfere, I'll respect your decision, agreed?".
Reece looked a little confused, "I did have all the facts, I can't afford it, I have a pretty good credit rating, I've only slipped up a couple of times in the last 5 years but I seriously doubt I could raise the sort of capital needed for a project of that size, maybe if it were a couple of locations I could swing it but Billy wants all of their properties to be done the same for consistency of guest experience, and he wants them to be ready at roughly the same time".
Without Reece seeing him Pauly winked at his parents.
"Okay so hypothetically, give me the following, how many locations, rough set up cost per location, annual running cost per location, annual revenue per location.
Pauly listed the figures as Reece supplied them then did some simple addition which clearly showed on paper the project was financially sound.
Reece agreed with Pauly but he still went back to the lack of financing.
Pauly decided to change tack slightly, Who owns the 5 Gyms in Spain?".
Reece looked quite obviously confused, "We do of course, you and I".
PJ and Lenny were smiling now along with Pauly because they knew where this was going before Pauly replied.
"So who has around 100 million dollars plus invested?".
Reece answered without hesitation, "You have".
Reece saw the frown on Pauly's face but he still hadn't worked out what he'd done wrong.
"Okay let's examine what you just said, The businesses in Spain are half mine but the money invested is all mine is that right?".
Reece by now was thoroughly confused, "Err, ye, yes".
Pauly was trying not to lose his patience and his parents were totally amused, to them it was actually refreshing to see someone so totally not focused on grabbing what was on offer.
"So I get half of everything you owned when we married but you don't get half of everything I owned when we married, explain how that works for me please".
Oh boy, they all saw the lights flash on in Reece's brain, "No, you can't, well, it's not the same, I couldn't, you shouldn't, that's different, the Gyms are nothing compared to what you have, I don't know how else to put it.........".
Reece now had his head in his hands, he knew he was beaten, Pauly put his arms around him.
"You can't rewrite history my love, when you asked me to marry you the words you used were, 'Will you marry me, be my equal other half', you didn't mention anything about amending the terms later, so I'm afraid you're stuck with them". Now, about this project, the only thing to decide is whether you want to do it, there are no other constraints, so do you?".
Reece couldn't believe he had been so blessed.
"I'm sorry Pauly, I guess I didn't get rid of all of that Macho Guy like I thought, thank you for being so patient with me, I know I'm hard work sometimes, and yes, I want to do it, but there is one condition, we do it together, will you agree?".
Pauly nodded his agreement and pulled Reece into a hug.
Lenny and PJ didn't hear Reece whispering in his ear, "As soon as I get you alone I want your cock buried to the hilt in my ass and I want to be fucked till I can't walk, then I'm gonna throw you on your back and do the same to you while I chew on those beautiful big nipples, now that's what I call equality".
Pauly blushed a deep crimson but all his parents heard was "Oh yes...".
In Madrid Pete opened his eyes gingerly, his head throbbed, his dick ached and there was a wet feeling, probably sweat, in his ass crack, he was naked.
Looking around the room he tried to work out where he was but nothing was familiar, he hadn't been here before, then it started to come back to him.
He remembered the house party he ended the night at, it had been a student house share, the heat and humidity had been oppressive, almost everyone there had been stripped down to the basics, girls in nothing but bra and pants though pants would hardly describe the tiny thongs most were wearing.
The guys were all down to underwear, well with a variety of boxers, briefs and jocks.
The main two rooms had been a mass of dancing bodies and each of the myriad of bedrooms contained writhing bodies.
Pete had been drunk when he arrived at the house, several more beers with a couple of shared joints subsequently destroyed any inhibitions he may have had previously.
He'd found himself exploring the upper floor rooms with a guy he'd met earlier in the evening.
Mitch was a muscled athlete and like Pete now dressed in nothing but Lycra boxers which clung to him outlining every curve and bulge.
Climbing the stairs Pete had found his eyes inexplicably drawn to the big muscled bubble butt and thighs in front of him, as they staggered from room to room Mitch had his arm thrown around Pete, they'd stopped in the doorway of a room where the only light was a TV screen illuminating around 10 bodies, all naked engaged in a variety of sexual positions.
Pete watched a fellow athlete, his mouth busy sucking the nipples of a slim young girl, his cock like a piston as it hammered in and out of her shaved pussy.
The sight was making him incredibly horny and he was aware Mitch's hand had slipped inside the back of his boxers cupping and sliding over his butt cheeks but that wasn't doing anything for him it was the action in front of him that held his attention.
He was drawn into the room, there were hands sliding all over him and a mouth on his hard cock
He remembered being on the bed, mouth over a juicy nipple of the young girl getting fucked, his hand on the young guys back, then someone dragging his hand down into the guys ass crack, his finger sliding over the guys pucker, dipping into its warm depths, the guy pushing back onto his finger moaning.
At some stage he was on top of the girl, ramming his fat cock deep into her as she moaned under him, something was sliding in and out of his sweaty butt hole as he shot his load deep into the girl under him.
He couldn't remember leaving the house and he still didn't know where he was right now.
The door opened and the young guy from last night walked in naked, his big cock swinging over a pair of smooth low hangers carrying 2 mugs of coffee.
"Morning mate, hope I didn't wake you, I needed to piss badly, I started the coffee brewing while I pissed, I'm guessing you don't feel too clever this morning, I'm surprised you're awake you were still going strong at 4 when I crashed".
Pete couldn't talk until he'd swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of the hot coffee.
"Feels like my head and balls have been stamped on, what the hell did I get up to last night?".
The Guy, (Pete still couldn't recall his name) lifted the covers and got in next to Pete.
"You don't remember?".
Pete looked confused.
"I have vague recollections of fucking some girl, and I'm embarrassed to say I remember someone playing with my ass but that's about it".
"Look, if I tell you, you're not likely to throw a hissy fit are you, I mean I know some guys have trouble dealing with it in the cold light of day?".
Pete was becoming worried now, what the hell had he been doing that was causing this guy to be so concerned.
"Hey, I'm sorry I can't seem to remember your name, which in itself is embarrassing because I seem to remember at some stage I was sucking the tits on a girl you were fucking and I, Err, I had my Err, finger up your ass, then I vaguely remember I was fucking her but I didn't see you after that".
There was a pause before the guy answered, "I'm Chris, you told me you were Pete, was that true or were you using a made up?, whatever, it doesn't matter, you only remember having your finger up my ass, don't you remember sticking your dick in me as well while I was fucking her?, when I came which was pretty fast with you banging my ass, we swapped places, you didn't see me then, but you sure must have felt me because I was behind you, fucking you. I crashed in here after that, you were busy with a couple of blondes when I left, you came in here stripped off and got into bed about 4, around half an hour after I'd left you".
Pete was struck dumb, his mind was stuck at,,,,,,,'don't you remember sticking your dick in me as well while I was fucking her?, when I came, which was pretty fast with you banging my ass, we swapped places, you didn't see me then, but you sure must have felt me because I was behind you, fucking you......', he couldn't get his head around this, he'd never shown any interest in guys yet here was a guy telling him in one night he'd fucked and been fucked by a guy, this guy, the guy in bed with him now, and both of them naked.
Pete answered honestly, "I don't remember most of that, the fucking you and getting fucked by you is a blank, I don't understand that part because I've never had any same sex feelings, never done anything with another guy, a threesome with the same girl yeh, but never anything with a guy, I always expected I'd be revolted by that sort of thing, but to be honest I'm not really sure how I feel, I'm not revolted that's for sure, from what I remember I had a good night, but I don't remember most of it, and what I do remember is giving me a hard on".
Chris put his hand on Pete's chest as he replied, "Well I can say you performed like a stud, I for one could hardly walk after you fucked me, I do know you were enjoying me banging you, you kept telling me to push it deeper, of course we could try a re run to see if it jogs your memory".
Pete realised that while talking Chris had been teasing his nipple and his hand was now sliding slowly towards Pete's growing cock.
Pete closed his eyes, he didn't know why he wasn't stopping Chris other than his cock was growing harder by the second in anticipation as Chris's hand inched closer to his groin.
As Chris gripped his now steel hard tool Pete moaned and thrust up into his hand.
Chris was licking his neck and cheek moving slowly round towards his mouth and soon enough they were locked in a tongue duel.
Chris's mouth moved down to lap and tease his nipple, he was aware again of the hand as it headed south, freeing his throbbing cock, sliding down between his thighs which opened and pushed upward in invitation, encouraging the sliding hand to go further, to touch him down there, to slide a finger in, where, until last night, no guy had ever been.
When he left the house a couple of hours later it was with the knowledge he had a date to meet Chris on Friday night for dinner.
It had been Chris's suggestion to leave it a few days before meeting, as he put it, 'You may find after a day or so, on reflection you don't want to repeat this experience, and if that's the case you just don't turn up, I'll understand, I'll be sorry and I'll miss you, but the last thing I want is you doing something you're not entirely comfortable with'.
Chris had been honest with him, he admitted he found both sexes attractive and didn't see anything wrong with that.
He, like Pete, hadn't ever sustained a relationship longer than 6 months before jealousy raised its ugly head, and he saw no reason, as he put it, to stop 'Shopping around', until a reason presented itself in the form of a soul mate.
Over the course of the first day Pete only recalled the amazing feelings he'd experienced, then slowly the doubt crept in, the feelings of it being wrong, was he gay after all?.
He experimented with different types of porn to see if maybe he'd changed preference without knowing it, but it didn't really matter what he watched he was turned on he seemed to be bisexual.
As Friday approached he was torn, should he meet Chris or not, he couldn't make his mind up.
On Friday morning he was still undecided, he knew who would help him decide, but again he didn't know if he had the bottle to ask, knowing he would have to explain the circumstances.
At around 11am he'd had enough of this, his head was all over the place.
He dialled the number dreading the explanation he would have to give, almost giving up when the call was picked up on the fifth ring, "Billy its Pete".
He heard Billy laugh, "Yeh Pete, caller ID already told me that you numbskull".
Pete laughed as well at his own stupidity, "Have you got a few minutes to talk Bro, I'm in a sort of a pickle and I don't know what to do?".
Billy sensed that Pete was not his usual self, "I'm expecting some friends in about an hour so I've got plenty of time, what's up?".
Pete bit the bullet, explaining exactly what he was trying to decide and how it came about, thanking God that Billy couldn't see his bright red face as he blushed repeatedly giving Billy every scrap of information".
When he stopped talking Billy was quiet for a minute before he spoke, "I swear Pete the next time I see you I'm gonna smack you so hard on the back of your head you'll be dizzy for a week".
Pete was crestfallen, he thought he could rely on Billy to give him good advice, instead, Billy was disgusted that he might be gay and was actually considering hooking up with a guy.
"Sorry Billy I didn't mean to gross you out, I won't do it, I won't turn up, it's just that he seemed so genuine".
Billy laughed and Pete got a little upset, his brother was laughing at the thought of Pete finding himself in the same position he'd given Pauly grief for, and he realised, he'd now outed himself to Billy, he couldn't stand to hear any more so he cut the call.
As soon as the call ended Billy was panic stricken, he realised he'd messed up, he'd laughed, but only because Pete had misunderstood him, he'd meant to chastise his brother for getting in a state where he could hardly remember what he was doing, that was the only thing that concerned him, was he concerned that his brother had gotten his rocks of with a guy?, not in the least, but he hadn't been able to tell Pete that, he'd cut the call before Billy had chance to explain.
Billy dialled Pete's number hearing it ring multiple times before it went to the answering service, "Pete you numpty, I wasn't laughing at the guy situation, I was laughing because you misunderstood me, I'm annoyed you let yourself get into a state where you weren't in control, that's all, I don't see anything wrong with you meeting this guy, he sounds ok, now answer my call when I ring in five minutes, otherwise I'll box your ears double when I see you, love you Bro".
After leaving the voice message he sent a text, 'listen to my voice message you idiot, you got it all wrong, I think it's a great idea to meet the guy, that's not what I was laughing at, I'll ring in five mins if you don't answer I'm flying out there to box your ears , seriously I mean it, Luv ya Bro'.
Pete was sat with tears streaming down his cheeks, Billy had laughed at him, he heard his phone ring and the caller ID showed it was Billy calling, well he wasn't answering it, he already felt humiliated, he didn't need Billy rubbing it in.
His phone beeped alerting him to a voice message and was followed by a text alert, he couldn't help seeing the text, it popped up on screen and he was shocked, Billy was telling him to go for it.
When his phone rang a few minutes later Pete answered and immediately launched into an apology, "Sorry Billy I got it wrong, I was embarrassed, I thought you were grossed out by what I asked you, so you think I should go for it, you wouldn't think any less of me seeing a guy?".
Billy's reply stunned him, " I'm waiting for a guy and a girl to turn up, I've been seeing them for months, to be honest, I'm completely smitten with both of them and yes, I'll admit there's nothing we haven't done in bed, and out, so I'm not likely to be a hypocrite and tell you not to go for it, look Pete you've got to stop this overthinking of everything, it doesn't matter what other people think, the people who love you don't judge you, they support you, if this guy seems okay like you reckon, just go for it, see where it goes, don't get so uptight or you'll miss out on the enjoyment".
Billy paused.
"Seriously Pete, drink is okay in moderation, but drugs are a no, no, don't do them, you can't guarantee to keep your wits about you, they are the start of a slippery slope, promise me you won't do them ever again, please, I don't ask much, this is really important to me".
Pete couldn't believe it Billy wasn't concerned in the least about him seeing a guy, he was only concerned with Pete smoking a joint.
"I promise, I'll never do it again, I know it was stupid, I lost at least half of my memory of the evening, thanks for the advice Bro, are you gonna make it to Lanzarotte for the holidays?".
Billy had been giving that question a lot of thought, he'd be able to answer it later today hopefully, but he didn't want to give Pete any false hope so he was non committal, telling him he'd let him know soon.
They ended their conversation and Pete was on cloud nine, he was going to meet Chris and see where this went.
In Chicago Billy lay back exhausted and bathed in sweat, Jolly and Jay on either side of him.
"That was bloody amazing, I'm bushed, who's for a drink?".
He got three beers from the fridge and climbed back between them on the King Bed which dominated his bedroom.
"Guys, there's something I've been meaning to ask, I hope you won't think I'm jumping the gun, well here goes anyway, what are you doing for the holidays?, I have to go see my family, no, actually I don't have to, but I want to, I miss them, I was wondering, you don't have to if you've already got something planned, but would you consider coming with me, my family will love you and there's plenty of room, what do you say?".
Jay and Jolly looked at each other and smiled, before Jay answered, "You're sure your family won't mind us crashing their holiday?, I mean we'd both like to come, but we need to see if we can afford it first, we save as much as we can from our jobs but we're not exactly flush".
Billy was bubbling with excitement, "Oh believe me you can afford this, Poppa's sending one of the planes out for me and we'll be stopping at my parents house in Lanzarotte until after New Year, it won't cost anything, please say you'll come, I need to go but it wouldn't be a happy holiday if I have to leave you here".
Jolly spoke up this time, "We'd miss you too Billy, we seem to have developed quite a love for you and I don't use that term lightly, if you think it would be alright with your family, but how would you explain us, it might be best to say we're friends who didn't have plans, so you brought us along".
Billy thought about the problems of the past that had been a direct result of not telling the truth and decided, as he'd already told Pete, he wanted to be honest and open with his family whatever the outcome".
"Can't do I'm afraid, I've seen first hand the folly of not being truthful, if you agree to come I'll be telling my family I've fallen hopelessly in love with both of you, I'll also be telling them I've asked you to move in with me when we get back in the New Year, you need to be prepared for that because it will be a true statement".
Jay looked in surprise at Jolly before he spoke, "Billy are you asking us to live with you?".
"Yes, I can't say exactly what it is we have between us, I've never experienced these sort of feelings before, it's not a like or love for one of you more than the other, I know I love you both equally, just as I know I don't want to be without either of you in my life, I want us to be together, I want you both to give up working and concentrate on your schooling, if you agree I'll set up a trust fund for each of you, you'll have your independence, no strings, you could walk away at anytime, I don't want you to answer me now, I want you to discuss it and tell me your answer later".
The look that passed between Jay and Jolly was all it took, Jolly answered for both of them, "There's no need to wait, we're both already sure, we have been for a long time, we didn't expect it either, to fall so hopelessly in love with you, but it happened and neither of us can foresee a day when we wouldn't be terribly hurt if you weren't in our lives, so yes, we accept, but there's no need for you to fund our living, to be together would be reward enough".
They all three drifted off to sleep in what would look to an outsider as unusual, but to them was simply a menage a trios, the shared love of three people for each other equally.
Early evening in Madrid saw Pete walking towards La Bola Madrid a Castilian Restaurant, it had been Chris's suggestion as a place to meet and Pete was surprised he felt relaxed, no anxiety.
After his talk with Billy he'd felt there was one other thing he had to do, he knew instinctively, it would probably be the hardest thing he'd ever do, but it needed to be done.
He'd gone to Marco Plaza an upscale Mall to find something special for this evening and stopped for a coffee when he decided it was now or never, he called Pauly's number and waited as it sounded out the familiar ring tone, when Pauly answered he was his usual bubbly self until Pete stopped him and asked him to hold while he called Beth and Woody then dropped all four of them into a conference call.
His brothers and sister were apprehensive wanting to know if something was wrong until Pete assured them everything was alright, he just needed to tell them something, he wanted to be honest, upfront with them.
" I'm going on a date tonight, I met someone who I think could be the one, I've agonised over whether to turn up, but I asked Billy for advice, he says I'm overthinking everything and now I know he's right so I'm going, I just wanted to tell you guys because I was a prick in the past and it caused us all pain, I don't want that to ever happen again".
Beth was first to answer.
"Nice one Bro, who is this girly, is she nice".
Pauly immediately jumped in.
"I'm betting she's a scorcher to get Pete's attention, come on Bro spill, what's she like?".
Pete was silent he just didn't know how to broach the subject of it being a guy not a girl.
Woody's answer shocked him, "It's not a girl is it Pete?, I don't understand why you guys are so hung up on this gender thing, love is love we don't get to pick, it's preordained, I hope I speak for all of us when I say this, it doesn't matter who you are with as long as you're happy and treated well, now tell us".
Pete was smiling, Woody may be their little Bro but he was probably the most tuned in of all of them.
"His name is Chris and I'm completely smitten".
The silence from both his other siblings was an indication of their level of shock to him, he had his head in his hands dreading their replies.
"Say something guys I'm terrified here, if you don't think I should go I'll not turn up".
Pauly was first to answer, "I'm impressed Bro, I know how hard that was and I'm pissed with Woody, that's the second time he's done that, as for do we care it's a guy, nah, welcome to my bus, I can't wait to meet this guy".
Beth had been conspicuously quiet until now, "Oh Pete, you are such a twat at times, when are you going to understand, like Woody just said, the bits a person has don't matter, it's how they make you feel, if they make you feel loved then they have my love just as you do, trust your heart Pete, nothing else matters, but remind him, from experience, I have a right hook like a hammer if he fucks up".
They were all laughing except Beth who wanted to give them her news but she wasn't sure how her brothers would take it.
"Listen you guys whilst we're being so open I have something I want you to know, I've been dating someone for a while now and it's been getting pretty serious but I have a slight problem".
The silence was deafening, there was not even the sound of breathing on the line so intent and focused were the brothers.
"I found out he's cheated on me a couple of times with his ex girlfriend, I dumped him a few days ago but I'm missing him so much, I really want him back but I don't know what to do, so if you're into giving advice maybe you could have a think about my problem".
Pauly was the first to answer, " Sis this is something only you can decide, personally if Reece got involved with someone else I'd be gone like a shot, I don't think I'd want to know why, I'd just never feel that trust again, it would be a failure waiting to happen, better to end it sooner than later, but that's just me".
Pete echoed Pauly's sentiments almost exactly.
Woody was fuming, it was evident from his opening words, "Who is this bastard, I'll rip his nuts off".
Beth was shocked, she only wanted advice but it was Pauly who answered.
"Calm down Woody, Beth will do what she decides is best and she doesn't need you causing chaos, she's asking for advice not a raiding party".
Even Woody chuckled at that, "Sorry Beth, I'll behave, but bear in mind if he hurts you, I'll hurt him, I promise. Seriously you should listen to Pete and Pauly, if he's cheating now it doesn't sound promising for the future, why don't you find yourself a nice girl and get on Pete and Pauly's bus.
They were all in stitches, as Pete answered, "Don't blame me I'm only following Pauly's lead".
Woody was laughing, "Good luck on Pauly's bus Bro, it's all pink seats and lube".
Pauly was laughing too, "Just wait till I see you two, cheeky fuckers".
As they ended the call they were all laughing and wishing Pete good luck for his date.
In the restaurant Chris was seated already and boy was he nervous, he'd been at Marco Plaza this afternoon and seen Pete having coffee, he'd intended to surprise him but as he'd approached Pete's back he heard, 'Say something guys I'm terrified here, if you don't think I should go I'll not turn up', at that he'd backed away and gone home depressed, expecting that Pete wouldn't turn up.
Chris had got to the restaurant early, his mood was flat, he expected to be stood up but hey, he'd give the guy the benefit of the doubt, then, oh my god, right now Pete had just walked in and was heading towards him, he stood to greet his guest, opening his arms wide to indicate he wanted a hug.
Pete moved easily into the open arms and as they enveloped him he realised he'd sighed with content, he had that feeling of belonging.
Easing Pete back a little they were staring into each other's eyes, so much was exchanged in that look, Pete would remember it always.
Chris broke the silence, "Right up until you walked through that door I was convinced you wouldn't show, I was at Marco Mall this afternoon, I spotted you and I was about to say hello when I heard you say you wouldn't turn up, I was gutted, I just want to sit and look at you now, you've made my night".
"Until this morning I wasn't coming". Pete said. "I was in a panic, I didn't know what to do, but I spoke to my brothers and sister, they made me see sense, by the way my sister said to tell you she has a right hook like a hammer if you fuck up".
Chris was laughing now, "I can't believe I've been the subject of a family discussion already and we hadn't even had our first date".
Pete picked up on that, "Is this a first date?, will there be more?, or is this just a fling?, I'm sorry to be blunt but I need to know".
Chris was watching Pete's face, his expression was one Chris didn't want to see, unsure, uncertain, apprehensive.
"This is not a fling for me, you have to understand that, I told you last week I've been shopping around for a long time because I hadn't found a reason to stop, well I feel like I've found that reason in you, I know our meeting wasn't what most people would call normal, I mean we literally screwed for about 12 hours, but when we woke up that morning it seemed so comfortable to be with each other, I felt like I'd known you for ever, then when it came to us going our separate ways, I realised I didn't want you to leave, that's was completely new for me, I'm not overthinking it, I want desperately to see where this goes, but yes, this is our first date, I'm hoping it's the first of many, and I'm really hoping you feel the same".
Pete had listened and his face said it all, he was right to come, they were in tune, both nervous but both feeing the same, hoping this was the start of a relationship.
They'd ordered, eaten and settled the bill, after much haggling over who should pay, Pete agreed to let Chris pay after he'd pointed out, he'd asked Pete out, so it was only right he should be the one to pay, but as Chris reminded him that meant Pete was obliged to return the favour and soon.
Leaving the restaurant they walked slowly in the warm evening air ending up at Chris's apartment which was a surprise because Pete had no idea where they were going and this was an upmarket district of Madrid.
"I thought you lived in the student house where we met, wasn't that your room?.
Chris was grinning, "No that was Mitch's room, he's a mate, you remember palling around with him that evening at the party, well he sensed you weren't into him so he moved on but when he saw how you and I clicked he offered me his room".
Chris looked at Pete hoping he understood there had been no intention to deceive.
"There's going to be lots we don't know about each other Pete but we'll soon fill in the gaps, do you want to come up?, no pressure, we can just talk, you can stay over, we'll just cuddle if you want, I'm feeling it again, I don't want you to leave".
Pete was on cloud nine, " If I come up its because I want to, if I stay over there's going to be sex on the menu, I've spent all night remembering you last week walking into that bedroom naked carrying mugs of coffee, and believe me I wasn't staring at the coffee, so ask me again, but now you can be sure of what I'll be expecting".
Chris's answer made Pete laugh out loud, "Oh god above, let's get upstairs, I think I just came in my pants".
Back in Torremolinas Beth stared at it, the thing in her hand, it couldn't be right, not first time, that would be just sick, lousy luck, but her gut told her it was right and she was terrified, she couldn't deal with this now.
Over the next few weeks Pete and Chris learnt so much about each other and the connection seemed to just get stronger.
Chris was an only child of fairly well off parents with his own nice apartment.
Pete was a little shy about admitting his family's wealth until he was cornered one afternoon when he took Chris back to his penthouse apartment, Chris had just stood in the entrance lobby in awe.
"Jeez Pete, I thought I'd lucked out when my parents bought that apartment for me to use, but this, wow, how did you convince your rents to buy you this?".
Pete sort of shuffled a bit trying to think of a way to avoid answering but Chris had already sussed he was trying to avoid the question.
"Okay Pete, if there's one thing I've learnt about you it's your inability to lie, when you think something might be an embarrassment you avoid it by shuffling your feet, then you think of a way to divert the conversation away from whatever you want to avoid, so stop shuffling, now who owns this place?".
Pete's reply was almost inaudible, "I do".
Chris wasn't sure he'd heard right.
"Did you say you own it?".
Pete was cringing, "Yes".
Chris was gobsmacked, "Bloody hell, how much is it worth?".
Pete realised it was time to come clean so, head down, he answered.
"I paid 5 Million Euros for it out of my trust fund, it's an investment, the value has risen to 6 Million Euros since I bought it.
Chris realised at once he'd been too direct, he could see Pete was clearly embarrassed.
"Come here Pete, I'm sorry, that was pretty crass of me, it's none of my business, I shouldn't have probed like that, I was just a bit surprised".
Chris had drawn him into a hug.
"I realise now, you've been avoiding this topic since we met haven't you?, it's not a crime you know, to be wealthy, it's a crime to be wealthy and not use it for good and sensible reasons, talk to me Pete, I'm not a gold digger and I'm not going to be embarrassed by your worth, so there's nothing to worry about".
Pete sighed in relief, another hurdle cleared.
They sat that afternoon and talked openly about their families only to find they had one other thing in common, Chris's father was Chief Financial Officer of Woodruff Banking in New York, Pete's parents were the principle shareholders so Chris's father worked effectively for Pete's parents, a fact which sent Chris into a tailspin.
Chris was seriously upset, he admitted to Pete his parents didn't know about his sexual preferences, he didn't know if they would approve, panicking at the thought they could possibly find out through Pete's family connections, he made a sudden excuse about needing to be somewhere and in a matter of moments was gone, no goodbye, nothing.
Pete was left in a daze, they'd been getting on so well, but this had thrown Chris completely.
Pete left voice messages and sent texts for the next few days but there had been no response, he was at his wits end and rang Pauly in tears.
Pauly had listened to Pete breaking his heart over losing Chris and he knew he had to do something, he told Pete to stay strong and trust him.
That same day Pauly called Beth then asked Reece to drive them to Madrid, when they arrived in Madrid they went straight to Chris's apartment.
Pauly rang the doorbell and they could hear movement inside, someone had approached the door but wouldn't respond to their knocking or ringing of the doorbell.
Pauly was now pissed, really pissed, turning to Reece he instructed, "Kick it fuckin down".
For Reece it was a no brainier, prosecution for property damage or the wrath of Pauly and Beth, Reece kicked the door in and Pauly entered first.
Pauly saw Chris looking shocked that his door had been kicked in, starting to protest, but the broken door would have been the least of his problems if Beth's fist had caught him straight in the face as she'd intended, fortunately for Chris, though rather unfortunately for Reece who saw her wind back her arm and tried to block her assault, the blow caught Reece full on to the side of his head and was the last thing he remembered as a blackness enclosed him.
TBC
ARB Allan