Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2016 09:19:03 +0000 (UTC)
From: hankbrookscc@comcast.net
Subject: Valentine's Days  short story

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			     Valentine's Days

				    -1-

 The day had finally arrived for Rick Chase.  He had pushed himself to the
limit, and worked hours and hours of overtime, just to make that day
happen.  From the day Kenny walked out on him, he wanted nothing more than
to get out of New York, and make a fresh start elsewhere.  Everything
around him brought back memories of Kenny.

 Then last month his request for transfer finally came through.  The
advertising agency he worked for approved his transfer to San Diego.  He
was thrilled.  There were to be no more harsh winters, and no more even
harsher memories.  He looked forward to a new start, and new friends, in
Sunny California.

 The first thing he did, was to put his condo on the market.  It was well
priced for a quick sale, but when prospective buyers heard that it was
being sold fully furnished at that price, they figured that the furnishings
were junk.  They assumed that the seller was too lazy to throw it out, or
donate it to charity.  They were surprised and delighted at the expensive
and beautiful pieces of furniture they found there.  When Rick and Kenny
had first set up the condo eight years earlier, they took their time
furnishing it.  They believed that they would be together forever, and they
bought nothing but the best, and often, the most expensive furniture.

 The second thing he did was to fly out to San Diego, and rent a small
apartment.  He could live there, until he decided where he wanted to buy,
and to check out the cost of condos.  While he was there he was introduced
to some of his future co-workers.  He didn't get any vibes that any of them
were gay, but he really didn't care.

 He had no problem selling his condo.  He was well located, in a desirable
section of Manhattan.  The buyers even added a thousand dollars to the
purchase price to accelerate the closing date.  Rick took a week off to
pack all his personal items.  He deliberately took nothing with him from
the condo.  He was determined to bury the past, and move on.  Everything
would be fresh and new, and not remind him of Kenny.

 While packing the clothing from his dresser, he uncovered a batch of
greeting cards at the back of his underwear drawer.  They were bound with a
dried out rubber band, which split when he removed the packet.  He smiled
when he realized what he had uncovered.  These were all the greeting cards
Kenny had ever sent him, birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions.
He thought he had thrown them out with all of his other bad memories, but
somehow he had missed them.  The cards were in chronological order, and
right on the top, there was a Valentine Day Card.

 His first impulse was to toss it out, along with the rest of the
memorabilia, but he couldn't resist opening the card.  The front of the
card was all white with a single red heart in the middle.  Below the heart,
a fancy scripted text read:

			   Happy Valentine's Day

 When he opened it up, there was a soppy message on the right side, no
doubt written by a Hallmark employee, but on the left side, Kenny had
written a note, or rather printed it:

 I know it has only been six weeks since we met, but I am hopelessly in
love with you.

 I pray this is the first of 100 Valentine's Days to come for you and me.

 I can't wait to climb into bed with you tonight, and show you how much I
love you.

 Ken

 Rick grabbed the greeting cards, including the Valentine's Day Card,
crushed them in his palm, and tossed them in the garbage.  He began to cry,
so he threw himself on his bed, and buried his face in a pillow.  He hadn't
meant to, but he fell fast asleep.  In his sleep, his mind took him back to
a happier time, and he began to dream about Kenny.

				**********

 It was New Year's Eve.  Rick Chase was in a celebratory mood.  He had just
turned twenty-three.  When he graduated college the previous June, he
landed a job in a small advertising agency.  The experience he was
receiving was good, and even better looking on his resume, but he was
seeking a position with a lot more challenge and excitement.  He wanted to
work for an ad agency that produced ads and commercials for major
businesses across the country, even across the world.

 Just last week, two days before Christmas, he landed his dream job with a
Madison Avenue firm.  He was going to start on the day after New Year's
Day.  Rick thought that it was a good omen; new job, new life, and
promising future.  He had no idea that he was on a roll, and this evening
would be the one where he would meet someone special.

 He and Kenny literally bumped asses on the crowded dance floor.  They
turned to say, "I'm sorry," when something magical happened.  The moment
they looked into each other's eyes, everyone in the noisy bar disappeared.
They found themselves alone on the dance floor.  It was like the scene in
West Side Story, when Tony and Maria spotted each other in the high school
gym.  The stage lights dimmed to wipe out everyone on stage, except the
doomed lovers.

 Notwithstanding that they were dancing with other people, they began to
dance together.  Other couples were gyrating to the loud music, and not
touching one another, but Rick and Kenny wrapped their arms around each
other and slow-danced.  They put their cheeks together and dry humped their
packages.

 "I'm cumming," Rick stated matter of factly.  "Let's blow this joint."

 "Don't you want to wait until after midnight?" Kenny asked.

 "I'd much rather you be the one I kiss at midnight, instead of all these
strangers."

 So they went to Rick's apartment, and made love until the dawn began to
illuminate the apartment.  They lost count of the number of orgasms they
experienced, and they kept assuring each other that nobody else's cock
tasted as sweet, nor did anybody else's cum taste better.  They slept until
noon, and then they showered.  They went out for lunch, and spent the rest
of the day in bed fucking each other.

 When they finally took a break from love making, Rick started to laugh.
"I don't even know your last name," he giggled.  "Mine's Chase."

 Kenny started to laugh hysterically.  "My surname is Banks," he answered,
amidst his laughter.

 Kenny was still a student, a senior at NYU.  He was majoring in Finance.
Rick took him out to dinner, and then they reluctantly parted.  Kenny had
school the next day, and Rick was starting a new job.  As soon as it could
be managed, Kenny moved out of his furnished studio apartment, and moved in
with Rick.

 Rick was the only one at Kenny's graduation, not because his folks had
disowned him when he came out, but because they lived in Australia.
Kenny's dad had been transferred there from New York when Kenny started
college.  They hadn't seen each other in nearly four years, and it
surprised Rick that he hardly ever talked about them.  Immediately after
graduation, Kenny got a job as an intern in a CPA office.

 If there were statistics somewhere of how many times a week an average
couple made love, Rick and Kenny would have spiked the chart.  They even
made an effort not to let their love making go stale.  They often
introduced something new and usually kinky.  It was generally something
they had seen in a porn film, or read about in an erotic story.

 Certainly, Rick had no inkling that Kenny was not a full participant in
his happiness.  One day, after eight years of conjugal bliss, Kenny
announced that he was bored to death.  He said that they had been too young
when they coupled, and he wanted to be single, and sow some wild oats
before it was too late.  In spite of that statement, he moved in with one
of his clients immediately.

 Rick was devastated, not only because Kenny left him, but that he lied
about the reason.  He tried to persuade Kenny not to do this, but he would
have none of it.

 Kenny tried to speak to Rick shortly after their split, but Rick refused
to take his call, and they lost contact with each other.  When Rick put in
his request for transfer, he was very general about it.  He would accept
any position outside of New York.  Kenny had no way of knowing that Rick
was in process of making the move.

 Rick woke up, and washed the tears from his face.  He tried not to let
Kenny invade his thoughts, but it happened all the time.  The Valentine's
Day Card had opened old and very sore wounds.  Added to that bit of
torture, was the fact that it was Valentine's Day once again.

				    -2-

 Rick adapted to the California life style very rapidly.  Even though he
was in a high stress environment, it was laid back compared to New York.
After a year, he bought a condo in a fairly gay section of the city.  He
even had three fuck buddies, whom he saw on a regular basis.  He would have
preferred to settle down, but he just didn't meet anyone special like
Kenny.

 Rick had a client who owned a large chain of supermarkets on the west
coast.  The owner, JM (Jeffrey Marshal), was a man in his mid-fifties.  He
and Rick got along really well, and when JM came to Rick's office to
discuss advertising strategy, they always ended up having a drink and
dinner together.  In spite of their age differences, Rick was exceptionally
attracted to JM.  The man kept himself hale and hearty.  He visited the gym
at least three times a week, and didn't look a day over forty.  Rick would
gladly have taken him to bed with him, but the guy was a 10 on the
heterosexuality scale.  JM knew that Rick was gay, and it made no
difference to him.

 Rick was aware that JM had a son in his mid-twenties, who was being
groomed to take over the business from his father, when the time would be
right.  Rick had never met Jeffrey, Jr.  Somehow their paths had not
crossed.  He often wondered if he was as handsome as his father.  One
beautiful San Diego morning, Rick had an appointment with JM.

 His secretary buzzed him to let him know that Mr. Marshal had arrived.
Rick jumped up to greet his favorite client.  He was almost at his door
when it opened, and his secretary ushered in Mr. Marshal.  Rick's mouth
dropped open.  His jaw nearly hit his chest.  Standing before Rick was JM's
clone, only younger, handsomer, and a bit taller.

 Jeff saw the confusion on Rick's face, so as he shook Rick's hand, he
started to explain.

 "My dad didn't feel well this morning, and he asked me to fill in for him.
I hope you don't mind Mr. Chase."

 "Please, call me Rick."

 Rick had lusted after JM, who was twenty-three years his senior.  Now he
found himself lusting after Jeff, who was nine years his junior.  Rick
didn't give a thought to age differences.

 Rick took Jeff's elbow.  "Come with me," he said. "We'll meet in the
conference room."  They discussed business for a little over two hours.
All the while Rick kept getting a hard-on, and he was grateful to be
seated.

 As they were winding down, Jeff said, "My dad tells me that when you meet
in the afternoon, you have drinks and dinner together.  Let's do that next
time."

 "Yes, of course, but until then, are you free for lunch?"

 "For sure," Jeff said.

 JM had never told Rick that his son was gay.  He had worked hard to
arrange this meeting, and back in his office, he wondered how things were
going.  He also neglected to tell Jeff that Rick was gay.  He thought that
he would play a little game with Mother Nature, and see how it all turned
out.  It turned out that his set-up was going very well.

 Half way through lunch, Jeff confided that he was still living at home,
but he wanted to get his own place, so that he could have a sex life
occasionally.  He innocently asked where Rick lived.  When Rick told him,
Jeff looked surprised.

 "That's right in the heart of the gay section.  Doesn't that bother you?"

 Rick laughed.  "Why should it bother me?  I'm gay myself."

 Jeff put his palm on Rick's forearm.  "So am I," he said quietly, and the
two men smiled at each other.

 "The turnover rate of apartments in my building is very high," Rick said.
"Would you like me to keep an eye out for you?"

 "Yeah. That would be great.  I'd like that a lot.  Would you be
uncomfortable having a client living in your building?" Jeff asked.

 "Maybe, it'd bother me for some clients, but not you," Rick answered, and
once again the two men smiled at each other.

 JM had rubbed two stones together and ignited a spark.  Now the spark had
burst into flames.  Rick hadn't felt this way since he met Kenny on the
dance floor.  If anything, his emotions were running higher, his passion
was stronger.

 "Can you get away this afternoon and show me your building and your
apartment?" Jeff asked.  "It'll give us an opportunity to see if anything
is available."

 Rick whipped out his cell phone.  He called his secretary and told her
that he had an all afternoon business meeting with Mr. Marshall.  At the
same time Jeff called his office, and left word that he had an afternoon
meeting with Rick.  Word got back to JM, who smiled the biggest smile he
had ever smiled before.

 Both men were parked in a public ramp at the next corner.

 "Let's get our cars and you can follow me home," Rick said.

 "Okay, but give me your address.  If we become separated, I'll use the
navigator in my car."

 They did not get separated, and reached Rick's apartment in record time.
Jeff parked in a guest spot and Rick took his appointed space.  There was
one other unit owner with them on the elevator going to the fourth floor.
It was Rick's next door neighbor, who had been trying to seduce Rick since
he moved in.  Rick introduced him to Jeff.  He winked at both of them, and
went his way.

 Once they entered Rick's apartment, they dropped all pretense.

 "I really enjoy making love in the afternoon," Jeff yelled, and he
undressed at super hero speed.

 Because of their impatience they fell onto Rick's bed in a sixty-nine
position.  They hardly had a chance to get used to the taste of each other,
when they came spurting into each other's mouths.  Quickly they twisted
together and kissed sharing their spunk with each other.

 When they came up for air, Rick said, "That was wonderful, but way too
fast.  Spend the rest of the afternoon with me.  Then let's go out to
dinner, and spend the night together.  I want to make love to you, but not
like this.  I want to go slow and give you as much pleasure as I am capable
of."

 "You've got a deal," Jeff said, "but I'm still a little boy living at
home.  I've got to call my folks and let them know that I won't be home
tonight."

 "Will you tell your father that you're with me?" Rick asked.

 "You can bet your bottom dollar."

 When JM heard that his son was spending the night with Rick, he pumped his
fist and said silently, "Yes!"

				    -3-

 A short time later, Jeff put a down payment on an apartment in Rick's
building, and the two men, who were so hopelessly in love, were delighted,
until Rick began to think about it rationally.  They were sleeping together
almost every night.  One evening, he said to Jeff, "Don't buy the
apartment.  Move in with me."

 "It's all I want to do, but my down payment is non-refundable.  You should
have spoken up sooner."

 "There are alternatives," Rick pointed out.  "You could rent it, but
better still, there are always waiting lists to buy into this apartment
building.  If the seller could get a better price, I'll bet he'd refund
your deposit."

 "He doesn't have to."

 "I know, but it's worth a try."

 Actually, the day after the seller accepted Jeff's offer, he got two other
offers.  One was slightly below Jeff's and the other was substantially
higher.  However, there was no way he could renege on the signed contract
of sale.  When Jeff made him the proposal to void their deal if he could
get a better one, the seller crossed his fingers, asked to think about it,
and promised to get back to Jeff within twenty-four hours.

 He immediately called his real estate agent, and explained the situation.
The agent then called the prospective buyer with the higher bid, and it was
a go.  After the new contract was signed, he was happy to void Jeff's
contract, and return the deposit from his escrow account.  After all, his
commission was going to be larger.

 Jeff moved in with Rick a week after he was legally released from his
contract.  It just happened to be Valentine's Day, and Rick never thought
about Kenny at all.  Best of all, JM happily helped his son move, and he
asked Rick to please call him Dad outside of their workplaces. Rick hugged
JM, and agreed gladly.

 About six weeks later, the seller of the apartment that Jeff almost
bought, moved out.  The next day, when Rick went to pick up their mail from
the bank of mail in the lobby, the building manager was changing names on
the box belonging to the new owner.  He was just leaving when Rick got
there.  Of course Rick glanced at the name of the new condo owner, and his
heart stopped beating.  The name on the mailbox was Kenneth Banks.  He
totally freaked out.

 What could be the odds?  Even if it was Kenny, he was totally over him; he
had Jeff now.  He loved Jeff, and Jeff loved him.  But Jeff was as young as
Kenny was when they met.  What if Jeff grew bored, and thought he had
missed out on life by committing at too young an age?  That's what Kenny
believed, and he left Rick.  But the hypocrite lied to him.  He committed
to another relationship instead, but what if it was an open relationship,
and Kenny had the best of all possible worlds?

 Rick's head was spinning.  He didn't know what to do.  He rushed up to his
condo, stripped, and got into the shower.  A nice hot shower always relaxed
him.  While he was `relaxing,' Jeff came home.  When he realized that Rick
was in the shower, he stripped rapidly and joined his lover.  Rick grabbed
him and started to sob.

 "Don't leave me," he cried, and Jeff looked at him like he was crazy.

 "What's all this about?" Jeff laughed.  "There is no way in hell that I
would ever leave you.  You'd have to kill me.  Now tell me what happened."

 "Let's dry up and get dressed.  Then I'll tell you.  I'm scared, Jeff."

 "What are you scared of?  I'm here, baby."

 "I'm scared of myself, and I'm not sure you can help me there, honey."

 "Wow! That's deep.  You better explain yourself."

 Rick sat down on the sofa, and motioned for Jeff to join him.  He took
Jeff's hand, and said softly, almost inaudibly, "I just found out that the
new unit owner is named Kenneth Banks."

 "I know.  I found that out a few minutes ago.  I met him on the elevator,
but what about it?"

 "My ex-lover, the one who walked out on me after eight years of what I
thought was bliss, his name is Kenny Banks."

 "The guy I met is old enough to be your father, maybe even my grandfather.
He told me that he just retired.  His wife passed away last year.  He had
always lived in New York when he was a kid, and he decided to finish out
his life on the west coast.  He likes the life style here better."

 Rick breathed a sigh of relief, and Jeff was prompted to ask a question,
he was afraid of the answer to, "What if it was your ex?  What are you so
afraid of?"

 "Old feelings, Love, old feelings.  Forgive me."

 "Well, I'll have to forgive you, if for no other reason than we can then
work more harmoniously in the kitchen.  Mr. Banks' furniture isn't coming
until tomorrow, and I invited him to dinner.

 "Shit.  We better get busy then.  What are we going to make?" Rick sounded
panicky.

 "Relax, I have a fully cooked meal I made the other day to surprise you.
There's enough for four people.  I took it out of the freezer last night
and put it into the fridge.  It should be defrosted by now."

 "I love you," Rick said.  "Let's get dressed and we'll start working on
dinner.  What did you make?"

 "A standing rib roast with roast potatoes."

 "Okay.  I'll take out some red wine."

 They got as busy as a couple of little boys.  What slowed them down was
that they were constantly grabbing each other.  At last there was a knock
on the door, and there stood Ken Banks with a bottle of red wine.  Rick let
him in, and thanked him for the wine.  He introduced himself and seated Ken
on the sofa.

 "Everything should be ready in about fifteen minutes," Jeff said.  "Shall
we open a bottle of wine now or would you guys like something stronger?"

 "Let's save the wine for dinner, guys.  I for one want a scotch and soda.
How about you two?"  Both men opted for a scotch and soda.

 When everyone was comfortably seated, Ken said, "I'd like to get to know
you guys.  Tell me about yourselves."  Jeff glanced at Rick.  He made his
living with words, and Jeff always deferred to him when it came to telling
stories.

 "Well, it must be obvious to you, that we are a gay couple." Rick began.
"Jeff's father actually introduced us.  Ain't that a hoot, and a break from
stereotypical stories about fathers of gays?"

 Ken smiled, but said nothing.

 Jeff's dad owns a chain of supermarkets, and I'm his ad rep.  My firm does
all their advertising.  That's how I met JM, Jeff's dad.  We became great
friends.  I never knew he had a gay son, until he did a little matchmaking.
God bless him."

 "But before that?" Ken asked.  "I can tell you aren't from California,
Rick.  Your accent is pure New York.  So is mine.  Tell me about before."

  "Now you're being a regular Sherlock Holmes." Rick laughed.  Yes, you're
correct.  I am from NYC.  I was in my first, and only serious relationship
for eight years, and my lover walked out on me.  It hurt too much.  There
were so many memories.  I sold out everything I owned, and got a job here
in San Diego.  I was shooting for L.A. but now I'm glad it didn't work out.
I might never have met Jeff."

 "Your turn," Jeff said.  "Tell us about you."

 "I am (was) an engineer.  I worked for a major international company out
on Long Island.  I had a big house, a beautiful wife, and a son.  We wanted
more children, but it never happened. Just as my son was starting his
college career, I was transferred to Melbourne, Australia.  It was a great
opportunity that I couldn't turn down.  We kept promising to visit our son
in New York, but my wife was always getting ill, and we couldn't make the
trip.  She died two years ago of colitis.  I had her body cremated.  There
was no service, and my son did not come out to Australia."

 Ken sounded a little bitter, and Rick was sorry he had pushed the issue.
Ken continued.

 "Without my wife, I felt no obligation to keep working as hard as I did,
and I ached to get back to the states.  Like you Rick, I decided to return,
but far from New York's memories and weather.  After so many years in
Australia, I didn't think I could tolerate winter in The Big Apple.  So
here I am."

 "Do you mind if I ask you when you saw your son last?"

 "When he left for college, and we moved to Australia."

 "Did he keep in touch?"

 "Oh yeah, an occasional letter, and an even rarer telephone call.  I think
they call it being estranged.  He wasn't always like this.  We were in
constant touch at the beginning.  He wrote us that he was in a relationship
with a beautiful girl, but after a couple of years, he said that he was
unhappy being in a monogamous relationship, and he was starting to see
other women.  After he left his girlfriend, we rarely heard from him again.
The only thing I know is that he flitted from one relationship to another."

 "Did he ever send you pictures of his girlfriend, or tell you her name?"
Rick had a bad feeling and he had to probe.

 "It's the strangest thing.  He never did.  I know what you're getting at
Rick, and you may be right.  When my son was seventeen, I discovered him
having sex with our gardener.  I could never confront him with it, so I
kept it my secret.  I'll bet his one serious relationship was with a man,
and all his flings were with men also.  If that's so, I feel that I failed
as a father, if he was afraid to tell me."

 Jeff had to interject.  "Are you aware that you bought an apartment in a
predominantly gay neighborhood.  Are you gay, Ken?"

 "No, I'm straight.  For your information I don't care what people do in
their bedrooms, especially if they love each other.  I have no heir, except
my son.  This will be his place when I die.  I bought it hoping that
someday he would want to settle down and live here."

 "One more question, Ken," Rick asked.  "What is your son's name?

 "Same as mine.  He's Kenny Junior."

 Rick began to cry, and both Jeff and Ken put their arms around him in an
attempt to console him.

 "What's wrong?" Ken asked.

 "I was with Kenny for eight wonderful years.  He said he was leaving me to
play the field, but he went right into someone else's arms.  Thank you for
telling me that he told me the truth.  He wasn't much for monogamy."

 "Dinner's ready," Jeff announced to a very somber crowd.

 The fact of the matter is, that after that night, Ken became very friendly
with Rick and Jeff.  He even went to a gay restaurant now and then with
them.  Then about two years after he moved in, Ken told Rick that Kenny was
coming for a visit in less than two weeks.

 Rick remained calm. "Should we clue him in before he comes, or should we
surprise him?"

 "Please," Ken said, "Let's go for the surprise.  If he knows that you're
here, Rick, he may not want to come, and I desperately want to see him."

 "You know, Ken," Rick said, "I want to see him too.  He hurt me, and I
need closure, but he also inadvertently hooked me up with a partner he
can't hold a candle to, so I want to thank him also."

 He and Jeff hugged and Ken smiled at them.

 "I'll pick him up at the airport," Ken said, "and then I'll tell him that
my neighbors invited us to dinner.  I'll let him know that our hosts are a
gay couple, and lead him to believe that I'm giving him a head's up."

 "That should be a hoot," Rick said rather sarcastically.

 Later that evening, when they were alone, Jeff was strangely quiet.  It
was obvious that he was disturbed.  Finally, Rick asked, "What?"

 "Am I going to lose you?" Jeff asked fearfully.

 "Yeah, when hell freezes over."

 "Am I forcing you to choose?"

 "Choose what, choose who?  I love you completely, dufus.  There is no
choice to make."

 Jeff started to cry, so Rick wrapped him up in his arms.  "Let's make
love," he whispered in Jeff's ear.

 "I want you to fuck me tonight," Jeff said.  "I want you to fuck me as
often as you can.  I want you inside me forever."

 Rick rose to the challenge, and he somehow was inspired to cum three times
far up Jeff's ass.  "If that doesn't affirm how much I love you, I don't
know what more I can do or say," Rick sobbed, as he enveloped Jeff in his
arms.

				**********

 The fateful day came too quickly.  Jeff and Rick outdid themselves with a
dinner that would be for a reunion of two old lovers.  They started with an
appetizer of shrimp cocktail.  The entrée was an individual Cornish hen
for everybody, with asparagus and baked sweet potato.  They had peach Melba
for dessert.  The table was amply spread with wine, dinner rolls and apple
sauce.  Rick loved apple sauce with chicken.  He found the white meat to be
too dry, and apple sauce gave it much needed hydration.

 Ken expected to arrive home about 5 PM.  He would offer Kenny a shower
after his long flight, and before joining Rick and Jeff for dinner.  Rick
figured they would be at their apartment about 6:30. He also wondered if
Kenny came out to his father when Ken told him that he and Jeff were gay.

 He didn't have to.  The way Ken put it was, "Look Kenny, I know you're
gay.  You don't have to try to hide it from me anymore.  In fact, the
neighbors who invited us to dinner are a gay couple."

 "Wow, Dad.  That's good to hear.  How old are they?"  Kenny was still
obsessed about age.

 "I think the older one is about thirty-four, and the younger one is about
twenty-five."

 Instead of pleasing his son that their hosts tonight would be his
contemporaries, Kenny said, "They're way too old for me, but maybe they can
fix me up with some younger guys while I'm here.  That would be nice of
them."

 Ken immediately saw his son's problem with any kind of relationship.  He
grew a little bit sarcastic.  "How many young kids want to sleep with an
old timer like you.  I can see some flab where there was none last time I
saw you."

 "Touché, Dad, but as long as I have a few bucks to flash, I'll make out
just fine."

 Ken was almost sorry that they were going to Rick and Jeff's for dinner,
but then, he thought, maybe they'll be a good influence on him.  He thought
about it, but he didn't believe it himself.

 His knees shook as he and his son knocked on their hosts' door.  Jeff
answered it, adding a few moments to the tension Ken and Rick were feeling.
Rick was standing back, so Jeff stood aside, and said, "Kenny, this is my
partner, Rick Chase.  We're in the midst of planning our wedding."  He
fibbed a little, but he thought it was a good idea.  He was being very
insecure at the moment.

 Kenny was stunned.  "Rick, you fucker, what are the odds?"

 As for Rick, it only took him one quick glance at Kenny to know it was
over.  Still, he greeted him warmly with a manly hug.  "I thought the same
thing when I met your dad, what are the fucking odds?"

 Jeff made cocktails, and the four men sat on the sofa catching up.  Out of
the blue, Kenny showed his insensitivity.  He looked at Jeff, who was at
the upper limits of his age availability fucking list, and asked, "Are you
exclusive?"

 Jeff almost choked on his drink.  He took Rick's hand and said, "You can
bet your fucking life on it."

 Kenny laughed.  "How can you stand to look at the same cock every night?"

 "I don't look at it.  I make love to it.  I caress it and show it how much
I love it, and I get more excited every time we make love."

 Rick jumped up and kissed Jeff.  "That's the nicest thing anybody has ever
said to me, even you."  There were tears in his eyes.

 Suddenly Jeff realized that there was a straight man in the room.  "I'm
sorry, Ken.  I didn't mean to get so graphic.  I guess I got carried away."

 "Don't for one moment apologize.  I get great pleasure out of seeing how
much you guys love each other, and knowing how passionately you express
your love.  I loved my wife, but she was always ill, and we could never be
passionate."

 Kenny was silent.  Finally, when he felt the silence had lasted too long,
he said.  "I'll be here until Sunday morning.  I've pretty much filled up
my dance card with contacts I made on the internet, but I'm free Wednesday
evening.  I'd like to take you all out to dinner on me, for old time's
sake."

 "Gee, I'm sorry, Kenny," Rick said, "but Wednesday is Valentine's Day.  My
future husband and I have big plans for Wednesday, and it's just for the
two of us."

Kenny returned to New York all sexed out, and as smug as ever.  Not only
was he out of Rick's system, he was out of his father's also.  Ken became
like a father to Rick and Jeff.  He remained a father figure even after he
married a beautiful young widow, who worked with Rick.  They were married
on Valentine's Day.  JM had shot his Cupid's arrow into the hearts of his
son and Rick, but there was room on the bow for another arrow for Ken and
his wife.