Rimpig's Christmas Carol

"I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which will not put my readers out of humour, with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D., December, 1843"

What if the great Charles Dickens had lived in the 21st rather than the 19th Century? And what if he had been Gay? How different a story might he have written?

I don't pretend to have his talent! But this idea has been 'haunting' me for a couple of years now. So sit back and listen to...

RIMPIG'S CHRISTMAS CAROL by RimPig 2005

This story is Lovingly Dedicated to my friend, sometime collaborator and sounding board - D.L. Mercer - my favorite Romance Writer!

Chapter One - Mack's Ghost

Nick sat on a barstool in the dingy little dive, staring at the twinkling, multi-colored lights surrounding the mirror behind the bar. There was a tired rope of plastic evergreen strung there as well from which hung what appeared to be ornaments which were probably at least 20 years old. A small, tired Christmas tree was at the other end of the bar from where Nick was, it too looking as if it had seen better days.

'Fuck Christmas!' Nick thought to himself as he picked up the glass in front of him and took another swallow of the dark amber liquid inside.

The bourbon slid down his throat in a fiery cascade until it hit his empty stomach. Nick knew he ought to have had something to eat before he started drinking but, since all he was interested in was getting drunk and blotting out the thought that this was Christmas Eve, he didn't see any reason to. On an empty stomach, the booze would work faster.

Nick had never been in this dump before. He'd seen it often enough since it was on the corner right near where his apartment over a dry cleaner was. Just a neighborhood dive in a rundown neighborhood where rent was dirt cheap and everybody kept to themselves. It was not the type of bar that Nick was used to hanging out in. Those bars were across town and had hefty cover charges and minimums for anybody who the bouncers would let in. And just anybody didn't get in! No. You had to be one of the 'beautiful people'. Rich, either by work or inheritance or physically beautiful and desirable by those who could well afford to buy whatever beauty they didn't possess. Tonight, however, Nick was in this dingy little bar with two or three other patrons, all of which looked like they lived their lives in this dump, for the express reason to get drunk so that he could try and forget that tomorrow was Christmas day.

Nick hated Christmas. It was bad for Nick's business. At twenty-four, with his tall, dark, 'bad- boy' beauty and his gym-toned body of rippling muscle, Nick was one of the highest paid 'escorts' in the city. It was not just his looks that got him $350 per hour with a two hour minimum. The uncut, eleven inch slab of thick manmeat between his legs guaranteed that. That was the 'asset' that his customers were most interested in and, like the 'Eveready Bunny', his 'best friend' had never let him down. Or, more accurately, failed to go up.

But with this being a Saturday night, rather than making the one or two thousand dollars he was used to, Nick was sitting in a bar getting drunk. Not one appointment for this weekend! Not one phone call! Everyone was home throwing Christmas parties or being with their families. One didn't invite their 'sex-providers' to Christmas parties anymore than they invited their gardeners or plumbers. Even his old stand-by's, the traveling salesmen on large expense accounts, were conspicuously absent from the five-star hotels downtown. All of them home with the wife and kiddies, probably.

This stupid holiday had really taken a bite out of his financial ass! But Nick had another reason for hating Christmas. One that no one knew about. Nick, short for Nicholas, had been given this name by his mother because he was born on December 25th - Christmas Day. To Nick, the worst fucking day of the year to be born on! If you were born on Christmas, you were really screwed! You never got a birthday party or presents like other kids. Not that there had been many presents when he was growing up. Being raised by a single mother who had the stupidity to fall in love with a married man who knocked her up and then dumped her when she turned up pregnant. After which she married a drunken, slovenly, abusive asshole who couldn't keep a job so there was never money for much of anything. In all his life, Nick had never had a birthday cake. Never blown out the candles while making a wish. Nick didn't even know what the fuck he would have wished for, except maybe for a different life!

Above all, Nick hated this Christmas in particular. His life had been going along just fine up until a couple of months before. Then Nick had been slammed by two events which had come 'out of the blue'.

The first had actually started a little before two months ago. Nick, who generally tended to stay to himself when he wasn't with a 'client' or trolling the expensive clubs for new ones, found himself one day in a little caf^Â having lunch. The place was new, had just opened and the food was really good. Nick had seen the place as it was being renovated from the dry-cleaners it had been. Finally, a few days after the grand opening, Nick decided to stop in and try it.

The food had been excellent and everything was fine until someone other than the waitress who had taken his order, approached his table. Nick looked up into the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen! And the face they were set in was the face of an angel with blond curly hair surrounding it like a halo! The guy was small, no more than five foot six or seven but, then again, Nick - at six feet - preferred guys who were smaller than he was. This guy looked younger than Nick, but not by much and his body - at least what Nick could see of it behind the long, white apron, seemed to be beautifully toned. Not extremely muscular like Nick's, but beautiful just the same. It was obvious this guy kept himself in good shape but didn't have the freedom to spend half his life in the gym, the way Nick did.

"Hi! How is everything? Anything I can get you?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling and a smile that seemed to melt everything inside of Nick.

Normally not one who was intimidated by anyone or anything, Nick suddenly found himself speechless! He tried desperately to get himself under control but when he did manage to somehow open his mouth to answer, his mouth adamantly refused to work and he found himself sounding like a stuttering fool!

"Uhh...uhh...f-f-f-fine." Nick managed to get out.

'Fuck!' Nick thought to himself. 'This guy is gonna think I'm some kind of retard!'

"Good! I'm glad to hear it. My name's Tim. I'm the owner." he said, sticking out his hand.

Nick managed to take it, all the while lost in Tim's beautiful blue eyes. When their hands met, however, it was like an electric current when through Nick's body! It was a reaction he'd never had before!

"I...I...I'm Nick." he managed to say, all the while continuing to hold onto Tim's hand.

While not small, Nick noticed that Tim's hand was smaller than his own - but it seemed to fit perfectly within his. For some reason, Nick found that he just couldn't let go of Tim's hand and Tim did not seem to be making any effort to free himself from Nick's grasp.

"Well, Nick, I really hope that you come back again." Tim said softly and a blush rose in his cheeks as he said it.

Even in his current confused state, Nick could tell that this was more than an invitation to revisit the caf^Â. More than an invitation to be extended to anyone who came in to eat. It was obvious, to them both, that this was an invitation to get to know each other better.

And Nick took him up on the offer, eating there every day for the next two weeks. And every day, Tim would come over to Nick's table and a welcome him. But Nick wanted more. He started to notice when the caf^Â was least busy and coming in then. This allowed Tim to spend more time talking to him, even sitting down at Nick's table when Nick asked him to. Without even realizing it, Nick was doing something that he had not done for a very long time. He was 'courting' someone. This was not about money. It was not about just sex. Nick really wanted to get to know Tim. Nick really wanted...what?

That's what began to bother Nick. What the fuck did he want? Every fiber of his being told him that what he wanted was to wake up every morning with Tim in his arms. To spend his nights and days basking in the glow of Tim's beautiful blue eyes. To build a life together and grow old together just like in those fucking romance novels his mother was always reading when he was growing up! But just like those books - that was a fantasy! There could be no 'cottage with a white picket fence' for Nick! No decent guy like Tim would want him if he knew what it was that Nick did for a living! No, Nick figured he was doomed before he even started.

This, however, did not keep Nick from starting! After two weeks of little talks while Nick ate, he finally got up the nerve to ask Tim out. Just a movie - but a very expensive one! Nick turned down two 'dates' just to be free to spend the evening with Tim. At this point, Nick didn't even remember what movie they saw. God knows, he hadn't paid any attention to it. All he could do was feel the warmth of Tim sitting beside him and the scent of him - something 'woodsy' and very male. They'd walked down by the river, talking and laughing until Tim said he really needed to go home to bed because he had to open the caf^Â early in the morning.

Nick walked him home to his apartment building where they stood on the deserted street and Nick took Tim into his arms and gently kissed him. The taste of Tim drove him crazy! But that's all it was that night, just one kiss. But for Nick, that had been enough. Enough for him to know that he would do anything he had to do to get Tim into bed! That, however, proved to be more than problematic.

The next day, when Nick went to the caf^Â, Tim was distant, distracted. It was like the date and the kiss had never happened. Nick couldn't understand what was going on. He left, totally confused and somewhat hurt by Tim. Again, Nick did something he rarely did. He cancelled yet another 'date' and waited for Tim when he closed the caf^Â for the night.

When Tim saw Nick waiting for him, he somewhat bristled.

"What are you doing here?" Tim asked, a slight edge to his voice.

"Waiting for you." Nick said quietly.

"Why?" Tim asked, annoyance showing now in his voice.

"I want to know what I did wrong." Nick said.

Tim looked startled by this.

"What makes you think you did anything wrong?" Tim asked.

"Because you're treating me like a stranger! And one you don't want anything to do with." Nick answered.

At this, Tim's attitude seemed to change. His shoulders slumped and he looked down at the ground, unable to look Nick in the eyes.

"It's not you." he said softly. "It's me."

"What do you mean?" asked Nick.

"I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want to become involved with somebody." Tim said.

'And you think I did?!' Nick's mind screamed out but what he said was, "Why not?"

Tim looked up and Nick could see the glistening of tears in Tim's eyes. This profoundly shocked him.

"I met this guy two years ago. I fell head-over-heels in love with him. They say that love is blind and I sure was! I didn't see what he was really like. Everything was fine as long as I did everything he wanted me to do. When I didn't do what he wanted, he beat me. Oh, he'd apologize profusely the next day, buy me presents and shit and swear it would never happen again, but it did. It kept happening until I finally ran away. That's when I came here and I opened the caf^Â with money that my family lent me. I swore that I'd never become involved with another guy again. Then you came along! And until you kissed me last night, I didn't even realize how much I'd begun to care about you! But I can't! Don't you see that?! I can't let my family down, not after borrowing all this money to start my own business. I don't have time for getting involved with someone! No matter how much I want to!" he said.

By this time, tears were coursing down Tim's cheeks. All Nick could process though was the fact that Tim cared about him and wanted to become involved with him! Nick knew it was the wrong thing to do, knew he should run like hell and get as far away from Tim as he could but he just couldn't bring himself to do that. Instead, he stepped forward and took Tim in his arms, allowing the beautiful young man to rest his head against his chest.

"Tim, I'd never hurt you! I've never physically harmed anyone in my whole life! Though, to be honest, I'd like to beat that guy to a bloody pulp for hurting you! I don't want your business to fail or anything like that! Tim, I care about you, too! If that's too much for you to handle, then I'll back off. I'll leave you alone and never bother you again." Nick said.

Tim, at this point, looked up at Nick as he pushed his way out of Nick's arms.

"Don't you see? It's not what I want. It's what has to be! How can I become involved with you? I'm spending all my time getting the caf^Â to be successful. There just isn't time for me to get involved with anybody! I really think it's best if we just nip this in the bud before we both end up getting hurt." Tim said.

'Too late for that.' Nick thought to himself. To Tim, he said, "Well, if that's the way it has to be, so be it. It was nice meeting you, Tim. See you around sometime."

And with this, Nick turned on his heel and strode away, ignoring the sound of Tim calling out to him. Nick has spent the next two days locked in his apartment, trying to convince himself that any relationship with Tim was doomed to failure. When he finally emerged, he dove back into his business with a vengeance! But try as he might, he'd never been able to forget those beautiful blues eyes or that angel face. Never been able to bury the strong, burning desire inside him to hold Tim in his arms and make love to him.

The second blow had come about two weeks after Nick broke off the budding relationship with Tim. The closest thing that Nick had to a friend had been another 'escort' that Nick had known since they both started out as street hustlers in their late teens. The guy's name was Mack and the two of them had partied and made lots of money together in the old days and still ran into each other on a frequent basis. They had mutual clients and occasionally participated in 'parties' thrown by some of them. They had also, several years before, appeared in a porn movie together. Nick and Mack had, since they were teens, an easy, no-strings-attached, sexual relationship with each other.

But for about six months previously, Nick had noticed that Mack was not looking physically well. But whenever Nick asked him how he was feeling or if anything was wrong, Mack would tell him everything was fine or get defensively belligerent to the point that Nick stopped asking. Then, two months ago, out of the blue, the police came knocking on Nick's door! Having never been involved with the police before, Nick was scared shitless, though he was able to hide it.

The police officers informed him that Mack had died of a drug overdose and they needed Nick to come to the coroner's office and identify the body.

"How did you get my name?" Nick asked the police officers.

"Your name and address were on a card in his wallet." one of the officers informed him.

Nick did as he was asked and accompanied the police officers to the coroner's office where he identified the emaciated body of his friend. Evidently, in the month or so since Nick had seen Mack, his friend had gone completely over the edge in drug use. The coroner told Nick that the overdose had been from a 'speedball', a lethal combination of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

Ever since that night, Nick had accepted fewer and fewer 'dates' with 'clients' until most of them stopped calling at all, culminating in this disastrous and lonely holiday weekend. Nick had only wanted to forget Tim and Mack and everything his life had become so here Nick sat, in this lonely, drunken state. Finally he figured he had enough to drink and stumbled the half block to his apartment and fell into bed, fully clothed, where he quickly passed out.

How long he'd been passed out, Nick didn't know. But he opened his eyes when he felt something weighting down the mattress on his bed. He looked over and there was...well, he wasn't sure what it was! It looked like a person but it was glowing with a weird greenish light and was almost see-through!

"What the fuck!" Nick exclaimed.

"Hey, Dude! How's it hanging!" came a voice but not in his ears - more like in his head.

Taking a closer look at the figure on his bed, Nick saw a certain familiarity about it.

"Mack? Is that you?" he said cautiously.

"Yeah, Dude! It's me!" the figure stated with the same voice in his head that certainly reminded him of Mack.

"But...you're...you're dead! I had to identify your body!" Nick said.

"Yeah, I know, Dude. Sorry about that." the ghostly figure of Mack said.

"Uhh...what are you doing here?" Nick asked.

"Well, you see, I need some help. I'm kinda in trouble." Mack said.

"What kind of trouble?" Nick asked. "How can you be in trouble if you're already dead?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't figure that, would you?" Mack asked. "You kinda figure that you die and your troubles are over. Lemme tell ya! Sometimes they're just beginning!"

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"Well, it's like this. I'm kinda shut away all by my self. I ain't allowed to see or talk to nobody because I died long before I was supposed to and through my own fault. The only way they'll let me be around other...well...I guess you could call us 'spirits' is to get somebody down here to change their ways." Mack explained.

"What do you mean...change their ways?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"Well...take you, for instance. You fuckin' hate Christmas and everything that it stands for. They don't like that much up there!" Mack said, pointing towards the ceiling of Nick's room. "Plus, you have this really bad track-record where love's concerned."

"You're one to talk! You were selling your cock just the same as I am!" Nick snorted.

"It ain't about selling your cock, Dude. They really don't give a damn about that up there. Does the name 'Tim' ring any bells for you?" Mack asked.

Nick looked at Mack with shock and anger.

"Yeah. So what?!" Nick growled.

"Well, it seems you kind of fucked up there - big time!" Mack said.

"The fuck I did! The dude dumped me! Said he couldn't get involved with somebody! Too fucking busy running his fucking caf^Â!" Nick was practically screaming.

"Sounds like you've got a guilty conscience, Dude. Maybe you didn't do everything you could? Maybe you didn't try hard enough. Maybe you were just as glad he did dump you - that way you didn't have to admit to him that you loved him. And, you didn't have to try and explain what it is you do for money." Mack said.

Nick looked at Mack in shock. It was almost like the ghostly Mack was reading his mind! Those had been exactly Nick's thoughts and feelings after he pulled himself together following those two days he spent locked in his room.

"So you're gonna try and save me?!" Nick said sarcastically, giving Mack an insolent grin.

"Oh, no! Not me, Dude! I ain't got high enough rank for that! No, I'm just here as kind of an announcer. I'm here to tell you that you're gonna be visited by three other of the Big Spirits. They're gonna visit you and help you change your ways. And I'd really suggest you do because you don't want to end up where I am!" the ghostly Mack said, very sincerely.

"Yeah, right! I ain't going to shoot dope in my veins! No matter what!" Nick insisted.

"Lemme see if I can explain this the way they explained it to me." Mack said. "We got this thing called 'free will'. We make decisions. All of those decisions change what's going to happen in the future. So if you make certain decisions, the futures a good one. If not, the future is real shit! Trust me! I know!" Mack said.

"Okay. Let me get this straight. These three Spirits are going to help me learn how to make good decisions? How are they going to do that?" Nick snorted.

"No, Dude! It ain't something that happens in your head. This is about changing your heart. That's something you always had a lot of, even if you wouldn't admit it and tried to cover it up. I can see it now. I just wish I'd been able to then." Mack said sadly.

Nick didn't know what to say to that!

"Look, Dude. I gotta go. I won't be seeing you again. I just want to say one thing before I leave. I always loved you, Dude. You were good to me. You were the only one in my whole life who was. I just wanted to say 'thanks' for that." Mack said.

And before Nick could reply, Mack's spirit faded from sight.

Nick sat there for a few moments, shaking his head. He didn't know what the fuck had just happened. Finally, he figured it had to have been an hallucination caused by too much booze. He lay down and quickly was out again.

Chapter Two - The First of Three Spirits

"Nick! Wake up! Times a wasting!" the voice said.

Nick slowly opened his eyes. Then blinked twice, trying to clear away what had to be an hallucination! Standing beside his bed was a little man dressed in a three piece suit of Kelly green with a yellow plaid vest and a yellow neck scarf holding a brown derby in his hand. The little man was rotund, just about as wide as he was tall and practically bald. But his face was practically lit up with a grin that gave his eyes a twinkle.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Nick exclaimed, wondering how his bedroom had suddenly become fucking Grand Central Station!

"I believe your friend Mack told you of my arrival? I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. I'm here to take you on the first part of your journey." the little man said.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Nick groaned, swearing to himself he would NEVER get drunk on rotgut whiskey on an empty stomach again.

"No, my boy! Not at all. Now, come on. We don't have much time. Just take my hand...ohh! Do you have a coat to wear? It's going to be cold where we're going." the little man said.

"Yeah." Nick answered rising up off the bed.

"Well, go and get it. I wouldn't want you catching cold!" he laughed.

Nick grabbed his black leather motorcycle jacket from the floor where he'd evidently thrown it last night when he came home and pulled it on. The little man put on his derby and wrapped his neck scarf around his neck. He then grabbed Nick's hand and, before Nick had a chance to say anything, they were standing in deep snow outside a large, expensive home. Nick gasped.

"I see you recognize this place." the little man said.

"Yeah! Bobby Greenleaf's house." Nick said.

Bobby and Nick had gone to the same high school, though they didn't travel in the same circles. Bobby was a rich kid and Nick was 'from the wrong side of the tracks'. But what nobody knew was that Nick and Bobby were friends. Actually, more than friends. Nick and Bobby were lovers. They had secretly lost their virginity to each other and had been making love to each other all through high school.

Nick and Bobby had met in Phys Ed their freshman year. Nick, who had realized a couple of years before that he was attracted to guys, not girls, had seen Bobby as they all stripped for showers after class. It was all Nick could do to keep his already large cock from boning at the sight. Bobby was just Nick's type. Blond, blue-eyed and diminutive. A nice slender body about four or five inches shorter than Nick. What Nick didn't realize that first day was that Bobby had caught Nick checking him out because Bobby was checking out Nick. And Bobby certainly liked what he saw! Bobby had just begun to realize that he really like other boys and Nick was just the kind of boy that Bobby liked. However, Nick had a reputation as a 'bad-boy' that somewhat scared Bobby.

It was during the first home football game that Bobby actually had a chance to meet Nick. Bobby was on his way to the bathroom when he saw Nick under one of the bleachers, all alone, sneaking a cigarette. Bobby changed his direction and snuck under the bleachers to where Nick was. Nick saw Bobby coming and was a little nervous! Sure, he wanted to get into the kid's pants but what was the little rich kid looking for?

"Hi." Bobby said upon reaching Nick.

"Hey. What do you want?" Nick said suspiciously.

"Could you spare a cigarette?" Bobby asked.

Bobby didn't smoke but it was the first thing he could think of to say. Eying Bobby suspiciously, Nick fished out the pack of Marlboro and handed one to Bobby. Nick then took his disposable lighter and lit it for him. Bobby drew in a puff of smoke and immediately started coughing his head off! Nick smiled knowingly at the distressed boy.

"Okay. What do you really want?" Nick said.

Bobby looked up at Nick sheepishly, looking somewhat 'green around the gills' from the harsh tobacco.

"I just wanted to meet you." he said, and turned to go.

Nick's large hand came down on Bobby's shoulder, holding him where he was.

"So, where you going?" Nick asked. "You wanted to meet me? Okay. So now that we've met, now what?"

Bobby turned and looked at Nick. He really didn't know 'what'. His mind hadn't thought that far.

"Or did you just want to see what somebody poor looked like?" Nick said sarcastically.

"No! It's nothing like that!" Bobby swore. "I...I...I wanted to get to know you. I thought maybe we could be friends."

"Friends? You and me?" Nick asked derisively. "Why would you want to be friends with me?"

Bobby summoned up all his courage and looked Nick right in the eyes.

"Because I think that you're really a nice guy. You walk about school with this 'bad-ass' attitude but I think it's just covering up that you're really nice so that nobody will take advantage of you!" Bobby blurted out.

Nick stood there looking at Bobby, the shock he felt showing on his face. How did this kid figure him out so easily? Every fucking word the kid had said was true!

"Are your parents home tonight?" Nick asked Bobby.

"No. They're gone all weekend." Bobby grinned.

"Okay. Let's go to your house. Now." Nick said.

"But the games not over." Bobby smiled.

"The games are just beginning." Nick said.

It had taken maybe an hour for Bobby to end up in Nick's arms, his mouth crushed by Nick's in a passionate kiss and maybe another half an hour more for the two of them to end up naked in Bobby's bed. While Nick had some rudimentary ideas of things he would like to do with Bobby, Bobby actually had some gay porn from which the two boys learned a great deal! Within weeks they were both very accomplished at oral sex - especially mutual oral sex.

No one knew about their friendship, however. From the very first night, they had mutually decided that it was nobody's business and it was better all the way around if nobody knew that they were gay. After all, being an openly gay male in high school was potentially very hazardous to your health! Their love was easy to hide from Bobby's parents. He was an only child and they were rather absentee parents basically giving Bobby almost anything he wanted except their presence and their concern. The love that Bobby so desperately needed he found in Nick's arms. Just as Nick found the love he needed in Bobby.

Unfortunately, like most males - especially teenage males - while Bobby and Nick were very accomplished at sending each other into the stratosphere sexually, they had little time or inclination for serious, intimate sharing with each other. So it came as a complete shock to Nick when, about a month before they graduated, Bobby announced that he was heading for California to attend Stanford University.

"You're what?!" Nick shouted.

"I'm going to Stanford. I've been accepted and my parents are sending me." Bobby said.

"What about us?!" Nick growled.

"What about us? You can come along." Bobby said.

"And do fucking what?!" Nick demanded.

"Well, you could get a job or something..." Bobby's voice trailed off as he realized that there really was nothing for Nick in California.

Bobby had done his planning basically without Nick in mind at all. For the first time, Nick began to realize how really spoiled and self-centered this boy he loved really was. Nick stormed out of Bobby's house that day and never spoke to him again.

"Do you remember this Christmas?" the little man asked Nick.

Nick looked at Bobby's house. Yes, he remembered this Christmas. It was the Christmas of their sophomore year. Bobby and Nick were both turning sixteen and Bobby had promised Nick a very special Christmas. It had indeed turned out to be one!

Bobby had invited Nick to his family's Christmas party and to spend the night after. Nick expected that they would have sex as usual. When they stripped each other naked and then slipped into bed, Bobby was more passionate and emotional then Nick had ever known him to be - except for maybe their first night in this bed. Nick started to suck Bobby's cock but Bobby soon pushed him away, saying he didn't want to get off. Nick looked at him funny but decided that perhaps Bobby wanted them to get off together.

Bobby then went down on Nick, wrapping his warm, wet mouth around Nick's huge, thick cock. But before Nick even came close to cumming, Bobby stopped and moved back up the bed, lying once more in Nick's arms and kissing him passionately. Nick was completely confused about what was going on, especially when Bobby reached under a pillow and pulled out what looked like a tube of toothpaste! Bobby handed it to him.

"What's this?" Nick asked.

"Lube." Bobby smiled.

"What for?" Nick asked, confused.

"I want you to fuck me." Bobby said softly.

"You're kidding! You can't be serious!" Nick exclaimed.

"Why not?" Bobby asked.

"Because I'll fucking hurt you! If you haven't noticed I'm pretty big! Remember when I tried to put my finger up you and you screamed? Well, my cock is a lot bigger than my finger!" Nick insisted.

"I know that!" Bobby giggled. "But I've been practicing."

"Practicing?! Who with?!" Nick flared at Bobby.

"Not 'who', but 'what'." Bobby smiled.

Bobby reached back under the pillow and drew out a large, rubber dildo.

"I figure this is about as big as you are." Bobby smiled.

Nick stared at the dildo in shock!

"You can take THAT!?" Nick asked.

"Yep! It took a while but I learned how." Bobby smiled. "I wanted to give you a special Christmas present. I wanted to give you all of me."

Nick didn't know what to say at that point. He'd dreamed of fucking Bobby but never thought it would happen - especially after the disastrous 'finger' incident. Since then, the only thing that Nick had done with Bobby's ass was occasionally lick and nibble at the cheeks when he was licking all over Bobby's body.

"If you lube me up and we use this first, it won't hurt me at all when you fuck me." Bobby said, laying back and pulling his legs back with his hands behind his knees.

Nick looked down between Bobby's legs and saw his cleft and his impossibly tiny, rose-colored hole. Nick lay down on his stomach, getting his face close to Bobby's butt. In one of the films that Bobby had gotten for them to watch in order to learn how to make love to each other, there had been a scene in which one of the guys licked the other one's ass. This scene had seared itself into Nick's memory! It was something that Nick wanted to do to Bobby but had never had the nerve. He'd caught the musky scent of Bobby's ass on many occasions as they 69'd and it drove him crazy! Now, with his nose this close, he could smell the musk and sweat of Bobby's butt and he couldn't resist finally fulfilling his fantasy. He pushed his face forward and slowly ran his tongue through Bobby's cleft.

"Oh fuck! Yeah! Nick! Yes! Do that! I've wanted you to for so long!" Bobby moaned.

With permission, Nick went at eating Bobby's ass like a hungry animal! He finally locked his lips around Bobby's hole and began pushing his tongue against it. Slowly, Bobby's muscles relaxed and Nick's tongue slowly slid inside his lover's body for the first time. The feeling was incredible, knowing that their body's were now joined in a new and very intimate way. The taste was dark and musky and it drove Nick insane! He began fucking his tongue in and out of Bobby's hole, knowing that soon his cock would be doing it for real.

Finally, Nick couldn't wait any longer. He rose up and began lubing up Bobby's hole with the tube of lube. He found his fingers sliding easily inside of Bobby with Bobby moaning in ecstasy, unlike the first time that Nick had tried to slip one of his fingers inside of Bobby and had him all but screaming in pain. Soon Nick had surprised himself by working three fingers up inside of Bobby with little or no effort. 'Bobby wasn't lying! He's really been practicing with that thing!' Nick thought to himself.

"I think we should switch to the dildo." Bobby said quietly.

Nick grabbed it and added lube to it and then put the head of the rubber toy at the entrance to Bobby's body.

"Just push it in slowly." Bobby said, laying back and concentrating on relaxing his muscles.

Nick pushed the dildo against Bobby's hole. At first, nothing happened, and then it began slowly sliding inside. Bobby grunted and then the dildo slid totally inside him. Nick watched amazed as it disappeared up inside his young lover. He was turned on to the point that his hardon was hurting, knowing that soon his cock would be going where the dildo now was.

"Work it in and out slowly. Get me loosened up." Bobby said.

Nick did as instructed and soon the dildo was sliding easily in and out of Bobby.

"It's time." Bobby said softly.

Nick gently pulled the dildo from his butt and then lubed up his cock. Then he stopped.

"I don't have a condom!" he said, the misery and disappointment showing in his voice.

Bobby looked at him and grinned.

"Why would you need one. I can't get pregnant." Bobby smiled.

"But...what about...you know..." Nick said, remembering all the 'Sex Ed' classes and the warnings about sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS.

"Have you ever had sex with anybody but me?" Bobby asked.

"No! You know that!" Nick said.

"And I haven't. We can't be infected with anything." Bobby said.

"Oh, yeah! Right!" Nick grinned and placed his cock at the opening to Bobby's ass and put Bobby's legs over his shoulders.

"Just take it slow and easy." Bobby said.

Nick followed Bobby's directions as he felt his cock sinking into the hot, wetness of Bobby's body. 'Fuck! Nothing's ever felt this GOOD before! Not in my whole life!' Nick thought to himself. Bobby groaned and Nick stopped all movement, afraid that he'd hurt him. But Bobby's groan was one of pleasure, not pain, and he grabbed hold of Nick's hips and pulled him further inside him until Nick's groin bumped into his opening and Nick's cock was completely inside him.

"Fuck! That feels so good!" Bobby moaned.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" Nick muttered under his breath - what there was left of it!

"Fuck me!" Bobby begged Nick.

He didn't need to beg. That was all Nick was waiting for was some indication of what he was to do. Nick began backing his cock from the tight hole and then slowly shoving forward again. Nick groaned in ecstacy at the first thrust and felt like he was going to lose his load before he ever got started! He'd never felt anything around his cock that felt like the inside of Bobby's ass! Hot, wet, tight and clinging to his cock like the fingers of a glove.

Nick continued to slowly fuck Bobby until he started crying out demands for Nick to go faster, to fuck him harder! Nick was only too happy to comply. He speeded up, slamming his cock in and out of Bobby's wet hole, loving the soft friction from the tight ring of Bobby's opening around his cock. He could also feel his cock head and shaft rubbing up against something in Bobby's ass. Nick didn't know what it was, but it was getting bigger and the harder he rubbed up against it with his cock, the more Bobby moaned and the harder Bobby's cock seemed to get. Bobby hadn't even touched his cock and the cock-honey was pooling beneath it like a lake!

Suddenly, Bobby started crying out that he was going to cum! Nick couldn't believe it! Neither of them had touched his cock! But Nick felt Bobby's ass begin to squeeze his cock tightly and all of a sudden, Bobby's cock started spewing cum all over Bobby's face, neck , chest and abs! That was all it took to send Nick over the edge as well and he shot volley after volley of his young, teenage spoonge into Bobby's hot, tight ass.

When he couldn't cum anymore, Nick collapsed on top of Bobby. The two sweaty boys held each other, kissing gently.

"God! I love you so much!" Nick swore to Bobby.

"And I love you!" Bobby swore to Nick.

"But it was all a lie!" Nick growled to the little man. "He didn't love me! He just dumped me and went off to California! Not even a thought of me!"

"It has been my experience that people do actually, for the most part, say what they mean. At least at the time that they say it. But times change and so do meanings. It is not that humans are not honest so much as they are not consistent." the little man said.

"So you're saying he loved me?" Nick snorted derisively.

"Take my hand. I'll show you." the little man said.

And in the twinkling of an eye, Nick and the little man were standing beside the bed where the young Nick and young Bobby lay in the aftermath of their first love-making. Nick stared at his younger self in amazement! He also stared at the young Bobby with a deep longing in his heart.

"Don't they look like they love each other?" the little man said.

Nick jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Don't worry. They can't see or hear us." the little man said.

Nick looked again at his younger self and his first love.

"Yeah. I guess they do. But then why did he leave me?" Nick asked.

"That I can't answer. But, perhaps, as much as these two loved each other, maybe that love wasn't meant to be the only love that they would have. Maybe they were too young to sustain the love. Could that be possible?" the little man asked.

"Yeah. I guess it could." Nick answered reluctantly.

"The true question is not how long the love lasts but how good the love is while it's lasting. We are never guaranteed a tomorrow. All we have is today. If love brings happiness for just one day, isn't it worth it?" the little man asked.

Nick looked at him thoughtfully. 'The little guy just could have a point there!' Nick thought to himself.

"You sure they can't see or hear us?" Nick asked.

"Quite sure." the little man assured him.

With that, Nick leaned over and gently kissed the forehead of the sleeping Bobby who was laying there wrapped in the younger Nick's arms.

"Time to go." the little man said, putting his hand on Nick's arm.

Again, in a flash, they were once again standing in Nick's bedroom.

"So, did you learn anything?" the little man asked him.

"Yeah. I guess so. I think I learned that even if it doesn't last, love is worth the effort. Or something like that." Nick said.

"Or something like that." the little man smiled.

Nick lay back down on the bed and, within moments was lost to the world again.

Chapter Three - The Second of the Three Spirits

"Human! Wake up!" the booming voice seemed to fill Nick's bedroom.

Nick raised one eyelid and then raised the other to try and make sense of what he was seeing standing in front of him. The last 'spirit' had been a short little guy. This guy, if that's what he was, was enormous! Towering over Nick, at least six and a half feet tall with broad shoulders and a huge, barrel chest. But it wasn't the height that was so startling as it was the attire!

The man stood there with a long, red velvet coat trimmed at the neck, cuffs and edges of the long opening in what appeared to be real ermine. He wore knee high black boots that shone with the gleam of patent leather. He wore a red velvet shirt and pants and sitting on his head of salt-and- pepper curly hair was a wreath of what appeared to be holly with small, white candles glowing alight! All in all, it was quite a package!

"Come with me!" the voice boomed again.

'A real control freak, this one!' Nick thought to himself as he followed the huge man from his bedroom to what had been the living room of his one bedroom apartment.

However, the room now looked at least five times the size that Nick knew it to be and the walls were covered in what looked like drapes of gold lame! There were five - no, make that six - huge Christmas trees in the room dripping with ornaments and lights and in the center of the room was a raised platform covered with red carpeting and a large, throne-like chair of red velvet and gold sitting in the middle of it! It looked like the kind of chairs that department store Santas sat in with children climbing into their laps, only much more ornate.

The huge 'spirit' stood beside the platform and looked at Nick.

"Are you ready to go, human? We have much to do and little time to do it." the 'spirit' spoke, not quite so loudly this time but still the voice was booming.

Nick, having learned from the last venture, had grabbed his leather jacket as he had followed the 'spirit', so he was ready to go.

"Yes, I'm ready." said Nick. "But who are you?"

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present." the booming voice informed Nick.

"Oh, okay." Nick said. "I just wondered."

Nick couldn't believe all of this! It was the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him in his life! He was still half convinced that this was all hallucinations caused by all of the booze he'd had that night. Nick swore to himself that he would NEVER take another drink of alcohol as long as he lived! Shit! He might even start going to AA meetings if things were this bad!

"Take hold of my coat!" the booming voice commanded and Nick complied.

In no more than the flap of a hummingbird's wing, the 'spirit' and Nick stood in the midst of an empty restaurant which was evidently preparing for some kind of holiday party.

"No one can see or hear us, human. Do you recognize where you are?" the 'spirit' asked.

"Yes. I know where I am." Nick said miserably.

It was someplace Nick didn't want to be. Someplace he'd sworn to himself he'd never go again. Tim's Caf^Â. At that moment, Tim came from the kitchen carrying a tray of glasses and Nick's gut clenched at the sight of him. Nick's mind rebelled at the thought of being in this place. What was he supposed to learn here! That love sucked?! That anyone you loved shit on you like Bobby and Tim had done to him?!

"I don't want to be here." Nick said tersely through gritted teeth.

"Calm yourself, human. There is much here for you to learn. All is not as it seems to you. Pay close attention." the 'spirit' said.

Nick watched as Tim and his staff covered the tables with white linen table clothes and then set the tables with sparkling china, silverware and glasses. They set place cards on each table with the names of those who would dine there. By pushing some of the tables together, they created a long table for about fifteen or twenty people at one end of the restaurant. 'Must be a big party' Nick thought to himself.

Despite his discomfort at being in the caf^Â again and being so close to Tim, Nick felt at least some satisfaction that evidently business was going well for Tim. Nick really did hope that the caf^Â was a success for him - not just because of the money that he'd borrowed from his family to start it but because, deep down inside, under his hurt, Nick did really care about Tim and wanted him to be happy. Nick just wished that Tim had been able to find happiness that included him.

Finally, the room was done with white candles gleaming on every table and the smells coming from the kitchen were absolutely heavenly! Nick thought ruefully to himself that besides missing Tim, he had to admit he also, very selfishly, missed Tim's food. People began arriving, knocking on the door of the restaurant which was evidently locked because Tim went and unlocked the door and ushered in each arriving guest. Evidently, this was a party by invitation only. 'Well, just think! This is the only way I would have made it! No invitation for me.' Nick thought to himself.

Finally a large group of people, some older, some children, some around Tim and Nick's age arrived together. Nick surmised correctly that this was the party for the large table. But Nick noticed something else. Tim hugged and kissed almost everyone in the large party before showing them to their seats. He thought he heard one of the children call him 'Uncle Tim'. It dawned on Nick that this must be part of Tim's family - the family that had lent him the money to start the caf^Â. Nick hoped that they could see all of the hard work that Tim had put into it! He hoped they realized how hard Tim worked to make a success of the place. He knew they wouldn't see what Tim had to sacrifice. 'Or maybe it wasn't such a sacrifice.' Nick thought to himself.

Throughout the meal, Tim and his staff ran themselves ragged getting food and drink for everyone. There were several toasts offered by his family to his success. But as Nick watched the evening progress, he noticed a small table for two, out of the way, that no one sat at. He'd seen Tim pass it several times and stop, giving the table a look of...what?..disappointment? Nick made his way over to the table to look at the place card that sat on it. Nick was profoundly shocked when he saw the name "Nick" hand-lettered on the place card!

Why did Tim expect him to be there? How did Tim expect him to be there! There had been no invitation! Tim didn't even know where Nick lived to send it! It made no sense to Nick at all!

Later Nick watched as Tim went over to the table where his family sat. Near the end of the table, an older couple sat who Tim went to talk to. Nick figured this must be Tim's parents and wandered over to listen to what they were saying to each other. While it made Nick uncomfortable to eavesdrop, since they could neither see nor hear him and he'd evidently been brought here for this reason, Nick did it anyway.

"You seem to have made a real success of this place, son." Tim's father said.

"Yes, Timmy! The place is beautiful and the food is so wonderful!" his mother cooed, but Nick had to smile at the wince he saw cross Tim's face when she called him 'Timmy'.

"Yes, things are going well." Tim said.

"The only thing we worry about is your working too hard!" Tim's mother said. "You spend too many hours here. You need a life outside this place, you know."

"I can't afford that right now, Mom!" Tim insisted.

"Look, son, if it's the money, you know that we don't need it right now." his Dad said.

"Dad! I only wish that were true! You and mom don't have that much and your retirement doesn't cover everything! If there had been any other way, I never would have let you lend me the money to begin with! You've both worked too long and too hard in your lives. You're the ones who need to take it easy now. And I'm going to make sure you have the money to do that if it's the last thing I ever do!" Tim insisted.

"But, Tim, what about your own life? Your own happiness? Your mother and I don't want to see you alone. You need to find someone to love and who loves you." his Dad said.

"Yeah? And just look what happened the last time I did that! No. The last thing I need is to be distracted by a relationship." Tim insisted.

"Relationships are not always a 'distraction', Tim." his Dad said. "Why, I could never have made it through these years without your mother's love and support. That's what a relationship is all about, Tim."

"Look, Dad. I understand what you're trying to say. I just don't happen to agree. Maybe when things are on an even keel and I can pay you back the money I owe you, maybe then I'll have the time to have a relationship. But, like I said, with my track record, I'm not so sure it's a good idea at all." Tim said and then moved away to help one of his servers at another table.

"The Boy's parents regret having given hm the money because now he feels totally beholden to them. They would prefer to see him happy and in love than successful but the Boy doesn't understand that. He sees only the obligation. He so full of fear that he will disappoint his parents or, worse, lose all of the money they have invested in him." the 'spirit' explained.

"He's a fool!" Nick fumed. "Anyone can make money! There's nothing hard about it. But loving someone, finding someone to love - that's hard!"

"You care very deeply about him, don't you, human?" the 'spirit' said. "That is good."

Nick looked up at the 'spirit' in shock. Did he really care all that much for Tim? Yes, he guessed he must because only someone you truly care about can hurt you as deeply as Tim hurt him.

Finally the party came to an end and the guests started to leave. Nick kept looking over at the 'spirit' expecting him to say something or for them to leave as well. Nick was thoroughly confused by that point. What was it he was supposed to have learned here? So there was a party. So Tim appeared to be successful. So Tim had somehow expected Nick to be there (though this still made no sense to Nick). What was there to learn from any of it!

Nick was frustrated and fuming by the time that Tim ushered out the last of his staff, locked the door, turned off the lights and sat down at the little table that held the place card with Nick's name on it. Tim picked up the place card and seemed to read Nick's name over and over again until finally, Tim lay his arm on the table and his head on his arm and began sobbing. Nick watched as Tim's shoulders shook with the heavy sobs which emanated from him. Through the sobs, Nick could hear Tim saying something over and over again. Finally, he recognized what it was that Tim was saying. It was his name, "Nick", over and over and over again.

Nick didn't know what to do, what to feel at that point. Tim evidently was as hurt at what had happened between them as Nick had been. 'But it was HIS fault!' Nick thought to himself. 'He was the one who sent me away!'. But just as quickly, his dead friend Mack's words came back to him -

"Sounds like you've got a guilty conscience, Dude. Maybe you didn't do everything you could? Maybe you didn't try hard enough. Maybe you were just as glad he did dump you - that way you didn't have to admit to him that you loved him. And, you didn't have to try and explain what it is you do for money." Mack had said.

Nick hung his head at the thought. There was way more truth in what Mack had said than Nick was willing to admit to anyone.

Finally, Tim pulled himself together, put on his coat and moved toward the door of the caf^Â. The 'spirit' followed him and Nick followed the 'spirit', wondering where they were going. Before the could reach the door, however, Tim had already closed and locked it. This didn't seem to bother the 'spirit' at all. He simply took hold of Nick's coat and, pulling Nick along with him, walked through the closed door! Nick found himself on the outside without any idea of how they had made it through the door!

He had not time to think about it, however, because the 'spirit' continued to follow Tim. It was after a couple of blocks that Nick noticed which way they were going but was sure that he was wrong! Tim couldn't be headed where Nick at first thought he was. Tim didn't know the way!

But soon Nick realized he was wrong. Tim evidently somehow DID know the way for soon they caught up to him as he stood in front of the dry cleaners and was looking up at the darkened windows of Nick's apartment.

'How does he know where I live?' Nick asked himself. 'I never told him!'

"If you want something badly enough, you find a way." the 'spirit' said to Nick, obviously able to read Nick's mind.

Tim stood there, shivering in his light coat, continuing to stare at Nick's apartment's windows. Then he finally walked over to the street door, behind which was a flight of stairs that led to the apartments on the second and third floors. Tim reached out his hand to press the bell for Nick's apartment but his hand stopped a few inches away from the button. He stood there as if arguing with himself and then finally put his hand down. Tim turned and began walking back the way they had come - towards the caf^Â.

Nick wondered if they would follow him again but, instead, the 'spirit' took hold of Nick's arm again and he suddenly found himself in his bedroom once more, all alone. He looked around and didn't see the 'spirit' anywhere and, when he opened the bedroom door and looked out, he found his living room was back to 'normal'. No gold drapes, no throne. Just the shabby, thrift-store furniture that Nick had bought for next to nothing. Nick was not one to waste money on 'creature comforts'. He had a large amount of savings from his 'work', savings that he intended to use to get him out of the life of an 'escort' when he became too old to attract customers - a time Nick knew was rapidly coming.

Nick walked back into the bedroom, lay down on the bed, still fully dressed and waited for the last of the 'spirits' that Mack had told him would arrive.

Chapter Four - The Last of the Spirits

Nick had no idea how long he waited because he evidently fell asleep. He was awoken by a sound like a howling wind but the sound was in his bedroom. He awoke to find a creature of indeterminate sex or age. In fact, Nick had no idea if this 'spirit' was human or not because all he could see was a long black cloak and hood and a silver mask. Even the hands and arms were covered with long black gloves.

The black figure beckoned to Nick, who rose from the bed.

"I take it that you are the Ghost of Christmas Future." Nick said and the figure gave him a slight nod of its head.

"You're the last of the 'spirits' that I'm to be visited by?" Nick asked.

Again the figure in black nodded its head in Nick's direction.

"Look, do we really need to go through this? I get it! Okay? I get it. You can't give up. You've got to keep on trying to find love because that's all there really is." Nick insisted.

The figure just stood there, giving no reaction, just staring - or appearing to stare - at Nick. Nick and the figure stood there for what Nick felt were hours but was probably about a minute, staring at each other. Finally, the figure reached out it's black gloved hand. Nick, with a resigned sigh, took it.

Immediately, as with the other times, they were instantly transported to their destination. It was a hospital room and when Nick approached the bed, at first, he didn't recognize who was in it. The face was thin and gaunt, most of the hair gone, as if the person had been ill a long time. Then, in shock, Nick realized who it was lying in the bed. He was looking at himself! He was about to ask the 'spirit' about what was going on when two nurses came in the room. The approached the bed and took readings from the machines surrounding the 'Patient Nick's' body and wrote them in a medical chart.

"Such a shame." one of the nurses said to the other.

"What do you mean?" the second nurse replied.

"Well, he's so young to be dying like this. And all alone as well. There hasn't been one visitor the whole time he's been here." the first said.

"Considering what he's dying of, I rather imagine that's not all that strange." the second said.

"They say he used to be a very good looking young man." the first stated.

"I heard that he sold his body for money. Well, look what it's gotten him!" the second said with scorn.

"Still, it's a shame." the first replied, gently patting the 'Patient Nick's' arm.

The two left the room after that. Nick stood there, his head hanging in shame. What had happened to him? He'd always been so careful about not becoming infected with anything. 'But forewarned is forearmed!' Nick thought to himself. If this was a future Christmas, he didn't have to end up like this. As his friend Mack had told him, decisions made the future and decisions could change the future.

It was at this point that the gloved hand of the 'spirit' touched his arm and they were once again transported to another destination. This time, Nick had no idea where he was. It was a storefront, but an empty one. Then he saw a sign on the door saying the storefront was for rent. As Nick and the 'spirit' stood there, two men came to the door and one unlocked it. They entered and the one of the men began to look about the place.

"Well, it seems like a good location, Frank. What do you think?" he said.

"Yes, it is that, Tom. I wonder why it's available?" the one called Frank asked.

"Don't you know? Didn't the realtor tell you?" Tom said.

"No. He didn't. Did he tell you?" Frank asked.

"Yes. But I asked him. Seems that the guy who had the place before had this really popular caf^Â but he got ill and ended up going bankrupt. The realtor said he literally almost worked himself to death! Well, it seems that the people he owed were family and, when he went under, he evidently couldn't face them so...well...he killed himself." Tom said.

"No! You're kidding!" Frank asked in amazement.

"That's what the realtor told me! Took a gun, put it in his mouth and blew his brains out! Young guy, too! Such a shame." Tom said.

"Well, I hate to say it but his loss is our gain! I think this place is perfect. Let's call the realtor tomorrow and let him know we'll take it." Frank said.

"Already did that, partner! That's how I got the keys. Gave him a check yesterday." Tom said.

Frank laughed.

"Always one step ahead of me!" Frank said as the two business partners left and re-locked the door.

Nick stood there aghast. Now he recognized the place! It was Tim's caf^Â! Tim! He'd killed himself! But first he'd worked himself half to death until he fell ill and couldn't keep the caf^Â running! Nick stood there shaking his head in horror. Nick hardly noticed when the 'spirit' took his arm and Nick found himself standing next to his own bed once again.

This time, Nick lay down across the bed and began crying - something he hadn't done since he was a little kid. Crying for Tim. Crying for himself. Crying until he cried himself to sleep once again.

Chapter Five - The End of It

Light from the bedroom window blazed into Nick's eyes as he sleepily lifted his head from the pillow. He was still dressed in the clothes he had worn last night and his mouth felt like a foreign army had been marching through it. Additionally, his bladder and his head were reminding him that he'd had WAY too much to drink last night.

He got up, stumbled to the bathroom, pissed and then downed two ibuprofen, praying that his head would stop throbbing. He then went into the small kitchen and opened the freezer to retrieve the can of Blue Mountain coffee, his one luxury. He fixed a pot of the potent brew and waited only long enough for the first couple of cups to cascade into the glass carafe before pulling it out, stopping the brewing process long enough to pour some in a mug before replacing the carafe and beginning the process again.

He drank deeply of the rich, heavy java as he tried to focus on what happened last night and to try and formulate a plan of what he could do to change the horrible future he'd seen. One thing was clear to him, he'd let Tim get away much to easily! And, if the experiences of last night could be believed, Tim hadn't wanted to get a way as much as it had appeared.

There was one thing that really bothered Nick, however. When he had been at the cafe with the Ghost of Christmas Present, he'd seen a place card with his name on it. But there had been no invitation from Tim to attend the dinner. Or had there been? Until last night, when Nick had watched Tim walk to his apartment and almost ring the bell, he had no idea that Tim knew where he lived. He was still wondering how Tim had found that information! Nick was very secretive about his location as anyone in his business had to be. He never allowed any of his 'clients' to know where he lived.

Nick decided that this was one question he had to answer, otherwise he would have to believe that the previous night had been nothing more than alcoholic hallucinations. Coffee cup in hand, he bounded down the stairs to the mailboxes for his apartment building. There was almost never anything for Nick, mostly mail addressed to 'Occupant'. Nick's only 'real' mail were the phone and electric bills and his bank statements that came each month. There were no other bills. He had no credit cards and spent very little of what he made. Nick was smart enough to know that the life-span of popularity of someone in his profession was extremely short. Nick had wanted, from the very beginning to get as much from it as he could and then get the hell out.

Arriving at his mailbox, Nick looked through the slot. He could see a lone envelop inside. When he took his key and opened the box, he noticed that all it had on the outside was his name, "Nick", with no return address and no postage - meaning it had been dropped off by hand. Nick tore open the cream white envelop and there was a hand printed invitation to dinner last evening at the cafe. Since he got so little mail, Nick was not in the habit of checking his mailbox. Usually he did so only once a week or so. There was no telling how long the envelop had been there as Nick couldn't remember when he'd last checked his box, though he was sure it had been the previous week.

With this 'proof' in hand, he bounded back up the stairs, convinced now, in his own mind, that last night had been real and not an hallucination. Nick didn't have the time nor the inclination to question how or why last night had happened, he was only grateful that somehow he'd been given the chance to change how things were happening in his life. A smile lit his face as he stepped into the shower, taking time to brush his teeth and shave. No matter what happened, he was going to find Tim and he was going to make things right between them! And, by 'right', Nick knew within himself this meant that he was going to push past all of Tim's objections until Tim agreed to at least take a chance on a relationship, for Nick knew now that this is what they both wanted and, more importantly, needed.

Nick also had a few surprises for Tim. One, of course, couldn't be avoided. He was going to have to tell Tim the truth about who and what he was. That was necessary, not only because they needed to have complete honesty between them if any relationship was going to work but because Nick's second surprise would be hard to explain otherwise.

However, there was one 'fly in the ointment'. The scene that Nick found the most shocking - his own dying self lying in a hospital bed. He knew too clearly what it was he had been dying of, but when had he been infected? Was it in the future - or in the past? He had to find out, otherwise he couldn't offer himself to Tim as fully as he wished. Nick was sure that he had not done anything to put himself at risk knowingly. He'd always practiced safer sex with his clients, no matter how much money they offered for anything dangerous. Could it be that he had unknowingly fucked up somehow? It didn't seem likely, but he had to be sure!

Nick knew that there was a free clinic two blocks over that did HIV testing. He doubted that they would be open on Christmas, but it was possible. Stranger things had happened! WAY stranger! Nick hurried and dressed and practically ran there.

As if the miracles had not ceased, Nick saw a young woman unlocking the door to the clinic as he hurried towards it. She looked up at him as she unlocked the door.

"I'm sorry. We're not open today. I just stopped by to get some paperwork. We'll be open on Monday morning." she said.

"Look, I can't explain this but I really need to be tested for HIV. I need to know today. I'll do anything! It's very, very important." Nick said.

The woman stared at him as if he was out of his mind and, indeed, Nick somewhat felt like he was too. Or, he at least understood how someone would think that he was. He did the only thing he could think of to do. He smiled at the woman. Now, Nick had always been told that his smile could melt the coldest heart. He only hoped that it worked this time!

The woman started to say something and then seemed to think better of it. She finally looked at Nick.

"Look, we've got 'OraQuick'. It will only take about ten or fifteen minutes. Now, the results are not completely conclusive but if it says you're negative, there's about a 99% certainty that you are." she said.

"I think I am, but I really need to make sure." Nick said.

"Well, if you've had unsafe sex within the last six months, you could still be positive and the test not show it." she said.

"No, it would have been much longer than that, if at all. Please, can you give me the test?" Nick asked.

"Okay. Come on inside." the woman said, opening the door for Nick.

She took him into what appeared to be a small examining room. Nick, who had dressed in a long sleeve black turtleneck, black jeans and his leather jacket, started rolling up his sleeve.

"No, you don't need to do that. It isn't a blood test. It's an oral swab." the woman said, taking what seemed like a large 'Q-tip' and swabbing the inside of one of Nick's cheeks. She then placed the swab inside of what seemed to be a narrow test-tube and closed a cover over it. "Okay, we'll wait fifteen minutes. Why don't you have a seat out in the waiting room and I'll go get the papers that I came for."

Nick sat down in the small waiting room, glancing at the old magazines on the table. Not a one of them was less than two years old. It was clear that the small clinic operated on very few funds. Nick promised himself that if this test proved negative, as he prayed he would, then that would change. Nick would see to it!

It was, without doubt, the longest fifteen minutes of Nick's life. All he could do was sit there and...well...pray. Not that Nick had ever done much praying in his life. But he'd heard that prayer was nothing but 'talking' to God. That you didn't need special words. That was good, because Nick didn't know any.

'Look, I know I probably don't have any right to ask this' Nick spoke in his own head. 'I mean, after last night, you could probably figure you'd done enough for me for one lifetime. But if you could just please let this test be negative! Please let me have a chance to change and live a different life!'

Finally, the woman came back and went into the examining room. She spent a few minutes in there and then came out, holding the container that Nick's swab had gone into.

"Well, you were right. You're negative." she said.

"Are you sure?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Like I told you, if it's been more than six months since you last had unprotected sex, then there's at least a 99% accuracy rate to the test." she informed him.

Nick leaped up and hugged the shocked healthcare worker. Then grinning, Nick pulled out his wallet. From a pocket within the wallet, Nick withdrew five folded one hundred dollar bills and handed them to the woman.

"But we don't charge for testing!" the woman exclaimed, looking at the money in her hand.

"Then consider it a donation to the clinic! The first of many!" Nick said, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you! You don't know what this means to me!"

"From the grin on your face and from this!" the woman said, again looking at the money in disbelief "It must mean a lot!"

"Oh, yes! It does!" Nick said, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door. Then he stopped and turned back to the woman. "Oh, and before I forget, a Merry Christmas to you!"

"Merry Christmas." the woman said smiling as Nick turned back and practically ran out the door.

Nick was on a mission. That mission now was to find Tim and somehow, and he didn't know how exactly, get through all of Tim's objections and start building the relationship that he now knew they both wanted. Nick admitted to himself that his wasn't going to be easy but, then again, nothing in his life had been.

Born into abject poverty, Nick had longed for the lives that he'd seen other boys have, lives that didn't include hunger, cold or abuse. Nick's mother loved him, but she died when he was quite young and his drunk of a step-father's abuse probably hastened her end. After she died, Nick had become, for a time, the object of his abuse. Finally at 18, having learned that a boy with his looks and huge cock could make money on the streets from men who wanted him, Nick left home never to return. He'd maneuvered his way up the 'food chain' until he was the 'boy-toy' of very rich and powerful men.

Now all that had to end. It wasn't like Nick was going to miss the life he'd been living. In many ways, he always saw himself as just 'marking time' until he found a way to break out with enough money to make a real life for himself. The only thing missing had been a reason. Tim was that reason - or at least Nick hoped so. From what the 'spirits' had shown him, Tim was Nick's salvation - as much as Nick was Tim's. But Tim hadn't had the experience of viewing their future the way Nick had. Nick was afraid that it was going to take some very strong convincing to get Tim to re-evaluate the way things were.

Nick first stopped by the cafe. He hadn't been there in months now but it hadn't really changed. He could still see the decorations and the re-arranged tables from last night's celebration. However, the door was locked shut and it was obvious that no one was there. Luckily, Nick still remembered where Tim lived - as if he could forget! The memory of that one evening together and that one kiss at Tim's doorway had haunted him ever since. That, and the memory of Tim's coldness the next day. But Nick couldn't think about that now. He had to reach Tim, had to make him see that a life together was far superior to one in which they were alone without each other.

Nick climbed the stairs to the doorway of the apartment. Unfortunately, since he didn't know Tim's last name and had never been inside the building, he had no idea which of the apartment buzzers was Tim's. Luckily, next to the buzzer marked number two, the name Tim Cratchit appeared. Hoping for the best, Nick pressed the buzzer. There was no answer from the speaker beside the buzzers but, instead, the lock on the main door buzzed. Nick pushed against it and gained entry to the building. He walked up the stairs and found the door with the number two on it at the end of the hallway.

Gathering his courage, Nick knocked gently on the door. It took a few moments but the door suddenly opened and there stood Tim. He looked just as beautiful as ever. The same wreath of golden curls around his face and the same incredibly beautiful blue eyes. At the sight of Nick, unbelievably it seemed to him, there was even a radiant smile! A smile that threatened to melt Nick's insides.

"Nick! What are you doing here?" Tim asked.

"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?" Nick asked.

"I've only got a few minutes, I've got to get to the cafe." Tim said.

"Please, it's important." Nick insisted.

Tim seemed to waiver and then finally said, "Okay. Come in. Would you like some coffee. I have a pot on."

"Yes, please." Nick said, following Tim into the apartment.

Nick followed Tim down a narrow hallway and into the tiny kitchen. While Tim's apartment was small, like his own, it wasn't a dump like his. Nick could see that Tim had added many touches to the apartment to make it more his own - more 'homey'. It suddenly struck Nick that this was the real difference. This was Tim's home. Nick's apartment was just that - an apartment. A place he ate and slept but it had never been nor ever could be 'home'.

The kitchen to which Tim led Nick was a bright, sun-filled room with light yellow walls and white kitchen cabinets and appliances. It was obvious that most of them were quite old but it gave the place a more settled, stable atmosphere. There was a small table with two chairs under a window adorned with white ruffled curtains with the print of red cherries and strawberries all over them. Nick pulled off his leather jacket, hanging it across the back of one of the chairs before sitting down.

Tim poured two mugs of coffee, handing one to Nick.

"If I remember correctly, you drink it black." Tim smiled.

"Yes. I hope that you remember more than that." Nick said, smiling back.

"Speaking of remembering, why didn't you come to the dinner last night?" Tim asked, and Nick could hear some hurt in his voice.

'I was there!' Nick thought to himself. 'I saw everything, including you crying and calling out my name!' but he couldn't say that. He couldn't tell Tim about the mysterious happenings of the night before. He'd think Nick was out of his mind.

"I only found the invitation this morning. I don't check my mailbox all that often. I'm sorry." Nick said quietly.

"I am, too. I thought perhaps you'd...well, that you didn't want to ever see me again." Tim said.

"That's what I thought you wanted until I found the invitation." Nick said, staring at Tim.

"I'm sorry. I guess I did kind of leave you with that impression. But that's not what I wanted at all. I just...well, I just didn't want to become involved with anyone again. I was scared. After Russ...well, I guess you can't understand that." Tim said resignedly.

"What makes you think that? We never got around to talking about the abuse that I lived through." Nick said.

"You!?" Tim asked, his voice filled with confusion. "You were abused?"

"Not by a lover but by my drunken step-father all the time I was growing up after my mother died. I took it until I was 18 and then I left and never went back." Nick told Tim.

"Oh! I would never have guessed. You seem so...so...self-contained and confident. I didn't think anything could hurt you." Tim said.

"You did." Nick said quietly, his eyes, however, boring into Tim's.

Tim swallowed hard.

"I didn't mean to. I swear. I was just scared." he said quietly.

"Tim, I told you. I'd never hurt you. I've never hurt anyone in my life - except maybe myself." Nick said.

"But can't you understand how it would be difficult to know that? Russ didn't seem like he would hurt anyone either. You didn't seem like you were in any way vulnerable. You didn't seem to need anything or anyone." Tim said.

"It's camouflage. It comes from what I do for a living." Nick said quietly.

"What is it you do?" Tim asked.

Nick hesitated. Here it was, the 'make it or break it' question. He wasn't at all sure how Tim was going to deal with who and what Nick really was.

"You don't rob banks or something, do you?" Tim smiled.

"No. But what I do is against the law." Nick said.

He could see the shock and concern in Tim's eyes.

"What is it you do?" Tim asked again.

"I'm an 'escort'. I sell my body to men for money." Nick said quietly, not able to meet Tim's eyes as he said it.

"Oh!" Tim exclaimed. "Is THAT all!"

Nick looked up to see Tim smiling at him.

"Yeah...that's all." Nick said, hesitantly.

"I hope you're well paid. You're too handsome not to be." Tim said, shyly, blushing and looking away.

Nick could hardly believe his ears!

"Uhh...yes. I'm extremely well-paid. Or at least I was. I haven't accepted very many 'clients' since...well, since that night with you." Nick said.

Tim looked back at Nick and it was apparent that his mind was working at something. Finally Tim spoke.

"Did you have to refuse any clients to take me to the movies that night?" Tim asked quietly.

Nick looked at Tim in shock and then threw back his head an laughed.

"That trip to the movies probably cost me a couple of thousand dollars!" Nick announced to Tim who looked shocked.

"A couple of...just for an evening?!" Tim exclaimed.

"And you were worth every penny of it." Nick said, smiling fondly at Tim.

Tim blushed furiously at Nick's statement.

"Just for a kiss?" Tim asked softly, not looking at Nick.

"To be able to kiss someone that I truly wanted to kiss." Nick said gently and Tim looked up at him, smiling and blushing.

"But you said 'used to be'. Have you stopped, or retired or whatever you call it?" Tim asked.

"Let's just say 'quit'. Meeting you made me realize that I couldn't go on doing it. It made me realize that there was something I desperately needed and it was something you can't buy." Nick said seriously.

"What?" Tim asked.

"Love." Nick said softly.

"Oh, Nick! I'm sorry. Things haven't changed at all for me. I care about you but I can't get involved with someone! I just can't. The cafe takes up all of my time. I can't let my family down. I've worked so hard up until now and I've not even paid them back 10% of what I borrowed from them." Tim said, his voice filled with distress.

"Tim, let me ask you a very personal question - how much do you owe them?" Nick asked.

"I...I borrowed $100,000 from them. I've only been able to pay back about $5,000 of it." Tim said, miserably.

Nick didn't say anything. Instead, he reached behind him into the inside pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a pen and his check book. He quickly wrote Tim a check for $100,000, tore it from the checkbook and handed it across the table to Tim.

Tim stared at the check in his hand in disbelief.

"But...but...how?!" Tim asked, looking at Nick questioningly.

"I told you. I'm very well paid. Unlike a lot of 'escorts' I don't live in a fancy, uptown apartment or buy expensive clothes or cars or things like that. I've basically saved almost everything I've made. Plus a couple of my clients were stock brokers who let me in on some very good deals. That check represents less than a third of my bank account." Nick said.

Tim's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"I...I...can't accept this!" Tim said, trying to hand the check back to Nick.

"Why not?" Nick asked, pushing Tim's hand with the check in it away.

"Because it doesn't change anything! Instead of owing the money to my family, I'd owe the money to you!" Tim said.

"No, that's not true. You wouldn't owe me any money." Nick smiled.

"What do you mean? Surely you don't expect me to accept this as a gift!" Tim exclaimed.

"Most certainly not! It's not a gift! It's an investment. Now that I'm leaving my 'career' as an 'escort', I need something to do to make money. So, I want to buy a partnership in this really incredible cafe with the most wonderful food that is one of the most popular restaurants around." Nick said smiling.

Tim stared at him in consternation.

"But...but...do you know ANYTHING about the restaurant business?" Tim asked in exasperation.

"Not a fucking thing!" Nick grinned widely. "That's what the extra $5,000 is for. I want you to teach me. I want us to work, side by side. I want to reach the point that you can lean on me and not have to kill yourself working so hard. With that money, you don't have to worry about your family. They'll have their money back and you and I can concentrate on making the cafe a real success. I'm also hoping that we can concentrate on something else, as well."

"What's that?" Tim asked, staring down at the check in his hands in wonder.

"Making a success of our 'partnership'." Nick said softly.

Tim looked up in surprise, understanding Nick's meaning.

"I...I can't believe this! It's like a dream!" Tim said.

"Well, at least it's a dream - not a nightmare." Nick said quietly.

Tim's eyes softened and his mouth grew into a smile.

"Being partners with you? No! That's no nightmare! That's more like a wet-dream." Tim said, and then he blushed furiously at his own forwardness and looked away.

Nick, on the other hand, threw back his head again and laughed. Tim loved that laugh! Full and rich and deep. The laugh of a man who doesn't hold back. The kind of man that Tim wanted and prayed he had found in Nick.

"Now, there's only one thing left to seal this deal." Nick finally said.

"What's that?" Tim asked.

"I want to make love to you. I've thought of nothing else for weeks. I need you, Tim. More importantly, I think you need me - maybe just as much." Nick said, his voice rough with emotion and need.

"Oh, yes! Just as much!" Tim said, standing up.

Nick rose as well and they fell into each other arms. Nick kissed Tim passionately and Tim returned the passion. They held the kiss for a long time and then Nick leaned down and scooped Tim up in his arms.

"My God! You're strong!" Tim exclaimed.

Nick just grinned.

"Which way to the bedroom?" he husked.

"To the left." Tim smiled, leaning his head against Nick's chest.

Nick carried Tim down the short hallway. A door stood open showing a queen-sized bed covered in what looked like an old, hand-made quilt. It was made out of many colors and patterns of cloth in a pattern of interlocking rings. Nick gently lay Tim across it, climbing onto the bed beside him.

"Beautiful quilt." Nick said, laying there gazing down into Tim's beautiful blue eyes.

"It was my grandmother's. She made it for her wedding day. The pattern is called a 'double wedding ring'." Tim informed him.

"Quite prophetic." Nick smiled.

"Yes, it must be. My Grandmother meant for me to have this but my mother only gave it to me after I'd left Russ. I think she saw something in him that she didn't like." Tim said.

"Oh? I hope she doesn't see something bad in me!" he said.

"No, I don't think she will. I wish you would have been at the dinner last night. You could have met her. I think she's going to love you." Tim smiled.

"Well, that's all well and good, but I'm more concerned about her son loving me." Nick said softly.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that!" Tim smiled. "He already does."

Nick leaned down and kissed Tim gently.

"There is something wrong, though." Tim said.

"What?" Nick asked, concern written all over his face.

"We have WAY too many clothes on." Tim smiled.

"Oh, I can fix that!" Nick grinned.

He leaped off the bed and started taking his clothes off but stopped. There was something he had done for so many of his 'clients'. Something that drove them all nuts. Nick got somewhat of a thrill out of their admiration but it had been to turn them on, not him. Now, he wanted to do it for Tim. He wanted to turn Tim on but, more importantly, he wanted to see that look in Tim's eyes that would tell him how much Tim wanted him. That was the turn-on that Nick was always missing! Someone wanting him that Nick wanted as well.

Nick slowly began to pull the black turtle-neck from his jeans, swiveling his hips around in slow, sensuous circles while he did so. He could see Tim sit up on the bed in shock and anticipation! Tim instantly knew what Nick was about to do and he seemed truly enthralled! Nick was about to perform a private 'strip-tease' just for him!

Nick slowly pulled the turtle-neck free from the waistband of his jeans and exposed his rippling six-pack to Tim's view. He could hear Tim's sharp intake of breath at the sight. Nick smiled to himself. 'You ain't seen nothin' yet!' he thought to himself as he spun around so that his back was now to Tim. He wrapped his arms around his waist, grabbing the bottom of the turtle-neck and began moving it up his body, slowly exposing the muscles of his back, especially the flaring lats. Tim was breathing so hard that Nick could hear it, even turned away from him.

Nick flipped the turtle neck off his head and stripped the long sleeves off his arms. He stood, bare to the waist, his back to Tim. He spread his legs wide and began to swivel his hips again, making his bubble-butt flex and move as well. While doing so, he popped the top button on the black jeans and pulled on the open ends to pop open the buttons of the fly.

Nick, at this point, leaned over so that his body was bent in half and his butt was thrust out toward Tim. He unzipped the side zippers on his black leather boots and stepped out of them. He then stood back up and slowly, teasingly, lowered the waistband of the jeans until it caught under the cheeks of his ass. Nick was well aware of the fact that he had a beautiful butt. Enough of his clients had told him so. Even though he was dark haired, Nick had very little body hair and his butt was smooth and totally hairless without him having to shave or use depilatory.

Nick hardly ever wore underwear so when he pulled the jeans down the rest of the way, he was naked. However, he wasn't quite ready to reveal everything to Tim, just yet. Instead, he grabbed the jeans in his hand and used them as a shield to block the view of his genitals. Nick turned around so that he was facing Tim who could now see all of Nick's body except his sex. Tim could see the broad muscular shoulders and the incredible pecs, the rippling abs and the thick striated muscles in Nick's legs. Nick stood, legs spread wide with one hand clutching the jeans to cover his groin and one arm thrown behind his had to emphasize his lat development and showing the small puff of dark hair under his arm.

Nick grinned at Tim and winked as he dropped the jeans to the floor once again, attempting to cover his cock and balls with his one hand. However, this was an almost useless endeavor. There was no way that Nick's massive cock and large, heavy balls were going to be covered with just one of his hands. But enough was covered to leave some small part to the imagination.

"Please! Let me see all of you!" Tim groaned quietly.

Nick smiled and slowly moved his hand, putting both hands behind his head, thrusting his crotch forward so that Tim had a full view of whatever he wanted to see. Tim gasped at the sight of Nick's huge, thick cock, pawing the air with a glimmer of pre-cum at the tip.

"Oh, my God! You're HUGE!" Tim explained, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Nick smiled at him, lowering his hands and letting them hang at his sides as he walked the few steps forward to stand before Tim. Tim reached up and began to stroke and feel the thick hardness of Nick's cock with one hand and to fondle the heavy sack with Nick's two large nuts with the other. Nick allowed this for half a minute but then pulled out of Tim's hands, knowing that if Tim went much further, Nick would lose it - not a very 'professional' thing to do!

Instead, Nick knelt before Tim and started to undress him, starting with pulling Tim's t-shirt over his head and then unbuttoning his jeans and sliding the zipper down. Tim assisted by lifting up and allowing Nick to slide his jeans down his butt and legs until they were heading for Tim's ankles. Nick smiled to himself. Tim was wearing 'tighty-whities'. Did anyone wear those anymore? Well, evidently Tim did. The thing was, Nick loved them! He still thought they were the sexiest underwear. Plain white cotton, the memories of middle and high school and the budding of sexual excitement over other boys. Everyone wore them then. None of those baggy boxers like his old man had worn. Nor the so-called 'boxer-briefs' which no one had even heard of then. It was the Calvin Klein billboard of a guy in traditional white briefs that had been the epitome of male sexuality!

Nick leaned forward and buried his nose against the pouch of Tim's briefs. The scent of cotton and male musk sent a thrill through his senses. God, how he loved the scents of a guy's body! Especially this guy! There was something about the scent of Tim that was thoroughly exciting to Nick. Maybe it was because Nick loved him. 'Ya think?!' Nick thought to himself, almost chuckling at the thought. Then Nick opened his mouth and covered the lump in Tim's briefs with it. He breathed his hot breath onto the fabric, heating the flesh beneath it causing it to begin to grow and stretch. As Tim's hardon became erect and identifiable beneath the soft cotton fabric, Nick used his teeth to gently nibble at it, causing it to grow harder.

Hearing groans coming from Tim at the teasing his mouth was doing, Nick quickly slipped his fingers into the waistband of the briefs and began tugging them down. Tim lifted his hips to assist in the endeavor while Nick pulled the elastic waistband out so that it wouldn't catch on Tim's erection. And a beautiful erection it was, too. Not as large as his own, but beautiful nonetheless. The skin was pale and delicate, the thickness a splendid surprise. The length was more than average and Nick immediately began thinking of what a nice mouthful it would make.

Putting action to thoughts, as soon as the briefs were down Tim's legs and on the floor, Nick once again moved his face forward, capturing the head of Tim's uncut cock, swirling his tongue around it. Tim moaned deeply and his cock discharged some of his pre-cum. Nick tasted the liquid flow and decided that it was more properly named 'cock-honey' for the sweetness of it.

"Nick! Please! Stop!" Tim exclaimed and Nick looked up to see what was wrong.

"I'm gonna cum if you don't stop that." Tim admitted shyly.

Nick smiled. 'So we're both in the same condition!' Nick thought to himself. It pleased him inordinately to know that Tim was as hot for him as he was for Tim. Nick gave Tim a wolfish grin and reached out, pressing his hand to Tim's chest, forcing him back onto the bed. Nick came off his knees and climbed onto the bed beside Tim, pulling him up across the bed so that Tim was lying in Nick's arms and Nick's body was almost completely covering Tim's.

"I want you. I want you like I've not wanted anyone else in my life!" Nick's voice was husky with desire.

"I want you, too!" Tim insisted. "But I'm afraid. I don't think that I can take you. You're so big!"

"Don't worry. It's all in the preparation. By the time I'm done with you, there won't be any pain at all. After all, this is my area of expertise." Nick said smiling. " The last thing in the world I want to do is hurt you."

"I know that, though you probably have a right to - after what I did to you." Tim said, apologetically. "I'm sorry. I was just so afraid! Can you forgive me?"

"I not only can, I already have. Believe it or not, I understood your desire to repay your parents. I even respected you for it. What I couldn't get you to see was that building a relationship with me and living up to your responsibilities to your parents were not mutually exclusive. Of course, now you don't have that 'monkey on your back' and you and I can take our time building the business and building our relationship." Nick said softly.

"Oh, yes! I want that more than anything!" Tim exclaimed, reaching up and pulling Nick's head down until their mouth's locked once again.

It took Nick a while to relax Tim enough to enter him. Nick had to use every trick he'd ever learned so that Tim wouldn't experience any pain but Nick was patient. This wasn't just a one- time thing to him this time. It was, as far as Nick was concerned, forever.

"Uhh...I don't have any condoms. After Russ, I didn't think I'd ever have sex again." Tim said softly.

"Don't need them." Nick smiled down at him.

"Why not?" Tim asked, confused.

"I'm clean. I was tested this morning - not more than an hour ago. You haven't had unsafe sex with anybody have you?" Nick asked.

"No. Even with Russ, I made him wear condoms. Besides, he didn't fuck me but a couple of times. He preferred that I give him blow jobs and then he'd leave me to get myself off." Tim said, embarrassment showing in a reddening of his face.

"That fucking bastard! Well, I promise you, I'm getting you off - and before I do." Nick growled.

Finally Nick was able to slide into the tight, liquid heat of Tim's body. As he slid all the way inside, Nick looked down at Tim, lying in his arms. A great lump rose in his throat and hot tears stung his eyes. Nick had never known such happiness in his life as he did 'possessing' this beautiful male.

Tim looked up into Nick's eyes, seeing the desire and overwhelming love there and raised his hand to gently stroke his fingers through Nick's dark hair.

"You feel so good inside me!" Tim groaned. "Please, promise me you'll do this often."

"I think you're going to be begging me to do it less often!" Nick smiled.

"Never happen!" Tim smiled back.

Nick made love to Tim, slowly, tenderly. Not until Tim was begging and screaming for Nick to take him harder and faster did Nick let Tim see the physical power that he was capable of. For Tim, it was breathtaking to be ravaged in this manner but so exciting and splendid! For Nick, it was beyond anything he'd ever known. To love someone and to make love to someone who truly and completely loved you!

When it was over, the two of them lay in an exhausted heap, taking gently about this and that about their lives. Tim, out of the blue, looked at Nick and asked,

"By the way - when's your birthday?"

Nick grinned.

"Today."

"You were born on Christmas Day?!" Tim exclaimed.

"Yeah. And, trust me! It's the pits!" Nick groused.

"Why?" Tim asked, confused.

"You never get any birthday presents. You never get a birthday party. Hell! You don't even get a birthday cake!" Nick complained.

"You're kidding?! You've never had a birthday cake? Never?!" Tim exclaimed.

"Never." Nick said.

"Well! We'll just see about THAT!" Tim said, struggling to get out of Nick's arms.

"Where are you going?" Nick asked as he let Tim up and Tim got off the bed.

"I'm going to make you a birthday cake!" Tim announced.

"Like that?" Nick laughed.

Tim looked down and realized that he was naked.

"Of course! Just like this! Haven't you ever heard of 'The Naked Chef'?" Tim announced.

"Uhh...can't you burn something 'important', cooking like that?" Nick asked, grinning.

"First lesson for you! Always wear and apron!" Tim announced.

And with that, he turned on his heels and marched naked out of the bedroom, his buttcheeks bouncing the whole way. Nick lay there watching until Tim turned the corner at the door. Then he leaped off the bed to follow Tim.

Tim headed straight to the kitchen and started pulling out bowls and a mixer. He went into a cupboard and brought out a cannister of flour and then into the refrigerator for butter and eggs. Nick sat at the small kitchen table, as naked as Tim, and watched the 'Master Chef' at work.

"So, what flavor do you want?" Tim asked Nick.

"Chocolate! I love chocolate cake!" Nick grinned.

"Then chocolate it is!" Tim said, reaching back into the cupboard for a large bar of baker's chocolate.

Nick sat fascinated, watching Tim work. There was not a wasted motion and, by cleaning up as he went, by the time the cake was ready to go into the oven, the kitchen was as clean as when Tim started.

"Now, that needs to bake for about 30 minutes and then it needs to cool about two hours so that it can be iced. Any idea what flavor icing you want on it?" Tim asked.

"Chocolate, of course!" Nick grinned.

"Of course." Tim smiled.

While the cake cooled, Nick and Tim walked to the cafe and Nick began helping Tim with getting it set back up for business the following day. They then went back to Tim's apartment where Tim finished decorating Nick's first birthday cake and made dinner for them both. When Tim brought the cake to the table, he had added one, small lit candle.

"Okay. Blow out the candle and make a wish." he grinned at Nick.

"I don't know what to wish for! After today, I've got everything!" Nick smiled back.

"Oh, come on! There's got to be one thing?" Tim said.

Nick thought for a moment.

"Well, there is, but you're probably not going to like it." Nick said quietly.

"What's that?" Tim asked.

"I wish that you could keep the cafe closed until New Years Eve, so that we can spend some time together, just getting to know each other without you working so hard all of the time." Nick said.

Tim started to say something, and then stopped. He sat there looking at Nick who could see all kinds of emotions playing over his face. Finally he spoke.

"You know, I think you may be right! I think you have a really good idea there. I'll put up a sign tonight after I call my staff and let them know they have a holiday for six more days." Tim smiled.

"Hey! And I didn't even have to blow out the candle!" Nick grinned.

"Well, you'd better, or you'll end up with wax in your cake!" Tim laughed.

Nick blew out the candle. He had a wish, however, he never told Tim. A wish that every Christmas would be for them a time of love and happiness.

And that wish was granted as well....

The End of RIMPIG'S CHRISTMAS CAROL.

TO ALL OF MY READERS - NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SPIRITUAL PATH - MAY THIS SEASON BRING YOU LOVE AND JOY AND HAPPINESS! RimPig

If you liked the story, please write me at rimpigfl@yahoo.com

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RimPig