Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 54 By David Lee
Warning: This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction. Much of this involves males with other males. If the reading or possessing of such material as this is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.
Disclaimer: This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!
"Tales from Bentonville" is a romantic story centering on the lives of high school kids. Lovers of other ages may appear, but not normally in a cross-generational sense. References to sex with under-age kids may be made for the sake of the story line. However, I feel that child molestation is a crime and should not be glorified or tolerated.
This is my fifth attempt at writing fiction. My other stories on Nifty include: "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004) under High School, "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 23, 2004) under Camping, and "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004) under High School. Some characters from previous stories may have cameo roles in this one. However, you need not read them first.
Our only reward for contributing to Nifty is your e-mails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your e-mail. I get a lot of spam!
Finally, thanks and hugs to Tim and Tom who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes!
dlee169@hotmail.com
Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 54
Darrin and John flew out of the Eastern Iowa Airport on Monday morning. They had to transfer in St. Louis, but the connections were good and their flight to Florida arrived in time for them to check into the resort mid afternoon.
John was like a kid in a candy store. He hadn't traveled much at all and had never flown. He thoroughly loved the experience. And the resort was another treat. There was eye-candy everywhere. It had a fairly large number of guests who were handsome and in shape. The owners gave discounts to men in college and men in public service professions like firemen, policemen, and medics. Both guys had qualified for the discount. Even if it was Miss Charlotte's money that was paying for the vacation, they weren't going to squander it.
"Let's get to our room so we can get naked!" John urged. "It looks like that is the company SOP here."
In glancing around, Darrin had to agree that very few guys were wearing much if anything in the way of clothing. Some had on skimpy, light-colored thongs or bikinis that hid little when wet and were actually more enticing than complete nudity.
"I'll bet that guy over there in the mesh bikini is a fireman," Darrin speculated. "I wonder how many guys have set fire to their own place just so he could come to rescue them."
"They probably ban matches here in that case," John giggled. "Maybe we could rub two sticks or something together till be get a flame going."
"I could go for rubbing the `or somethings' together," Darrin whispered in his ear.
After they got settled, they put on thongs and headed for the pool area. Darrin was apprehensive about showing everything until he got comfortable with the place. He didn't want to invite any unwelcome advances.
The guys tried out the hot tub first. It was large, warm, and had lots of powerful jets. Several other men in the spa struck up conversations with guys. They seemed friendly and polite. It made the Iowa guys feel more at ease.
One young man was obviously attracted to John. He was hitting on John until John made it clear that he was with Darrin and had not intention of hooking up with anyone else.
Given all of the visual stimulation and subtle (as well as not so subtle) offers that the young men got, they were becoming horny enough that their thongs were beginning to be painful to wear. Darrin adjusted himself under the bubbling water as best he could without being too obvious. John noticed and pulled Darrin closer to him.
Other guys were making out in their vicinity. John couldn't hold back. He swung his leg around and straddled Darrin, sitting on his lap. He could feel Darrin's hardness pressing against his crack. The thin fabric between them threatened to rip apart. As Darrin stood up, John wrapped his legs around his lover's waist. He was locked in place with Darrin's erection still pressing against his butt.
Darrin carried John toward their room to the applause and cat-calls of an appreciative audience. Once there, it didn't take long for them to get naked on the king sized bed. Darrin took John gently, but with authority. John willingly yielded to his handsome stud. He moaned loudly as Darrin took them both to orgasm in record time.
After a short nap, the guys showered and dressed for dinner. It wasn't a formal occasion, but there were rules that people had to wear at least shorts, shirts, and sandals. Nothing was stipulated about underwear, so both went commando. Neither minded showing off the nice sized bulges in their shorts.
Dinner was an exquisite seafood buffet. There were things that John had heard about in stories, but had never tasted. He was eager to try everything. As a result, he ate more than he had intended.
The gay comedian featured that evening was raunchy, but very funny. The guys probably burned off a bunch of calories laughing. When the show was over, they went for a moonlight walk by the shore. It was fantastic to be able to hold hands strolling along without any worry about what someone else would think or say.
Back inside, they met a very cute young college stud with spiked hair dressed only in leather shorts which strained to hold in their contents. He had a ring in his left nipple and another one in his navel. When he made eye contact with John, John blushed. Darrin watched the interaction.
"You are certainly getting noticed. Do you want to invite him up to our room? You seem to find him attractive."
"Do you want to?" John countered.
"Uh, no, I'm only looking."
"Me too; he's hot, but that's all. I can't imagine anyone building a life with him. He's not ready to settle down."
"Are you ready for married life? You're young and you haven't had the chance to date a lot."
"Yeah, I think I'm ready. Are you trying to tell me something? You haven't been with anyone else from what you said and you know I'm used goods."
"John, don't ever say that about yourself! You are not in any way responsible for what that nasty man did to you."
"Yeah, but I did my share of messing around and getting other guys to suck me off. I'm sorry I was such a slut."
"You were acting out in the only way you knew how. It wasn't love; it was purely a biological need you were satisfying. I'm here to take care of your needs and to give you love as well."
"Darrin, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't throw that away for a cute piece of ass."
"Are you saying that my ass isn't as cute as his?"
"Hmm, let's go back to our room and let me check it out. Then I'll give you my considered opinion on its quality." John snickered.
Moments later, Darrin was baring his behind while John was kissing it, licking it and pronouncing it "fine!"
They made love quietly and gently with John taking the lead. He gave Darrin a tongue-bath over nearly every part of his body. John savored the slightly salty taste of his lover's skin. Darrin lay back passively, enjoying the attention. He liked the fact that John was versatile and comfortable as a top or bottom.
When Darrin felt John's fingers at the entrance to his most private place, he spread his legs to give easier access. John knew how to tease and please him so that he would soon be begging for the fingers to be replaced by the real thing.
John lubed up his cock and gave Darrin what he wanted. It took longer to reach orgasm because of their afternoon activities, but the journey was as wonderful as the destination. They both felt renewed in their love through the intimate contact of copulation. They continued kissing and cuddling following the fireworks.
Back in Bentonville, the group of friends was feeling much relieved to be going to practices without the fear that someone was out to get them. When Kevin asked the twins about their weekend, they didn't feel as though he had a sinister motive. It turned out that Kevin admired the guys' performance on the field and wanted to hang with them sometimes. He had felt a tinge of jealousy when they got elected co-captains, but he also realized that being a junior, he had another chance at the honor. He mostly wanted Alex to teach him how to pass better. It was no secret that he was the reserve quarterback. Next year, after Alex graduated, Kevin wanted to be ready to take his place.
Kevin mentioned that he was talking to a college recruiter on last Friday who was scouting out the team. The man was interested in meeting Alex and Allen, but the boys had left in such a hurry that it wasn't possible. Kevin had the man's card because the recruiter wanted the twins to get in touch with him. He had some attractive scholarships at his disposal for enticing new people to the university.
Alex smiled on hearing that. It wasn't so much about the possible money for college as it was about why Kevin and a stranger had been looking toward the vehicle that Alex and Joel had been in. He reflected on the fact that paranoia tended to color a guy's perceptions.
Dave got into the habit of bringing clean clothes to change into so that he could shower with the cross-country team after band practice. No one seemed to think it odd that he joined them. The team adopted him, urging him to go out for track in the spring.
Dave and Dustin were going to stay with Dane and Colt during that last week before school started. As it turned out, they joined Joel and the twins at the lake and commuted in to their various obligations in Bentonville. Jane Masterson came out to their cottage to feed the whole group of hungry teens on two occasions. Greta and Lori Albers provided meals at other times. Lori had meals brought out from a catering service since she had too many appointments to do any large-scale cooking herself. All in all, the guys fared very well indeed.
The reason they all stayed at the lake was that Rhys had offered hire Joel and his buddies to tear down the old cabin. He thought that they might enjoy earning the money he would have had to pay the construction company to remove it. Joel was happy to do it for his grandfather without any monetary compensation, but he didn't mind having a little extra spending money. He was certain that Dustin and Dave would like to add to their nest-egg too.
So, the boys would get up fairly early to work on the cabin's destruction and drive to Bentonville after lunch. When they got back in the late afternoon, they often worked an hour or so before dinner. After their food had settled, they played with the skis and jet skis until it got too dark. They were on the go from morning `til night, but loved every minute of it.
It was late afternoon in the middle of the week, when the boys made a discovery while tearing up the cabin floor.
"Hey, Joel, come here!" Dustin shouted. "It looks like there is a trapdoor under this old linoleum."
Everyone dropped what he was doing to see what Dustin was shouting about. As he pried up the boards, he exposed a tin box about one fourth the size of a footlocker. Dave helped him pull the object free.
"Well, Joel, it's your place, so you should do the honors of opening it." Dave insisted. "Do you think it's a pirate's treasure trove?"
The box was secured with an old rusty padlock which could be a sign that it held something important. Joel pried at the hasp and staple, but the metal was not yielding. Allen handed him a hammer and screwdriver and told him to give it hell.
Joel whacked at the lock three or four times before it gave with a shudder. He opened the box slowly while several pairs of excited eyes looked on. Inside, there was a large glass jar filled with old coins. Beside the jar were bundles of bills ranging from twenties to hundred dollar bills. It was obvious that there was a substantial amount of cash. It was very old, but certainly legal tender.
The boys examined the bills to see if they were real. Not only were they somewhat worn from usage, but they had different serial numbers so it was unlikely that they were counterfeit. Rather than examining it in the mess of the nearly demolished cabin, the guys agreed to take it back to the new cottage to count.
Jane and Rhys were coming out that night bringing dinner. The boys could hardly wait to show them the discovery. The tally reached over $40,000 if they had counted it correctly. That, of course, didn't include the pennies.
After the initial excitement wore down, they decided to take showers to clean away the dirt from the cabin. Not everyone would fit into the four-man shower, so they took turns. Alex and Joel used the lower lever shower while Allen took the upstairs one. Then Dave and Dustin shared the upstairs shower while Colt and Dane used the lower one. There was some playing around, but mostly everyone got clean before Joel's grandparents arrived with the food.
Rhys was pleased to learn about the money. After dinner, he dumped the jar of coins on the dining table while everyone sat around sorting through them.
There were dimes, nickels, and quarters as well as pennies. Many of the pennies were Indian-head ones. Rhys said that he still had a few that he had collected as a kid. He was pretty sure that these would be valuable to collectors.
"I'm going to have them appraised. I will check about the legal ownership of this money. As far as I know, it belongs to the property owner. Once that is sorted out, I will divide it equally among my willing workers."
"But, it's really yours," Dustin insisted.
"Perhaps," Rhys agreed. "But, had I hired an outside company, they would have bulldozed the cabin into a pile of rubble and hauled it away. The money would have remained buried for a long time -- possible forever. So, allow an old man the enjoyment of watching young men figure out a way to use it."
The boys all thanked him many times. All were hoping that there was no other claim on the money so that they could share it. It was a small fortune to at least four of them.
In Florida, Darrin and John loved every minute of their vacation. Darrin could relax knowing that his pager was hundreds of miles away and that he was truly free for awhile. John was soaking up the sun, sea, and sex too. He looked younger and more at ease than he had for a long time. Darrin hoped that other people wouldn't think that he was contributing to the delinquency of a minor for having a lover who seemed so young.
Besides enjoying the facilities the resort had to offer, they did some deep-sea fishing and took a gay clothing-optional cruise. As anyone can imagine, no one opted to wear clothes once the small ship was out of port. There was a certain amount of ass-grabbing and some serious making out on board. It amazed Darrin to see two guys actually fucking on the rear deck at one point. They seemed oblivious to the audience they were drawing.
The guy who was on his back "receiving" was the dude they had seen earlier in the week wearing tight leather shorts. It looked like he was enjoying showing off.
"He's being ridden bare-back," John commented. "Can you image that? He's taking a big chance unless that is his lover and he knows the guy is safe. I'm guessing that it isn't and that he doesn't."
Darrin agreed with John's assessment. Anal sex without the protection of a condom was definitely like Russian roulette. Even with one, there was always the risk of breakage. Darrin was happy that John seemed content to be in a monogamous relationship.
The next couple of days, the two young men did other sight seeing. John was getting tired of the "gay scene" and wanted to do some ordinary tourist things. Sure, it was nice to see other healthy, naked studs. It certainly didn't put a damper on their love making, but both guys felt that there was more to life than sex. Scuba diving and parasailing were a part of their adventures too. By the time their vacation was coming to an end, they had shared many fun experiences -- even ones that they could discuss with Miss Charlotte.
The plane ride back to Iowa wasn't as much a novelty for John, but he still enjoyed it. He openly held Darrin's hand on the fights home. The cabin attendants smiled at the men. If any of the passengers noticed the expression of love, they didn't make an issue of it. The guys knew that this wouldn't always be the case, but they enjoyed it while they could.
When they landed in at the Eastern Iowa Airport, they saw Dan and Miss Charlotte waiting for them. It had been a great time, but it was good to be home.
John couldn't help but notice that Dan seemed like he was forcing his cheerfulness. He would have to talk to him later to see what was going on. He had always been Dan's protector and could usually read his moods. John was worried.
After they had returned to Bentonville and unpacked, John knocked on Dan's door.
"Hey, Bro, what's going on?"
"Uh, what do you mean?"
"Cut the crap, Dan, I know something is wrong. What is it? Maybe I can help."
Dan started to speak, but couldn't continue because he broke down sobbing. John engulfed his younger, taller brother in his arms and let the boy cry himself out. When Dan regained his composure, he related the story.
"Cory and I have broken up. He says that he doesn't want to be gay anymore.
He's dating a girl who is older than we are. She has a reputation with the guys on the team. I think he is going to get laid."
"Hell, none of us asked to be gay," John scoffed. "It isn't something that you decide. I didn't wake up one day and say that I wanted to fall in love with another guy and not get married and not have a family. You know that too."
"Yeah, I know it, but what can I do?"
"My advice is that you try not to worry about it. I know it hurts, but don't give up hope. If he loves you, he'll be back. If he really can't accept being gay, you're better off without him. I know that sounds hard-hearted, but it's true. I think you told me that he had kissed a girl and that it didn't feel anything like it did with you. He may find out that it's still true. Do you think his mother is putting pressure on him to be straight?"
"No, his mom actually told him that he was a fool to break up with me. She took me out for breakfast one morning and told me how sorry she was. She asked me not to lose touch with her because she considers me to be like another son. We both cried."
School started the following Wednesday. The administration worked out the calendar so that the kids wouldn't have to begin with a straight week of classes. Breaking up the beginning with a weekend in the middle often helped the students to adjust better than having to go non-stop. This also gave the counselors time to rework schedules for some kids who got into classes that weren't a good fit for them - before they lost out on too much class-time.
The weather was surprisingly mild for the beginning of school -- especially given some of the hot days of July. Most people had assumed that late August would be a killer.
The first day was a shortened schedule. There was homeroom, followed by classes that lasted about 20 minutes. It gave the students an opportunity to go through their schedule without having to worry about being tardy if they lost their way. This was especially important for freshmen and the kids like Dustin and Dave whose school had been combined with Bentonville High.
Dave and Dustin had no real problems because they had come early and their buddies had walked them around the school to show them the layout. They had been to the gyms, locker rooms, and cafeteria in the past when competing in activities, but were fairly clueless about the classrooms.
It was a relief for Dave and Dustin to find that they were in most classes with at least one of the guys they had become close to in the summer. Dave was in band without his close buds, but that was no problem since he had made a number of friends while practicing on the field before school began.
When school let out at noon, the guys all descended on Pizza Hut for lunch. Joel and Alex got there first and convinced the management to allow them to pull several tables together. They promised that there would be a big group of hungry boys.
Allen arrived minutes later with Dave, Dustin, and Kevin. Dane and Colt came a bit later with two freshmen in tow. They introduced Mike and Brent to the older guys saying that they had gotten acquainted on the scout canoeing trip that summer. (Both younger boys blushed slightly remembering how they had first met.)
"Brent is a cousin of Carrie, and Mike just moved here from Newton this summer," Colt mentioned. "They are cool dudes and I thought you guys would enjoy having lunch with them, so Dane and I invited them along."
The rest of the guys at the table were all juniors and seniors, but they welcomed the freshmen. It made the younger kids feel as if the transition to high school was going to be better than they had feared. They wondered if the older guys would want to beat them up if they found out that they had a crush on each other and had fooled around. They didn't think that Dane and Colt would put them into an uncomfortable situation, but it didn't hurt to be careful.
At the end of the meal, Allen, Alex, and Kevin got up to go to football practice. Dave arose also because Allen had offered to take him to band practice at the same time. Cross-country had been cancelled for the day because the coach had to go out of town so the other guys didn't have to rush. Before Alex left, he leaned over and hugged Joel.
"See you after practice, Babe," he said quietly, but audibly.
The two freshmen nearly fell out of their seats. Now, they knew for sure that Dane and Colt had not introduced them to a group who would harm them if the truth about their relationship came out.
Dane was watching Mike and Brent to see what their reaction would be.
"So, how do you like Bentonville High so far?" he asked with a grin.
"Um, it's really cool. Are all the kids this, uh, casual about their feelings toward other people?"
"Nah, these two are special. They came out publicly at a dance last spring.
Most of the other guys accept them. There was one guy who tried to shoot them in the cafeteria, but other than that, all has been pretty smooth. Of course, the former coach's wife did try to get rid of them too, but... Now that you mention it, things haven't been all that great!"
Mike and Brent didn't know whether or not to believe him. They had heard some of the rumors and some news, but most of it had been kept under wraps to the point that no one but the people directly involved knew the whole story.
Dane, Colt, and Dustin planned to while away their final afternoon of freedom at the public swimming pool. They invited Brent and Mike to go with them. The younger boys didn't hesitate a moment, but said they would have to go home for their suits. Mike said that he had a spare that Brent could wear to keep from wasting too much time going from house to house.
The older boys drove the younger ones to Brent's house to retrieve a couple of trunks and then to Dane and Colt's room to get some for Dustin and them. Brent and Mike got a first-hand look at the room that Colt and Dane shared. It was obvious that they slept together. That gave the younger boys hope that someday they could come out to their families too.
Then, it was off to the pool for lots of sun and fun. Mike and Brent were really pleased to be in the company of upper classmen. It was a kind of status symbol to be openly accepted by older students.
After dinner that evening, Colton picked up the phone to hear Alex on the other end.
"Can you and Dane come over to our house for an hour or so tonight? Joel and my bro are here. There is a guy who wants to talk to us about the death threats that were made against us. Since you two put your lives on the line for us, we think you should be here too."
"Let me check with Dane. - - - - Yeah, he's okay with it. What time should we come?"
Shortly after the five guys were assembled along with the twins' parents, the doorbell rang. Lori answered it and admitted a young looking man who appeared to be in his 20's.
"Thanks for agreeing to see me," Robby Crouser began. "I know this must seem awkward given the hateful way my father treated you and the fact that my mother threatened your lives. But, I truly had to face you all and offer my deepest apologies for the way you have been treated by my family. I thought of simply going away and trying to forget, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to face myself in the mirror every morning if I did. I'm really sorry."
"I think that it's totally cool that you were willing to come over to our house not knowing how we would react," Alex said. "You're a brave man."
The other guys nodded.
"There is more to the story," Robby added, looking at the floor. "You don't know all that went on in my life or you might not say that. I have been a real coward. I couldn't face my father with the truth. He was so anti-gay that I could never let him know. I went off to college trying to live the big lie.' I needed the financial support or I couldn't have gotten my education. I made cruel jokes about homosexuals because that is what he wanted to hear. I invented stories about my sexual conquests with the coeds on campus to keep him happy and to keep the tuition money flowing. I didn't have the guts to tell him that his only child was one of them.'"
By this time, Robby's head was in his hands and big tears were flowing down his cheeks. The guys weren't exactly sure how to react, but Lori knew. She sat on the arm of the chair beside him and put her arm around his shoulders.
As he leaned toward her, the floodgates opened.
Alex moved to Robby's other side, putting his hand on the man's back. The other guys, including Mr. Albers, came over to extend a caring touch too. As Robby realized he was surrounded by people who understood his feelings, he smiled through his tears. He couldn't remember feeling that much genuine love since his grandmother had died.
He stayed for about an hour telling them all bits and pieces of his childhood. It was a cathartic experience to say the least. Lori brought in some cookies and soft drinks in the midst of it. When Robby left the Albers' house, he received a hug from everyone there. He went away feeling lighter than he had in ages. The mission of kindness he had striven to do for the guys had returned to him ten-fold. He had received far more than he had given.
Author's note: Thanks to all who wrote despite my change in posting schedule. I heard from Joe, Rad, Jim C, Jim W, Mike K, Richard C, Carroll, Paul W, Jon P (Joe Nathan), Steve, and Tom H (who edited). Steve has just begun to read Always and Forever. I had read his current story: "Ben's Fantasy" (under College). Hey, I just heard from Ron in AZ also! Thanks!
Hey guys, the AFA is mounting a campaign to blast Wal-Mart for being kind to diversified people like gays and lesbians. I'm not a big Wal-Mart fan, but I did write an e-mail to them thanking them for not being narrow-minded. I think we need to do some of this to counteract the hate.
David