Chapter 11, ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME
“What did she mean by ‘try to stay clear of
Judge Woods’ just as we were leaving?” Bob asked as they got in Drew’s car at
the county building parking lot. The Friday afternoon child services interview
had been very cordial and they both considered it a success. “I noticed you nod
but indicate nothing more.”
“Something that Mitch said when we first
discussed getting involved was triggered at the mention of Judge Woods. That
was early last month and it didn’t register much at the time. Apparently this
judge isn’t very gay friendly and can be a little testy. The plan, as I gather,
is for Mitch to monitor the calendar very closely with his contact. When we get
near the point of petitioning the court, he’ll be sure we’re assigned to a
friendly judge.” Drew engaged the ignition and drove away. “Just something to
be cautious about.”
“Must be my trusting nature. I just remember
that Mitch would handle everything. Do you think it’s anything to worry about?”
Bob was now emotionally invested in the foster parenting and was concerned
about any roadblocks.
“Naw. Mitch has it covered.” Drew turned
onto the southbound I-15 and accelerated to merge into the early rush hour
traffic. “Glad we got out of there when we did. Another 45 minutes and we’d be
part of the longest parking lot in Vegas.”
“I
hear you. Between all the new condos and hotels, the traffic is just going to
get worse and worse.” Bob looked at all the construction cranes that were
positioned up and down the Strip and added, “Wonder when this building boom
will peak?”
“Ha. They were asking that question when I
came here 10 years ago for school. I just hope we don’t run out of water.”
“As long as we’ve got enough to fill the
hotel pool. It was my idea to rip off the Hard Rock’s ‘Rehab’ concept for us.”
“It’s a winning concept, babe. And I’ve got
some pretty aggressive revenue numbers riding on our success. I don’t quite
understand how ya get by selecting who gets in, charge an admission and have
the balls to price cocktails at $17.00 a pop.”
“With hot honeys in thong bikinis…that’s
how,” Bob replied with a laugh. “Then, the stud muffins will line up in droves.
We’ve got to go back to Hard Rock for another marketing survey. The hetero eye
candy is fantastic.”
“It’s a shame we can’t tap into the gay
community by having a special night at the pool every Sunday night in the
summer. The eye candy would be just as fantastic…except all the guys would be
wearing Speedos and AussieBums rather than board shorts.” Drew eased over to
the right lane so he could take the Flamingo exit.
“However, we are locked in on hosting the
White Party a year from now. The contracts were just signed. That’s a big
statement for us to make to the enlightened community – worldwide.”
“Even if it is only for a weekend. It will
really be fun but the promoter needs to control the drug thing,” Drew replied
as he turned into the gated construction entrance to the hotel. “Nick won’t
have any tolerance for that.”
“The promoter cleaned up the Palm Springs
event. It’s like everyone’s finally figured it out: you don’t need to do drugs
to have a good time and get laid.” Bob laughed and added, “Funny…except for a
little grass, I never could figure out why anybody needed that shit.” Bob looked
around at the almost-finished hotel edifice before the car cruised down the
ramp to the sublevel garage.
“I’ve still got a few more hours of work
before I can call it quits. What’s your schedule?” Drew asked as he slid into
his assigned parking space.
“S.O.S. We’re working on firming up New
Year’s Eve plans so that Nick can approve it next week. Remember we’ve got
dinner plans with two of Vegas’s finest.” Bob was very fond of Officers Wes
Jackson and Justin Morley, the two policemen who responded to their home
invasion and assault a couple of years earlier. Wes and Justin had become good
friends with both guys.
“Oh, shit...it completely slipped my mind,”
Drew said as he got out of the BMW. “We’re going to meet them at a restaurant
around 8:00 p.m., right?”
“Lesbian cuisine at the Border Grill in the
Mandalay Bay,” Bob replied with a laugh. “Then, a late-night cocktail at
Charlie’s while we check out all the cowboys.” Bob pushed the call button by
the elevator.
“Cowboys dressed in tailored A & F and
Dan Post Caiman alligator boots, ya mean? So I guess it’ll be a jeans night for
all of us?” Drew rolled his eyes as they entered the elevator cab.
“Absolutely. Ya gotta admit that Wes and
Justin look hot in jeans.”
“They do. However, if Wes accepts our job
offer and resigns from the police department, we’ll have to keep those thoughts
to ourselves,” Drew said.
“You think Wes will jump ship to work at
Barcelona?”
“Chances are pretty good. He’d be the number
two in Security and have a decent salary package. Plus, I’m pretty sure they’ve
decided that it’s too nerve-wracking for both to be officers. Justin’s up for
sergeant and he’s encouraging Wes to join us.”
“That would be cooler than cool if Wes was
part of the team.” Bob’s memory drifted back for a second to the evening when
S.W.A.T. partners Wes and Justin rescued them.
“Very cool. Maybe they’ll have some news for
us tonight.” Drew moved closer, reached behind and casually squeezed Bob’s
backside as the door closed.
“Is that considered sexual harassment? An
officer of the company hitting on a younger, innocent guy?” Bob turned, licked
his lips and smiled. He was proud that two years later he still felt giddy when
Drew ‘goofed’ on him in a private way. However, it was unusual for a
deliberate, lingering touch to occur at work.
“Innocent, my ass…or yours. Actually, you
have a good point and I apologize. It’s just that I know the security cameras
in the elevator aren’t scheduled to be installed for a couple more weeks and I
lost my self-control.” Drew winked as the elevator opened on the Executive
Office floor.
“Rain check, later?” Bob asked as they
stepped out to the reception area.
“You bet your sweet…”
“That’s the idea. Now I’m going to the
office and work until about six before heading home. Meet you there?”
“I’ll be back by seven so I can clean up.
See ya then.”
Bob waved and walked down the corridor to
the Sales and Marketing suite. ‘Christ, am I beat,’ he thought. ‘And it’s not
even 4:00 p.m.’ The pre-opening projects with which he was involved were
rapidly stacking up. ‘Grand opening, New Year’s Eve, winter poker tournament,
spring fight…the beat goes on.’
*****
After dropping off his backpack at the
house, Cray continued on his bike to the hotel for his Friday night cleaning
shift. He felt it had been a positive week. First on his personal hit parade
were the new friends he had made. Tim, of course, had been the catalyst by
introducing his buddies at school and Cray was becoming tight with the group.
‘Chris and his Jeep are pretty cool,’ he thought while peddling down Flamingo,
‘but Michael is really neat. I wonder how good at Tai Chi and martial arts he
really is?’ Michael confirmed that he’d pick up Cray at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday so
they could go to the gym and practice. ‘I wonder what his deal is? He doesn’t
seem to have a steady girl but I don’t get any vibes from him other than being
a nice guy.’
When he got to Las Vegas Boulevard, he
walked the bike the rest of the way to avoid a possible accident. ‘Once I get
all my personal life straightened out, I wanna get a real driver’s license and
figure out how to buy a car.’ In that Cray had completed driver’s education at
high school in Provo, he was sure that it would be a breeze getting a Nevada
license – if he seriously studied the manual. As much as he appreciated the
gift of the bike, he had reached a point in his life where an auto of decent
condition was really needed. He hoped that by next spring the bike would only
be used for recreational activity. He was proud that his new bank account would
be richer by another $100.00 by the following week. ‘Maybe Mario or Drew could
help me with a loan when I’m ready to get some wheels?’ he wondered as he
walked up to the security building.
He showed his I.D. card to a guard at the
window, mounted his bike and rode on to a nearby light pole that he used to
secure it. Major physical changes around the construction site now occurred
every day and Cray was momentarily confused when some of the landmarks he was
accustomed to seeing were gone. Galaxy Services still used trailers for the
temporary office and locker rooms but the cleaning equipment was now located in
the new hotel buildings. He had been told that all trailers would be gone by
the end of the month and lockers in the sub-level of the hotel would be
assigned by then.
Most of the spaces he was assigned to clean
were still tracked up on a daily basis by the various ‘trades’ workers who were
scrambling to finish on schedule. But his boss had been instructed to maintain
housekeeping at a high standard as a subtle message that Barcelona was opening
soon and a ‘construction cleanliness’ mentality was not appreciated.
Strategically placed around the building were ‘countdown’ signs that indicated
the number of days before the resort departments would take over the finished
spaces for on-site training and an operations shakedown. Everyone knew that the
resort and casino would launch with a ‘soft’ opening on October 21 – come hell
or a ‘royal flush’.
By 6:15 p.m., Cray arrived at the Executive
Office suite with his cart, vacuum and supplies. ‘A little early,’ he thought,
as he swiped his card at the door, ‘but maybe Drew is still here.’ He hadn’t
seen his dad-to-be for a week and wanted to say ‘hi’. He stepped inside after
the lock released and made sure the door was secure again. The quiet, empty
office, now a construction-free environment, was to be ‘glove inspection’ clean
every morning. Cray had started a system of going to the rear of the suite
where Mr. Maggiano’s office was located and cleaning forward. He smiled as he
neared Drew’s lighted office.
“Knock, knock,” Cray said from the doorway.
“Are you too busy to see me?”
“Hey, guy. Come on in. Just wrapping up a
few things before I head out for dinner. In fact, it’s good that we have a
chance to talk. We can bring each other up to date with what’s been happening
since we last saw each other.” Drew stood up and walked around to Cray. He held
out his arms and gave the young man a warm hug that was instantly returned.
“Since last weekend.” Cray released his arms
and pulled away with a smile. “School is really neat and, after a few problems,
everything seems to be working out fine.” He sat down and waited until Drew
eased back into his desk chair. Over the next 15 minutes, he gave Drew a brief
picture of the new friends he was making. The mention of his new bicycle was a
lead-in to the ‘Vince incident’ and how it had been resolved. He watched Drew’s
expressions while the tale was told and wanted to make sure there was no
concern on his future dad’s part by the time he had finished. Cray said that he
hadn’t told Bob about the incident when they had spoken on the phone earlier in
the week because he wanted to tell either or both of them in person.
“Wow, my head is spinning at your ordeal
with that goon. Guess Mario got through to the dad and what needed to be done
was done.”
“Most of the guys at school are happy that
Vince isn’t in the picture and I enjoyed a little fame…for a couple of days.
It’s pretty mellow now and I’m just trying to get into a routine.” Cray paused
for a moment and knew that he couldn’t break his word to Mario concerning
telling anyone – including Drew and Bob – all the details about Vince’s dad.
“Sunday, I’m going to work out with a new friend at the gym. He’s also into Tai
Chi and I need to get some practice in.”
“Bob mentioned that. We’ll probably be over
there so say ‘hi’ if you see us. Probably best to just say we all work at the
hotel where you have a part-time job.”
“Cool. His name is Michael Turner and he’s a
nice guy. Kinda cute…but I don’t know about anything else,” Cray said with a
grin and shrug. “It’s neat to have a buddy who likes Tai Chi and Kung fu.”
“I won’t push it but if you ever want to
invite him to come over to our place for a cookout, that’s fine with both of
us. Let me give you a little rundown on where we are in the fostering process.”
Drew leaned over the desk and said, “We both passed the test and have a
certificate.”
“That is good news.” Cray felt a surge of
energy shoot through his body at the thought he was one step closer to having
the two guys as parents.
“Even better is that we had our interviews
earlier this afternoon and seemed not to screw up anything,” Drew replied with
a chuckle. “At this point, we’re waiting for the background investigation to be
completed. It’s just a matter of time while the paperwork goes through the
government offices. Our lawyer thinks that we should be able to resolve this in
the courts by the end of the month. Whaduya think about them apples?”
“I think that I’ve almost got two dads.”
Cray instinctively got up and walked over to Drew. “How about one more hug,
then I gotta get to work.” He smiled as Drew stood up and again wrapped his
arms around the excited teen. Cray almost burst into tears when Drew placed a
hand behind Cray’s head and brought them closer together.
“Buddy, we’re really looking forward to
having you in our lives fulltime.” Drew looked into Cray’s eyes and added, “Bob
and I are even going to look for a larger home so we can all have some growing
room. The apartment was really just a starter place for us, anyway.”
“In the same area of Henderson?” Cray was a
little concerned he would have to change schools.
“One of the criteria is to find something in
the Green Valley school district. But this isn’t going to happen for a while.
Just thought you’d like to know what our thinking is.”
“Wow, I’ve got all kinds of things to think
about while I do my job tonight. I’ll get out of your hair and start cleaning
the office.”
“And I’ve got to put my papers away and go
home.” Drew gave Cray a thumbs up sign and added, “See ya Sunday.”
Cray smiled, raised his thumbs in return and
said, “Sunday.” He waved and went back to his cart. ‘This has indeed turned out
to be a great week,’ he thought as he moved to the back of the office suite to
start his routine.
*****
“Thanks for waiting until noon to go to the
gym. I have a part-time job on Friday and Saturday nights and don’t get
finished until 1:00 a.m.” Cray felt very comfortable talking with Michael
Turner on a more personal level. Over the past couple of days, their friendship
had blossomed to a stage just beyond ‘casual acquaintance’. “I appreciate the
lift,” he said as they drove down Pecos Road on a rather warm Sunday afternoon.
“Where ya working? It’s hard for someone our
age to find a job.”
“At the new resort, Barcelona. I worked
there on the cleaning crew this summer and they asked me to stay on until the
place is up and running. It’s kinda crap work – in more ways than one – but the
money’s pretty good.”
“That’s wild. My dad started working there
last week. He’s a manager in charge of the slots operations. He was offered
more money than he was making at the Hilton and thinks the Barcelona people are
pretty nice.”
“I’m really impressed with the people I’ve
met so far…the bosses, I mean. Most of the guys I work with on the cleaning
crew just wanna get the job done and split at the end of the shift,” Cray
replied with a chuckle. “Cleaning johns isn’t a real career builder.”
“Dad seems pretty pleased so far. And this
is a good career move for him. Oh, by the way, I finally get what you meant
when you said you have a ‘crap job’. But I’m pretty sure the paycheck looks
good at the end of the week.” Michael turned onto Wigwam Parkway and headed for
the large strip mall that housed the 24 Hour Fitness Agassi Sport Club.
“Especially trying to buy some new clothes
for school.” Cray looked ahead and thought back to his former life for a
moment. ‘If he only knew why I had to buy all new stuff.’ He sighed, turned to
Michael, and said, “Now, ya gotta remember that I haven’t done much with Tai
Chi other than doing meditation sets in the back yard. And my Kung fu moves are
pretty rusty,” Cray said as Michael pulled his truck into the parking lot. “I
don’t have anything pressing later, other than some homework, so whatever time
you can spend will be great.”
“It’s just after 2:00 p.m. and my schedule
is pretty loose. Dad just wants to make sure I have the truck back before
dinner. We’re probably going to eat around 6:00 p.m. Part of it is I haven’t
had my license all that long and he still gets nervous about his little boy
driving.” Michael laughed as he eased into a parking space. “After we get
dressed, why don’t we warm up and go through the forms? It’ll give each of us
an opportunity to check out each other’s level.”
“Good. Then maybe we can show each other
some martial arts moves?” Cray asked as he grabbed his gym bag, opened the
passenger door and got out. ‘I wouldn’t mind showing Michael some other moves,’
he thought. ‘Super guy…but I don’t get any gay vibes.’
“Don’t whip my ass too badly,” Michael
replied. “I’m just moving into an intermediate level.” He got out, locked the
truck and joined Cray. “Maybe you’d like to take some lessons with me this
fall? There’s a Chinese guy in Vegas who has a small school and teaches in the
Wu tradition. I was in his beginners class last year and felt pretty good about
his instruction.”
“I learned the Yang disciplines so we’re
pretty compatible. I’d like that and there’s a few bucks saved that I could
use.”
“Cool,” Michael said with a grin. “It’ll be
fun and the class is on Tuesday nights.”
“Do you have any idea why they call this gym
the Agassi Sport? Is that the old guy who used to play tennis?” Cray opened the
front door to the gym and nodded for Michael to enter first.
“First, the Sport means it’s a fancier club
than the regular 24 Hour Fitness gyms. Second, Andre Agassi is a Vegas native
and very active in raising lots of dough for his charity. From what I know,
he’s a pretty neat guy. I think the gym decided to honor him…for a fee to his
charity, of course…as a marketing tool.”
The two guys went up to the reception desk
and were checked in. Cray was impressed at the size of the 24 Hour Fitness. He
had done a brief walk-through with a membership director a couple of days
earlier and had only a rough idea where everything was. He looked at the pool
area as they walked by on the way to the locker room and said, “Maybe we could
try the steam bath and Jacuzzi before we leave.”
“I’m up for that. Especially if we get a
good workout with some weights.” Mike took the lead and walked into the locker
room.
“Yeah. Weights and a few machines,” Cray
replied. He looked ahead of Michael and immediately recognized the two most
important men in his life, completely nude, talking and laughing. ‘Whoa,’ he
judged with a smile, ‘I think I know what helps keep a spark in their
relationship. My dads-to-be are definitely hot.’ He laughed at himself for
perving over the two men.
“Are these lockers okay for you?” Mike asked
as he stopped.
“This is fine.” Cray sat down his bag,
stepped around Mike and said a little louder, “I want to introduce you to a
couple of friends of mine from work. Follow me.” He was relieved that both were
putting on their briefs and it wouldn’t be awkward to introduce Michael. ‘On
the other hand, maybe he likes to check out other guys.’ He walked towards Drew
and Bob and said, “Hey, guys… ya made it.”
“Cray, good to see you.” Drew reached out
and shook hands.
“We decided to do an early workout cuz we
both have work to do.” Bob squeezed Cray’s shoulder and then approached
Michael. He stuck forward his hand and said, “Cray mentioned you guys were
going to practice Tai Chi today. I’m Bob Harrington and that’s Drew Reichardt.”
“Michael Turner, sir.” He smiled and shook
hands with Bob. Then he turned to Drew and added, “Hi. Cray said you all work
at the same place?”
“Guilty as charged. Bob works in marketing
and I’m in the hotel part of things,” Drew said as he pulled up his pants.
“The reason I ask is that my father just
started a new job at Barcelona. He’s going to be over in the casino area
managing the slots.”
“Turner? Hmmm, as in Miles Turner…but
everybody calls him Bud. That Turner? He’s a good man.”
“Yes, that’s my dad,” Michael replied with a
puzzled smile.
“Please excuse my friend,” Bob said with a
wink. “He’s showing off his memory ability. Actually, we’re all managers there
and I happen to have met your dad, also.” Bob slipped on his shirt and sat down
to put on his shoes.
“Guess I’ve been caught pulling chain.” Drew
laughed and added, “Your dad has a big responsibility. We have over 3,000 of
those slots and they help pay the rent – big time. I’m sure this pre-opening
schedule is playing havoc with seeing your dad at home.”
“Tell me about it. In fact, the reason I got
his truck to borrow is that Dad is taking a nap this afternoon to recharge his
batteries. But he’s really happy with the new company and is proud to be part
of it.”
“All of our schedules are going to be pretty
goofy for the next couple of months. As Bob said, we’re both going back this
afternoon and work for a few hours just to get caught up before Monday morning.
I figure that things will mellow out after the first of the year.”
“Same thing Dad says. He says that we just
have to tough it out. But since it’s just him and me, I’ve learned to keep busy
with school, Tai Chi, projects and stuff like that.”
“Well, if it’s just you and your dad, maybe
we could all get together for a casual dinner after we get opened,” Bob said.
“Michael, it really was nice meeting you.”
“Same here, Mr. Harrington.” Michael smiled
and shook Bob’s hand.
“The names are Bob and Drew. The ‘mister’
titles certainly don’t apply to you guys. Have a good workout and don’t do any
damage on each other. We’ve got to head out.” Drew patted Cray on the shoulder
and added, “Talk with you this week.”
“So long.” Cray waved as the two left the
locker room. He walked back to his gym bag and started to get undressed.
“They seem to be nice guys and they seem
like they’re very tight.” Michael pulled off his tee and hung it up in the
locker. “Almost like they were best buddies or something.” He stepped out of
his shorts and unzipped his gym bag.
“Best buddies is probably the best way to
describe it,” Cray replied as he slipped on a tank top. He sneaked as many
glances at Michael’s body as he dared without being caught. In a way, it was
almost like looking at himself in a mirror…except for his improved muscle
definition that resulted from the bodybuilding over the past month. “I’ve
really come to look at them as big brothers I never had.” Cray put on his gym
shorts and sat down to slip on his shoes.
“So what’s with their family life? Neither
one mentioned their wives.” Michael sat down with Cray and grabbed his Nikes
from his bag.
“They’re both single and…share an apartment
together. Guess it works for them.” Cray turned to Michael to study if this
news had any impact. He noticed a slight shift of eyebrows that indicated
contemplation than anything else and then an affirmative nod.
“If they’re good friends, sharing a place is
probably a good idea. Bob and Drew probably save money and don’t risk being
lonely. Ready to warm up?” Michael asked with a smile as he rose from the
bench.
“Warm up and everything else.” Cray put his
bag in the locker and closed the door. He slipped his combination lock in the
door handle and secured the lock. ‘Was Michael trying to send me some sort of
message that he had figured things out between Bob and Drew and didn’t see anything
wrong with their being together?’ he wondered as the two left the locker room.
‘Or was he just saying stuff as a harmless observation? ’ He hated to think the
worst and put it out of his mind.
Over the next one and a half hours, the two
guys went through a very strenuous routine of Tai Chi sets that gave the new
friends a good understanding of each other’s training and expertise. Later, in
combative Kung fu and kicking roles, they fed off each other’s strengths and
honed in on their sensitivities to their opponent. Cray and Michael had been
taught not only to know the opponent and avoid his power but also to know where
to apply their own powers to the greatest effect.
The light, ‘teen’ banter moved into the
background as each seriously observed and analyzed each other’s forms. Cray was
clearly more advanced and played the role of advisor. Michael respected Cray’s
talents and listened with rapt attention to suggestions of advanced techniques
to try. Cray enjoyed playing the role of teacher and mentor to his friend. He
also began to pick up on something developing that was more than simple
friendship.
After a satisfying routine with weights and
the state-of-the art Cybex machines, the guys had a thorough stretching session
and went back to the locker room.
“This has been an awesome workout, buddy. I
haven’t been this wiped out in a long time.” Cray pulled off his sweat-drenched
tank top and tossed it on the floor.
“I think we’ll both be sore tomorrow…but a
good sore.” Michael took off his tee and dropped it next to Cray’s top. He sat
down and unlaced his Nikes. “I wouldn’t want to be the guy who made the mistake
of trying to take you on. If we ever get in a rumble, I want you on my side.”
“Defensive strategy comes in handy. I’d only
kick butt if someone was coming after me.” Cray sat down and toed off his
shoes. He noticed that Michael had added his socks to the dirty clothes pile
and did the same.
“Like Vince, Jr., and his homies?” Michael
asked with a grin.
“Fortunately it didn’t come to that. But you know what’s strange?
His homies – Tim calls them ‘goombas’ – have been very friendly to me since
that whole deal with the bike.”
“Who knows…maybe they’ll change with their
asshole leader no longer in the picture.”
“I’m not holding my breath but we’ll see.
It’s about 4:00. We still have time for some steam and Jacuzzi?”
“Yeah…plenty of time and my muscles are
really hurting. Um, we should probably slip out of our underwear and put our
gym shorts back on. They really get pissed off if a guy is in the pool or
Jacuzzi wearing underwear underneath.”
“Works for me. In fact, my little guy is
feeling awfully confined down there.” Cray shrugged with a smile and pulled
down his shorts and briefs in one motion and stepped out of them. He added the
wet briefs to the dirty clothes pile and put on the shorts. He turned just in
time to see Michael get back into his gym shorts. ‘Looks like there’s something
else we have in common,’ he thought as he quickly checked out a similar-sized
penis hanging over two plump balls. The dusting of light brown hair above
Michael’s flaccid cock framed a package that Cray found quite tempting. He
quickly moved his eyes away before he could be caught checking out his friend.
“Grab your towel and we can take a shower
afterwards.” Michael opened his locker, took his towel and re-secured the door.
Cray grabbed his towel and they went through
the shower room to the pool wet area. They both hung their towels by the sauna
door and entered the hot, wood-paneled room. Both went up to the top area of
the multi-tiered seating and sat down. Within moments, both started to produce
a sheen of sweat on their bodies.
“Man, this was a good idea. Would it sound
too strange if I asked you to massage my shoulders and back? I’m really tense.”
“Hell, no. But payment is that you do the
same thing for me. My body is really wracked with major aches. Turn around and
I’ll work on your back.” Cray couldn’t believe what was being proposed but he
wasn’t going to complain. He placed his fingers on Michael’s shoulders and dug
his thumbs into his friend’s traps. He slowly moved his hands back and forth to
include the deltoids and applied more pressure.
“Ohhh, criminy…that feels great,” Michael
moaned. “You know what you’re doing.”
“I’ll work the lats next. Let me know if I’m
pushing too hard.” Cray lowered his hands and applied pressure to the lats in
the mid-back area. Mischievously, he took his fingers and tickled Michael’s
sides.
“Ieee, stop with the tickles,” Michael
shouted with a laugh. “You bastard. Wait until it’s my turn on you.”
“Just wanted to make sure you’re still
awake,” Cray replied with a snicker. “I promise I’ll be good. Let me take care
of your lower back and glutes…then you can do me.” He smiled at the double
meaning of ‘do me’ and moved down to the lower back and the top portion of
Michael’s buns. ‘Damn, this is tempting,’ Cray thought as he started to be
concerned about a stirring of his cock.
“Man, that was terrific. Turn around and
I’ll try to duplicate what you did.”
“Okay. Then we can jump in the Jacuzzi.”
Cray started to rotate so his back would be ready for a massage. As his friend
turned, Cray caught a view of a tenting protrusion in the crotch. He settled
himself, waited for Michael’s hands and smiled at the encouraging sight. “Oh, yeah,
you’re right there.” Any erotic thoughts were pushed back in Cray’s mind as the
pleasure of the massage took over.
“I feel the knots. Let me work them out,”
Michael said. As he worked his fingers and thumbs into Cray’s flesh his
breathing became heavier and erratic. “How am I doing?” he asked in an almost
seductive tone.
“Fingers from a friggin’ god. You’re
terrific. The lats really need some help. Mmmm.” Cray was happy that no one
else was in the sauna and that Michael couldn’t see his full-blown hardon.
Michael dug his thumbs into Cray’s upper glutes and quickly brought his fingers
around each side so that they were occasionally brushing onto Cray’s groin
area. On the last pass-by, one of Michael’s fingers briefly touched the tip of
Cray’s covered, leaking erection. Cray let out a quiet groan and said no more
as Michael’s fingers went up to the lats again. Neither said a word for the
next few minutes.
“I think you’re all set. How about we jump
into the Jacuzzi and then call it a night with a shower?”
“Let me just relax for a sec. Um, why don’t
I join you in the Jacuzzi. I want to spend another minute or so in the heat.”
Cray desperately wanted a chance for his body to calm down.
“Got it, dude. See ya in the water.” Michael
slapped Cray on the back, eased himself off the tiered seating and left the
sauna.
‘What was that all about?’ Cray thought as
Michael closed the door. Was he literally feeling me out about being cool with
‘stuff’?” Cray didn’t know exactly what to think but decided to ‘go with the flow’
and savor the moment.
Michael was submerged in the hot, bubbling
water with his eyes half-closed. He smiled and winked when Cray joined him.
“This is a great final touch,” Cray said as
he found a forceful water jet and slid down so that the pulsating water would
work on his back. “I gotta tell you…this has been a terrific afternoon.” He
stretched out a little and felt his foot accidentally graze Michael’s toe.
“Michael and Cray’s excellent adventure,”
Michael said with a snicker. “Buddy, you’re really fun and I think we’ll have a
good year.” He moved his foot across Cray’s foot and added, “But I think we
need to take a shower and boogie. Dad probably needs to wake up and I’ll
probably do dinner.”
“Here’s to new friends.” Cray pulled away,
smiled and stood up. “The showers await.” He got out of the Jacuzzi and waited
for Michael to join him. ‘What was that foot thing all about?’ he wondered as
they walked back to the locker room.
___________________
TO BE CONTINUED