Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 18:56:42 -0800 (PST)
From: Tim Mead <timmead88@yahoo.com>
Subject: Dr. Tim and the Boys, ch. 10

The following story is fiction.  It involves sexually-
explicit erotic events between males.  If you are offended
by such material, are too young, or live in an area where it
is not allowed, don't read it.  In the world of this story,
the characters don't always use condoms.  In the real world,
everyone should practice safe sex.

The author retains all rights.  No reproductions or links to
other sites are allowed without the author's consent.

My regular readers will remember the letter from my friend
Mickey in the preface to "Tim," ch. 8.  I want you to know
that Mickey has just posted the first chapter of his story,
"Billy and Danny: Freshman Year" this week in the College
and Interracial sections.  I've been privileged to see the
first six chapters of this story, and I love it.  I think
you will, too.

Now, back to my story.  My friend, Tom W., wrote the first
scene in this chapter and a part of the Trey/Chaz scene
later.  One of these days, you're going to see an intriguing
story on Nifty by my buddy Tom.  Meanwhile, thanks, Tommy, for
all your help!  I also want to thank Evan, Patrick, and Ash
for all their help.  Being able to discuss writing with
gifted writers like all these guys is a real joy!  -Tim

timmead88@Yahoo.com
Chapter 10:  Charity Project?


                            CHAZ:

I stormed out of the apartment like a bat out of hell,
pulling the door shut so hard it shook in its frame and the
crash echoed through the building.  I was mad!  I stomped
down the stairs, flung the door open, and was greeted by a
downpour of rain that soaked me in an instant.  The sucker
was ice cold, too.  I thought about going back and changing
into something dry, but no way.  I couldn't face Trey right
then.  I was so pissed I was afraid of what I might do.  So
I walked.  The rain ran down my neck into my jacket.  I
didn't feel cold, though, `cause I was so angry, like a
steaming buffalo ready to charge at something, anything.
Who needed that bunch of losers, anyway?  Not me!

Somewhere, I passed an open door.  Noises from inside
reached my ear -- the clinking of glasses, people talking,
music.  I heard a song I knew, "underneath your clothes,
there's an endless story, there's the man I chose, that's my
territory . . . ."  Shakira.  Wow she was hot!  Then, all of
a sudden, an image of Trey flashed in front of my eyes,
naked between Ced and Tim.  His cock was hard, and he was
smiling right at me.  No!  Not again.

I shook myself and looked up.  Above the door, a red neon
sign announced this was "The Mermaid Tavern," and the window
to the right of the door showed a blue-green mermaid on the
pane.  Since I was about as wet as you can get on the
outside, I decided to wet down my insides too.

I went in, heading straight for the bar.  "Jack Daniels,
neat," I said, producing my driver's license.  Instantly a
glass appeared with two inches of booze in it.  I downed the
stuff, loving how it burned its way down my gullet, and
ordered another.  The bartender, a guy the others around the
bar were calling "Ben," was a small, withered cowboy kinda
guy with a dark tan and blue eyes.  He asked, sort of
softly, "Trouble with the Lady?"  It was easy to agree.  I
nodded, downing the second drink.  He didn't say anything
more, and I sat there just dripping all over the place.

After a while I had my third whiskey.  My anger had
disappeared, and I was feeling mellow,  sorta buzzed.  Nice.
I turned my back to the bar and surveyed the crowd.  The
place was packed.   Four guys were sitting at a table under
the window with the mermaid. They had obviously come in to
get out of the rain, `cause they were wet like me, but in
high spirits.  Not what I wanted to see right then.

A thought crossed my mind.  Would Trey be interested in
them, like in - sexwise?  Maybe check them out?  I'd never
noticed him doing such a thing.  But then, I hadn't noticed
a lot about him.  Jen had called me "insensitive."  That
hurt.  I'd been so sure of that chick.  On the other hand,
did I want to be "sensitive"?  Didn't sound very manly, did
it?  More like faggy, if you ask me.  What did she want with
that?  She was always willing, never complained, so WHAT,
dammit?

`What the hell,' I thought and continued looking around.  A
table at the far end of the room drew my attention.  Three
girls at it, all prime stuff, lots of hair and 64 teeth,
that kind.  As I watched them, the blondest one stood up and
sashayed over in my direction!  Yeah, the girls love me all
right!  She was wearing those jeans that sit low in the
hips, very tight there, and the legs got very wide at the
ankles.  She had on high-heeled shoes.  A silky-looking
blouse, knotted under her breasts, showed off her belly
piercing.  Green eyes that didn't look at me at all.  Huh?

Instead, she turned towards the bar, waiting for the cowboy
to notice her.  Mmh, she smelled nice, too!  I decided to go
for it.

"Buy you a drink?"

She looked at me like she was going to say "no," and then
she must have recognized me.  Being on the varsity
basketball team does have its perks.  So I received a
dazzling smile, and that super-babe whispered, "A coke,
please . . . ."

After I ordered and paid, she said, "Thanks, Chaz."

"Oh," I said, all innocent-like, "you know me?"

And then she said sure, I was kinda famous, and she'd seen
me around, and did I remember her since she sometimes hangs
out with Jennifer.

At that my eyes narrowed.  She saw it, and added quickly,
"You know, Chaz, you were right to ditch her.  I always
thought she didn't deserve a stud like you."

Oh?  I ditched Jen - and I was a stud?  Better and better!

"Uhm," I managed, "now that you say it, I guess I have seen
you before . . . ."

"I knew you'd remember me," she said excitedly, doing a
funny little jump that had her boobs bouncing under my nose.
I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra, and I quickly became
uncomfortable on that barstool.  My dick started getting
hard but was confined in my clammy boxers and the jeans that
were still clinging wetly to my bod.  I partly stood up and
tried to rearrange things without her knowing what was
happening.  It didn't work.

"Everything OK, Chaz?" she asked, looking down at my bulging
jeans.

"Yeah, I was . . . uh . . . just, er, I've forgotten your
name."

She pouted.  I got harder.  Her lips looked so wet!

"Sue-Ann," she said, finally.

"Sue-Ann!  Of course!  I promise, hon, I won't forget
again."

That earned me another one of those smiles.  I was thinking
about how to get things really started, but she beat me to
it.

"Wanna see my stamp collection, Sugar?"

I wasn't that drunk, was I?  She really had said it.  Well,
now!

"You show me yours . . . ," I said, grinning.  "And mine
will be bigger!"

"I sure hope so," she said.  "Come on, my car is outside."

Giggling, we ran out in the rain, and, man, it was still
pouring.  My clothes went from damp back to wet in seconds
as we hurried to her blue Z3 convertible (with the top up,
of course).

In we jumped and off we went.  (Hey I like that.  Wonder if
Mead would?)  Thank God the streets were empty.  That girl
had me close to praying the way she drove.  Her apartment
turned out to be a freakin' mess, but the bed was BIG.

She undressed me.  I love it when they do that!  But it
wasn't easy with me being so wet.  Then she put two chilly
hands on my hard tool and said, "I hope you won't disappoint
me."  She looked down and added, "Big Boy!"

I hoped so, too.  I was really ready for this.  I fumbled a
bit with that stupid knot in her blouse.  "Let me," she
hissed impatiently, and proceeded to undress herself.  You
can bet I watched real close.  Then she produced a rubber
from somewhere, handed it to me, got on the bed on her hands
and knees, and looked at me over her shoulder.  For the
second time that night, a picture of Trey flashed before my
eyes!   He was naked, on his knees, looking back at me over
his shoulder.  I could see his asshole and his balls,
hanging low in their sac.

"What are you waiting for?  Come on, Baby, put your big
thing inside me!  I want it hard and fast!"

So I knelt down behind her, but somehow my erection began to
wilt.  Shit!!

"Uhm, Sue-Ann, would you . . . uh, suck me a little first?"

She sighed, "Yeah, `kay."

And she pushed me onto my back and went down on me like a
Hoover.  Well, man, that's all it took for me to get hard
again, steely hard.  When she was satisfied that my cock was
ready, she took the rubber and put it on me.  Then she got
it wet with her spit, climbed on, and rode me like she was
Bill and I was the buffalo!

Somehow, she even got me going a second time!  I was wiped
after that and just wanted to sleep.  But I got an elbow in
the ribs, and she said I had to go now.  Now?  Shit!  I
slowly worked myself back into those cold, wet clothes.
Disgusting!  Enough to make your balls and dick shrink!

At the door she promised she'd call me.  And there I was,
outside again.  I was tired. I was cold.  I was wet.  And
for some freakin' reason, I was depressed. I finally made it
home.  The rain had stopped and the air was even colder now.

I could make out some stars between the clouds, way up
there.  They reminded me of a camping trip with the guys.
We had been sitting around the dying fire, looking up at the
sky.  Ced and Mark had been talking about the fact that,
even as their light was reaching us, the stars themselves
might be long gone.  Then the others talked about the speed
of light and relativity.  Trey ended the discussion with the
words, "Well, anyway, they're here for us now!"  I laughed,
and we two high-fived.  I felt kind of sad, thinking back on
that.

Without really noticing, I had arrived at our building.  I
snuck up the stairs and into my room, quietly, not wanting
to wake Trey.


                   *          *          *


                           CEDRIC:

I closed the door of his apartment behind me, grabbed Tim by
the ass, and pulled him up into a kiss.  Instead of putting
his arms around my waist or playing with my nips as he
sometimes does, this time he grabbed me by the ass and began
to try to stick his fingers in my crack.  My jeans kept him
from getting very far, but he managed to get me boned up
good.

I broke the kiss and said, "Whooeee, babe.  Whutchu up to?"

"Oh, I've got plans for you, sexy.  But first, I have
something to tell you."  Taking me by the hand, he led me to
the sofa, where he indicated I should sit.  Instead of
sitting beside me, as he does when we're watching television
or just snuggling together, he sat in a chair opposite me.

"I broke my engagement with Amy this afternoon."

A huge feeling of relief came over me, but then I remembered
that breaking the news to Amy must have been really hard for
him.

"How'd it go?

"Well, we parted friends, I'm happy to say.  She said she
had seen this coming."

"Oh?"

"Mm hmm.  You know, I haven't been able to get over there as
often as she thinks I should.  It's a four-hour drive to
Indianapolis.  If I try to do the trip in one day, I never
get started back until late, and then I'm wiped out when I
get here.  If I stay overnight, the whole weekend's shot,
and I have to stay up most of the night Sunday to mark
papers and prepare for my classes.  So she had about decided
that our relationship couldn't stand the separation."

"I wonder when she was going to get around to telling you
that."

"She said she planned to talk with me about it the next time
I came to see her.  The ironic thing is that she suspected
me of having someone else weeks before I met you."

He came over and sat beside me.  I put my arm around him.

"Amy is a wonderful person, Ced.  She deserves to be happy,
but dammit, so do I.  I'm glad she and I are breaking up
without too many hard feelings."

"Tim, I've got to tell you, I am SO relieved you've done
this.  And, sweetheart, I'm really happy that it hasn't been
super stressful for you."

He put a hand on either side of my face and pulled my head
towards his for a kiss.  After a couple of hours, or however
long that kiss took, he began to rub my cock through my
jeans.

"Now," he said, with this sly look on his face, "feel like a
shower?"

"Well, li'l stud, I've already had one today, but it sounds
like fun.  Let's do it."

I began to unfasten my jeans as we went toward the bathroom.
Tim had his shirt off before we got there.  We kept bumping
into each other as we scrambled to get off pants, shorts,
shoes and socks, laughing the whole time.

We had our usual good time in the shower, gently but
thoroughly soaping and rubbing each other's bodies.  Then,
when I thought we were through, he gestured for me to turn
around and face the wall.  "Bend over a little, hunk," he
said.

I put my hands flat against the tile, leaning forward.  In
that position I knew he had to be going for my ass, but I
still wasn't sure what to expect.  I gasped when he stuck
first one soapy finger up there, and then another.  He
twisted them around, spread them apart, and before long
inserted a third finger.

"Doctor Mead," I said, "I'm shocked.  What ARE you doing?"

"I should think, Mr. Jones, that would be obvious."

Giggling (yeah, giggling), I said, "OK, Timmy, why are you
doing that, babe?  Just what do you have in mind?  Do you
want me to come right now?"

He stopped what he was doing and slowly withdrew his
fingers.  "No way, studly.  I'm just getting you all clean
for what's to come."

I could hardly wait for what was to come.

We rinsed off, stepped out of the shower, and dried each
other just as slowly and lovingly as we had washed each
other.

Then Tim reached down and grabbed Sneaky, using him as a
handle to lead me into the bedroom.  The bed had nothing on
it except the bottom sheet.

"OK, big boy, on your face, please," he said.

"But I thought you didn't like doggie style."

"No back talk," he said, smiling as he slapped me on the
butt.  "Just do what you're told."

"Yes, SIR!" I said, hurrying to stretch out on my stomach.

I expected him to reach into the bedside table drawer and
get the lube, but he didn't.

He said, "You know, Ced, I've always liked women's asses as
much as their boobs.  Since you came into my life, I've been
looking at guy's asses a lot, too.  But man, yours is
absolutely munchable!"

"OOOHHH, daddy!" I responded.

With that he climbed onto the bed on all fours, his arms and
legs straddling my legs.  He began to lick my cheeks.  Long,
slow licks, starting with the tops of my thighs and going
clear up to the small of my back.  As he did that, he was
sort of growling.  He'd do first the right side, then the
left, but each time he changed sides, he got a little nearer
to my crack.  Francis never did that, but I knew better than
to mention Francis.  I didn't know where Tim got the idea,
but I was sure glad he thought it up.  Man, I was frantic.
It was SO hot, knowing what his destination was.  But he was
taking his time, slowly and deliberately licking my butt.

Sneaky was, of course, rigid, throbbing, and leaking.
Suddenly, Tim backed up and spread my legs apart.  Grabbing
my cheeks, he separated them with his thumbs.  Growling
again, he began to tongue around my hole, slowly, around and
around, never quite touching it, just around and around.  By
this time, as he growled, I was moaning.  I wondered if the
neighbors could hear us.

"Babe, you're driving me crazy!"

He paused and blew on my asshole.  As I jumped, he said,
"OK, lover, next phase."

You have to keep in mind that he had never done this before.
He obviously had a wonderful imagination, but then, that's
Tim.

He began to lick my hole with just the tip of his tongue,
very tentatively.  Since he'd never done it before, I didn't
know whether he was hesitating to do that, or whether he was
still teasing me.  My question was answered when he suddenly
began to thrust his tongue up my hole.  I nearly screamed.
I began to wiggle, to hump Sneaky against the bed, to laugh.
It was amazing!  I don't think Tim expected that much
reaction, because he began to laugh, too.  The vibration
from his laughing caused a whole new set of sensations, and
I nearly lost it.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or
yell or what.  Meanwhile, he was ramming his tongue in and
out of my hole.

Finally, when I couldn't stand it any more, I said,
"Sweetheart, I need something a lot longer than your tongue.
Do me, baby, please!"

THEN he reached in the drawer for the lube.  I rolled over
on my back and pulled my knees up.  After quickly smearing
his cock with lube, he grabbed my ankles and put my legs
over his shoulders.  When he put Junior against my hole, I
think I just sucked him right in.  We looked each other in
the eye as he began to slowly pump in and out.  That's the
greatest moment in the world this side of orgasm, I think,
looking into his soul as we are connected cock to chute.
Reaching up, I began to gently rub his nips with the backs
of my fingers, which produced the sweetest smile!

As they say, it doesn't get any better than this!  I lay
there looking up at Timmy, at that pale skin, those
incredibly green eyes, his still-damp hair darker than
usual, and a few beads of sweat beginning to form on his
upper lip.  I just wanted to eat him up!

His dick wasn't big enough to give me any discomfort, but it
was big enough to hit my button, again and again.  I don't
know how long that went on.  Forever?  Not long enough!
Eventually, though, I could tell he was about to come.  I
reached for my own cock.  He pushed my hands away, grabbed
Sneaky with both his hands, and began to pump in rhythm with
his thrusting in and out of me.

Finally, his eyes glazed over, he stopped pumping my cock,
gripping it tightly instead, threw his head back, gave a
long groan, and unloaded inside me.  That was all I needed.
As he held Sneaky in both his hands, I shot right into his
face.  Then some of it fell onto my belly.  And then there
was a stream of cum running down his fingers.

Seeming to come back into this world, he looked at me, again
with that sweet smile.  As Junior grew limp, Tim pulled out
of me, let go of Sneaky, and just collapsed onto my chest.
We lay there, spent and happy, for I don't know how long.
We were a cummy mess, but neither of us cared.

Finally, I sighed, stretched, and asked, "Where'd you learn
to do that, babe?"

"I don't know.  I think you just inspire me."

He rolled over and lay on his back beside me.  We stayed
like that for a while.  Then I propped up on one elbow and
began to run my fingers through his fantastic auburn hair.

"In all the excitement I forgot to ask how dinner went last
night with Stan."

He chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"You kept insisting that I'd love Stan.  Well, Cedric, I
almost didn't."

"Love him?"

"Yeah."

"How could you not love Stan?"

"Oh, I do, now.  I think he's amazing.  But he asked so many
questions I felt turned inside out.  I was beginning to be
pretty irritated with him.  His personality is so
overwhelming that I began to feel he was buying me off with
an expensive meal so he could find out all about me."

"And?" I asked.

"And he was.  But when I showed him that I thought he was
being pushy, he backed off and apologized.  Very sincerely,
I think.  His questions really were probing, though.  I felt
as if I were on the witness stand.  He'd have been great as
a trial lawyer."

"Tell me about the questions, Tim," I asked.

"He wanted to know about my education, my parents, my
religious views, my prior sex life . . . ."

I was beginning to get a little pissed with Stan.  He didn't
have any right to ask Tim all that stuff.  I sure didn't
know that's what he had in mind when he set up the dinner.

"Tim, would you mind just giving me a blow-by-blow of the
evening?"

He smiled and said, "I'd rather just give you a blow-job.
But here's what happened."

My little lover has a fantastic memory.  He fed it all back
to me in detail.  He ended by telling me about the kiss.

"After all those nosy questions, Pops had the nerve to kiss
you?  I can't believe it!  And I think I'm jealous, too.
He's never kissed me!"

Tim smiled and asked, "Are you jealous because he kissed me
or because he never kissed you?"

I had to think about that.  "A little of both, I guess," I
said, chuckling.

"Well, lover, you don't have anything to be jealous about so
far as I'm concerned.  I admit I was overwhelmed by him, but
YOU are my main man, and don't you forget it."

"Oh," I asked, "and how did you react to his kiss?"

"Well, you have to remember that he also reached down and
squeezed my thigh when he was finished.  I was rock hard and
leaking and out of breath.  I may be 26, but I ain't dead."

"I guess I'm going to have to keep an eye on you two.  But
I've had more than one hard on when I've been with Pops.  He
just has that effect on people.  I imagine the women get
their panties moist when he's around, too."

"If you promise to keep this a secret, I'll tell you
something."

"Hey, li'l stud, you know I will if you ask me to."

"OK.  Your advisor was at Stefan's.  From the way she smiled
and waved at Stan, I'd say maybe her panties were good and
moist."

"Funny, I didn't know she knew Stan.  I wonder how those two
ever met.  Like I said, though, he probably turns the ladies
on, too, even an old gal like Dr. Fairchild.  But we're
getting off the track here.  I'm really burned that he gave
you such a third degree.  Honestly, Tim, I didn't have any
idea he was going to do that when I called you.  If I had
known what he was up to, I wouldn't have gone along."

"Relax, Ced.  I like Stan.  He has his vulnerable side, too,
you know."

"Oh, did he tell you about that Leigh bastard?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, Stan's been hurt, but I still don't like what he
did."

"Sweetheart, Stan was looking out for you.  He didn't want
you to be hurt the way Leigh hurt him.  He loves you.  He
didn't know diddly about me until that dinner we had
together, but he knows what a treasure you are.  I honor him
for that."

"Well, I love Stan, too.  And he really was down for a while
after Leigh left him.  But he might have come on a little
less strong with you, baby."

"It's ok, lover, just cut him some slack, please?"

"Ok.  SOME slack, maybe."

We decided that we couldn't put off showering any longer, so
we went back to the bathroom.  This time it wasn't quite so
sexy.  Of course, we did soap each other up, and we did get
hard again.  But we were hungry, so we didn't follow through
on our arousal.

After drying off and dressing, we went out for ribs.  I
couldn't believe what he did.  He picked a rib up by the
end, stuck it in his mouth, and began to suck on it.  He
looked me right in the eye as he did it.  He looked just
like he did when he was sucking on Sneaky, and I broke up.
People were looking at us to see what was funny.  So, for
the rest of the meal, when no one was looking, we pretended
the ribs were each other's cocks.  It's a good thing our
waitperson had brought us lots of napkins!

When we finished that messy but hilarious supper, he went
back to his apartment, and I went to mine.  Mark had been
seeing a lot of a new girlfriend lately, and he was out
somewhere with her.  I was glad, for I had a phone call to
make.


                   *          *          *


                  [Transcript of phone call]
S:  Hello?

C:  Stanley.

S:  Is that you, Ced?

C:  Yeah.

S:  Why so formal?  You've never called me Stanley.  You
    pissed with me, babe?

C:  Majorly.

S:  OK.  Out with it.  What have I done?

C:  Shit, Stan, I can't believe you'd ask that.  What haven't
    you done?  I've just got Tim in my life, and I'm afraid
    you're going to scare him off. I gotta remind you
    what Tim's been through lately?  Two weeks ago he was
    forcibly jacked off, gotten           high on something,
    made to pose for humiliating pictures, and then forced to
    suck Chaz and be fucked by Trey.  Then Sunday morning he broke
    down and cried when I told him it was all over and that he
    could have the disk with the pictures on it.

S:  I know all that, babe.

C:  And you don't have any idea how vulnerable he is now?
    How could you take him out
    for what was supposed to be a nice dinner and put him
    through that kind of interrogation?

S:  Hey, Ced, . . .

C:  No, Stan, you just listen, OK?

S:  OK.

C:  And then, after asking all sorts of personal questions,
    things you had no right to pry into, you had the nerve to
    tell him how to dress.  And then you kissed him and felt
    him up?  Stan, you know I love you, man.  I just can't imagine
    you doing something so cold, so -- manipulative.  What were
    you thinking about?

S:  Whoah, Ced.  I think I can explain, babe, if you'll calm
    down.

C:  OK, Pops.  I'm listening.

S:  What does Trey call Tim?

C:  You mean, "The Iceman"?

S:  Yup.  And Mark tells me that Trey also created another
    metaphor, something about a sleeping lion?

C:  Yeah.

S:  Well, I think your Tim is a lot tougher than you give
    him credit for.  Now that I've seen him, I can understand why
    you just want to pick him up and mother him.  He's adorable.
    Love that hair and those emerald eyes.  Plus, there's something
    very vulnerable about your little prof.    But I also found
    out the other night that Tim's a pretty impressive guy,
    despite his size and his youthful appearance.  He gave
    back as good as he got.

C:  Yeah?

S:  Yeah.

C:  So what was the inquisition all about, anyway?

S:  Look, young Cedric, you know how much I love Mark and
    you.  Trey and Chaz, too, for that matter.  I've been able to
    feel easy about my boys being there at the university because I
    knew you were all looking out for each other.

C:  Uh huh.

S:  OK.  Suddenly, Trey and Chaz and even Mark are into
    something that infuriates you. Then I find out that you are,
    as Mark said, totally in love with a professor and that he had
    more or less moved into all your lives.

C:  Go on.

S:  Do you seriously think that I wouldn't check out this
    guy?  I mean, you and Mark know about my experience with
    Leigh.  I still hurt over that.  Ced, I just couldn't let
    something like that happen to you.

C:  I see that.  But did you have to come on so strong?

S:  Well, you know me.  That's my way.  And I don't think Tim really
    minded.  He seemed sincere when he thanked me and told me he'd
    had a great time.  And, babe, he had a major woodie when he got
    out of the car.

C:  Better not go there, Stan.

S:  [Laughing.]  Don't be jealous babe.  He's all yours.  He
    told me he wanted to hang onto you for the rest of his life if
    he could.  And that was what I really wanted to know.  Tim's
    tough, he's very smart, he loves you.  And he's very sexy.  I think
    you are in good hands, so to speak.  But I told him I'd
    have his balls if he ever hurt you.

C:  [Laughs.]  You stay away from his balls, Stan, or you'll
    answer to me!"

S:  Now that I've met Tim, I want you to know that I think
    you guys are lucky to have him in your lives.  He needs to share
    in the love you have for one another, and he's going to be a wise
    and steady influence on you studs.

C:  Whew!  I might have known you'd have it all figured out,
    Pops.  Sorry I came on so strong.

S:  No problem. So.  How's Mark?

C:  He's great.  I imagine he'll call you soon.  I know he
    likes to stay in touch with his Pops.

S:  Yeah, tell him I'd like to hear from him when he has
    time.  Now, Cedric.  How are you?

C:  Oh, I forgot to tell you.  Tim broke off his engagement.
    I've got to say I'm relieved about that.

S:  How'd that go?

C:  I guess she wasn't as upset as he thought, like she'd seen
    it coming.

S:  Well, he did the right thing.

C:  [Laughs.]  With a big nudge from you.

S:  Anyway, it's done.  And everything else is OK?

C:  Man, I'm so great!  You wouldn't believe what Tim just
    did to me!

S:  Hey, don't tell me.  You and he need to keep some things
    private, you know.

C:  Yeah, I guess you're right.  But it was fantastic.

S:  I take it the little guy is a quick learner.

C:  Oh, man, is he!

S:  Well, C.J., I'm glad you called.  I don't want
    misunderstandings to come between us.

C:  Yeah, Pops, I feel better, too.  Oh, here's Mark.  You
    want to talk to him?

S:  Great.  Put him on, please.

C:  OK.  Bye, Stan.

S:  Bye, Ced.

M:  Hey, Pops!

S:  Mark, how are you babe?

M:  Great.  You OK?

S:  Super.  Now, what's this you were saying on your last
    email about this great chick you've met?

M:  Oh, Lori?  She's fantastic.  She's from Germany, here
    majoring in American history.  And she's gorgeous!

S:  So, young `un, when do I get to meet the fantastic Lori?

M:  Maybe she and I could come over next weekend, either
    Saturday or Sunday.

S:  Either day is fine.  If you come on Sunday, I'll go to
    early church and be free for the rest of the day.

M:  That's great!  I'll check with her and let you know.

S:  Yeah, Mark, do that.  Now . . . .


                   *          *          *


                            TREY:

Well, I have to say that I was pretty surprised when Chaz
stormed out of the apartment the other night.  OK, so I
shouldn't have read the damned letter.  But I think he
overreacted, and I was pissed with him.  Later, though, I
was worried when he didn't come back, and I couldn't sleep.
It was after three when I heard him tiptoe in. I was
relieved that he had made it home, but I was still pissed
with him.  I closed my eyes and, soon after, went to sleep.

After practice the next day, Ced and I bumped into each
other at the gym.  We stopped for burgers  and then came
back to our building.  He was going to study for a while
before going over to Tim's, and I decided I'd better hit the
books too.

Chaz's door was closed when I got home, so I knew he was in.
I was sitting in the living room reading with some soft rock
on the stereo when he came down the hall in a towel.  I was
going to say something, but a hoarse, "Shaddup, not now!"
stopped me, and he disappeared into the bathroom, slamming
the door behind him. Slamming doors had become his habit
lately.  Then I heard the shower start.  He was obviously
still ticked about that letter.

Chaz had looked like the ugly older brother of
Frankenstein's monster.  Did I really want to face that?  I
thought I'd do my own vanishing act, give him time to cool
down a bit.  Yeah, definitely.  Right now he probably
wouldn't listen to me anyway.  I put on my shoes and was
just about to slip into my jacket when I heard, "Oh, no, you
don't, buddy!"

Well, shit!  Sighing, I turned around to see a dripping Chaz
with a towel around his waist.  It was a delicious sight,
but he still looked angry.  And I was still not too happy
with him, either.

"Trey, me and you, we gotta talk."

"Yeah, I know."  And I did know.  I'd been wanting to have
it out with him, but I didn't particularly want to face him
in the mood he was in.  He was obviously ready for a
confrontation.

He plunged right in.  "Why the fuck did you have to go and
read that letter?  You weren't supposed to see that!"

Trying to stay calm, I said, "Chaz, I explained that last
time.  I guess you're right, I had no business reading it,
but aren't you over-reacting?"

"Damn right you didn't," he said.  "And, no, I'm NOT over-
reacting.  Now look, I'm not gonna stand here and argue with
you in a towel.  Do you think you can stay put long enough
for me to throw on something else?"

Me stay put?  He was the one who'd flounced out of here,
who'd stayed out till 3:00!  "Yeah, I'll be here."  I turned
off the music system, put my jacket back in the closet, took
off my shoes, and waited on the couch.

He came back soon wearing cargoes and a t-shirt.  He was
barefoot.  I always marveled at the size of his feet.  And
that reminded me of something I couldn't afford to think
about right then.  He padded into the kitchen, took a couple
of beers out of the fridge, and brought one to me.  I wasn't
supposed to be drinking beer, what with training and all,
but I figured what the hell.  I was having a confrontation
with my best friend.  Refusing the brew would have been like
a slap in the face, and I didn't want to make matters worse.
"Thanks," I said.  I took a swallow and set the bottle on
the coffee table in front of me.

He sat in one of the chairs, facing me.

He picked up the television guide from the coffee table,
riffled through it without really looking at it, and put it
back.

"Trey, it's just that - sometimes I need to write things
down to see them clearly. And, dammit, the stuff in that
letter was pretty personal. But, well, shit, man, you've
been my best bud since freshman year.  I would've gotten
around to talking with you about all this eventually.  I
guess I want you to know some of what's griping my ass. But,
jeez, I wish you would of let me do it when I was ready
instead of reading my private stuff like some goddam snoop!"

"Now wait just a goddam minute, Greeley!  You just said we
are best friends.  Don't you get that I care about you?
Don't you get that I've been worried because I know
something's worrying you, and you won't tell me?  Don't I
have a right to be a little pissed that you don't seem to
trust me enough to talk about whatever it is?"

He looked at me, more bewildered now than angry.  "You've
never talked to me that way before, Tiger."

"You moron, you've never had me this upset before.  I'm
sorry I yelled at you.  But, dammit, Chaz, you know you can
be straight with me, so why don't you just fuckin' tell me
what's got you so riled up?"

He took a deep breath and let it all out.  He looked like a
little boy, and I felt shitty that I had come on so strong.
I just wanted to hug him.

"It's not just you, man.  I kind of feel like an outsider
right now.  Us four guys have always been pretty tight.  Now
Mead has barged in and more or less taken over."

"So what's really eating you is that you're jealous of Tim?"

"Yeah, I guess.  But that's not all."

"Chaz, are you mad at me because I hid my gay side from you
all this time?"

"I guess I am.  If Ced could trust me, why couldn't you,
Tiger?"

"Ced's gay.  Just gay.  I've been having straight sex since
high school and loving it.  I've been stifling the other
side of me all this time.  I haven't wanted to admit to
myself that men sometimes turn me on, much less tell my best
friend.  Can't you understand that?"

He thought about that for a while.  "Yeah, I guess I can see
the difference.  I sure can understand why a guy who's
successful with the women would just sort of hang on to that
and tell himself that's all he needs."

"That's it exactly," I said, trying not to sound surprised.
"Then, when I had this major reaction to Tim, I thought I
could squelch it.  After I found out how Ced felt about him,
I pretty much had to forget my feelings - you know, for our
buddy's sake.  Besides, it was - safer - somehow to put a
damper on them.  But when you came up with the idea of
getting revenge on Tim for Ced's F, I saw a chance to do
something I'd been wanting to do all semester."

"OK, I get that.  But fuck, Trey, there is such a thing as
loyalty."  He seemed angry again.

"Yeah, sure," I said, but I didn't know what he was getting
at.

"Look, I know I screwed up with that whole revenge thing.  I
should have seen that it was wrong to do that to Mead.  I've
admitted all that.  What I haven't told anybody is that
while we were making him suck me and you were pronging him,
I was beginning to feel sorry for him."

Interesting.  Macho, hard-assed Chaz?  Yeah, I could see
that.  I am probably the only one around who knows about his
softer side.

He continued, "Then, when I had to stand there and watch you
take it up the ass from Tim, man, I really felt sorry for
you.  It was one thing watching you do it to Tim.  I mean, I
didn't actually know the guy.  But you, Trey, you're . . .
well, you know."

Wow!  I started to thank him for that, but he held up his
hands to stop me from saying anything.

"THEN," he said, "I saw the look on your face.  I realized
you were digging what he was doing, and then it came to me
that you had been in on the whole thing!  Man, I felt so,
what's the word?  Betrayed?  By you.  My best buddy.  Those
guys scammed me, dammit, and you, my fuckin' best friend,
helped!"

The big guy really looked hurt.  My anger with him went
away.  I wanted to go over and hug him, but this was not the
moment to do that.

I had never thought of it like that.  Maybe he was right to
feel that way.  And now the whole thing about Tim made
sense.  We had robbed Chaz of his pride.  Big, assertive
Chaz had been in some ways the ringleader of our foursome,
and I had been in cahoots with them against him.  This whole
thing was even more complicated than I had expected.  Chaz
had been the one to get the original idea, but how stupid we
all were to go along with it.  And now, Tim had been hurt
and humiliated, Ced had been furious with us, and it had all
backfired on Chaz bigtime.  To make matters worse, he was
hurt not only because I hadn't told him about my gay side,
but also because I had helped Tim and Ced in their payback
on him.

"Chaz, I'm sorry, man.  I've been so busy trying to process
everything that's been going on with all five of us, that I
haven't been tuned in to you.  I've tried to explain why I
didn't tell you how I felt about Tim.  But I don't know what
to say about the other thing, you know, about you feeling
betrayed.  I can see how you might feel that way."

He got up, picked up our empty bottles, and took them to the
kitchen.  He came back with two fresh ones, handing me one.

Taking the beer, I continued.  "I have to tell you, though,
a lot of this stuff you're feeling is your own doing.  Big
guy, you opened up a real can of worms when you came up with
that idea about revenge for Ced's F.  I don't want to sound
like our parents, but I've always been taught that we have
to be ready to accept the consequences of our actions.
Maybe none of us looked far enough down the road when we
decided to do all that to Tim.  So, buddy, shit has
happened.  I guess we just have to live with it."

He thought about that for a while.  "Yeah, I guess you're
right.  Fuck, man!!  This whole thing happened because we
wanted to help Ced."

I had to remind myself that my own reasons hadn't been that
pure .

He paused to take a swallow of beer.  "You know, I'm not
used to worrying about things like this, man.  Do you think
I'm acting like some damn girl?"

"Chaz, even a stud jock like you is allowed to have
feelings. It's OK!"

He gave me his goofy smile and said, softly, "Thanks, bro."

"So, tell me, are you going to give Tim that letter?"

He seemed to be reading the label on his beer bottle for a
while.  Then he asked, "What good would it do?"

"Well, it would let Tim, and Ced of course, know how you
feel."

Then he surprised me again.

"Trey, can you ignore the hots you have for Mead long enough
to tell me what you think of him otherwise?  The four of us
have been tight for a while.  How much are things going to
change now that he and Ced are together?  Is he going to be
hanging around this building all the time?  Is he going to
horn in when the four of us plan to do something together?"

"I honestly don't know what's going to happen," I said.  "I
do know we're going to have to share Ced with Tim.  And
having Tim around might cause some changes in our group.
But would that be so bad?"

"I dunno.  Some of this is our fault.  Hell, MY fault.  It
was MY idea to fuck with Mead, and that little scheme came
back to bite us in the ass, didn't it?  Hey, that's what put
Ced and Mead together, isn't it?   So I guess it's me that
brought the little runt into our group."  He paused a
minute, looking thoughtful.  "I didn't know how Ced felt
about Mead.  You did, I guess, but you didn't tell me."

"He asked me not to.  He was embarrassed about it at the
time."

"OK, dude.  I get all that.  What I'm saying is it looks
like all these fuckin' things I've been complaining about
are my own goddam fault."

He looked at me and grinned.  "And you WERE going to come
out to me eventually, I imagine.  I gotta admit I thought
for a day or two that I was surrounded by fa--, uh, by gays.
But you and Ced are still the same guys you always were.
And I have to admit, Mead ain't such a bad guy, once you get
over the fact that he's pushing 30 and a prof."

Then he got an even broader grin on his face, and I knew the
old Chaz was back.

"Besides, "he said, "who could be threatened by a guy with a
five-inch dick?"


(Thanks for sticking with me.  Chapter 11 will follow in
about two weeks.  --Tim)