Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 68 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 Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.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, Tom, and David who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes!
dlee169@hotmail.com
Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 68
Carnival Cruise Lines uses the slogan: "The Fun Ship." And, that was indeed how Dane and Colt saw the whole experience onboard. They sailed out of Miami on the day after Christmas. The air at sea was slightly chilly, but not for guys who had been living in the deepfreeze of an Iowa winter.
After getting settled in the cabin they shared with Wade and Roger, they explored the entire ship. Colt was fascinated by the glass elevators that were a part of the multi-storied interior space. On the main floor was a white lacquered baby grand piano which was being played by a handsome young man in a black tux complete with tails.
Each of the public levels held its own charm. There were shops, a large theatre, several cocktail lounges, a casino, a video arcade, a formal dining room, and a well-appointed health club. These were in addition to the various eating venues, pools, boutiques, and sundecks. All in all, it was like a floating resort city.
After their tour, they informed Roger and Wade that they were going to catch some rays for a couple of hours. During that time, the men would have the cabin to themselves. The boys put on swim trunks and light jackets and headed for the upper deck. There was an "adult" deck one level higher. They wondered if they might go there without being kicked out, but they were timid to try it on the first day. Perhaps they would get out their skimpy suits that Roger had given them last year and give it a go tomorrow. They weren't sure what went on up there, but were curious to find out.
The boys went to the part of the sundeck toward the front of the ship that had glass panels to shield people from the breeze. That made it warm enough to soak up some sun. They slathered plenty of lotion on each other to protect their winter-white skin from too much exposure. The guys hoped to have pretty good tans to show off when they got home.
Back in the cabin, Wade and Roger took the opportunity of privacy for some quality lovemaking. They had felt bad that they couldn't afford two cabins so that no one would be starved for physical satisfaction. As it stood, they were going to share the queen sized bed and Dane and Colt would use the bunks. Wade was beginning to think that they should offer to alternate with his son and nephew so that they could sleep together some of the nights. Either way, they were going to have to set up some specific times so that each couple could have the cabin without having the others come in on them unexpectedly. It was only fair to extend the same courtesy to the boys that the men would like for themselves.
Dinner on the first night out of port was fairly casual. There would be some dress-up dinners on other nights for which all had brought jackets and ties. But if people didn't want the formal setting, there was always plenty of food on the lido deck at almost any hour of the day or night. Colt and Dane thought it would be fun to dine like high society.
Wade had booked the early sitting for their evening meals because he thought it would give them more time to take in some of the entertainment later in the evening. He also knew that the boys were early risers and would likely want to hit the exercise club most mornings.
Colton was especially pleased to find that the dinner menus had a great selection of reduced-calorie meals that were both healthy and tasty. A guy trying to maintain wrestling weight on a cruise ship could be a very unhappy one otherwise. Roger said that when his parents took him on a cruise when he was a young teen, there were five-course dinners that left people overstuffed. Those were followed a few hours later by an extravagant late-night buffets. It was almost like gluttony. He remembered wondering what their third-world waiters thought of such conspicuous consumption.
The next day was a full day at sea. Dane and Colt arose early and took their workout clothes to the spa area. The locker room was not huge, but was very well arranged. Any space that wasn't taken up with lockers or windows had mirrors to create a spacious feeling.
There was a sauna and a steam room on the side near the deck. Like the locker room, each had large frosted glass windows that let in plenty of light but kept anyone on the deck from seeing in. There were several showers stalls across from the sauna and steam room, each was entered through a small dressing area which locked. Colt got a sexy smile when they checked those out.
Soon the boys were warming up on the stationary bikes. These were very much like the new ones in their weight room at school. It felt comfortable to have familiar equipment to use.
The exercise machines were not that wonderful. They worked on a pneumatic system, so the boys felt like there was less resistance than they got from the ones with pulleys and weights. However, there were some free weights and a bench to provide a bit more of a challenge. Ultimately, they worked up enough of a sweat to feel that they were keeping in shape.
They weren't sure about steam room etiquette on shipboard, but decided to shuck their clothes and grab a couple of the big fluffy white towels to wrap around their waists. There was only one other guy in the small room when they entered. His towel was casually positioned so that it gapped enough to show off part of his crotch. The boys sat across from him and he smiled at them.
In the exchange of their conversation, the teens learned that the man was one of the dancers who entertained nightly. His name was Frankie. It was evident that he took good care of his body. For an older guy (probably in his late 30's), he was quite buff. They were impressed.
He complimented them on their physiques as well.
"I watched you working out," he mentioned. "It's obvious that you are not strangers to a gym. It's too bad that we don't have more challenging equipment, but most of the people on cruises aren't as serious about body-building as some of us."
At one point, the dancer pulled up the corner of his towel to wipe his eyes.
That gave the teens a full view of his semi-hard cock. He took longer than was necessary for clearing away the sweat, so the boys knew that he was allowing them to have a good, long look.
The guys were tempted to return the gesture, but were afraid that he might take that as a signal that they wanted to hook up with him. However, when they stood up to leave, they didn't worry when their towels fell off -- giving him more than a quick peek at their equipment. He grinned, knowing that they were not afraid to have their bodies seen either. He came out of the steam room just in time to see them disappear into the same shower room.
He was pretty sure that they were "all playing for the same team."
The boys rinsed off quickly in the shower and then got down to business. They were really horny from the show that the dancer had been giving them in the steam room. It didn't take long for Dane to cum once Colt had swallowed him whole.
Dane was shaking so much from the experience that it took him a couple of minutes to return the favor. His mouth and hands had Colt moaning loudly in seconds. Moments later, Colt was unloading. His body was reduced to the consistency of Jell-O too.
The guys showered off thoroughly. They came out into the locker area with their towels draped casually over their shoulders. Frankie emerged from another shower room in time to see the boys in their full glory again.
After breakfast, Dane and Colt put on some shorts and T's and took their new iPod's up to one of the decks that was less crowded. Since it was still early, there was hardly anyone else there.
Using an adapter, the plugged both ear-buds into the same unit so that they could hear the music at the same time. Then, they practiced the dance routine that they had recently learned for the swing choir tryouts. They were so into it that they were oblivious to anything else.
Frankie, the dancer they had met, watched them from the next deck. He was impressed with what they were doing and decided to tell them, so he made his way over to where they were rehearsing.
"Hey guys, I would like to work with you this week because we have an amateur dance contest coming up toward the end of the cruise. It's open to couples and teams of two or three people. You can do anything from ballroom to the kind of show-biz moves that you're practicing. By the way, may I ask where you learned those great moves?"
The boys told Frankie all about the new group that was being formed at their school. He had nothing but praise for the chorography that their director had taught them. But, he had a few pointers for them to improve how they were executing those moves. He ended up working with them for about half an hour. Then, he had to leave to fulfill his own duties on the ship which included running the bingo games.
After he left, the boys went back to the lido deck to snack on some fruit and juice. They had burned a lot of calories, but didn't want to pig out on pizza and other things that were high in fat.
Wade and Roger joined the boys for lunch later in the dining room. It was less formal than dinner and everyone sat at long tables with people they had not met before. The teens met several other people their age and agreed to play video games with some of them.
The afternoon passed quickly playing electronic games with their new acquaintances and more sunning. A couple of girls latched onto them -- a situation that they found humorous. The young ladies evidently weren't on the make, but seemed to be interested in having some amiable company. That was okay with the boys, as long as it stayed that way.
Dinner that evening was followed by a variety show and a late-night comedian. The four guys went to the variety show together. They liked the dancing very much. It was evident that Frankie was not a man who was all talk and no action. He was definitely the most professional male in the show. Dane and Colt were eager to learn more from him.
Roger and Wade wanted to go to hear the comedian, but Colt and Dane said they would rather get a good night's rest. It was Colt's turn to sleep in the top bunk, but he fell asleep cuddling with Dane on the bottom one. It was a close fit, but the boys stayed together all night.
When the teens awakened early to go to the fitness center, they realized that the ship was docked already. Therefore, they cut their workout a bit short so that they could have a quick breakfast and get to the beach as soon as it was possible to disembark.
Once on the pier at Cozumel, Roger hailed a cab to take them to the beach area toward the south. It turned out to be clothing-optional, and all four of them stripped without hesitation carrying their suits in the small bags they had brought along.
About fifty yards or so into the area, Roger and Wade laid out their towels to lie in the sun. The boys continued a few feet further and did likewise. Then the ritual of applying tanning oil to every conceivable part of their partners' bodies began. It was sensuous enough that both couples thought it wise to lie face-down for awhile.
Around 12:30, Roger pulled sandwiches and bottles of water from his bag. He had gotten several from the cafeteria line on the ship so that they wouldn't have to spend extra on lunch and wouldn't have to go looking for food once they were settled. Everyone appreciated his foresight.
It was getting close to time to return to the ship when two high school aged guys came by where Dane and Colt were lying.
"Hey, Donnie, it looks like we have a couple of fags out here. Look, they're half-hard from seeing our great bods!"
Donnie snickered at his friend's comments. Perhaps they could have a bit of fun harassing these kids like they did at school.
"It seems like you're the one noticing our cocks," Dane replied. "Maybe you like boys more than you want to admit."
Jared wasn't used to having anyone answer him back in that way. He noticed that Donnie had grinned at Dane's reply. He couldn't let this go without teaching the stranger a lesson.
Whereas Jared was a bigger guy, he had no experience wrestling and he was too out of control to realize what he was getting into. He lunged at Colton, but soon found himself in the sand pinned in an awkward position. Donnie rushed to his aid, but also landed hard on the beach as Dane tackled him. Dane had wrestled enough with Colt to know some of the moves. He had Donnie face-down in a painful head-lock before the kid knew what had hit him.
Jared began to yell, but Colton got very close to his ear and quietly threatened to break his arm if he didn't quiet down. Jared got quiet.
"Okay, you guys guessed correctly that we are a couple of gays. But being gay doesn't make us sissies and doesn't give you the right to harass us. I suggest that you apologize to my boyfriend and me for attacking us without provocation. I guess our president can get away with a `preemptive strike,' but in our school it's called bullying and we won't tolerate it!"
After a lot of struggling, physically and emotionally, Jared finally said that he was sorry. Colt was sure that he didn't mean it, but it made him feel good that he could force the bigger guy to at least verbalize it. Donnie also made a half-hearted apology. It was enough that the boys let them go. And they slunk off without looking back.
"Bravo," Roger applauded them. "We were ready to do something if they tried to beat you up, but we began to think that we were going to have to turn a hose on you two to save them! I'm glad you can look out for yourselves. I couldn't have done that at your age. I ended up getting beaten up more than once by bullies like that. Then, I took some self-defense classes, but that was in college and the threats were pretty well gone by then."
"It wouldn't hurt for both of you to take some judo or something," Wade suggested. "Since you neither one showed any fear, I think that went a long way in giving you an edge."
"What really gave us the edge was Colt's wrestling and teaching me some of it. We love to wrestle."
"I'll just bet you do!" Roger snickered suggestively. "I'll bet you are both adorable in singlets."
Dane and Colt blushed, but had been around Roger long enough to know that he wasn't coming on to them. He simply had an appreciation for good bodies.
"I think that you may have hit close to the mark when you suggested that the bigger guy might be gay himself. It seems to me that a lot of people from high school jocks to televangelists who rail against gays are possibly trying to cover up their own feelings -- like that Ted Haggard person. It's too bad that he couldn't have faced his homosexuality and embraced it once he was outed. Now, he'll live in frustration for the rest of his life. It's so sad!" Wade said.
Back onboard, the teens went to the spa to shower, leaving the adults to get cleaned up or make love as they chose. Needless to say, Roger and Wade did some of each.
There was another variety show that evening. At intermission time, Frankie came out on the stage to make a formal announcement about the amateur dance contest. He offered to give pointers to anyone who wanted them, saying that he would work with the teams individually behind the curtain in case they were afraid that someone else would copy their routines. Dane and Colt were quick to reserve some spots during the times when they would be at sea. Even though they might not stand a chance at winning, they had enough self-pride to want to make a good showing.
The second stop on the cruise was Jamaica. This was the most exotic place that the Iowa cousins had ever visited. Their morning was spent taking an escorted tour around the island. They saw lots of sights and had chances to relax and spend money at the various trinket shops.
Neither boy could resist getting a puka-shell necklace. The white chokers looked sexy against their skin which was taking on a summer-bronze hue. These would be souvenirs that they would actually get some use out of.
The afternoon was spent wading up the Dunn's River Falls. It seemed to be a "must" for tourists visiting the island. Wade and Roger had as much fun as the teens climbing the slippery rocks against the strong current of the water. They had all brought beach sandals that strapped on tightly, so they didn't have to spend extra money renting footwear. It was another case in which Roger had planned ahead. Wade sometimes teased him about "mothering" them, but he really appreciated Roger's ability to think things through.
On their way up the falls, Dane spotted Jared and Donnie, the two guys who had tried to intimidate them on the beach at Cozumel. He wondered how (or if) they would react. Jared pretended not to see the Johnson boys as he hurried ahead. Donnie fell back allowing Colt and Dane to come up beside him. They tensed up to be ready for whatever he had in mind.
"I'm really sorry about the other day," he said quietly, not looking their way. "I mean that -- even though you don't have my face in the sand. I don't know why I let Jared lead me into things like that."
"I know," Dane assured him. "But you aren't going to like what I'm going to say."
"What," Donnie questioned.
"It's because you care for him. Maybe you should let him know."
"Shit! He'd kill me for sure." Donnie blurted out before he realized that he was confirming Dane's guess. "He's so straight that he can't stand anyone he thinks might be queer."
"He might feel the same way about you," Colt stated. "I was very much like him before I came out to myself and to Dane in that same awesome moment."
"How did you do it?" Donnie wanted to know.
"I had him pinned on the weight room floor and I looked into his eyes and I had to kiss him. I couldn't hold back any longer."
"Well, thanks for the suggestion, but if I did that, I would be found floating in the wake of the ship -- unless the sharks had me for lunch before they found my body!"
Donnie hastily moved on fearing that Jared wouldn't like it if he saw him talking to the guys who had defeated them in Mexico.
Everyday of the cruise was fun and relaxing. The boys usually spent some time working out and relaxing in the steam room and also working on their dance routine. There were excellent meals and fine entertainment as well as plenty of time to work on their tans.
One morning when they were alone in the steam room, the atmosphere was thick enough to obscure their activities. Dane put one leg up, causing his towel to come open and expose his semi-hard cock. Colt did a quick check and, seeing no one else around, grasped that inviting appendage in his fist. Dane giggled and returned the favor. Once they had started pleasuring each other, it was going to be difficult to stop before the act was completed. The very fact that they might be caught heightened their excitement. Both were on the very edge when they saw the shadow of someone going by the glass door. They stopped their movements and pulled the towels back up. But it was too late to stop their orgasms. Both came all over themselves under the towels without anymore touching. It was fantastic! They were both panting and grinning when Frankie came into the steam room a moment later.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," he snickered.
Dane swallowed before he spoke.
"Not really," he squeaked.
"Ooh, what's that white stuff running down your legs?" Frankie asked.
Both boys took the bait and checked. Then they blushed realizing that they had been had. Frankie gave them another cheeky grin as they tried to get up from the bench without dripping any cum on the floor. Colt used the corner of his towel to wipe up an obvious spot.
"It's okay," he said. "The moisture from the steam will wash it down the drain - unless, of course, some dirty old man doesn't lick it up in the mean time."
In the shower that they shared a minute later, the boys giggled in relief. What if some old prude had caught them? Well, they were safe and fortunately the ship provided a seemingly limitless supply of fresh, white towels.
The third stop on the cruise was the Grand Caymans. There was a tour that they decided to take that included a turtle hatchery and a look at the island's architecture. Once again, the boys spotted the bullies from the beach. However, Dane and Colt were not thinking of both of them in that way anymore. Donnie, at least, seemed to be more reasonable and possibly gay like they were.
It was at one of the turtle ponds that the four of them met face to face. Roger and Wade eyed the situation warily, concerned about what might take place. Surprisingly, Jared smiled as he offered his hand to Colt.
"I apologize for that scene on the beach. I mean, for real. You gave Donnie some sound advice in Jamaica."
As he said that, he took Donnie's hand is his left hand. Dane and Colt broke into huge grins as did Colt's dads who suddenly found some other part of the exhibit to be fascinating.
"What happened," Dane asked.
"Donnie and I were play wrestling' in my cabin when my folks were at one of the late shows. I always liked to mess around like that because I could have him against me without admitting that I wanted to hold him. You know; I could keep up the macho image and still get my thrills. Anyway, I let him pin me and he kissed me. At first, I tried to throw him off. I called him a fuckin' queer,' but he held on and put another lip-lock on me. After that, I just melted and went with it. God, it's so great!"
Dane and Colt were nearly bent over with laughter. Jared had done a 180 turn-around from when they had first encountered him.
"Well, have you had a chance to get it on?" Dane snickered.
"Uh, not really, because we never have any privacy."
"Are you on the `Spirit' too?"
"No, we're on the `Victory.'
"Well, have you checked out the showers in the locker room? I'll bet they're like ours. There's a little dressing area as well as the shower stall. There's enough room for some serious fun..."
Both of the former bullies got very horny looks on their faces as they contemplated the possibilities.
"Oh shit, that's my parents calling us to get on the bus. Here's my e-mail addy if you want to get in touch." Jared said as he hastily scribbled on a ticket stub.
The dance contest was the main event for the early show on the next to the last night of the cruise. Dane and Colt had pre-performance butterflies as they stood in the wings waiting their turn. The girls that went on ahead of them were doing a super job. They managed to get the audience clapping in rhythm with their routine. This was going to be a stiff competition.
Frankie looked them over before they went on stage. They were dressed in coordinating Hawaiian shirts unbuttoned to the middle of their chests. They wore silky gym shorts over their support briefs that kept their packages up-front without showing off the outlines of their manhood. And, of course, they wore their white necklaces to complete the picture.
"God, you look good enough to eat!" Frankie exclaimed. "Go out there and knock `em dead. If the judges don't cream their jeans just looking at you, I'll be surprised."
Then the music came on and it was their turn. Once on stage, the jitters transformed into performance-adrenalin. The boys jumped higher than they had in practice and turned with more grace. They were in their own world -- a place where only the two of them existed. At the end, they bent nearly double in a low bow. It was then that they realized that the whole place had erupted in cheers and applause. Everyone was standing and shouting. Wow, this felt great!
The boys were so excited that they could hardly settle down. Wade was contemplating ordering them both a drink to calm them, but thought it might not be a good policy to get them into that habit. He and Roger had saved seats for them to watch the rest of the contestants.
It looked like they might be the winners until the last couple came out on the stage. This was a middle aged man and woman who danced the tango with enough style to be on a TV show. The boys knew that they had been out-classed.
After some time for the judges to deliberate, Frankie announced the winners.
"Third place goes to Shari and Jim for their superb waltz. Enjoy this bottle of vintage champagne!"
"Second place goes to Cara and Kathy for their Broadway number. You girls get fifty dollar gift certificates good for any of our onboard shops."
"Damn, we didn't even place," Dane sighed. "I thought that we were at least that good."
"It's okay; we had a lot of fun." Colt smiled wistfully.
"And before I award the first prize, I must tell you that our tango dancers disqualified themselves because they are professionals. They simply wanted the opportunity to participate in the show. So, the first prize goes to the Johnson boys from Iowa! You guys get a hundred dollar gift certificate each."
The boys nearly flew the distance to the stage. Frankie hugged them both telling them that they smelled good enough to eat, too.
"I think it's sweat that you smell," Dane said.
"Yum!" Frankie answered.
Wade and Roger told the boys that they were going to the late show and that they would be sleeping in the bunk beds when they came back to the cabin. The boys were to spend the night in the queen sized one.
They were hardly in the cabin when, Colt began sniffing Dane from top to bottom. Since they had showered and splashed on a bit of light cologne before dressing, their fresh sweat only heightened the pleasant aroma of their bodies.
"Frankie was right. Your scent is a turn-on. I want to lick all of the sweat off of your sexy bod."
After Colt stripped him of everything but his puka-shell necklace, Dane lay back on the bed as his lover proceeded to give him a complete tongue bath. It felt awesome. Colt nuzzled his armpits and crotch in turn making contented humming noises as he tasted him.
Dane decided that he wanted to see if it was as good as Colt was making it out to be. It certainly was fine being on the receiving end!
Colt squirmed and moaned as Dane sought to imitate what had been done to him. When Dane snaked his tongue into Colt's left armpit, Colt thought he had certainly passed into the realm of the angels. The feeling was only surpassed by Dane's lovingly sucking his `nads. That nearly made Colt cum without having his cock touched directly.
Eventually, they assumed their favorite position and brought each other to mind-jarring climaxes.
Author's notes: The governor of Iowa signed the anti-bullying law! Now all schools in Iowa will have to have a good policy to help prevent kids from being harassed because of orientation, gender identification, etc. Activists are pushing to have "sexual orientation" put into our civil rights law for all citizens of the state as well.
Thanks to those who wrote recently: Phillip V, Jacob, Bill, Rad, Jon (Joe Nathan), Russell, Stephen P, Jim We, Z-man, David B, Jim Wi, Paul W, Jim C, Allen M, Paul G, Bob and Walt (love you guys), Peo, and David S, Tim, and Tom H who edit for me. BTW, if you go to http://bwsryc.gayauthors.org/ you can read the concluding chapters of "Butterflies Fly Free." I hope that you like the ending!
I'm still on the pricey meds of C. Diff. If and when I am completely cured, I will let you know. In the mean time, I'm not going to keep bringing it up. It sounds too much like whining!!!
Hugs, David