Second Chance, Chapter 49
Warning:
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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 49
"Hmm, you two look like you've had a pleasant afternoon," Ben chuckled as Josh and Eric came into the kitchen. "Dare I ask what you did besides canoeing?"
"Nothing that you and Scott wouldn't have done at our age – before you got too old to enjoy it!" Josh teased back.
"Scott, we've got to ground these two until they're 35!" Ben laughed.
"Hey, I didn't say anything," Eric insisted. "Josh is the bad boy; I'm innocent."
"You're both naughty and that's why we all love you," Rob joined in. "So what is the news you have? You didn't say in your note and we're all dying to know."
"We're meeting with Mr. Edward Overman, the head of the publishing company, on Tuesday at his request!" Josh exclaimed.
"And Mr. Hadley is hosting us at the gallery," Eric added. "Do you think we should have our lawyer with us?"
"Tuesday is a light day on my schedule and I could pop in there if needed," Ben said. "But, you can't sign any contract without your dads' approval because you're under 18. So, if you get that far, Scott and I would have to be involved anyway."
The discussion continued as the men prepared dinner. Scott complimented the boys on their decision to work on Sunday to make up for their being absent the following Tuesday. He said it would serve them well when they needed a recommendation from Cliff.
Blake came home in time for dinner. He was tired, but happy. It seems that Cliff had complimented him on recommending quality summer help.
Rob had an interesting bit of news to add to the dinnertime conversation. His sister, Gloria, had warmed up considerably and was treating him more like a human being. He wasn't sure what had caused the change, but he welcomed it. His mother had noticed the same thing since Fathers' Day.
Cam Nelson moved in with Reese even before his lease was up. His roommate's girlfriend wanted to move into his apartment for the last month so all worked out well. She would pay half the rent to Jim and Cam wouldn't be out anything. He could use the money to give to Reese for his place. It was a win/win situation, leaving Reese feeling a lot less strapped for cash.
To celebrate their new arrangement, Reese invited Corray over for lunch on Sunday. Cam invited his friend, Corky (Cody Corcoran) over to be the fourth. He thought that Corky might be someone that Corray would enjoy knowing.
"They're both a bit older and on the fem side. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it's not for me. Anyway, I'd love to see them get together. Let's figure out a way to break the ice."
"Hmm, I think I have a plan," Reese giggled. "I hope Corky is adventurous..."
Working on that particular Sunday at the club was an arduous task. Eric mentioned that cleaning the Augean stables was probably a walk in the park by comparison. Josh and he were put in charge of running the refreshment cart that provided cold beverages for the demanding hordes. It seemed like everyone was thirsty at the same time and all wanted to be served immediately. The boys did their best to live up to expectations. If the amount of tips they received on cash purchases was any indicator, they must have impressed their customers.
Most of the members, however, simply signed for their refreshments. Cliff's aide kept a running record of the money taken in and the tips that were added to the receipts. He said that the boys' gratuities were averaging about 25% which was what the girls usually got if they were pretty. In addition, the boys had a higher turnover of products sold, so they were going to make out big-time on tips.
Eric and Josh were tired, but happy that they'd worked the tournament. They stripped to the waist and put the top down on the Mitsubishi on the way home.
The meal that Reese and Cam made was delicious. Reese had become a pretty good cook in his own right, but Cam was far better. He took the lead and Reese was content to act as his sous chef. The arrangement worked perfectly.
Cam was already 21 and able to shop for wine without fearing that his ID would be questioned. He purchased several bottles of Charles Shaw wines that would go well with their meal and not break the bank. He had long been a fan of "two-buck Chuck" even though the price had gone up.
Corray arrived first and sniffed the air appreciatively. He could tell from the aroma that he was in for a culinary treat. After his first glass of wine, he was also feeling quite mellow.
When Corky arrived, Corray could barely contain himself. Corky was beautiful with fair, perfect skin, killer blue eyes, and deep dimples that appeared at the slightest smile. Corray was in love – well, at least in lust! The two of them ended up side by side on the small love seat getting acquainted while Cam and Reese put the finishing touches on dinner.
When all were sated and satisfied with food and wine, Corky said that he and Corray would do the cleanup since the other two had gone to such a lot of work to prepare dinner. Reese protested to no avail and finally sat down with Cam to relax.
During the time they were washing up, Corray and Corky seemed unable to keep their hands to themselves. It was like a couple of adolescents playing grab-ass. Cam and Reese grinned knowingly at each other, but kept from snickering out loud.
When the two dishwashers joined them in the living area, Reese put his plan into action.
"I want to show Corky Corray's handiwork," he stated as he lowered his jeans and underwear enough to show off his styled pubes.
Corky gasped. He loved the design and was impressed by the bulge that was barely concealed beneath it.
"That's beautiful!" Corky exclaimed. "Do you do this professionally? If so, I'd love to have mine done."
"I'd like something like that too," Cam said.
"Reese, you naughty thing," Corray giggled. "I had no idea you were going to advertise my work. You know I'm a hairdresser, Corky. I'd never worked on manscaping until Reese talked me into it – not that he had to twist my arm to work near that anaconda!"
"Would you consider having us as clients too?" Cam asked.
"Sure. Who wants to be first? It would be best if we do this over a floor that's impervious to dye. You do still have that red tint, don't you Reese?"
Cam won the coin toss and was soon lying naked on the kitchen table while Corray began to ply his trade. Reese watched hungrily wanting to play with the semi-hard piece that Cam was straining to keep from going completely stiff.
Corky had seen Cam naked before, but was still enjoying the sight. He knew that Cam and he would never be more than friends, but he could appreciate a fine specimen when he saw one.
Cam's dye job was more impressive than Reese's because of his lighter colored pubes. The results were fantastic.
Corky shed his clothes without any false modesty and came up completely hard in all his glory. It was a sight to behold pointing up toward the ceiling at a 45 degree angle and curving to the left.
Corky's pubes were strawberry blond and would take the darker red tint well. Corray carefully shaved curved lines after having shortened everything to about 3/8ths of an inch. Again, the final look was great.
"I think I'll line you all up and take a picture of my handiwork on my cell phone," Corray enthused.
"Why don't I put my camera on a tripod and you can join us?" Reese asked "We can use the self-timer and have all of us together. I know you've done yours too."
"Okay, if you insist," Corray giggled while quickly stripping.
Reese got everyone posed, pushed the timer, and quickly joined the group - standing next to Cam. All four of the guys had hardons in the picture and all giggled over it.
"I'd like to take one of all of us soft," Reese said. "Cam and I are going into our room to try to work on that. You're welcome to use the guest room for the same thing if you like. I'm not playing matchmaker here, I'm just saying..."
"Oh feel free!" Corky said. "I think I'd like to strike a match to see if there's going to be a flame here."
"I'm feeling pretty combustible." Corray snickered. "I hope you guys have fire insurance!"
"Did you mean it when you called the other bedroom the `guest room'?" Cam asked.
"Yeah. That is, if you'll consent to sleep with me."
"You know I will. I'm developing major feeling for you Mr. Payne."
"And I for you Mr. Nelson. I'm looking forward to having you put me in a full-Nelson' and putting your Johnson' up my butt."
"That can happen in the near future if you like. I'm thinking I'd like a `Payne' in the butt first..."
"I continue to like the way you think!"
Conversation ceased as the two made out in earnest. Before long they had graduated to sucking each other in the 69 position. With shudders and moans of appreciation, they coated each other's tonsils. Then lying face to face, they kissed deeply and dozed for a few minutes.
They awakened to noisy sounds of pleasure emanating from the other bedroom. Evidently a blaze had been kindled.
Corky and Corray emerged from their retreat looking sheepish, but grinning all over. They had gone soft, but from their demeanor that state might not last for long.
Reese got everyone lined up again for another photo. He took several from slightly different angles and did close-ups of everyone else's. Cam did a close-up of his.
"It's nearly supper time. Should we get dressed and snack on leftovers?" Cam asked.
"The leftovers sound good," Corky giggled. "But let's not get too hasty about dressing unless it's dressing for salad."
"God, you're as horny as Reese!" Cam teased. "I never suspected you could give him a run for his money."
After their light supper, the guys decided to finish off the wine that was left. All of them had a bit of a buzz on by then.
"Why don't you two stay over so you don't have to risk driving under the influence?" Reese offered.
"Oh, I thought you'd never ask!" Corray gushed. "How about it, Corky? Would you like to share the bed with me?"
"Oh, I thought you'd never ask!" Corky giggled, parroting Corray's response perfectly.
Around 9:30 everyone decided they were ready for bed. No one mentioned sleep. After finding a couple of guest toothbrushes, Cam and Reese retired to their room leaving the other two to their own devices.
What transpired that night was never discussed, but Cam did get his wish and so did Reese...
Monday morning came all too soon for Eric and Josh. They had to roll out of bed earlier than usual to begin working on the grounds before the club opened for the members. The greens needed to be maintained and any divots repaired as quickly as possible. The good part was that they'd also get off work earlier. A nap was going to be their first order of business when they got home.
Once the repairing part was done, the boys had a more laid-back day weeding flowerbeds. They got to do that together, so the time went fairly fast. Cliff had the tally of their tips for Sunday and it was a tidy sum. They were pleased and so was he. He wished them well in their meeting tomorrow.
Tuesday morning came at long last. Eric and Josh arose early to get showered and style each other's hair just right. They dressed in khakis and golf shirts that were not precisely alike, but definitely coordinated. They looked like cousins if not brothers.
Ben and Scott gave them approving looks when they came down to breakfast. Rob and Blake commented too.
"You look like the dynamic duo," Rob said. "If your work doesn't wow the publisher, your cute bods will carry the day."
"Quit lusting over your brothers!" Blake teased. "But you're right; they do look scrumptious, as Corray would say."
"Ba-ba da-da gam-pa!" Robbie added.
"Our grandson does have a way with words," Ben laughed.
"He said, gam-ma' when I was at Mom's on Saturday," Rob said. "You should have seen Mom. If this kid doesn't get a full-ride to Harvard it won't be his fault! I didn't tell her that he's been saying gam-pa' for a week. I let her assume that she was the first grandparent to be addressed by title. Am I being dishonest to do so?"
"No, there's nothing wrong with making her feel special," Scott answered. "She has come around for you and she should be rewarded for it."
The others nodded their agreement.
They took the convertible but left the top up so as not to mess up their hair on the way. They arrived 10 minutes ahead of the appointed time and found that Norm was showing Mr. Overman the small gallery that was still featuring some paintings by Joshua.
Charles hastened to get bottled water for the boys (their choice) as they went to meet the publisher.
"Your paintings are excellent!" Mr. Overman said after being introduced. "I assume that Eric is one of your main models."
"Yes, we live in the same house, so it's convenient," Josh said blushing.
"And you, Eric, are equally talented. Mr. Shackford has faxed me some of your work from last year's class. I know that you're head and shoulders above my abilities when I took his course. You both have bright futures ahead of you."
The boys accepted his praise with a thank-you and the proper amount of humility.
At the appointed time, Mr. Shackford and Mr. Gilbert joined them in a small conference room with a round table where their work could be laid out and easily passed around among the participants.
Everyone studied the two versions thoroughly before anyone commented. Norm Hadley had to leave in the middle of the session to take an important call from New York. Since his presence wasn't mandatory, the meeting continued.
"Well gentlemen. What do you think? I want your honest opinions. I know Mr. Shackford will give me the unvarnished truth just like he did when I was his student," Mr. Overman laughed.
"Ed, I've told you to call me `Bill' now that we're peers and not teacher and student."
"I know, but it's a hard habit to break and besides I have a lot of respect for you."
"And I for you, but we don't have to be that formal. I know Eric and Josh well enough to know that they can call us by our first names here and still address us more formally at school."
"Okay, first names it is. Now, what is your opinion of the two versions?"
"Frankly, I like the first one better," Mr. Shackford said.
"I do too," Mr. Gilbert agreed. "I like the second one, but I feel that it's not quite as fresh – at least as far as the art work is concerned."
"Thank you both for reinforcing my opinion before I gave it!" Mr. Overman stated. "I wanted this meeting with you present because I think my editor is off base here and in some additional situations with other writers and illustrators. It seems to me that he's more into throwing his weight around than being helpful. I'm going to overrule him in this case and possibly in some others.
Josh and Eric, I'm going to publish your work as it is in the first mockup. I'll need to run the contracts by your parents and legal counsel if you wish. We can take care of that today or later in the week.
Bill and Gary, I'd like to hire the two of you as consultants this week to look at a couple of other books that I'm planning to publish. I'll pay you the going rate for your services. Are either of you available to continue today?"
After arrangements were made to meet with the boys' dads, they left the men to go about their work.
Norm caught up with Eric and Josh as they were about to leave.
"Well, how did it go? I assume that you're getting published."
"Yeah! And everyone liked our first version better just like we did!" Josh exclaimed. "I guess that validates our judgment a little bit."
"From what I saw, I definitely agree," Norm said. "I'm sorry Eric, I paid more attention to the art than the writing, but I thought that's where the major changes were made."
"It was," Eric agreed. "There were only two places in the writing that the editor wanted changed. I thought the meter in the original version worked better and Shackford agreed!"
"I'm proud of both of you. Perhaps we can arrange another show by Joshua this coming season accompanied by a book signing. That would be a fun evening and allow me to widen my client base at the same time."
It was a happy pair of guys who doffed their shirts and put down the top for the ride home. Norm happened to look down on the parking lot at the scene and beckoned the other men to view the sight. They all smiled at the carefree spirit of youth.
Author's notes: Well, the vote in Maine is not encouraging. Hopefully, people will begin to change their attitudes. Bullying still happens in our schools here although there has been a decrease since the passing of the safe-schools legislation.
Thanks to all who read regularly and especially to those who respond to let me know. This week's list includes: Rutabaga, Jim C, Rick S, John McD, Jim We, Lianne C, Cody, Dan F, Chea, Paul R, Chris B, Tom A, Gary McC and Paul L. Hope I didn't miss someone!