The Cove

Who's Who in this chapter?

BARRY: A brawny oversexed manual laborer who's in a three-way love with Beau and Kale; the deep feelings he feels and the tangled relationship he's into makes him unsecure and uneasy, feeling a sort of 'third wheel'.
BEAU: The refined and wealthy boss of the Cove. He recently found out, much to his own surprise, how deeply he loved Barry, and incredibly proposed to him, despite being already married to Kale.
KALE: A poised, sensible Hawaiian counselor; he tries his best to make the 'three-way couple' with Beau and Barry work, but it's not easy, especially because he and Beau are married to each other, but Barry is not.
WAHKAN: An ageless, wise Sioux who doesn't need any 'useless word' to understand a man's deepest thoughts.
LaCOUR and MARCO: The serious Creole Butler and the irrepressible Italian chef at Maison de la Motte.

Synopsys

This long double-chapter concludes the saga and all the stories come to an end. Beau, Kale and Barry get married to each other; the ensuing party is a moment for everyone to think back to their past and the journey they've made so far. Barry is happy, but deep inside he still feels a sadness, a void... that will be unexpectedly filled before the party ends.

Additional downloads (PDF)

~ Cast of Characters: the complete “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 31-40 (PDF with bookmarks)

≈ CHAPTER 40 – THE FUTURE BEGINS ≈

~ An exhausted butler ~

At Maison de la Motte, the Creole butler LaCour crashed exhausted on an armchair, in the deserted ballroom. It was late evening and everyone had already retired to their quarters to relax after a long work shift, doing their best to set up the house for the upcoming wedding next morning. LaCour didn’t spare himself, he supervised everything and personally took care of the silverware, the table lining, the wedding arch in the garden, the seats for the guests, the flowers, the uniforms for the hourly waiters and a million other things.

Since Beau had called him at the phone, two days earlier, LaCour didn’t have a moment to rest, as he didn’t want to let down his master, whom he admired very much. So, he tirelessly worked countless hours, being the first to wake up and the last to go to bed; and all the while, he’d kept a calm, professional attitude and his attire had always been impeccable, but the effort had taken a great toll on him.

Being finally alone, he straightened his legs, sprawled on the comfortable armchair and unbuttoned his tight jacket, relaxing for the first time in two days. He felt totally exhausted, drained, physically and mentally. He felt like he couldn’t move a single muscle anymore.

And yet, when unexpectedly he heard the door handle being pulled down, he instantly leapt on his feet, hastily buttoning up his jacket and straightening his trousers; but he couldn’t straighten the tired, fatigued expression veiling his handsome features.

Dawson, the tall black housekeeper, entered the room for one last inspection before going to bed and spotted LaCour frantically working on his buttons; he shot to the tired butler a tender glance and said with a warm, loving tone: “You don’t have to always be perfectly attired in front of me, Floyd… Come on, leave those buttons undone and sit down. You need to rest, I can’t see you bushed like this…”

LaCour raised his gaze from his jacket and looked into Dawson’s loving eyes; there was such a sympathy, such a tender care in them that LaCour felt something throbbing inside him. Something he longed and feared to feel.

Without a word, LaCour took Dawson’s hand and pulled him inside a hidden closet behind a tall room divider. There, in the small room, LaCour looked up at Dawson’s eyes with a feverish glare in his gaze and pulled him into a passionate kiss, grinding hard his lips on his buddy’s and greedily searching for his warm, sensual tongue.

Dawson was surprised: many times he had tried to kiss LaCour, but every time he recoiled and refused to be kissed. ‘You know I don’t do that’, he always said, while Dawson tried to hide his dismay and his sorrow. And now, out of the blue, LaCour himself was kissing him, and was clearly putting in his kiss all of himself, his passion, his friendship… and apparently something even deeper.

When, at long last, the churning kiss ended, Dawson recoiled and exhaled loudly: “Floyd… You… You never did that! Thank you, not just for the kiss, but for crossing what I believe was a strong boundary for you…”

“I’ve crossed so many boundaries with you, Hunter” – LaCour replied with a tender smile, calling Dawson by name – “More that you may think. And there’s one more I want to cross…”

With these last cryptic words, LaCour started untying his buddy’s tie and unbuttoning his waistcoat. “What… What are you doing, Floyd!” – the housekeeper whispered, alarmed – “Not here! Someone may come! Wait… stop… Floyd, please!”

“You’re always so tense, when it comes to sex…” – LaCour said softly, pulling down Dawson’s pants and underwear – “But there’s something special in the air tonight, and it’s about time you too cross some boundaries.”

“I… I’d like to…” – Hunter replied, extremely tense, flashing nervous glances around and looking down at his totally lifeless manhood – “but there’s something a man just can’t force himself to do, no matter what…”

“That’s my job, don’t worry about anything…” – the butler replied seductively, taking the long flaccid cock in his hand; he slowly pulled down the foreskin and closed his lips around the dark pink glans. Hunter inhaled sharply, enjoying the warm wetness of Floyd’s mouth around his member. It didn’t take long until the limp meat started coming to life, stiffening and getting thicker.

“Man… Gee, I don’t know how you do it…” – he murmured, closing his eyes for the waves of pleasure he was feeling – “You put such a passion in everything you do…”

LaCour doubled his effort and gave to the now rock-hard cock a five-star treatment, licking the black shaft all the way down to the balls and then up to the mushroom head, to then engulf its entire length with his mouth. He didn’t gag once when the long hard meat forced open his throat muscles and smoothly slid into his gullet.

“Ooohh…” – Dawson uttered, unable to stifle his groans, despite his fear of getting caught by someone – “Damn, I didn’t know you were so gooooood…”

LaCour recoiled for a moment and murmured with a strange tone: “I’ve been trained well…”

There was a tension, or even sorrow, in LaCour’s words, and Dawson for a moment looked down, suddenly feeling that his buddy was crossing another tight boundary with him, servicing him that way. As a matter of fact, they had sex many times, so far, but not once LaCour sucked him. “Floyd… You don’t have to go on, if you feel to stop…”

As only reply, LaCour put even more passion in sucking the throbbing cock, deep-throating his buddy in such a delightful way that Dawson couldn’t concentrate on anything but the sheer pleasure radiating from his enflamed manhood.

The blowjob was so intense and pleasurable that Dawson, despite his incredible resistance in bed, soon felt his balls tighten around the base of his cock, ready for the final explosion. And while his mind was already picturing himself shooting gallons of man cream down Floyd’s mouth, he suddenly realized that LaCour never wanted to taste his jizz: once, he even refused to lick a drop of sperm that Hunter was feeding him after a night of unrestrained passion.

“Floyd… Floyd, back off, I’m about to shoot…” – Dawson said in a hurried tone, and when he saw Floyd going on munching on his cock he repeated, with even more urgency: “Back off, I can’t hold back! NNNGGHH…!!!!”

Muffling his howl of pleasure, so as not to be heard from anyone, Hunter stiffened and put a heroic effort to hold back and give time to his buddy to recoil, but with the only result of shooting with even more potency into Floyd’s mouth. “MMMMHH… MMMMHHH…!!” – Dawson kept moaning, pressing a hand on his own mouth, while his cock spurted countless jets of warm juice straight into Floyd’s mouth. The butler didn’t back off: he actually sucked even harder, to take from the hot rod all the seed he could get, and there was so much that he had to swallow several times, lest to let it seep out of his mouth.

Eventually, the powerful orgasm ended, and Hunter exhaled slowly, looking down at his buddy, trying to understand if for some reason Floyd was regretting what just happened. The tenderness and the happiness he spotted in Floyd’s eyes allowed Dawson to say cautiously: “You never did anything like that before…”

“Tonight is a special night, and sure enough you are a special person” – LaCour replied standing up – “Spend the night with me, Hunter, will you? No, not for sex, I’m beyond exhaustion. But I feel to talk, if you feel to listen. It’s about time I tell you all about me: it may not be the happiest story you’ve ever heard, but you deserve to know it all…”

~ Floyd Flaussac LaCour, at your service ~

“I attended the Boarding School for Butlers in Metaire, Louisiana, for two years” – LaCour said when both Dawson and himself were leisurely lying on the bed, stripped to their underwear – “I enrolled when I was 17 and graduated at 19: I was by far the youngest student there. I actually couldn’t guess, at first, how my father could afford sending me to such an expensive school, as our family was quite poor. I remember that my father, on my first day, walked me to the main door and said ‘you enter this school as a boy, and will come out as a man’. I still don’t know what my father really meant, and if he knew the truth…”

LaCour paused for a moment, and then went on: “All I know is that I soon found out how come the principal had been so generous with my father: the payment for my studies was… myself. I’m quite sure my father didn’t understand what was going on, but it didn’t make any difference: I knew that the school was my only chance to have a better life, and I had to earn my staying there…”

“Floyd… You don’t have to tell me these things if they’re too personal” – Dawson said in a low voice, understanding the hard choice that that 17-year-old boy had to make back then. But LaCour flashed a serene smile: “I want to. That was when I started to become… who I am today, and I want you to know.”

“Anyway, you guessed right, the principal started right away asking me to attend ‘private lessons’ with him. He said he wanted me to improve my self-control, keeping a professional demeanor no matter what happened, and he forced me to strip naked and attend difficult duties like serving drinks or address the house master while he molested me in any possible way. It wasn’t a walk in the park, but in the end I managed not to spill a single drop of wine while he shoved his fingers or a slender dildo up my butt, or say something like ‘Of course sir, thank you sir’ with firm professional voice while cumming into his mouth.”

Dawson suddenly thrashed in the bed and hastily put a hand on his own underwear, to hide an untimely erection: “I’m sorry Floyd, but I’ve heard you saying those words a million times, and imagining you secretly cumming in that very moment is so erotic… But I’m talking of today: back then you were so young and it must’ve been hard to bear.”

“It was, but don’t be sorry. I’m actually flattered by your… uhm… reaction! Anyway, the principal didn’t stop there. Soon he gave up to the excuse of the lessons and started asking me more. And I gave him. I gave him almost all he asked, my ass, my cock, my hands, my entire body was his to do whatever he wanted with it. But he was obsessed with the only part of my body that I fiercely refused to give him, my mouth. And yet, in the end I had no choice, I had to suck him countless times, and I almost puked when I felt him ejaculating in my mouth. And he also wanted to kiss me all the time! When I saw his wrinkled face come closer I felt my guts churning. He quickly realized that letting him kiss me was utterly humiliating and disgusting for me, and he asked it more and more…”

“That’s why you don’t want to be kissed…” – Dawson murmured, and LaCour added: “They were not just kisses… He often sucked me off, and after I came into his mouth, he held my sperm and forced me to kiss him, feeding me with my own jizz. It was disgusting, I hated it, also because after cumming I only want to stop and rest, I can’t stand to be touched; but he was and old evil man, and he enjoyed make me swallow my own spunk while he relentlessly stroked my oversensitive cock.”

“I… I didn’t know… I’m so sorry, Floyd…” – Dawson mumbled, sincerely contrite – “Sometimes I’ve forced you to endure some post-orgasm stimulation, and if I only knew that you hated it, I…”

“You are special, Hunter, I told you. You’ve always been caring and respectful to me, even when asking me something I’ve hardly given to anyone. Including tonight, when you bravely tried to hold back, giving me time to back off. But I wanted to do that, I wanted to taste your manhood and your essence. That’s what I meant when I said, downstairs, that with you I crossed many boundaries: with you I’ve done things, with joy and passion, that I’ve always found disgusting. You made me understand that when it comes to sex it’s not important what you do, but with whom you do that. Earlier, in the closet, sucking you and swallowing your juice was the most thrilling, exciting and… liberating experience I’ve ever had.”

Dawson’s serious expression softened in an almost childish grin that made him look irresistible in LaCour’s eyes.

“By the time I finished the school I was a man, as my father foresaw. But I wasn’t the man I hoped to be. That experience changed me, it dulled my inner principles and taught me that with a hot body and little moral you can get a lot in your life. In all the houses where I’ve served after graduating I’ve been asked for… special services, and I didn’t find anything bad in providing them. There was no emotional involvement, in that, it was business. My only rule was that my mouth was off-limits to anyone: that was my last shred of dignity, and I was determined to defend it tooth and claw.”

Dawson was speechless. Realizing how big a gift LaCour had given him since their first love-making, and especially that night, made Dawson’s heart thump hard into his chest. And yet, though realizing he already got more than he could hope for, he wanted more, he wanted it all: “Once I told you that what I felt for you was more than friendship, much more, and you stiffened and changed subject. Tonight I’m going to be brutally honest with you, Floyd, come what may. I love you. I’m sure about that, I have no doubt whatsoever: I truly love you.”

LaCour opened his eyes wide, as he was not expecting such a straightforward confession from Dawson, and for a neverending moment he didn’t say anything, trying to control the turmoil of conflicting sentiments he felt inside. But then, looking into Dawson’s sincere eyes, he knew he couldn’t lie to himself any longer: “I love you too, Hunter. Je t’aime. And… I’m scared about that.”

“You have no reason to be scared, as I could never hurt you. Never in my life. I don’t know what benevolent god made us meet in this beautiful mansion, but I’m grateful to him. And now, please, don’t reject me: let me kiss you once more…”

“Once, twice, as many times you want…” – LaCour replied with a smile, lying seductively on the mattress. And for the rest of the night he gave to his lover all he had to give, without holding back anything.  

~ Bow tie ~

The next morning, when Beau and other guys rang the doorbell, no one could guess that LaCour, kindly inviting them in, had slept no more than a couple hours. The butler actually seemed to have a special spring in his step, while making way to the ballroom, and his voice was serene and joyful when he announced: “The buffet breakfast is served in the small dining room, sirs.”

Barry leaned to Beau and asked with a wink: “Will that cute waiter of yours, Teddy, be there, waiting on us?”

Beau chuckled: “You’re hopeless! You’re going to get married in few hours and all you can think of is harassing my staff! I’m sorry, stud: at buffet meals, family members and guests help themselves. No waiters. You’ll have to use… your own hands.”

“Fuck you” – Barry replied, laughing at Beau’s sexual pun, and they all moved to the dining room.

After breakfast, everyone retired to their rooms to get dressed for the marriage; but while for most of the guys it was easy to choose what to wear, for Beau and Kale was much harder, because they didn’t want to embarrass Barry, wearing too formal suits.

“Call Rick” – Kale suggested – “Yesterday he spent a lot of time with Barry, and they even went shopping together: I guess Rick was helping him choose the wedding suit.”

“Good idea” – Beau replied; he dialed Rick’s number and put the call on speaker: “Hi, Hendrick! Kale and I were wondering what Barry is going to wear…”

“Oh! I… ehm…” – Rick replied, cautiously – “I’m afraid I’m not allowed to tell you, sir. Barry insisted very much on that…”

“Uhm… OK, I won’t insist. Just choose one: no tie, neck tie or bow tie?”

“Er… Bow tie, sir.” – Rick replied – “But maybe you could skip the cape and the tall hat, if I may suggest”. Beau shot an incredulous glance at Kale, mouthing ‘Bow tie??’, and then confirmed at the phone: “Then bow tie it is, thank you so much Hendrick!”

Few minutes before noon, all the men and boys of the Cove, along with Doc Jade and Beau’s lawyer Sterling, were downstairs, all perfectly attired and eager to attend the main event. Beau was wearing a classic black tuxedo, and Kale was wearing again the white suit he already wore at the first marriage. Suddenly, Rick came down the stairs and said aloud: “Gentlemen, here is the groom! Well, one of the three, anyway!”

Everyone chuckled, still unable to completely cope with the weird three-way marriage they were going to attend. But the chuckles trailed off to a surprised silence when Barry appeared on top of the stairs wearing an elegant burgundy formal suit, with white shirt and black bow tie. The fabric must’ve have been a little stretch, because the suit perfectly hugged his massive frame, highlighting all the right body parts in the right way, especially his muscular legs and his oversize bulge.

This time the silent sighs that recently Kale talked about were much more audible, and while Barry came down the stairs with confident steps, the hall resounded with muffled “ooh..” and “aah..”, and even some “mmmhhh!”

When Barry landed on the floor, Kale said: “Man, I didn’t believe you could become any sexier than you usually are, but gosh, you are a walking wet dream!”

“Almost pornographic” – Beau added – “but in the right way! I hope that the boys have brought an underwear change, because I bet you made most of them cream their pants!”

“Take a good look, then, because this is a one-time show” – Barry growled, feigning to be annoyed by the tight elegant suit, but clearly enjoying the crowd’s reaction like a kid on Christmas morning.

Rodgers, the young waiter, came closer and whispered to Barry: “Sir, is it too early for… a beer?”

“Way too early, Teddy” – Barry chuckled, covertly pinching the boy’s butt – “but I bet in the afternoon I’ll be very… thirsty. Will you be around if I need you?”

“It’s my… job, sir.” – Teddy replied, blushing, and disappeared as quickly as he came.

LaCour approached the three grooms to inform them that the officiant was ready, and the rowdy group moved to the garden, where Judge Ricardo García was waiting under an elaborate wedding arch covered with flowers and ribbons, even more beautiful that the one used for the previous marriage. Beau had insisted on that, to prove to Barry that the ceremony was going to be anything but ‘makeshift’. 

Everyone took a sit and the three grooms went to greet the Judge.

~ ‘We do!’ ~

“Barry!” – García exclaimed when he saw Barry in his elegant sexy suit – “Damn, man, are you sure? This is a serious step, it’s not a joke, you’re getting married! And this means that you… that I… I mean, that we…”

Beau stepped forward with a knowing smile and said aloud, so to be heard from anyone: “I know what you mean, Judge, and I grant you that we all are taking this step very seriously. But you see, this is the Cove. Yes, we’re a very tight and exclusive group, and our first rule is to avoid any involvement with outsiders, but we have some… how can I say… ‘honorary members’ who are considered part of the group. There’s Doc Jade, over there, for example, and most of the staff members here at Maison de la Motte. I think I’m speaking on behalf of the entire Cove when I say that you, Ricardo, are welcome to come visit us anytime, day… or night.”

A thunderous applause welcomed Beau’s words and Judge Garcìa smiled happily, to then flash a lustful grin at Barry. Beau cleared his throat to have everyone’s attention: “The only rule, Judge, is that in order not to disrupt the delicate balance of the Cove, you can’t play favorites. You have to take all these men… or none.”

Garcìa’s smile faded, while he nervously gulped down. “All of them?” – he cautiously asked, glancing at the crowd looking back at him. From afar, Jorell winked at him, promising to Ricardo another dose of his black 13-incher [1], and Stewart nodded his head, in an apparently welcoming gesture, but the randy grin on his face told a whole another story; and Alex, from the opposite side, licked his upper lip in a lascivious way. 

“I’ll… I’ll do my best…” – Garcìa murmured, and then a sudden thought made him gasp: “But… do you mean… all together?”

The roaring gale of laughter that exploded in the garden made clear to the Judge that they were only make fun of him. Kale came to his rescue: “Don’t listen to these grown-up children, Ricardo. The all-or-none rule is just a joke. Though, thinking about it, Doc Jade once enjoyed an “all together” treatment, boys included. Quite an acrobatic performance! [2] You should ask him about that.”

“W… Well… But we have a marriage to celebrate here, right?” – the Judge said aloud, smartly putting himself out of the difficult situation – “The groom…s are all here, so let’s get this crazy thing done. Besides, I have to make clear that I’m here as a friend, not as a Judge; nevertheless, the three of you are going to make a serious vow in front of all your friends and many witnesses, and you’re also going to sign some papers that will bind the three of you under the Law. Beau and Kale have already expressed such mutual vows, so let’s skip to the juicy part…”

García stood tall, assumed a formal posture and asked aloud: “Beauregard Rice-Duncan de la Motte, Kale Ali'ikai Kahananui, do you both take hereto present Barry as your husband, to love him, honor him, comfort him, keep him in sickness and in health, be true to him, forsaking all others, as long as you all shall live?”

“Ehm… ‘forsaking all others?’” – Kale cautiously asked, making everyone giggle. “Oh, right, forget that part!” – García replied, stifling a smile – “Do you… promise to do all I said except the forsaking part?”

“We do!” – Beau and Kale said in unison.

“And you, Bartholomew Roland Watts… Barry… do you take hereto present Beauregard and Kale as your husbands, to love them, honor them, comfort them, keep them in sickness and in health, be true to them, not forsaking anyone, as long as you all shall live?”

“You can bet your once-tight ass on that!” – Barry exclaimed, excited, but soon added, shyly – “I mean… I do!”

Brennan stepped in, bringing a small pillow with three beautiful rings, each one made of three thin bands of gold, platinum and titanium intertwined together. With loving smiles and tender glances, the three grooms put the rings on each other’s fingers and then turned to Garcìa.

“OK, and now, under the authority granted me by… the Cove” – Judge Garcìa said aloud, trying to keep a serious expression – “I hereby pronounce you husband… and husband… and husband! You may now kiss each other. And I said kiss, nothing else! Unless I can join, of course!”

Everyone laughed and stood up, clapping their hands, while Beau, Kale and Barry exchanged some quite passionate kisses that roused even louder cheers.

~ A randy Chef ~

The sumptuous lunch that ensued was a boisterous affair, bordering on uproarious. The guys cheered, sang choruses and threw bread crumbles across the ample table, as if they all were unable to contain the joy of the newfound serenity ruling again the Cove.

The delicious dishes prepared by Chef Marco were anything but boiled rice and fried eggs: in such a short span of time, the skilled Chef and his helper Evan could set up a meal fit for a king. There were so many delicacies and scrumptious courses that at the end of the meal even Barry, whose hunger was matched only by his lust, had to stop eating and surrender.

When Marco, as per Beau’s request, came up from the kitchen, a thunderous ovation welcomed him. “I do hope that you found everything to your liking” – he said with shining eyes, bringing a large tray covered with a white cloth – “and I also hope you have some room left for the dessert, because this is not just a dessert: it’s the very essence of my homeland, Sicily, where the sun is as hot as the native men…”

With a theatrical move, he removed the cloth, revealing a huge number of Sicilian cannoli filled with sweet ricotta and decorated with candied orange slices. Some groans came from the already overstuffed guys, and Marco flashed around a randy glance: “You can’t miss these! Because, you see, these are thick stiff tubes… overflowing with a sweet white cream… that fills your mouth in such an irresistible way that you can’t help but swallow, and swallow, and swallow…”

Beau laughed out loud: “Marco, you have such an enticing way of describing your preparations that I bet no one here will pass the chance to taste your… cannoli!”

“There’s enough for all your guests, and even for the staff, sir…” – Marco replied, standing tall with a confident expression that left no doubt about the real meaning of his innuendo. Then, with an elegant gesture, he put the large tray on the table and went back to the kitchen.

Downstairs, the kitchen helper Evan was anxiously waiting: “Did the guest like everything, Chef?”

“Of course they did!” – Marco replied, heavily sitting on a chair – “You worked well, Evan, I couldn’t do without you.”

“Why, thank you Chef!” – Evan replied, beaming with happiness – “You give directions and I execute!”

“Then, be kind, Evan” – Marco said flashing a lustful grin and manspreading his legs – “Come here and suck me off. So much work and no time to have fun made me feel stoked like never!”

Evan got pale and looked anxiously at Marco: “Chef, you can’t ask me that…”

“Should I remind you who’s the boss here??” – Marco said aloud – “All I want to hear in this kitchen is ‘Yes, Chef’!”

“Y… Yes, Chef…” – Evan murmured, rushing to kneel in front of the sprawled man and starting to unzip his pants. Suddenly his trembling hands were stopped by Marco’s: “Hey, kid, I was just joking, but I truly appreciate your… self-sacrifice. I know you don’t like being on the receiving end. I remember well how humiliating and unpleasant it was for you when Mr. Barry punished you, after the ‘Lawrence affaire’… [3]”

“Humiliating, yes, it surely was…” – Evan mumbled in a low voice, standing up with an uncertain expression on his face.

Marco flashed a knowing grin and finished the phrase: “…but it wasn’t that unpleasant, after all, right?”

“Well… the situation was horrible, Mr. Barry forced me to cum in front of everybody, roughly shoving his fingers into my ass, and I felt so ashamed and guilty for what I’d done, but… well… what Mr. Barry did to me was… it was so intense, Chef! I thought about it many times, wondering… wondering how would it feel being touched that way in a different situation, by a man I know well and trust, a man I think of as a mentor…”

Marco looked at Evan with a proud smile: “A man… like me, maybe?”

Evan nodded, shyly, and Marco inquired: “But you are a virgin, a strictly top guy: are you really sure you want to taste the… other side of man-sex? Do you really want me to do that to you?”

“Yes, please, Chef…” – was the bashful reply.

“OK, but not in my kitchen: come to the washroom.”

~ The ‘other side’ of man-sex ~

In the small room, Evan quickly unzipped his pants and lowered them to his ankles, along with his underwear; then, he bent over the dishwasher, while Marco took from a drawer a large tube of lube that he always kept there, ‘just in case’.

“I’ll be gentle, don’t worry kid” – Marco said in a comforting tone, seeing Evan slightly trembling for the tension – “I will start with a single finger, and remember: you can stop me anytime.”

Marco squeezed a big glob of lube on his middle finger and smeared the clear gel all around Evan’s quivering hole, applying a gentle pressure. Soon, he felt the clenched muscles relax, and he slowly pushed his thick finger all the way in, gyrating it to spread the lube on the inner walls.

After massaging the tender chute for a short while, he added a second finger; Evan stifled a moan of discomfort, but didn’t say anything. “Good boy” – Marco said in his husky voice – “Now comes the best part…”

A loud gasp of pleasurable surprise welcomed the first, delicate tap of Marco’s fingers on Evan’s sensitive prostate. Another tap, another stifled gasp, and then the fingers started wiggling into the slick furnace in the most exquisite way, playing Evan’s insides like a piano.

“Oh, Chef…!! God it’s fuckin’ wonderful!!” – Evan moaned loud – “Mr. Barry didn’t do it this way… Nnnngghh… Ah! Don’t stop Chef!”

Marco smiled and said: “I reckon you’re ready for the next step…” – and added a third well-lubricated finger to the other two. For a moment Evan felt a dull pain coming from his overstretched anal ring, but the feeling was so exquisite that soon any pain was forgotten. The guy tilted his hips backwards, to invite the prying fingers to go deeper, to play their irresistible number on his inner gland more intensely.

Again, just like during Barry’s punishment, Evan felt the pressure in his groin raise to the boiling point, and once more he couldn’t believe that a skillful hand in the ass could give a man such a powerful pleasure. He felt his balls tighten around the base of his cock, ready to shoot… and suddenly he exclaimed: “Stop, Chef!! Please, stop!!”

Taken aback by the unexpected exclamation, Marco immediately withdrew his fingers and asked cautiously: “Have I hurt you? I’m sorry kid, maybe I got a bit carried away…”

“No, Chef, you didn’t hurt me, quite the contrary… But I suddenly thought that if your fingers can be so pleasurable, maybe… maybe…”. Evan took a deep breath and said: “Will you please fuck me, Chef?”

Marco, whose cock was already painfully hard in the tight pants, restrained his Italian ardor, and said seriously: “Only if you really, really want it, kid. So far, you always stated that you would’ve never given your ass to anyone, that you give but don’t get. What you’re asking me is a one way road, there’s no turning back. Are you sure you want me to take your virginity?”

“I wouldn’t give it to anyone but you, Chef…”

~ A ‘real man’ ~

Marco felt touched by such a proof of trust and affection and for a moment he smiled tenderly. But it lasted just a moment, because his hot Mediterranean blood quickly overcame his sentiments. With few rushed moves the hunky Italian chef unbuttoned his blouse and dropped his pants, oiled his stiff cock with more lube and pressed his wide mushroom head on the Evan’s loosened hole.

“Relax as much as you can, kid…” – he said, gently easing his hard rod into the boy’s virgin chute. The manual massage had helped Evan’s ass muscles to loosen and relax, but Marco’s cock stretched and forced them open much more, and when the wide helmet plopped inside the tight ring, Evan chocked a scream of pain: “Fuck it hurts!”

“Shh…Shh… You’re doing good, kid” – Marco soothed him, stopping and rubbing a hand on the boy’s back, to help him relax – “I know, a virgin boy needs a special care… The precious gift he’s giving to his man must be rewarded with a great gentleness… His young tender flesh begs for cautious caresses and a sensual touch… The man must be caring and loving, until the boy accepts him all the way… like now! I’m fully inside you, ragazzo mio.”

“You are??” – Evan replied, surprised: basking in the comforting tone of Marco’s voice, Even didn’t even realize that the thick rod was crawling its way inside him, and was now filling his unexplored depths in the most sensual way.

“Now forget my fingers, ragazzo, because what my cock is about to give you is something else…!”

With these words, Marco started rocking his hips, slowly, easing his man tool in and out of Evan’s sensitive hole; the wide helmed brushed sensually Evan’s inner linings making his utter short gasps of surprise and pleasure: “Chef… You’re making me feel so gooood…! Nnnggh… Oh, it’s wonderful… I’m only sorry my inexperienced ass can’t give you much pleasure…”

“Kid, you’re like velvet…! The pleasure you’re giving me is breathtaking… Un culetto magnifico… A wonderful little ass!”

“Then fuck me, Chef…” – Evan said with coarse voice, overwhelmed by Marco’s confident manliness – “Let me feel your Italian cock… Awww, fuck…! I can take it, give me it all!” 

Marco had restrained himself way too long, so far, and gladly accepted Evan’s brave invitation; his hips paced up, smashing on the boy’s buttocks with growing force and making him utter short squeals at each powerful thrust. “I’ve prepared many cannoli for the guests, but I’ve saved the best one for you, kid! And… nnngghh… here comes… oohh… the cream!!”

Evan opened his eyes wide when he felt Marco’s cock throb hard inside him and shoot his manly juice. The mere idea that the hunky Italian stallion was breeding him sent Evan through the roof, and a wreaking orgasm exploded in his groin, taking his breath away. With a long, high-pitched squeal, Evan grabbed the border of the dishwasher and shot countless ropes of seed that splatted on the cold metal and dribbled down to the floor.

When, at long last, he could breathe again, Evan turned around on unsteady feet to look at Marco: “Chef… Chef…” – he murmured, and threw himself into Marco’s strong arms, pressing his face on his hairy chest. Marco held him tight and was not surprised to feel the boy shiver: “You’ve been wonderful, Evan. And I won’t forget the gift you’ve given me…”

“I won’t forget, either, Chef” – the boy replied with trembling voice – “though…”

“Though what? Didn’t you like it?”

“It was amazing” – Evan reassured him, recoiling – “But.. you know… A real man doesn’t give his ass away like that…”

“And who said this heap of bullshit?” – Marco laughed, but soon became more serious: “Listen, kid, I’m Italian, I know what I’m talking about. What you’ve done today, bravely letting a man take your virginity, fighting your fears and ignoring the pain, makes you the toughest and sexiest ‘real man’ around.”

“Not tougher or sexier then you, Chef…” – Evan replied with a smile, throwing again his arms around Marco’s waist to give him one last, tight hug.

~ Pool party ~

In the dining room, Beau stood up, having as usual all the voices trail off out of respect. “Gentlemen, it’s way too early to end this wonderful gathering. The weather is so nice, the sun is hot and there’s a huge pool waiting for us in the back garden. I know, I didn’t tell you in advance, and probably no one has a swimsuit, but in the pool shack you will find a whole lot of bathing suits of any shapes and sizes. And of course, if anyone prefers to go around in Adamic costume, you won’t hear me complain!”

Amongst the general chuckling, Kale noticed Barry’s puzzled expression and murmured into his ear: “It means naked, like Adam and Eve…”

“Oh! I… I knew it!” – Barry lied – “Anyway, I’m so glad to take this penguin suit off!”

They all moved outside, to the pool area, and for many minutes the pool shed was a hive of activity, with all the men and boys changing to the chosen swimwear. Kale, looking at the joyful crowd from afar, said to Beau: “You know, choosing a swimsuit tells a lot about people… Jorell, for instance, has chosen knee-length board shorts: he’s always so self-conscious about his oversize cock. And look at Judge García, wearing that tiny leopard speedo! It takes guts to show off his body like that! As for Barry, I didn’t expect anything more modest than that white lycra boxer-brief that puts his junk on perfect display: he’s so proud of his manhood, and he has any reason to be, uh?”

“What about yourself?” – Beau replied – “Are you… wearing anything under that fancy pareo you chose to put on?”

“Nothing at all…” – Kale said with a seductive smile – “but don’t get any ideas: this sun is wonderful and all I want is to lay on a lounge chair and sunbathe…”

Beau sighed dramatically and smiled; he spotted LaCour walking around to check if the guests needed anything and approached him. “You’ve done an amazing job, despite the terribly short notice” – Beau said to LaCour with a thankful expression – “I actually feel a bit guilty, I shouldn’t have asked you that…”

“You don’t have to thank me, sir. I’m happy that the celebration and the party met your expectations. I just did my job.”

“You did much more than your job. You and the entire staff deserve a reward, and here’s what we’ll do: starting with tomorrow, the entire staff will be on paid leave for a week; the house will be yours to enjoy it any way you like: no one of us will come here for any reason. You can use the pool, the garden, the guest rooms and… even Kale’s playroom, if you like!”

“Thank you, sir, on behalf of the entire staff. As for me, seeing you this happy is the only reward I need. You know you can… command me in all things, sir...”

“You’re… very special” – Beau said warmly, looking straight at LaCour’s green eyes; and then, following the impulse of the moment, Beau took LaCour’s face in his hands and gave him a tender kiss on his lips; it was a chaste kiss, nothing more than a gentle brush of the lips, but after a moment LaCour stepped back hastily: “This… this is totally inappropriate!”

Beau’s tender smile suddenly morphed into a tense smirk: “I’m truly sorry, LaCour… My behavior was…”

“Not yours, sir… Mine!” – LaCour replied, mortified, trying unsuccessfully to hide the sudden bulge tenting his elegant trousers – “I… I don’t know how…”

“Another thing to thank you for” – Beau reassured him with a sincere smile – “but as flattering as it is for me your reaction, I shouldn’t have done that. Rest assured that it will never happen again”. They exchanged an intense glance, and then LaCour sighed, resigned, and nodded: “That’s how it has to be, sir.”

Beau smiled and turned around, and while he was walking away, he heard LaCour add in a low voice: “What a pity, though…”

~ A happy boy for a happy man ~

Standing by the pool, Jorell looked around in search of LaShawn, but couldn’t spot him anywhere. “Hey, Charlie!” – Jorell called – “Have you seen LaShawn?”

“It’s hard to miss him, wearing that skimpy bright pink thong!” – Charlie laughed – “I saw him walking down the path to the old stable, sir.”

Jorell waved to Charlie and moved to the stable, wondering what LaShawn was doing there. He opened the big wooden door and saw LaShawn, alone, standing pensively in the middle of the barn.

“Hey, kid…” – Jorell said softly, walking to LaShawn and holding him from behind – “What are you thinking about? You look so serious…”

“This place has changed, but not that much…” – LaShawn replied with a pensive tone – “Do you remember when we lived here, sir? [4]”

“How can I forget it…” – Jorell replied with a sigh – “We were so broke, back then. Every day was a fight to get something to eat, and every night my nightmares hunted me. I… I should’ve taken better care of you, kid. I forced you to share my pain, my grief. I wonder why you didn’t walk out on me…”

LaShawn turned around and looked up at Jorell, with a tender smile: “You shared with me your life, sir. And you protected and fed me, even risking your own life for me. Not once I thought to walk out on you. I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to make you feel better, to relieve your pain…”

“Why do say so? You were my lifebelt, kid. We were homeless and flat broke, and still every day you were clean and well-dressed, your hair was perfectly combed and your nails were cut and well-manicured. I don’t know how you did that, but I can tell you that just looking at you I felt sure that we could do it, we could change our life.”

“And we really did it” – LaShawn said, smiling – “Look at us now. This house, that we have been looking at from the barn for years, now is our house… sort of. But you know what, sir? Though now our life is much better, I can’t say I really missed anything, back then. With you, I had all I needed. Except…”

“Except what?” – Jorell asked, frowning.

“I hated those punishing fucks you forced me to give you, sir. You kept your wonderful cock restrained in that tight pouch [5], you never took it off. I dreamed of being made love by you, and you forced me to fuck the cum out of you. It was… heartbreaking.”

Jorell was deeply touched by LaShawn’s words and held him tight, unable to say anything. After a while he recoiled and said in a warm tone: “The only way to get rid of a painful memory is to replace it with a beautiful one.”

LaShawn looked puzzled at his man pull down his loose shorts and stand in front of him in all his naked glory, wearing a conspiratorial smile. “Back then, I forced you to fuck me” – Jorell said laying down on the floor scattered with hey – “but now I ask you to make love to me. Show me what I stubbornly chose to give up to, back then…”

When Jorell raised his legs and held them with his hands, LaShawn felt his own cock throb hard. How many times he had fucked Jorell, when they lived in that barn! But now it was all different: now, for the first time, it was an act of sheer love, an act of tenderness, and his heart thumped furiously. With hurried hands, LaShawn tore away his skimpy thong and let his own cock spring up like a steel coil.

“Come, my boy” – Jorell said with passion – “Come and turn the nightmare into a blissful dream…”

And LaShawn did it…

~ A life ago ~

Leisurely laying on a lounge chair by the pool, Rick was looking at the lively party going on with a faraway glance in his eyes. The music coming from the expensive stereo system and the guys chatting, joking and swimming made him smile, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.

Suddenly, his visual space was filled by the handsome face of Stewart, who leaned on him from behind the backrest. “Hey kid… You look far away from here…”

“No, sir, I’m here, with you… and I wouldn’t want to be in any other place!”

“I know what you were thinking about” – Stewart said softly – “An all-male pool party, the music, the loud chatter, the alcohol flowing… It reminds me a similar party where I first met a beautiful boy who opened a breach into my tough heart…” [6]

Rick smiled with affection and replied: “I thanked you many times, for many things, especially for saving me, that night. But I never really thanked you for the most important thing: you never judged me. I was a toy-boy, damaged goods, but you never seemed to even notice it. That night you were my hero… and you still are, sir.”

Stewart turned around Rick’s chair and set on its border, looking at his boy with loving eyes: “Tell me that those memories don’t hunt you anymore…” [7]

“It was a life ago, sir. Faded memories that are not worth of being recalled.”

“That’s my boy…” – Stewart replied with a happy grin – “My beautiful, loyal boy!”

Rick’s expression darkened and he shot a guilty glance at his man: “Sir… I have a confession to make… I should’ve told you earlier… You see, a couple weeks ago, when the Cove was in deep trouble and Kale came back from France, I… I don’t know how it happened, but… I’ve made love to Kale, sir. I know the rules, sir: boys don’t mess with other men without permission, but it happened… I’m so sorry, sir, I have disrespected you, I shouldn’t have done it.”

Stewart’s reaction wasn’t the one Rick was expecting: he was actually smiling! “Ricky Boy, today we’ve briefly remembered a distant past, and those memories made us realize how much we have changed since then. You’re not anymore the lost boy I met at that pool party. I may still call you ‘Ricky boy’, but you’re a young man, a wise guy who knows life and bites it like a ripe apple. I bet Kale had the time of his life, tasting your youthful manhood. You don’t need my permission to make love to anyone, not anymore: you’re your own man.”

“But I’m still your boy, right sir?”

“You’ll never stop being my boy” – Stewart replied with passion, holding Rick in a tight hug – “You will always find shelter, protection and love in my arms. The only difference is… that I, too, will find comfort and support in your arms. You and I are a great team, Ricky boy! And I’m actually thinking of a sweet way to strengthen our special bond…”

Rick giggled, noticing a suspicious tension in Stewart’s swimming boxers and replied: “I think you’d better save your energies for something else, sir. Look at what’s happening into the pool: Alex is swimming like a shark around Judge García and I bet he’s something in store for the Judge… and I’m pretty sure he needs a partner in crime!”

Stewart looked at Alex and Ricardo and couldn’t restrain a mischievous grin, but soon turned back to Rick: “Are you sure, Ricky Boy? Because if you want I…”

“Go, sir, don’t worry about me. I’m as happy as a clam in high tide!”

~ Underwater scandal ~

Judge García was seemingly unaware of the greedy looks he got from Alex, swimming laps around him, nor he noticed Stewart diving into the pool and exchanging conspiratorial glances with Alex. The day was hot and he was enjoying the fresh water very much. 

After swimming few laps, the Judge stopped in the shallow side of the pool to rest a bit, steadying himself on the pool edge, with his torso halfway out of the water and his feet barely touching the floor. He looked around, smiling, feasting his eyes on the many gorgeous half-naked men lounging around him.

Truth to be told, he was a true cock-lover and had a streak of sluttiness in him, though his public role had always prevented him to fully give way to his passion. But that house and that group of men and boys, so nonjudgmental and easy-going about sex, put his anxiety at ease… but just in part: he was tense because of Sterling, Beau’s lawyer, because they frequently met in the Courtrooms and García didn’t want to risk his reputation.

That’s why the Judge gasped in alarm when he felt a massive muscular body pressing on him from behind. He turned around and Alex was looking at him with an unmistakable fire in his eyes. “Alex…! Wh… What are you doing… Not here, someone may spot us!”

“You’re such a tease, Your Honor…” – Alex replied with a randy tone, pressing his growing bulge on Ricardo’s buttocks – “You can’t show off your hot body, wearing such a skimpy brief, and go away with it!”

Underwater, unseen by anyone, a beefy hand slid inside Ricardo’s swimsuit, taking handfuls of his buns and sensually brushing his secluded hole. At first, Ricardo didn’t say anything and almost held his breath, shooting worried glances around, but when Alex pulled down his briefs he exclaimed under his breath: “Alex…! Not here…! Not under anyone’s eyes…!”

“They can see only what happens over the water surface…” – Alex replied with a mischievous tone – “Just act as if nothing special is happening underwater…”

“You can’t be serious!” – García whispered, alarmed, when he felt Alex’s massive cock, as hard as a steel bar, intruding between his buttocks and pressing on his man hole – “I can’t… oh god…”

Using up all his self-control, García shut his mouth and forced his facial muscles to relax, shooting apparently casual glances around, to see if anyone was aware of what was happening near them. On the outside, the sexy Judge was leisurely relaxing with his arms on the pool edges, but inside he was swept by a turmoil of conflicting emotions: the incredible pleasure that Alex’s expert cock was giving him, the anxiety to be spotted by Sterling, the delightful humiliation of being at Alex’s mercy, the compelling need to fake a relaxed demeanor.

When he saw Sterling stand up from his lounge chair and walk in his direction, Ricardo closed his eyes and forcefully concentrated on repressing any exterior sign of the fire burning inside him. While Alex’s cock made wonders into his depths, the Judge stood still, motionless and with his eyes shut, barely breathing, lest to utter some moans of pleasure. He almost screamed when he heard a voice, very close to him, saying: “Your Honor, I have a petition to file…”

García opened his eyes and saw Sterling sitting in front of him, on the pool edge, with his legs apart. “Mr. Sterling! I… I…” – Ricardo stuttered, ashamed, but Sterling smiled wide and replied with a comforting tone: “There’s nothing you should worry about. Rest assured that nothing of what happens here will ever be mentioned outside these four walls. Ever. In your Courtroom, so far we only exchanged admired glances: when will we get a chance like this again?”

Sterling pulled down the front of his swimming trunks, pointing his hard cock to the Judge’s face, and said with a soft tone: “Now, about my petition…”

Now that Ricardo had been spotted, there was no reason to keep anymore an understated demeanor, and he gave free rein to the lust enflaming him; without any hesitation, he opened his mouth wide and let Sterling push his manly tool all the way down his throat, and then started bobbing his head up and down, in earnest, greedily munching on the hot meat that so many times he’d dreamed of.

Alex, too, stopped restraining himself, and started giving vigorous thrusts into the Judge’s hole, making him bounce over the pool edge. It took few minutes until he stiffened and uttered a low growl, emptying his balls into Ricardo’s tender furnace.

~ All or none ~

Ricardo didn’t stop sucking Sterling with passion, but suddenly gasped when he felt Alex’s cock pull out, only to be replaced by another cock. “Stewart!” – he exclaimed, turning around, feeling thrilled and embarrassed at the same time for being fucked by that gorgeous airman whom he barely knew. “Good morning, Your Honor” – Stewart giggled – “Hope you’re enjoying your stay here!”

The Judge couldn’t reply, because Sterling put a hand behind his head and pulled him again on his own cock: “The hearing is over, Your Honor…!”

With growing passion, Sterling pushed Ricardo’s head over his throbbing meat, climbing to the peak of his pleasure, until, with a chocked moan, he flooded the Judge’s mouth with his manly seed. Ricardo gulped down every single drop, and then raised his uncertain gaze to Sterling, who reassured him once more: “Not a single word about this will be spilled outside this house, on my honor.”

“Here it comes, Judge!” – Stewart said aloud from behind him, shoving his cock one last time all the way into Ricardo’s ass and inundating it with his juice. 

“Oh, shit…” – Ricardo murmured, when he felt Stewart’s cock being roughly replaced with another one, much thicker. He turned around and tried hard to remember the name of that bulky aged man who was fucking him with confident, powerful thrusts.

“The name’s Gerry, Your Honor. Nice to meet you!”

“Oh god…” – Ricardo replied, tilting his hips to shamelessly offer himself to that barely known hunk of a man. He felt like he’d hit the bottom of his sluttiness… and the feeling was exhilarating! He was about to explode, and chocked a scream when he felt a warm mouth closing around his cock, underwater. The mouth was an expert one, and gulped down his throbbing member effortlessly, giving him an excruciating pleasure. After servicing three men, and with a fourth one still ravaging his ass, the pressure in his groin was unbearable, and he gladly surrendered to that skilled mouth milking his cock in such a masterful way.

“Awww… Fuuuuck!” – he soon screamed, while a deluge of thick cream erupted from his cock straight into that greedy mouth still hiding under the water surface. At the same time, Gerry grunted and added his manly juice to the two loads already filling Ricardo’s bowels.

When the spasms in his groin finally stopped, Ricardo saw a cute boy with a playful smile emerge from the water. “Ch… Charlie, is it?” – Ricardo said, with labored breath – “You’re just… incredible!”

“Thank you, sir!” – Charlie replied, proudly – “I train at the communal pool every other day, you know…”

“Do they train you to do… this, at the communal pool??” – the Judge exclaimed, glancing down at his own shrinking cock. “Unfortunately not, sir. Just swimming underwater and holding my breath. But at home” – Charlie said with an urchin grin, glancing at Alex – “I have a… personal trainer who takes great care of my education!”

In the meantime, almost all the other men of the Cove had entered the pool and were circling the Judge, wearing lustful smiles. Ricardo looked around, worried, and his worry grew even bigger when Jorell said: “You know the rules: all or none. And since for the ‘none’ is a bit late, you have no choice but take us all!”

“Please… no more… I can’t…” – García murmured with pleading eyes, and everyone burst in laughter and started splashing him playfully. Beau came to Ricardo’s rescue: “Come, give me your hand…” – he said, putting out his arm to help the Judge out of the pool. “I… I think I’ve lost my speedo…” – Ricardo replied, embarrassed, and Beau chuckled: “Do you really think that anyone would notice?”

“In a madhouse, act like a madman…” – the Judge said, laughing, and pulled himself out of the pool, feeling totally at ease walking around stark naked.

~ Barry’s biggest regret ~

Kale smiled, looking at the joyful fuss happening in the pool and moved to the garden bar to take another blue-colored cocktail. Sipping his cocktail, he looked around and saw Barry laying on a lounge chair, a bit afar, so he took a beer from the bar and approached him.

“Hello, husband!” – Kale said happily, laying on the lounge chair next to Barry’s and offering him the beer – “Your honorable judge apparently had what he was craving for, but he’s probably wondering why you didn’t join the action!”

“I’m not in the mood…” – Barry replied, and his tone wasn’t sad or pissed off, not at all; but it was pensive, in a way.

“Is it about the marriage? You aren’t regretting it, are you?”

“No, Kale” – Barry said with a tender smile – “I can’t be any happier about that. Everything is just perfect… Yeah, perfect…”

Kale’s trained ears noticed a hint of sadness in Barry’s voice: “But there’s something still missing, right? What is it?”

Barry shrugged his shoulders and sipped in silence his beer. He stood silent for a while and Kale didn’t say anything, he just smiled with sympathy and drank his cocktail.

“That is my biggest regret…” – Barry then said, almost under his breath. Kale followed his gaze and saw Rowan, on the opposite side of the pool, chatting with Gerry and exchanging tender glances with him.

“This is not the first time you say so…” – Kale replied – “I remember you once told me that you were about to ask to Rowan to be your boy, but then Gerry arrived, out of the blue…”

Barry didn’t say anything and took another draught from the bottle. Kale insisted, with a warm tone: “If you could, would you want Rowan to be your boy?”

“Naahh… Look at him. Look at how happy and in love he is. Look at how tenderly Gerry holds him. I… I’m not like that. I’m not caring nor loving, and the idea of taking care of a boy… scares me. It’s not in my nature. Having a boy can be such a hard task…”

“It’s something that fills your life” – Kale replied with a smile – “and I’m sure you’d be a perfect mentor for a boy, if ever you decide to have one.”

“No, Kale, I’d be anything but perfect. Look at Beau and Alex: their boys can’t hope for a better man to take care of them. And still, Beau sometimes mistreats Brennan, and Alex overlooks Charlie’s needs. If even they can make such mistakes, how on earth can I think to take care of a boy…”

“You sell yourself short, and you have no reason to do that. Do you remember Wade?”

“Ah! How can I forget that cute boy! When I first met him, in jail, I felt… an irrepressible need to protect him. And not just from the physical violence of the other inmates: I wanted to protect him from the… ugliness of our situation [8]. Sometimes I wonder how is he doing…”

“Haven’t you ever heard from him, since you came back home from the prison?”

“No, Kale. I don’t even have his number, I didn’t want it. He was barely eighteen and had a pregnant girl to marry, and then he wanted to move back to Iowa to raise his family. I would’ve been… a distraction for him. But Wade had our lawyer’s number, in case he needed something or wanted to contact me.”

“Hey, Sterling!” – Kale called aloud, waving to the handsome lawyer, and when he got closer, Kale asked: “Say, have you heard of Wade, recently? You know, the young inmate who shared the cell with Barry, do you remember?”

“Yeah” – Sterling replied, looking at Barry – “He called you, didn’t he?”

“Me?” – Barry replied, surprised – “He doesn’t even have my number!”

“Yes, he has it. He called me a couple days ago, asking for your number and address: he said he wanted to contact you. He sounded a bit unsure, though. Maybe he had a second thought. But if you want to call him, I can give you his number.”

“Yes!” – Barry exclaimed, putting his beer down so quickly that the glass bottle almost broke – “He may need something! He may be in trouble!”

Sterling gave the number to Barry, who quickly dialed it on his phone. There was a long pause, and then Barry said, with a tender voice that surprised Kale: “Hey kid, it’s me, it’s Barry… Yeah, I know you wanted to call me, why didn’t you do that? Wait… Wait, I can’t understand…! Where are you, in Iowa? Are you here? You mean here in town? Out of the house?? Don’t move! Don’t you dare to move, you hear me?”

Barry shut his phone and gestured to Rodgers, the young waiter: “Hey, Teddy! No, kid, I’m sorry, it’s not what you think of, maybe later… Do me a favor: open the main gate and go out; there is a guy on the street, bring him here! Quick!”

Kale and Sterling shot a puzzled look at Barry, who explained: “I didn’t understand exactly what he was saying… As soon as he heard my voice he started sobbing, but he said he went to the Cove, and a neighbor told him we all were here, so he crossed the entire town on foot and was waiting out of the main gate, hoping to see us coming out…”

Beau noticed the agitation and came closer; Sterling told him what was happening and then excused himself, sensing that Barry and the others needed some privacy. In few moments, Teddy came back gently pushing Wade, who was shooting alarmed glances around at the many men crowding the pool area and the garden. When he saw Barry, he dropped the worn-out bag he was carrying and ran to him, hugging him with such a force that Barry almost lost his balance. 

For few long moments, no one said anything, and then Barry and Wade parted and looked intensely into each other’s eyes. “I’m so happy to see you again, kid…” – Barry then said, and Wade smiled faintly, but his watery eyes exuded a great pain and uncertainty.

~ The future begins ~

They sat down on a lounge chair, side by side, and Kale and Beau did the same. “Now, kid, tell me what happened and why you are here. You’re among friends, don’t worry. I thought you were in Iowa, with your spouse and a kid to raise…”

“There is no kid, sir” – Wade said in a little voice, ashamed – “And no spouse, either. Not anymore. You were right, sir, when you suggested me to be sure that my girlfriend was actually pregnant, but I was about to marry her, I had to trust her! We got married, we moved to Iowa, where I had a small house with few acres of land that I’d bought with the last money my dad left me when he died. I really wanted to be a good husband for my wife, and a good father for the baby… but there was no baby. She said she was sure, that the doctor must’ve made a mistake, but when I asked to see the medical reports, she said she’d lost them. I feel so stupid, sir! You warned me, you told me to be sure, before marrying her, but… but…”

Wade looked up at Barry with teary eyes and said: “I’m a huge disappointment for you, aren’t I?”

“No, kid. I’m actually proud of you” – Barry replied, holding Wade’s hand – “because you were right and I was wrong: a marriage can’t be founded on a lack of trust. But what happened next?”

“I left her, sir. I just couldn’t forgive how she’d tricked me. I moved out, I left her the house, I didn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore. I hitchhiked my way to California, and for two months I lived doing odd jobs and staying in charity shelters, but… I couldn’t stop thinking of you sir. Even if at those shelters there were people taking care of me, I felt lost, I felt alone. And I painfully remembered how I felt so safe and loved when I was with you, even if we were locked in a cell with three dangerous thugs…”

“But why didn’t you come right away, kid?” – Barry asked, still holding Wade’s hand – “I could’ve helped you find a job, a house…”

“I didn’t want to call you, because you have your life to live, sir, surely you wouldn’t want… I mean, I couldn’t ask you…”

“Kid, you know you can ask me anything…”

Wade shot a hopeful glance at Barry and visibly took all his courage to ask: “Sir… may I… May I stay here with you? May I be… your boy? Like the boys you told me about when we were in jail?”

Barry got a little pale and looked at Kale. In that brief glance, Kale could clearly read all the doubts Barry had revealed earlier, about his supposed inability to take care of a boy, his commitment issues, his fear to fail as a man for his boy.

Wade looked around, at the silent faces around him, and felt his heart shrink.

Kale took a deep breath and said: “Barry… He’s one of us.”

Beau leapt on his chair, surprised, and replied under his breath, not to be heard by the boy: “Is he? How can he be one of us? He’s straight!”

Despite the low voice, Wade heard Beau’s words and looked at Barry with plaintive eyes: “Sir, I’ll be a good boy for you! I can be whatever you want! If you want me to be gay, I… I will be, sir! Do you want me to do… what we did in jail with other men? I will, sir!”

Barry couldn’t restrain himself and threw his arms around the boy: “No, kid! No one has the right to ask a boy to change his nature, and I wouldn’t want you different than you are! Never, never let anyone change you!”

Wade basked in the pleasure of feeling almost crushed into Barry’s muscular arms, and then recoiled with an uncertain expression: “You mean we… we can’t do ever more what we did back then? [9]”

“Only if you really want it, kid” – Barry replied with a tender smile – “Not because someone wants you to do it. Would you like to do… ‘something gay’ like we did in jail?”

“I… I think so” – Wade replied under his breath, blushing bright red – “When you made love to me I felt… loved in a way that I’d never experienced before. Maybe it was because we were in jail, or because… you are you, sir. I don’t know, I’m not sure, it’s all so confusing…!”

“You see?” – Kale intervened, looking at both Barry and Beau – “He’s one of us. The Cove is not a sort of club for gay men and boys: it’s a place where a struggling kid can find his way through life, a place where men support and love each other, and help the boys to become men: to become whatever man they want to be.”

Barry glanced around, uncertain: “I’m not sure I can be up to this task…”

There was a tense silence, because Kale and Beau didn’t want to force Barry to take such an important step, if he didn’t feel to; and Barry couldn’t resolve to take a decision that scared him.

Wade slowly stood up, looking at his feet: “I… I knew it wasn’t a good idea to come here. That’s why I didn’t want to come in when you called. I understand, sir. It’s not something a boy can ask to a man. I love you, sir, and I’ll never forget you…”

The boy picked up his old travelling bag and took a few steps toward the exit, when Barry sprang on his feet and ran to hold him in a tight bear hug: “No! Don’t go away, kid! Stay with me! I’ll make mistakes, I will disappoint you, but I will always love you, kid. And I’ll always be there when you need me. Will you be my boy, Wade?”

Wade raised to Barry two eyes shining as bright as the sun and replied: “Do you really need to ask, sir?”

Beau and Kale joined Barry and Wade in a warm group hug and then Beau stood tall and put out his hand to the boy: “Wade, on behalf of us all, welcome to…”

“No!” – Barry interrupted him – “If this, as Kale said, is a three-legged stool, than this time let me say it…”

He turned to the boy, opened wide his arms and shot him a tender glance. And when he spoke, his words were a promise of love, support and friendship. A promise of a new, happy life for both of them.

“Wade, my boy, welcome to the Cove!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A FINAL WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

Another book of this saga ends, but I feel there is much more to tell about the Cove and the guys living there. How will Wade settle there, being a straight (but confused) guy who “doesn’t mess with guys”? How will the Cove react to his unsettling presence? Who will come and live in the two spare suites of the Cove? How will Barry manage a new boy and an unprecedented three-way marriage?

I need to take a break from writing, but I’m quite sure that in Autumn the Cove will call again, asking me to relate all the love, the struggle and the life going on there (and at Maison de la Motte!).

I want to give heartfelt thanks to the hundred-or-so brave readers who have followed me in this long adventure, constantly providing their support and feedback, either by email or by posting comments and casting votes; a special mention goes to Butch and Geoffrey Fox, who took their time to comment each and every chapter of this saga.

Last but not least, a big thank you to Bjorn, our generous and helpful webmaster at GayDemon, always kind, patient and efficient, despite the hard times we all have lately lived.

Hunknown