Me and My Boys

**If you don't mind reading about gay sex between characters that don't intentionally resemble anyone in real life and if it is safe for you to do so in your area then please enjoy!! Also, your feedback at Heavensforlife@aol.com is greatly appreciated. **

Me and My Boys

Chapter 8: Plus One, Minus One

The next Sunday, after spending all of Saturday in bed "making up" with Will, I met my three best friends for brunch.

"Do you guys realize what this is," Beau asked us just as we'd ordered drinks. A Vodka/Cranberry for me, Bloody Mary for Tanner, Martini for Charles and a very masculine Jack and Coke for Beau. "This is us, in our mid twenties eating brunch."

"You don't say, Sherlock," Charles tried to interrupt, but Beau kept talking dramatically.

"And we are all taken. None of us are single anymore," he said.

"That's it," Charles said. "I'm breaking up with Justin today."

This was a phenomenon and I knew for a fact it wouldn't last long. The way I saw it, Beau and Phillip couldn't last much longer. Although Beau had confessed that Phillip was considering leaving his girlfriend, there was no way that their fling would last longer than a couple of weeks. Once he got a taste of the gay abundance in Manhattan, Phillip would be eager to sew the oats he'd kept in the closet for so long. As for Charles and Justin, the undergrad was having fun now, but when it all came down to it, how long could an 18 year old and a 26 year old really last. Not to mention that the 26 year old in question was serial screwer and hardly ever settled down. Once the novelty wore off for both of them, could they really go the distance? I doubted it. As for me and Will, the events of this weekend revealed something very simple. Will wasn't perfect. But I'd forgiven him for so much already, could he really do something that would make him forfeit my trust forever? I certainly hoped not but I couldn't rule it out. The only couple that in our circle that I knew would last was Frank and Tanner, and that's only because they'd fallen into so much of a routine together, they wouldn't know how to live separately. Speaking of the two, conversation quickly turned to their wedding.

"The other two guys besides you three will be Frank's college roommate and his cousin Austin," Tanner was explaining.

"Which one is gay?"

"Neither, Charles. You aren't fucking fellow groomsmen," Tanner snapped.

"I was just asking."

"Now, for the rehearsal dinner, each of you will give a short speech," Tanner said looking at me when he said short. "I mean it Mikey. Short. No waxing poetic for an hour. " Shifting his gaze, he next addressed Charles. "And please, please don't be late on Saturday morning. We have to get started on time so that we can-"

"Get to the open bar," Charles finished.

With the pending nuptials barely a week away, Tanner's armor was beginning to crack and his OCD craziness was starting to show.

That afternoon when Will was over drinking hot chocolate and going through some photographs, I reminded him about the ceremony next Saturday.

"I assume you're going to be my plus one," I told him.

"Mhmm," he said noncommittally.

"Good. Any idea what you'll wear?" I sat down at my breakfast table next to him. I began undoing his tie for him. "Why do you have to get so dressed up for work?"

"I was shooting a wedding today. I needed to blend in," he said.

"Coincidence," I said. "But you aren't wearing this tie to my friend's wedding. I need you to look drop dead gorgeous."

"I wouldn't want to look better than the grooms," he said giving me a quick kiss and going back to today's wedding negatives.

I stood up and went into the living room to watch some TV. Fifteen minutes later, Will came in to join me.

"Did you say the wedding was next week Saturday?" he asked.

"Yes."

"In the morning or at night?"

"It's at 11," I replied. "I told you this twice. Why?"

He hesitated to tell me something, but seeing me glare at him expectantly, he pressed on. "I was hoping I'd be here for the ceremony but I'm leaving next Saturday afternoon."

"Leaving? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Toronto."

"And when were you planning on saying something?" I asked him. I realized my voice was rising. What the fuck was he doing?

"I was going to tell you on Friday, but you got all pissed off at me, so I assumed it wasn't the best time."

"Good assumption," I quipped. "So tell me now. What's going on?"

"The company I work for is going to start covering Canadian fashion designers, starting with their fashion week. If I do well there, they're going to open a Toronto office."

"With you at the helm," I said more of a statement than a question. "For how long?" I asked. I could feel myself getting more and more upset by the minute. I knew that the four of us being taken and happy couldn't last long- I didn't think I would be the one to break the streak so soon.

"Indefinitely," he replied.

"Unbelievable," I said standing up and walking towards my bedroom.

"I figured you'd be happy for me," he said following me.

"Overjoyed," I replied sarcastically. "Great fucking timing, by the way. Not only do I not have a date to my best friend's wedding, but evidently I don't have a boyfriend anymore either. Lock the door on your way out."

"Mike can we-"

"Lock the door on your way out," I said. He left me lying there, too angry to think and too disappointed to move. I called Charles and he came over thirty minutes later with essentials.

**Around the same time, Beau couldn't have been having a more different conversation. In contrast to their other trysts, Phillip called Beau in the afternoon asking what he was doing around dinner time.

"Eating, hopefully," Beau had responded, not knowing what exactly he'd be eating. A couple hours later, Phillip showed up at Beau's door and within minutes, Beau was eating a tube steak made to order.

They were well past the time for pleasantries and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Beau had Phillip pinned to the wall and was kissing him vigorously.

"How much time do you have?" Beau asked.

"Enough time to slow down," Phillip said softly. He took Beau's hand and put it around his own waste, still kissing him sensually on the lips. Their lips didn't part as Phillip walked backwards across the studio apartment until he felt the edge of the bed on his leg. He sat down slowly, Beau still standing and lifted Beau's shirt up over his head. He then worked on the tight corduroy pants that he regarded as too fashionable and Beau regarded as too cheap. Working together, they managed to undo both the belt and the pants without breaking their intense eye contact.

Still in his boy short underwear, Beau leaned Phillip back until he was laying down with their heads inches apart.

"I love it when we have time to slow down," he said working his fingers on Phillip's own pants. As the two of them stared at each other, Beau felt something he'd never felt before and it wasn't the intense heat coming from Phillip's incredibly hard boner. It was the feeling that Phillip wanted him to fuck him.

"So do I," Phillip said. They began kissing again, this time grinding their barely covered crotches into each other. Beau could feel a wet spot penetrating his shorts and he knew both of their dicks needed to be freed.

Before long, their grinding shifted so that Phillip's legs were raised and Beau had easy access to his tight hole. Without missing a beat, Beau slid on a condom and slipped in, reveling in the sight of Phillip's head rolling back in a mixture of pleasant pain. After a minute to let Phillip adjust, Beau slid in a little more and a little more until finally his entire shaft was buried in Phillip's ass and Phillip let out a sigh of content. And then the real fun started.

Beau, who always took advantage of the times he was on top in any relationship, slipped all the way, found Phillip's hole again and dove right back in. Phillip again let out a heavy sigh, indicating that Beau was just hitting the spot. Phillip's hands were orgasmically clinging to Beau's back; he'd have to have those scratches checked tomorrow.

And before long, the two of them were pumping away in a rhythm that long time lovers would envy. They met each other's glides beautifully, every now and again releasing their kiss so they could observe what the other looked like. Beau's face was concentrating and sexy. A light scruff on his boyish face indicated a skipping of the daily routine and Phillip liked the manly look. Phillip's eyes were glazed over in lust that could never be faked and his strong straight boy features made his ass even sweeter to Beau.

The sight of Phillip below him, his chest heaving and his body convulsing was way too much for Beau and after a few minutes of fucking, he couldn't control himself any long. Abandoning the kiss, he lifted himself up, and began pounding recklessly into Phillip's now loosened hole.

"Fuck, yeah," Phillip almost screamed. "Fuck yeah, fuck yeah." He said it over and over like a school girl getting it for the first time and his desperation for it turned Beau on even more. Seconds later, he pulled out, ripped of the condom and came more than he'd ever seen himself come. One rope hit Phillip dead in the face. The next whizzed past Phillip's face and landed on the back wall. The third was a chest shot and the last few just jutted out onto Phillip's deflating cock. His spunk coated his own chest and his hand, seeming to move on its own, was rubbing the two samples together.

"That was fucking incredible," Phillip said catching his breath.

"Don't talk," Beau replied. "I think I died just then." Phillip laughed. They lay there in their own jizz for what felt like hours, simply enjoying each other's presence. Phillip was the first to break the silence.

"I'm cold," he said in a not very sexy way. It was barely evening and the sun had just gone down. Phillip got up, went to the bathroom, came out wiped down and handed Beau his own towel. Then he proceeded to scoot Beau over and climb under the covers.

"This is new," Beau said getting under the blanket himself. "Are you staying the night or something?"

"Would you be mad if I did?" Phillip asked looking at Beau.

"Of course not," Beau replied.

"Would you be disappointed if I didn't?" Beau didn't know how to answer that question without sounding like that guy. But Phillip was being sappy and strange enough for the both of them. "I broke up with Katie today." Phillip said before Beau could reply.

"Oh," Beau responded. He wasn't sure what to say in these situations. Somehow, how he felt didn't seem appropriate. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Or you're thrilled," Phillip laughed. What was going on here? Was this an actual couple interaction they were having? "It's weird. Not having a girlfriend, you know?"

"I can't say I do."

"True. But it is. I mean I've been with a girl for so long. It'll be weird to go home and not have a girl there." He kept saying girl and Beau heard each and every one.

"Did you tell her about me?"

"I said I was sleeping with someone. I left the gender out of the description. She threw enough stuff without knowing I was leaving her for a guy." So it was because of me, Beau thought with a grin on his face. He couldn't help but swell with a little bit of pride.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Move out. Find a new apartment, I don't know." The idea popped into Beau's mind too quickly for him to stop it. He deserved a slap just for thinking it and he knew it. There was no way he would ever tell his straight-ish lover that he could stay in his too small studio while he searched for a new place. Of course, he didn't have. "Look, this is going to sound extremely awkward. My brother lives in Queens and I could stay with him until I found a place, but then I'd have to live in Queens and commute to work and to see you. The only friend I have in Manhattan just had a baby with his wife and well, I um, well..."

"Sure," Beau said anticipating the question and knowing how hard it was for Phillip to form the words. "I think we could work something out."

"Are you sure? This place is awfully small," Phillip said.

"I'm hardly ever here. And besides, we only need one bed, right?" he kissed Phillip and realized that his hand had lightly been playing with Phillip's nipple.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll put the bulk of my stuff in storage so it'll just be some clothes. And I should be able to find a place in no time."

"Then you obviously haven't ever looked for real estate in Manhattan," Beau joked. They continued to make move in plans as Beau continued to stroke Phillip's chest. An hour later, it was all settled- Phillip would move in tomorrow, and tonight they would fuck.

**I went through my Monday routine with a hangover to beat all hangovers. I barely had time to be angry at Will because I was too busy re-hydrating myself. After class, Justin came to my office which I hadn't locked in time and asked if I was ok.

"I'm fine, thanks," I told him.

"Look, um, Charles told me all about what happened," he said.

"I said I'm fine," I told him again. I obviously wasn't. In desperate need to work off all of the calories I'd consumed in liquid form last night, I called Charles and told him to meet me at Gold's at five. At four, Beau called.

"You won't believe what happened," he told me. "Phillip is moving in." A mixture of my resentment at Will and my intense feeling that this was a bad idea led me to silence- the best policy in situations like these with Beau. "And you aren't thrilled."

"I can't lie, you'll have to convince me that you shacking up is a good idea," I told him. "Me and Charles are going to the gym now. You should come."

"How about we do drinks after?"

"I'm never drinking again," I told him.

"Which means you also have a story to tell. We're meeting for dinner. Anaria's at eight. I'm calling Tanner."

I called Charles, told him I wasn't in a healthy way and that my sweat would probably get everyone at Gold's tipsy anyway. He agreed, saying he needed to talk to Justin before he went off studying again anyway. Four hours later, my three friends and I sat at our usual spot at the bakery we liked to call home.

"So what is this little gathering about anyway?" Tanner asked, checking his watch for the second time before drinks had even been ordered.

"Please," Charles said as the waiter approached. "First things first. I'll have a lemon drop to start and Sex on the Beach. What? I'm not working in the morning."

"Margarita on the rocks," I said.

"You recover quickly," Beau teased.

"When in Rome," I replied.

"Water with lemon please," Tanner ordered. "I can't look bedraggled on my big day."

"Lame," Beau said. "I'll have a Bud Lime." We all gave him a look and he just smiled at us. "Speaking of Bud Lime, I have news that you all will die over."

"Or because of," Charles said. I smiled and thanked god I was no longer hung over.

"Phillip is moving in with me," he said. We all just sat there in silence. Knowing already, I didn't have the heart to say what I truly felt. I knew Tanner thought it was cute, but that Beau wasn't ready. Charles was the voice of our thoughts.

"Ok, I'll say it. Worst idea ever." I silently thanked Charles for voicing my opinion.

"Why is it such a bad idea?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Charles replied. "Let's think on it for a second. One, he's straight-ish."

"Not every gay man I date has to be some kind of fairy," Beau defended.

"But it would help if he moved out of the closet before he moved in with you," Tanner said helpfully.

"Let's not forget the fact that when you met him, he was seeing someone. He's a serial cheater," I said as point number two.

"This is different. And Katie is the first person he's ever cheated on," Beau said. We all opened our mouths to speak at the same time, but our drinks came just then and we were all suddenly consumed with thirst. After a couple of sips, Beau added quietly "I think this is going to work. Phillip is great and he likes me. When he finds a place, he'll move out. For now, I'm glad to have him live with me and you guys won't talk me out of it."

I guess that was the end of it for now and the conversation quickly turned to me.

"Can we at least wait until our entrees come out before we talk about my latest tragedy?" I said. No such luck, so I told them anyway. I told them that Will's announcement produced a mixture of hurt and anger- that him up and leaving for Canada was reminiscent of the scene last year were he up and left for Europe only this time I got a one week's notice.

"I won't say I told you so," Tanner said when I was done.

"Noted," I said coldly. If I wasn't so mad at Will, I'd turn my anger to Tanner, but I was good at focusing. What I didn't confess is the burning desire I'd felt this afternoon to call Jesse- not just as a fuck buddy but as a friend. I wanted to tell him he'd been right but there was no way to accomplish that task without being desperate, needy and losing a lot of face. There was no need to bring that up at dinner because I already knew the answer.

There was a lot of Will bashing for the rest of dinner and because it was a Monday night and we were four working men, we didn't get sloppy.

At around nine o'clock that night, I found myself walking home to an empty apartment. Will had tried to call a couple of times, but it was easy to ignore the calls. In a week, they wouldn't even be coming anyway. For some reason, it was easy this time. I knew he was leaving and I was almost ok with it. I was only angry about one thing- that I'd chosen him over Jesse.

I sat at my computer and decided to write this week's column. I'd made my choice and it had turned out to bite me in the butt. What happens when you realize that you've made the wrong decision? Can you change your mind, just like that? In a city like Manhattan, with so many choices, how do you know when you've made the right one and what do you do when you realize you haven't? What do you do when the plus one becomes a minus one?

About an hour and 500 words later, my desire to call Jesse won out over my desire to save face. He picked up on the fourth ring just as I was beginning to panic.

"This is unexpected," he said nicely enough but without a hello. He clearly still had my number saved.

"Not the warm greeting I was looking for," I joked. He appreciated it.

"I wonder why," he said kind of rudely but with a hint of playfulness. Had it been long enough since we'd broken up that we could joke? I decided it had.

"Look, can't one ex innocently call another ex to see how they're doing?" I asked him.

"I suppose they can," he replied. "But another ex is expecting company and shouldn't be rude. How about I call you back tomorrow?"

Before I had a chance to come up with a more intelligent response, I just muttered goodbye and hung up. Company? I thought. It was almost eleven o'clock- there was only one kind of company at eleven. Was I being jealous? Obviously. Did I have a right to be? I wasn't sure, but I was going to exercise the right regardless. With nothing to do and no boyfriend to sex, I did what any self-respecting 26 year old in Manhattan would do. I called Charles and told him to meet me at the bar two blocks from my house.

Twenty minutes later, the ever-reliable Charles, dressed in a Fendi military shirt that was unbuttoned to his navel, met me at my corner and we walked to Yaz.

"Where's the boyfriend tonight?" I asked him.

"He went to a party with some of his friends," he said giving me a look that translated to `yes he still has those'. "I could ask you the same question."

"You could, but that would be very asshole of you," I said.

"So it's over," he stated. "Between you and Will?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I don't want it to be, but let's be honest. I can't do the whole separation thing again. And I don't want to be a wreck like last time. So I'm leaving on my terms."

We were entering the straight bar and immediately heads were turning to the two gorgeously stylish men that we were.

Charles, used to receiving attention anywhere, went straight for the bar while I looked around and smiled sheepishly for a few seconds, realizing my outfit alone could probably retail for high than the rest of the bar combined. I ordered my usual Cranberry/Vodka while Charles decided to for a Long Island.

"Sometimes you just want to get the job done." We talked about my new singleness for a few minutes. Charles' predictable position was that I'd take Will's departure much better if I slept with someone. I immediately thought about Jesse but chugged the rest of my drink to chase that thought out of my mind.

Two hours and several cocktails later, I was ready to break a sweat on a dance floor somewhere. Just as Charles and I were getting ready to leave, three tall exceptionally dressed men walked into the bar. They received much the same welcome as Charles and I mainly because they were all drop dead gorgeous. They all stood at least six feet tall and were wearing what I noticed to be expensive Italian designer labels. Their legs extended for days, but what I was mostly concerned with, in my drunken haze, was what was between them.

"Who are they?" I asked, more of a slur than a question. I suddenly gained all of my mental faculties.

"No clue," Charles replied trying not to show his awe at the new hottest guys in the room.

"Do you think they're gay?" I asked him.

"Everyone is gay with enough effort and enough liquor. Let's go buy them some drinks," he replied coolly. He was probably right, I thought. The three guys were already at the bar by the time I could take my gaze off of them. I saw one of them give Charles a smile and a second later he was standing. "Come on. I call tall."

"Blonde," I said following him.

"Hello fellows," Charles boomed confidently. My mind was racing. Was it ok to flirt with these guys while things were still up in the air with Will? Worse, what if that flirting lead to something? If Charles could do it while he was dating Justin, then so could I.

"Hello guys," the tallest one said in a rich southern accent. I guessed North Carolina or Georgia, but with clothes like that, the exact region of the south was a moot point. I guess this tall one was the self-established ring leader.

"What brings you all to this neighborhood?" Charles asked.

"We're just leaving a party. We're actually just in town for the week," the blonde one replied.

"Where are you all staying?" Charles asked. I just stood there awkwardly looking at the other guy who wasn't talking either. He was the blonde.

"The Waldorf," the tall one chimed in with a wide grin. "It's swank."

"Indeed," Charles said. "Let me order you fellows a round of drinks."

"Only if you let us get the next round," the blonde one finally said. His voice was every bit as drawled as the other two and his face was every bit as sexy. He looked at me and smiled at me.

"Most definitely," I said, glad that I wouldn't be buying any rounds whatsoever.

After drinking and talking to the guys for twenty minutes, we learned that they were old money from Louisiana, best friends, and part of the south's biggest shipping and oil families. They were in Manhattan for the blond one's 25th birthday- consequently meaning he had just come into part of his trust fund. My blonde was named Cooper, the tall one was Marc and the seemingly left out third one was Brian. I was proud of my selection and the two of us spent the entire evening flirting, buying each other drinks and seeing how far the other could be challenged.

"I bet you won't stand on that bar there and sing the song on the juke box," he told me. I laughed for several reasons when he said that. 1. I was known for my bar singing skills. 2. At this point in the night I was drunk enough to do anything. 3. There was no juke box anywhere to be found.

I countered with "If I do it, I bet you won't come up to the bar and give me a kiss." His face softened for a second as I could tell he was thinking about it. They must not have guy on guy make out sessions very often in Louisiana.

"Alright," he said finally. I got up on the bar and sang the last verse to Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. For the second chorus and key change, the entire bar was cheering me on and singing along. My part was over. As the song faded out, I gestured for Cooper to come up and join me on the bar. He hesitated, looked around at his buddies and saw Marc talking to Charles in the corner and Brian getting hit on by two very attractive girls. He took my hand, climbed up and a second later, we were making out on the bar to a room full of hoots and hollers.

The sight wasn't anything new to me. It wasn't a night out in Manhattan until someone was kissing on top of a dangerously high surface, but it was apparently a new feat for Cooper who was instantly turned on and embarrassed. After a couple of seconds of kissing, I could solidly feel a hard bump form in his jeans and his face had turned a bright red. He looked gorgeous as he blushed.

"That wasn't too bad," I said climbing down. He just grunted. "Want to get out of here?"

It was a little forward and I probably could have timed the question better. But his excitement had rubbed off on me and I was eager to advance the night- not to mention solidly push Will out of my mind.

"For sure," he said. "But I'm not sure I could find my way to the Waldorf from here."

"I live right around the corner. You can give your friends a call in the morning," I said. With this he smiled and followed me out of the bar, down the street and around the corner to my apartment.

**As for Charles, he was laying on the charm smooth and thick. Anyone in the room could tell that Marc was totally taken by Charles' smile and perfectly dark features. Marc on the other hand had Charles' full attention. With Justin out of sight and out of mind, the thick southern accent mixed with the gorgeous all-American looks was enough to hold Charles attention for at least the night.

A little bit after Cooper and I made our escape, Charles and Marc left as well, stopping to interrupt Brian with a "We're heading out. See you at the hotel," while he caked sweetly with the two attractive slutty girls.

After deciding that the hotel was closer to this part of town than Charles' upper east side apartment, they walked the few blocks to Marc's place in silence, each concentrating on keeping their hands off of the other until they got there.

Once inside the warmth and luxury of the hotel, they headed for the elevator where Marc pushed the up button for their floor. Once inside, all hell broke loose as Charles pressed tightly up against the southern beau and kissed him ferociously. The too tight designer jeans left nothing to the imagination as Charles' hand went to squeeze what he'd already felt pressed on his thigh.

"You're so fucking hot," Charles breathed as the elevator continued to go up.

"You too, bud," Marc replied quickly going back to Charles mouth with his own. They continued to steam up the elevator with their sloppy drunk kissing and fondling until the door opened and an older woman holding a dog gasped. She let the elevator close back up and two floors later, they were on Marc's floor. They kissed in the hallway for what felt like two minutes but must have been at least half an hour. They were interrupted by a joking voice saying "Wow. Don't you two have a room?"

Marc released his hold on Charles' crotch and chest and looked at the elevator to see Brian standing there alone.

"I thought you were hanging out with those two girls tonight?" Marc asked looking embarrassed.

"They have class in the morning," Brian replied. "I even walked them back to their dorm and they left me high and dry."

"Sucks to be you," Charles said. Brian was opening up the suite door.

"Are you guys coming in?" he asked.

"I suppose we can," Marc said buttoning up a couple of the buttons on his shirt. Brian gave him a knowing smile.

"You two looked like you were getting after it. Good thing everyone else on this floor goes to bed at twilight or you'd have had the police called," Brian joked as we went into the suit. It was extremely large and had two bedrooms joined to it. I assumed one of the guys must either be doubling up, staying on the adequately sized common room couch or sleeping across the hall.

"I guess we were," Marc replied sitting down on the couch. Charles sat very close to him as Brian went to pour himself a drink at the full sized bar. "And we're going to get back to it as soon as you lock yourself up in your room."

So Marc was the unfortunate one who had to stay in the common room.

"Unless you want to watch," Charles said. Marc laughed, but Brian just sipped his aromatic bourbon as he slowly approached them.

"Brian doesn't want to watch."

"Who says I wouldn't want to watch?" Brian asked.

"I do. You wouldn't watch if I paid you," Marc replied. Brian, just drunk enough to take the challenged just shrugged a go ahead to the two guys. He sat down in an arm chair across the room and continued to sip his bourbon.

Taking his silence as a cue, Charles was the first to move, kneeling on the couch next to Marc and placing his lips directly on the lips of the southern charmer. Charles couldn't tell if Brian was in fact watching, but Marc's eyes never left his friend's as Charles slowly moved to his chest, his pecs and then kneeling between his legs, went to undo his belt and jeans.

Marc let out a soft moan when his cock was finally released, as hard as it could have ever been. Brian continued to sip his drink as Marc saw him adjust his own package while seeming to not pay attention- allowing himself quick glances every once in a while. Charles' mouth slowly enveloped Marc's dick and Marc let out a long and loud sigh. There was no way Brian wouldn't look over and when Marc opened his eyes, his best friend was staring directly at him. Marc let out a smile and Brian, now visibly horny as well, let one out too.

Without any coaxing, Brian stood and walked slowly to the couch the other two were on. He sat next to Marc, spread his legs and took his own dick out. Noticing another perfectly cut cock before him, an excited Charles let go of Marc's hot pecker with a string of precum running down it and moved on Brian's impossibly hard cock. He tasted Brian's cock slowly at first, not sure how far to go with him, but after swallowing all 7 inches, he looked up to see the two friends kissing above him.

With that kind of reassurance, he went to town, going back and forth between both guys, sloppily swallowing each cock for a couple of minutes while pumping the other in his free hand. His other hand was all over the place, massaging one guys balls, feeling one guy's flat stomach or hard pecs.

It must have been too much for both Marc and Brian to take, this hot guy sucking their cocks like they were candy and making out with each other because just a few minutes later, Charles felt a spurt of cum hit his check while he was working on Marc's shaft. He turned to see Brian shoot another line of cream across his face. A second later, noticing that Marc had been watching his best friend shoot on Charles' perfect face, he came too, filling Charles' mouth with an unexpected amount of cream.

Charles, ever the class act, stood up and began feeding the frisky friend's his own ready to blow cock.

"Come on dudes," he said with very little resistance from the other two. "Suck my cock." They both took turns going after Charles' dick, taking short breaks to find each other's mouths until he was ready to cream as well.

"There's plenty for the both of you," he said, focusing most of his efforts on the guy who'd had all the girls on him earlier. With the first spurts landing on that guy's face and tongue and hair, and the last trickles being swallowed by the extra gay Marc, Charles got to enjoy one of the hottest sights he'd seen in a while- two beautiful rich southern boys going to town on his cock.

**Across town, in the Upper West Side, Tanner and Frank were having a deep discussion of their own.

"My dad called me this afternoon," Frank told Tanner as the two were grooming before bed.

"Oh," Tanner said idly.

"He said you called them about the wedding. You really upset my mother," Frank said.

"She really upset me."

"Tanner."

"What Frank? Should I not have tried? God knows you aren't going to," Tanner said. He put his face towel down and went back into the bedroom.

"Because I know the outcome, Tanner," Frank said following close behind. "I know what mom is going to say. I know that she's just going to get angry. They're trying, Tan, in their own way and unlike some, I respect that."

"Well you'll just have to teach me how to do that one day," Tanner said crawling into bed. That night they slept on opposite ends of the bed and Tanner couldn't help but think that calling his fiancés parents was definitely the wrong choice.

**The rest of the week fell into a predictable rhythm for my friends and I. We all had our fittings done on Wednesday and had dinner with Tanner and his sisters on Thursday. Throughout the week, however, Charles and I snuck off to meet our southern royalty whenever we got a chance. On Friday afternoon, Charles and I took a break from going south of the Mason/Dixon line to hit the gym before the real festivities of Tanner and Frank's wedding got underway.

"So what does the young one think about you sleeping with a southern belle?"

"Two southern belles," Charles corrected.

"What? Brian too? I thought he was the designated straight one," I replied in surprise. "That's what Cooper says."

"He is- kind of. I'm not supposed to say anything, but he's becoming a pretty big fan of the penis. He won't let me get anywhere near his ass though," Charles replied.

"Wow," I said in awe. "No wonder you never leave the Waldorf these days. Too bad their leaving on Saturday."

And it was too bad. On a number of occasions that week, I'd thought about asking Cooper to be my date to Tanner's wedding. Although their flight wasn't until the afternoon, I felt guilty about asking him to get all dressed up and then have to dash across town to catch his flight. Plus, I'd still be stag for the reception which was the all important part.

"Any idea who you'll take to the wedding?" Charles asked me when I was on my third mile on the treadmill.

"No," I replied quietly. "I mean, it would be fun to take Cooper, but this fling thing has an expiration date. I really wish I hadn't fucked things up with Jesse. This is just the kind of event I need him for."

"So call him," Charles said nonchalantly.

"Are you crazy?"

"What? So you cheated on him and he dumped you in the middle of 7th Ave. It's been two weeks, you've both seen other people. Wounds heal."

"Wait, what? We've both seen other people?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? I saw him with a young cutie at Niko a couple of nights ago. I was taking Marc out on the town and we ran into him. He asked about you."

I turned off my treadmill and just stood there.

"And you didn't tell me this?"

"Well you were having so much fun with Cooper. I didn't want to ruin it. But yeah, he said to tell you hi and to give him a call sometime."

"This is unbelievable," I said. Without even taking the time to think, I went to my locker and pulled out my phone. I found Jesse, pressed dial and then looked up to realize I was in the male locker room- not the best place for an intimate conversation. Charles was at my heels looking as sexy as ever.

"Hey Mike," Jesse answered on the third ring. "Did Charles tell you that I ran into him and some guy the other night?"

"Yeah he did. How have you been?" I asked him.

"As good as I can be. Yourself?"

"Surviving. Look, there really isn't any prescribed way to say this, so I'm just going to ask you. Are you busy tonight?" Charles asked me what he'd said and shooed him away.

"What?" Jesse asked. I couldn't tell if he was shocked or if he actually couldn't hear me.

"I need a date to Tanner's rehearsal dinner and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

"What about Will?" he asked. The fact that he wasn't angry and saying no right off the bat was a good sign.

"Charles didn't tell you when ya'll ran into each other?" I asked catching the fact that I'd said ya'll. I was spending way too much time with Coop. I looked at Charles and mouthed `you didn't tell him Will and I broke up?' "Will and I broke up."

"Oh," he said. Oh- that's all I got. So I continued.

"It was never going to work. I should have known that."

"Yeah, I could have told you that," he dug. It would have hurt more if I wasn't convinced he'd say yes to being my date tonight.

"So what do you say? Be my plus one?"

"I can't do that. I'm sorry, Mike. Thanks for calling. Tell Tanner I said congratulations and that I hope it works out for him and Frank," he replied. I mumbled something to the affirmative. "Thanks for calling." He hung up. I turned and faced Charles who immediately asked me how it went. I just looked at him and then turned around. With no other choice, I called Cooper and gave him the details of tonight- just like a true fling, he had nothing already planned and was totally game.

**The rehearsal dinner was fun, lighthearted and beautiful. Tanner's family was as fun as ever, especially his 17 year old sister who couldn't keep her eyes off of Charles or her glass of wine full for more than five minutes. At one point, her mother reached over and informed her that this wine wasn't coming out of a box and she needed to slow down.

Beau was the first to give his toast, standing up and saying: "I've often wondered if true love exists. To look at the world and see so much hate, sadness and despair, moments like these are rare and truly amazing. To see the way that Tanner looks into Frank's eyes and the way that Frank looks into Tanner's eyes is a reminder of hope- a hope that true love actually does exist. Congratulations."

Charles was next: "I promised Tanner that I would leave the cynicism and sarcasm at home tonight, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet because cynical and sarcastic all I know how to do. You guys are great separately, but you're even greater together. You are a vision of love; and even though that vision is not supported by our nation's government, you've got my vote. I love you guys."

Finally it was my turn. I stood, nervous and looking at Cooper for a boost of confidence. Five days and countless fucks do not a supporter make and all I got from Coop was a shallow look in his eyes and a knowing grin. "I have to confess- when Tanner asked me to give the final toast tonight, I honestly didn't know what I was going to say. I knew Beau would be bringing the sap and Charles the appropriate dose of humor, but when I thought about what I could offer, I was for once at a loss of words. And then Tanner, my friend, told me not to sweat it, and that I'd know exactly what to say. Well tonight, Tanner, I'm giving you back your own advice. Tomorrow, the two of you are going to embark on a glorious journey into a relationship unlike any other I've ever seen. You're love is strong enough to get through anything and deep enough to last eternity. When things get too tough or too hard, don't sweat it. You'll know exactly what to do. Through thick and through thin, don't sweat it. You'll know exactly what to do. Richer or poorer, well let's be honest with two of New York's finest lawyers here, through richer you'll know exactly what to do. So I raise my glass to the happy couple. I love you guys."

I didn't realize until after my speech that both Tanner and Frank were crying, Beau had tears dripping down his face and Charles looked at me as if I'd stupidly outdone him. When I sat down, I was happy to get a kiss and a good job from Cooper.

A couple of hours and a few more bottles of wine and champagne later, my boys and I headed to Charles' extra large loft. Instead of opting for a bachelor party, the two wedding parties decided to split up and have one last night together as all single guys.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," I told Cooper.

"It was my pleasure," he said. He kissed me outside of Anaria's. "I've got a surprise for you- I'll call you tonight if it works out. Otherwise, I'll call you tomorrow before I leave." He left me with a last kiss, wondering what the surprise would be and if I'd ever get to see him again.

Later that night, after a couple more hours of heavy drinking at Charles' place, I was still minus a plus one for the wedding and my friends wouldn't let me forget.

"This is your karma for always having a date for three years," Tanner said.

"Now you know what the stag life is all about," Beau said.

I just drank my loneliness away. It wouldn't be that bad and who knew who would be at the wedding.

"Who is Charles talking to?" I asked, noticing that Charles had been on the phone for all of 10 minutes.

"I think he's returning Justin's message." I turned to see Charles hanging up on his phone call with Justin.

"What was that about?" I asked as he rejoined the group on his leather couches.

"The kid's drunk," he said with a faux annoyance in his voice. "And he said it again."

Beau let out a sincere ah while Tanner cat called.

"Anyone else who makes a noise gets punched in the face," he said. I laughed until my phone rang and all eyes were on me as I answered it.

"Hello Cooper," I said as sexily as possible. My friends waited to see what my expression would change to. The smile on my face was a pretty good indication.

"Of course I'd love to come over tonight," I said into the phone. Tanner frowned at me and said "If you're late tomorrow I will cut your dick off and feed it to you."

"Harsh," Charles breathed.

"Oh, the surprise? I thought that was it."

"No, silly. Listen- if you're still looking for a date tomorrow, I pushed my flight back to Monday so I'd still be here," Cooper said.

"Oh my god, that great! You're amazing. Thank you so much, Cooper," I said ecstatically. I told I'd be over in half an hour and hung up. No sooner than I'd finished telling my friends everything Cooper had said, my phone rang yet again. This time the call was unexpected.

"Jesse?" I asked.

"Yeah, hey Mike," he said calmly. "I was just thinking about what you said this afternoon- sorry for being rude on the phone by the way. Maybe we could try starting over. If you still need a date to the wedding tomorrow, I'd love to go with you."

I couldn't believe it. In that split second I had to make a decision.

"Of course," I said. "I'll call you in the morning with details. Be ready at 11." And I hung up as quickly as possible. In less time than it took my friends to do a shot without me, I'd gone from having a minus one to a plus two and I had no idea how I was going to get away with it.

**Thanks for continuing to follow the story of Mike and his boys. I hope you enjoyed it. In order to continue delivering a great story, please send me your feedback at heavensforlife@aol.com. And also check out my other story on Nifty They Say.