The Country Boy and the Big City

The Country Boy, and The Big City

Chapter One: Big City Hotel Visit

By Wade Wright

Walking past the front counter of the hotel,---if that is what it can still be called, David asked the guy behind the desk, 'Uh-Hey. How does a person call a cab here? If you want a cab, how do you get one?"

The desk clerk looked up from his paperwork and replied. "If you need a cab, you go out on the street and watch for one to drive by. Then you wave at him to let him know you want a cab, and if he is available he will pull over. OK?"

"Oh OK. Thanks". David replied. "I'm sorry I had to ask, but I'm here by myself and I'm not from the city. I've never been here before, and hey, where I come from we don't have cabs. So thanks man!"

"Oh, well I'm kind of sorry that I wasn't a little more polite in answering you then. I just kind of assumed everybody knew how to get a cab. Hey, when you go to get one, walk on down to Marshall Street, that direction, and find one down there. If you wait out here, you will be there all night. OK?" The desk clerk pointed to his right as he suggested David go to Marshall Street, and at the same time glanced a little more closely at David, since he now understood that this young man really was kind of confused, was in the big city for his first time, and, obviously, was alone. And as Nick, the desk clerk, now realized, one hell of a hot looking stud.

As David turned to head for the door, Nick rather quickly asked, "Uh,--- hey guy. Don't mean to get too nosy, but you said you never been in the city before? This your first time?"

David turned and replied, "Yea. Just got here this afternoon. I came in on the bus from down south side of the state. So, yea, I'm kind of confused, I guess. Uh, thanks again for the help."

Well-wait a minute guy. Before you head out. Do you know where you are going to? You don't know your way around, so do you know what place or address you are headed for?"

"Well I've got an address. So I just figured I'd give the cab driver the address and let him find it for me."

"Uh guy! How did you find this hotel, to stay here? You know we aren't what I'd call very well advertised, so how did you know to come here?" Nick realized that this "hotel" was falling fast from being the kind of place that you would want to admit that you had stayed at, and he was really confused as to how some 20 or 21 year old farm boy, from down at the south side of the state, that has never been to the city, could have known to ask a cabby to drop him off here.

"Oh, I found it advertised in a magazine that I had. After I did get here though, I do kind of think that ad might be a little old. It looks like the hotel needs some new paint compared to the pictures that I saw of it."

"Well-ahh ---wait a minute. Hey, I am Nick. What is your name?"

"Hi, I'm David. I'm the guy in your room 204." David struck out his hand to shake hands with Nick.

Nick was a Junior at the local electronics college on the west side of town, and he found this rather un-impressive job, of being a night clerk in the old Barker Hotel, a very good fit for him. He could actually spend most of his time on school work, and very little on hotel stuff. No business, no hassle! He didn't tell too many people where he worked, but for him, personally, it worked out well.

Nick shook hands and then resumed. "Uh, David, I really do not intend to get into your personal business, but since you are new to the city, and I kind of think you must have had a really old ad that you saw this hotel advertised in, I'm really curious about just where you are headed for, and if you've got up-to-date information. You are not here in town to meet somebody, are you?"

"Well no, I'm not."

"Well, I didn't think so because if you were, I kind of think they would have probably suggested some other place to stay. I mean, we are OK here, but as you can tell, we are not one of the fanciest places in town. Do you mind if I ask you where you are headed for. David, I just want to kind of help you if I can, and right now I kind of think maybe you might need someone to help you make sure you don't get lost or something. Understand guy?"

"Well yea. Thanks Nick. I just kind of figured that when I got here, that I'd look up the addresses that I have, and just try and figure out what I'm doing then."

"David, a lot of stuff has changed in the city over the past few years, and since your magazine was old enough to have this hotel listed, I'm just real curious about what else you might have seen in there, that maybe is not the same anymore. Now David, I'm not trying to get nosy, but I'm real concerned that you might need some up-to-date information. Where are you headed for? What address?"

David pulled a paper out of his pocket and read, "The address is 202 E. Parker Street. Is that far from here?"

"Well David, lets just say yea--it is now quite a ways from here! That address no longer exists. That whole area was demolished, completely torn down, and replaced with a large computer manufacturing company. Is that the only address, or are there more places that you were going to head for?"

David looked back down at his paper and said, "Well, another one was 1246 North Rocker Street."

"Uh, David, that one is gone too! That was around the corner from the other address you gave me. What other addresses do you have?"

"Well, I've only got two more, and one was 1467 North Semore Street, and the other was 1555 North Ken Street, "B". I don't know what the B stood for, but I figured that when I got there, I'd probably find out."

"David, the "B" stands for basement. That address used to be a bar in a basement. That address and the other one, the North Ken Street address are both gone too. David, do you have that magazine with you that you got those addresses out of?"

"No, I didn't bring it. I just wrote the addresses down, I didn't think I'd need the magazine for any reason. Why?"

"David, all of those addresses that you gave me are old gay bars that got replaced when the big factory got built. This hotel used to be advertised along with those bars, back in those days. Did you know, well hell, I guess you had to know, they were gay bars, didn't you?"

David stood there kind of scared acting and showing he was now very nervous. "Yea, I knew that, but I've never--I mean--I ---I'm not--Oh Nick, I don't know what to say. Yea, I wanted to go to one of those types of places and just see one. I found that magazine in the trash a long time ago, and I kept it hidden since I always kind of wondered what one of those places would be like. Nick, I'm not one of those types of guys! Nick, you think I'm one of them now, don't you?"

"Hey David! Calm down man. Everything is really OK! You are OK! You didn't do anything wrong. I kind of think I can see now why you are in the big city for the first time now. Why don't we go over here and sit down for a minute and talk over what you want to do, since all of your addresses don't even exist anymore. OK?"

"Yea, Uh, OK." David replied. "Hey Nick, I really have been to the city before, but never by myself, so I just said I'd never been here. When I was here before, I was always with my parents and I never needed to do stuff like find addresses or get cabs."

"Hey man, that is OK. I kind of give you a lot of credit for having the initiative to get yourself to the big city and try to find out what some of these places are, and what they are like. It's just too bad that all of the information, in your ad, is all way old and way out of date. I think you are doing the right thing, though, man."

"Yea, but shit man! Now I'm here, and for what? Hell, I might as well stayed at home. I'm not learning anything now at all."

"Oh yes you can, David. Your trip is not all lost just because of some old addresses. David, just because the old bars all got torn down, that don't mean all the men left town. Hell man, they got new bars! David, I'm not sure just where they hang out now, since I am a college student working full time, I never get a chance to go run around bars, but I know a guy from college that is gay, and I can call him and get a bar name and address so that you can start there, if you want. OK?"

"Well yea, I guess, since I'm here and that is what I wanted to do. I just didn't plan on telling anybody of what I was in town for. I thought I could just do this all without anybody else knowing why I was here. If you call him, he won't think I am stupid or something will he?"

"No David. Hell no! Hey we all need to stick together once in awhile and help each other whenever possible. So you want me to see what I can find out?"

"Well, if you don't mind. I'm here for the whole damn week-end, so I might as well try and do what I came to town for?"

"Sit tight man, let me call Todd and see if I can get ahold of him, OK?"

"Yea, thanks Nick."

Nick went to the desk and dialed Todd's number.

"Hey Todd! Hey Todd this is Nick Nickols. Yea-good-yea,--- how you doing man? Hey-don't forget the big mid-term test, next Wednesday, man! Yea right! Hey, Todd got a need for some help here man. I'm at work at the hotel, and I have a nice attractive young man in here that is in town, that came to town to visit some of the old gay bar locations, but all of the addresses that he has with him, are from an old mag, and those are all of the old bars that all got torn down a few years ago. Yea--well don't worry about that. We managed to uncover his current problem and ---the fact that the bars are all gone--yea---and anyway I told him that I knew someone that could give us a name and an address where he could go to, if I could get ahold of you. Where is the best place for him to get started? Well--he's got kind of faded jeans on right now, and a pull over shirt, no not business attire. I really don't think he wants a business men's bar." Then kind of jokingly into the phone, and acting like he does not want David to hear it, but definitely loud enough for him to hears, Nick then say, "Yea nice pull over shirt, and big chest and strong arms! Yea, hell man, yea,-- right now, hell yes, --yea right now I'm sorry I'm not gay!" He grinned and looked toward David. David acted very embarrassed. He rather put his head down.

"Hey David!" Nick said. "Hey David, Nick said that if you want, or don't mind, he would kind of like to come by here, pick you up and then the two of you could go do the bar stuff together. Do you want to do that?"

"Well, yea, I guess. But Nick, he knows I'm not a gay guy, I just wanted to see what those places are like, right? I mean, he knows I'm not gay, and that's OK with him?"

"Yes David. He knows you are not gay, just interested in seeing what a gay bar is like, right Todd?" Nick said so that both David and Todd could hear.

"Yea he knows David, he said that is quite OK, and he still thinks that the two of you running around together might be fun. OK?"

"Yea, tell him it's OK with me as long as he understand I'm not a gay guy."

"Hey Todd, he said yea, he said yes as long as you do understand that he is not a gay guy. OK? Yea--OK-yea -make a right on Broadway. Yea that's right. OK, yea we will see you then right before nine. OK, I'll tell David. Bye Todd."

"Hey man, he is getting ready and will be here in about 40 or 45 minutes. David I kind of think I like the way this is working out better than the original. I like the fact that you will have somebody with you and you will not be out there all running around all by yourself. I think this is better, and I bet you two will have a lot of fun together. Todd is 21 years old, he's a Senior this year at the college."

"Oh good!" David said. "He and I are about the same age, so maybe we will have fun together. What does Todd look like? I mean is he short or tall, skinny or fat, or like what kind of does he look like?"

"Well, I kind of guess, hell,---- never though about it before, he must stand about 5'11", I don't think he's quite 6' tall, probably about maybe 180 or 185 pounds. A pretty good sized guy. Not a little guy! Hey, as a gay guy, he gets all of his opportunities, I know that for a fact. Some of the other guys at the college hang their tongues out as he walks by, showing in a rather comical way how they want that guy. He's a good guy to be around. I kind of think you two will have fun tonight. You are a pretty big guy too, so the two of you will look like you belong together."

"You mean you think other guys will think we are lovers or something?"

"No, No! No, don't particularly mean that, it's just that you know how similar people hang out with others that are kind of like them. Well, you and he are kind of that way."

"I just hope he does understand that I'm not a gay guy! I don't want him letting me hang out with him thinking that it is going to lead to anything, cause I'm just not that way and have never ever done anything with a guy."

"Hey David, he knows! That is OK with him. I'm sure gay guys like to have straight friends just the way we straights, well some of anyway, like to have our gay friends."

David and Nick chatted about life in general while they waited in the lobby area for Todd to arrive. Nick did have a few hotel guests that he needed to tend to as they waited, but not to any great extent.

Right on time, Todd showed up very shortly before nine. Nick introduced the two men and Todd then, kind of, as part of the conversation, outlined the what and where he thought they'd go and what they'd do.

Nick said, "OK man! Sounds good to me, but since I've never been to any of those places, I can not tell you David if that is a good plan or not. Guess you need to rely on Todd's judgment!"

As the two men headed for the front door, Nick hollered at them, "Hey guys! Hey make sure you are back here by 2 o'clock. I want to hear all about what you guys did and I close the desk at 2, so be back by then so you two can fill me in, OK?"

Todd turned and hollered back, "Yes sir, we certainly will, and thank you very much for the phone call! We will be back later! Sir!"

David kind of looked at Todd with somewhat of a quizzed look on his face, and Nick just looked, grinned, and slightly shook his head at Todd."

"You two be safe!" Nick yelled as they left the building.

David and Todd left the hotel, and headed out for their, "night on the town".

David told Todd as soon as they got into Todd's car, "Hey Todd, you do understand that I am not gay. I just decided that I wanted to see what that kind of a place is like, and since I thought I had addresses to go to, that I could come to town and visit one or two of them, and not have to tell anybody why I was here. I really do appreciate you taking the time to go with me, but I just need to make sure you understand that I'm not a gay guy. I don't have anything against gays, I just need to make sure you know I am not one of them. OK?"

"Yes David. Yes, I fully understand. Don't get all worked up expecting me to expect you to be something that you are not. I completely and fully do understand your situation. But, now I am going to be real honest with you, -----and tell you, you had better be damn glad that you are not going to these gay bars all by yourself."

"Why? Why did you say that?" David rather quickly asked. "Todd why did you say that. Aren't straight guys allowed in gay bars or something?"

"No, no, David! That is not it! What I was referring to is your looks. Oh, ---and what I need to make clear is, your looks are very, very good, and if you were all by yourself, you probably would be having quite a number of guys hitting up on you, and then you would have to try and explain that you are not gay, and of course most of them would probably think you are kidding. David, you are a hot looking guy, and hell yes,---if I was out on the prowl and saw you in a gay bar by yourself, I'd hit up on you too. So, --anyway, ---since we will be together, those guys will assume you and I are a couple and will not try and hit up on you. That's all. That's what I meant."

"God man!" David replied. "Todd I don't think I am that good looking, but do you really think other guys would have tried to, what should I say, come on to me, if I was there by myself?"

"Hell yes David! Yes, guys would try to hit on you. You are a good looking guy, and if they thought that they had a chance with you, sure they would, as you say, come on to you. David, ---got to remember these are going to be gay bars, where gay guys find each other to date, or to be more factual about it, take home and have sex with."

"Oh shit Todd!" David said. "Todd I never thought about something like that happening to me if I came up here to visit a gay bar. Man I never thought I was the kind of a guy that a guy would want to have sex with. Oh shit man! Todd you won't let anybody try to come on to me will you? Todd, since you have told me that, man I am really glad you are with me now!"

"See man, funny things do turn out OK once in awhile don't they?"

"But Todd, if they won't hit up on me since you are with me, doesn't that mean that they will not act interested in you either since I am going to be with you?"

"Yea, probably." Todd answered. "But that's not a big deal tonight. We aren't going out there to get "picked up" anyway, so no big deal. I mean, after all, if some guy hit up on me, and then he and I went off to go have our gay sex, that would kind of be leaving you all to yourself, and I don't intend to do that. Tonight, you and I are running around together. The other guys will just have to get me some other time!"

"God Todd! I really do appreciate you doing this for me. I really never intended to get somebody else involved in my little week-end in the city, trying to get some smarts and learn something. I really did think I could do this all by myself."

"Hey David, no problem. I think this is going to be fun. Hell man, I go out all by myself way too many times anyway. Tonight I will have company. Hey man, we are getting real close to our first stop. This bar is called "For the Boys". I guess if a person did not know before they got here, as soon as they read the name, they should be able to figure it out, don't you think?"

"Well yea, I guess so!" David answered.

Todd and David parked the car, walked back down the street about half a block from their parking space and stopped at the front door to show the door attendant their driver's license to show they were old enough to be in a drinking establishment.

"That's the first time I've ever had to do that." David said. "Down home everybody knows everybody and nobody needs to check IDs. Well--guess I got to remember I'm not back in old burg, am I?"

"No David, you sure aren't! You probably wouldn't know what I meant if I said, "Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore', would you?"

Looking at Todd with a quizzed look on his face, David said. "No, I don't know what you mean by that!. What does that mean Todd?"

"Hey nothing important for right now, let's get something to drink, and I'll explain that to you later, OK?

"Uh, yea, OK!" David said. "Hey Todd, let me buy you your drink. Maybe that will kind of pay you back a little for doing this for me, OK?"

Checking to see what Todd preferred, David then told the bartender, "Two Budweisers, please."

After David paid for the beers, picked them up and turned toward, Todd he then said, "Todd, come here, I need to ask you something!"

Todd and David moved over toward the wall, rather away from the main crowd, and David asked, "Todd, did you hear what that bartender called me?"

"Well yea I did David. I told you before we got here that the guys were going to think you are pretty hot looking stuff, so when he called you Sweety, he was letting you know that he likes you, and I guess he thinks you are pretty hot looking too. Hey, David, you are going to be getting a lot of that kind of talk tonight. Can you handle it?"

"Yea, I guess so Todd, but I sure never expected that to happen to me. After I paid him, then he called me stud or something, didn't he?"

"Yea David! Yea, he did call you Stud. He said, 'Thanks Stud' when he picked up the tip you left him. Hey, David, he likes you. David, you are in a gay bar. Guys are going to look at you and you are going to have stuff like that said to you. David, you are hot looking, you have got a great build from what we can see with your clothes on, and guys have never seen you in here before, --so you could call yourself the 'new meat' in town tonight. David, you might as well accept the fact that you are going to get a lot of attention, tonight. OK?"

"OK Todd, if you say so, but shit man! I never expected something like that to happen," he said to Todd, then smiled and continued, "That's pretty good ain't it?"

"Hell yes it is!' Todd replied with a wide grin!

Todd and David walked around and David took in the entire sight. He checked out all aspects of the bar, --it's interior decor, --it's music and of course it's patrons.

Every once in awhile, he would move over closer to Todd and quietly ask him what some guy meant when he heard something that he did not understand. Todd would very patiently explain what the man meant, or what he was implying, and David would then simply say something intelligent like, "Oh, OK!"

Todd suggested that rather than have another beer here, that perhaps they should move on to their next scheduled bar, The Western Stage.

"Hey Todd, I'm doing as you say. You tell me what we are doing, OK?"

"OK! Then lets head over to The Western Stage. That bar will be somewhat different than here. The Western Stage is of course as western type of bar. Of course we don't have too many real cowboys in these parts, but hey, some of the gay guys can look pretty good in whatever western wear they have. We don't have any western stuff on, but in that bar, it sure is not going to make any difference. The bar tenders are usually about the only ones that have much western stuff on."

The two left 'For the Boys' bar, but not before the bar tender got a chance to ask David if he was new in town, and then when being told that he was just in town visiting for the week-end, told David that he would be more, much more than just glad to show him around town and show him some fun while he was in town.

As they went out the door, David asked Todd, "Todd exactly what did he mean when he said that, 'he would be more than just glad to show him around town and show him some fun while he was in town.? What exactly did he mean by that?"

"David my poor young naive man! David, what he meant was, show you his place, his house or his apartment, and then have some fun with you while there! He wants to have some sex with you, man! David, I'm sorry I am grinning over that, but you are getting hit on and, hell yea---I'm jealous. Shit man, I wish some hot guy like that bartender would hit on me! Shit man, I'd be doing it with him as soon as I could get him out of here!"

"Todd, I really don't know what to say. Man, I just never ever thought about some other guy wanting to have sex with me! Man, this is kind of weird! Good I guess since I am in a gay bar, but something I sure never expected. Todd, right now I am really glad you are with me. I don't know what I would have told that guy!"

"Well shit man! I sure in the hell know what I would have told him, but that's me not you. Let's head for The Western Stage and see if you get all hit on over there too! OK?"

After about a five minute drive, the two pulled into the parking lot and found an available open parking space.

"This place looks a lot bigger than the last place, isn't it? David asked.

"Yea, it is a pretty good sized bar. Besides it has a pretty good sized dance floor in it, so that takes up a lot of room too. Hey when we get inside, let me get our beers, and I'll explain to you later, OK?"

"Oh, yea, OK" David said.

Todd got the two beers, and as he handed David his, he explained. "The reason that I wanted to get our beers is when they see one guy buy and pay for both beers for both guys, that is a pretty good sign that those two guys are together, and not just happening to be in the same place at the same time. OK? Got it?"

"Yea, I understand!" David said. "That does make sense to me. I'll buy our next ones then. OK?"

"Yea if you want. We'll just kind of keep switching back and forth, and then we should be pretty even."

"I like this place." David said. "Yea, the building is pretty western looking, but you are right, not too many guys wearing western clothes are they?"

"Do they always play western music, all the time?

"Well I kind of think so. I think I have been in here before when it was something different, but yea, I do think it is western most of the time. Later in the night, like just about the time for them to close, then the dance floor gets kind of busy and a lot of guys try to do the two step. Some are pretty good, but then some should just stick with the ole waltz!"

All of a sudden David tapped Todd on the shoulder and said, "Todd, look at what that guy just handed to me and told me to put them in my pocket! Todd he handed me a package of rubbers!"

"Oh yea David." Todd replied as he looked to see what David had in his hand. "He works for the county health department. They hang out in the gay bars once in awhile and hand out free condoms so that the guys will use them. Well, since he handed them to you, I guess he must have decided that you are the top in 'our relationship'. Just stick them in your pocket. You might end up with a number of them before the night is over."

David and Todd grabbed some stools at the bar and rather kicked back and watched the activity around them for awhile. Once in awhile some guy would stop and talk to them, and then usually discover in one format or another that David was not available and then move on. Todd did express his rather amusing disgust that he was having to play second fiddle to David.

"I guess the 'new meat' in town does show in some mystical way, doesn't it?" Todd asked, but with a grin on his face.

"I don't know", said David. "Maybe for some reason they can tell I'm from out of town, but I think you look as good and as nice as I do. Maybe I am acting kind of stupid in some way or another, and they think that is cute. Shit man, when some guy comes over here, I'm going to make sure he knows you are a local, and available. OK?"

Todd laughed and told David, "No, don't do that! But hey man, I like your attitude though! Maybe I'm just not putting out the right vibs tonight. I know, since we are together, I'm just not acting as horny as I usually do. I'll come back some night soon and see if I can get one of these same guys all hot and bothered over me!"

David looked at Todd and grinned. He then leaned over close to him and said, "Todd, they can tell I'm not gay, and so that is making them to want me! What do you think?"

No David, no I really don't think so. We gays do have what we call our gaydar, but I really don't trust it that much.

David expressed his confusion over that statement, and Todd had to explain the term gaydar to him.

David did seem to be really enjoying himself there at The Western Stage, so they decided to stay long enough to have one more beer each, and then move on to the next bar.

After quite a few more explanations of what people were actually saying and what some of their actions meant, the two headed out for the next bar.

"OK, Todd, what is this next bar like? What is it called?" David asked.

"It's the Cow Skin Bar", Todd replied. "It is a Levi Leather Bar. This bar will be quite different than our first two. The first bar was kind of just a beer and wine place, the second one was of course western, and well this one will be a lot darker, and have a lot of decorations that will be really different for you. You know I will not be taking you anyplace that is not safe, right?"

"Well yea-but why in the hell would you say something like that? What in the hell is this place? Someplace that is not safe? Todd, where are we going?"

"David, this one looks kind of wild when you first go in, but believe me, all the guys in there are little puppy dogs. They just like to look rough and tough. And yea, they like to act that way sometimes too, but believe me, they are just little puppy dogs.

"Down this back alley?" David asked as Todd turned and entered a very dark back alley.

"Yea, this place is kind of hidden. Part of it's mystic feeling, I guess."

Todd actually turned into a parking garage and waved at the gate attendant as he entered.

"This bar is real lucky.' Todd said. It had this old warehouse attached to the building, so the bar owners turned it into a parking garage, and all of the customers really like that. Now you are going to be seeing a lot of leather, but don't let that freak you out any, OK?"

"Yea Todd, I'm OK. I'm with you and I know you know what you are doing, but yea, I do have to admit that right now I am really glad I am not by myself. If I had come here in a cab, I'm sure I would have told the driver to just keep going.

They parked the car as closely to the bar door entrance as they could, but even then they were probably 30 or 35 spaces away from the entrance.

"Shit man!" David said. Are all of these cars all for the bar?"

"Yea" Todd replied. "This place really gets the business."

Of course once again they had to present their ID and as the doorman handed it back to them, he told them that it was jock strap night, and for those guys wearing just a jock strap, all the drinks were 1/2 price. And informed them that if they did not have a jock strap, but wanted to, they could purchase a black strap in the leather store just inside.

"We get them at a very good price, so they are cheap, and then you'll have it for another time too." He told them.

"Oh OK. Todd said in response.

"Shit David, I did not know tonight was jock strap night. Maybe if I had known that, then maybe I would not have come here. Do you want to go in and just not be one of the jock strap guys, or you want to leave or what do you want to do?"

"Well, he said that if we do the strap thing, then we get all our drink half price, right?"

"Uh Yea!" Todd rather surprisingly said. "Yea!"

"Well,--if we do the strap thing, then what do we do with our pants?"

"Uh, they give you a bag to put them in, and then you like,-- check them, and they give you a ticket to turn back in when you want them back." Todd was answering , but was actually quite surprised at the questions that he was answering.

"Well how much can a jock strap cost us? If we buy one, we will probably get more than our money back when we have to only pay half price for our drinks, right?"

"Yea, David! Yea! Are you saying that you want to do the jock strap thing?"

"Yea, I think so. Hey, it's just all guys in there isn't it? There's not going to be any ladies in there to see us running around with just jock straps on are there?"

"Yea-I mean, no--yea you are right. No---there are no ladies in there! Do you want to get jock straps?"

"Yea, lets do. That sounds like fun! Kind of like being in gym class back in the old school days!"

"OK, let's do. The store is right over here."

Todd was actually shaking his head in disbelief, if that was what David had decided he wanted to do, but it sure was OK with him if that is what the decision was."

They entered the leather store, and each purchased a black jock strap.

"OK guys, go back there, in the back room, and change into the straps and then take your clothes out to the clothes desk and check them in. When you check in your clothes, he will give you a wrist band to wear to hold your cash and claim check in, ."

"Oh OK!" Todd replied.

They went into the back room where they were to change into the jock straps.

"OK so we take off our pants and shirts, right?" David asked.

"Yea right." Todd answered.

'So I guess we put our shoes back on then. I assume?" David asked.

As Todd looked up to reply an affirmative to David, his jaw dropped as he realized that David was taking off his pants, and had no under briefs on under them.

Todd started thinking to himself. "Shit man! This guy is not so much of a country prude guy as I thought! He's got enough balls to go without underwear, and damn man, look at those balls! And damn, man! Look at that piece of meat! Shit man! What in the hell have I been running around with tonight that I never knew about? Damn man! Shit!"

"Uhhh-yea, put your shoes back on." He told David.

Feeling rather shook and rattled over what he had just seen, Todd finished getting himself ready, and managed to check out David's crotch at least twice before they left the completely well lit room, and went into the rather darker bar space.

"Damn, is he really straight, or is he kidding me? A straight guy hung like that, with a bag of balls like that, and no briefs? Hey man, I'm really starting to wonder now! Shit man, --what if he is not really straight? Shit man--damn! Oh God! Please make me be right," he immediately thought to himself, and enjoyed the thoughts that he was playing with!

As they checked their clothes and entered the actual bar space, David said. "Shit man! Look at how many guys are in here. Man, this place is full!"

"Yea, it sure is." Todd said. "Well, I guess with the number of guys that are just wearing jock straps tonight, I guess I was wrong about all of the leather that would be in here. Hell of a lot more skin than leather, isn't there?"

"Yea there is." David replied. "Got to admit, never been in a room before with so many guys that are almost naked. Kind of weird isn't it?"

"Well, I guess it might be if you aren't gay." Todd said.

"Yea, maybe that is why I feel kind of funny. Did not think of that!" David replied.

As they waited to order their beers from the bartender, Todd managed to move them up rather close to the bar where the light was just little brighter. As he looked down, he said to David, "Hey did they sell you the right size of strap. Yours fitting OK?"

"Yea I think it fits fine." David said as he rather moved himself into the light a little better. "It looks like it fits right doesn't it?" He asked.

He then took ahold of the top of it and rather readjusted it from left to right, and then asked. "It looks right doesn't it?"

Getting just about as gutsy as any guy could at that moment, Todd reached down, cupped his hand and placed it on the basket of David. Moving his hand only slightly, as if to attempt to see if it did or did not fit quite right, he then said, "Yea, I think it is OK, unless it is a little tight!"

"Yea I know it is tight!" David said. "That is why I told the guy in the store that I wanted a small. I don't wear straps or underwear very often, but when I do, I like for them to be really tight. I like the feeling, when it's that way. Hell, you know I don't think I've had a jock strap on since being in high school. I just don't usually wear anything under my pants, if I don't have to. So, I don't know. Maybe for tonight I should not have gotten a size small. Maybe I should have gotten a bigger one. What do you think?"

"Hey,--if the small one feels good to you, then you got the right one. >From what I can see, it looks good on you. And from here, it looks,---damn good!"

The bartender gave them their beers, and they wondered off into the maize of almost naked guys.

After swishing and swaying to avoid running into other guys, and some rather not so accidentally rubbing up against some hot and hunky guys to get by, Todd turned to David, who was following behind him, and asked. "Hey, you doing OK? Kind of crowded in here isn't it?"

"Yea I'm doing OK, I think." He replied.

Todd turned more to David and asked, "What do you mean by, You think? You OK?"

David leaned up real close to Todd and very quietly asked. "Well Todd, trying to get through back there, everybody was all up real close, and two or three times I felt somebody's hand hit my crotch, and one time that one guy actually grabbed ahold of it pretty hard, but I was not sure what I was supposed to do. Is that something that I just have to have happen when you are in a gay bar? I didn't say or do anything, and I don't know if I was supposed to tell him to not do that, like if a man did that to a woman in a crowd someplace, or if I was supposed to act like I never felt it or what?"

"David, that will happen when you are something that other guys want to take home or at least feel when they get a chance. As long as what they do, like grab your crotch, if it is OK with you, then let them do it, or maybe just look at them and say 'thanks,' or something, but if you don't want them to touch you, just look at them and say, 'no thanks man'. Most guys will back off right away if they know they are doing something that they should not. OK?"

"Yea OK. Thanks Todd. I really did not know what to do, so I figured I'd ask you when I got the chance." Rather grinning, David then asked, "When that one guy did that, it felt really good, should I go back and tell him, Thanks?"

"No, no! But if you did like it, then maybe you need to try and find yourself up close to him again and see if he will do it again. If some guy gropes you and it feels good, then let him do it. But you might have to try and explain later that you are not a gay guy, and I'm not so sure he will believe that after you have let him feel you up!"

"Oh that's right! Yea, maybe I had better try to keep from having guys do that then."

"Well unless you really don't mind them grabbing you and doing stuff like that, I'd suggest that maybe you had better, but then if you like what they are doing, go along with it." Todd said back to David. "Hey man! Maybe you might like something like that a lot better than you thought you might! Never can tell you know!"

Todd got no response from David on that last comment to him, and that in itself made Todd rather wonder just where David really did stand on his being or not being gay.

"If he really is gay, " Todd thought, "he sure has never been out in the gay community, and I doubt that he has ever had any gay sex, but he was curious enough to come to town to see what a gay bar was like. Hey if you are not interested in gays in general, then why come to see what a gay bar is like?"

The two men continued to roam around the bar and into and out of some of it's smaller areas. The Cow Skin Bar was laid out in such a fashion that a lot of little nooks and crannies existed. Of course each nook and cranny had it own little personal activity going on inside of it. Some of that activity was very legitimate, and then some of it rather required someone to kind of act as a door guard, for a couple of two or three guys and their love making.

"Todd, let's go over that way" David said. "There's a lot of guys watching something over there, let's see what they are doing, OK?"

As the men got closer to the crowd Todd realized that the crowd was watching a flogging demonstration. Having some real serious thought about what David would say about something like that, he decided to just take it slow and calmly and watch David for any radical reactions.

"Oh Shit man!" David exclaimed! "Shit! Todd! That tall guy is whipping the shit out of that other guy! Todd,-- the little guy is not fighting back or anything! God Todd that has got to hurt man! Are they having fun or something, or what in the hell is going on, man?"

Todd quietly explained how some guys get into some rougher stuff like flogging, and using different types of whips on another guy, and that is what these two were showing to the crowd of how to do it, and not really, physically, hurt the guy that is getting whipped. Todd did admit that, as the bottom guy is getting whipped, it does sting a lot, or so he's been told---since he's never been whipped himself, but no long lasting hurt of any kind. He explained how seeing the red strap marks on himself, after the whipping is all over, is usually a real big turn on to the guy that got the whipping, and also to the guy that did the whipping.

"David you will notice how the guy with the whip will rub the other guy's back and butt after he whips him? See, he really does like that guy, and he's not trying to be mean and nasty to him, it's just a different way of having some man to man rough actions together. Watch, before they are done, the big guy will go over and give the other guy a lot of hugs and squeezes before he unties him from the rack. I know it looks like the one guy is really beating the hell out of the other guy, but really they are having their fun."

"Shit man!' David replied. "Shit man, I think there are a lot of other things that I'd like to be doing with a guy than that! Not so sure I'd like that! And I know damn well I could never hit another guys with a strap like that. And did you see how many straps that guy had all tied together? And you said those guys usually love each other? Whoa, man! That's too much for me! Damn Todd! I am really glad you are with me tonight, because if I had been here by myself and saw that, well I'm not too sure of what I'd do. I'm glad I've got you to explain all this stuff to me."

As they turned to leave the area, Todd did notice and realize that David had reached down and rather unconsciously, readjusted his jock strap.

"Hey is your strap OK?" Todd inquired, as he looked down toward it and quickly realized that it was bulging out quite nicely. "May not have thought he liked what he saw, but it sure gave him a hard on!" Todd thought to himself.

"Hey David, watching that activity was a little more exciting to you than you realized, wasn't it?"

"What do you mean? Why did you say that Todd?" David asked.

"Well David! Right now it is very obvious to me that watching those two guys get it on with each other, kind of got you all excited, down there, right?" Todd asked as he nodded down toward David's cock.

"Well yea, I guess watching one guy get that rough with another guy was something kind of different. I've never seen something like that before,---well except for the time the coach got mad at little Billy for not doing as he was told, and the coach made him drop his drawers and threw him across his lap, and then paddled him with his bare hand until poor little Billy's bottom was all red. I guess watching those two guys kind of made me remember that day."

"Hey, David. That day, when the coach did that, what did you think about it then? Did you think little Billy deserved getting that paddling?"

"Well no! None of use thought he needed getting a paddling like that, but hey, that was the coach, and whatever the coach said, that was it. He was kind of like, our law at the school."

"So how many guys saw what happened?'

"Oh there were only about five of us in there when he did that! He told us to all shape up, or each of us would be getting the same thing."

"How old were you when that happened?"

"I was in the seventh grade, so I guess I must have been about twelve or thirteen years old."

"Did the coach ever do that to you?"

"No, I made sure I did not make him mad. He was a hell of a lot bigger than us kids, and I did not want my ass whipped like that. Especially in front of a bunch of the guys, like he did to Billy."

"Well David. What would you have done if the coach had done that to you? What would you have done?"

"I'd have laid there and taken it! I would not have had any choice about it."

"Did you ever kind of wish that maybe the coach would paddle you? Did you ever think about what that would be like if he did that to you?"

"Yea,---one day he got all mad at another kid that was only in our school for part of a year, ---I forget his name, ---but when I thought the coach was going to beat him, like he did Billy about a month earlier, that was the one time when I wanted to be the guy across his lap, if that is what he was going to do. I did not think that poor kid deserved to get paddled, for whatever it was he was supposed to have screwed up on, and that day, is the only day that I can remember that I wanted to be the one instead of the little kid. That kid was little. I wasn't big then, but that kid was littler than me!"

"So what happened? Did the coach paddle that kid?"

"No! The coach grabbed him, and then all of a sudden he let the kid go and mumbled something under his breath and he walked out of the locker room."

"Oh, all this stuff took place in the locker room?"

"Yea. The only time we were around the coach was when we were in the locker room on in the gym."

"Well David. Tell me. How often was the coach in the locker room with you guys? Was he in there with you guys a lot?"

"Well yea! I guess. We'd have gym class, but a lot of the times, he would just have us stay there in the locker room and he's give us instructions about what we were supposed to do when we play some game or another. Hell there were a lot of times that we'd just have gym class in the locker room. We never went to the gym at all. It was during those times when I discovered that some guys get to have,---bigger, --what should I say--bigger dicks than others. Hell, we'd end up spending the whole time in the locker room naked, just listening to the coach explain something to us. He never told us ahead of time that we weren't going to the gym. We'd all be getting dressed into our gym shorts whenever he came in and then started our conversations in there. He gave us a lot of lectures on health and way to take care of our bodies and stuff like that. Then, even though we never even got to the gym, he's have us all shower down, as if we had been playing hard. After we all showered, he'd always walk around and make sure we had toweled off real good. He always said that he did not want his guys leaving the locker room looking like they had pissed in their pants. He'd re-towel a lot of the guys off again if he did not think they had dried themselves, well enough. I guess there were a couple of guys that he just could not get to learn how to use a towel right. Every time we showered, he would re-dry them all over again. I do know that Jay kind of let him do it all of the time. In fact Jay would ask, 'Hey coach! Am I dry enough to get dressed now?' Every damn time, the coach would come over and re-dry Jay. What I thought was kind of funny though, was, he never had to re-dry Jay's arms or neck or someplace like that. It was always his legs and butt area. I guess that's why the coach always said he did not want it looking like one of his guys had just peed in his pants."

"Well what happened to that coach?" Todd inquired. "Is he still at that school?"

"Oh no!' David replied. "He was only there one year. Right at the end of the school year, I remember there was some kind of a big newspaper article in the paper from the county seat, and although I never found out what it was all about, the school district immediately got rid of him. I have no idea of whatever happened to him. I tried to ask around to see exactly what had happened, but nobody seemed to really know. So I finally just forgot all about him. Well,---that is until tonight. That whipping made me think about him again. Hell Todd, that's been ten or twelve years ago when that happened, hasn't it? Shit man! I wish I knew where that coach was today! If I could find him, I would drop my drawers in front to him and stick my bare ass right in front of his face and tell him, well if you like to paddle little kids asses so much, why don't you do this one? Then I'd tell him, I know you wanted to do it when I was a little boy, so do it now! I wonder if he'd be so damn anxious now? Now I'm big enough that I could take him over my knees and whip his bare, butt, ass!"

"So did the school say anything about this guy?"

"All they said was that he was not a good coach, and that they needed to make some changes for the next year. Well-they made some changes alright!"

"Yea, like what?" Todd inquired.

"Well, we had to spend a lot more time either in the gym or out on the field. We did not have the locker room discussions like we did when Coach Jack was there. And the new coach, I think, was more of a teacher than a coach. Hell, he was so damn fat, I'm not sure he could have run all the way around the football field like we had to do. At least Coach Jack looked and acted like a coach. He spent a lot of time with his players, and he showed us what a guy can do with his body if he works out in the gym lifting weights and stuff like that. That new coach, hell I doubt that he ever saw a weight, let alone lift one. Coach Jack liked to have the older guys come in and lift weights a lot. He helped them a lot. He measured them every week to see if they had gotten any bigger. He always wanted Jay to spot for him when he pushed bench presses. We could never figure out why he would only let Jay do that. I guess he must have trusted Jay more than some of the bigger guys. Jay was a real tall guy, so maybe he could just straddle his legs over the top of the bench better than the rest of us. I tried to spot for him once, but my legs were so short, I couldn't straddle over him enough to try and grab the bar. He always had the bench scooted up so far, there wasn't any place to stand! So, I guess that's why he always had Jay do it. His legs were so long, he could just stand there right over Coach Jack's face."

"So, Coach Jack! Did you kind of like him, although he got mad and paddled some of the guys sometimes?"

"Yea! I liked Coach Jack He never got mean with me. He was nice to me. He'd let me take care of some of his gym clothes once in awhile and whenever I had some small problem, he'd be there. I remember one day when for some damn reason I could not get my gym shoes untied. He came over right away and got down in front of where I was sitting and finally got them all untied for me. I liked the fact that he took care of us in ways like that."

"So what else did he do for you guys?"

" Well, that was the only year that we did not have to carry a gym bag back and forth to school. He took care of all of our gym clothes for us. He said that since he had a really big business type sized washer at home, that it would just be easier for him to wash all of our gym stuff together in one load, and then besides we did not have to worry about bringing it back to school. Later in the year, some of the parents started asking their boys if they ever used gym clothes at school. Some of the moms started realizing that the guys were never bringing the clothes home to get washed. Right at the end of the school year we had to start carrying the gym bags again. I guess the school did not want him spending his time washing out our stuff."

"Oh, another funny thing about that coach. I guess his real first name was not really Jack, but rather John. I guess Jack is a common nick name for some guy named John. Well, what I though was funny was that he wanted to be called Coach Jack, but his last name was Dalft. So if you put the first name Jack and the last name Dalft together, you got Jack Dalft! We always made fun of that, but not to his face. In town he was always referred to as Coach Jack, or as John Dalft."

"If we had made fun of it in front of him, I have not idea of what he could have down. Probably beat the hell out of a bunch of bare butts! You know Todd. Now that I think back about that guy, I kind of wish he had not left town. We had some pretty good times together even though he got pretty rough with some of the bigger guys once in awhile. I don't think he really meant anything with it, I think it was just his way of handling the guys that got all smart acting and they needed to be put back in place. Hey with me, he was always nice. He'd give me back rubs and stuff like that if I acted like I as sore. Oh shit man! I forgot all about the time I got a leg cramp and could hardly walk on it. He made one of the other guys kind of take over the class, and he helped me into the locker room and rubbed it out for me. Actually it got a lot better a lot faster than he thought, and I kept telling him, I think it is OK now, but he kept telling me that unless you really work it out, and don't rub on it for quite some time, then it could come back in very quickly. So, hell I think he spent the entire rest of the gym hours rubbing it and doing the other leg too so that it did not cramp up on me. So-see--he was a pretty good guy. He didn't need to take care of me like that, did he?"

"Oh hell no, he sure didn't need to, I agree!" Todd answered back. "I can definitely see that he was a pretty good guy. You kind of miss him, don't you?'

"Well yea, I guess you can say that! Been a long time since I even thought about him, but yea,--now that I think back to those days and having him around so much, yea I guess I do kind of miss him. Sure do wonder whatever happened to him. Well, I guess he and his wife and kids probably moved to some other bigger place and he probably got himself a better coaching job in a bigger school someplace. Hell, he might be a college coach someplace by this time, what do you think?"

"Well David, I really kind of doubt it, really man! Yea, I really do kind of doubt it!"

"Well, Todd, why? Why don't you think he could be college coach someplace."

"David, from what you have told me. Think back! Put it all together man. Listen to what you told me. He was a pedophile and was after all you young guys! He was using his coaching job to get at little guys! You told me about the way he treated the bigger boys and then how he was so nice and caring to you smaller guys. He was a dirty old man, that was using you guys. Did you ever see him touch one of the bigger guys in places where he wasn't really supposed to be touching. Like when he was re-drying them off?"

"Oh sit man! Oh shit, he was ----wasn't he? Hell man, no wonder nobody in town "knew" what happened over in the other town that was in the papers. The article did not make any sense to me, but then I did not understand a lot of the words, so yea---he got picked up, didn't he? Well shit man, now I do wish he was here! I would strip him out of his pants and let him see what a good strong bare assed paddling actually feels like. Hell he wasn't too mad at those guys was he? All he wanted was a reason to get their pants down and see their bare asses, and then probably paddle them too. He could feel their asses that way, couldn't he? Oh,--- Todd! you know I told you about him rubbing that leg cramp out? So that is the why he kept getting higher and higher on my legs. I kept telling him that it did not hurt up there, but he kept saying stuff like well you have to go all the way up, or it will come back again. God Todd, I was damn dumb wasn't I? Shit, I wonder how many of the guys really knew what was going on? Hey, I bet that Jay guy knew what was happening. You know something Todd,---that Jay was the one that coach had stay after school a lot and help get the athletic stuff all put away. Shit man! He and Jay were playing around I bet! Todd,-----that's why Coach Jack always wanted Jay to help him when he was in the weight room, isn't it? He wanted Jay to stand there and put his crotch right in the Coach's face, didn't he? And you know what, there were some other guys that really liked to hang around the coach's office too. They were some of the eighth graders. And all of them were the bigger guys. You know there can be a lot of difference between the size of a seventh grader and a year later when he is in the eighth grade. Shit man! Damn man, I never even thought about him or any of that stuff since then. Todd you are so right! That guy was playing around with his junior high guys! Shit man, what if he had been there the next year when I would have been in the eighth grade and probably been one of the bigger guys! I wonder if he was sucking on them, or if he had them doing him. Shit man! One more year, and maybe I would have found out all about that kind of stuff a lot earlier in life! The way he treated me that year, I really do think I might have been, what should we says--one of his boys during my eighth grade. Hell man, I could have become a man really early! Shit man! Todd, the idea of him maybe sucking on my dick when I was that young is kind of getting me excited. I shouldn't be feeling that way should I? I should be feeling like I am damn glad it never happened, but Todd, I don't feel that way. Todd do you think I am sorry that never happened to me back then?"

"Well David, yea----I do kind of think so, -but it didn't, so don't fret over it. It's not what we didn't do in the past, it's how and what we do in the future that is more important. Right?" Todd asked his newly acquired friend, as he placed his hand up on the left shoulder of David.

"Yea, Todd, I think you are right. Can't do a damn thing about the past, we need to think about the future, don't we? Hey,---- and right now, ----my future needs another Bud! How about you? My turn to buy!"

Todd and David got their next beers and then headed toward the back of the bar in the other direction from where they had been earlier.

"Man some of these guys are pretty well built, aren't they?" David asked Todd. "I always thought that gay guys were just supposed to be the skinny guys that do stuff like fix hair and do interior design stuff. Some of these guys look like they are more the out door construction type. God Todd! Look at that guy over there. Todd! Look at the muscles on him. Shit man, is he gay? Do gay guys get that big and muscular? Shit man, he looks like he could compete in Mr. American!"

David, I kind of think this trip is a good thing for you. You have had kind of a weak impression of what some gay guys can be like. Yea, I'm sure he is gay or he probably would not be in here, and especially with that little on. He is one hot dude isn't he?"

"Yea he is! Let's go over that direction. I want to see him up closer if possible. Damn man! He is one really well built guy! Shit man, I've tried to beef up my body some since I was in high school, but I sure never got it to look anything like that!"

Walking over closer to the hunky muscle guy and his other very well muscled friends, David just kind of stood there and starred. As David stood there, the man saw him looking at him and said "Hi, how are you?"

David replied, "Oh, Hi, I'm good. You really have a good built man. I like the way you look!"

The muscle boy looked back and kind of acted rather surprised that one of the others in the room was quite so straight forward as to just come out and complement him for his body and his looks. "Well thanks man! It has taken a lot of time and effort in the gym to do it. I really appreciate that you like it. Most guys just look at me and then walk away. I like the fact that you have the guts to complement me on it. My name is Steve. You are?"

"Oh, I'm David." He replied as he reached out to shake the hand that was now very close to his waist line. "Oh hey, this is Todd. He is showing me around town tonight. I just came in this afternoon from down by state line area. Todd is showing me some of the gay bars. I'm glad he brought us here. Hey, glad to meet you. I'll see you later, OK?"

"Yea, OK! Hey thanks for the comments! You guys take care, OK? Todd, glad to meet you!"

Todd and David then walked on, and David said, "God he sure is a nice guy for having such a big and strong body isn't he?"

"Well yea", Todd replied. "I will admit that he could have turned out to be a real prick. So many times guys that look like that are all stuck up. He seems like he is a real down to earth type of guy!"

Hey, it is now about a quarter after one, and Nick asked us to be back at the hotel before two, so that he can hear all about what we did. Think we should be heading out pretty shortly?"

"Yea I do. We need to go get our clothes, so I guess we had better get going so we're not late."

After they got their clothes back, David said, "I'm just going to keep my jock strap on. That way when we get back to the hotel, then all I have to do is just drop my pants and show Nick what we wore here at this bar."

The two men retrieved their clothing, got re-dressed and headed out to the parking garage.

"Hey, I really think this was fun," David said as they got in the car. "I like this bar the best of the ones we went to tonight. I'm anxious to tell Nick what we did, and I want to show him what we wore, here."