Second Chance, Chapter 22
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This story contains descriptions of love and sexual fulfillment between people of the same gender. If possessing or reading this kind of material is illegal where you live, please leave this site at once.
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Chapter 22
Exams were over for Reese and Blake by the week before Christmas. They spent a lot of their time working, sleeping, or making love. Blake was feeling much more comfortable about their relationship. He had caught Reese in a couple of lies in the past about his activities with others, but at this point he felt that he could finally trust his lover.
Late one afternoon, the chlorine at the country club pool was way too high because a maintenance man had screwed up. Swimming lessons were canceled and Blake decided to go home to chill and come back for Rob after the dinner hour. When he entered the apartment, he heard the shower running. He thought it would be fun to surprise Reese, so he stripped naked and entered the bathroom with his dick leading the way. He pulled back the curtain to discover that Reese was not alone. Reese and a young looking guy were making out under the cascading water.
"FUCK!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as his erection deflated. "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you, asshole!"
The kid in the shower with Reese nearly died of fright.
"Please don't hurt me! Who are you? He said he had a roommate, but it wasn't serious. Please. I swear it's true!"
"It's not your fault; it's this prick that I thought was my boyfriend. I'm not going to hurt you. Just get dressed and get the hell out of my house!" Blake yelled, throwing a towel at him.
Still partially wet, the young man jumped into his shirt and jeans. He dressed so fast that he forgot his underwear and ended up stuffing them in his coat pocket on the way out.
"Look, nothing actually happened. The water in his place is frozen and I invited him in to take a shower. He invited me to shower with him and we got kind of horny. We didn't do anything," Reese claimed as he followed Blake into their bedroom.
"Bull shit! If nothing happened, how come there's a used condom in the wastebasket! We don't use them."
"It was just a little diversion. I'm not in love with him or anything. I took precautions. Nothing's damaged..."
"Nothing but my heart! You promised you'd be faithful. What were you thinking?"
"Look, you need to loosen up. I'll share him with you if you want and you'll see that sex can be done just for fun. He's really nice and he's talented in bed too. We can have a good time together if you haven't frightened him away forever."
"I don't want to share him or you. I want you out of here before next semester starts! I'd like you out right now!"
"You can't mean that. Where will I go? How will you afford this place alone? Please don't do this. You're making a big mistake."
"You're the one who made the mistake."
"Can't you give me a second chance? You know I love you."
"No more chances! You've lied your way out of situations before. I chose to believe you because I cared for you and I didn't catch you with evidence. You can't get out of this one. You'll sleep in the other bedroom until you leave and you can't stay past January 31st. Keep out of my sight as much as possible."
Blake's mood had changed so drastically that Rob could tell something was wrong the minute he got into the car. He wasn't sure if he should say anything or not, but he felt like he'd better try to help.
"Uh, can I do anything?"
"What?"
"... To help with whatever's wrong."
"Who said anything is wrong?" Blake barked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"Did I do something?"
"Oh no, Robbie, it's not you. You're a good sweet kid. It's my problem, but can we talk a minute?"
"Sure. I'd like to do something if I can. You've been really good to me and I hate to see you down."
"Well, unless you can change Reese, there's nothing to be done. I caught him cheating on me and I'm kicking his ass to the curb!"
"I'm sorry. I thought you guys had a good thing going."
"I did too. Reese has never been eager to settle down. We did things with other guys occasionally. I went along with it to make him happy before, but I always hated it. I guess that I'm the one who's changed. He's not ready to commit to one guy, but I am."
"Do you think including another guy always messes couples up?" Rob asked fearing the answer.
"No. It can be fun and harmless if everyone understands what it's about, but Reese... Oh I don't know. I love him, but I don't want to share him and I know he's not going to change. It would've almost been better if I hadn't found out. This afternoon I was cursing the pool man, but I suppose I should thank him. I guess I have to move on. Damn it, I'm not sure what I want!"
"Blake, you're a really awesome guy. You're honest and caring. I know that someone will come along who will appreciate your qualities. Don't let anyone take advantage of you and don't give up hope."
"Thanks, Robbie. I hope you're right. I don't want to have to audition a lot of frogs before I find my prince."
"I won't tell anyone about your breakup if you don't want me to," Rob offered. "I can keep secrets."
"I'd just as soon that you did tell everyone in the house about it. You don't have to give the adults all of the details, but it would be easier for me if I didn't have to face them with it right away. I'm going to call around to find someone to share expenses – preferably a straight guy who's ugly as a stick."
Rob shared the news with his brothers because Blake wanted him to. Both of them felt really bad for Blake and sad for Reese as well. He was a good-looking, likeable guy. It was unfortunate that he wasn't ready to settle down with someone who seemed to be steady and reliable. Blake was definitely husband material for anyone who was serious about building a life with a great guy.
"I've been thinking about what we did. It was fun and I really love you guys, but I don't want you to break up like they did. We should probably cool it..." Rob said.
"We're okay, Rob. I think we're tighter than before." Josh assured him.
"Yeah, we are," Eric added. "We know for sure that it's more than getting off for us. We really are in love. I know we're supposed to be too young for commitment, but that's where we're headed. Would you like to sleep with us tonight with the old rules in place – no touching below the waist?"
"How about sitting around in a circle and jerking off together? Is that against the rules?" Rob asked. "I'm horny as hell!"
"That sounds legal to me," Josh grinned.
"Yeah!" Eric agreed. "Let's do it in the studio, but make sure the blinds are closed. I don't think poor Blake needs to guess what we're doing."
When the space heater had warmed the room sufficiently, the guys gave each other a strip show. It was the first time they'd all been hard together in light that was strong enough to really enjoy the total picture. Josh and Eric showed off how they could dock with their foreskin. Rob looked kind of sad that he didn't have a partner to do it with, so the guys took turns doing it with him as well. It felt so intimate to them that they were all dripping precum from the experience.
Josh found a plastic bag to put on the rug and they all got close enough together around it so that their knees touched. As Rob slowly jacked his cock, Eric reached over to play with his left nipple. Rob, in turn, playfully pinched Josh's nipple and Josh worked on Eric's. Then Rob suggested that they switch and do the other guy's. Whichever hand a guy wasn't using to stimulate his own rod at a given moment ended up arousing someone else. It was really hot!
When Eric came, he hosed down his friends with his load. The other two followed suit shortly afterward. Their abs and pubes all got drenched. They stood up and rubbed their bodies together creating a thin coat that dried quickly.
"Now do you want to sleep with us?" Josh asked. "We can use our bed because we need to wash the sheets tomorrow anyway."
After a quick check at the bottom of the attic stairs to see if the coast was clear, they sprinted naked to Eric's room where they all bedded down together for the night.
With Christmas drawing ever closer, the three boys went to the mall to find gifts to exchange. In a family meeting, they had voted to draw names and to spend no more than $20 on the person whose name they drew. Ben and Scott reserved the right to get a little extra for the boys, but said that they were going to give to the local food bank rather than spend a fortune on Christmas.
The boys had agreed that giving to the less fortunate would be the best way to celebrate the holiday and it would be challenging to find a decent gift for $20. They'd have to be creative.
Eric and Josh needed to find something for Rob's birthday too since it fell on the 25th. It must have been difficult for him as a little kid not to have his own individual day.
Rob wanted to find something special for Blake to thank him for all the chauffeuring he'd done. He had tried to give him gas money, but Blake had refused, saying that he had to make the trip anyway and that he was glad to help another guy out.
By the time they'd returned from the mall, the mail had arrived. Among the Christmas cards was a large one from Eric's mother. Inside was a one-way ticket to Chicago for the next day along with a rambling note. Tina alternated between scolding her son and telling him how precious he was to her. She must have been drunk when she wrote it.
Eric read it without showing any emotion. The only thing he felt for her at the moment was pity.
"I'm calling the airlines to see if I can cash it in. If I can, we'll go out for dinner and give the rest to charity. I'm not going to Chicago – even round trip. I suppose I'll have to compose some kind of thank-you note though I don't want to."
Both of Eric's companions gave him a quick hug. Actually, Josh's embrace lasted a bit longer and was accompanied by a kiss. Eric smiled in the knowledge that he was loved.
The next day, the boys were in the midst of decorating the house when Ben phoned to say that Rob's father had at last come through with the settlement. The boys were to bring Rob to Ben's office to pick up the check because it was to be deposited in Rob's account immediately.
"I want this negotiated and secure lest Mr. Mancini should have second thoughts about it and stop payment." Ben explained. "Some of it will go into CDs and other safe investments and a little will be kept liquid for expenses. I've called the bank branch nearby and they know what to do."
When Rob saw the size of the check he was stunned. Ben had done even better than he had expected. Of course $300,000 was a drop in the bucket for his father to part with, but it was a fortune to him.
He wondered whether his father's heart had been touched by the video account of his life on the streets or if his father had merely wanted to sweep the whole mess under the rug. Surely his business and reputation would suffer if word of his egregious behavior were to be leaked to the press. Whatever the cause, Rob was happy with the result. He was especially grateful to Ben.
"I know that legal fees run pretty high sometimes. Will you accept 30 percent or am I being cheap?" Rob asked. "I know that I often get as much as 25 percent in tips at the club and you certainly used skills more advanced than serving food!"
"Rob, I took this case not asking for one dime and I'm sticking to that. You're going to need this to pay for your education and to support your son. And do not even think of buying any of us expensive Christmas gifts. We've all agreed to the limit!"
Rob smiled through misty eyes. Too many emotions were hitting him all at once. He was glad that he had his two best buddies and one of his surrogate fathers there to give him emotional support. Otherwise, he might have crumpled into a quivering mass of protoplasm. That mental picture strengthened his resolve not to cry.
Ben had put a limit on what Rob could withdraw from his account per month because he had worried that the boy might go crazy with his money after having been deprived for so many months. He need not have been concerned because Rob had learned a lot in the past year about what mattered - the value of money as well as the value of true friends. The limit was high enough that Rob would never feel constrained by it.
The first thing he thought about doing was to ensure that old Sam had a warm place to stay. After searching for him the rest of the morning, he and the boys eventually located the man in a shelter. Rob knew that he didn't dare give Sam any money because it would just be wasted on booze and Sam would be kicked out on the street for being drunk. So, he made a large donation to the facility and asked the director to use it for Christmas dinner and whatever else was needed for the men there. He also stipulated that he wanted them to keep a special watch on the older man and to let Rob know what his needs were.
Eric made a mental note that this or some other shelter would be a good place to donate the extra money from his airline ticket.
The next thing that Rob did was to borrow Blake's car on the pretext of needing to go to the mall. He took it straight to the muffler shop to have the faulty exhaust system replaced. While inspecting it, the mechanic recommended two new tires and an alignment. Rob told him to do the additional work after checking to see that the tires really were in bad shape and worn unevenly. He returned the car a couple of hours before they needed to go to work. When he gave Blake the keys, he insisted on giving him a few dollars for gas.
"Are miracles still happening?" Blake asked as the two rode to the country club.
"What?" Rob asked, trying not to look as if he knew what Blake was talking about.
"You did this, didn't you? You got my car fixed. It's not noisy anymore and it handles better than it has in two years. What did you do, win the lottery? I hope you didn't spend all your money on me."
"It's okay. I got a large cash settlement from my biological father and I'm allowed to share a bit of it with my friends. You don't know how much your friendship means to me. I wanted to do a little something to repay you. I know that you didn't ask for it, but you deserve it."
When they got out of the car, Blake spontaneously hugged his young benefactor. Both enjoyed the warmth of their brief embrace.
For their first Christmas as a family, Scott had planned a feast. Ben was up early helping to prepare it. When the boys stumbled down to the kitchen, they were put to work setting the table with the best china and silver – things Ben had inherited from his mother.
It was just the five of them who sat down to the festive meal. They would have invited Blake, but he had gone home to visit his family. It would have been awkward to have invited both Blake and Reese and it might have been just as awkward to have excluded Reese, though he had already moved out.
Dessert, Rob's birthday cake, was going to be served later in the day because everyone was too full to eat it immediately.
The family adjourned to the living room to enjoy the fire and open their gifts. When they got them unwrapped, everyone was amused. All had received a shirt of similar style. It appeared that they had taken advantage of the sale at J.C. Penney's in order to stay within their spending limit.
The three teens had gift certificates from Best Buy so that they could buy something that they wanted. Ben and Scott had thought about buying them music CDs, but knew that those might be a poor choice of gifts considering the popularity of I-Pods. This was a way to give them the pleasure of choosing something that they really wanted.
The boys were thinking about taking in a movie as part of their celebration of Rob's birthday, but those plans, along with his birthday cake and presents, had to be put on hold.
Someone from the hospital called to inform Rob that the baby had been born an hour before. The paternity test would be completed on the next day when the lab was fully staffed again after the holiday, but he was welcome to see the child.
"Will someone take me to the hospital?"
"Would it be okay if we all come for a little while to see your son?" Scott asked. "You might want your lawyer as well as your other dad and brothers."
"That would be the coolest!" Rob exclaimed.
They took two vehicles for the sake of flexibility. It was quite a ways across town and Rob and the boys might want to stay longer than the men did. This way no one would be sitting around waiting for someone else.
The nurse at the main desk in the maternity ward assumed that Ben was the father when she saw them arrive. He quickly corrected her perception. She frowned slightly at the revelation that the boy who was barely 17 was the dad.
They were ushered into a small room next to the nursery and a few minutes later another nurse arrived with the tiny bundle. She stood nearby after handing the baby to Rob. Rob's son was complaining loudly at having been ousted from his warm bed.
Rob held the baby in his arms with a look of pure love on his face. Josh snapped a picture of this first meeting of father and son.
The nurse offered to take the crying infant back, but Rob declined.
"Could you hold him for a minute, though? I think I know how to get him settled down."
With that, Rob stood up and removed his sweater and shirt. He took the baby back, holding the child against his bare chest. The little guy stopped complaining soon after he felt the warmth and heard the rhythm of Rob's heart.
Rob looked at the miniature fingers that wrapped themselves around his thumb. They were tiny replicas of his own. He didn't need a lab test to tell him that this was his son. A bond was already forming.
Author's notes: As always, I appreciate your emails. Some of you sent after I'd already submitted the chapter. Sorry that you got left off last time. I was in a real bind getting the thing posted at all.
I've heard from the following since last posting: Gary McC, Polar, Austin C, Paul L, Rutabaga, Dennis A, Jean B, Tim P, Caleb, Tony W, Bill K, Dave J, Jim We, DW, Brian G, Pete R, Brandon S, Vann, Tom A, Jim C, Paul R, Tim E, and PJ (Zeke).
Wow! More states look like they're going to allow same-sex marriage. It's been legal in Iowa for a couple of weeks and the sky hasn't fallen yet!
David