Nudist Camp Vacation

To NCV fans:

I'M BACK! I must confess I've been blocked by my own undoing. I've been dealing with something very personal: something I should have dealt with almost forty years ago. But, it's finally "laid to rest" in the literal sense, so I can get back to taking care of some unfinished business.

I now know that I've been blocked because I was trying to force a finish to the story. I'm no longer motivated to end it, so we'll just see where it goes from here. The characters in this story have become friends, and I don't want to abandon them. Neither do I want to see them left hanging. The chapters might not come out as frequently as they had previously, but I'll do what I can to let the story progress.

Between writing chapters for NCV, I'll also be working on a book. I'm determined to publish something! (Besides, I need the income!) >From time to time I'll let you know how it's coming along.

Thanks for hanging in there and HUGS! - Ken

Nudist Camp Vacation CHAPTER 31

As Mike settled back into his pillow, a tear rolled down my cheek. I slowly reached up and gently stroked his hair then leaned over and kissed his forehead once again. "G'night, son," I whispered.

I pulled his covers up, tucking them under his chin and at his sides, and slowly backed away from the bed, admiring this beautiful dark haired boy. His grey-blue eyes followed me, intently, as I turned and walked out the door, leaving it ajar in the same position that he had decided would let in the right amount of light.

Walking past Stevey's and Paul's closed bedroom doors, I finally made my way to "our" room and slowly opened the door. The slight sound startled Tim from his light sleep. He must have dozed off while waiting for me. I closed the door and quickly stripped out of my clothes, admiring the physical perfection of my young lover, lounging on the bed that had become so lonely before I met him.

Rising up on an elbow, Tim looked at me and said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's good."

"Your eyes are red and puffy. You've been crying."

I stepped slowly, deliberately to the bed. I lay against him, took him in my arms, and caressed the silken skin along his ribs. "It's Philly. He wants to be called Mike. His middle name is Michael. He had a bit of a breakthrough." I explained about Mike's wanting a light on then how I'd kissed him on the forehead. I told him about Mike's questions and how he'd suddenly opened up to me, kissing my forehead.

Tim wiped his own eyes, smiled and shook his head. "You really love these guys, don't you?"

I sniffed, loudly, and nodded. "Yeah. I do. But not nearly as much as you."

Then he looked into my eyes with a startlingly serious expression. "You cried when I left, didn't you?"

I rolled to my back, looking away from him and nodded. In a weak voice I said, "I thought I'd be alone again. First I lost Robert. Then having a moment of happiness with you, I thought I'd lost you, too. You didn't say anything when you left. I didn't know what I'd done wrong. I couldn't bear it. It took your rejection for me to know how important you'd become to me. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't come back to me."

Slowly, I turned back to him, afraid of what I might see with my bold confession, showing him how vulnerable I was to him. He was staring at me and his face was becoming ashen. He choked, "I'm sorry," as he leapt at me and pulled me close to him, pressing a "full body" hug into me. His lips met mine in a desperate kiss. In spite of the emotion of the moment, I involuntarily moaned. My senses were suddenly overloaded by the sudden warmth of the silken body of this living god suddenly thrust against me.

I pulled back from him just enough to look into his eyes and whispered, "Tim, you're everything to me."

He tilted his head and found my lips again. It was the most tender, voluptuous, loving kiss I've ever experienced. I didn't even realize I'd sprung an instant boner until its cramped position caused me extreme discomfort. My distraction also caused me to notice that there was something hard stabbing my thigh. We simultaneously shifted our pelvises away from each other, giving both of us room enough for our erections to spring up to a comfortable place.

When we came back together, our excitement seemed to blend into one, homogeneous, lightning bolt! Tim gyrated against me until I thought I couldn't stand it any more. Then he rolled me onto my back, peeled himself away from me and reached for the lube. In one slick movement he prepared me and had me at the entrance to his love tunnel. Ever so slowly, he forced himself to envelop my rigid member. The gradual feeling of moist warmth capturing me was excruciatingly sensuous, but I forced myself to hold perfectly still, allowing him to take me at his own deliberate pace.

Finally, he sat with all of his weight on my pelvis, fully impaled. He sat with his hands on my pecs, his head up and back arched, lost in the sensation of the moment, letting long, low moans escape from deep in his throat. Slowly, I lifted my pelvis and pushed the last two inches into him and he gasped with pleasure.

As he looked down into my face, I could see the lust in him build as his body glistened with excitement. He fixed his eyes to mine and rocked the globes of his butt into my pelvis, burying me even further within him. He then slowly rocked forward, drawing me almost all the way out. As he reversed his movement, I thought I could feel a bump inside him rub past my helmet and he gasped!

He repeated his previous movements and gasped again. It was ecstasy for both of us as I watched the concentration on his beautiful face. Tim began to move like a locomotive, slowly at first, then picking up speed, faster and faster, until he began to squeal! I matched his movements and speed, slowly increasing the pace of our thrusting, until we were pummeling against one another in a sexual frenzy, our movements perfectly synchronous.

His squeals became louder, but deeper, until he gave a primal roar, erupting into my face, my chest, and all over my belly. In Tim's explosive state, I realized I had blasted inside him at the same moment! The feeling was as if I was pumping through him and the semen splashing over me was my own, only filtered and warmed by Tim's body.

I grabbed Tim's cock feeling as if it were mine, stroking the last spurts from him as he screamed! As I gripped him tighter, he gripped me tighter as well! Our bodies were somehow melded, feeling and responding as one. Tim fell heavily onto me, his lips easily locking with mine. We cradled each other as our ragged breathing slowly returned to normal, trading tender kisses until he began to lick his own semen from my face.

We held each other, kissing and caressing for so long that our sweat cooled and dried, yet we remained solidly joined. Our passion and erotic afterglow continued to smolder, slowly coming back to a flame, as Tim began to move, almost imperceptively at first, then faster.

After almost reaching another crescendo, Tim seemed to be losing energy, so I grabbed him and rolled him to his back, never leaving him, never disjoining, never stopping our stimulation, but allowing me to continue our mutual pleasure. In this new position, I was able to pound at his prostate even more directly.

Almost immediately I could see his erotic aura glowing more and more brightly, until his entire being betrayed his impending release. His rapid approach to climax brought me to mine. His creamy essence poured out onto his belly in rich spasms, while he milked me. Again, the feeling was of being joined, becoming one body; nerve endings, once raw, now connected; senses intertwined, attached, grafted. I collapsed onto him as he had to me, and again we traded tender kisses, hugging, caressing, pulling into one another, never wanting the moment to end.

It was some time later that I finally began to soften and was suddenly ejected from Tim's welcoming warmth. At the same moment, Tim's eyes popped open, and he gasped!

"Ohmygod!" he muttered as he flipped me to my back and with one more quick kiss and a sudden surge of energy. He leapt from the bed like a gazelle and ran to the bathroom. Slowly following him, I found him sitting on the toilet, releasing my juices from his tender receptor.

I chuckled, seeing this god-like object of my affection and lust sitting in such a common position. I stepped slowly, carefully to him, still silent, still full of lust. Reaching him, I sat on his lap, facing him, straddling him. Enveloping him with my arms, he quickly grabbed me and pulled me tightly to his chest. I begged one more kiss, pressing into him passionately, gently, sucking his energy from him.

Leaning back from him, only slightly, I breathed, "That was un-fucking-believable!"

He looked into my eyes, with his only half open, opened his mouth as if to speak, but only let out a low moan. I laughed, assuming that was his agreement.

We sat, holding each other for several minutes, until I rose. I stepped to the large shower, turned on the water, and adjusted it to a warm mist. When it was ready, Tim had his arm around me and we stepped under the water together.

Our hands were all over each other and somehow we lathered and rinsed each other, finishing just as the water began to cool. I realized only then that we had spoken very little since our passion had first begun to rise. I smiled into Tim's eyes as I toweled him dry. When I was done, he grabbed another towel and dried me. Holding each other, we walked side-by-side into the bedroom and fell, entangled, into a comfortable sleep.

Seemingly an instant later, I felt my nuts tighten. Was I sensing moist warmth on my manhood? What is real or was it déjà vu? Carefully, I squirmed around until I could see his face.

Tim smiled at me, still stroking me as he asked, "Something wrong?"

"NO! No," I gasped. "I was just making sure it was YOU!" As he mumbled something into my beast, I gasped again at the erotic sensation and hoarsely whispered, "Don't talk with your mouth full!"

He laughed, causing an extremely erotic sensation. I erupted, he sputtered, and I laughed. Then, out of pure retaliation, he gobbled me down and I screamed with the over stimulation only heightened sensitivity can bring. It was the weirdest and funniest orgasm I'd ever had, and one I'll never forget!

When my pulse slowed to a speed somewhere south of the sound barrier, I breathed, "What a wonderful way to wake up!"

He murmured his agreement into my neck as he snuggled up to me and I felt his hardness press against me. I couldn't leave him unattended and frustrated! Of course I returned the favor!

After we got cleaned up again and were getting dressed, I shared some thoughts with him. "When you take the boys to get their clothes, take a close look at what they have. You may have to take them shopping. Do you have a credit card?"

"Yeah. It's got a high limit, so I shouldn't have any problems."

"That reminds me. I've been thinking we need to set up a common account: one that both of us can use. Then we'll set up your credit card to be paid automatically from that account. I don't want you to have to pay for the boy's clothes. That wouldn't be fair."

He smiled and sighed. "I can afford to buy their clothes, but I think you're right. We should share the expense. By the way, where should I take them shopping? I've never shopped for kid's clothes."

I chuckled. "We'll both have to remember they're essentially teenagers with teenagers' insecurities and a need to fit in. While Mike's a little younger, he'll be comparing how we treat him to how we treat his brother. Everything will have to be roughly equivalent. You remember what it's like, don't you?"

He thought a moment and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"But to answer your question, I don't know where to go shopping for them, either. Ask THEM where they want to go. If they don't have a preference, take them to the big mall in south Austin. At one time that was the largest enclosed mall in the country, so the stores there should have what they need . . . and want. Oh, and while you're at it, see if Stevey needs anything. Might as well make sure he doesn't feel left out. By the way, have you heard from your folks?"

A puzzled look appeared on his face. "No, I haven't. With everything that's been going on, it didn't even occur to me to see how they're doing. I'd better check on them. We'll go by there after we leave Paul and Phil-, uh, Mike's house."

"I hope they're okay. Call me after you talk to them, okay?"

"I will."

"Oh, by the way, I haven't told you what my meeting this morning is about."

I proceeded to fill him in about the weird phone calls I had the day before, and then my conversation with the executive from the gaming company and the appointment I'd agreed to have with him. Then I told him about wanting to give a share of the company to Bill.

His eyes were wide. "You won't sell the company, will you?"

I interrupted tying my tie as I smiled at him. "No. There're many reasons I've been reluctant to give up even a part of the company. I've always wanted complete control without having to answer to anyone. Since I had to run the company, I wanted to keep a free rein to do it `my way' and make my own mistakes. Fortunately, it's worked pretty well. I've had several offers over the years to sell it, but I've never had an offer I couldn't refuse."

Then I sighed. "But I've a thought that's become stronger over the last few years." I sat on the edge of the bed next to Tim as I continued. "I'm almost fifty. I thought I might want to retire when I turned fifty and do some very selfish things like travel, play with my toys, maybe do some writing and some other things I've always wanted to do, but never had the time."

He nodded, silently, thinking. After some thought he said, "But I thought you enjoyed the company. What'll all the employees do?"

I sighed and fell back onto the bed, looking up into his eyes as he lay next to me, propped again on an elbow.

"What I'm about to tell you is something you can never share with anyone. It's the one thing I've kept as my most guarded secret. It's something I've even lied about. I've never shared it with a soul, up to now."

His eyes grew large as he nodded, nervously.

"My secret is this: I've never enjoyed running the company. Oh, I haven't hated it; I've just never had any fun doing it. There have been times that I've had something close to anxiety attacks, thinking I might have made a major mistake that would lose the employees their jobs. Taking over the leadership of the company was something I did for my mother. She needed someone to clean it up and put some life back into it, and I needed her to be proud of me, so I did it. I hired some of my most trusted friends, but only the ones I knew were really good, and they helped me put the company back on track. After Mother died, my need to please her died with her, but I still felt an obligation to my employees, and to my father's memory. It's been an unqualified success, and I can't deny that it's made me quite wealthy.

"When I was in college, I didn't expect that I'd be running the company, at least not right away. It didn't occur to me that my father would die so young and I'd inherit his legacy so quickly. I wanted to work on electronics and engineering. Even though I've kept up to speed on all of the hardware and software, how it works and how it's all integrated, the actual creation and development of it is something I've never had the time to do. But in spite of it all, I've lost interest in it. I've always enjoyed the toys and the electronics, sure, but I've grown tired of running a company. I'm afraid that running it halfheartedly will do damage to what we've managed to build."

I looked hard and long into Tim's eyes as I was drawn into his compelling pools. I tenderly said, "I know you've just graduated and you're looking forward to starting out in your career, and I know you want to continue working for S2I, but I think there are ways for both of us to be happy. There are so many possibilities, we'll just have to wait and see how this meeting plays out. It could turn out to be a solution, a problem, or nothing at all. We'll just have to wait and see."

Tim looked sadly into my eyes, placing his hand on my chest and said, "It never occurred to me that you didn't like running the company. You're so good at it."

I smiled at him. What I enjoy most is what I'm doing right now: looking into the deep, beautiful eyes of the most awe inspiring representation of manhood ever to walk the earth. All I could say was, "I love you." It came out of me as a sigh.

He immediately whispered, "I love you, too."

He leaned into me and kissed me tenderly. A moment later, after he gently broke the kiss I said, "Listen, I'm not going to make any drastic decisions at the meeting today. I'll gather what information I need to see what our options are, then you and I will make the decision together."

"B-But," he stammered, "I don't know anything about the company! I just know what I learned in college. I don't know what I could do to make a decision about the company!"

I smiled at him. "You'll be surprised how much you know. I didn't know anything more about running a company than what I'd learned from watching my father. I learned a lot by just watching and listening. The rest was just having the sense to know what sounds best at the time. Everything else just falls together. Tim, now that you're my partner, you have a vested interest in every decision that affects us. That includes everything to do with the company. When it comes to our partnership, we're equal. It's the way it has to be for us to have a healthy relationship."

He took a deep breath and sighed, contorting his face. He started to say, "I . . ." but he couldn't continue. He just fell to my chest and hugged me tightly, and I hugged him just as tightly.

I knew I hadn't made a mistake giving my heart to this young man. He'll cherish it just as much as I do his.

After several minutes of snuggling, I finally whispered, "We need to start the day. We've both got a lot to do today." He slowly rose to a sitting position.

I finished dressing while Tim watched, and my mind wandered. I think what I said about his being included in decision-making took him by surprise. He seemed to be thinking a lot. He probably hadn't thought about what our relationship should be and how it should work. I suppose that's where my age and experience will have to fill in the gaps. As Stevey said, I'll teach him.

Stevey. Growing up so fast. Too fast. A young man, no, still a boy, but with adult thoughts forced into his mind by a selfish, brute of a man. A man justifiably crippled. Death for someone who murders a boy's innocence is too good for him. Now, he'll suffer. Judging him so harshly gave me instant pangs of guilt, but only for a moment.

And Paul. I wondered what the kidnappers had actually done to him. I hoped it wasn't as bad for him as it had been for Stevey. Frank's friends probably would have killed the men if they had known what the men had done.

Philly/Mike, my precious little man. Such a tough childhood, yet still with some innocence. Thank the Good Lord for that! I think we rescued him just in time.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I checked my tie. I guess I'm not such a dog's lunch, after all, and yet . . . what does Tim see in me? Why is he attracted to me? As I studied my face, Tim suddenly appeared next to me, smiling at me in the mirror. When I smiled back at him, I saw it. The way I looked at him. I'd never seen it before! It was a look of wanting . . . no, of need. Yearning, almost. Yes, I yearned for him. Is that the look that attracted him to me?

I blushed. I know because in the mirror, I saw myself change colors. He sees the real me, because I can't hide from him. I couldn't hide from Robert, either. Robert. . . . I still miss him. Love him. He would have loved the boys just as much as I do. He would have loved Tim, too.

In the instant it took to think those thoughts, Tim saw the entire maelstrom of emotions play across my face like a turbulent sky about to spawn a tornado. He turned me, gently, and embraced me, pressing his lips to mine. He learned so quickly how to calm me; bring me back to the here and now.

When he finished the kiss, he pulled back slightly and studied my eyes. "Are you ready, now?" he asked, tenderly.

"Yeah," I said with a smile and a sigh. I can't explain what he does to me, nor will I try. It's just the most incredible feeling. . . . "There's just one more thing. How do you feel about being a father and having the boys live with us? Honestly?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, like I said, I thought I'd like to be a father someday, but I just didn't think it would be so soon." He hesitated then whispered. "But the boys need us. They need a safe place where no one will hurt them any more, and they need you. There's something about you that makes people feel good, just to be around you." Then he looked into my eyes and smiled. "You have so much love in you. I didn't know if you'd still love me as much with the boys around, but you do. I guess it's selfish, but I need you, too."

I smiled at him. "You, more than anyone, are deeply imbedded in my heart. I need you more than I ever needed anyone or anything."

He smiled, sexily, and then turned serious. "Tell me about Robert."

I wasn't ready for that! I should have known I'd need to tell him something about my past, but I hadn't thought about how I'd tell him. I looked at my watch. It was getting late. "We don't have the time for me to do him justice, right now. Can I tell you about him tonight, after we get home?"

He nodded. "Yeah. That's okay. We'll talk tonight. Oh, and by the way, I was thinking about this meeting you'll be having. I've heard some things about some programming problems they have. Their random number generator may be a big problem for them. A Nevada Gaming Commission programmer was caught a couple of years ago emptying out some slot machines in a couple of casinos. Because he knew how the generator worked, he could predict payoffs. They say they've fixed it, but I have my doubts. If that's what they want us to work on, it should be relatively easy to modify the program or write a new one to be less predictable."

I kissed him, briefly, on the lips, and said, "Thank you. That information may come in handy. Now, let's get the boys up. It's going to be a long day."

When we stepped out of the room, Stevey's door was wide open, but he wasn't there. Paul's door was closed, and we heard boy giggles coming from inside. I was immediately worried that Paul had been abusing his damaged anatomy; something that could cause him to be permanently disfigured. I knocked on the door.

Tim and I heard a strong, "Come in!"

Paul was sitting up in bed, with the covers still over his lower half. He was still wearing his t-shirt, so it appeared that he hadn't been doing what I feared. "Mike" (I'm still trying to get used to calling him that) was sitting on the bed, also in his t-shirt and under shorts, facing Paul, while Stevey was sitting on the bed, cross-legged and bare-chested, but thankfully wearing a pair of briefs.

Paul and Stevey smiled at us and said, "Hi!" almost in unison. Mike glanced from Tim to me then back to Tim, drinking in a long, obvious ogle, from face to crotch. Robert would have called it "giving him the hairy eyeball." I glanced at Tim, who looked at me and smiled, knowingly. Mike's overt inspection of him was not missed by Tim.

Stevey said, happily, "We were just talking!"

"Oh? What about?" I asked.

"Uh, nothing."

Suddenly, he wasn't so happy to share! I looked at Tim and smiled then turned back to Stevey. "You know what they say? When you walk into a room and everyone stops talking, they've been talking about you."

Stevey and Paul immediately smiled, blushed, and shared a nervous look between them. . . . Busted!

"That's okay, guys. You can talk about us all you want. If you have any questions, just ask."

Stevey and Paul grinned and shared another meaningful look. Mike was still staring at Tim. I thought I'd try to distract Mike, even though I was finding his obvious infatuation with Tim endearing.

"Mike, have you told Paul and Stevey you want to be called by your middle name?"

He nodded, slowly.

"I assume there's no problem with that?" I asked as I looked at Paul and Stevey.

"No, fine!" said Stevey.

Paul hesitated then said, "I'll have to get used to it, but if that's what Philly, I mean Mike, wants, then it's good enough for me."

"That's good. Okay, boys, you're going to have a busy day, today. First, Tim will take you, Paul and Mike, to your house and pick up your clothes. Then he'll take you all over to Stevey's for a visit. Stevey, you may want to pick up some more clothes, or just clean ones. Then Tim's going to take you all shopping. I'm sure you could all do with some new clothes, shoes, and stuff. Maybe even some new pajamas."

Stevey spoke up, "We don't need pajamas! We all decided, we're gonna sleep nude!"

He jumped to his feet on the bed and was about to put his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts, but I stopped him. "Stop! Hold it right there, hot stuff! Remember, Paul's been injured, and we all need to respect that for the next couple of weeks. We all need to stay covered up as much as possible so Paul won't be, uh, stimulated."

Stevey looked at Paul, sadly, and said, "Oh, yeah! Sorry Paul, I forgot! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I kinda hurt last night for a while, though." He looked at Tim and me a little sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Paul. It was thoughtless of Tim and me to kiss where you might see us. We'll refrain, at least until you're better." I looked at Tim, and he nodded.

I turned back to Paul and Mike as an afterthought and said, softly, "By the way, guys, when you're at your house, you should probably collect anything you want to keep. I doubt you'll have a chance to go back there after today."

Paul and Mike exchanged an odd look. Paul turned to me and said, "You're right. I didn't think of that. But we don't have much, anyway." He turned back to Mike and said, "I don't want to go back there, ever again. Especially not if they're all there."

Mike shook his head at his brother then turned to me and said, "Me either."

I guess I was feeling some mixed emotion for them closing the door on their past. I nodded at them in silence.

Changing the subject, I cleared my throat and said, "Okay, now, everyone get dressed. You four have a lot to do. I've got to go to the office for a while, today. I'll see you sometime this afternoon." I looked at Tim and softly said, "Be sure to take your cell phone."

He nodded. "Love you. Be careful."

"You, too," I said, hugging him and ending it with a brief kiss. Then I turned to the boys and hugged them in turn, kissing each on the forehead. I saved Mike for last. After I hugged Mike and kissed him on the forehead, he pulled my head down to his as he had done the night before and kissed me on the forehead. I smiled at him as I felt my eyes moisten.

Then he caught me completely off guard and pulled my ear close to his mouth. He whispered, "I love you, Papa."

I quickly choked a whisper into his ear, too. "I love you, too."

Turning once again to Tim, he was smiling at me. He knew exactly what Mike had done to me. I kissed him quickly on the lips and said, "Call me when you see your folks. I want to know that everything's okay. Love you, Angel."

I quickly left. When I got to the kitchen, it was seven o'clock and I was behind my self-imposed schedule.

When I greeted Nell, I said, "'Morning Nell! I don't have time to eat, so I'll just grab a cup of coffee." As I poured a cup into my travel mug, I said, "All the boys will be down in a few minutes, and I venture to guess, they'll all be hungry."

"No problem. I expected as much. And I see you're back to your old habits again. I guess you're not going to rest at all, like the doctor said, are you?"

I smiled at her and said, "No, I guess not. It just wasn't in the cards. But I feel great! Better than I've felt in years!"

She just shook her head as she began to fix breakfast for the brood. "Boss, there's something I need to talk to you about."

She never calls me "boss" unless it's about the business of the household. She sounded so serious, I became worried. "Sure Nell, what is it?"

"I've been thinking. I'm in my sixties and with all the boys in the house now, I'm gonna need some help."

I sighed my relief, loudly. "Oh, thank God! I thought you were going to quit."

She smiled at me and said, seriously, "It occurred to me that I probably should, but I don't have anywhere else to go. I think I'd just rather stay here, as long as you'll have me. Besides, if y'all start running around here starkers, I just might get an eyeful once in a while!"

I chuckled at the thought of Nell perving on us. "You're welcome here as long as you want. Even after you can't work anymore, you'll always have a home here."

She stopped what she was doing and looked up at me. Her eyes were clouding. "Now, you made me cry! Are y'happy now?" Wiping her eyes on the back of her hand, she said, "Don't just stand there staring at this old woman! You've got to get to work!"

As I quickly turned and walked to the door, I said, "When you get a chance, why don't you see if you can call somewhere and find someone to hire? You'll be our house matron and you can supervise one or two housekeepers. Maybe even a cook. While you're at it, why don't you see if you can hire a full time gardener? There's more to do around here than our once a week gardener can handle. Oh, and another thing." I turned back to Nell, again. "I think whoever you hire should be tuned in to the people who live here. They should at least be understanding of our lifestyle and shouldn't be put off by a little nudity."

Nell lifted her eyebrows, wiping her eyes one more time. "Good point."

Just then, Marty came bursting through the door. He asked, excitedly, "What's going on? Why's the Suburban all shot up again? Is everyone all right?"

I chuckled at him. "That happened last night, and everyone's fine. Two guys in a silver car were after us, but our protectors did their job. I think the car was towed away just after they were arrested. We've even got two more residents here. Besides Tim's brother, Stevey, Paul and his brother Mike are now living with us. If all goes well, Tim and I will be adopting them. Paul is Stevey's age, thirteen, and Mike is eleven. If you sit down and have a cup of coffee, you'll get to meet them.

"Oh, and this time, you'll probably have to have the Suburban towed to San Antonio. Call one of those flatbed car haulers to take it down there. Make sure they cover it with a tarp. There's no sense in calling attention to the bullet holes in it. One more thing: Find out if they have any armored cars fitted up and ready to go. I think we should have a couple more, the way things are going around here. Now, I've got to go to the office."

I made a quick exit to the garage and decided to drive the Caddy. As I pulled out of the garage, a young man, built like a mountain, waved at me to stop.

Cautiously, I rolled down the window and he introduced himself. "Mr. Stewart, sir? My name's Grant . . . Grant Marshall. Mr. Holmes asked me to go with you today. I'm your bodyguard, sir."

I thought a moment. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I felt the need to check his story. I picked up my cell phone and speed dialed Frank.

While keeping a jaundiced eye on the young man, I heard Frank answer, "Don't fight me on this, Alan. He's supposed to protect you."

"Good morning to you, too, Frank! You knew I'd call, didn't you?"

He chuckled. "I didn't think about having him be your bodyguard `til late last night. It was too late to call you. I figured you'd call me to verify his story. He's cool. His name's Grant Marshall and he's that ex-marine I mentioned to you. He's a loner, but he'll protect you better than a junk yard dog. Just let him hang with you, today. My gut tells me you'll need him, even if he's just there for window dressing."

I glanced again at the kid. He's well over six feet tall, short brown hair, light brown eyes, well tanned and quite handsome, as if he were finely chiseled rock. He's got a look in his eyes that's hard to describe. It's a cross between innocence and intimidation. His shoulders are broad, his waist thick, but with muscle, and it appears that his legs are huge, but I can't really tell because of his loose fitting slacks. He's wearing khakis and an oversized polo shirt, but the shirt is just clingy enough that I can tell he's thickly muscled. All in all he's stunning enough to be the star in a body builder's calendar.

"Okay, if you say so. Thanks for looking out for me, Frank."

"Don't mention it. You'll get my bill soon enough."

"Whatever it is, you're worth all of it and more. I'll talk to you later."

With that, we ended the call. The young man was still standing there, patiently, with his eyes looking all around us. I had the feeling his ears were working overtime, too.

"Grant, will you be following me in your car?"

He interrupted his constant search of our surroundings to look at me. "No, sir. I thought I'd drive you, sir."

As little as I wanted someone to drive me anywhere, I decided to concede. I moved over to the passenger seat and let him climb into the driver's seat. After he adjusted the seat and fixed the mirrors, we were off.

"Where to, sir?" he asked.

"My office in Austin. Turn right at the bottom of the driveway and I'll give you directions as we go." My curiosity is always piqued when meeting someone new, so I decided to see how open he'd be. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions, Grant?"

He shrugged. "No, sir, I guess not."

"You're pretty big. Did you play football in high school?"

"No, sir. I was kinda scrawny in high school, sir."

"Frank said you were in the Marines. Is that where you built yourself up?"

"Yes, sir. The Marines'll really develop you in a lot of ways, sir."

"How long were you in the Marines?"

"About ten years, sir."

"What kind of jobs have you had since you got out of the service?"

"I just got out a couple of months ago. This is the first job I've had, sir."

I should have suspected that from his overly polite use of "sir." "Oh, I didn't know that. Have you known Frank long?"

"Frank, sir? You mean Mr. Holmes, sir? No, not long. A friend of my dad's introduced us. It was nice of Mr. Holmes to give me this job. So far, it's been perfect for what I want to do, sir."

"What do you want to do?"

"Sir, I'd like to go into law enforcement. But for that, I'll have to go to college. I don't have much money, but the money I earn working and the G.I. Bill should help."

I like this kid. He's polite and quietly powerful. "I'll tell you what. If you keep working for me, I'll help you with your school expenses. We can arrange your work schedule around your classes."

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye then turned back to the road. "Sir? Why, sir? Why would you do that for me, sir?"

I smiled at him. Another of his glances caught my smile and he blushed. I thought his blush was a bit odd, but I tucked the image away for future reference.

"I have a lot of employees and I always help with their schooling, but only when it's related to their work."

"Oh. That's really nice. Thank you, sir."

"As of this morning, consider yourself on my payroll. We'll make the arrangements when we get to my office."

"Thank you, sir."

The rest of the ride was uneventful, punctuated only by my giving directions. We entered through my private entrance right at eight o'clock. Lucy was surprised to see someone with me. She probably wondered if I was cheating on Tim! I quickly explained that Grant was my bodyguard and should be processed as a new employee. I saw her shifting in her chair as she gave Grant the once over. When she caught Grant's eye, he blushed again. Hmm. . . .

Turning to Grant I said, "Grant, Lucy will show you where the Human Resources Department is. I'll be fine until they finish processing you."

"Yes, sir."

Lucy led him away, but couldn't tear her eyes off him. I guess if I didn't have Tim, I'd be interested, too.

I opened my email and began to pour through the tons of messages, trying to pick out the important ones, and deleting the spam that got past the filter. A few minutes later there was a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I shouted.

Carl peeked around the corner. "I'm early."

"Good. I've got something else for you to do. When we finish with all the paperwork you brought and everything's delivered, I want you to rewrite my will. I want to leave everything to Tim, first, and to Paul and Mike, second."

"Just so I understand you correctly, Tim will be your sole heir, but if he doesn't survive you, Paul and . . . Mike? I assume that's Philly . . . will split your estate."

"Exactly. Except for the individual bequests. I want to leave those in."

"That's easy enough. I'll write up a codicil when I get back to the office."

Carl made a few notes then laid out the paperwork he brought on the conference table in my office. I signed the papers giving part ownership of S2I to Bill then I called him in so he could sign, too.

Bill gushed, "Alan, this is more than I could have hoped for, and certainly more than I deserve."

I made a face at him. "Nonsense! This is way past due! It's about time I made sure you were tied down, here. While I can't imagine you ever leaving, you're essential to the business, here. Now you CAN'T leave!" I chuckled.

He shook his head at me. Under his breath he said, "As if I would."

He leaned over to shake my hand and I shook my head. "No. I want more."

I stepped around the table and hugged him. When I let him go, he cleared his throat and sniffed.

"Thanks, Alan."

"Don't mention it."

I'm surprised I didn't become emotional right along with him, but my mind was on the rest of the paperwork Carl had brought with him.

Carl explained, "These all have to be witnessed and notarized."

I buzzed for Lucy. She answered, so she must have left Grant to fend for himself with the wolves in Human Resources. "Yes, Alan?"

"Lucy, bring your notary stuff in here, will you?"

"Sure. I'll be right there."

When we got through signing and sealing everything, it was nine o'clock. Carl excused himself, saying he would take the paperwork directly to Child Protective Services. Of course, that meant I had to explain to Lucy and Bill all that had happened the day before. They were surprised to say the least, but happy that I could help the boys and in the process become a father.

"It's a big step, but I'm ready for it. These boys need someone, and Tim and I were in the right place at the right time. Just wait'll you meet them. They're good kids and smart, too. You'll both love them as much as I do."

Lucy smiled at me. "I'll bet not. I'll wager no one could love them as much as you do."

I chuckled. "Maybe you're right."

Lucy went back to her desk as Bill and I brainstormed about the meeting we were about to have.

"Bill," I began, "I don't have a clue as to how this will turn out. These guys are used to having their way. They're used to making a deal you can't refuse, as it were, and I know they want to buy the company. But we're in a position of power, because we know they want what we have. We should be able to talk them into letting us consult to them. In that case, we could either work from here, making trips to Nevada for special meetings, or we could have a small office in Nevada, again with volunteers who would agree to move there. In any event, I don't want to sell them the company or any part of it. I know they'd want to move everyone to Nevada, and that wouldn't happen. It'd be like trying to move a house of cards. As soon as they tried to move it, it'd fall apart. Everything we've worked to build all these years would disintegrate, and I won't let that happen!"

Bill sighed and looked at me with a smile. "I was thinking very much along those same lines. It never ceases to amaze me how much we think alike."

I smiled at that thought. Bill caught the meaning of my smile.

". . . About MOST things!" he quickly added. Laughing, he said, "You always like innuendo, don't you?"

With my best feigned innocence, I said, "Why, whatever do you mean?"

We both laughed as my cell phone began to ring. It was Tim calling from his cell phone.

"Hi, Tim. How're your folks?"

"They're fine, and I've invited them to dinner tonight. Is that alright?"

"Sure! You know it is. You never have to ask, unless, of course, you think we might have plans. Just call Nell and let her know. She'll need to know a time, too."

"Great! And I've got something serious to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you later. At home."

"Give me a hint."

"Later. It's too big to talk about on the phone."

He's being awfully evasive, but I guess I'll just have to wait. "Okay. I'll see you tonight. Are you taking the boys shopping?"

There was a brief silence on the phone. In a muffled voice, Tim said, "Yeah. Alan, they didn't have much of anything. It's pathetic. Paul showed us the board they used to beat him and Mike. I almost lost it. It's really gross. More than you can imagine."

I had to let that sink in. "At least they're safe, now. We'll have to make sure Andy knows about it."

"He knows. He went with us, himself. The boys gave him the board to keep for evidence."

"Good. Be careful shopping. Spend lots of money."

He laughed. "I don't think there's any worry about that. They need EVERYTHING. Oh, and Alan?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Instant throat lump. "I . . . love you, too. Be careful."

"We will."

I turned to Bill who was smiling at me. He said, "I'm glad you came to your senses. I want you to know Tim's been a miracle worker around here this week. Where he spent three days doing three hours' work the week before, he's done three week's work in three days this week. He's been whipping through here, helping to solve problems left and right. He's come up with some stuff that's so innovative, I've a feeling he'll be able to double the business, almost single-handedly. The guy's a genius, Alan. I mean that literally."

I smiled and nodded. After thinking a moment, I shook my head. "Honestly, I don't know what he sees in me. He's made my life so rich."

Before Bill could respond, the phone on my desk rang. When I picked it up, Lucy said, "Mister Stewart, your appointment is here."

In those six words, she told me that my visitors were standing within earshot of her and that there was not one person, but a group of two or more. In addition, from the formality of her announcement, she told me they were dressed in formal attire.

I looked at my watch. They were early. I said, "Thanks, Lucy. Tell them I'll be just a minute."