The Cove

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In the previous chapters…

Gerry's heterosexual inclinations and his inhibitions make it hard for him having sex with Rowan, despite the sheer love he feels for him. However, a part of him longs for men's love, and at the Cove he cautiously explores his sexuality, sucking Alex' cock and then making sweet love to Brennan.
Kale goes to Hawaii to pay a visit to his dying father and brings back with him his young cousin Laniakea, who struggles to fully explore his sexual inclinations and find his place within the Cove. With Kale's help, Laniakea learns how liberating is voicing (or even screaming) his pleasure and reveals to have been raped by two homophobic guys, back home.
Beau understands that he's not the wonderful and generous man he's always believed, and tries his best to overcome his limits.
The sudden appearance of Gerry's female lover causes a fuss in the Cove and leads to a weird three-way between Kale, Gladys and Gerry. Rowan feels inadequate for Gerry, and looks for reassurance into Barry's arms, but this causes a fight between Gerry and Barry, who later on find a common ground (rough sex!) to settle their quarrel.
Barry is arrested and put in jail, where he ties a strong bond with Wade, a barely legal straight boy. At his trial, Barry makes the hot Judge Ricardo Garcia fall for him.
Jorell reveals to Kale that his father walked out on him when he was seventeen and never heard from him since. Immediately, the Cove starts searching for Jorell's father, and the traces lead to the infamous San Quentin Prison. There, Jorell finds out how unexpectedly caring and understanding was his father, who unfortunately died in prison.
LaShawn meets Joshua, the supposedly straight jet pilot, and gently brings the uptight and repressed guy into the frightening and delightful world of man-love; and though the brave pilot then dies in a plane crash, LaShawn knows for sure that he died in peace with himself.
Laniakea is adamant in being a strictly 'top' guy, but when he talks about that with Barry, the sexy worker widens... Laniakea's perspectives.
After pondering it a lot, Beau proposes to Kale: the news about the surprising marriage makes happy everyone... but Barry, who gets unexpectedly tense and thoughtful. After few days, the two lovebirds get married at Maison de la Motte, with a romantic, and somewhat hilarious ceremony.

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Synopsys

Beau and Kale fly to France on honeymoon, while Barry gets more and more nervous, until the situation explodes and the men take serious measures against Barry. Only Rowan will show to Barry, in a tender way, how much he understands and loves him.

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Additional downloads (PDF)

~ Cast of Characters: the “Who’s Who” of the Cove!
~ Floor Plan of the Cove
~ Book 01: Chapters 01-10 (PDF with bookmarks)
~ Book 02: Chapters 11-20 (PDF with bookmarks)
~ Book 03: Chapters 21-30 (PDF with bookmarks)
~ Book 04: Chapters 31-31 (PDF with bookmarks)

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≈ CHAPTER 31 – BARRY’S STRUGGLES ≈

 

~ Honeymoon ~

“Barry, there’s no need for you to wait any longer…” – Beau said, looking at the brawny worker sitting in front of him, in the huge waiting hall of the Los Angeles International Airport – “It will take a while until we can board our plane. You’ve already been too kind to drive us to the airport!”

Barry flashed a warm smile: “You and Kale are going so far away, to France…” – he replied with a mix of excitement and sorrow – “I want to stay here until your plane is ready. The nearest I’ve ever been to France is that plane, he he… You know, I never felt the desire to visit France, or any other country, for what that matters, though I think it’d be wonderful going there with you. But you are going on honeymoon, and on honeymoon three’s a crowd…!”

Kale giggled, but sensed that there was a great tension in Barry’s heart, a tension he was trying hard to conceal. He left Beau’s side and sat next to Barry: “Are you proposing a three-way honeymoon?” – he joked seductively, and kissed Barry on his cheek – “Beau’s aunt, who will host us in France, seems quite… open-minded!”

“You don’t know how much!” – Beau giggled, but he seemed a bit tense, looking at Kale and Barry cooing as if they were the newlywed. He suddenly stood up and curtly said: “I’m going to buy a snack”. Barry’s expression hardened, but when he noticed Kale staring at him forced his face muscles to relax into a half smile.

“You’re not happy we’re leaving, are you, Barry?” – Kale said, and Barry flashed an uncertain grin: “How can I be happy not to see you for so long? You’ll stay away for two weeks! The Cove will feel empty without you…”

As if Barry had just realized he’d talked too much, revealing too much of his real sentiments, he hastened to add: “I will dearly miss your ass, buddy! You know no ass can compare to yours at the Cove!”

Kale looked intensely at Barry and replied: “I was joking, earlier, about the three-way honeymoon, but… I’d really wish you could come with us to France. I will miss you when there.”

“Yeah, yeah…” – Barry replies sullenly, but soon cheered himself up – “I want you to have the best honeymoon ever, have fun, meet interesting people and visit beautiful places. And I want… I want you to be happy with Beau, out there in France. Don’t think to anything else. And when you’re back, I’ll be here waiting for you, OK?”

“I count on it…” – Kale said softly, and gave a tender kiss to Barry.

“Not done yet with your goodbyes?” – Beau said, coming back to his seat with a low-calorie snack in his hand. Barry was about to give a cold reply to Beau but the kind voice of the female announcer said through the loudspeakers: “Air France AF56 to Paris Charles de Gaulle now boarding at gate C18!”

“This is our flight” – Kale said, standing up – “Goodbye, Barry. We’ll be back soon.”

They hugged, and then Barry turned to Beau, to hug him, as well, but Beau put out his hand instead: “Good bye, and thanks for driving us here.”

Barry briefly shook hands with Beau and grunted something like “Have a nice trip”, and then turned around, angrily striding across the hall as if he was leaving the airport. But he didn’t leave. As soon as Kale and Beau exited the gate he went near the big windows and kept looking out until he saw the airplane take off and disappear in the blue sky.

«Fuck!» – Barry though nervously, turning around and heading to the airport exit – «Why the fuck had they to get married!»

He walked to the parking lot, climbed on his truck and took the way home. He hated Los Angeles, with its wide boulevards packed with cars; he huffed while stuck in the traffic jams, shouted swear words at the cars changing lanes without signaling and was still fuming when he finally arrived at the Cove.

He entered the house and slammed close the door; while crossing the living room he ignored Alex and Stewart who were leisurely enjoying their Sunday morning and headed upstairs, stomping hard his boots on the wooden steps.

“Shit, this is worse than the last time…” – Stewart commented in a low voice – “Should we go and… er… talk to him again?”

“Naah…” – Alex replied, shaking his head – “We already did all we could. Now it’s time he works it out by himself. I really feel for him, he’s my best buddy, but he’s not a kid anymore, and he must get over it: Kale and Beau are now married and this won’t change.”

“Hmm… But it’s like having a loaded gun in the house” – Stewart replied, a bit worried – “and I hope no one get injured…”

 

~ The tension builds up ~

The Sunday lunch, usually a festive moment at the Cove, was quite weird. Barry didn’t speak a single word throughout the entire meal and the other men were extremely careful not to raise any issue with him, nor say anything that could piss him off. Wahkan looked around the table, with a deep frown clouding his usually solemn expression.

The boys, on the other hand, were excited, thinking to the beautiful trip Beau and Kale were doing, visiting the charming towns of southern France and eating baguettes and croissants (the only French food they ever heard of). And the whole idea of the marriage was exciting for them, especially for Laniakea. They all belonged to the so-called Generation Z: for them, same-sex marriage was something they’d seen and read about many times; and yet, Beau and Kale’s marriage had been a great event that hit them deeply; and knowing that now the newlywed were on honeymoon made their excitement flare.

“S'il vous plait”, “Merci!”, they said in an almost unintelligible French, passing each other the serving plates, and exchanged improbable stories about lowdown dives in Paris where unsuspecting guys were forcibly stripped naked and gang-raped in public.

Their chatter was abruptly cut off by Barry, who slammed hard his hand on the table: “Can’t you talk about anything else??” – he shouted to the boys, who instantly shut their mouth and shot scared glances at him. “Fuck, never mind, I’m going away!” – Barry then growled, standing up and striding out of the dining room.

“Did we piss him off?” – Charlie asked to Alex, who smiled faintly: “He’s just a little nervous, it’s not your fault, don’t worry”.

“But what’s wrong with him?” – Rowan asked, and suddenly felt all the eyes on him. Rowan had always been a peculiar member of the Cove: at thirty years of age, he was a sort of link between the younger boys and the senior men, and for this reason he played in both fields, so to speak.

“Well, if Kale was here” – Wahkan replied – “he would say that this marriage has ‘rocked the boat’, here at the Cove. There is such and intertwined and delicate web of relationships here, and a big event such as Beau and Kale getting married stirred up the waters. Some reacted positively” – he went on, pointing to the boys – “while some others need to find a new balance, and it takes time.”

“Everything will soon be fine, I’m sure” – Alex added – “but in the meantime I advise us all to be patient and forgiving to Barry, and keep a low profile until the coast is clear. OK?”

“Maybe a ‘Charlie Special’ blowjob could help him relax…” – Charlie said with a wide grin, and Alex giggled: “Stewart and I already tried that route, and it worked, but only for a couple days…”

“Well” – Brennan intervened, with a hopeful expression – “we could take turns and… uhm… help him on a daily basis!”

Stewart and Alex laughed at Brennan’s eagerness, but Alex cooled it off: “Until Beau is back, you’re not going to do anything like that, I’m afraid. But of course you can have fun with the other boys, if you like: no one wants you to act like a monk!”

Alex’s light-hearted words dispelled the tense atmosphere, and the boys giggled and scampered away, to quickly disappear in ‘the lair’, their not-so-secret headquarter located in the old cloakroom next to the main door.

But the men stood at the table for a little longer, exchanging worried glances. They all had witnessed, every now and then, Barry’s bursts of rage, but it always happened for a specific reason, and never against members of the Cove. This time was different, as the root of Barry’s grief was within the Cove and involved the two men, along with Barry himself, who were the cornerstones of the Cove itself.

 

~ A ‘now-or-never’ moment ~

The rest of the day went by in an eerie silence. The boys talked to each other in a low voice, behind closed doors, afraid to get on Barry’s nerves, and the men retired to their rooms, to rest, surf the internet or reading a book.

At dinner, Barry didn’t even show up. When they finished eating, Rick said: “Should I maybe bring him something to eat…?”

“It’s so nice of you thinking of it, but I don’t think it’s a good idea” – Stewart replied. Truth to be told, what he was worried about was that Barry could mistreat Rick someway, despite the boy’s kind gesture. “He’s a grown up man, if he wants to eat he knows where the kitchen is. Leave something ready for him in plain sight. He’ll appreciate.”

They all stood up and retired to their rooms for the night; Rick was the last one, as he cleaned up the kitchen and left a covered dish for Barry. And then, he too went to bed, and the darkness fell on the Cove.

In the middle of the night, Barry was still rolling in his bed, unable to rest, when he heard his door open. It was pitch dark and he couldn’t see who was entering, but he immediately recognized the gentle, deep voice asking: “Are you sleeping, Barry?”

“Rowan… Come in…” – Barry replied in a friendly tone; anyone else, disturbing his restless sleep, would’ve pissed him off, but not Rowan: he always had a soft spot for Rowan.

“Please, don’t switch on the light” – Rowan said, and Barry smiled: “Do you want another ‘now-or-never’ moment, kid? [1]”

“Yes, please…” – replied the gentle voice in the dark, and then Barry felt Rowan climbing on the bed, next to him; Rowan scrambled on the bed and placed his head on Barry’s chest, pressing his lean body on his muscular frame.

“You’re naked, kid…” – Barry said with a matter-of-fact tone; he wasn’t surprised, as Rowan always came to him naked, in those moments. “Clothes just get in the way, they… separate us” – Rowan replied in the same tone. There was a brief silence, and then Rowan said: “It’s hard without Kale, isn’t it?”

“It’s more than hard” – Barry replied sincerely – “I didn’t expect to feel like this. His marriage put me off-balance…”

“Are you angry with them because they got married?”

“Angry? No… But I’m not happy with that. Before getting married, they stated clear that nothing would’ve have changed, between the three of us, but then, this morning, at the airport, Beau lashed out when I gave an affectionate goodbye to Kale and I felt… don’t know… I lost the ground beneath me. Something has changed, apparently…”

Rowan held a little tighter to Barry, to let him feel his affection and his sympathy: “At lunch, Stewart said that this marriage has rocked the boat, here at the Cove. He was talking about you, but you know what? This is true for Beau, too. And even Kale. All the three of you need time to find a new balance, to let the water of the Cove become still and peaceful again.”

“Yeah… Time… But they are spending their time in France, on honeymoon, and I spend mine here, blurting out my bad mood over you…”

“That’s why I came here tonight…” – Rowan said softly, and moved down, slowly, brushing his long hair on Barry’s abdomen, until his face was over Barry’s crotch. Barry felt Rowan’s smooth cheek press on his limp manhood, reverently, and squirmed a bit. “I’m not in the mood for a fuck, kid…” – Barry warned, and it was true: despite his overactive sexuality, and despite having a sexy naked guy brushing his face over his crotch, Barry’s cock stood totally limp.

“Then I won’t ask you to fuck me” – Rowan replied, talking into Barry’s crotch – “I just want to feel you, feel your manhood, your body. It makes me feel good, it gives me a sense of protection. The men sometimes joke saying that you think and feel with your cock, that the only language you talk is sex. But they don’t understand, they don’t know how powerful and strong are your feelings. They don’t know how deep can be your passions and your pain.”

Rowan gave a light kiss on the flaccid dick, enjoying its warmth: “You find hard to express your feelings with words, and I’m just like you; but while I use my eyes to convey my sentiments, you use your cock, this beautiful, wondrous cock. It can give pleasure, when you’re happy, or give pain, if you’re angry… or stay soft if you’re sad. It may be true what they say, that the only language you speak is sex, but I understand your language…”

Rowan brushed again his lips on Barry’s cock, with such a great tenderness and reverence that Barry felt moved. How much he loved that guy! That weird, pale guy with a tragic past and a complicated soul…

“Are we still in our ‘now-or-never’ moment?” – Barry asked, and without waiting for a reply added, in one breath: “If Gerry didn’t come out from nowhere to snatch you, I would’ve asked you to be my boy, kid…”

“If Gerry didn’t come out of nowhere” – Rowan replied with a tender tone – “I would’ve accepted on the spot. You’re… special to me, Barry.”

 

~ Speaking Barry’s language ~

Another kiss on Barry’s cock, another brush of the smooth cheek, a tip of a tongue reaching down to the ball sac, and Barry’s manhood started to come to life. The flaccid meat tube grew stiffer and twitched. Apparently, Barry had something to say.

Rowan was right, sex was Barry’s peculiar way to express what he felt. Rowan’s word had hit him deep, he loved that guy, and wanted to let him know; and while his words failed him, as often happened, his cock didn’t, and it started to swell and rise, showing the deep affection Barry felt for Rowan.

A hesitant hand grabbed the stiffening manhood, and then the grip slowly tightened around it, while the hand started moving up and down.

“Kid, you’re… you’re making me feel…”

“No need to talk, Barry” – Rowan murmured – “You are already telling me all I need to know…”

Barry felt the wet tip of a tongue circling his sensitive corona and then move up to the piss slit, and the cautious tenderness of that tongue was sexier than a rough fuck. Without really thinking about it, he extended a hand in the darkness and placed it on Rowan’s head. He remembered too late how that gesture made Rowan run away, the first time, and held his breath; but Rowan didn’t run away this time, now he trusted Barry totally, and let the big strong hand gently guide him down the thick rod, to take it down his throat inch by inch.

“Nnnggh…” – Barry moaned when he felt Rowan’s nose poking his pubes. He didn’t say anything to express his pleasure and his affection to Rowan, but the powerful twitch in his cock conveyed the message more clearly than any speech.

Rowan renewed his efforts, and started bobbing his head in earnest over the throbbing cock. That was usually the moment when Barry wanted to change position, and sink his manly tool into another orifice, but what Rowan was doing to him was so sweet, so tender and pleasurable that he didn’t want to break the moment.

And yet, he was not so selfish to get all the pleasure without giving something in return. Not with Rowan, anyway. So, he caressed Rowan’s back, brushing his hand along his spine, down to his firm buttocks. He didn’t stop there, he moved to the thigh and gently pulled it, to signal to Rowan to change position.

Rowan immediately got the message, and turned around, kneeling astride Barry’s torso in a sixty-nine position, while going on sucking his massive cock. Probably Barry wanted to loosen his hole before impaling him, Rowan thought, or maybe just play with it, shoving his thick fingers into the tight chute; and was surprised when he felt Barry’s tongue dive into his quivering hole and lapping greedily all around the puckered skin.

With a moan, Rowan worked Barry’s tool with greater passion, and arched his back downwards, to offer his ass to Barry in the most open and vulnerable position.

And then he couldn’t stifle a short squeal when he felt Barry’s lips closing around his cock. Rowan was aghast, as Barry almost never sucked anyone’s cock! But after all that was a ‘now-or-never’ moment, and anything could happen…

While sucking on Rowan’s dick, Barry didn’t want neglect his ass, and gently intruded two wet fingers into the tight hole, that immediately relaxed and opened up for him to go as deep as possible. The thick fingers wiggled into the tender chute and when Rowan bucked and squirmed, Barry knew he’d reached the right spot.

With relentless determination, Barry titillated Rowan’s joy nut over and over, expertly, rejoicing the guy’s muffled whines and groans. Feeling dangerously on the verge of his climax, Rowan doubled his efforts on Barry’s cock, blowing him off like there was no tomorrow, but the man’s wet mouth and his unstoppable fingers were too much for Rowan to bear.

“Barry… Not yet…” – Rowan murmured, unwilling to cum before Barry was ready, too – “If you go on like this, I can’t hold back…!”

“Then don’t, kid. Cum. Cum like a fountain, let me feel your body writhe and tremble for the pleasure…”

“Ohh… Sir… Barry… OOOOHH!!!” – Rowan exclaimed, moments before his cock exploded in a body-shaking ejaculation. Rowan felt his head spin, but in his mind his mission was clear: give to Barry the same pleasure he was feeling, and more.

Rowan opened his mouth wide and slammed his face down on Barry’s cock, letting the thick rod roughly crash into his throat, and then recoiled, pursing tight his lips around the hard shaft; and did it again and again, and Barry’s wild moans told him he was doing a good job. While the last drips of seed left his own cock, greedily sucked by Barry, Rowan went on giving all he had to give on Barry’s cock.

He expected Barry to let go of his spent cock and withdraw his fingers from his sensitive hole, but Barry didn’t stop, and went on sucking and finger-fucking him relentlessly. Rowan stiffened, feeling strong shivers of exquisite discomfort running up his spine; and though Barry’s cock was filling completely his throat, he couldn’t restrain a long low growl.

“Oh… fuck! FUCK!!” – Barry exclaimed, as the additional stimulation on his already overworked cock sent him through the roof. He grabbed Rowan’s buns with both hand and squeezed them hard, while a torrent of thick man cream erupted from his cock, flooding Rowan’s mouth.

When at long last the massive ejaculation ended, Rowan recoiled, but didn’t stop giving tender kisses to the thick meat, waiting for it to go soft, but it stayed half-hard. Rowan smiled, thinking back to the first time Barry made love to him: they both came so many times that they lost count. Rowan turned around and took again his initial position, with his head on Barry’s heaving chest and his loins pressing on his muscular frame.

No one said anything, as they both had already expressed their mutual feelings in the clearest way possible. They stayed there, in the darkness, for a while, until Barry kissed Rowan’s hair and murmured: “Go back to your man, now. He may wake up and must find his boy next to him. He’s a lucky man, to have you.”

“You, too, have me” – Rowan replied, softly, and for a moment Barry smiled tenderly; but his smile lasted just a moment, because the truth was that Rowan was Gerry’s boy, and no one else’s…

“Go, now…” – Barry said, and Rowan got off the bed. “Good night, Barry, sleep well” – the guy said, and then went out and closed the door behind himself.

But Barry didn’t sleep. He felt drained, empty… and his recent massive ejaculation had nothing to do with it.

 

~ The loaded gun shoots ~

The next day, Barry went to work in a gloomy mood, and came back for lunch nervous and angry. At the dining table, it was more than clear to anyone that it wouldn’t be wise to cross Barry’s path, and so very few words were spoken throughout the entire meal.

Everyone did his best to be ‘patient and forgiving’ to Barry, as Alex had suggested the day before, but in the end they couldn’t avoid stirring up Barry’s anger.

In the mid-afternoon, Stewart went to the in-house gym located on the first floor and started training. He felt the need to vent his tension, so he did a grueling weight-lifting routine that went on until his muscles ached; he had just got up from the bench to head to the showers, when Barry entered the gym, to blow off some steam doing a hard workout.

He exchanged a silent glance with Stewart and moved close to the weight bench. “Hey, man!” – he shouted angrily – “Is this how you leave the gym equipment? Covered in your stinking sweat?”

“I just finished using it, gimme time!” – Stewart replied angrily, putting a great effort in restraining himself.

“I really don’t know how they can keep you in the Air Force, sloppy as you are!”

“Fuck you, man!” – Stewart shouted, getting closer and clenching his fists – “I said I will clean that fucking bench in a minute! Get a grip, man!”

Barry stepped forward to face Stewart, furious, when they heard Rick coming into the gym. “Sirs, please… Don’t fight! Look, sir, I’m going to clean the bench, so you can use it… Please…”

“It’s your soldier’s duty, not yours!” – Barry barked and Stewart was about to throw himself on him, but Rick looked at him plaintively: “Sir, I beg you, don’t do it… I’m begging you! Go take your shower, and I will clean the bench in less than a minute…”

Rick quickly took a cleanser and a clean cloth and moved to get closer to the bench, but when he walked next to Barry, the man yelled: “I said it’s Stewart’s fucking duty!!”, and extended his arm to send the boy away, but he was too angry and ended up hitting hard Rick on his chest, sending him sprawled on the hard floor. Rick fell badly on his back, and exhaled loudly, and for a moment his sight blurred.

“Motherfucker! Take it with someone your size!” – Stewart screamed, and shot a lightning-fast punch on Barry’s face. The two man started trading punches and obscenities, and Rick tried hard to say something, but the hit on his spine had took his breath away, and he couldn’t do anything but looking at the men fight savagely.

Stewart was a trained airman, and was quicker, but Barry’s muscles were much stronger, and it was soon clear to Rick that none of them would easily get the better of the other. Rick tried to move, but all he could do was utter feeble whines: “Please… Please stop…” – he kept repeating, feeling tears flowing from his eyes.

The gym door crashed open, as Alex and Jorell had heard the fuss and rushed to see what was happening.

“Barry! Stewart! Stop immediately!!” – Alex yelled, and grabbed Barry from behind; Stewart, instead of stopping, took the chance to land one last punch on Barry’s face, and Jorell intervened to hold him before he could shoot another one.

“What the fuck are you doing, you two!!” – Alex said aloud – “And what the fuck have you done to Rick?? Hey kid, you OK?”

Rick tried to stand up, but his head was spinning too much: “I… I’m fine…” – he blurred, but all the men could clearly see that it’s wasn’t true. “Ricky Boy! Are you hurt?” – Stewart said worried, and then turned to Jorell, who was still holding him: “Let me go, Jorell, please… My boy needs me…”

As soon as Jorell released him, Stewart sprang forward, to go and check Rick; he knelt beside the boy and took his face streaked with tear in his hands: “Ricky Boy, how do you feel? Have you hit your head?”

“No, sir, I just hit my back, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe, but now it’s over, I’m fine”. And to prove it, he slowly stood up on unsteady feet.

“Come, let me walk you to your room” – Stewart said, holding Rick; but before going out of the gym, he turned to Barry and hissed: “It’s not over, man. You’re a loaded gun, you’re dangerous. Someone has to stop you, before you harm someone else!”

Barry felt bad, he didn’t want to harm Rick, it just happened, and that was for sure the best moment to apologize, and hopefully put an end to the quarrel. But Stewart’s harsh reprimand and his last threat was too much to bear, and he growled: “Fuck you, soldier. Whenever you’re ready to get the rest, you know where to find me!”

When Rick and Stewart went away, Alex finally released Barry. He didn’t know how to manage the situation, that definitely had derailed from its tracks, escalating to a quarrel that was now hard to settle. “Listen, Buddy…” – Alex said after a pause, trying to find a solution – “I don’t know what happened, but still Rick apparently got in the crossfire. I think you should face a trial, so that all the men can listen to your version and take a decision…”

“I’m not going to undergo any fuckin’ trial!!” – Barry barked – “Who put you in charge of the house, while Beau is away?? Fuck you and your buddy soldier!! And you too can go fuck yourself…” – he added pointing a finger to Jorell – “…if you’re going to say bullshit like Alex!”

He grabbed his tank from the floor and strode out of the gym, slamming the door close.

Jorell shot a warried glance to Alex: “Fuck, it’s worse than I imagined… What are we going to do about that?”

“I don’t know, buddy, I really don’t know… Maybe we should call Kale, don’t you think so?”

“He can’t come back quickly enough, he’s too far away” – Jorell replied, shaking his head – “and besides, the last thing I want is to ruin his honeymoon. Let’s try and hold the fort the best we can, and let’s keep our boys away from Barry. Better: all of us, let’s steer clear of him; maybe the solitude will teach him something.”

“Good idea, Jorell. Let’s go talk to Wahkan, he must know what happened and what we want to do about that.”

 

~ Ostracism ~

“Ostracism…” – Wahkan said gravely when Alex and Jorell told him everything. Jorell had barely finished the primary school, and frowned, listening to the weird word used by Wahkan: “Ostr… what??”

“The ancient Greeks used it” – Wahkan replied – “When a member of the society did something really wrong, people held an ostracism against him: everybody turned his back at him, no one could talk to him, no one could even sell anything to him. It was like a sort of exile… and usually the ostracized person actually preferred to go on exile, rather than living in his country like that. In our case, it’s an extreme measure, but we have to think to our boys, and to ourselves: we absolutely must avoid any possible conflict with Barry until Beau and Kale are back.”

“We’re all in agreement, then…” – Alex said, uncertain. He definitely knew that it was a good decision, and that Barry was wrong, but Barry was a sort of ‘best buddy’ for him, and he felt torn apart.

“The punishment is as painful for the executioner as it is for the culprit” – Wahkan said, as if Alex had said aloud what he was thinking. “Yeah, it sucks. It really sucks.” – Alex replied, going away.

The men’s decision was painfully clear to Barry when, at dinner, he went to the dining room and realized that there was no place set for him: no dish, no cutlery, no napkin. Even the chair had been taken away.

«If they want to play tough, I can be way tougher than them!» – he thought, and without a word he turned around and went away. He kept a defiant pose, but deep inside he felt his remorse bite him. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” – he hissed through his teeth, heading to his bedroom.

He sullenly threw himself on the bed and stood there until he heard everybody go to their bedroom. He was starving, so he quietly moved downstairs to grab something from the kitchen. When he switched on the light, he immediately saw a covered dish, still warm, that clearly Rick had left there for him.

“Fuck…” – he murmured again, feeling guilty. And reluctantly he sat down in the silent kitchen to eat the tasty stew Rick had prepared, thinking that he didn’t real deserve such a kind gesture after what he did to Rick.

In his room, Rick was rolling in his bed. He didn’t like at all how the situation escalated. Stewart had told him about the ostracism they’d decided to hold against Barry, and sure enough Rick didn’t even think to disobey Stewart, but he didn’t have heart to leave Barry starving. He had mixed feelings about what happened in the gym: he knew that Barry didn’t hurt him on purpose, but looking at him furiously fighting with Stewart was a hard blow.

His tangled thoughts were interrupted by a buzz coming from his phone. There was an incoming text:

“Kid, I feel like shit. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you, but I couldn’t restrain my anger, and I can’t forgive myself for what I did. I can only hope you will forgive me. Thanks for the supper, you’re a gem.
-- Barry”

Barry didn’t expect any reply, as the men had clearly decided that no one should even talk to him. But his phone buzzed almost immediately; the message, short as it was, made him feel a lot better: “I love you, sir”.

«He’s a real gem…» – Barry thought, and then lowered his gaze on his own crotch, where his painfully hard cock strained to get free from the tight briefs.

“Fuck…!” – he hissed, mentally scanning all the men and boys of the Cove, trying to guess if maybe one of them would’ve broken the ostracism to have a wild ride with him. Probably Brennan or Rowan would’ve come, if he called for one of them, but Barry didn’t want any boy to be in trouble with their men because of him.

With a loud sigh, Barry switched off the light, took away his underwear and spat on his right hand. That night, and possibly all the future nights, he had only himself to make love to…

 

~ Back to Juan-les-Pins ~

When Beau and Kale landed in Paris it was late morning. They left Los Angeles in the early afternoon and the flight took about 11 hours, but there were 9 more hours of time difference to take in account. Outside the airport, the weather was awful, so they rushed to the designated gate for the flight to Nice, eager to feel the warm sun of southern France on their skin.

“If today is one of the five days a year when it rains in the French Riviera, I swear I throw a tantrum like a child!” – Kale joked. But he didn’t have to: when they landed in Nice, the sun was shining at the zenith, in the middle of an incredibly blue sky where not a single cloud was to be seen.

They rented a car at the airport and half an hour later they were in the peaceful Juan-les-Pins. Beau was heading to Palais Harcourt, his family residence where his aunt lived, but Kale placed a hand on Beau’s arm: “Let’s go to the Café de la Plage! I can’t wait to go back there, where we first met!”

“You’re sickeningly romantic…” – Beau giggled, but then his tone became tender – “…as much as I am! Hopefully we’ll find a free table; if not, we’ll have to ask to a handsome stranger to sit at his table! [2]”

“I’m all for it!” – Kale laughed, happy to see again places dear to his heart, where his life took a sharp and totally unexpected turn for the better.

When they arrived to the Café de la Plage, the place was quite crowded: there was only one free table and, incredibly enough, it was the very same beach-front table where Kale was sitting the day he met Beau. They sat at the table and suddenly it was like the last few years didn’t go by: again, Kale heard Beau talking, but he was lost into his beautiful eyes, as blue as the sea and the sky of the French Riviera.

“…and then she said ‘no way!’, and threw him out of the room!” – Beau laughed – “Would you believe it? Ha Ha!”

Kale suddenly realized that he didn’t listen to a single word of what Beau was telling him. “Ehm… Sorry Beau, who were you talking about?”

“Aunt Yvette, who else?” – Beau replied with a wide smile, obviously happy to meet again his aunt after those years – “Soon you’ll meet her, and you’ll see, she’s the most interesting person you’ve ever known! If she’d write down her memories, it would take her no less than five volumes to describe the main events only!”

Kale smiled tenderly: “You’re so eager to meet her again, and I’m keeping you here, chasing old memories. Let’s go meet Aunt Yvette!”

“We just sat down…” – Beau began saying, but Kale shushed him to listen to the waiter saying to a stranger: “Desolé monsieur, the tables are all taken…”

“Come!” – Kale said to Beau, gesturing to the waiter – “Let’s pass this lucky table to that handsome stranger, and may he find a love as deep as ours!”

They stood up and went back to the car, and in few minutes Beau parked in front of an elegant sea-front mansion. “Welcome to Palais Harcourt!”, he said happily; he opened Kale’s door and helped him out, a gesture of old-fashioned gallantry that made Kale smile tenderly.

“Beauregard, mon cher garçon!” – came a tweeting voice from the stairs, and there she was, Aunt Yvette, a vision of pastel-colored chiffon fluttering in the gentle breeze, waving happily at them while keeping in place her wide-brimmed floppy hat.

Beau hugged her tight for a long time, and then she recoiled and looked at Kale: “Beau! You didn’t tell me that your husband was such a handsome man! Kale, is it? Bienvenue, mon cher, come give a hug to this old lady!”

“Beau is such a liar” – Kale said when they parted – “He insisted claiming that you are in your late nineties, but he obviously is wrong by more than thirty years!”

“What a charmer!” – she tweeted, leading the way inside – “I already love your husband, Beauregard!”

 

~ The second ‘first’ night ~

The rest of the day went by twirling in the gentle hurricane of Aunt Yvette’s sparkling energy. After a refreshing tea, a long chat on the wide sunny terrace, and a delightful dinner in the sumptuous dining room, Kale and Beau where more than ready to retire to their room. They took their leave from Aunt Yvette and finally they were alone, in their elegant bedroom.

Kale took off his jacket, and while placing it in the closet, Beau hugged him tight from behind. The unmistakable pressure Kale felt on his buttocks made him flash a randy smile: “I guess you’re not going to fall asleep this time…”

“And neither you will…” – Beau whispered in Kale’s ear – “I have to make up for our lost ‘first night’, so I will make love to you twice, tonight… Or maybe three times…”

They kissed hungrily, while the passion fueled their hands. Their clothes quickly fell to the floor and they got on the bed, still kissing. Despite their burning passion, their fingers were cautious, almost shy, while exploring each other’s naked bodies. Kale straddled Beau’s hips and sensually brushed his butt crack on Beau’s stiff dick, a prelude to a wild cowboy-style ride, but Beau murmured: “Wait… Do you remember our first time, in Paris? I want it to be like that…”

Beau sat up and gently pushed Kale on the mattress, on his back: “That time you offered yourself to me, you gave me your heart and your body, and I felt like it was the most magical gift I’ve ever received. Give me that gift again…”

Kale raised his legs and linked them around Beau’s narrow hips: “And you, make me feel complete, make me be born anew, like that night. Love me, Beau, be my man, my lover, my husband, and I’ll be yours.”

The moment Beau’s virility entered Kale’s fiery depths, the magic between them sparkled again, and they felt one, like the first time.

“Tell me this is not a dream…” – Kale murmured, feeling Beau’s manhood confidently taking possession of his intimacy – “Tell me that our life will always be like tonight…”

“It will,” – Beau replied – “I know it will. I love you, Kale, and I need you at such extent that my life would be meaningless without you…”

It was not mere sex what they were doing, and it was not just love-making either: they both felt bound to each other like never before, and were showing each other how powerful were the vows they exchanged the day before in front of the officiant and their friends of the Cove.

And when, at long last, they both shuddered in the crucial moment of the climax, their seed flowed out of their bodies like the love that was flowing out from their eyes.

Beau then rolled on the bed, next to Kale, and looked at him, smiling: “You were right, when you proposed not to have sex before our marriage. Tonight it’s been special.”

“It still is special” – Kale replied with a fiery sparkle in his eyes and an impish grin – “I’m not done, husband, and you promised to make love to me two or even three times! Geez, during the last week the guys at home did their best to tease us in every possible way, and I felt like I was about to explode!”

Beau reciprocated the randy glance and seductively raised one leg: “If you feel the need to explode, I can provide a suitable place…”

“You’re such a teaser…” – Kale replied, under his breath, and they rolled in the bed and made love again and again, until exhaustion took over their seemingly endless passion, and they fell asleep into each other’s arms.

The next morning, they leisurely stayed in bed, unwilling to end their sweet, special night. Kale turned to look at Beau and smiled tenderly: “I love you so much, and for so many reasons…”

“Of course you do!” – Beau joked – “Now tell me some of those reasons…”

“I love you because you’re not vain and self-centered!” – Kale replied, laughing, but then he became more serious – “I love you because that night in Pigalle you helped me coming out of my shell, and made me understand that there was nothing wrong with a man loving another man. You actually showed me how wonderful it is. And you did the same with Alex, Stewart, Wahkan and their boys. And with Barry. The Cove is a magic place, and if it exists it’s thanks to you…”

“If the Cove is a magic place, it’s because you’re part of it” – Beau replied, and they lay again in the ample bed, both thinking at that special, peaceful place waiting for them when they would be back home.

 

But, unbeknownst to them, the Cove in that moment was anything but a peaceful place: it was actually about to fall apart from the ground up…

 

* * * * * * * *