The House of Birch Ridge

The 57 Bel Air rumbled along the narrow two lane road as it began to climb the steep grade upward making its way over one more mountain range. Behind the wheel Charlie steered the ten year old car, sawing at the wheel to keep it in his lane. The car had been used hard by the previous owner, some guy down in Atlanta who was getting married and needing some quick cash had put the car up for sale. The guy knew it was ragged out and he priced it accordingly which enabled Charlie, who was passing through the city, to be able to afford to buy it. His Rambler had blown the engine down in Macon and he had hitched ride after ride to get to Atlanta.

Charlie was driving North today. Tomorrow it may be East, or West, or maybe back South. He kept moving, knowing he shouldn't stay in one place too long. He'd been lucky the last five years, always being on the move, never in one place for more than a few months. The cigarette dangling from his lips began to burn near his mouth and he pinched it between two fingers and flipped it out the window. Pulling the pack from his pocket he saw he only had two cigarettes remaining and he was low on cash so he refrained, sliding the pack back into his pocket saving them for later. He needed to get somewhere and find a job, something, anything to put a few bucks back in his pocket before he headed off in some new direction.

Elvis came on the radio, the reception not very good as he descended down into a valley, but he turned up the radio anyway and sang along, his voice out of key, crackling nearly as much as the station. He had not a care in the world when a song came on he loved, and he loved this particular song and he rocked his head, let the Bel Air roam back and forth in his lane as he belted out the lyrics along with Elvis.

The trees grew tall along the road and their canopies leaned out over it creating a tunnel, one the light filtered down in spots of waving diamonds of light. The leaves were bright orange, red, yellow, for it was mid-October and the colors were at their brightest. Charlie had been on one the main roads that snaked through these mountains of North Carolina but the traffic had been so bad he had taken this narrow back country road just to be able to drive along at a reasonable rate. What road it was he had no idea and for miles he watched for some sign that would tell him its name or number, or at least a sign for the next town. But as he drove he realized the road didn't even have the usual speed limit signs or other signs such as for a curve ahead; there were no signs of any kind. The narrow road was rough, the patches uneven and at times he found himself avoiding a pothole. The edge of the road was deteriorated badly, crumbling and cracking away to the point Charlie found it better to ride with one wheel on the faded yellow line.

Charlie had been driving for an hour along the winding road, his speed never more than thirty miles an hour, when he came to the bottom of a valley, a narrow flat place where there were a few old wood frame homes, one even an ancient log cabin and near the center of this small cluster of homes he came to a service station and a small general store, the two businesses sitting close to the road with a gravel area for parking running along the narrow strip in front. He pulled into the service station at the last of the two pumps and waited on someone to come out to fill the tank, patiently at first, then more and more inpatient till he got out and went inside. Behind the old wooden counter there was a guy about his own age, mid-twenties, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, and he was reading a book, something old, the cover worn and frayed along the edges, the spine broken till it looked like some pages were ready to fall out.

"Hey, can I get some gas?" Charlie barked expecting to startle the guy, but he merely closed his book, laying it on the counter, nodded toward Charlie and went out the door. Charlie watched him as he moved slowly to his car and after a minute finally began to fill the tank. Charlie moved around the small lobby of the service station and noticed there were no personal effects on display like in so many other service stations, such as trophies from some bowling league or soft ball team, no pictures of someone by a prized automobile or some game animal killed in a hunt. There was a small bulletin board by the door with two hand written cards thumb tacked to it. One advertised dogs for sell and the other was a help wanted post. Someone needed 'strong young men for physical labor' with a phone number written below. It was vague, almost sounding like something illegal the way it gave no real information and Charlie knew it sounded like the perfect job for him. He wasn't big and physical, hell, he was only five four, but he knew he was strong for his size with stamina to go all day. He read the number over and over so he could remember it and as he repeated it for the fifth time the door opened and the guy who worked there walked back in.

"That'll be $3.34" the guy uttered as he moved back behind the counter barely looking Charlie's way.

"Is there a pay phone around here I could use?" Charlie asked as he dug out what money he had left from his pocket, counting out the money on the counter, noticing he had less than five dollars remaining when he slid the two dollar bills, quarters and other loose change across the counter to the guy.

The guy didn't answer until he had counted the money he had watched Charlie just count, then putting each bill and coin in its proper slot. He closed the cash drawer and looked up at Charlie.

"Next door in Caleb's...the general store?" the guy said, drawing out each word ending with his tone questioning like he thought Charlie was slow.

"Yeah" Charlie uttered as he went to the door and walked out.

Charlie pulled the Bel Air over to the general store and went inside. It was unbelievably exactly as he expected. The interior was dark with wood panel walls, exposed wood floor, worn smooth with some boards pulling up and a tin ceiling high over head. Merchandise was piled up everywhere and there seemed to be no order to it. Behind the counter stood Caleb wearing a sweater over a t-shirt and black framed eyeglasses.

"Can I help you?" Caleb asked Charlie, his tone friendly.

"Where is your phone?"

"It was on the wall in back, but the telephone company removed it the other day; you can use my phone" he replied pulling up a phone from below the counter.

Charlie picked up the receiver and hesitated, and he looked up at the guy behind the counter. Tall, muscular build, like the guys on the baseball team back in high school, and he sensed Caleb was evaluating him in some manner.

"Do you know about some job being advertised in the area? It is vague on what the work..." Charlie began to ask.

"Oh the job up at Birch Ridge, yeah I know about it. Mostly keeping up the grounds and doing some gardening...I think" Caleb replied as he smiled at Charlie.

"You think they still have a job?"

"Oh..." Caleb started saying as he cast his eyes up and down Charlie, "I'm sure they can find something for you."

Charlie thought Caleb was making fun of him, his build so short and thin, and for a moment he considered mouthing off to him but he slipped his middle finger into the dial and began to spin it around dialing the number from the flyer.

The sun was dropping close to the ridge line in the West as Charlie drove up the gravel lane winding up the side of the mountain. He had driven past the lane twice before he realized it really was the one he was to take up to this Birch Ridge place. The lane was so narrow he drove slowly, easing around the blind turns worried about someone coming down the mountain and meeting them in such a tight place. He couldn't believe how far off the main road he was driving, winding up and back down one mountain crossing a valley, going over an old wood bridge he was worried whether or not it would support him, and then winding up the side of the next mountain.

How much further he drove Charlie wasn't sure but the lane suddenly leveled out on a narrow flat area along the side of the mountain and as he drove around a curve he saw the level ground widen enough for the old two story house that loomed up in front of him. Even though the trees had been cut back from the house it still appeared as if in shadow with its dark brown wood siding and dark greens for the trim. The grounds were neat, with a minimum of landscaping around the house and along the narrow yard. The lane pulled up in front of the house where a full width porch covered the lower floor, its eave hanging down low over the edge of the porch with flowering vines wounding their way up the columns and along the eave.

Charlie parked and eased out of his car taking care not to step too far out for the grade dropped dramatically just beyond the edge of the drive. As he moved around his car he heard the front door open and looked up to see a young man approach him. He looked like a teenager with a baby face whose cheeks were rose colored and his hair flopped over his forehead thickly and even in the shadow of the porch Charlie could tell it was light blonde in color.

"You Charlie?" the young man asked as he stepped down from the porch.

"Yeah...and you are?"

"Mikhail" the young man replied and for a moment Charlie thought he said Michael but as he looked at the young man before him he realized he looked Russian or Eastern European.

"Did you say Michail" Charlie replied mispronouncing his name.

"Mikhail" he replied pronouncing his name distinctly for Charlie. "Now if you'll follow me, James and Dennis are waiting in the study to interview you" Mikhail added as he turned and went back up the steps and opened the door before turning to see if Charlie was following. Charlie went in and found himself inside a wide main corridor that ran to the back of the house, double doors along both sides and a wide staircase along one side leading up to the second floor. The interior was dark rich colors with paintings along the walls and large vases and statues sitting along the corridor.

"This way" Mikhail said as he walked past Charlie.

Mikhail opened a pair of doors just beyond the stairs and Charlie stepped into a library that had all in the interior walls lined with bookshelves floor to ceiling requiring rolling ladders along each wall. At one of the three windows along the exterior wall was a large desk, its top neatly arranged with only a few papers lying in a bin on one corner. Sitting behind it was a man who appeared to be in his early forties, with dark hair cut short, his face clean shaven and he wore wire rimmed glasses that sat low on his nose. Behind him was a man who looked ten years younger at first but as Charlie approached realized he was older than his initial impressions implied. He had light brown hair, short on the sides but considerably longer on top and he ran his hand through it pushing it back out of his face as he stood up to face Charlie. Both were neatly dressed, with the man sitting wearing a coat and tie and the one standing in a sweater vest and dress shirt open at the collar.

"Charlie, come in. Please take a seat" the man sitting said as he gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk. "I'm James and this is my partner Dennis."

Charlie stood at the window of the upstairs bedroom Mikhail had led him after his talk with James and Dennis. They called it an interview but it was nothing like any interview he had gone on before. They asked if he was in good shape, any health issues and that was it. He looked across the narrow flat yard along the side of the mountain, the yard on the opposite side of the house and he saw it dropped suddenly about fifty yards away and wrapped around the mountain. He could see on the lower level the barn, as James called it but he had said it was set up as a bunk house and storage building now for the guys who lived on the property maintaining the grounds, but Charlie looked across the narrow yard and wondered how much work the place really needed and was surprised by Dennis mentioning five guys were currently on staff, but two were in the house, Mikhail who oversaw the others and ran the house and the cook who they referred to as Harry. All Charlie knew was Harry was good in the kitchen for the meal he was provided after the interview was unbelievable. The venison, turkey, the vegetables that were firm and tasted like none he had ever had before and finally the desert of still warm pie and ice cream and Charlie involuntarily put his hand on his stomach feeling how full he still felt as he thought of all the food he had eaten.

James said the bunk house didn't have an extra bed set up and he was to sleep in a guest room tonight and first thing in the morning they would begin his training on how things were done here. Charlie thought it odd, the way he referred to a need for training for he had told them of his past experience with maintaining the grounds of a country club in Montgomery and a hospital in New Orleans but they seemed to think they had ways he needed to be shown, ways in which they did things he needed to understand before he would be moved into the bunk house.

Charlie watched the sky grow dark and a few lights come on that highlighted certain sections of the landscape and down at the barn he saw the interior lights come on there as well. He stood staring out for a long time and eventually he saw Dennis and James come walking out, wine glasses in hand, strolling across the yard. Charlie watched them wondering about their business relationship and how they ended up living here and more curious what it was they did for a living. He let his mind race through the possibilities, some actually plausible and others totally unbelievable and then he gasped and backed away from the window. He wasn't sure he saw correctly at first but he knew what he had seen as he thought about it. He saw James put his arm around Dennis and lean over giving him a quick kiss on the mouth.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and he turned to it calling out for them to come in as he glanced in the mirror to see if the shock of what he had just seen was somehow evident on his face. Mikhail came in bearing a tray with a glass of red wine.

"This is a night cap for you. Most people seem to have trouble sleeping their first night here. All the excitement and anticipation of what is to come I guess" Mikhail said as he sat the tray down on the nearest nightstand. "Good night, Charlie" he said as he turned and left the room closing the door behind him.

Charlie went and picked up the glass of red wine thinking he preferred something stronger than this but it'd have to do and he turned the glass up and let the wine pour down his throat swallowing it in large desperate gulps till the glass was empty. He sat the empty glass down and went into the bathroom. It didn't take him long to use it and shower off and when he came back into the bedroom he felt weary, sleepiness overtaking him unbelievably quick but he knew he had been going for days with little sleep and maybe it was just all catching up to him. He crawled into the bed naked and pulled the cover up as he settled down, his eyes closed and soon his breathing slowed down and he felt his awareness of his surroundings fade away until he was sound asleep.

Charlie began to stir as he woke up from the deep sleep he had been in and he tried to stretch but felt as if he was bound up in the sheet. Then he woke further and realized he was cold and no longer in bed. The surface he lay upon was hard, rough against his skin, and so cold he realized he was shivering. He opened his eyes and saw there was only one dim light bulb burning in a fixture mounted on the ceiling just beyond a row of rough stone columns. He found his hands bound with rope and he was still naked lying unprotected on some concrete floor. He looked around and saw a series of stone columns supporting an exposed wood structure and he realized it had to be the basement of the house.

He sat up and found the rope around his wrists went up to the ceiling. He still felt groggy, and he wondered if he had been drugged last night for he usually was a light sleeper but waking here, like this and not stirring during any of it was too much.

"Hey...what the hell is this?" he exclaimed and heard his voice echo through the basement till it was once again silent. He looked around for some means of cutting the rope or working it loose and he moved as far as it would allow around the room, which was only a few feet.

A door opened somewhere above him and he heard footsteps coming down steps and he moved close to a column that was in darkness trying to hide.

"You can't hide Charlie" Dennis said out from the darkness. Dennis hit a switch and additional lights came on and suddenly Charlie realized how futile it was to try to hide. Dennis hit another switch and a motor started above Charlie and slowly he saw the rope rise up, foot by foot till it was pulling his hands upward, pulling till his arms were raised over his head and it kept pulling upward till he was standing on his toes and Dennis finally hit the switch again. Dennis moved out from the darkness and came up behind Charlie leaning around his raised arms.

"Some of our men come willingly, ready to do whatever we ask of them. Mikhail was one of the best. What that boy will do..." Dennis looked upward and smiled knowingly then back at Charlie, "...well it wouldn't do to say in polite company. Some of the others, well, let's just say it took some persuading, but eventually they came around. I mean, James and I provide them whatever they need; clothes, food, shelter and so much more" Dennis said as he ran a finger along the side of Charlie's naked torso and down along his hip.

"Caleb called and said you looked like a scrappy little...what was the word he used...oh yes, fucker" Dennis said laughing. "Such a coarse word but in your case it seems to apply. You have such a lean strong looking body" he continued as he ran a hand over one round ass cheek and Charlie fought against his bounds attempting to move away. Dennis moved around to the other side and ran a finger over Charlie's bicep tracing the tattoo that was on it. "Such a vulgar thing to do to yourself and I understand they use needles to get the ink below the skin. Is that right? It must be painful. Do you like pain...Charlie?" Dennis asked as he took Charlie by the chin and forced him to look into his eyes. "You like to play rough?" Dennis whispered and he stepped back and moved off somewhere behind Charlie.

Charlie listened trying to hear what Dennis was up to when he heard the door open again and someone else descend down the stairs. He was pretty sure he knew who it was and found he was right when James came into view. He tried to hide his fear as he saw James come into the light wearing only a pair of gym shorts, revealing his upper torso with its muscular build and the matt of hair that covered his chest. Charlie tried not to look but he found his eyes cascading downward and he found himself staring at the thick cock pushing obscenely at the front of the gym shorts.

"You like what you see" Dennis whispered in Charlie's ear startling him.

"No...no...let me go...please..." Charlie began to beg and Dennis put one finger over his lips making him fall silent. When Dennis removed his finger Charlie looked at him while his body shivered from the cold and from his fear. "Please" Charlie whispered knowing the futility of it.

"Oh relax Charlie; we're just going to have some fun. You'll love it I promise" Dennis said in a calm casual voice as he moved in front of Charlie. Charlie saw his nakedness, the tall lean torso with its pale smooth skin and his eyes fell downward seeing Dennis' cock rising up hard, the head slipping free of the loose foreskin. Dennis absentmindedly stroked his cock as James moved up next to them.

Dennis walked out of sight for a moment returning with a bottle of baby oil which he held over Charlie's shoulders letting the slick oil trickle down his body and James moved up close and began to rub it over his skin.

"Please....let me go...I won't tell anyone..." Charlie begged and once again Dennis put a finger to his lips making him fall quiet again.

"Charlie, please, we know you are not going to speak to any police" Dennis said and he moved up close, his lips grazing Charlie's ear, "for any reason; isn't that right?"

"Besides, Charlie, this can be a good thing for you. No more aimlessly wandering around trying to stay ahead of the authorities. And you'll have so much fun with us here" James said.

"Oh yes, Charlie...so much fun" Dennis added.

James and Dennis rubbed the oil over Charlie's entire body, even down between his ass cheeks. Dennis added more oil and they continued to rub it over Charlie until his body glistened in the light with its oily slickness. James ran his slick hand over Charlie's cock and balls, manipulating them with his fingers and Dennis squeezed more oil over his hand as he stroked Charlie's cock. Despite Charlie's protestations his cock said otherwise as it rose up hard, angling up toward the ceiling.

James and Dennis took turns stroking Charlie's cock, stroking it till Charlie was quivering, his hips rocking and his sac drawn up tight. But they did not let him cum. Dennis ran his slick fingers along Charlie's ass and rubbed over the tight hole and Charlie suppressed the urge to moan as his cock bobbed up and down, so hard it ached.

Charlie could never admit to anyone, not even Dennis and James, that he had done something before with another guy, something that he had enjoyed so much it scared him, something back in New Orleans and he had tried to push it out of his mind, told himself it was a drunken night of just fooling around, but there were times he had thought of that night, and like now, it weighed heavily on his mind, the fact if he would just admit to liking what was happening, just let himself go, it could be fun like it had been that one time before. But he fought the urge, struggled at times in his bounds and when Dennis touched him there, ran a finger over his opening he struggled to pull away.

"Come on Charlie" Dennis whispered in his ear as he ran his fingers between the cheeks of Charlie's ass, "you've had someone touch you there before...down in New Orleans."

Charlie jerked around and faced Dennis wondering how he knew and Dennis sniggered as he reached down and took Charlie's cock stroking it back up to full hardness.

James and Dennis kept Charlie hard for so long he began to beg them to get him off, to stroke him till he came but they always stopped just before he ejaculated and his cock flexed up and down leaking precum till it drooled to the floor.

"Please....get me off" Charlie begged and Dennis moved up to his ear again.

"Can we fuck you?"

"Huh?...no...NO..." Charlie cried out and Dennis and James stroked his cock some more. James ran his hands over Charlie's torso, over the flat chest and stomach and it felt good to Charlie the way the hand moved slickly over his skin. Dennis stroked his cock, slowly, from head to base and it flexed in Dennis' hand and Charlie pumped his hips trying to get Dennis to stroke him off but Dennis always let go too quickly.

"Please..." Charlie begged but James and Dennis pulled away. The hoist above came on and let Charlie down enough he could stand with his feet flat on the floor but his arms were still held over his head. He worried they would come back and yet he found he was more afraid they wouldn't and when he heard them climb the creaky old stair out of the basement he hung limply for a moment, the frustration of not getting off making him ache. His cock bobbed up and down and slowly grew flaccid but precum was trailing from the slit all the way down to the floor.

He hung there for what seemed like a long time and finally the door opening and he could hear the footsteps coming down the stair. Dennis came into view still naked, is cock standing up erect shiny with oil. Charlie watched him stroke it slowly as he stood in front of him staring in a way that looked as if he was studying him. Charlie couldn't help it watching the way Dennis manipulated his cock and he felt his own begin to rise up. Dennis laughed.

Dennis came up to Charlie and ran his hand slickly down his chest, over his stomach and to his cock taking the growing erection in hand stroking it till Charlie was hard again. Then he ran a hand down Charlie's back, slowly, following the slight indention along the spine till his fingers traced along the cleft between the cheeks of Charlie's ass. He ran them slowly up and down, barely touching the skin and Charlie's cock bobbed up and down and dribbled out a drop of precum. Dennis moved around behind Charlie and putting one hand on his back moving it upward till he could massage Charlie's neck working his fingers into the thin neck feeling the pulse in the artery and the softness of his skin along the edge of his hair. Dennis ran his other hand down probing his fingers down between Charlie's ass cheeks, rubbing them along his ass touching his opening, rubbing a finger over it till Charlie let a moan escape from deep within his throat.

"Charlie" Dennis whispered in his ear "can I fuck you now?"

"Yes" Charlie replied as he held his head back getting Dennis to run his fingers through his hair and over his scalp. "Just get me off...please."

Dennis moved behind Charlie and soon had his cock pushing between his ass cheeks, the head nudging against the entrance. He reached around Charlie and took his cock and began to stroke it, slowly, his hand barely moving along its length and when his fingers circled around the head smearing the slickness over it he felt it flare up thicker.

Charlie pushed his hips forward pumping his cock through Dennis' slick fingers then he swung them back and as he moved back Dennis drove forward breaching Charlie's hole, penetrating him with his cock and he held Charlie by the waist and pushed inch after inch through the tight ring of the opening sinking his cock into Charlie until his hips pressed tightly to Charlie's ass. Charlie cried out with his body shivering with the penetration.

Dennis began to work his hips back and forth pumping his cock in the tight hole till he fell into his natural rhythm, his hips smacking against Charlie's ass. Dennis moaned and told Charlie how tight his ass was as he drove into him over and over and it made Charlie cry out. Dennis ran his hands up from Charlie's waist along each side upward till his hands worked into each armpit, fingers massaging the soft skin and raking through the sparse hair. Suddenly the hoist lowered Charlie's arms and Dennis put his hands on each shoulder and pushed Charlie over as the hoist gave them the slack. He held Charlie firmly by his shoulders and began to fuck roughly, driving his hips faster and faster, slamming up against Charlie's ass. Charlie hung bent over with his arms raised above his head in front of him rocking back and forth with Dennis' fuck.

"Fuck...you're tight...goddamn sweet ass..." Dennis uttered as he drove his cock into Charlie.

Charlie didn't think about who was operating the hoist or how they came down the stair without him hearing but soon he saw feet move in front of him. He cut his eyes upward, over the hairy legs, the thick cock being stroked and up to the hairy chest he recognized as James.

James moved closer until he could smear his leaking cock head across Charlie's lips.

"Suck my cock, Charlie...come on...suck me" James urged Charlie and when he swiped his cock across Charlie's lips again he felt the wetness of Charlie's tongue lap over the head of his cock.

"That's it...take me" James said as he put his cock back to Charlie's lips and pushed forward sinking it into his mouth.

And Charlie took it, took it at both ends, one cock pumping his hole, sinking deeply each time into his body till Dennis' body smacked up against his ass, and he took James in his mouth, the fat thick cock forcing him to open wide to it, to let it slide over his tongue and push at his throat. They fucked him, fucked him roughly and his cock rocked back and forth fully erect, smacking his stomach noisily as Dennis slammed forward.

"Awww...FUCK" Dennis exclaimed as he pushed into Charlie hard and held still as his cock spewed cum deep into Charlie. Charlie felt his Dennis' grip tightened on his waist as he held him in place then he felt Dennis grab him by the hair and hold his head in place letting James fuck his mouth, pump easily back and forth through his lips with drool bubbling out of his lips and running down his chin.

"Oh shit...take it...take my load" James uttered as he began to pump in short hard jabs till Charlie felt the first wad of cum hit him in the back of the throat and as James pulled back he felt the second wad hit him in the top of the mouth. James now pumped his hips slower thrusting his spurting cock through his load that filled Charlie's mouth till it leaked out around his cock and dribbled down Charlie's chin.

Charlie lay on the floor, his hands still bound and he felt the cum dry on his ass and his chin, felt his own cock flex between his legs still half hard. They had not let him cum telling him soon, soon he would get to cum and it'd be the best, but he ached for release now. If only there was enough slack in the rope, just a little more than he had now and he could reach his cock and bring himself off. He lay wondering how they knew he was willing, if pushed the right way, knew he'd do what they wanted and he wondered when they would finally let him get off, let him have the release he so desperately craved. He shifted his position as best he could and lay with his head down on the hard concrete floor seeing the wet puddles of drying cum, James' no doubt for he knew he had not been able to swallow all of it with James pumping cock in his mouth the way he had been. The door to the basement opened and he wondered if it was finally time and he rose up, hopeful, only to have the lights switch off and the door close.

Now he lay in pitch black darkness, waiting...