Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 16:17:47 -0600
From: Vince <menonly@houston.rr.com>
Subject: ALMOST BROTHERS CHAPTER 6

This is a fictional story of male to male adult experiences.
If you are under the age of 18 or do not like male/male stories
of explicit sex, then do not read this.

As this is fiction, STD's do not exist so there is
no need for the characters to practice safe sex.  However, in the
real world, there are diseases which can kill you so PLAY SAFE!

If you like this story, send an email and let me know!

menonly@houston.rr.com

Be sure to include the story title.  Thanks and enjoy.


Author's notes:

Picture Rusty: Gay. 5' 11", medium build, toned, slightly hairy. Dark hair,
handsome.  roughly 33 years old.

Picture Scott: Straight. 6' 2", husky build, toned. slighty more hairy than
Rusty.  Brown hair, handsome.  A few months older than Rusty.

Picture Cooper: Gay. 5' 8", stocky build, well muscled, well toned. some
hair on chest, dark treasure trail.  More handsome than Rusty and Scott,
but not a "pretty boy".  roughly 31 years old.




			ALMOST BROTHERS

CHAPTER SIX


Two days later, Scott was at home, watching TV when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Scott, is Coop there yet?" Rusty asked from the other end of the
connection.

"Nope."

"Good because I'm running late.  Tell him I'll be there in about an hour."

"No prob.  Are you guys going out?" Scott asked.

"I dont know what we are going to do.  What about you?"

"I'm chillin' here, watching baseball on TV."

"Cool.  I'll be there as soon as I can.  Laters."

"Later." Scott said and hung up the phone.  It was then there was a knock
on the door.  That must be Coop, Scott thought to himself.  He walked to
the front door, unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door.

"Hi, Son."

Scott was shocked to see his Dad standing just outside the door.  He froze
for a few seconds and then quickly shut the door.  Randall Barber caught
the door with his arm just before it closed completely.  He forced it open
and pushed himself inside as Scott backed away from him.

"You...you...you can't be here!" Scott stammered.  He was shaking all over,
with fear and anger, but mostly, fear.  All the old feelings he used to
have when he was around his Dad came flooding back.  "I don't want you
here!"

"Is that so?" Mr. Barber asked.  "I'm surprised at you, Son.  No hug for
your Dad?"

"Get the fuck out of here!  NOW!"

He ignored Scott.  "This is a nice place," Mr. Barber said, looking around
but not really seeing anything.  He had business to finish, oh yes indeed,
unfinished business.

"I'm going to call the police.  I have a restraining order on you.  You
can't be here."

"Now, Scottie.  Don't get all pissy.  You're just like your mother.  She
used to get pissy, too.  I just want to talk to you.  Besides, I haven't
seen you in what, fifteen years?  You remember, you sent me to PRISON!
Remember!"  Mr. Barber slowly approached Scott who backed away from him
until he was against a wall.  Scott looked at the cordless phone lying on
the bar.  He went for it.  Mr. Barber quickly jumped in front of Scott,
blocking his path.  "Wait, Son...."

"Don't call me that!  I'm not your son!  Not anymore!"

Mr. Barber snapped his fingers as if remembering something.  "That's right.
You went to live with THOSE PEOPLE!" He yelled the last two words.  "Don't
worry Scottie, I'm going to pay those nice people a visit and thank them.
Thank them in my own way for taking my son AWAY FROM ME!  No one takes my
Son away without me letting them know how much I want to fucking KILL
them!"

"Dad, please, just go!  Just go and I won't call the police."

"And I want to thank, what's his name?  The faggot you live with.  Yeah,
I'm going to thank him, TOO!"

"Please, Dad, please, just go."

"Which reminds me, I want to ask you something, Scottie, are you a faggot,
too?  You live with a faggot, so you must BE a faggot!"

"Don't call me Scottie. I ALWAYS HATED when you called me that!  And don't
call Rusty a faggot!"

"Rusty?  Rusty is the faggot's name?  Sure sounds like a faggot name to
me."

"Dad...." Tears welled up in Scott's eyes.  He didn't want to cry, not in
front of his Dad.  However, he felt like he was twelve years old again and
about to get beaten for something trivial.  The fear was exactly the same.

Mr. Barber walked directly up to Scott who again backed into the wall.  He
stood inches away from Scott.  Scott could smell alcohol on his breath.
"What?  Are you crying?" Mr. Barber said the word sarcastically. "MEN ARE
NOT SUPPOSED TO CRY!"  He pulled his arm back and rammed his fist into the
wall, barely missing Scott's face.  He stared into Scott's eyes.  "It looks
like I failed turning you into a man.  I tried so hard to make you into a
man!  Instead, you turned out to be a fucking PUSSY!  I'm soooo proud of
you."  Mr. Barber turned around with disgust on his face.

Scott looked at the floor.  Then, he felt his hands balling into fists.
His breathing became faster and deeper.  "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
Scott yelled and lunged for his Dad, throwing all his weight against him.
The two men went down to the floor.  Scott began punching his Dad in the
back, in the ribs, in the kidneys.  Mr. Barber turned over, throwing Scott
off of him.  He dove for Scott, trying to pin him under his body.  Scott,
adrenaline and fury fueling his hate, was able to scramble out from under
his Dad and then punched him in the gut.  Mr. Barber doubled over
momentarily and then responded by punching Scott just over his left eye.
Blood spurted from the separated flesh.

They stood apart, breathing hard and staring at each other.  Then Scott saw
movement behind his Dad and it distracted him.  Another punch from his Dad,
this time, in the jaw; Scott saw stars as he fell to the floor.

"What the fuck!" Cooper exclaimed from behind them.

Mr. Barber turned around and looked at Cooper.  Then he looked to Scott who
was getting up from the floor, shaking his head to get the blood out of his
eyes.

"Who is that?  Your faggot lover?"  He jumped at Scott who grabbed his Dad
and used his own momentum to toss him into a wall.  He crashed and fell but
quickly turned over and stared at Scott again.

Scott quickly looked at the door.  Coop was gone.  Where the fuck did he
go? His Dad came for him then, and the two men grappled.  They fell to the
floor, knocking over a table. They traded punches about the face and
stomach.  Scott could not believe this was actually happening.  Mr. Barber
pummeled Scott about his stomach and chest.  Scott reacted by trying to
protect his body.  Then he lunged as his Dad, taking him down underneath
him.  They rolled on the floor, punching each other.

"Seems there's some man in you after all, Scottie!" Mr. Barber said to
Scott.

"I fucking hate YOU!  I hate you for killing Mom!" Then Scott spat in his
Dad's face.

Mr. Barber grabbed onto Scott's shirt and pulled him within inches of his
face. "Did that bitch tell you she was fucking around on me?  Did she tell
you that?  DID SHE!?"

"Mom would never do that!" Scott yelled.

"She was fucking around on me!"

"YOU LIE!"

"NO! NO! No.  I swear.  She was going to leave me, Scottie. She was going
to leave you, too!"

Scott looked at his Dad. "You're a fucking LIAR!" Scott screamed at him.
"Mom would never have left me!  Never!"

"She was, Scottie!  She was!"

"NO!" Scott yelled.  "NO!  NO!"  Then Scott began to cry.  "No! She told me
she was going to leave you.  And she promised to take me with her!"

"You knew she was going to leave?" Mr. Barber asked.  This seemed like a
revelation to him.

"Fuck yes, I knew!  She was going to take me with her! She promised me!"

"She was going to leave us, Scottie."

"NO!  She was going to leave YOU, because you beat her!"

"I beat her because she was fucking another man."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Mom wouldn't do that. If she was fucking around its because you beat the
fuck out of her and ME all the time!  Why did you have to kill her?"  Tears
ran down Scott's face.

"I didn't mean to kill her, Scottie."

"BULLSHIT!  You're a lying sack of shit!  I know you lie.  Mom would not
have left me.  She promised!"  Scott eased off his dad and sat next to him
on the floor.  "She was going to take me with her.  She promised."

"There was no way I would let her take you." Randall Barber replied.

"So, you killed her!"  Scott's anger returned.  He grabbed his Dad by his
shirt. He tightened his hand into a fist and reared back his arm.  A split
second before the release, there was a loud thunderclap.  Scott's arm froze
in mid-air, cocked. They both stopped to look where the noise came from.

Cooper stood just inside the house.  He was standing with his feet planted
a foot and a half apart, his arms were raised over his head and had a
pistol clasped in both hands.  With a determined look on his face, Coop
lowered the gun until it was aimed at Mr. Barber.

"Get away from him, NOW! Or I'll put one between your fucking eyes!  And
believe me, I can DO it!"

Mr. Barber held up a hand.  "Now just hold on just one fucking minute..."

"SHUT UP!  I SAID GET AWAY FROM HIM AND I MEANT DO IT NOW!"  Mr. Barber,
panting loudly and bleeding from various cuts on his face, slowly climbed
to his feet.

"Dad, you didn't have to kill her." Scott began to cry.

"Scottie......." Mr. Barber began.

"Scott, get over here, behind me, NOW!" Cooper demanded.  Scott slowly
crept to his feet and went to Coop while wiping blood from his face.  From
the opened door, they heard police sirens down the street. Cooper kept the
gun aimed at Scott's Dad.  Squad cars screeched to a stop in front of the
house.  Officers crotched behind opened car doors.

"I'll get them," Scott told Cooper.  Cooper glanced at Scott and Mr. Barber
took the opportunity to head for the back door.  He bolted for the patio
door and Cooper almost fired the pistol but he knew he'd miss anyway.
Instead he relaxed his finger off of the trigger and lowered the gun as
Mr. Barber fled into the backyard.

>From just outside the house, Cooper heard, "THIS IS THE POLICE!  PUT THE
GUN DOWN!  DO IT!  PUT THE GUN DOWN! NOW!"

Cooper clicked the safety on and slowly lowered the gun to the floor.  "He
went out the patio door!" Cooper yelled to the officers, "He's in the
backyard!"  He approached two officers with both hands in the air.  "He's
getting away!"

     *****

Scott sat in the back of an ambulance and paramedics attended to his
injuries.  Rusty sat with him as Cooper talked to the police.  Soon, an
officer approached them.  "Mr. Barber, we caught your Dad.  They are going
to bring him here in a squad car so you can identify him, just so we know
we have the right guy.  Ok?"  Scott nodded to him.

Rusty asked the paramedic, "Is he going to need stitches?"

"Yes."  Then to Scott, "You have a bad cut over your left eye but its a
clean cut. A few stitches will close it.  The other cuts are minor, they
won't need stitches.  I don't think you have any broken ribs or anything
but we'll take you to the hospital and have them check you out."

"No," Scott said. "No hospitals."

"Mr. Barber, you really should," the paramedic told him.

"Scott, you're going to the hospital so shut up about it," Rusty said.

"Fine," Scott whispered, too drained to argue.

Then an officer said, "Mr. Barber, the squad car is here." The officer
looked questionably at the paramedic who nodded.  They helped Scoot out of
the ambulance and escorted him to a squad car.  His dad was in the back
seat.  "Is that the man who attacked you?" the officer asked.

Scott looked at his dad.  He raised his right fist with the middle finger
extended. "FUCK YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"  Then to the officer, "Get him out
of my sight!"

     *****

Hours later, the three men returned to the house. They walked in and Rusty
sighed to himself, seeing blood everywhere which needed to be cleaned.

"I guess I should clean this," Scott said.  Rusty stopped him.  He looked
at Scott's bandaged left eyebrow.  Eight stitches it took to close the
wound.  Like the paramedic said, Scott did not have any broken ribs but his
stomach was badly bruised in several places.

"No, Scott.  I'll do it.  You need some rest.  You're going to be sore in
the morning.  Go lie down."

"I'm sorry for the mess, Rusty."

"Its not your fault, Scott. No need to apologize.  Go get some rest, Bro."

Scott turned to Cooper. "Coop, I haven't thanked you for what you did." He
held out his right hand.  Cooper shook it.  "You probably saved my life.
Thank you."  Scott approached Cooper and hugged him.  Coop hugged Scott
back, gently so as not to hurt him.

"No need to thank me, Scott.  Besides," Coop continued, "it gave me a
chance to use my gun for the first time since I got it last Christmas.  I
took lessons and shot it on the shooting range and now I keep it in my car,
just in case.  But I never thought I'd really have an opportunity like this
to use it.  I have to admit, it felt kind of cool."

Scott turned to Rusty, "You should have seen him.  He looked like fuckin'
Dirty Harry! 'I'll put one between your fucking eyes!' It was great!" Scott
chuckled but then winced as his stomach reminded him of the bruises.  Rusty
laughed and so did Cooper.  "One question, Coop?" Scott asked.

"What's that, man?"

"Could you really have hit him right between the eyes, like, can you really
shoot that well?"

Cooper blushed.  "Truthfully....no. But he didn't know that."  The three
men laughed again.

Then Rusty said to Cooper, "Remind me never to piss you off!"

"Oh, Rusty, I have a *special* gun just for you." Cooper grabbed his
crotch.

Rusty's raised his eyebrows and grinned, "Mmmmmm, yeah!"  Rusty went to
Cooper and put his arms over Coop's shoulders.  They kissed.

Then Scott, looking sad and depressed, thanked Cooper and Rusty once more
before heading to his room.  The door closed.  Cooper turned to Rusty,
"Tonight really did a head job on him, huh?"

Rusty sighed.  "Yes. Having your dad trying to kill you would fuck up
anyone.  But he'll get over it. Deep down inside, he's strong.  It'll take
some time, but he'll get over it. Just like before."  Then Rusty pulled
from Cooper.  "Help me get this shit cleaned.  I dont want Scott to see any
of this when he gets up later.  Then you can use your special gun on me."

Cooper grinned a sly grin and quoted from the movie, "Do you feel lucky?
Well do ya, punk?"

"Yeah, I feel lucky!" Rusty said and kissed Cooper passionately.

After they cleaned the living room, Rusty led Cooper to his bedroom.  He
stopped at Scott's door.  Quietly, Rusty opened Scott's bedroom door and
they peeked in the room.  Scott was in bed, laying on his side facing away
from them. He seemed asleep.

"Everything ok?" Cooper whispered.

"Yes, I think so." Rusty started to close the door then Scott rolled over
to face him.

"Rusty?"

"Yeah?" Rusty looked back as Scott who had sat up on his bed.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Scott asked.

"Sure."  Rusty turned to Cooper.  "Go ahead. I'll be there in a minute."

"Ok," Cooper said.  Then he went into Rusty's room.

Rusty entered Scott's room.  "Close the door." Scott said.

Rusty closed the door and then walked to Scott.  He was now sitting on the
edge of his bed, naked except for a pair of boxer shorts. Rusty sat down
next to him.  He put his arm around Scott.  Scott looked at Rusty with big,
sad eyes.

"Rusty....." Scott leaned to Rusty who pulled Scott to him.

"Its ok Scott.  Its ok, man.  Its over now."

"Fuck! Oh fuck, Rusty!" Scott began to sob against Rusty's chest.  Rusty
held Scott tightly.  Finally, wiping the tears from his face, Scott looked
at Rusty.  "Tonight, Dad told me Mom had been fooling around on him and he
knew she was going to leave him.  That's why he killed her.  He told me Mom
was going to leave me, too.  Do you think she was? Do you think she'd leave
me with him?"

"Oh Jesus, Scott!"  Rusty looked surprised. "I doubt she would have left
you."

"Me, too." Scott sniffled.  "I can't imagine her taking off and leaving me
to deal with him."

"He had to have been lying, Scott."  Rusty put a hand on Scott's broad
shoulder.

"Rusty, I don't know why but I've never told you this.  The night before,
Mom came into my bedroom.  Dad was out boozing.  She told me she was going
to leave him and she promised to take me.  She had me sit up on my bed. She
looked right in my eyes and told me we would be leaving soon.  She said she
had it all planned out and for me to not to worry."

"Do you think she WAS fooling around with another man?" Rusty asked.

"I don't know, Rusty.  I don't remember anything about another man, but I
guess it could be true. All I know is, she told me we would be leaving and
that I was going with her.  I asked where we were going and she said she
couldn't tell me but that it would be ok and that we would be free of him."
Scott looked at Rusty with red, swollen eyes.

"Scott, I only met your Mom a few times but I remember she was very nice to
me.  I always liked her.  Remember when we'd come home from school and
she'd have just baked chocolate chip cookies? Remember how they would be
warm and gooey and we'd gobble them up and your Mom would give us cold milk
to wash 'em down?"

"Those were good chocolate chip cookies, Rusty!"  Scott, with tears in his
eyes, smiled at the memory.

"Oh man, those were the best!  I don't think a mom who bakes chocolate
cookies for her son would just up and leave that son."

"No, Rusty.  She wouldn't.  I sure miss Mom's cookies, Rusty!  I wish she
could be here to bake some for me now."  Scott's shoulders heaved up and
down as he began to cry, again.  Rusty held Scott to his chest.  He ran his
hands over Scott's body and consoled him.

"He was lying to you, Scott.  He was lying to try to get you on his side.
He was trying to get you to emphasize with him. He's a lying sack of shit,
and you know it."

"You're right, Bro.  You're so right."

Rusty lay back on the bed, pulling Scott with him who continued to cry.
"Its ok, Scott," Rusty said.  "Its ok.  Its all over, now."  Scott's sobs
continued for a few minutes then began to diminish.  He rolled from Rusty's
embrace and sat up with his legs over the side of the bed.  Rusty sat up
next to him.  Scoot took in a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"That's just it, Rusty.  Its not over.  He'll be back.  Someday, he'll get
out again and he'll be back." Scott looked at Rusty with his eyes shrink
wrapped in tears.

"Yeah you're probably right, Scott," Rusty said.

"So what do I do then?  What do WE do then?" Scott's voice teetered on the
edge of desperation.

"Well, we'll have to be prepared," Rusty said. "I've been thinking about
this. We can take self-defense classes or we can do like Coop did.  We can
buy some guns and take shooting lessons.  Just to be prepared, for the next
time.  However, and I know its a cliché, but we'll cross that bridge when
we come to it."

Scott looked away and sighed again.  "Fuck."  Scott's broad shoulders
slumped.  Then he looked at Rusty.  "I didn't know what I was gonna do?  If
Coop...." His voice began to waver.  "....if Coop hadn't had been there.
If he'd gotten here just a few more minutes later....I might..."

Rusty interrupted him, "Scott, don't!  You can't keep thinking if..if..if!
You'll go nuts."

Scott sighed again.  "You're right, Rusty."  He looked away, again.

Rusty sat up and hugged Scott to him.  "Look, man, get some sleep.  I'll
call into work tomorrow and we'll spend the day together.  We'll do
something fun and you'll feel better.  OK?"

"Ok." Scott rolled into his bed, wincing at the pain from his bruises.  He
pulled the blankets over himself.  "Tell Dirty Harry I said thanks, again."
Scott hugged the blankets next to his chin.

Rusty chuckled once. "I will.  Good night, Bro. Get some sleep."  Rusty
went toward the bedroom door.

"Good night, Bro." Scott said.

Rusty gently closed the door behind him.  Scott rolled over and tried to
sleep. It was hours before he did.

Rusty went to his room and found Coop in the bathroom wearing only tight,
white briefs.  He stood next to the toilet, pissing.

"Hey," Rusty said.

"Is he ok?" Cooper asked as he shook the remaining drops from his dick and
then flushed the toilet.  Rusty put his arm around Cooper as they walked to
the bed.

"Yeah, he's ok.  Just worried about next time," Rusty replied.

"Ah, yeah.  This isn't the end, is it?"

"Nope," Rusty said, shaking his head.

Cooper sighed.

"By the way, Scott says thanks again, Dirty Harry." Rusty was grinning as
he said this.

Cooper grinned also and then put his hands together with the forefingers
mimicking a gun barrel. He mimed blowing smoke from the "barrel".  "All in
a days work for Sheriff Coop in Rustyville! Them darn varmits doan know who
they be messin wit!" Cooper said with a comical western drawl.  "I be the
law around 'ere parts!"

Rusty clasped his hands together near this heart.  "Oh Sheriff, you're so
brave!" Rusty said in a woman's voice.

"Come 'ere!" Cooper said and grasped Rusty around his waist.  "Give your
sheriff a big ole sloppy kiss!"

"But Sheriff, I'm not that kinda guy!"

"Since when?"  Cooper said and kissed Rusty deeply.

The kiss dissolved into a passionate kiss which lasted for several minutes.
Cooper ran his hands over Rusty's body and Rusty did the same.  He found
Cooper's erection in his briefs.  Then Rusty moved behind him.  He ran his
hands around Coop's chest and grabbed his pecs.  He squeezed them in his
hands while kissing and licking Cooper's neck.  Coop turned his face to
Rusty and they kissed.  Cooper groaned while he grasped Rusty's body
against his.  He could feel Rusty's erection against his butt.  Then, Rusty
turned Cooper around and stepped back a foot.  He admired Cooper's stocky,
muscled body.  Cooper's cock stood out from his crotch, hard and proud.
The foreskin had slid back, revealing the huge, rounded cock head.  Next,
Rusty undressed himself while Cooper watched.

"Rusty, you are so fine," Cooper said.

Rusty dropped his pants and shucked them from his feet.  His own cock was
rigid between his legs.  Cooper dropped to his knees.  Rusty closed the
distance between them and Cooper grabbed his organ.  He looked up at Rusty,
his deep blue eyes fixed on Rusty's as he teased Rusty's cock with the tip
of his tongue.  Cooper placed his lip gently at the tip and flicked his
tongue on the V shaped area created by the glans on Rusty's cock.  He ran
his hands over Rusty's lean, muscled thighs and then grasped his ass.  He
pulled Rusty to his mouth and engulfed the head of Rusty's cock as he
continued to stare into Rusty's eyes.

"Oh fuck," Rusty whispered.

Cooper let Rusty's cock slip from his lips and it flung upwards, bounced a
couple of times and then held steady in Cooper's face.  Cooper leaned in
and grabbed Rusty's cock.  He sucked on Rusty's nuts as his cock pressed
into his face. He licked and sucked Rusty's balls, eating them into his
mouth.  Rusty groaned with pleasure.  He tossed his head back and reveled
with the feeling of his balls in Coop's mouth.  Cooper glanced up at Rusty
and continued to lick his nuts.  Rusty ran his hands over Coop's head and
held him at his crotch.  Rusty, then, pulled Cooper onto the bed and fell
onto his body.  They kissed passionately for several minutes.

"Coop...." Rusty said.  "Roll over, man."  Cooper complied.  Rusty fetched
the lube from his nightstand.  He lubed himself and slid into Cooper.

"Ahhh Babe!" Cooper exclaimed once Rusty was completely inside him.  "Give
Sheriff Coop some of that big dick!"

Rusty made love to Cooper for an hour.


     *****

The next morning, Rusty called off from work that day and convinced Cooper
to do the same.  Scott was indeed sore and he, too, called in sick at work.
Rusty decided it was best to get Scott out of the house, so the three of
them went to the mall, just to have something to do.

Scott decided he wanted to buy some new clothes so Rusty milled around a
small men's shop while Scott tried on pants in the changing room.  Coop was
across the way, in a sports outlet, browsing through shirts.  Scott came
out of the dressing room and walked to the three angled mirrors.  "What do
you think?" he asked Rusty as he looked himself in the mirrors.

"They make your ass look fat," Rusty told him.

Scott sighed.  "No they don't, and besides, I don't care about that shit."
He turned in the mirror, checking out his butt.  "Do they REALLY make my
ass look fat?"  Rusty ignored the question.  Scott, again, looked into the
mirror and, in the reflection, saw Coop talking to a woman.  He quickly
turned around to look at them. "Who is that woman Coop is talking to?"
Scott asked nodding in that direction.

Rusty turned around and looked, "I don't know who she is."

"Is she a friend of his?" Scott asked.

"I just said I don't know," Rusty replied and watched Coop and the woman
with curiosity.

"I'm just asking, sheesh, don't get jealous."

"I'm not jealous.  I just don't know."

"I think you're jealous," Scott said.

"I think you're an asshole," Rusty replied.

"She's beautiful," Scott said and stared at the woman.  Then he asked, "Do
me a favor?"

"What?"

Scott reached down and tore the tags from the pants.  "Pay for these.
Then, let's go over there and find out who she is."

"What?"

"Just do it, ok, Bro?"

Rusty rolled his eyes.  "Fuck. Fine.  Give me your credit card." Scott
pulled out his wallet, dug out a card and handed it to Rusty.  Rusty paid
for the pants and then walked with Scott out of the shop and into the store
to where Coop was talking to the woman.

Rusty pushed Scott in front of him.  "You go first or he'll think I'm
jealous."

"You ARE jealous."

"I am not.  I just don't want him to think I am."

Coop saw them coming and motioned for them.  "Here he is now.  Rusty, this
is Mary.  Mary this is Rusty." They shook hands.  "This is his brother,
Scott."

"Nice to meet you," Mary said. "Ouch!  I bet that must have hurt!" She
said, referring to Scott's bandaged eyebrow.

"Naw, its nothing.  I play baseball and sometimes the ball can take a
wicked jump.  No big deal."  Scott hated lying to her.

The four of them chatted for a few minutes, then Mary excused herself
saying she had to get back to work.  They said good-byes and then the three
men began walking away as Scott looked over his shoulder, watching Mary.

"How do you know her?" Scott asked Cooper.

Coop replied, "Mary and I used to work together.  She got promoted so I
don't see her much anymore.  She's a good friend."

"What does she do?" Scott asked.

"She's the top executive for finance in our company.  A very intelligent
woman."

"I think Scott's got a crush on her." Rusty said.

"I think Rusty's jealous." Scott said.

"I am not!" Rusty replied.

"Are you really?" Coop asked Rusty.

"No," Rusty told Cooper.

Cooper grabbed Rusty's hand.  "She knows I'm gay."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Ok. Ok," Coop said, and then to Scott.  "She's pretty, isn't she?"

"Yes, very pretty," Scott said.  Then he added, "I didn't see a ring on her
finger."

"She is single."

Scott stopped in front of Coop. "Do you think she'd go out with me?"

"I don't know, you'd have to ask her."

"Can you get her phone number for me?"

"I could ask."

"I'd appreciate it if you would.  Damn! I hated having to lie to her,
though.

Rusty said, "Its understandable, considering the circumstances."

"But one thing..." Coop said to Scott.

"What?" Scott asked.

"If you go out with her, don't wear those pants. They make your ass look
fat," Cooper said.

Rusty laughed until his side hurt.

     *****

A couple of weeks later, Rusty got home from work a little later than
usual.

"Where the hell have you been?" Scott called out to Rusty as he walked past
Scott's room.

"I went to the gym. Why? What's wrong?" Rusty asked.

"Nothings wrong.  I just need some help." Scott had on a new pair of dark
blue slacks and a light blue, long sleeved shirt.  He held out his arms.
"I'm too nervous. I can't get the fucking cuffs buttoned!"

"Oh, that's right," Rusty said, understanding.  "The Big Date with Mary,
huh?"

"Yes, please help."

Rusty buttoned Scott's cuffs.  "Ok, done.  Turn around, let me see."  Scott
slowly turned around and let Rusty check his clothes. Aside from the small
bandage on his left eyebrow which had not yet healed completely, Scott
looked handsome. "Nice pants, Scott, and they don't make your ass look
fat." Scott gave him an exasperated look.  "Seriously, they don't.  In
fact, they hug your ass nicely."

"You think so?"

"Hell, yeah.  Nice shirt, too.  Did you pick these clothes yourself?" Rusty
asked.

"I went to the mall.  I had the saleslady there help me.  Told her I had a
date and wanted to look my best."

"She did well.  You look handsome, Bro."

"I need help with the tie, too.  I haven't worn one in years and forgot how
to tie it properly."

"Where is it?" Rusty asked.

"There, on the bed."

"Put your shoes and socks on and then we'll do the tie."  Scott sat on the
bed and began put on his shoes and socks.

"New shoes, too?"

"Yep, new socks also."

"I noticed you had your hair cut yesterday, damn, and you're going all out
for Mary."

"Rusty, man, she's beautiful.  I want to look good, you know, make a good
impression."

"Hell, I'm impressed," Rusty said.  Scott stood up and faced his mirror.
Rusty stood behind Scott, He put his arms around the big man and lifted
Scott's shirt collar.  He roped the tie around Scott's neck and looked in
the mirror.  "Scott, can I give you some advice?" Rusty asked as he tied
Scott's tie.

"Sure, Bro."

"Mary's nice."

"Yes, she is," Scott said, holding his head up while watching Rusty tie his
tie.

"Did you clean your truck?"

"Yes, I did that today.  I got off from work early. I washed the truck and
vacuumed the inside.  Its all clean."

"Good.  Flowers would be nice, too.  Have you bought a bouquet to give
her?"

"No. Damn! I didn't think about that."

"Its ok, just stop by the florist before you pick her up.  Ask the florist
to show you some bouquets."

"Yeah, flowers, good idea, Rusty."

"Be nice, be gentlemanly. Open the door to your truck for her, offer your
hand, help her.  Close the door for her.  Open doors for her and let her go
in first."  Scott nodded. "Yes, I know. I will."

"Where are you taking her?"

"We're going out to eat.  To Tessio's in Archwood."

Rusty looked questionably at Scott in the mirror.  "Italian?"

"Yes, she told me she likes Italian food. She said she likes that
restaurant."

"That's good," Rusty said as he finished tying Scott's tie.  He turned
Scott around to face him as he pushed the knot up tight.  "Remember to ask
her what she wants and order for her.  Order wine. No beer. Do NOT get
drunk."

"I won't. Red or white wine?"

"It used to be determined by what you're eating, but times have changed.  I
would ask Mary what kind she likes and order that or ask the waiter to
recommend one." Rusty pulled Scott's collar down and made sure it covered
the tie around the back of his neck.

"I've been thinking...." Scott began.

"Ut oh, that's a mistake," Rusty said sarcastically.

"Come on Rusty!  Give me a break. I'm nervous enough."

"Sorry.  What have you been thinking?"

"I thought that if I order whatever she orders, then she'll think we have
something in common, right?"

"Well, maybe," Rusty began. "However, If you order something different and
you comment how good it is, she might want to try it.  That would give you
an opportunity to offer her a taste of what you ordered.  Food can be very
sensual. Aside from that, you should be yourself.  Order what you like."

"Yeah, good point, Rusty."  Scott pulled on his collar.  "Fuck, this collar
is kind of tight."

"Don't pull on your collar.  If you do, it shows you are nervous. And don't
say fuck, shit or goddamn.  Gentlemen don't swear in the presence of a
lady."

"What about cocksucker?" Scott asked jokingly.

Rusty joked back, "Hell, I consider that a term of endearment."

"You perv," Scott said and then looked at himself in the mirror. "Fuck, I'm
nervous."

"Its ok to be nervous.  But don't pull on your collar and don't
swear. Where are you going after dinner?" Rusty asked.

"At first I thought we might see a movie but then I got to thinking. What
happens at a movie? You sit there, staring at the screen, not talking.  I
want to talk to her. I want to get to know her."

"Good point.  So what are you going to do?"

"You're going to think this is corny."

"What?" Rusty asked.

"This guy at work said his wife wanted to see the new aquarium that just
opened downtown.  I thought that would be nice.  Women like fish, don't
they?"

Rusty smiled at Scott's innocence.  "The aquarium sounds nice. You could
hold her hand while walking around the place."

"I never thought about that! I'd love to hold her hand! Do you think she'll
let me?"

"I'm sure she will.  Oh and one more thing..."  Rusty began.

"What?"

"Look, Scott, don't be thinking you're gonna get laid tonight.  Mary is not
the type of woman you pick up at a bar for a one-nighter. She's not some
bubble-headed bleached-blonde looking for a quick fuck."

Scott stopped him.  "I know. I know. And that's not what I am expecting."

"However, I'll bet she'll be thinking the other women will be jealous of
her being with a handsome man like you. Probably some men will be jealous
of her, too!"

Scott laughed.  "If they are, I'll tell them I have a handsome brother they
can meet."  He grinned at Rusty who grinned back.  Then, Scott pulled on
his suit jacket and buttoned it as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"So....how do I look?" he asked.

"You look very handsome, Scott." Rusty said. He almost added, your Mother
would be proud but dismissed the idea.  Instead, Rusty took Scott in his
arms and hugged him tightly.  "I love you, Bro, and I hope tonight goes
great for you."

Scott hugged Rusty and slapped his back.  "I love you, Bro."  He pulled
away from Rusty and looked at his watch.  "I guess I should get going.  I
need to get flowers."

"Knock her off her feet!  And BE NICE!"

"I will," Scott said and dashed out of the room.

Rusty heard the front door open and shut.  He sighed and looked up to the
ceiling.  "Please, God, please.  He's such a good man.  Please, grant him
happiness.  After all he's been through.  Just this one thing?  Please?
Amen."

     *****

Dozing on the sofa, Rusty was awakened by the front door opening and
closing. He sat up as Scott was walking into the room.  "Hey Scott, how did
it go tonight?"

Scott tossed his keys on the coffee table.  He sighed.  "Mary is so nice.
Ah, man, I had a wonderful time!" he said as he sat down next to Rusty.

"Did you?!" Rusty asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I did.  And I think Mary did, too."

"Awesome!" Rusty put his arm around Scott's shoulders and listened.

"She loved the flowers.  The guy at the florist was so cool.  He was an old
man. When I told him I wanted flowers for my date, he grinned and said,
'Come here' and hooked me up with a HUGE bouquet.  Mary loved them!  She
put them in water, but, before we left, she pulled one yellow carnation out
and clipped off the stem.  Then, she had me pin it to her dress.  Ahh man,
she looked soooo beautiful." Scott was grinning.

"How sweet," Rusty said.

"We went to the restaurant.  Ate dinner. I ordered different from what she
did, just like you suggested, and sure enough, she wanted to taste it.  So
I scooped some onto my fork and held out for her.  Oh, man, it was cool.
Then she did the same for me."  Scott was smiling from ear to ear.  "After
dinner we went to the aquarium and sure enough, we held hands."  Scott
blushed as he told Rusty this.  "Oh man!  The BEST part..."

"What?"

"Right next to the aquarium, is this go-cart racing track.  I commented it
was strange to have the two places right next to each other.  And you know
what Mary wanted to do?"

"What?" Rusty asked although he thought he knew the answer.

"She said she'd like to ride in one.  So we went to the go-cart place and
raced."

"No kidding?"

"I kid you not, man!  There she was, dressed in this really HOT
dress....and I mean, oh man, she looked HOT....and got in the go-cart and
there we went, racing around the track." Scott chuckled.

"You let her win, didn't you?"

"Hell yeah! I let her win!"

Rusty giggled.  "That's great, man!  You did good!"

"But you know what? She told me afterward, 'You let me win, didn't you?'
And I said, 'No.' But she said 'Yes, you did.' And I confessed, 'Yeah, I
did.' And you know what she did next?"

"What?!"

"She kissed me. Right there beside the go-carts.  She kissed me!"

"Awwwwww!"

Scott blushed again while smiling a huge smile.  "Then I drove her home and
before we got out of the truck, she kissed me again.  Oh man, her lips are
so soft and so sweet."

"Cool."

"Yeah, so then I walked her to her door and we kissed again." Scott
blushed. "I told her I had a great time and she said she had a great time
and asked would I call her tomorrow.  Of course, I said yes."

"Of course."

Scott looked down and sighed.  Then he looked up at Rusty.  "I think I'm in
love."

Rusty looked at Scott with concern.  "I've heard you say that before."

"This is different, Rusty. Mary is totally different. I've never dated
anyone like her."  Rusty nodded. "Please, Bro. Believe me.  The way I feel
right now, I've never felt this way about a woman before.  Never."

Rusty smiled at Scott. He pulled Scott to him and hugged his "brother".
"I'm happy for you, Scott."

"Thanks, Bro." Scott said into Rusty's ear as they hugged.  Then they
pulled away.  "Is Coop here?"

"No.  I'll see him tomorrow."

"Cool." Scott nodded.

Rusty yawned.  "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Not me," Scott said, "I'm too excited about seeing Mary again.  I think
I'll watch some TV.  Maybe catch some sports."

Rusty got up and walked to his bedroom.  He shut the door and climbed into
bed. "Thank you, God." Rusty whispered.

Copyright 2004

---------

Yes, I know. Not much sex in this chapter but I had to move the story
along.  Keep reading!  I'll make up for it in chapter 7.  Vince