Mentoring, Chapter 3
Back at the condo, the guys showered off the sand and lotion, and dressed casually to go out to eat. Neil insisted on buying their dinner. Aidan opted for a Latino place, since he was given his choice. He figured it would be less expensive than a steakhouse, and he wanted to have his fill of authentic Tex-Mex cuisine while he had the opportunity. The restaurant was within walking distance which added to its appeal. If they opted for an extra margarita, they wouldn't have to risk being picked up for OMVI.
Their meal was delicious, and the atmosphere was perfect. The brightly painted tables and chairs were festive, and the Latino waiters, all of whom were fit and handsome, were clad in shorts and tank tops, which added to the pleasantness of their surroundings.
Aidan left the tip, which was a generous one.
On the walk back to the condo, they thought about holding hands, but opted against it. There wouldn't be anyone around who knew them, but they didn't know how their public show of affection might be viewed by the locals. It could draw unwelcome attention.
It was a pleasant stroll anyway because the air had cooled off.
That night, they gathered a couple of blankets to make the balcony floor more comfortable so they could lie out in their underwear. After checking around to see if their spot was visible to anyone else, Aidan slipped off his briefs, revealing his growing hardon. Then he helped Neil do the same.
"This feels awesome!" Neil sighed, as he moved his lips toward Aidan's.
They kissed passionately, enjoying the freedom of expressing their love under the canopy of stars and planets. Having shared their juices earlier in the day, one might think their libidos would have been satiated. However, being young and horny, they were up for another round.
When Aidan turned around to lick the precum from Neil's cock, Neil didn't hesitate to follow suit. Before long, they were enjoying a high-protein snack.
The next morning, the guys slept in a little later. Part of enjoying a break was not being a slave to an alarm. Having a leisurely breakfast on the deck, clad only in boxers, was also a symbol of freedom for the men.
That day, they opted to visit a public beach not too far away. At this one, they'd have to wear swimsuits, but they had packed skimpy ones so they could expose about as much skin as was legal.
Again, they had packed their lunch because it allowed them to eat whenever they were hungry, and it cost less than grabbing fast-food which wouldn't have been as healthy.
There was a steady parade of sun-worshippers to keep them entertained. Not all were attractive, but there was a high percentage of college students on spring break. The petite, bikini-clad coeds were pleasant to see, but their male counterparts were of more interest. Neither guy was lusting for someone else, but both could appreciate a fine body.
In the middle of the afternoon, Aidan's phone vibrated, indicating he had a text message. It was from Pete, asking advice about motels in the area. As it happened, the lovely hotel they'd chosen for their honeymoon had "over-booked" their suite, and they were being asked to check out. Pete suspected it could be an excuse not to continue renting to a pair of gays. Since his husband's name was one that's often given to females as well as males, the person in charge of booking wouldn't necessarily have known they were a same-sex couple.
Aidan texted back that he'd see what he could do to solve their problem. He let Neil read the message and then discussed a plan.
"Babe, I know this might cut down on our spontaneity, but..."
"You think we should put them up in one of the spare bedrooms," Neil cut him off, anticipating what he was going to say. "I agree. It would be a mission of mercy, and we can certainly trust fellow teachers with our lives as well as our belongings."
"You're so sweet! I didn't even have to plead my case. We're SO on the same page."
"Let's rinse the sand off our feet and head back to welcome them. I guess you'd better give them the address."
As they were driving back to the condo, Neil used his phone to call the hotel desk, and used Aidan's to record the conversation.
"Hi, my name is Bill, and my bride and I are desperate for a nice hotel to spend our honeymoon. There was a mix-up at the place we'd booked. I don't suppose you have anything open."
"As a matter of fact, we do. You're in luck because a couple is just checking out due to a change in their plans. Please give us an hour to have it made up fresh."
"Can you tell me the room number? We'd like to be on an upper floor where the view is good, if possible."
"Certainly. It's 721 overlooking the shore!"
"Thanks, we'll be there to look it over in a couple of hours."
Pete and Syd couldn't believe their luck as they pulled into the parking lot at the condo. This place definitely wasn't Motel 6! They would have to split the rent, whatever it was.
Aidan and Neil were just getting out of their car when their guests arrived.
"Let us give you a hand with your bags so we can do it all in one trip," Aidan offered.
"Thanks," Syd smiled. "I think we may have over-packed, but we weren't sure what the dress-code was for some of the restaurants."
"We're traveling light," Neil said. "Aidan told me we needed one dressy outfit, a couple of casual ones, and our swim trunks. The latter wouldn't get too much usage unless the nude beach was closed."
"Wow! This place is the Ritz!" Pete exclaimed as they stepped into the foyer of the condo. It's nicer than the hotel, and probably a lot more expensive. We plan to split the rent with you since you're so kind to take us in."
"Neil and I are already splitting it, but I guess diving zero four ways instead of two would be a better deal," Aidan laughed.
"What?"
"It's my parents' share-time and would have gone to waste if we weren't occupying it. So, you don't owe us anything."
"Then, we're going to take you out to dinner every night. There's a fabulous steakhouse in our hotel, um, our former hotel."
"Speaking of which, what was the number of your suite? I'm hoping it was 721," Neil said.
"Yes, it was! How did you know? Are you clairvoyant?"
"On the way back from the beach, I booked it for my "bride" and me for the rest of the week. I've proved your suspicions."
"What can we do about it?"
"I think we could either get you some monetary compensation, or make a federal case out of it. That's up to you guys. Either way, we should scare the crap out of them!"
In the end, the guys decided to contact Lambda Legal and give them the evidence. It would be more altruistic than squeezing a few bucks out of the hotel. And there was always the possibility of doing both.
Two people from the organization decided to pose as the mythical couple, Bill and his wife, to keep the appointment with the hotel clerk to see if they could gain more evidence that would be helpful in a law suit. The wheels of justice were already beginning to turn.
Aidan and Neil begged off on the dinner invitation for that evening. They had planned to make a couple of dinners at the condo to save money, and had four bacon-wrapped fillets to cook on the gas grill out on the deck. They would allow their guests to treat them to one fancy meal, but insisted on going Dutch treat on others.
Fortunately, all of them liked their meat cooked between medium and medium rare, so grilling them to perfection wasn't an arduous task for Aidan. Neil nuked four russet potatoes, and wrapped them in aluminum foil to place at the edge of the grill to keep warm.
Pete and Syd were put to work tearing lettuce and setting the table. It all came off like clockwork, and soon they were enjoying the fruits of their labor.
After dinner, Aidan refilled their wine glasses, and all sat on the balcony to enjoy the evening sky.
"I can't believe our good fortune in getting acquainted with you two," Pete said. "Here's to the kindest men we've met on our trip."
"We feel the same about meeting you," Neil responded. "And to think, we all live in the great state of Iowa. It shouldn't be difficult to stay in touch. We might even have some state educational conferences in common."
Since Aidan and Neil had the master suite with an attached bath, their guests could use the main bathroom with complete privacy. And if they happened to bump into each other without any clothes on, it wouldn't be any different from being nude on the beach together.
After their new friends had gone to bed, the guys made love again on the balcony. It was as exciting as it had been the night before, maybe more so with another couple around who might accidentally see them.
The next day, they all agreed that another trip to the clothing-optional beach would be pleasant. Pete insisted on driving since their rental car was roomier than the convertible, and he still felt he should do more to repay the guys for their accommodations.
The trip seemed shorter this time because they didn't have to worry about finding their way. Then too, they were busy talking shop, and discussing what might happen to the hotel for falsely claiming to be overbooked.
They parked in the same lot, and walked a bit further up the beach than they had before. Setting up their umbrellas, they quickly stripped and took a plunge in the water. After drying off, they slathered their partners with lotion. Then, they decided to explore the shoreline a bit further.
Today, there were a few more couples around. Interestingly, several of them were pairs of males. Aidan surmised that by walking a few hundred yards beyond their former spot, they had wandered into an area where gays felt comfortable to congregate.
It was exhilarating to meet the parade of naked young men who weren't hiding their assets, and who all seemed to be semi-hard. The guys received their share of admiring glances, and didn't hesitate to check out the "competition."
As they passed couples lying on the beach, they noticed that some were making out openly. One couple was engaged in oral sex, seemingly with no concern about being seen. Most of the men strolling by chubbed up at the sight, including the four teachers from Iowa.
The men would have enjoyed getting off after the show they'd just witnessed, but none of them felt comfortable going that far with so many around to see them. It might be several hundred miles from home, but the fallout from being arrested would have a lasting impact on their careers if they were caught. It could even earn them a spot on the sex-offender registry which would prevent them from working with kids in any form. Better safe than sorry.
They did play grab-ass out where the water was deep enough to disguise what they were doing. Some sperm was discharged in the process, but the relatively chilly water helped deflate their dicks for the walk back to their towels.
As they were beginning to pack up for their return trip to the condo, Syd received a text message from the people at Lambda Legal about the progress they had made thus far.
When confronted with the evidence, the head of the hotel franchise expressed his extreme displeasure at how the men had been treated. He promised to get to the bottom of it right away. After he found out for sure who the culprit was, that person would be fired immediately. He would also give Pete and Syd the rest of the week rent-free in the honeymoon suite and they would receive meal vouchers and other perks by way of compensation.
In addition, he would work with Lambda Legal to create a sensitivity training course for all their employees, in the hopes of preventing similar situations in the future.
"Well, it looks like Neil's quick thinking has saved us a bunch of money, and it might change the future of other same-sex couples," Syd exclaimed. "We can't thank you enough for that, and for providing us a wonderful stay with you in the meantime.
"Now that we have our suite back, we'll get out of your hair, but that doesn't mean we'll stop seeing you. We want you to be our guests for dinner tonight."
True to their word, Pete and Syd made reservations for four at the steakhouse in their hotel. They assumed they wouldn't be recognized in the restaurant as the couple who had rocked the boat, but they didn't care if they were. They didn't plan to do anything explicit to draw attention to their friends and them. It would be best to put the whole affair behind them.
The wait-staff was attentive, and the food lived up to the hype about it. When their bill arrived, Pete added a generous tip, and charged it to their room. Ultimately, the hotel would take care of it.
After dinner, they went up to the suite to sit and enjoy the view from the balcony. It was a beautiful night.
In the days which followed, the men went as a group to enjoy several of the recreational opportunities the island had to offer.
One day, they tried parasailing for several hours in the morning. It turned out to be a real physical workout. Pete and Syd invited their friends up to shower in their suite and have lunch at the hotel. With all the meal vouchers they'd received, there was no way the two of them could make use of them, and they loved rewarding the guys who had been so kind to them.
After eating, they went back up to cuddle and nap with their partners. Syd and Pete weren't going to be using the other bed.
Another day, the guys took a dolphin-watching cruise in the bay. It was relaxing, and they got to see quite a bit of local sea life.
That evening, they booked a catamaran sunset adventure. It too was a fun experience. The cost was a bit steep, but the drinks were complimentary, and they all got a little tipsy.
Having planned ahead for that possibility, they shared a cab back to the hotel for a late dinner. No one had anything stronger than water with lemon with their meal.
All too soon, Neil and Aidan had to head back north. They needed to leave on Friday if they wanted to have Sunday for resting up before school. The honeymooners had an extra day since they were flying, which would take far less travel time. On Thursday evening, they had dinner together once more and said their goodbyes, promising to stay in touch.
Aidan and Neil rose early in the morning. They had packed their few belongings the night before, so they were miles away by the time most of the tourist were getting out of bed.
After stopping for a sausage biscuit at a McDonald's, they put the top up and turned on the A/C. The heat of southern Texas had begun to close in already.
As they had promised, the men stayed overnight with Neil's grandmother on the way home. She welcomed Aidan as if he were hers as well. They arrived in time to take her to dinner, and insisted on treating.
They stayed until after lunch the following day because they could still make it home at a decent hour on Saturday evening.
Back at school on Monday, Aidan and Neil showed up at the same time for good reason. Neil had stayed over, and was going to be moving his possessions in a little at a time. There was no doubt in the mind of either of them that they would be living together for the foreseeable future.
Neil would try to sublet his apartment by the first of June, or maybe before. He would contribute to their living expenses with some of the money, but also hoped to pay down his college loans. Aidan insisted that the loans should be priority number-one.
At lunch time, Marie and Lois joined the men in Aidan's room. Lois observed their similar tans, and beaming faces, and suspected they might have vacationed together. She was too polite to ask, but Marie wasn't.
"Am I crazy, or did you guys spend your break sharing the same sunbeams? You look remarkably tan, and you're both glowing."
"We might have ended up on the same beaches in the South Padre Island area," Aidan grinned.
"I knew it! Do you have anything else to share?"
"Nope," Aidan smiled, enigmatically; while Neil blushed.
"Oh, you guys! I hope it all works out. We've been pulling for you."
Neither man said anything, and Lois rolled her eyes.
After the women left, Neil let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry I blushed. I'm sure it served to confirm her assumptions."
"Don't worry about it. I do think we should make an appointment to see Dr. Dickinson after school to give her a heads-up, so she's not caught unaware if she hears rumors. I know she'll be supportive."
"Okay, you know her a lot better than I do. I guess we need to meet it head-on if there's gonna be any flak."
"Let's close the door long enough for a quick kiss to see us through the rest of the day!"
Author's notes: Thanks to those who have sent email of encouragement. The list this week includes: Jim M, Bill T, Tom A, Walter S, Bill K, Tim T, John L, Steve C, Rich H, David H, Gordon, Jim W, Marty H, Scott M, Tony C, and Paul R.
Thanks to David and Tom who edited this chapter. They catch a lot of typos!
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