The Village

Seth’s Perspective

It had been the week from hell!!! I loved my in-laws, I truly did, but damn… having them stay with us for the week and take over our rooms was not fun. Freddy moved into the empty upper bunk in Izzy’s room, and Me and Zach were sleeping in the bunk beds in Freddy’s room… ugh it was awful! I had gotten used to sharing a bed with Zach and loved waking up in his arms, or face-to-face with that beautiful mug of his right in front of me, I missed that. The bunk beds in Freddy’s room were in an L shape with a little play area under the high bunk. Zach took the high bunk because my “accident knee” didn’t like climbing the ladder. By Thursday night we had had enough of sleeping in separate beds and Zach climbed off the top bunk in the middle of the night, locked the bedroom door, stripped off his boxers, and squeezed his muscular body up against mine in the tiny single bed. The bedframe let out a squeak in protest and woke me up.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked in a whisper as I opened my eyes. We were face to face with our noses touching.

“Almost a week sleeping alone is too much” he said as he kissed me and massaged my manhood through my boxers. “Besides I’m horny as hell” he chuckled.

“So, what else is new? You’re always horny as hell” I whispered with a laugh. Zach pushed me onto my back and rolled on top of me, it was really the best way for us both to fit on that tiny bunk with the flannel pirate sheets. The full weight of his body was on me as he ground his crotch against mine… he was already hard but my daddy’s helper was still fast asleep in my boxers... Zach wasted no time in awakening him and prepping him for the chore ahead. He flipped around and sat on my face as he bent down and took my flaccid manhood in his hand. I tried to resist, but seriously, when there is the world’s most perfect hole literally at the tip of your tongue… there is only one thing to do; Lick it, then lick it again, then shove your tongue inside and probe. In my sleepiness I ate him out licking, spitting, and sucking that sweet, sweet hole. Zach ground his hole onto my tongue. Meanwhile, at the foot of the tiny bed Zach’s mouth was working my flaccid cock into a state of hardened frenzy. I took his scent into my nostrils as my hands pulled his cheeks apart as far as they could so that my tongue was free to taste him. His scent, his taste, his touch… it all had my senses reeling with lust. I was holding back my moans of passion because if I let them out I would without a frigging doubt awaken everyone in our humble little abode. While I was lost in my own lust, I heard Zach choke and cough, apparently, he had overdosed on my hard, fat cock. He stopped for just a second, then got back to it. Damn that man knew how to work my every nerve in a spectacular way. “Do you want to fuck me?” I asked quietly, it was a question that could have gone unasked… of course he frigging wanted to fuck me. It was Zach!

He quietly got off the bed then pulled me up too, my underwear was still wrapped around my ankles, so I stepped out of them. We stood at the side of Freddy’s tiny bed, naked, kissing and fondling. I got down on my knees and slurped on his cock until it was nice and slick. When I stood, he put a finger in my mouth to get it wet then stuck it in my hole and maneuvered it around trying to open me up at least a little bit before the inevitable. We were kissing, fondling, and probing to keep the lust alive until he eased me back down on the creaky bunk and laid on top of me. Face to face we kissed passionately as he lined up his hard, saliva slickened manhood with my pre-probed hole. He pushed in hard; I was dry but his cock was slick enough to penetrate with just a little extra effort. It hurt and I wanted to scream out in painful passion but instead got through it with a little grunt so as not to wake everyone up. Zach’s engorged member moved in and out of my tight ass while our lips covered each other’s mouths to ensure our shouts of lust we restrained to whispers of love. My legs instinctively wrapped around his perfect ass as he pumped in and out of me in a dirty, passionate combination of lovemaking and fucking. He moved faster and faster, eventually his lips moved away from mine and he buried his face in my neck and whispered in a grunt, “fuck, baby. I am so close. I’m gonna cum.”

I wrapped my legs around him tighter and dug my nails into his back as the squeaky little bed struggled to remain intact as he fucked me harder. “Cum in me baby, shoot your fucking load inside me” I whispered as I did my best to squeeze my asshole around him.

“Fuck” he grunted with a shutter as he warmed my insides with his manly essence. I was so close to cumming even though my cock wasn’t being touched. I reach between us and stroked myself hard and fast… a dozen strokes did the trick and I shot my load between us. Zach pulled out of me, knelt between my legs, and started licking the cum from me. He grabbed my still hard cock and milked the last drops onto his tongue. We ended our session with a cummy kiss and then we both fell asleep on the tiny bed. I was facing the door with my back against Zach pushing him against the wall. I had a momentary flashback of our first year together living in the dorms. I fell asleep and slept like a baby in his arms.

Friday morning, we were up and rolling early as usual. It was a big day in the Westin-Hall household, Nathan and Kelly were closing on their villa in the morning which meant… we all got our beds back! I had thrown the linens from Freddy’s bunkbeds in the washer before breakfast (it was a necessity after our little episode the night before). The house was loud as the kids got up and Zach helped them get ready for school, I made breakfast, and Grandma and Grandpa Hall loaded their luggage (and several odds and ends they had bought for their new place during their stay) into our (formerly their) pick-up truck. Their plan was to go right from the closing to the villa and start moving in. The previous owners had just repainted the place and it was move-in ready, so Kelly had furniture deliveries lined-up for the afternoon. If my mother in-law got her way (and she usually did), they’d be moved in by dinner time.

“Let’s go gang!” I yelled to get Izzy and Freddy running towards the Atlas. I do have to admit that with Kelly visiting I didn’t have to take the kids to school or pick them up all week long and it was a nice break. But now I was back in my SUV with the kids in their car seats and heading towards BroMax to pick Teddy up for school. When I got there Teddy was waiting by the porch with his backpack ready to go and Max was standing next to him. When the Atlas stopped Teddy ran to the door, hopped into his seat in the third row, and buckled himself up.

I rolled down the passenger window and Max poked his head in, “Good morning sunshine” he chirped. “Did you hear the news?” he asked.

I had no clue what he was referring to, “No, what’s going on?”

“Some A-holes are challenging our zoning and permit approvals for the candle factory” He said.

The kids were all talking in the back and not paying attention to us so we were free to cuss, “Are your frigging kidding me?! Who is it? The church?”

Max sighed, “I have no clue. One of the City Council members called last night to let me know what’s going on and invited me to the next meeting to hear them out and answer questions.”

“How can I help?” I asked.

“Well, I’m going to call Zach this morning to see if he can look into it, but I would appreciate if you could ask around to see if anyone knows anything.” Max replied.

“I’ll talk to Marilee, she knows everyone. She can probably rally some of the other local businesspeople to show up at the City Council meeting for support if that helps.”

“That’s a good idea, I think it would really help” Max said.

“You got it! So, what’s their beef?” I asked.

“They’re claiming improper use. The building is zoned for mixed use because it’s considered part of the waterfront district, but they’re trying to claim we’re a factory and therefore violating the zoning restrictions” Max said as he ran his hand through his red hair in frustration. The poor guy had enough shit to deal with already he didn’t need this. “They’re also concerned about pollution and too much traffic. I think it’s a bogus claim and we can probably fight it. I’m hoping Zach can give us some more insight.”

“That’s total BS” I barked. “

“Yup” Max replied, “We’re scheduled to close late next week and start construction immediately, I want to be up and running before the holidays. Ricky is going to start running a second shift in the barn so we can stockpile candles to meet demand during the transition. We have an aggressive plan and these fuckers aren’t gonna slow us down.” Max was determined, and let’s face it… he had a strong army behind him. “They’re just a speed bump.” We talked a little longer before I had to get the kids to school.

After I did my carpooling duty for the morning, I parked the Atlas behind The Village and walked over to Marilee’s for coffee. Marilee was working the counter, “hey, Seth. Have you seen this? They’re plastered all around the district” She asked handing me a flyer inviting people to the City Council meeting to rally against BroMax taking over the church.

“Max just told me about it this morning” I said taking the flyer from her. “Do you know who’s behind it?” I read the flyer as we talked.

“No clue. We’ve all been talking about it for weeks, everyone I talk to wants them here… more foot traffic, more jobs, and less bigots… sign me up!” Marilee said with a frustrated grin.

“Max was hoping that you and some of the other business owners would come to the City Council meeting on Tuesday night for support.”

 “Consider it done” she said. “I’ll send an email out to the waterfront merchants. I can also call the head of the chamber to see if he can rally some support. Seriously, the entire waterfront district is excited about BroMax Candles moving in.” I was happy that Marilee was onboard and hoping she was right about the others.

I continued to read the flyer… it was total bullshit! It made BroMax sound like a giant factory polluting the air and water supply. It also claimed that they hired “delinquents and the homeless and will attract more undesirables to our beautiful waterfront district” I took a picture of the flyer and sent it to Max, Brody, and Zach.

‘Are you fucking serious?’ Max texted back in response almost instantly.

‘Marilee gave it to me. They’re posted all around downtown’ I replied.

‘Such bullshit’ Brody responded.

‘I’m on it’ Zach responded.

I called Max on my way back to The Village and told him about my conversation with Marilee, he was glad to have the support, but pissed about the flyers. He called Chip instantly and had him working up a response to it. With Chip writing, Brody designing, Zach working on a legal response, and me and Marilee rallying the local business folks, we were ready for battle.

When I got to the office, BA was all over me waving one of the flyers in my face, “Did you see this shit?!” She ranted “This business hires delinquents and the homeless and will attract more undesirables to our beautiful waterfront district” She read in a mocking voice. “Who the fuck wrote this shit?! Poor Red, he don’t deserve this shit! He’s just Tryin’ to bring somethin’ good down here. And callin’ all my boy delinquents… fuck that” She. Was. Pissed. She went on for several minutes before Rodney came walking through the front door.

Rodney lived in a cute little house just a few blocks away. “Have you seen this bullshit?!” He growled as he waved another flyer in my face. “Someone taped it to my front door.”

“Yup, we seen it, and I am PISSED” BA responded. “I’m goin’ to that damn meetin’ and raisin’ hail. I’ll bet it’s them church bastards.” The three of us talked, I tried to calm my coworkers down enough for us to get something done that day. They were both loaded for bear. I told them that Max had Chip and Zach working on it. In the middle of our bitching about it Daddy James came into the office with Asher at his side.

“Thanks for letting me use the bug” Asher said, then handed me the keys. “Here you can have these back. I don’t need it anymore.” The smile on his face was ginormous. “Daddy James Just unloaded Yoda from the tow truck.”

“Yoda?” I asked.

“It’s a green Jetta” Asher said waiting for a reaction. “Sounds like green Jedi…” he prodded. I just looked at him confused.

“Yoda’s a green Jedi Master” BA said with a laugh, “C’mon Seth!”

“Yeah. I’m a nerd” Asher said quietly, then with an excitement in his eyes he asked “Wanna see it?!”

“Hell, yeah I do!” I said sharing his excitement. This was a big moment for Asher. He had a decent job, his own place, was back in school, and now he had his first car. I followed him out back to the parking lot with the rest of the group following behind.

The old car looked brand new and the Luna Green Beetle paint made Yoda an original… just like its owner.

Ricky and Timmy came out with a few of the guys from the second floor, they were on their way to work at the barn. “Wow! This is what you’ve been working on Asso?! It’s fantastic.” Ricky said. He was so supportive of all the guys and made them feel accepted, not just at work, but in life; they all saw Ricky as a friend and confidant. After all the guys checked Yoda out, they all jumped into Ricky’s pickup and Asher’s Jetta and headed to the barn for work. I could see the pride on Asher’s face as HIS friends piled into HIS car… He was building a life for himself, I just hoped he wouldn’t crawl back into his shell. After the boys left, we went back inside for a typical day at the office.

That night was Pizza night at Sammy’s moms’ house, and of course, the topic of the evening was BroMax Candle, Co. In less than a day, Max had rallied the troops. Chip had sent out a press release to the local media about BroMax and the move that touted all the benefits to the community, the new jobs, increased tourist traffic to the Waterfront District, etc. AND shot down the claims of bringing delinquents and pollution to the area. He was able to get the attention of a few influential local reporters and social media influencers. Brody designed a flyer with the same information and a trifold brochure for the new facility that included information about future tours, sip and pour events, sip and paint events, the retail space, etc. He did a great job of bringing Max’s vision to life and building excitement and intrigue around the new addition to the Waterfront District. Asher had taken them to his “friend” at the print shop (who he still refused to discuss by the way) and had a several hundred printed. Our group all agreed to spend Saturday posting the flyers and going door-to-door to talk to people about BroMax to garner support. Max was also working on a presentation for the City Council meeting that more clearly outlined his plans for the building and squelched the rumors (just in case he needed it).

BroMax had a pretty good story to tell and our little army was on a mission to tell it to anyone who would listen. We all hoped it would be enough to get the zoning and permits approved. Friday Pizza Night came to a close and we all said goodnight and agreed to meet at the church parking lot at 10AM to start our canvassing of the district. The next morning, we were all there and ready to go.

Our family, Max’s family, Gina’s family, Sammy’s family, BA and Daddy, Eli and Riley, Rodney and Victor, Ricky, Timmy, Mason, Colton, Ella, Marilee, and her wife (yeah, her WIFE! I had talked to her almost every morning for over a year and had no clue she was gay), even Nathan and Kelly took a break from moving in to help. Even the guys who lived on the second floor of Harrington House showed up ready to help. I didn’t know what to expect and was afraid we might run into some bigotry, they were all vulnerable and I decided it was best if they sat this one out… it was my first official executive decision as CEO and the guys were not thrilled with me; it was the right decision.

Max and Brody put up a big sign with a beautiful photoshopped picture of the building with updated landscaping, etc. that said “COMING SOON, BROMAX CANDLE, CO” on top and “candle manufacturing, sip and pour candle classes, sip and paint art classes, tours, retail candle sales” underneath in bullet points. “The bank agreed to let us put this up to stake out claim” Max said as he handed out stacks of brochures and flyers to our army.

The waterfront district consisted of the downtown area with business and apartments, and a cute little neighborhood with single family cottage-like homes (it was a cute neighborhood). Me, Max, and Marilee hit the businesses while the others split up the neighborhood traveling in small groups. Izzy, Maggie, and DJ all rode comfortably in their strollers while their parents went door to door distributing flyers and talking to people.

Marilee knew almost every business owner in the area so she took the opportunity to introduce Max as the CEO of BroMax and me as the CEO of The Village… both part of the beautiful Waterfront District. We had a lot of great conversations with folks as we made our way through the cute little business district. I was surprised at how many people knew about The Village and the work we did. I was also happy that no one asked about the apartments on the second floor. We did our best not to broadcast that some clients lived onsite for safety and privacy reasons. We had had more than twenty residents move in and out of the building in the short time that we occupied it (Rodney knew the exact stats). Max always needed help, so most of the guys would start working at the candle barn so that they had an immediate income, and move into Harrington house so they had a safe place to stay while they found permanent jobs and housing, and got on their feet, then ultimately, they moved out into their own places a month or two later. It was a game changer for all of them, believe it or not, we hadn’t had a single failure to-date. I was proud of what we had achieved and excited about how much more was left to conquer.

Anyway, we talked to so many businesspeople that day and if any of them were against BroMax moving downtown they hid it well. We felt nothing but support from the local business, many of them agreed to go to the city council meeting and speak in favor of BroMax. In addition, many of them talked to Max about cross promoting and doing shared events. One of the local restaurants offered a discounted rate for any sip and pour event that wanted food as part of their event, they also offered to hire our guys as catering help. We both made a lot of connections going business to business, it was a smart PR move for both of us. When we got back to the parking lot, we compared notes with everyone else. There were a few folks who were less than thrilled, but overall, the response from the community was positive. Gina had talked to a lot of people who were excited about candle making events. One woman wanted to know if they would be open before Christmas because she wanted to book a sip and pour event for her office’s Christmas party. Another neighbor asked Rodney how he could apply for a job. Another neighbor asked Kelly about the different scents (I was impressed that Kelly knew all about them, she was a huge BroMax candle fan). Like I said, mostly positive.

Of course, there’s a couple in every crowd. One woman told Brody and Zach that she thought the entire idea was blasphemous and she was dead set against a factory in god’s house, especially one that hired homosexuals. “You should’ve heard Brodes” Zach said with a huge smile and a laugh in his voice. “He told her “It’s just a building, m’am” then he quoted the Bible. What was the verse Brody?” Zach asked in admiration.

Brody grinned and responded, “I just told her the opportunity to work is a gift from god himself, Genesis says; The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Zach jumped in excitedly, “Then he told her god wants us to work, and it’s up to us to give others that opportunity and who people sleep with is between them and god, not for us to judge!”

“Oh my god” laughed Max. “What did she do?!”

“She slammed the door on our faces” Zach laughed.

“Then Izzy yelled from the stroller at the bottom of the porch “G’bye wady”” Brody said laughing. Izzy was over by Gramma Kelly at the moment and out of earshot.

“That’s my baby girl!” I said.

“Gotta love Izzy” Brody added. All in all, it was a successful day of canvassing and Max and Brody invited everyone back to BroMax for an impromptu cookout that evening.

Zach and Brody took the kids to BroMax in the family truckster while Max and I headed to the grocery store in the Atlas. We talked about the day as we shopped, then Max said, “I hate to say this, but with everything going on, I think I’m gonna cancel pickling day this year.”

“NO!” I yelled in disappointment. “Pickling Day is the best!” Pickling Day was a tradition the BA and Max started when Max first moved to NC. He was having trouble adapting to country living, so BA got him drunk on moonshine and taught him how to pickle stuff from his garden. The next year Gina joined them, then me and Mrs. J. This year Kelly (who planned on hanging around for a couple more weeks), Ronda, Marilee, and Suzanne were going to join us too.

“I just don’t have the time to clean and prep this year” Max said, obviously disappointed too.

“Well, what if I host? We can move it to our place and I’ll do all the prep “I offered.

“It’s a shitload of work” Max said.

“I know, but it’s worth it. Besides I have so much shit from the garden in the root cellar, I have to do something with it all” I reasoned. We talked about it as we shopped for groceries and on the ride back to BroMax. By the time we arrived, it was decided. Pickling Day would take place at our place. I was excited! Yeah, you read that right… I was excited about having people over to my house to make pickles. Yup, THAT was who I had become… go figure.

By the time we got back to BroMax, the people with kids were already there. Brody and Zach had put up a volleyball net and they were hitting the ball back and all the adults were hitting the ball back and forth over the net. The boys were out there trying to play too (the ball was way above their heads), and the baby and the girls were on the sidelines playing on a blanket. We drove up in the Atlas and the game broke up and everyone came to help us. Within minutes the groceries were unpacked and me, Max, Suzanne, Marilee, Kelly, and Gina were in the kitchen prepping an impromptu feast to feed about thirty people. It was loud and chaotic both in and out of the house. About an hour or so later everyone else had showed up.

We all talked, laughed, played volleyball, played with the kids, and had a great time together. We shared the change in pickling day plans with our fellow picklers. “Moonshine works in any house” was BA’s response to the change and the newbies were just excited to join in the country livin’ fun.

There were two great surprises that day; number one was Marilee’s wife, Ronni. She was so much fun (and to think I didn’t even know she existed). Number two was Mason! He walked into the backyard to join the fun holding hands with Raj! Raj was one of the nurses who took care of me in the hospital. Kelly had tried to set the two of them up and apparently it worked. The two had been seeing each other for several months but kept it under wraps because they wanted to see how things progressed… apparently, they were progressing well. It was so good to see Raj again, and even greater to see Mason with someone special.

As I sat at the patio table in the middle of the chaos eating a bratwurst, I couldn’t help but look around and think, so many wonderful people brought together by both love and hate. Hatred and rejection was the reason some of these people came to us. Rejection of BroMax moving into the church is why we had gotten together that day…

And love was why we all accepted each other flaws and all, and stayed in each other’s lives.

 

To be continued…