Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.
David's Initiation: The Partnership 05
The first salesperson they met when they entered Jos. A. Bank's was Joel Steiner, a very well dressed man about 55 to 58 years old with thick, neatly groomed, silver hair and a warm smile. Tony immediately liked him because he projected a polite, low-key sales approach. Dave stood back and let Tony interact with the Mr. Steiner, telling him what he was interested in and listening to suggestions. Tony tried on four suits and several sport coats and sought Dave's opinion before choosing the medium gray two-button suit and the navy blue blazer. To the blazer, Tony added one pair of light gray and another pair of tan slacks. Dave thought they were excellent choices because everything fit in such a way as to accentuate Tony's masculine physique.
While Tony and Mr. Steiner were looking through the stacks of shirts and trying to match ties, Dave noticed that the store also carried a line of tuxedos, good for future reference.
Next, Tony went to the fitting room where the tailor measured and marked the trousers length. The suit and sport coat fit perfectly and alterations weren't needed. While Tony was with the tailor, Dave noticed some soft luggage and realized that he hadn't seen any luggage Tony could use for traveling. When Tony returned from the fitting room, Dave asked him about it and Tony admitted that all he had was a duffel bag and a small overnight bag and those obviously weren't appropriate. At Dave's suggestion, Tony selected a bag that Dave was sure would be suitable to fit in the overhead bin of an airplane.
Finally the moment arrived when it was time to pay. When Dave tossed his American Express Platinum Card on the counter, Mr. Steiner gave both of them questioning looks. No telling what he might have been thinking but Dave and Tony acted as though everything was as normal as could be.
Tony's stomach had been growling for at least fifteen minutes by the time they walked out of the store and Dave laughed that he was embarrassed by the loud noises. Just a few doors down the strip mall from Bank's was a decent looking Mexican restaurant so they went in and tried the enchiladas. They weren't as good as Mikes home-made but they were pretty good for restaurant food.
On Wednesday, the renovation crew arrived to begin work on Georgia's apartment and the recreation room. Georgia had agreed to be at the house every day just as a precaution. Dave knew how important it was to have a responsible person in the house to keep the workers honest and he knew Georgia wouldn't take shit from anyone.
When Tony arrived home that evening Georgia handed him a FedEx Overnight Letter - it was from his father. Tearing it open - no easy task - he discovered a letter and a check for $10,000. He was still reading the letter when Dave walked in.
"Whatcha got?" Dave asked Tony as he gave Georgia a hug. Tony looked up with a big smile on his face.
"Come read this," he beckoned and held the letter out for Dave.
"Bye y'all," Georgia called out as she exited through the door into the garage.
"Bye," They shouted in unison.
After a 'welcome home' kiss, Dave took the letter in hand and began to read.
"Dear Son, "Mama and I want to congratulate you on your decision to pursue your education. You probably know that we helped your sister and brothers pay for their education and we intend to do the same for you. Therefore, we have enclosed a check for $10,000 to cover the cost of tuition and books. When that runs out just let us know and we'll send more. Since your rooming expenses appear to be covered you aren't going to be as costly as your siblings were. (There's some the humor in that somewhere.) We really enjoyed spending time with you last weekend and meeting Dave.
"Our love to both of you, (signed by both parents.)"
P.S. We're hoping you two are planning to visit us sometime soon."
Dave looked up from the letter and smiled at his partner. "This is really great!" Dave said with quiet emotion. "There's a lot more being said in this letter than just the words on the paper."
"Yeah, I thought so too," Tony agreed. "And ya know, Papa has a pretty good sense of humor also."
Dave chuckled. "Yeah, I've noticed, and he seems to have given some of it to his youngest son."
"Now I can pay you back for my new wardrobe."
Dave gave Tony a serious look. "Please... I wish you wouldn't." They looked at each other for several seconds then Dave continued. "That money's your parents investment in your future. I'd feel a lot better if that's what you spent it on."
"Okay, but I just feel guilty about you buying me such expensive things."
"I know, I went through the same thing with Paul. And it took me a while to realize that he was an adult and could spend his money however he chose." Then Dave said something that surprised even him. "If I don't already have your love, buying you things isn't going to make any difference." It was an 'ah ha' moment, both men recognized the veracity of that statement. "Besides, buying your clothes serves a mutual purpose for both of us."
"Okay, that's the last you'll hear from me on that subject." And it was.
Thursday, after work, Tony got home early, showered, and headed of to the Bookstore. Dave left work at his normal time and went to check in with Doc Gray at Philos. Gray had some ideas he wanted to run by Dave and asked him to drop in. Dave thought Doc's ideas were well justified and suggested that Doc present them to the Board of Directors and he'd support him. Dave saw no problem getting Board approval.
Before leaving, Dave went looking for Dan to say "Hi" so he walked down to the Counseling and Support Group area. Lucy, a volunteer was working the reception desk.
"Hi, Lucy, is Dan around?"
"Hi, Dave," Lucy replied with a friendly smile of recognition. "He's not here today. He came in Tuesday but yesterday and today he called in sick."
"What about his support group?" Dave asked.
"We've managed to call in a couple of other counselors so the clients haven't had to miss any of their sessions."
"Thanks, Lucy, see you later." Dave turned and walked back down the hall. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed Dan's number. After the fourth ring Dan's voicemail picked up. Dave terminated the call and continued walking out of the building to his car.
It wasn't like Dan to be sick and not say something. Dave had a curious feeling and pondered what to do next. He stood next to his F-250 for a couple of minutes with his hand on the door then he opened it and climbed in.
"Hi Babe, whatcha doin'," Tony asked as he answered his cell phone.
"Hi Hon, I'm on my way over to Dan's place. He called in sick yesterday and today and I just wanna check up on him."
"Sick, huh, that's too bad. Call me when you find out something and we can decide what to do for dinner."
"Yeah, will do. Call ya later." Dave ended his call, started the engine and began driving.
When he drove into the parking lot he parked right next to Dan's car and surmised that Dan was still home. He got out of the car, walked up to the second floor apartment and rang the doorbell. After waiting for about a minute without a response he rang again. After another minute passed with no answer, Dave began to feel nervous and, using his fist he knocked loudly.
"DAN! IT'S DAVE, OPEN UP!" Dave shouted hoping to get some kind of response. About thirty seconds later he heard the deadbolt sliding back and the door opened a crack, still secured by the chain lock.
"Dan? It's Dave, you okay?" Dan didn't answer. The door closed and Dave could hear the chain lock being removed, then the door opened slowly, just wide enough for Dave to enter.
Dave stepped into the entryway and wondered why it was so dark. The lights were off and the curtains were all closed. Dan walked away with his back to his friend. Dave followed Dan into the living room area where Dan plopped down on the sofa. Dave sat down in a nearby chair.
"You okay, Man?" Dave asked with obvious concern in his voice. This was so unlike Dan. "What's the matter?"
"I'll be okay," Dan answered softly, weakly, then he sighed.
Dave stood up and moved to join Dan on the sofa, all the time trying to study his friend's face in the darkness. Then it occurred to him... Tom wasn't home. And Dave thought back to the parking lot; he hadn't seen Tom's car. Dave's eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and he could see Dan's face better.
"Holy shit!" Dave exclaimed quietly. "What happened?" Now he was able to see that the left side of Dan's face appeared swollen and dark. "Did Tom do this?"
After a moment of silence, "Yeah," Dan replied, but he didn't elaborate.
Dave moved closer to his friend. "Talk to me Danny," Dave requested compassionately. Then he reached out, carefully held Dan's chin and turned his head more toward the small amount of light that was leaking into the room. He clearly saw that Dan's left eye was heavily bruised and the left side of his upper lip was split. "That son-of-a-bitch! That fucking bastard!"
"He left." Dan spoke softly. "He's gone."
"Oh Danny," Dave exclaimed sadly. He knew how much Dan had wanted, hoped, dreamed that he and Tom could develop a relationship like his and Tony's and Mike's and Todd's. "Can ya tell me what happened?"
Painfully, Dan began talking. He explained how at Tom's encouragement their sexual relationship had started to get physically rougher. At first Dan was okay with it. It kinda brought back some fun memories of his days in San Francisco and Tom was okay with it. Then at some point Tom crossed a line, the roughness grew too violent, san Dan demanded Tom stop but he didn't. One thing led to another and Dan decided he'd had enough of that in San Fran and he wasn't about to go back. That resulted in some name-calling and finally Tom punched him out and left.
"Oh Danny, oh Danny, shit Man, I'm so sorry," Dave said as he stood up. Dan instinctively knew what Dave was thinking and when Dave reached down and pulled Dan up into a hug he went willingly.
"Uh..." Dan flinched when Dave's arms closed around his chest. "I'm afraid my ribs are a little soar too." Dave loosened his hug. They didn't speak for several minutes.
"Can I do anything to help?" Dave asked.
"Thanks, Dave, you've helped already just by being here. I'll be okay in a day or two, then I'll get on with my life."
"What're you doin' for dinner?"
"Hell, I haven't thought that far ahead. I've been too busy sittin' here havin' a pity party."
"Let me call Tony and have him pick up some Chinese and bring it over for us?"
"Yeah, that'll be okay." Dan agreed. "But no fucking chop sticks!" Dan demanded. Dave could feel that Dan was beginning to get his sense of humor back.
"Right, no fucking chop sticks," Dave replied with a chuckle. Then he pulled out his cell phone, called Tony and made the request.
Tony arrived with the food and was shocked and angry at what he saw; Dan had agreed to open the blinds and turn on some lights. Tony was ready to hunt Tom down and rearrange his face but Dan put a stop to that kind of thinking.
"Look, I don't hate Tom, I'm just disappointed, that's all. It's partly my fault, I coulda, shoulda stopped it when it first got started and I didn't. Also, I think Tom's having some real identity problems with being gay. For his sake, I hope he's able to work things out."
"Well, Dan," Dave began. "Maybe you coulda and maybe you shoulda but it's not your fault. Nobody, and I mean nobody, especially you, deserves to be treated like this."
"He's right, Dan," Tony added. "When you love someone you don't treat them like this, no matter how good the sex may be. You're a lot more forgiving than I could be."
At that moment the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Tony volunteered as he arose from his chair. He walked to the front door and opened it.
"We thought we'd find you here," Mike said happily with a big smile. "I saw Dave's truck in the parking lot when I left to go to the store and saw yours when I returned." Tony had stepped back from the doorway inviting Mike and Todd inside.
"Yeah," Todd continued, "we knew you weren't at our place and figured you must be... oh shit!" Todd exclaimed in surprise as his eyes focused on the condition of Dan's face.
"Holy bat fuck!" Mike exclaimed.
"Disregard him, he's hooked on the Batman series he found on one of the cable channels." Everyone laughed. ""You all right, Dan?" Todd asked.
"I'll be fine; thanks for asking."
Dan's four friends proceeded to surround him with the full measure of their compassion, support, friendship and love. Before the session broke up Dave had invited them to his and Tony's place on Saturday, a week and a half from then, for a relaxing afternoon and evening. That would be the Saturday after Dave and Tony returned from Dallas.
After surviving his struggle with AIDS, at least for now, and with the added strength of his friends, Dan convinced himself that his experience with Tom was just one more lesson in his journey through life. Sunday he went to church with his friends and gave thanks for having such caring companions. Dave had waited five years before he hooked up with Tony and Dan knew he could wait just as long. Besides, he had a burden Dave didn't have to worry about so what should he expect. If it were going to happen, then it would happen. He could be happy with his friends and his work.
Tuesday evening was the first night of class for Tony, Mike and Dan; they'd selected "Oral Communication," otherwise known as 'speech' in the common world. On Thursday evening they went to different classes, Tony to his real estate course, Mike and Dan to "Introduction to Management Practices."
Wednesday evening, Dave explained their itinerary. They'd fly out mid afternoon Friday and go straight to Art's house. Dave then filled in any blanks Tony might have about Art and added that Beth, Art's wife, was the person who'd given him so much help decorating their house. As usual, Art was holding a party and Tony could expect to meet a broad cross section of wealthy and influential people. He also related his experience with Maggie and they both got a hearty laugh about that.
They'd sleep a little late on Saturday morning so as to allow their hosts to get some needed rest and then they'd drive to the Roehl ranch. Tony could expect to receive a tour of the ranch - on horseback - and then that evening there'd be a typical Texas Bar-B-Q with some kind of entertainment attended by a large group of people.
If they survived that, Sunday morning they could expect to accompany the Roehls to church and then spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting better acquainted. Monday morning they'd drive back to Dallas and spend most of the day at the AANCF meeting with various individuals and attending the Board of Directors Meeting.
"Whew! I assume we're gonna have time to catch our breath somewhere along the way?" Tony chuckled and sighed at the same time. Dave assured him that the schedule wasn't exhausting as it sounded and they'd get back home quite rested.
Thursday at work, Tony explained to Sam that he needed Friday afternoon off so that he and Dave could catch a mid-afternoon flight to Dallas and that he probably wouldn't be back to work until Tuesday morning.
Sam already knew what Dave had planned and practically ordered Tony to enjoy himself. Sam was a realist. From the start, he knew Tony wasn't going to be a long-term construction worker. He was too smart. Further, Tony had explained his plan to get a real estate license and Sam already knew he was going to recommend Tony to a real estate firm that he often did business with. So when Tony asked for time off to do things with Dave, Sam went out of his way to help; he really liked and admired the two young men and seeing them get together made him happy.
Following his usual routine, Dave turned his BMW over to the valet service at the airport and he and Tony proceeded to the Cirrus Lounge. Dave remembered his innocence when he first began traveling and he was interested to see how Tony would handle it. Except for their trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Tony had never flown First Class or been exposed to the type of special treatment he was about to receive. Never the less, he acted like it was an every-day occurrence. He didn't seem the least bit taken by the attention and just focused on Dave.
As they boarded the plane, Dave recognized a familiar face. "Hi Liz," he greeted her with a smile.
"Hi Dave, it's nice of you to join us again. Your usual trip to Dallas I see?"
"Yes, thanks," Dave replied as he continued onto the airplane carrying his roller-bag. He momentarily considered introducing her and Tony but decided to wait until they were seated. Dave thrust his bag into the air and slid it into the overhead bin. Tony followed suit and then took seat 4B next to Dave in 4A.
"Let me have your jackets, gentlemen, before they get all wrinkled," Liz asked. They removed their coats and Liz placed them on hangers and hung them in a storage closet. "The usual, Dave?" Liz asked.
"Yes, please, but first Liz, I'd like to introduce you to my partner, Tony Mancuso. Tony, this is Liz; we've been traveling together for several years."
"Hi Liz, Dave's not mentioned you before," turning to Dave, "you been keeping secrets?"
"I'm pleased to meet you, Tony," Liz smiled and threw a questioning glance at Dave. She wasn't sure just what kind of partner Dave was talking about. Then she noticed their matching rings and smiled knowingly at them. "And what can I bring you to drink... Tony?" She was about to say 'Mr. Mancuso' but since Dave had introduced him as 'Tony,' she decided that was the correct approach.
"I'll have the same thing you bring Dave," Tony replied with a grin. He really enjoyed the attention he was getting by being Dave's partner. Liz turned with a smile but without answering and walked forward toward the galley.
"Wow, you sure get the treatment around here. I'm gonna travel with you all the time," Tony stated.
"Try not to think about it; you'll get used to it."
About forty-five minutes into the flight, Liz came by for a visit. She was in the aisle, knees bent, laughing with Tony and Dave when a figure stepped up behind her.
"If these two characters give you any trouble, Liz, just let me know."
"Sean!" Tony exclaimed.
"Hi guys," Sean chuckled as Liz stood up.
"You didn't tell us you were gonna be on this flight, Sean." Dave stated.
"Yeah, it was a last minute thing. The scheduled captain called in sick and I got drafted." Then looking at Liz, "I see you've already met my brother-in-law."
"Your brothe... Tony's your brother-in-law?" Liz seemed surprised. She was making connections between Captain McGregor, Dave, and Tony. Sean must surely know that his brother-in-law is gay, or at least she presumed Tony was gay.
"Yes, Tony's my wife's brother and he and Dave live just down the street from us." That did it. Liz now had no reason to doubt anything. "Dave must be taking you to visit his Texas family and the AANCF meeting, right?" Sean asked Tony.
"Right," Tony grinned excitedly. They continued chatting for just over a minute then Sean said he needed to get back to work. Tony felt so excited by the fact that he was on an airplane being flown by his own brother-in-law.
The flight landed on time but was delayed en-route to the terminal so they arrived at the gate almost five minutes late. In airline parlance that's the same as being on time. Tony followed Dave through the terminal, past security, and into the parking lot where Dave walked directly to a silver Mercury Sable and entered the code in the keyless entry system to unlock the car, then he popped the trunk lid open.
When Dave moved the BMW to his house along with the studio grand piano, Art insisted that he replace it with another one. Never one to draw attention to himself, Dave suggested something less extravagant, more ordinary. He proposed a Ford Taurus and Art countered with the Sable. Dave agreed and left the details up to Aft. Not to be out done, Art ordered the top of the line car through a special dealership and loaded it down with every luxury possible, including GPS and dual exhaust.
"Is this your car; do you leave it here and only drive it every three months?" Tony asked. But then he noticed how clean the car was. If it had sat there for three months it should have been covered with dust, dirt, and grime.
"No," Dave chuckled, "It was delivered early this morning and I got an E-mail telling me where it was parked." They opened the car doors and sat down on the light gray leather seats. Dave pulled down the sun visor and removed the parking stub and as they drove he explained exactly how the arrangement worked. Tony was quite impressed, both by the efficiency of the operation and by the almost cavalier, unassuming attitude that Dave appeared to have about it all, like it was no big thing. It was just one more example of how Dave was definitely not impressed with his own importance or wealth. Tony admired that quality in a man, especially his man.
"David," Beth exclaimed as he led Tony into the kitchen through the garage. "How wonderful to see you again!" She gave Dave a big hug. "And this must be Tony," she extended her hand, not quite sure how familiar a greeting she should get herself into.
"Hi Beth, Dave's told me what a great lady you are and I love what you did to his house." Tony was trying his best to lay it on thick. "You sure have a tremendous decorating talent," even thicker.
"Why thank you, Tony, I'm glad you like it. Dave tells us you play the piano."
"Well, that might be a stretch, I haven't played or practiced for quite some time."
"I'm forgetting my manners, Dave, you know the way, why don't you show Tony to your room. You probably want to freshen up a bit before things get busy. If you want to rest a bit go right ahead. Or you can join us and we can visit. Arthur should be home any minute and we can have some snacks before the guests arrive. Since the invitations were for 8:00, I don't expect anyone for a few hours.
"Thanks, Beth," Dave responded, "we've had a pleasant trip and we'd like nothing more than to spend some quality time with you and Art. Where are the girls, by the way?"
"They've spent the past week at their grandparent's ranch near San Angelo and won't be home until Sunday afternoon. They're going to be disappointed that they've missed you."
"Well, I'll just have to send them something to make up for it," Dave chuckled. The Radford girls had more or less adopted him as another uncle whom they could ply for favors. "We'll be back in a few minutes." Carrying his bag, Dave led Tony through the house to the room he had always stayed in, it had become his room.
Tony's eyes were on constant scan, trying to absorb as much of the layout, furnishing, and decorating as he could in the short trip to the bedroom. The one thing he noticed immediately was many similarities in the way Dave's and this house were decorated. It wasn't exactly the same but the underlying tone was quite identifiable. Tony had always admired Dave's house and found a lot to admire in this one.
"Wow, she's quite a lady!' Tony exclaimed after the door to their bedroom was closed. "A little intense but very nice."
"Yes, she is." Dave had waited for Tony to set his back on the floor and then wrapped his arms around his lover's neck and engaged them in a long, relaxing kiss. "I've needed to do that ever since we left the house."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. But I think Junior's getting excited, is that what you had in mind?"
"Well, not exactly, but I think we need to wash up and go out and visit for a while. This will probably be our only opportunity for you to get to know Art and Beth."
"That does seem like the proper thing to do." Tony agreed. "From what I could see in the quick walk to this room, this is some house!"
"Well, Beth will want to give you the 50 cent tour and don't be surprised if she asks you to play something for her on their piano."
"I kinda picked up on that in her opening statement," Tony chuckled as the two men went into the bathroom to wash their faces and hands. "These folks are being so kind, I'll come up with something that hopefully won't be too embarrassing."
"I thought you might," Dave grinned into the mirror at his partner.
"David, my man," Art exclaimed as a freshened Dave and Tony entered the living room. "Bring your partner over here and introduce him, please." Art and Beth had been seated but were now standing as Dave and Tony approached them. First Dave got a hug. Then Art extended his hand.
"Art, this is Tony Mancuso, my life partner." That was the first time Dave had ever used the term 'life partner' when making introductions and Tony was about to explode with pride. "May I?" Art asked as he grasped Tony's right hand while holding his left arm up in the air suggesting he wanted a hug.
"Sure, why not," Tony smiled and moved into a hug with his host. Art was a little braver than Beth had been.
"So Tony, can you tell us about how you and Dave met?" Art and Beth had already read Dave's E-mail tales and were interested in hearing Tony's side of the story. He entertained them with some gems from his childhood and the Marines.
A relaxed conversation with much laughter flowed between the four. Beth coaxed them into the kitchen for some light snacks; there would be other food in the dining room once the party got started. Then as Dave predicted, Beth very politely asked Tony if he would play something for her. He selected one of Chopin's Nocturnes, which pleased Beth to no end. After that, Beth gave Tony the 50-cent tour as though that had been the reward for his effort at the piano. When they got to Art's office Tony did two complete turns as though he were trying to figure something out. Then he looked at Dave and smiled, he'd figured it out. Dave's office back home was almost identical.
The guests began to arrive shortly after 8:00 and before long the living room and dining room was filled to capacity and guests were even spilling over onto the patio. At first, Tony stuck close to Dave and watched how he interacted with the guests, frequently joining the conversations.
"David!" A female voice called from the entry to the living room. Dave and Tony turned in unison to see a very tall and attractive black woman moving toward them as swiftly as she could through the crowd.
"Hi Tonya," David replied with surprise. "I didn't know you were coming; it's great to see you." Dave's happiness was evident in his voice. Tonya placed her hands on Dave's shoulders and leaned in as Dave kissed her cheek while gingerly placing his hands under her arms.
"Unhand my woman," came a booming, laughing voice. Marcus was smiling when he finally made his way through the crowd. He clasped Dave's hand and shook it. In a more private setting they would have hugged. "David, it's good to see you." Turning slightly to his left, "And Tony, welcome to Dallas."
"Hold on, Walt, we need to make some proper introductions here." Dave used Marcus' professional name out of courtesy dictated by the circumstances. "Tonya," Dave said in a subdued tone of voice in an attempt to avoid being overhead. It gives me great pleasure to introduce my partner, Tony Mancuso, and Tony this is the lovely Tonya Richardson, The brains of the Richardson family."
"Tony, Walt told me many nice things about you after his last visit. And they must be true because I've never seen Dave looking so happy." Tonya offered her hand, which Tony held and politely shook.
"Now hold on there, Baker, I have a few brains of my own, you know." Walt wasn't going to let Dave get away with his putdown.
"See what you've done Dave, started a family feud," Tony chuckled.
"Let's move off that subject," Tonya suggested with a smile. "Are you ready to begin designing my new house, Dave?"
"Absolutely! Just tell me what you want, when you want it and where you want it."
"I want an English Tudor, about 6,500 square feet, and Walt is going back with you Monday to start looking for land."
"Actually," Walt interjected, "I'm going to begin setting up the office and hiring some staff. And of course I'll be looking for some place to build and a place to live until then."
"Say," Dave jumped in, "My sister and her family just moved into their new house a few weeks ago and I'm pretty sure the house they were leasing is still vacant. You might take a look at it."
"I'll sure have a look, where is it?" Walt asked.
"It's not that far from our place. You are planning to stay with us until your family moves aren't you?" Dave asked as though he wasn't going to accept 'No' for an answer.
"Well, I hadn't planed on it," Walt admitted, "but something tells me that if I turn down your invitation I'll be in trouble."
"Got that right," Tony replied.
"Dave, does that house have a pool?" Tonya asked.
"No, it doesn't. But that's no problem, y'all can come over to our house and swim. In fact, when you're ready to move, we'd be honored if you'd stay with us until your furniture arrives and you're ready to move in."
By the look on Tonya's face, it was apparent that she was considering the offer, probably reevaluating her maternal instincts. "Thanks, Dave, we'll think about it and let you know." Tonya leaned close to Dave and Tony and practically whispered so that others couldn't hear, "We look forward to moving back to Gods Country." All four of them laughed. "Oh, don't get me wrong, the people here have been absolutely wonderful. But you know, that's where family is."
"Yes, we understand," Tony chuckled.
"Okay, that's all the time you get, guys, we need to mingle. See you two Monday?" Walt asked as he nudged his wife toward the center of the room.
"Yes," Dave replied "We plan to stop by your office before going to AANCF."
"Good. We're on the same flight Monday afternoon. See you then." Tonya and Walt melded into the crowd.
The evening progressed and Tony's confidence grew. He and Dave drifted in different directions, engaging other guests in conversations and listening to them talk, brag, boast, etc.
As Dave circulated around the room greeting ladies and gentlemen he'd met before and being introduced to new attendees at Art and Beth's party, he always had a sense of where Tony was. He was amazed at how that seemed to work. Occasionally he'd look in Tony's direction and see that he was doing quite well, he didn't look the least bit out of place or ill at ease. Tony was holding his own quite well.
At one point Tony was standing with his back toward the wall listening to a couple of die-hard Dallas Cowboy fans talk ad nauseam about how great the team was going to be this year and how they were going to destroy all the competition.
It was during that occasion that Dave's eyes found his partner and they made eye contact. Dave watched the smile of recognition form on Tony's face and felt his member begin to plump up. 'How wonderful is that!' Dave thought.
As Tony listened to the bragging Cowboy fan, his concentration began to wander and his eyes refocused directly past the head of the man who was talking. There across the room stood Dave, apparently suffering the same fate as he. Their eyes met and Tony could see a gentle smile on Dave's face. Tony then realized he was smiling too. What a wonderful feeling, to know that you and your partner, you and your lover are making contact, communicating from across the room. Tony could feel Junior beginning to thicken; his nipples grew erect. And it wasn't because he was thinking sexual thoughts; it was because he loved his partner so much. Dave winked at him and he knew they were thinking the same thing.
"So, Tony, who's your favorite team?" one of the men asked and Tony snapped out of his trance.
"Actually, I've followed the Cowboys for years..." Tony replied as his mind returned to the discussion. That was actually true. Tony's favorite team was the Washington Redskins and the bitter rivalry that existed was the real reason he knew a lot about the Cowboys. He also knew how to avoid an argument.
The time on the bedside clock registered 07:42am. That meant that back home it was 08:42, well past their usual wakeup time. Dave listened but couldn't hear any sounds in the house other than Tony's steady breathing. Carefully he slid out of bed and went to the bathroom, emptied his bladder and returned to the bed. Amazingly the room arrangement was similar to their bedroom at home where Tony was on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom.
Snuggling back against Tony, Dave waited. Less than five minutes later, Tony awakened and went to the bathroom. Upon returning to the bed, he spooned in behind Dave, who appeared to still be asleep.
Dave felt Tony's erection pressing lengthwise into his crack spreading moisture on his skin. Then he felt Tony pull away and that thick member began moving south, leaving a trail of moisture like a snail. It paused momentarily at his rosebud then continued until it was between Dave's legs and pressing against the back of his scrotum. Next Dave felt Tony's left hand glide over his ribs, down his abdomen and lovingly encircle his erection.
"Thought you could fool me, didn't you?" Tony whispered in Dave's ear. Dave couldn't remain quiet any longer and a soft giggle escaped his throat.
Without saying a word, Dave reached between his legs and with his fingertips caressed the underside of Tony's shaft. He thought about what might happen next and sensed the embarrassment he'd feel leaving soiled sheets on Beth's guest bed. However, there was a way to have fun without the mess. Dave pulled away from Tony's erection, turned over to his left and placed his lips firmly against his lover's. Tony maintained his grip as Dave turned over and assisted Dave with the kiss.
Without a moment's hesitation Dave threw back the sheets and headed south. >From experience Tony knew exactly where Dave was headed and repositioned himself so they lay diagonally across the queen sized bed.
Whether because of the sensual games they played with each other from across the room the previous evening, or because they were in a strange bed, or because they were just horny, they climaxed in less than four minutes. Tony was first and when he let loose his fluid it was accompanied by a combination moan/groan and that sent Dave over the edge.
Back in each other's arms again, Dave was the first to speak. "Think that'll get you through the day?"
"I guess it'll have to," Tony replied quietly as he kissed Dave's lips softly.
"Good, because I doubt we'll have time for anything more before bedtime and we're gonna be exhausted by then. Now let's hit the shower." Dave smacked T ony's butt lightly, lovingly, and they got out of bed.
"You shower while I shave," Tony suggested. "It'll go faster that way." Dave agreed and about thirty minutes later they walked out of the guest bedroom carrying their luggage with them.
"You guys sleep all right?" Art asked as they walked into the kitchen.
"Great, thanks," Tony replied.
"Yeah, super," Dave added. "That was some party you had last night!"
"Thanks, Beth thinks it was one of our best."
"Beth sleeping in?" Dave asked.
"Well... she... uh... yeah. It's nice when the girls are gone..." Art felt he'd already said too much. At that moment they heard the coffee maker begin to gurgle. "Coffee's ready!" Art announced, hoping to divert attention from what he had been saying.
"Yeah, I'll bet," Dave replied with a half snicker and a smile. It was apparent that he and Tony weren't the only ones who'd enjoyed the morning.
Before long, the two partners were zipping along on the Interstate en route to the Roehl Ranch.
(To be continued.)