The Portrait of a Strict Disciplinarian

New readers should start reading this novel at Chapter 1.  The chapters do not stand alone, but are sequential components of an erotic novel in which there are 36 chapters in all, which are intended to be read in numerical order. 

Back in his study, the Headmaster continued: “As you will by now have probably guessed, Caine, the little drama in which I have just involved you was not an accident of my forgetfulness. I had to be certain that someone as young as you was capable of handling the likes of the three lads, whom we have just jointly thrashed. The cane and the birch, my dear Caine, are the only tools at our disposal in the thankless and probably unsuccessful daily task of attempting to work a miracle and reform these unreformable and unrepentant reprobates, such as those three lads, whose backsides we have just skinned.” 

“Now I am sure that you probably see me as a hard taskmaster. But that is by force of circumstances rather than by inclination. In a place such as this, which is a repository for some of the worst, young reprobates in the land, one is obliged to clamp down on and stamp out even the slightest sign of insurrection. To give an inch, is to see the inmates take a mile; so unrelenting, unforgiving severity has, perforce, to be the order of the day. And it is for that reason that I had to be absolutely sure that the person whom I appoint to be in charge of discipline is not afraid to administer what is quite severe corporal punishment to any and all miscreants, even for the slightest of misdeeds; hence my little subterfuge.”

“The threat of the pain of the cane or the birch, not forgetting my own little toy, is the only thing that most of these lads understand. And it is the fear of being on the receiving end of them if they misbehave, which allows us to maintain a semblance of order in this place. But, as you have just seen, even the threat of a severe beating did not stop those three lads from creating mayhem. Unfortunately, they are not alone; so that, my dear Sir, is what life in this establishment is like. However, you, young man, have passed my test with flying colours and I see in you, in spite of your youth, someone who would put his heart and soul, not to mention his muscles, into the job and would have no hesitation whatsoever in holding the young tearaways to painful account for their misdeeds. Indeed, observing you closely as you thrashed those three lads, I saw that you were positively enjoying what you were doing.”

“Now that is exactly the attitude I need in the new Chief Disciplinarian: someone who has that essential touch of sadism in his make-up and is, therefore, not afraid of taking the skin off the arse of any lad who misbehaves. I just could not risk appointing another man like your predecessor. So as you appear to have all the necessary attributes for the post for which you have applied and additionally seem to enjoy what you are doing, in spite of your youth, I have pleasure in offering you the post of Chief Disciplinarian in this school; an offer which I sincerely hope you will accept.”

Now although Brad had sort of divined from the way the Headmaster had changed his mode of addressing him during his trial, that he would probably be made an offer, he had not expected it to be made so quickly and face-to-face. He had assumed that he would be fed the usual phraseology: that his application would be considered, and he would be contacted in writing in due course. But now, here he was with the cat in the bag; he could barely believe his good luck. And it goes without saying, with no hesitation he accepted.

“Well, I am delighted that you are willing to join us, young man. I am sure you will have no problem with the teaching side of your duties, but I had to be quite sure that you were not only willing, but also capable of wielding the rod of justice on the backsides of the young misfits we have to deal with. However, having seen you in action, I perceive that not only do you know how to handle the cane, but that you also get considerable satisfaction in so doing; and that is exactly the attitude you will need to succeed in this place. Now, before we go down and see the bursar and tie up the paperwork, there a few things we need to settle right now.”

“As a bachelor, you will join an elite group of only two of us at present:  me and our young PE and sports master, who has been with us for only a year, who live on site. All the other teaching staff are married men and live in Moulton Midmarsh itself, Of course, we have a battalion of warders two of who, under Turner, you have already met, who are like you, unattached and live full-time in the school and who are on duty in three shifts 24/7.  This may be called a school, but make no mistake, it is also a prison and our inmates are all potentially dangerous. Now the school can offer you furnished accommodation and full board in the main school building at a very attractive rate. The advantage to you, as I am sure I need not point out, is that you will not have to cook or clean for yourself. You will have a sitting/dining room, a bedroom and your own bathroom with both bath and shower and I can assure you the accommodation is first class as you will later be able to see for yourself.  As I myself live on site, but in the Headmaster’s house, you will be undisturbed and have only one neighbour, our PE instructor, whose company I hope and think you will find very congenial.”

As he made his last, slightly cryptic remark, Brad saw what he thought was an amused gleam in the Headmaster’s eye and asked himself if he had guessed that his new recruit was gay.  Was he somehow hinting that the PE master was of the same sexual persuasion? But Brad then immediately dismissed this idea as a figment of his imagination. How wrong he was shortly to be proved to be!

“Now, the other thing we urgently need to discuss, is the date you can join us.  It is now already mid-December and ideally, I would like you to join us latest during the first week of January as your services are urgently needed. Do you think that you can manage that?  After all you are in the middle of a teacher training course, which you must quit.  Of course, if you incur any financial penalty in leaving the course before its end, which I presume is sometime next summer, the School will reimburse you.  And the same applies, if you have to break a lease on your present living accommodation; any financial loss you incur will be reimbursed by the School.  Of course, the School will also cover the cost of any removal expense you might have; but as a young man I suspect you are renting furnished accommodation and have no furniture of your own. However, I just wish to impress on you that we need you here in Moulton Midmarsh as soon as possible, if not earlier,” he concluded with a laugh.

Brad allayed the Headmaster’s worries by telling him that he saw no difficulty in breaking his ties with Oxford and that in all probability he could take up residence in the week between Christmas and New Year. “That, my dear Caine, would be most satisfactory, for as you must be aware, although we are nominally called a school, we are, in reality, a prison and the pupils do not get vacations; they are here 24/7 and 365/365. And let me tell you, the sorts of lads we have here are not suffused with the Christmas spirit of goodwill to all men and all that stuff. If they think that they can do something to their advantage during the Christmas season they will.”

Back in the Headmaster’s study after having finished the paper work, the Headmaster said; “Well Caine, now that all the formalities are  complete and you are officially a member of staff, perhaps you will satisfy my curiosity and tell me how one so young as yourself is such an expert with the cane. I see you were head-boy at Frogmore, but for the past 30 years, the cane has been forbidden in this country and so you certainly did not acquire your experience there.  So, where did you develop your expertise with the cane and why on earth did you choose to apply for this position in this back-of-beyond corner of England? I find it all very intriguing.”

Brad looked at the Headmaster and decided that he may as well tell him the whole story. Things have an extraordinary knack of leaking out in the most surprising and unexpected of ways; so why not give it to him straight from the horse’s mouth? Brad took a deep breath, pulled himself mentally together and decided to burn his bridges.

 “Headmaster, if you really want to know, I will tell you.” Brad went on to relate the full story of the Brotherhood and his loss of Simon. “Well, Headmaster, there you have it: the whole sad story of my recent life. Since Simon’s death, I have no longer been at ease in Oxford and I knew that to find peace of mind I would have to leave.  But in spite of that I still went ahead and enrolled for the teacher training course; I suppose because I needed the company and support of my friends at the Brotherhood. However, when I chanced, quite by accident, on your advert, I knew that this was a job which would suit me. You see, Headmaster, although I had initially found the act of consensual corporal punishment as practised by the Brotherhood utterly repulsive, I had gone ahead with it because of my relationship with Simon. But with time, I came not only to enjoy beating other men’s backsides but obsessed by the act; like sex it had become almost akin to a drug addiction; the more you get, the more you want.”]

“Sir, I can tell you that it was difficult for me to look at myself in the mirror and accept that I did have a sadistic streak in my makeup and that I did positively enjoy inflicting pain on other men. But there it was; it was a fact of life: my life; and I had acknowledged it to myself. When I saw your advert, I just knew I was the man for the job; or perhaps better put, the job was the one which was tailor-made for me. And in applying, I assuaged what was left of my conscience by the fact that if my application was successful, I would be beating young men who truly deserved to be punished, a fact which dismissed any scruples about inflicting pain on others, which were still lingering in my head.  So, in fact, what you see before you, Headmaster, is a young homosexual who really does enjoy beating arse.  Believe me, Sir, when I say that beating the arses of deserving lads such as you have here, is an activity to which I shall give my most earnest attention.”

“My dear fellow, thank you for being so frank with me; that cannot have been easy for you to unburden yourself to a comparative stranger and I sympathise with you for the tragic loss of Simon, whom you clearly saw as your life’s partner. But if I can be frank with you, I knew as soon as I set eyes on you that you were most probably gay; ask me not how I knew; but I have a nose for such things and am seldom wrong. But your personal sexual orientation was irrelevant in considering your application. We are each of us what we are and nothing will change that. For me, the most important consideration was whether you were capable of dispensing the more or less continuous flow of corporal punishment, which is necessary to keep order in this establishment. The threat of the pain of the cane and the birch is the only means we have of keeping order. And it is for that reason I had to be sure that you were up to the task, before offering you the post. But allow me to congratulate you, for after observing you deal with that miserable trio of misfits without any warning, you more than convinced me that you were the man for the job.”

“I may as well tell you now, as you will anyway find out, that you are replacing a former staff member, whose tenure was very short-lived, whom I engaged only a few months ago to take care of discipline. In spite of his glowing references and his verbal assurances that he was up to the demands of what is, for many, a distasteful but essential task. However, when push came to shove, he was incapable of doing the very job, for which he had been appointed; he made endless excuses as to why the offender in question should be given another chance until finally, I was forced to discharge him. As you can probably imagine I felt myself very much in the position of once bitten, twice shy. I could not afford to make another mistake; hence my unannounced test of your capabilities.”

“Now, you and you alone will handle all major punishments in the Punishment Room, where the Head Warder, Turner and his acolytes will be on hand to assist you and ensure that the lads waiting to have their arses roasted behave themselves. You alone will be the person who uses the birch, which is confined to the Punishment Room. However, the rattan cane is in general use throughout the school for offences committed in class. Several masters are themselves willing to use the cane directly on the boys who misbehave in their class, but there are several others who prefer to issue punishment notes and leave the actual beating to someone else; as of next year, that someone will be you in your role of Chief Disciplinarian. Turner collects the notes from a box into which they are put by their authors. Then at a time to be agreed with you, but which was, in the past immediately, after supper, Turner will round up the day’s delinquents and deliver them to the Punishment Room for you to exercise your undoubted skills with the cane and the birch on their deserving arses.”

“One way and another, what with mandatory court birchings for certain new boys; acting as nursemaid to those of your colleagues who are just too squeamish to wield the cane themselves; your dispensing of major beatings and birchings to boys who, as did our trio today, misbehave out of class, I think you will find that you have a busy schedule; the cane is seldom at rest for long in this school. And if I might give you a word of advice in this your first teaching assignment; I suggest you keep a suitable cane and stool to hand in your own classroom and immediately beat any boys who misbehave during your lessons; do not allow grass to grow under our feet; always strike when the iron is hot.”

“You are a young man, and will be new to the school; so make no mistake; the lads will attempt to ride you as hard as they can to see just what they can get away with.  Do not let them do this; you must show them from the very first day, who is in charge.  Do not be afraid to whack a few bare arses in front of the class. Oh, in case I forgot to mention; all beatings in this establishment are given on the bare and the minimum tariff is 12 cuts: it’s twelve, rather than six of the best, in this School.  In fact, I urge you to make an example of at least one boy on your very first day. If needs be, just find some excuse to thrash some boy in front of his classmates to give them all the message.  You cannot be popular with the boys as Chief Disciplinarian and hope to keep order.”

“Now to pleasanter things; unfortunately, I have another appointment this evening and so I shall not have the pleasure of dining with you. Indeed, I have to leave in a few minutes and so I have asked our PE instructor, who has been with us just over a year and is more or less the same age as you, to take care of you this evening. He will show you around the school, show you your room for tonight and also the living accommodation we can offer you. He has a car and will take you to dinner in Great Moulton, which is about five miles away.”

The Headmaster was interrupted by knock on the door: “Ah, here he is now.”

A fair-haired, well-set-up and exceedingly handsome young man entered the room. “Come in DD, thank you for agreeing to save the day for me. Allow me to introduce to you your future colleague, Mr. Bradley Caine, who will be joining us immediately after Christmas to take up the demandingly exigent post of Chief Disciplinarian in this school. And this, my dear Caine (it seemed to have become  the Headmaster’s preferred way of referring to Brad) is your companion and guide for this evening, Mr Declan O’Sullivan, our highly esteemed physical education teacher, known universally to his colleagues and I suspect, behind his back, also to the inmates, as DD. Now I am afraid, as I told you previously, I have to abandon you right now, as I am already late for my appointment this evening. However, I am sure that DD will be able to fill you in on the customs of the school and answer any questions you may have.  I wish you a pleasant evening together. I shall, of course, see you tomorrow morning before you leave to return to Oxford.”  And with that, the Headmaster left, leaving the two young men looking intently at each other in his study.

Brad shook hands with the young man in front of him, whose blond good looks belied his typically Irish names. “Well, I guess, from what the Headmaster has just said, I am supposed to call you DD. I, by the way, am generally known to all and sundry as Brad.”

O’Sullivan said, by way of an explanation: “Well Brad, let me just explain my nickname. My full name is Declan Desmond O’Sullivan and my nickname, DD, is, of course, the initials of my two first names and, in spite of my looks, I’m as Irish as they come.”

Irish or not, DD clearly had a magnificently athletic physique hidden beneath what was obviously the expensive, designer, casual clothing which he was wearing. At first sight, Brad that same feeling he had had that fateful night when he met Simon at that first Brotherhood gathering a few years ago. Now as then, he felt that he had done well with his companion for the evening, as to a gay young man such as Brad, DD was immediately a very attractive proposition; in fact, so attractive to Brad that on first sight he felt his cock stirring in his groin just looking at him.  Like most gay men, when meeting someone of his own sex and who was as attractive looking as DD, he automatically wondered if DD was of the same sexual orientation as himself.

And as the two men eyed each other, Brad’s eyes had, like those of all gay men when assessing the potential of someone they do not know, but to whom they are immediately attracted, dropped to that perennial focus: the other guy’s crotch.  He saw that DD’s well-cut pants showed an encouraging bulge indicating a sizeable endowment. But was he deluding himself, indulging in wishful thinking, when he thought he discerned a slight, reciprocal twitch of DD’s most precious, but highly uncontrollable possession, that most important piece of any man’s anatomy located between his thighs?

This assessment was not one-sided for DD’s eyes were also making an almost identical, critical appraisal of his new colleague and Brad was aware of how often DD’s eyes descended and lingered on his crotch. However, for himself, one thing was quite sure; on first sight, he had already been aroused by DD; his own cock was already intimating to him what his eyes saw was a potential partner for that act, which never fails to please, no matter how often or how frequently it is repeated.

So after a few moments of mutual appraisal it was DD who broke the silence: “Well, Brad, as your tour guide, I suppose we had better begin with a round of the school buildings.  Then I will show you your room for this evening and where I myself live. In case the old boy did not tell you, as a young single guy, foot-loose and fancy free, other than the guards and the warders, who live on the school premises in separate quarters, I am the only member of the teaching staff to live on site at present.  So, I have already deduced from the fact that the Headmaster asked me to show you the suite of rooms which the school will make available to you as your living quarters that you are also single and will live on site. So, we shall be neighbours when you arrive here after Christmas. Now let’s get the guided tour over and done with.”

Listening to DD talk, with his attractive Irish brogue, Brad became ever more attracted towards him and earnestly hoped that he and DD would be much closer than mere neighbours when he took up residence in the school. They made the rounds of the school, and DD, to whom words came easily, proved an excellently informed companion as he chatted on about this and that. Finally, they arrived on the lower floor where they stopped in front of the door of the Punishment Room. “I guess from what the Headmaster mentioned about your position – Chief Disciplinarian, I think he called you – this room will be your main champ de bataille or stomping ground. It’s where the inmates are brought for what is called, in official speak, correction, but which we lesser mortals who call a spade a spade, and indeed sometimes a shovel, refer to as flogging”

“And I can tell you, Brad, as head flogger, you risk having your hands full, as our esteemed inmates, whom we are endeavouring to reform, are, on the whole, a truly terrible lot, whose backsides require regular encounters with the cane and the birch to keep them in order. Most of them are, in my view, totally irredeemable. Brad, it needs someone with a strong stomach and an even stronger arm to deal with this lot on a daily basis. I hope you have both, as your predecessor did not and was fired for dereliction of duty just a few weeks ago. The poor fellow found he could not lay on the cane on naked backsides on a daily basis. As we are here, would you like to take a look inside and see how well-equipped for the noble art of arse beating this school is?”

“DD, to put you in the picture, I have not only already seen the room, but have practised the not-so-gentle-art of fustigation on the naked arses of three richly deserving candidates. You see, the Headmaster was very much in a once bitten, twice shy mode when it came to replacing my inadequate predecessor. He brought me down here as he had to beat three lads, Evans, Pyke and Andrews and made me participate in the act. It was a practical test to see that I was up to the job at hand, which, as you say is quite demanding, both physically and mentally; and not at all to everyone’s taste or capabilities. And so I have already had the pleasure, and believe me when I use the word pleasure I do mean it, of applying both the cane and the birch, not to forget the Headmaster’s own little invention, his pre-conditioner, to three well-deserving naked arses. And moreover, I think I can say, with no false modesty about my own contribution, that by the time the Headmaster and I had jointly finished with the three of them, they all knew, to their distinct regret, what the expression, a well-beaten arse, meant.” 

“Well in that case Brad, we’ll just take a quick look at my own bailiwick, the gym, and then we will go back to my place and have a pre-dinner drink, unless there is something else which you would prefer to do.”

Brad wondered about DD’s last comment. Was it an innocent remark or was it an invitation? Brad knew that he would certainly prefer to do something else with DD, rather than have a pre-prandial aperitif. The two of them had gradually become more and more tense with each other as the school tour had progressed and Brad knew that one way or another, something had to give; he was by now totally certain that DD was as gay as he himself was; it just remained for one of them to make the first move. Brad knew that he himself desperately wanted to have sex with his handsome guide and future colleague and he guessed that the same thoughts were running through DD’s mind.  However, nothing had happened so far and so DD led Brad to his own living quarters, where he asked his guest what he would like to drink; white wine, beer, gin and tonic, or whisky; you name it, DD had the lot.

DD settled Brad, glass in hand, in a comfortable armchair before excusing himself and going into the next room, from which he emerged a minute or so later stark naked and sporting a massive erection. Not surprisingly Brad was momentarily gobsmacked and totally speechless as he gazed upon the figure in front of him. But then who would not have been? It is not every day that a man whom you have known only for a couple of hours and for whom you already have the hots, suddenly strips off and hands himself to you on a platter.

What Brad saw before his very eyes, was an exquisitely proportioned young man, as befits a PE instructor. DD had a beautiful, muscular, well-ripped physique and a cock to die for; a cock which simply commanded immediate attention, not only by its size, but by the fact that like Simon’s, DD’s penis had been expertly circumcised, putting into dramatic relief his magnificent cock-head set off from a superbly-proportioned shaft by a well-defined rim.  DD was, by any standards, a truly stunning young stud. And in standing naked in front of Brad, he had answered that all the questions which had been barrelling around in Brad’s head since the moment they met: yes, DD was definitely gay; yes, he was available for action right then.

Before he could collect his thoughts and decide what to say, the voluble Irishman again took the lead: “Well, Brad, there you are; I hope that I have now satisfied your curiosity. For the past hour we both know that we have been walking around each other on eggs, mentally undressing each other and wanting to get physical. Ask me not how we knew where we would end up, but we both did from the first moment we met. I guess it’s what is usually referred to as chemistry. Anyway, one of us had to break the ice, which I have now done for us, so that we can now get on with doing what we both know we want, which in case I have not made myself sufficiently clear, is to get physical and have sex with each other. So just let me ask you, before we get down to the business of fucking, are you a top or a bottom or like me, polyvalent, which I do not have to tell you means you like it both ways? I always think it pays to lay one’s card on the table, don’t you? That way, when push comes to shove, there is no misunderstanding as to who does what to whom.”

Well, push had come to shove with a vengeance and DD was certainly not shy in coming forward.  As DD had a pronounced penchant for calling spade a spade, Brad’s desire to have sex with him had been granted in double-quick time. Brad, whose own cock was fast becoming as hard in his pants as was DD’s already beautiful, erect penis, which was pointing so invitingly at him, now said: “Well DD, you certainly don’t let grass grow under your feet, do you? To answer your question, like you, I like it both ways equally. So we should prove a well matched pair; now where do we go from here?”

“Brad, whilst you are enjoying ogling me, we are wasting valuable, fucking-time, by which, to be quite clear, I mean literally time when we could be fucking each other instead of talking as we now are. So, why don’t you make yourself more comfortable, which is a polite way of telling you to get your clothes off, after which, to use a hackneyed cliché, we can get to know one another better.” 

“You mean, DD, that you want to have sex right now, before dinner?”

“That, my friend, is exactly what I mean. I believe in cutting to the chase as soon as possible; to commit the deadly sin of mixing my metaphors; time and tide wait for no man and so I believe in making hay whilst the sun shines and striking whilst the iron is hot. What else would you prefer to do in the hour or so that remains to us before dinner? Look on this pre-prandial fuck as a harbinger of post-prandial delights still to come.”

“Jesus wept,” said Brad as he started stripping off under DD’s enquiringly watchful gaze, “DD, you certainly believe in saying what you want; and where on earth do you get your words from?”  DD, like many Irishmen, was blessed with words, which he, moreover, used with great fluency. Brad finally stood totally naked in front of DD, with the two of them pointing their sizeable dicks at each other in a sort of defiant, accusatory manner. As ever, that perennial indicator of a guy’s readiness for sex, his penis, told the whole story: it has a mind of its own and is never really under the control of its owner. So whenever the fancy takes it and it feels it has an opportunity for sex, it automatically signals its readiness by standing to attention, often to the embarrassment of its owner, who unfortunately can do nothing – absolutely nothing – to bring what is nevertheless in spite of its independence, his most precious possession to heel. It is a like a wilful child who will not obey its parents. It falls to its owner’s self- control to decide whether or not to give way to its demands; it is he and he alone who finally decides, however much his cock tells him it would like to fuck, whether or not to proceed and indulge in the act.

So, a by-now totally naked Brad, as ready for sex as was his partner DD, stood for a few moments in silence whilst DD ran his critical eye over what had now been revealed to him. And to paraphrase what appears no less than six times in Chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis, DD saw that what he was looking at was good; indeed, not only good, but also spectacularly attractive, causing him to let out a low whistle of approval.  And it is quite true, that any independent observer of the two of them standing there preparing for their first sexual encounter with each other, would have concluded that here was a potential match made in heaven. Both Brad and DD had well ripped physiques and possessed sizeable endowment between their legs, the sheer scale of which would make many men green with envy.

“Right,” said Brad, laughingly, “Viewing time of the exhibit is now over DD and as you obviously approve of what you see, what happens next?”

“What the fuck do you think is going to happen next, Brad, when two young studs strip off and point their boners at each other?  As I said a few moments ago, we are going, to get to know one another better. And how are we going to do that? Well to spell it out to you, unless you have a better suggestion, we are going to indulge in that time-honoured pastime of sodomising each other; otherwise put, we are going to fuck. From my own personal experience, I find that the act of buggery is one which never fails to please a pair of willing participants; and I guess, judging from the state of your cock, you are willing. However, speaking for myself, I am happy to confirm that I most certainly am! By the way, in case you did not already know it, and I am not just saying this to flatter you, but you look absolutely terrific naked and have a very desirable weapon. Now, as we are both polyvalent, as I like to put it, the only thing to decide is who fucks whom first.”

They moved into the bedroom, where DD opened a drawer and produced both condoms and a tube of anal lubricant.  “Brad, in the interests of what I think of, for want of a better expression, as good housekeeping, I suggest that we both use a condom to catch what I suspect, from looking at the size of your balls, might be a large emission. I know my own potential and I think that you might be at least my equal and then some.  So, be a good lad, roll on a rubber and that way we shall not finish up lying in our own a sticky mess of our own making.”

Brad thought to himself, as he rolled the rubber onto his rock-hard dick, how like Simon DD was.  Until he had had sex with Simon, he had never even thought of using a rubber; but Simon had taught him that it made good sense and it was a practice which he had continued after Simon’s death when he had had what he now thought of as sympathy sex with his friends of the Brotherhood. Although he had enjoyed the bereavement attention to his sexual needs he had received from them and although he could not contemplate living his life without regular sex, it had not been a substitute for what he had with Simon; it had always seemed to him that what he was doing with other members of the Brotherhood was very much second best. 

But today, with DD, who, in his own way, was as commanding as Simon had been, Brad somehow sensed that things would now be different. Just as Simon had been the motive force in the development of their relationship, which had had a very rocky start, so now Declan Desmond O’Sullivan was taking the lead. And, quite frankly, Brad was in a frame of mind to allow himself willingly to be led wherever DD wanted. There was one other thing which crossed through Brad’s mind as he prepared to surrender his anal orifice to DD’s ministrations. Although Simon had been the lead player, the motive force in the establishment of their relationship, Brad had had the slightly bigger cock. Today, however, this was no longer the case, for DD was somewhat more generously equipped than his immediate, future partner. 

And make no mistake, cock size is an important factor at the beginning of all relationships; rightly or wrongly – as is often the case – the guy with the smaller penis automatically feels subservient to his partner. It seems to be a fact of life that most men are desirous of having a large penis, which they equate – quite wrongly – to virility.  Brad did not, in fact, feel anyway sexually inferior to DD, but as DD had not only taken the initiative to get them to where they  now were, and had, in addition, the slightly bigger cock, it seemed to him only reasonable that DD should have the honour of the first fuck.

“Well DD, to answer your question as to who should have the first crack of the whip – figuratively speaking, you understand – I think that honour should undoubtedly be yours, in view of your dramatic initiative to make a reality of what I now perceive to be our mutually shared, carnal desires.  And moreover, as I imagine we shall be consummating our relationship in your bed, it is only right and proper that you take the lead on this, our first occasion together.”

“My god, Brad, where do you get such verbiage from? All I asked was which of us should have the first fuck of the evening and you spout back this pretentious claptrap! Anyway, your message has been received loud and clear and decoded, so I now await your doubtless further eloquent instructions as to your preferred position for what I suppose I now should refer to as our tentative venture into our initial carnal relations.  Or put more simply and crudely; how do you want me to fuck you?  Lying on my bed on your back in the so-called missionary position or kneeling there, in what is vulgarly referred to as the doggy position? If you wish us each to be able mutually to admire our equally handsome faces whilst we fuck, an added bonus to what will be our first act of copulation together; I would recommend the missionary position.  However, the choice, my dear sir, is entirely yours; as a guest in my house, your wish is, as ever, my command!”

By the time DD had finished his impromptu, highly amusing monologue, both he and Brad were laughing their heads off.  “Talk about my verbiage, DD. when as an Irishman, you have obviously kissed the Blarney Stone.  Anyway, words aside, I think I would like you to take me on my back.”

When it came to practicalities, DD turned out to be just as decisive as he had been in getting what was to be their future sexual relationship off the ground. With Brad flat on his back on the bed, he pulled Brad’s legs over his own shoulders before pushing his own well-lubricated, condom-clad member, forcefully and smoothly into Brad’s expectant anus, with no attempt at any preliminary foreplay. And then, with a style which Brad was later to experience many times, always with the greatest pleasure, he steadily fucked his new partner with long, powerful strokes during which he withdrew almost his entire length before plunging himself back in with ever increasing power and speed, as he set about, in earnest,  bringing his partner to his climax.  There was nothing hurried about DD’s style, which was clearly aimed at satisfying his submissive partner as much as himself. DD had a unique style, which belied the strength of the force and the ever-increasing speed he was using to bring his partner to orgasm. 

From the very first moment that DD penetrated him, Brad knew that this man was very special. By no chalk could DD be considered to be a gentle lover in the way Simon had been. But in spite of his vigorous, somewhat brutal style, Brad perceived that DD was fully aware of the fact that as the active partner of the moment, he had, nevertheless, to satisfy both of them and not just himself. And so with the consummate skill of long experience, DD held himself back, giving Brad those extra strokes so necessary to bring him to the point of no-return, before giving him that last powerful thrust, taking both of them simultaneously into that nirvana of mutual pleasure, the intensity of which those who have never experienced mutual orgasm cannot even begin to imagine. Had there been an observer to this their first act of sex together, he would have been privileged to have witnessed what was, by any standards, the equivalent of a master class in gay, anal sex.

Brad,  not exactly a beginner at gay sex, knew immediately that in DD he had, quite by chance, found someone who, in his own very different way, fully measured up to Simon: something he had never thought possible until now. But it was true; and Brad freely admitted to himself that what DD had just done to him, had been something quite wonderful. Brad knew that Simon and he had had that indefinable something between them when they had had sex together: that spark, which rendered their relationship unique and on a different level to that of casual sex with other men. Much as he had enjoyed having sex with other members of the Oxford Brotherhood, he had never found anyone who even vaguely measured up to Simon. And after Simon’s death, even with the sexual support of his sympathetic Brotherhood friends, as he had continued to enjoy an active sex life, which was a vital part of his existence, he had never come even vaguely close to reaching that at sense of mutual satisfaction which Simon and he had had together; that was until now!

And what was amazing is the fact that the arrival of DD into his life, had been as much by chance as had been the relationship between Simon and him. As a guest, he had found Simon by the luck of the draw as partners for the evening at his first Brotherhood meeting.  And after what, by any standards had been a rocky start, he had found that, quite by chance, he had stumbled upon the very man who was to become the love of his life. And now again, quite by chance, he had been thrown together with DD, who in a totally different way, measured up to Simon. Brad just knew, after only being fucked once by DD and before he had even given DD a return match that this man was to be something special in his new life at Moulton Midmarsh.

As he now prepared himself to show DD that he too was as competent a top as well as an eminently receptive bottom, he desperately hoped that the feeling he had already developed for DD after only a few hours of casual acquaintance, would be mutual. “So, DD, how do you like it? And what do you like?  I have two styles, the one totally different from the other. You can decide what you want me to do to you. Either I can give you a brutally vigorous, take-no-prisoners style fuck, which is totally exhilarating; or I can be gentle and loving before I become more vigorous and take you over the edge. In either case, my own philosophy is that my subservient partner of the moment is as important as I myself am as prime mover. So whenever I fuck, which I should tell you has been quite often since I first experienced, at the tender age of 16, the pleasure of anal sex, that toy which never fails to please, I always aim to bring my partner of the moment to a climax simultaneous with my own.  DD, how would you like to sample me as a top? And having decided which of my two styles you would prefer for our first coupling, which position do you prefer?”

“Jesus, Brad, you make the whole thing sound like choosing how I want my steak cooked in a restaurant.  But if I have to choose, let’s go for a really vigorous, first-time fuck, with me in the doggy position bent over a chair and you standing behind me. That way you can really batter my arse with your cock. You know, I actually enjoy being rough handled by my partner from time to time; it makes me feel as if I am being raped, which adds to the excitement of sex. When I was at school, my first introduction to gay sex was, like yours, when I was 16. Our sports-master found me alone in the showers after a solo cross-country run – I was the school champion long-distance runner – and raped me. I never told anyone about it at the time; and you know why? Because I really quite enjoyed it!  After that we fucked each other regularly and I have never looked back. You know what they say about being raped? If you see you are about to be raped and can do nothing to avoid it, then just sit back and enjoy it! Well, there you have it, Brad. Just go ahead; do your worst – or your best – and give it to me really hard; as hard as you can; as if you were raping me.”

“Your wish is my command, O master!” said Brad, as DD bent over the chair, spread his legs to give him access to the target. Brad massaged a little lubricant into DD’s twitching arsehole and then after rolling on a fresh condom over his cock, he thrust his rigid fuck-stick with considerable force deep into DD’s hole, giving his partner a taste of what proved to be an exhilarating and no-holds-barred first ride.  If ever the saying, be careful what you wish for, was ever more apposite, DD certainly was treated to exactly what he had requested. Had he know what an expert cocks-man Brad was, DD might well have thought twice before telling his partner to be really rough on him. Brad however, who enjoyed both giving and receiving rough sex from time to time, gave DD his all. He withdrew himself completely from DD at each and every stroke and used ever increasing force as he thrust his rock-hard member back into his partner’s arse.

As he fucked DD, Brad rapidly became subservient to the urgent demands of his cock, which seemed to compel him to use ever greater force and speed, until with one final thrust he brought both his partner and himself to a gigantic climax, in which both young men shot their huge loads in a series of tremendous, incontrollable jerks, truly worthy of the word ejaculation. Brad’s copiously sticky emission was caught in his condom; but DD, who had neglected to roll on a fresh rubber before submitting himself to what had been a marathon act of the hardest rogering imaginable, shot his load all over the floor. But even though he had battered DD’s arse, Brad, for all his vigour, had never lost sight of the fact that, at the end of the day, both he and his partner had to be satisfied by the act in which they had jointly engaged.  Brad was one of those rare birds, who, even in an act as wanton and dissolute as the one he had just committed, always aimed to take his passive partner through to orgasm at the same time as he emptied his own balls. So even a rough fuck, at the hands of – or better put – by the cock of Bradley Caine, was an event from which both partners emerged fully satisfied.

Disengaging his cock from DD’s arse, Brad stood there naked and dripping with the sweat of a job well done. And it was at that precise moment it suddenly hit him that when he was the active partner to the sex act, just how much he enjoyed dominating the guy he was fucking. He enjoyed all forms of copulation, but now that he had discovered the joys of rough sex, he saw how it fitted in with his love of wielding the cane and giving pain to the recipient. They were both aspects of his character which were manifestations of that hidden sadistic streak, which he had finally acknowledged that he had and which he secretly loved to exercise.

“Jesus H. Christ,” said a totally dominated DD. “You really do know how to rough-fuck a guy.  That, my dear sir, was without a doubt the greatest and hardest fuck I have ever had in my life.  You took me at my word, and acted as if you were raping me, which of course you weren’t because I asked you to do it. You gave me everything – and more – than I have ever envisaged in my wildest dreams. But the way you took me – battered me – through to a climax at the same time as you shot your own load, is something I have never before experienced. And what a climax it was; I have never felt anything like it. I suppose that is what separates the wheat from the chaff: the good from the brilliant. I kid you not, Brad, I have fucked and been fucked by many different guys in the six or so years of my active sex life to date, but you managed to take the act to a different level than anyone I have ever been with. You, my friend, are the absolute bees-knees of a sex partner. Where the hell did you learn to fuck like that? No, don’t tell me now. Look let’s get a shower and clean off all this sweat and then you can tell me your history – if you want to, that is – over dinner.”

DD drove them into Great Moulton.  In fact it turned out that there was quite a decent restaurant there; ensconced at a quiet table, DD suddenly said: “My treat, but I think we should have a bottle of bubbly to celebrate that miracle of fate which has somehow thrown us together and to toast to a long and intimate friendship once you take up residence at Moulton Midmarsh.”  The champagne came – Veuve Cliquot, no less – and dinner was ordered.  Relaxing after their somewhat tiring sexual exertions, DD finally came round to the subject which Brad had known he would: “So, Brad, don’t think me nosy, but please just give me enough to satisfy my curiosity; why does a graduate from Oxford, with a good degree in mathematics, choose, as his first teaching post, a god-awful reform school like Moulton Midmarsh, stuck way in an equally god-awful, miserable part of the country, when he could have a post in a prestigious, public school in a more agreeable part of the country?”

Brad took a deep breath and said: “Well if you really must know, know, I most certainly did not apply for the post at Moulton Midmarsh because I was full of crusading zeal, feeling I could save a set of youthful delinquents from their worst selves and in so doing, help to put the world to rights. Indeed, my motivation was quite different and based purely on self-interest.  So, as we have all evening, let me explain in full, so that you know the whole story, straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak.”

Brad now recounted  how he had met Simon by chance at what amounted to a private CP club for gays as an undergraduate at Oxford and what had developed between them as a result of that meeting: “So as you can see, when Simon died as a result of an unfortunate accident, my life seemed to be at an end. After three years together, Simon, and I were more or less joined at the hip. I had lost the love of my life and the future looked dismal for me without him. But then I saw that life had to go on and I realised that I had to get away from Oxford with all the memories it held for me and make a completely new start somewhere else. And because of my penchant for beating arse, which for my sins, I absolutely adore, I chanced on the advert for the job at Moulton Midmarsh, which called for a strict disciplinarian; I applied and here we are.  My coming here was not at all dictated by a desire to teach mathematics but to indulge in my – let’s call it what it is – my perversion: beating arse. But, for the first time since I became addicted to the cane, which like sex has become something I would hate to do without, what this school offers me, is the opportunity to beat the backsides of young miscreants, who really do deserve to be punished, whereas at Oxford, the guys I was beating offered themselves to me to satisfy their own perverse – to me at least – desires.”

“I can tell you this, DD, that today, when the Headmaster and I gave those three boys hell, I enjoyed beating them more than I had ever done in the past at the Brotherhood meetings in Oxford: for the first time in my life, I was caning guys who deserved to be punished. I cannot tell you how different that fact made me feel. I had wrestled mentally with the fact that I actually enjoyed an act into which I had initially been accidentally pushed by Simon, before finally seeing that he was right; I did have a sadistic streak in my makeup and I finally acknowledged that fact to myself. But now, at Moulton Midmarsh, with a lot of young miscreants who deserve to be punished, I have to admit that I feel a lot easier in my mind when I inflict pain, an act which, I am still ashamed to admit, gives me great pleasure.”

“Although Simon and I were true lovers, we both enjoyed having sex with other men, which is why, after we met, clicked and started living together, we still went the Brotherhood meetings.  Sex there was quite different to the sex Simon and I had together. There, sex was nothing more than a recreational pastime or hobby: it was like going to the theatre or playing a game. Whereas when Simon and I had sex together, which we regularly did, it was as true, committed lovers.  By the way, I should tell you that I have also told more or less everything I have just told you to the Headmaster. He too was curious to know how one as young as me, was such an expert with the cane.  So now you both know why.”

“Now, DD, back to ourselves and what has already passed between us. Cards on the table, as soon as I saw you when the Headmaster introduced us to each other, I sensed immediately that you were gay. And from the way you looked at me, I guess you too sensed that I was of the same sexual persuasion.  Frankly when we went to your place for a drink, I wondered how things would develop between us, as we were both clearly psyched up and wanting to have sex with each other that required one of us to break the ice, which you did, in a highly dramatic way, I might add, leaving no doubt at all as to what you wanted. So, where do we now stand? Well, I suppose in sporting language, we are one all; we have each fucked the other just once and celebrated our nascent friendship with a bottle of champagne.  Unless you have a better idea, why don’t we go back to your place and, to try, in your words, to get to know one another better? I can, for instance, show you the other side of myself, which is the diametric opposite of the rough fuck I gave you earlier.  So, shall we continue with our exploratory investigations of each other and see where that leads us?”

A half hour later, back at the school and in DD’s rooms, the two of them stripped off and headed straight into the bedroom.  This time, however, it was Brad who took the lead.  The two of them rolled on fresh rubbers, and then, without consulting DD, Brad applied lubricant to his own cock, before pushing DD flat onto the bed, parting his legs and kneeling between them, more or less as DD had done to him in their first sexual act together. He then took hold of DD’s legs, hoisted them over his own shoulders, holding DD’s thighs against his own chest with his arms. And in that position, he very gently slid his cock into DD’s anus and with one slow, smooth, uninterrupted movement gave his partner his full nine inches of rigid man-meat until his balls were pressed firmly against DD’s arse. If one had to sum up what was about to happen, Brad was about to give his partner his signature fuck. Then after a half a minute, allowing DD to luxuriate in the feeling which that first, penetrative stroke always engenders in the passive partner, Brad started very gently to truly make love to DD.

His approach now was the absolute antithesis of his previous rough fuck. He first made haste slowly, by giving DD long gentle strokes with his penis, each time bottoming his balls against DD’s arse. And then as time passed and both he and DD were becoming more aroused, with DD crying out in utter pleasure for him not to stop what he was doing, Brad increased the amplitude, speed and force of his strokes, until he saw from the expression on DD’s face that he had taken him to the very edge of his climax. He then made what was his signature move, his coup de grace, withdrawing himself completely, waiting a couple of seconds with his cock poised to re-enter DD’s anus and then bringing both DD and himself to a gigantic orgasm, by thrusting himself at great speed combined with force back inside his partner, resulting in a simultaneous, explosive ejaculation of semen from both of them.

Why does copulation, one of the most physically awkward acts between two males, which once perfected, becomes one of the most agreeably addictive acts, have to be such hard work?  In many ways it’s like panning for gold in a mountain stream; a lot of work for a very small return; but in the case of sex, what a return! That feeling of ecstasy, which we call orgasm, drives us humans, alone in the animal kingdom, to fuck for pleasure and not just for reproductive purposes, as appears to be the case with all other living creatures. I wonder if anyone has ever tried to quantify what percentage of sex acts between a male and a female are uniquely for pleasure; the vast majority, I would guess.  For male-male intercourse, as between Brad and DD, the act is only for pleasure and, in spite of the effort needed, most gays feel that it is worthwhile. It’s almost like visiting a Michelin three-star-restaurant, which in the old days, before the ubiquity of the red Michelin Guide books, the then original and unique Michelin Red Guide to France used to qualify with the phrase, vaut un detour – worth a detour.

Of course, interpreting this exhortation in the context of gay sex, it means worth the effort, which was most certainly the case at present with Brad and DD, as Brad now fell on top of his supine partner and the two of them remained together, enjoying the communion between their two naked bodies, more or less glued to each other in a sweaty, post-coital embrace After they had recovered their breath from what had been an exhilarating but nevertheless strenuous five minutes of sexual pleasure, the two young studs, each clearly now totally besotted by the other, went on and consolidated their knowledge of each other’s bodies. It began by DD suddenly rolling them both over on the bed and then penetrating Brad, again in the missionary position. But that was just the beginning of a night, which can but be described as a veritable pas-de-deux of anal sex, involving the most complex and sophisticated choreography. In the words of one of those bawdy rugby-club songs, the two of them rogered all night and took great delight in a non-stop series of couplings in which they exhaustively enjoyed the delights of each other’s sexual prowess.

Brad awoke next morning at around seven o’clock, to find he was in bed with DD sound asleep beside him, with both of them still stark naked. Since Simon’s death, although he had not lived the life of a celibate monk, Brad had never actually slept with any of the several Brotherhood members, who had lavished on him what is best described as sympathy sex, during what was his period of mourning. In fact, although Brad had led a very active sex life with many different partners, he had, until now, only ever slept with one man, Simon. But now, as he gazed at the beautifully ripped physique of last night’s partner and thought of the pleasure they had both had in uninhibited sex with each other, Brad suddenly realised that perhaps there was life post-Simon after all. DD suddenly stirred himself. He looked at Brad and said: “Well, my friend that was quite a night we had together as I am sure you agree. Look, it’s already past seven and breakfast is at seven-thirty, so we had better get our skates on. Come on Brad, we can both fit into the shower together.” 

Once in the shower, as the two of them soaped each other up and washed away all sticky traces of the previous evening’s travails, the inevitable happened. DD’s cock, which, for some easily explicable reason, had become hard yet again, just managed to slip itself into Brad’s arse yet again. DD did not proceed to attempt to fuck Brad to a climax, but gave him a sort of copulative hug, in the form of six long, tender thrusts of his cock, before laughing and withdrawing himself.

“DD, what the fuck do you think you are doing?”

“Keep your shirt on, old man; I was only confirming that I still wanted you. Anyway, Brad, you enjoyed what I just did to you; go on; you know you did so why not just admit it. You, Bradley Caine, are as randy a sod as I am; we both like to fuck; you know it; and I know it. So you may as well face facts and admit it. Anyway, just let me sum up our relationship so far; we both seem to have taken leave of our senses last night; but I enjoyed every minute of what we did together. Brad, I am delighted that you are joining us shortly as a permanent colleague; I have never enjoyed having sex so much as I did last night with you. Frankly, Brad, it will be great to have you around on a permanent basis. And reading between the hypothetical lines, which may never be written, I suspect that you feel the same way about me; at least I sincerely hope you do.  Brad, after last night, I think that you and I were just destined by fate to meet; we are just so right for each other.”

Brad listened to this effusive declaration about their suitability for other, a sentiment which he, in fact, shared with DD. However, last night had been a first time and might turn out to be a one-night-stand for all he knew.  He had told DD about his own situation, but he knew nothing of DD’s potential commitment to someone else. After all, as DD was a highly attractive, handsome, well-ripped and sexually very capable, it was not beyond the bounds to think that he was already seriously committed to someone else and that last night had been an opportunistic occasion when he had indulged himself in an evening of recreational sex, such as Brad himself had done on numerous occasions both before and after he had found Simon.

But Brad, in spite of his reticence, admitted to himself that he had, in fact, thoroughly enjoyed himself. Being completely honest, he had enjoyed fucking DD and being fucked by him more than any casual relationship he had had with members of the Brotherhood since Simon’s death. In his heart, he already knew that if DD was uncommitted, he would be a worthy successor to Simon; but for the moment he remained cautiously non-committal and said: “Yes DD, you are right; we had a great time together last night.  Now we had better get a move on and have breakfast before I go to see the Headmaster and sign my employment contract.”  As Brad looked at DD, he sensed that he was disappointed that his own declaration had been met so coolly.

At nine o’clock, Brad again found himself in the Headmaster’s study. “Well young man, I hope you had a pleasant evening with your future colleague, DD O’Sullivan; such an agreeable young man, I always think. He is one of our most valued masters, as he is one of the few masters who takes no nonsense whatsoever from the inmates.  And I hope your room for the night was completely satisfactory and that you slept well.”

“Everything was perfect, Headmaster. DD was an excellent guide and deluged me with endless facts about the school.  And he took me into Great Moulton and gave me an excellent dinner.   So, all in all, I had a very agreeable evening. DD and I hit it off just fine, so I shall be glad to have my lodgings adjacent to his when I take up my post after Christmas. It’s always good to have a neighbour whom one likes.”

“Yes, I felt sure you and O’Sullivan would get on together. I think it is always nice to have an agreeable neighbour; don’t you?” As he said this, the Headmaster gave Brad a knowing look which said it all. 

“He knows,” thought Brad: “The old boy knows that DD and I spent the night together; I bet that is what he intended all along. He knew that I was gay as soon as he saw me and before I ever poured my heart out to him about Simon and me; and I suppose he knows that DD is cut from the same cloth. He just has to know, as I knew DD was gay from the moment I set eyes on him.  So the old fox purposely absented himself for the evening to let DD and me get to know one another. Well if that was his plan – and a pound to penny it was – it certainly succeeded. The only thing I wonder is if he realises just how far DD and I got in the process of getting to know one another. Well, who cares, things are what they are, and nothing will change that.”

The Headmaster continued: “Now to more serious matters; the bursar has prepared your contract, which is with the school’s owners, a public limited company called Public Custodial Services, known as PCS for short, to which the government of this country has contracted out all its prison and junior custodial establishments such as this school. As an employee of such an organisation, you will enjoy the benefits of a big commercial group, such as a non-contributory retirement pension scheme and free additional private health insurance, in addition to our famed, but often overworked, NHS scheme. PCS is a generous employer, especially for such establishments as this one, where it can be difficult to recruit the right kind of staff. And for that reason, the salary is generous for the teaching profession, as it includes a hardship allowance, which takes into account the unattractive place in which this school is located and the equally unsavoury and dangerous character of the inmates. Unless you have any more questions, you need only sign on the dotted line to become a fulltime employee of this school.”

Brad signed the contract and pocketed his copy as the Headmaster continued: “Well that’s that. Now the only immediate matter to settle is the actual date on which you will join us.  Have you had time to give the matter any thought since yesterday?”

Brad had given the matter a great deal of thought and his experiences the previous evening with DD had spurred him on to join the school as soon as possible. Although he had not said anything as directly fulsome to DD as DD had said to him, he already felt that the two of them were meant for each other, in much the same way as he had felt about Simon after their very first, somewhat unsatisfactory coupling together. As there was nothing at all to keep him in Oxford and as Moulton Midmarsh, in spite of its designation as a school, was in fact, a penal institution and its inmates were not given holidays, he had decided that the sooner he took up his new position, the better. And so he said to the Headmaster: “Well, sir, in view of the fact that you would like me on board as soon as possible, as there is nothing urgent to keep me in Oxford any longer; I thought that I could possibly join you in the week immediately following Christmas.  It is now the beginning of the second week of December, so that would give me a full two weeks to clear up my affairs in Oxford and install myself in my new lodgings here in the School, to start work in the New Year. Would that suit you, Sir?”

“My dear fellow, your suggestion is absolutely fine.  Just send me an email to tell me at what time you will arrive in Cambridge and I will arrange for you to be picked up at the station. Just let me say how delighted I am that you can join us so quickly. The School urgently needs someone like you on board to enforce the discipline which has been so unfortunately lacking since the departure of your predecessor. Now, your train from Cambridge is, I believe, at 11:30 and as it is now 10, I think you had better make a move. You will, no doubt, be delighted to hear, that your new colleague and neighbour to be, DD O’Sullivan has volunteered to drive you to the station, so let me see you to his car. I am so glad that you two seem to have got on so well on such short acquaintance; but then, that is how friendships often happen.  Ah, here he comes right now. Well goodbye for now and have a safe and pleasant journey back to Oxford.”

As he took Brad by the hand, he gave him that amused, knowing look which said it all.  “The cunning old man knows,” thought Brad as he climbed into DD’s car.  But the Headmaster had not quite finished as he said to DD: “I was so pleased to hear from Caine, here, that you two young sparks hit it off so well together yesterday and were able to spend a pleasant evening together.  I am sure you will make excellent neighbours when Caine joins us shortly after Christmas; you will be able to take care of him for the New Year’s Eve celebrations.”

Continued in Chapter 14