Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 04:11:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mickey S <njmcmick@yahoo.com>
Subject: Second Wind, Ch. 15

If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include
sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story,
please leave. This is a love story and it will take a while to develop, so
there won't be any love scenes in the first several chapters. If you're
looking for a more sexual story, I've written a few of those. Ask me. If
you're into romance, I hope this story pleases you.

I'd like to thank my friends in the Nifty Six for their support and
encouragement, especially Tim for his advice and his editing
assistance. The author retains all rights.  No reproductions are allowed
without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at
NJMcMick@yahoo.com.

Chapter Fifteen

Ben

Wednesday morning Joey was ringing my doorbell at the crack of dawn. Well,
the crack of ten, actually. He wanted to start earlier but I have this
thing about setting my alarm clock on a day I don't have to work. If I'm
not working I have to sleep in. I had thought about suggesting that he come
over early, let himself in and wake me up in a special way. Then we could
shower together and get the day off to a great start. Except that I knew he
was bringing Connor with him, so that was out. At any rate, I was up, had
had my coffee and shower and was more or less awake by the time he arrived,
looking bright and sexy at my front door with Connor perched on his left
hip.

The night before Becky had helped me rearrange the furniture in the larger
guest room to make room for the crib. I mostly just held parts together or
handed him tools while Joey did the actual assembly. Part of that was
because he had lots of experience with cribs, part was because I have ten
thumbs when it comes to tools. Even without my help, he had the whole thing
done in half an hour. It was ready for use and I suggested we let Connor
try it out to see if he liked it.

"Can you keep it in your pants just a while longer, slut? Connor's naptime,
and therefore our playtime, isn't until after lunch. We've got lots to do
before then."

"Lots to do? I thought we were done."

Joey just rolled his eyes. "Ben, in case you hadn't noticed, Christmas is a
week from Saturday, though you'd never know it looking around this
house. When were you planning on putting up a tree?"

"To be honest, I haven't even thought about it. Christmas has kind of snuck
up on me this year. I haven't even done any shopping yet."

"That's what I thought. C'mon, let's go over to the nursery and pick out a
tree. Do you have enough decorations?"

"Actually, I don't have any. Paul and I had tons but I left everything with
him."

"No problem, we'll go over to Treasure Island after we get the tree and get
some good stuff. It'll be fun to start from scratch."

I knew what Joey was saying was a good idea but I wasn't very
enthusiastic. I'd been looking forward to a day off from everything but
Joey.

"All right, but let's not take all day doing this. I have plans for this
afternoon."

Joey looked at me and his face fell. "I thought we were going to spend the
whole day together."

"Duh! YOU are my plans for this afternoon."

"Oh, okay. I thought so but I just wanted to be sure."

We decided his minivan was better suited to hauling the three of us, a tree
and a ton of decorations around town than my Saab. As soon as we pulled
into the lot at the nursery I saw a potential problem-brother Vinnie in the
side yard showing wreaths to a woman.

"How are we gonna shop for a tree with him here? It's a big place but we
can't avoid him completely."

"Don't worry about Vinnie. You're right that we can't keep him from knowing
we're here, but we'll just try to stay as far from him as possible. I don't
think he's gonna go out of his way to hang around us."

We went in the front door of the shop and saw Anthony helping a customer at
the register.

"Is Pop in the back?" Joey called out. Anthony nodded and Joey turned to
me. "Wait here and I'll get Pop to watch Connor while we look around."

Joey carried Connor to the office in the back and I moved over to a row of
indoor planters. I didn't want to have to make small talk with Anthony when
he was free. He was the friendliest of the brothers but that still didn't
mean it was easy to be around him. Joey was back in a couple of minutes and
he led me to a back door so we were able to avoid Vinnie. We went all the
way to the back of the lot and turned into a row of trees. Joey seemed to
know exactly where we were going and I soon found out why.

"I picked out a few really nice ones yesterday and hid them back here so no
one would buy them."

"You should have just picked the one you liked best and brought it with
you. I'm sure I would have loved whatever you decided on."

"It's your tree, Ben. You have to pick it out yourself."

"You know how bad I am about making decisions. A tree is a tree."

"Maybe, but it's going to be your tree and you have to be the one to
decide. Flip a coin if you like but it's up to you."

He pulled out three trees and held them for me, one at a time. They all
looked full and symmetrical but the second one looked best. Maybe. Anyway,
I picked it.

"Good choice, Ben. That's my favorite. too. Now you get a reward for being
such a good boy."

He pushed me back into a pile of trees and then looked both ways before
leaning into me and kissing me. I couldn't believe this was my sweet shy
Joey. I melted into him as his tongue explored my mouth and he thrust his
hips against mine. We sunk into the trees until I was half lying down. I
felt the trees suddenly shift under me and I tried to sit up to get my
balance. As I looked over his shoulder I saw a teenager staring at the two
of us from about twenty-five feet away. When he saw me looking at him he
turned and ran around the corner toward the front of the lot.

"We'd better stop, Joe. I think we're scaring the customers." I explained
about the kid.

"Yeah, I got a little carried away. I think I may be as horny as you are
today. But you're right, that could have been Anthony or Vinnie. I've got
to be more careful."

We took the tree out front and Vinnie was nowhere to be seen. After we'd
tied the tree to the roof on the van, I gave Joey money and he went inside
to pay for it and get Connor. I got in the car and waited out of sight. As
I sat and waited I wondered if things would be easier once Joey had come
out. I knew it probably wouldn't be good right away, but maybe after
everyone got used to it. Neither one of us was used to hiding who we
were. I hadn't been in the closet since college and Joey hadn't really
considered himself gay until recently, so having to be careful about how we
acted was something new and uncomfortable for us both.

Joey

Wednesday morning I didn't bother to set the alarm, assuming I'd be up
early anyway. I was surprised when I woke up and saw it was nearly
seven-thirty. Still pretty early for a day off but late for me. Mom gave me
a hassle over breakfast. Once Ben had arranged the dinner with Becky I'd
told her about our plans for the day and for Saturday as well. She'd given
me a hard time on Monday and she was still at it.

"I just don't see why you'd want to cook for a bunch of that man's
friends. I don't know how you could even be comfortable in a house full of
gay people."

"Not that it matters, but there isn't going to be a houseful of gay people,
Ma. I told you before, the whole point of the party is for Becky to
introduce her new boyfriend. Does that sound gay to you?"

"So not all of them will be like that. But do you have to spend the night?
It's only down the road. You should come home afterwards. Then you wouldn't
have to go to all this trouble with Donna Marie's crib."

"It's going to be a late night and I'll probably have a few drinks. You
know I don't like to drive with Connor when I've been drinking. Besides, I
was thinking about borrowing the crib to keep there anyway. With all of the
time I'm spending at Ben's this will make it easier for me to keep Connor
with me."

"You could at least take Angie. You usually go out with her on Saturdays."

"How many times do I have to tell you that Angie and I are just friends?
Ask her if you don't believe me. And though I'm doing the cooking, it's not
my party. It's a party for Ben's friends, not mine."

Fortunately, since I'd slept late Mom had already cleaned up the kitchen so
she didn't have an excuse to hang around and argue. She left the room
mumbling something about pig-headed children. I felt bad having to be
evasive with Mom. I couldn't lie to her but I was stretching the truth and
playing word games. I knew it was only temporary, that once the holidays
were over I'd sit her and Pop down and talk to them, but it still bothered
me.

After getting both Connor and me cleaned up I strapped him into the back
seat of the van and went over to Donna Marie's. I loaded the crib and
playpen into the van and then had another cup of coffee with my sister. She
wasn't as bad as Mom, but almost.

"I just don't understand what you see in him, Joey. You can't have much in
common and his lifestyle must be so different from ours."

"Yeah, he's different, but that's more because he's not Italian than
because he's gay. He's lived a very different life than I have but we never
run out of things to talk about. Sal has talked to him a few times and
likes him. You would too if you gave him a chance."

"Maybe I would but I don't see any reason to. He's your friend. He doesn't
have to be mine."

I thanked her for the crib and linens and headed over to Ben's house. When
I got there I had him hold Connor while I carried all of the stuff into the
house. The pieces of furniture weren't all that heavy but they were an
awkward size. Ben didn't look like he spent much time in the gym so I
figured Connor would be enough for him to carry. Besides, I liked finding
reasons to get Ben and Connor together.

I'd suspected that Ben hadn't made any plans for Christmas
decorations. While he was very bright and apparently has a head for
numbers, he could be a bit of a ditz on practical everyday things. He also
spent too much time thinking things over and had trouble making decisions
so I planned out the rest of our day and pretty much bullied him into
obeying me. He whined quite a bit but he loved it.

When we got to the nursery I left Ben out front, hoping he'd get talking
with Anthony, and took Connor to the office.

"Hey Pop, would you mind watching Connor for a few minutes while I help Ben
pick out a tree?"

"Mind watching my favorite grandson? Never."

"I didn't think grandparents were supposed to have favorites."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Joe. You know how much I love babies,
so each one of my grandchildren has been my favorite from the time they
were born right up until the next one was born. Now they're all my
favorites, though Connor has a special place in my heart because he'll
probably be the last. Unless you get married again and have some more kids,
that is."

"Don't hold your breath, Pop. I think Connor is it for me. You can't
improve on perfection." I found I was getting good at talking around the
issue and I wasn't happy about that. But once again I reminded myself that
it was only temporary.

I went out and found Ben and Anthony not talking and led Ben out to look at
the trees. He started whining again but I could tell he enjoyed looking the
trees over and he made the choice I would have. I went to give him a little
kiss but we lost our balance and fell into a stack of trees. Neither of us
seemed to mind that the kiss became a bit longer and more passionate than I
had intended but I agreed when Ben suggested we cool it until we were
somewhere more private. I could just imagine how Vinnie would have reacted
if he had been the one who came around that corner instead of some kid.

While we tied the tree to the car I kept thinking about the kiss. Except
for that first time on the dance floor at the club, every other time we'd
kissed had been at Ben's house. I'd loved all of those kisses but it just
felt so nice to kiss outdoors in broad daylight. It felt, I don't know,
liberating and empowering, like I was proudly declaring my love instead of
hiding it.

I assumed Vinnie had gone inside so I suggested that Ben wait in the car
for me while I went to get Connor. Sure enough, Vinnie was at the counter
when I walked into the building. I went over to the cash register and rang
up the sale, putting Ben's money in the till.

"What's HE doing here?"

"He bought a Christmas tree, Vin. Even gay people do normal things once in
a while."

Vinnie scowled and turned away so I went to the office. Margaret had come
back from lunch and was holding Connor on her lap. Pop was eating a
sandwich at his desk.

"You'd better get some food into that boy, Joey. He's been eating my
sandwich with his eyes. I was going to give him some but I didn't know what
your plans were."

"We're going over to Bennigans's to get something to eat."

"Did you see James outside?"

"James? Isn't he in school?"

"He had some paper for school that Vinnie forgot to sign so he brought it
over during his lunch period. The high school is just down the road."

"Yeah, I know Pop, I went there, remember?"

"Well, he knew you were here as soon as he saw Connor. He wanted to say hi
but I guess he had to get back to school. He did get to fuss over Connor
for a few minutes, though. He sure does love this boy."

"Everybody does, Pop. What's not to love?"

I suppose every parent feels that way about their kids but even with all of
the experience I've had with my nieces and nephews and the love I have for
them, I still think that Connor is special.

Since it was still fairly early we decided to shop for decorations before
lunch. I did my best to push Ben over the limit on his credit card. We both
had a ball looking at everything in the store. Connor was fascinated by all
of the lights and glittering objects but after nearly an hour he started to
get cranky, so we decided it was time to eat. Ben and I were both starving
by the time we got to Bennigan's. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad for
myself and grilled cheese sandwich for Connor. He'd have some of my chicken
as well. Ben ordered a bacon cheeseburger deluxe with onion rings.

"We have got to get you into a gym soon, Ben."

He looked offended. "I thought you liked my body."

"Oh believe me, I do, but if you keep eating junk like that you're not
gonna look like this for long. How about joining the Y? I already belong
and we could work out together."

"Hmm, I can think of a nice workout with you."

"That's not the kind of workout I had in mind. Well, not the only kind,
anyway."

We concentrated on our food for a while. Since we had arrived toward the
end of the lunch rush by the time we were finishing up most of the tables
around us were empty. I was glad because there was something I wanted to
talk to Ben about before we got back to the house. It wasn't exactly lunch
conversation, but it had been on my mind for a while. There was no one near
us but I still kept my voice low.

"Remember the other night, Ben, when we tasted each other's, uh, semen?"

"Yeah, how could I forget? I seem to remember that I did a little more than
taste, though. Why, is there something about that that's bothering you?"

"Well, I liked it, but I was wondering. Is that safe?"

"There's some risk involved in just about everything you do so you have to
decide on how safe you want to be. I've known some guys who even use
condoms for oral sex. Overall, I think oral sex is pretty safe, though if
you're tricking around it's probably best not to take a load in your
mouth. Of course, if you've got an open cut or sore in your mouth it's a
lot riskier, and the more people you do it with the more chance you take,
but I don't think it's risky between us."

"It's just that I've never really had to think about things like this
before. When Jenny and I started having sex we were both virgins. We only
used condoms for birth control, and then only until we got married. After
that we were trying to have a baby."

"Well, I've always been careful and insisted on condoms for anal sex,
although Paul and I did away with them a while after I moved in with him
because we'd both been tested and we were monogamous. I'm sure I have
nothing to worry about with you and you don't have to worry about me. I
obviously have been around a lot more than you but I was tested after my
slutty period last summer and again a couple of weeks ago."

"So you're saying that since we're both negative we don't have to use
condoms?"

"Is that your way of saying that we're monogamous, Joey?"

"You'd better believe it. I can't do it any other way, Ben."

"Good. I know it may sound strange coming from a guy who's whored around as
much as I have, but I like monogamy myself, especially with you."

I had the information I wanted and I knew I should drop the subject, but
since he'd brought up his past I went on. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear
the answer but I had to ask.

"I know this is none of my business, Ben, and you don't have to answer if
you don't want to. I probably don't even really want to know,
but... hundreds?"

Ben leaned back until he was staring at the ceiling and groaned. When he
sat back upright and looked at me he was shaking his head.

"I was wondering when that comment was going to come back and bite me in
the ass. Okay, I've been with a lot of guys and I haven't kept count, but
it hasn't been hundreds. That night on the phone I was exaggerating to try
to scare you off, to maybe horrify you a little."

"Well, it worked, at least when you said it. I don't like thinking about
you with anyone else, whether it's one guy or fifty, but I know shouldn't
think about that. That's the past. I love who you are right now, and right
now you're with me. That's all that matters."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Joey, because I can't undo my past. But you
are my present, and, I hope, my future."

When we got back to the house I took Connor into the guest room to change
his pampers and get him ready for his nap, which meant Ben had to carry all
of the stuff we'd bought into the house. He probably would have preferred
unloading ten vans to changing one diaper so he didn't complain.

The day had been more exciting than most for Connor and he was asleep as
soon as I placed him in the crib. I walked out into the hall and nearly ran
into Ben.

"He's sound asleep already. What do you say we bring the tree in and get to
work on it?"

Ben's face fell. "I was thinking that maybe we could take a little nap,
too. We'd do a better job on the tree if we were well rested."

"Yeah, rest, I'm sure that's what you were thinking. Well, if you insist."

We went into Ben's room and slowly undressed each other. Our last couple of
sexual encounters had been very impromptu and a bit rushed so we took our
time. We lay on the bed making out for a long time until we ended up in a
sixty-nine position. We made love to each other's cocks slowly, building
until we exploded at almost the same time. This time I did more than
taste. I had to gulp to keep from spilling his load all over the place. I
managed to swallow every drop and I loved it. And afterward we did get to
take a little nap.

Ben

Joey had thought the whole day out and made sure it went according to
plan. I tend to be lazy at times and need to be pushed to get things
done. Joey knew just how hard to push and how to best cajole me into
things. While I often looked at even little things as chores, they weren't
when Joey was leading me through them.

I hadn't anticipated Joey's inquiries about safe sex. Knowing that he was
coming from a straight background I probably should have, but since I had
been out and active for so long I just took it all for
granted. Instinctively I knew what I could and couldn't do under different
circumstances and never gave it much conscious thought. Until last summer,
anyway.

After breaking up with Paul I was in a dazed state of hurt and betrayal for
a couple of months and lost myself in casual sexual encounters. Yes, I was
being reasonably safe, but I was also being very promiscuous. I was
starting to calm down and get more rational about things around the time I
closed on the house. And then the realization hit me. Paul and I had been
fucking for months without condoms while he'd been carrying on his affair
with Chad. I'd thought we were being safe because I trusted him.

In a panic, I ran to my doctor to be tested. During the few days I waited
for the lab results, I tried to convince myself that Paul would have been
using condoms with Chad, as he did when he and I first got together. He
wasn't an idiot, after all. But I could no longer convince myself of
anything when it came to Paul. After all, I never expected him to cheat on
me in the first place. He had not only betrayed our 'love' by being with
Chad, he had put me at risk. Realizing that was the first step in getting
over him. The test came back negative but the doctor suggested having it
done again in a few months just to be sure. I'd received the second
negative result the week before our little Christmas tree shopping trip so
it was the perfect time for Joey to bring up the subject.

When I woke up from my nap after Joey and I had made love, Joey was
spooning me from behind, holding me in his arms. He was still asleep and I
just lay there, reveling in the security his body offered me. For a long
time after Paul, I was sure I'd never be able to trust anyone again. I'd
always craved security and while Paul seemingly provided that for years,
when he pulled the rug out from under me he left me more insecure than I
had ever been before. I realized that Paul's 'protection' of me hadn't
really been about me at all. It had all been about his ego, about how good
it made him feel to take care of me.

Right from the night I'd met Joey in that parking lot, I'd felt a strength
within him that had nothing to do with ego. As our relationship developed,
he took care of me in so many ways, not to build himself up, but to build
me up. He was a natural caregiver and nurturer. You only had to look at the
way he treated Connor to see that. He was a giver, not a taker. Lying there
in his arms, I knew that I had not only found someone to love, but someone
I could trust.

To be continued...