THE MOST DIFFICULT CONTEST by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2008 written on December 2, 1993 translated by the author English text kindly revised by Acam
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE MOST DIFFICULT CONTEST" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
CHAPTER 6 - The scandal
That night Jean Paul went back to his room and wasn't seen by the others. After a while Claude arrived too. At once he noticed his friend's bright smile.
"Already in bed? I was looking for you downstairs. I didn't think you had already come up... But... did something happen?"
"Yes."
"You and... he?"
"Yes."
"Really? I'm glad for you two. I won't even ask you what it was like, I can read it in your eyes."
"We are a couple now."
"Good. But... and his family?"
"We will act so as to avoid any problem, so that everything will seem to go on as before."
"You two won't have an easy life... and you will find it hardest."
"Nothing is easy in this world. But we love each other and that is the important thing."
"How will you manage to meet without risking suspicion?"
"I'll find a studio for myself."
"Yes alright... but you should be very careful all the same."
"I know."
"Don't you mind the great difference in your ages? And the fact that he has a family?"
"The age difference? I don't feel it at all. And the fact he has a family - well that's just how it is. I don't want him to leave them as I know that it's important to him. I know he will have to share his time and I only hope it won't be too much of a burden. But I love him and only want him to be happy."
"If I can help you two..."
"Thank you. If I need it I'll ask you."
"Count on me for anything I can do."
During the "camp" they managed to make love a few times - always without risks or problems. Back to Paris Jean Paul with Claude's help succeeded in finding a bed-sitting room in a lane in the 20th arrondissment. It was not too expensive and had the bare minimum of furniture. It was nothing special as a place but the fact that he could entertain Robert there without problems made it seem wonderful in Jean Paul's eyes. Each time the two lovers made love there their relationship grew stronger and seemed to become even more beautiful.
During training, both were able to avoid letting anything show; they both behaved as they always had. But when they were alone they could show each other their love and passion for each other. Jean Paul was improving his performance even more and all his mates were very proud of having such a champion for a friend. All were more and more convinced that Jean Paul would get the gold medal at the coming Olympic games.
The sports magazines too were more and more often seeking out Jean Paul. They expected him to bring prestige to French sport. As a consequence of that the decathlon was becoming more and more popular and many young people were taking it up. Posters showing the handsome honest smiling face of Jean Paul were published. But he was not interested in his growing fame; he was totally intent on just two things - his love for Robert and improving his performance which he thought of as an unending gift to Robert.
When Jean Paul was alone in his bed-sitting room he sometimes gazed out of the window - below him were the trees of a small triangular bit of park with a busy street along each side. In front of him was a low two storey building with a florist, a baker and a greengrocer's shops and, behind it, the inner yard of a small hotel behind the windows of which he could sometimes catch the shadows of people moving. As the hotel was rather a long way away Paul didn't bother to close the curtains. That way his room was brighter. As he could not see the people in the hotel clearly he knew that they would not be able to see him either.
Claude was still driving him home every day; and twice each week, after about half an hour Robert arrived and stayed until supper time. They made love gently for a long time and enjoyed the intimacy savouring every moment.
"Don't you find it hard on you my love that we can only meet like this twice a week?" Robert asked him once.
"No it's not too hard. The time we have is so great it's beautiful! Of course, if we could spend more time together it would be wonderful but we must count our blessings."
"I'm sorry I can't offer you any more."
"What you give me already is wonderful anyway." Jean Paul protested.
"Easter holidays... I might be able to spend them alone. Francoise and the children are going to stay at her mother's place. I told her that I would take advantage of the break to go and visit Amsterdam... Would you like to come?"
"Of course I will! We can stay at the same hotel..."
"Just so. I will book a single bedroom for me and a double bed one for you and I will spend the night in yours. Just think - we can even make love every day. And won't it be nice to fall asleep and wake up together!"
"It will be wonderful. Can we book the rooms soon?"
"Yes of course. We will have a full week just for ourselves..."
They planned how to spend that holiday and happily looked forward to it. When finally Easter came Jean Paul went to Amsterdam by train and settled himself in his hotel room. Robert caught the next train as they prudently had decided not to travel together. Jean Paul had told his family and friends that he was going to spend the holiday on the Ccte d'Azur so that nobody would connect their destinations. They felt they had to adopt such subterfuges.
In Amsterdam they had a splendid time. They explored the city on foot or by hiring bicycles or on boats but they also spent hours in tender intimacy to exchange their growing love.
"It's so beautiful Jean Paul - spending time together without having to check the clock all the time - or the calendar..."
"How right. But we have put up with what we can get my love."
"I miss you the whole time when we are apart."
"When you miss me just remember that I love you and that I will always love you."
"If only we could get together more often..."
"Remember the rule you established - just twice per week. Moreover we can't risk letting the others suspect what is between us. Don't look at what we miss: enjoy what we have."
"You really are sweet Jean Paul!"
During the time in Amsterdam they got to know each other really well. The talked at length about themselves, about their lives, their thoughts and desires... Each of them wanted to be like an open book for the other.
But their time together went by like a dream and the two lovers had to go back to Paris - back to meetings regulated by the calendar and the clock. Of the two, Jean Paul was best able to stand the rhythm of their twice weekly meetings and it was the boy who gave the man the strength to endure it.
The "spring camp" came and they were able to carry on their clandestine encounters by taking careful precautions and thanks to the discreet complicity of Claude to whom Jean Paul was still telling everything. Claude for his part had found a new lover, Yan. He wasn't one of the athletes but a younger boy he had met at the movies. Later he discovered that Yan was in the same class as his brother.
Yan, on the pretext of studying with his brother often went to their home while the brother was playing tennis which he did three times a week. Yan arrived early and went upstairs into the little attic with Claude to make love. Afterwards they went downstairs just before Claude's brother came back and they said that Yan had just arrived... and so everything proceeded smoothly.
Everything seemed to be going right. But what nobody knew was that during the "spring camp" a popular Paris magazine that often published scandal had decided to publish some issues devoted to the private lives of the most famous French sportsmen. And among those sportsmen was the rising star - Jean Paul.
The reporters went around chasing for news. They decided to begin by doing some research and then eventually some interviews. Reporters with suitable photographic equipment were put to work. Powerful telephoto lenses took shots of Jean Paul during his training at Les Andelys. Meanwhile another reporter found Jean Paul's address in Paris and went to look at the neighbourhood. The position of the little hotel attracted the reporter's attention at once. He took a room on the top floor for a night asking for a view from the back. When he was in the room he mounted the camera with telephoto lens on the tripod and explored the closed window of Jean Paul's bed-sitting room. He realized that the position was perfect - a floor higher and not exactly in front. From that room and the room next door he would be able to take pictures of the interior of Jean Paul's bed-sitting room from two different angles whenever the boy left the shutters and curtains open. He thought of booking the rooms for when Jean-Paul was expected to come back from the spring camp. Who knows - maybe he could steal some interesting pictures of the handsome sportsman's private life? With luck he might even get a full frontal nude...
The research had established that the young athlete had been flirting with Claire for some time and that they were seen around exchanging at most a chaste little kiss or walking arms in arm. But everybody knows that public behaviour is often a lot more reserved than what goes on in private. The reporter was already wondering whether he could get good shots of them from the hotel windows and imagining the caption or the headline of the issue such as "The champion's secret training" or "Another sort of championship performance from the handsome Jean-Paul"...
The reporter took note of the room numbers and noticed that there was a very useful intercommunicating door - rooms 514 and 515. He could mount two cameras, one at each window... he just needed to know where was the athlete's bathroom and which side his bed was on... He would get the magazine to book these two rooms for the end of May or the beginning of June. If the weather was warm the boy might leave his window open and with those powerful telephoto lenses he could take shots of inside almost as easily as from sitting on the windowsill...
Even just a shot of the nude athlete while he was changing his clothes or coming out of the bathroom would be a good scoop. Then a few shots taken from their van showing Jean Paul arm in arm with Claire or of the boy doing his shopping, would complete the article.
Jean Paul went back to Paris with all the other members of his team and resumed his habitual daily life of training and also his secret meetings with Robert.
The end of May came and with it the hot weather so the young athlete began to leave the window of his bed-sitting room wide open again. The reporter who regularly walked past in front of Jean Paul house saw the chance he had hoped for and warned the magazine which immediately booked the two rooms at the little hotel. The reporter installed himself straight away with all his photographic equipment loaded the cameras with ultra-sensitive fine grain colour films. Then he set up the tripods and mounted the barrels of the telephoto lenses and then started to keep watch both early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
The first day he got a picture of Jean Paul getting up and changing including a frontal nude. It wasn't perfect but he did have a half erection. That evening he shot a very good picture of Jean Paul leaning out of the window with his torso naked. The second day amongst the many shots there was one rather good where the young athlete was stark naked and answering the telephone.
And the third day... a complete sequence of pictures of Robert arriving, of the two hugging and kissing, of the two undressing each other, of their naked bodies on the bed and the subsequent coupling. The reporter was excited and happy - he had in his hands a formidable scoop! He didn't at once recognize who the man was but he already imagined the captions "Championship pole vaulting!" or a more subtle, "Girls you dream of him in vain ..." or "Poor Claire she's just a decoy and she doesn't know it".
He shot one picture after another, until the two lovers got up and dressed again. He rewound the films took them out of the cameras and made a telephone call to the magazine just telling the editor in chief to wait for him and went back to the office as fast as he could. He gave the film rolls to the laboratory.
"Immediate development, the most perfect you can, and print proofs. Then take them to Roussier at once; I'll be there."
"But I've other work to do. I'm really busy. I'll do it tomorrow."
"No, now immediately! It's red hot material - a scoop . I'll take responsibility. Drop everything else you're doing and do what I said." the reporter ran to the editor in chief's office.
"Roussier, the laboratory will bring the pictures here. They are a bombshell!"
"You have been following Jean Paul Godefroy haven't you?"
"Yes the idol of all the teenage girls. This is stuff for the front page! Just try to guess."
"He is doing drugs?"
"Not at all; a lot better than that!"
"I don't know. Front page stuff you say? What can it be? Is he married?"
"No, no, no, way better."
"Give me a clue..." the man said amused by the excited expression of his collaborator.
"It all depends on the pictures."
"Well... I've the shots you did at the training camp here ... I didn't notice anything odd..."
"Oh, of course not, not there. But when he's at home..." the reporter hinted.
"Did you take shots of him in bed? While he's fucking with his girlfriend?"
"In bed that's right but not with his girlfriend, no; he's with..."
"Is he cheating on her with another girl?" the man asked in amusement.
"Cheating, yes, but not with a girl..."
The man brightened and opened his eyes wide, "Do you mean that... that he's a... fag?"
"Bingo!"
"Did you get shots of him kissing a man or a boy?"
"Lots better. Naked as their mothers made them and while they're fucking like rabbits!" the reporter exclaimed triumphantly.
"Fucking hell. This really is a master scoop! We will be able to double our print run. And, do you know who the other man is? Is he a hustler?"
"No, he's a mature man. I don't know who he is but we can tell from the pictures so we must wait for them."
"Good. We have to discover who he is even if we have to delay the article for one or two issues. We have to collect the evidence thoroughly. Pictures of the man going in and coming out of the street door. We have to put a team on the job for the handsome Jean Paul and his paramour!"
"Hey you aren't going to rob me of the credit are you?"
"Of course not. You will direct them. You'll choose your collaborators and if you do a good job you will deserve a rise, on my word! Aren't those pictures coming yet?"
The pictures came and the editor recognized the man at once.
"Fucking shit. This is a double scoop! This is the national decathlon team coach, Robert Chambret! We can do a big article on him, his life, his career and his family... and also on Jean Paul's family! With this material we can put half an issue together, sure thing! We need thorough research! God look at this shot! Splendid almost good enough for a porno magazine! And both faces clearly in view!"
The research organization was soon in motion. Without letting anything leak out the reporters got into operation and interviewed Robert and Jean Paul's family and friends. Without the two lovers suspecting anything (after all it wasn't the first time that journalists had been interested in them) the scandal monger's article was put together in record time.
And at last the magazine appeared on the news-stands with a colour picture on the cover with the two lovers deep kissing and a box caption "Special friendships in sports". Inside there were fifteen pages of article and pictures with those showing intercourse printed one on each page. Then there were picture of Jean Paul's parents and of Robert's wife and four children and of the national decathlon team...
The news was immediately repeated in the pages of other newspapers and on the TV and radio news and the scandal exploded across the nation.
Jean Paul got to know about it through one of his team mates, Charles.
"Did you see this?" he asked him as soon as he saw Jean Paul entering in the gym showing him the magazine with the picture of the kiss on its cover.
Jean Paul went pale and while he was reaching for the magazine Charles said, "Inside... it's even worse. You are both fucked; fucking hell." and while Jean Paul was trembling and leafing through the magazine, Charles said, "I'm sorry, Jean Paul... they are all bastards... you had better find a lawyer immediately..."
Jean Paul looked at him stonily and then asked, "Has Robert arrived yet?"
"He's in his office..."
"Does he already know?"
"I don't know. He didn't seem worried, when he came in a few minutes ago."
"Didn't you say anything to him?"
"I didn't have the nerve."
"Is Claude here?"
"I don't think so, I haven't seen him."
"I'm going to see Robert. Tell Claude, when he gets here please."
"And... the others?"
"Whatever you think best. Anyway the cat is out of the bag now ..." the young man answered.
With the magazine in his hand and walking as in trance, he went to knock on Robert's office door. His head was buzzing and his heart was palpitating. He knocked.
"Come in!" Robert said quietly.
Jean Paul entered and right in that moment the telephone on the coach desk rang. The man made him a sign to sit down and answered the telephone.
"Hello, Robert Chambret speaking... Yes, in person... Ah, mister president good morning..."
Jean Paul put the magazine on the desk, in front of Robert who quietly looked at it but at once opened his eyes wide and said to the telephone, "I can guess what you are talking about ... No, I haven't looked at it yet ... I don't know, I don't understand..." and so saying he started to leaf through the magazine.
Then Jean-Paul opened it at the page showing them naked and in union on the bed.
"Yes... of course... At you disposal... I understand... I understand, yes... Alright... Yes, of course... yes, I understand." he said and put down the receiver.
He looked the pictures horrified and then at the pale face of Jean Paul and murmured, "We are finished Jean Paul. We are finished."
"We have to get a good lawyer Robert. We have to fight. They don't have the right to..."
"By now it's too late, the damage is done. The president is coming here. He wants my immediate resignation. He didn't say anything to me about you but I think... I'm afraid... I already know how these matters go... especially after such a scandal. We are going to go through days of hell Jean Paul! My god what a downfall!"
"Robert, as it is now public knowledge, the best thing we can do is to fight. We have nothing to lose now."
"To fight? What for?"
"To live! To assert our right to live, Robert. Our right to a private life that has nothing to do with sport, as long as our performance is not affected. The right to love each other without other people being allowed to nose in our private life!" Jean Paul almost shouted.
Robert shook his head "We will have everybody against us, everybody. My god! And now Francoise and my children too... We will all be dragged through the mud..."
"Robert, happen what may, I love you!"
"I love you too, but... this doesn't help us at all... They will reduce everything to a sordid stinking affair..."
"But it isn't sordid! That's why we have to fight!"
"But who will listen to us? Who will help us? Our friends will disappear like snow in the sun, just you wait..."
"Charles is solidly behind us. And Claude too, I'm sure... and maybe some others too..."
"Don't deceive yourself, Jean Paul," Robert said in a tired tone, "... you should not deceive yourself. The best we can hope for is that they won't be against us. But most of them will tear us to pieces like vultures... I know very well how these things go. Yes I know very well."
"What should we do then? Just wait? Just let ourselves be trampled on?"
"We can just try to limit the damage, Jean Paul. You have to say I forced you to have sexual intercourse with me against your will. If they believe you, perhaps you might be all right. It could save you at least."
"No, not that! Never! I will never say such a thing. The truth is exactly the other way round, I drew you into this not you me..."
"They will never believe you started all this. And anyway it isn't true."
"I will speak nothing but the truth, anyway. And I will surely fight tooth and nail. Moreover Robert, they surely won't deliberately let their best coach and their champion go, can they?"
"They can... and they will..."
"But French law doesn't punish..."
"I know. But the customs of sport ... and the pressure of public opinion, which is always pitiless with people like us..."
"People like us? What is wrong with people like us? We love each other!"
"Exactly. We are both men and we love each other. This is wrong according to them. The image they want their sportsmen to have - that everybody wants - is that of the perfect man, the normal male - strictly heterosexual."
"But what right do they have to..."
"The power of force. The right of the strong..."
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 7
In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is
http://andrejkoymasky.com
If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help revising my English translations, so that I can put on-line more of my stories in English please e-mail at
andrej@andrejkoymasky.com