Soccer Marvel
Chapter 4
Chris Hartford had become something of a Luke and Hudy watcher. He loved being Luke's friend, the guy's personality shone through all the time. After two complete seasons he was acknowledged as the best English player in the country. He was 20 years old and not yet considered to be at his peak, but he was so self-effacing, he never considered himself to be anything special, and always praised the players that had been his assist in any goals he scored. He wasn't a greedy striker either, he would happily take the accolade for an assist, giving a team mate the chance to add to his scoring total even when he could have taken the goal easily. Chris was one of the players that had benefitted most from Luke's generosity on the field. His transfer value had soared and in consequence in contract negotiations his salary climbed as well, because he was also a prolific goal scorer, and in truth worked so well with Luke because of his admiration and study of his team mate. Socialising began to be a five person thing, Luke and Hudy, Chris Small and Lek, and Chris Hartford. Luke picked up on it first and in a break from training one morning Luke talked to Chris about it.
"You have to be the nicest and sexiest player in the team Chris. How come no girlfriends?"
Chris looked gutted and Luke picked up on it immediately. `Oh fuck, my best friend is gay.' Was his thought, but he said nothing.
"I don't know. I guess my life is so full with the team and my best friend I never seem to have time, or the interest to go chasing a bit of skirt."
That didn't ring true so Luke decided to bite the bullet.
"Would you like to spend some time with Hudy and I in London when we stay over at his flat?"
The appeal in Chris's eyes let Luke continue.
"If we only use private member clubs there is very little chance anyone would be taking photos and surmising on your sexuality."
Chris looked into Luke's eyes.
"I'm not sure, Luke, I never thought much about it before, but you and Hudy, Chris and Lek are such nice guys I feel more in tune with you than I do with my other team mates."
"Don't build this up into a monster, Chris. Just spend time with us until you sort it out in your own mind. I'm sure Hudy and I would be willing to help you while you transition if that is what you decided."
That was too much for Chris, his eyes were as big as saucers nearly as he gasped out.
"Are you seriously suggesting that you would take me to bed to show me gay sex in action?"
Luke nodded and smiled. He touched Chris's cheek gently and replied.
"Yes, you see, we love you Chris and would do anything to help you and see you happy."
"Love is such a strong word Luke, do you mean that?"
"Of course. Not like the love I have for Hudy, but something more special than friendship. Hudy and I aren't exclusive when it comes to sex. We have four friends in London that we sometimes have sex with, and we love it, but again it isn't like what we have together, and we never do it separately."
"I'm blown away Luke, I have to think about this. We play Spurs away next week, could I stay over with you on the Saturday night?"
"Sure, and we'll have dinner together before going to Napoleon's. They are very careful about who they give membership to so no nasty paparazzi there."
A win at Spurs with Luke assisting both goals scored by Chris. That gave Chris the excuse with his team mates to stay in town.
"I have to take this guy out to dinner tonight to thank him for those two goals today."
"Just make sure he doesn't get you into any of those nasty gay clubs," came from one of the team, but it was said with a laugh.
Chris replied in the same vein. "Huh, of course I'm going to let him. Think of all those gay guys falling over themselves to sleep with a stud like me."
A little more joshing about and Chris felt he had covered his intent carefully enough. Luke had already briefed Hudy so that when they turned up at the flat he was ready for whatever Luke choreographed.
"I have booked us into a very exclusive restaurant for dinner Chris, so we will have no problems there and a limo will be waiting to take us to Napoleon afterwards."
Chris realised that Luke was being very careful with his reputation for this evening.
"You don't go to this trouble when I'm not here do you?"
Laughing, Luke replied.
"No, we are frequently with Chris and Lek and everyone knows we are gay so we don't have to cover it up. We use all the clubs and pubs that all the gays use. We get a lot more handshakes than most guys get, but no one worries us anymore."
Chris realised again what a great friend Luke was.
The club was fantastic, it was like walking back in time a few hundred years to the French court. Chris guessed that all of the men here had money so if he wanted to chat up someone to go to bed with it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact he was a famous footballer. He watched how it all worked and realised his assumption was correct. He saw quite a lot of faces he knew and had no idea they were gay until now.
"I bet I could make a fortune from the press if I sold them a list of the names I have seen here already."
"Yes, you probably could and you would almost certainly end up in a nasty accident."
Chris looked surprised, "Really?"
"Really," Luke replied.
Chris was quite flattered that during the course of the evening he was approached by several stunning young men and asked to dance. At Luke's encouragement he had done so and thoroughly enjoyed it, but at the end of the evening he had been happy to hop in a taxi and go home with Luke and Hudy.
Settled into the sitting room with coffees, Luke started the conversation.
"Well, what did you think of your first sortie into the gay world?"
"I was very flattered by some of the men that chatted me up. I could have gone to bed with any of them."
"Why didn't you then?"
Chris blushed.
"I wouldn't have known what to do, and at 24 I feel I should do."
Luke thought that was amusing and spoke without thinking.
"So, would you like us to teach you tonight?"
Not able to look at either of these friends, Chris mumbled at the floor.
"Yes please, I think I would like that very much."
Luke looked at Hudy who realised Chris was very uncomfortable with that comment. He slid across the floor to Chris, lifted his face and then planted a gentle kiss on his lips.
"I'm sure Luke and I would be honoured. Shall we finish our coffee and then Luke and I will take you for a shower and talk about what we are going to do."
Luke and Chris both relaxed now and the shower was fun, until Hudy made his comment.
"I don't know how far you want to go Chris, but Luke and I have anal intercourse almost every time we make love. If you would like to try it either Luke or I would be happy to be the bottom for you. If you think you would like to receive our attention I know Luke would be happy to make love to you, but I am a dedicated bottom. We will have enemas in case, but you can refuse if you are not going to be passive."
Chris blushed before replying.
"I think I would like to try both."
Luke grinned like an idiot as he spoke.
"Oh yes, lodging my little Luke in you would be fantastic and looking at what you have I think both of us would be happy to try you for size."
Chris got his two enemas and Luke looked at Hudy after he had scoped out Chris's butt. It was gorgeous and Hudy nodded knowing what Luke would have said. Next was the very hard cock that Luke and Hudy both, thought might feel very nice lodged in their love tunnel.
That was parameters set and three very relaxed and happy young men fell into bed with Chris in the middle.
The action started straight away. Luke took Chris's lips and in between kisses told him how much Hudy and he had wanted to do this.
"We both value your friendship more than anyone else's. Having you as a friend has brought us nothing but joy and I suppose that is why we both love you and hope that what we are going to do tonight will bring you nothing but pleasure."
Hudy wasn't wasting his time either. He was stroking Chris's torso and licking his nipples. The licking became tweaking became pinching lightly. Chris gasped with the sensuality of it and Luke used a hand to play with one very hard cock and to stroke a lovely full ball sac. Chris was a total delight, very responsive and completely relaxed, amazing Luke.
Very soon, Luke left Hudy with the top half and moved down between Chris's legs which he opened wide and bent. Now, with use of both hands and his mouth he had Chris gasping. He tongued Chris's perineum and ball sac while he played with his cock before moving to his anal entry. Chris was in heaven, but so was Luke. Chris's butt was a total joy. Lovely rounded cheeks with a deep valley into the prize, a rosebud that took so much licking and finger work that Chris had two orgasms before Luke lubed them both and slowly entered him, just punching in over his sphincter and holding still. Chris looked surprised and then smiled. Luke slid in further, holding Chris's legs high and wide. Hudy then took charge of Chris's cock and balls, marvelling at the site, of Luke's cock sliding in and out of him, so close to his eyes, increasing in speed until Chris had a bottom full of Luke's love juice and Hudy a mouthful of Chris's. It had been so stimulating for Hudy as well that he had orgasmed without touching himself. Three man cuddle then while they recovered and Luke asked Chris if he was ok.
Chris grinned and very sheepishly said.
"That was incredible, I've never felt anything like it in my life."
"We can clean up and go again, only this time you can take one of us if you like."
Chris looked between the two friends and was lost.
"You are my best friend Luke so I would love to make love to you, but Hudy is the sexiest creature I have ever seen so I would like to make love to him as well."
Luke laughed and spoke to Hudy.
"Our friend is a greedy little sex toy isn't he Baby? Shall we indulge him and let him make love to both of us. If he can only manage one of us tonight we can let him go again in the morning don't you think?"
Hudy grinned.
"Oh yes, that will be fine. Who do you want first Chris?"
"Can I take Luke first and leave you for breakfast?"
They all laughed and after cleaning up, Chris showed Luke how much he loved him as well. The love making was unsure and tentative, but Chris put his heart and soul into bringing Luke so much pleasure he multiple orgasmed as Chris fucked him hard at the end of a very intense session of foreplay.
The following morning Chris made love to Hudy before breakfast and surprised the other two when, after his orgasm, he burst into tears.
"I'm sorry Luke. You were a wonderful first last night, but Hudy has just taken me where I've never been before. He is unbelievable, the sensations I experienced as I made love to him were so intense I nearly passed out. I love you guys, but Hudy has made it almost an impossible act to beat I am sure."
More kisses and cuddles to let Chris calm down before they showered again and went to sort out breakfast.
They called Battersea to find out if there was a helicopter available at short notice to take them home. There was with Chris as the pilot.
"I have an early shoot tomorrow, Luke, I think I should stay here over night. I'll fly up when I finish tomorrow because I have nothing on Tuesday."
Luke hated these times. It was logical, and not fair to expect Hudy to get up at the crack of dawn for an early shoot in town.
"Alright my love, I expect we will be finished training by lunch time so I will be home when you arrive."
Chris hoped he would be asked to stay and have another love in with Luke, but he was disappointed. He was told he could stay the night but it was made clear that Luke would not have sex with him unless Hudy was there.
"You love him very much don't you, Luke?"
"More than my life. I'll never do anything behind his back. I love you, and I'll be happy to have sex with you again, but only in a threesome."
Two happy young men turned up for training the next morning and Chris took a load of goodhearted joshing about his weekend.
"Well of course I've spent the weekend in one long sex orgy with Luke and Hudy, as if!"
The whole locker room dissolved in laughter. If only they knew.
It became more and more difficult for Chris to slope off comments about his sexuality as he spent more weekends with Luke and Hudy. The culmination was him being seen with the two of them and a third party, another beautiful Asian boy. Speculation was rife and made the sports papers first.
`Have Bedfont Rovers found another gay star? Chris Hartford was seen on the town this weekend with Luke Cross and his boyfriend, plus another young Asian man.'
The team were very quiet in the locker room the next day when Chris arrived for training. He grabbed Luke and walked him clear of the others.
"What do I do Luke? I don't really want to come out."
Luke patted Chris on the shoulder. "I'll sort it."
Back in the locker room Luke looked at his team mates.
"I hope the latest headlines aren't going to alienate you guys. If you socialise with me there is every likelihood that one of Hudy's friends will join us and then you are going to get labelled the same as Chris was last weekend."
"You mean that guy wasn't with Chris?"
"No, Marco, he was a friend of Hudy. We see quite a lot of him and unfortunately Chris was with us at the weekend."
There was a collective sigh of relief and Chris and Luke realised that the team could handle one gay guy but would be unhappy with two.
Chris became very introspective after that and around his team mates much quieter.
Luke bled for him, it was so unfair. Why couldn't Chris have a boyfriend like he had with Hudy?
Chris eventually decided on the same tenet. The beautiful Asian boy he had been seen with was becoming an increasingly important part of his life and he wanted to see him openly. This boy was studying fine art at a London college, was friends with Luke and Hudy. It was a perfect situation, or it would have been if the two Asian boys had been Asian girls. It all came to a head a few weeks later when they were confronted openly by a reporter from one of the slushy dailies. Chris became very belligerent as his boyfriend was harassed.
"I suggest you leave my boyfriend alone or I'm going to get very physical with you."
Luke winced and the next day's headlines outed him.
Usual problem in the locker room on the Monday. Luke jumped in again to try to calm things.
"Look guys, there are 23 players in the first team squad. The generally accepted figures are that 10% of males are gay. You should now feel comfortable, you now know who our 10% are."
There was still a stony faced silence and Luke exploded.
"For fuck sake you lot. Chris is still the same guy you have been happy with for three seasons. What's different today? You now know he's gay. He was gay last week as well, and last season, and the season before. He'll be gay next season, and my guess is that not one of you would interest him sexually. The same as me, Chris has a south East Asian boyfriend. He didn't fancy any of you last week and he doesn't fancy any of you this week either."
The silence remained and Luke couldn't handle it.
"I've had it with you lot. I'm sorry Chris, I'm going to leave you with these wankers. I'm going home and I'm not coming back this time."
Luke picked up his bag and walked. Chris shrugged and did the same. Marcel went ballistic and the club started to fall apart.
Chris arranged to live in Hudy's flat so that he could see his boyfriend. Luke once again applied to universities to see if any of them would take him, and spent his spare time reading up on his subjects ready to resume his education if necessary. When he put his Wirral house on the market, the press realised he was serious this time. His father thought the best way to get Luke some peace was to hold a press conference. The first question was predictable.
"Are you seriously going to give up soccer, Luke?"
"Yes, I have had it with the homophobia of my team mates. Chris Hartford is the nicest person I know in the football world. He is selfless in his support of the team and its aims. He works at full tilt every training session, he is the second highest goal scorer in the league and has devoted his entire footballing career to Bedfont Rovers. He comes out as gay and is immediately kicked in the teeth. I doubt Chris will play for Bedfont again and if it will help Chris, I will sell myself to another club as a double act with him, otherwise I'm going to university. I won't let the club profit from my leaving either. I was a free entry here and I will go the same way. I've already heard rumours that I'm going to be sued for breach of contract. Let them, I will sue for double the amount for human rights violations and support Chris Hartford in any similar case."
The newspaper men were blown away with Luke's hard-line approach.
Chris did a similar interview later that day and shook the footballing world when he declared that he was in talks with Barcelona and they were interested in Luke as well, particularly if he was available on a free transfer.
Law suits were started and stopped, Bedfont Rovers didn't know what to do. The human rights issues and prejudices rolled around the courts and nothing was sorted. With their two prime strikers out the team lost every match. By the end of the season the head honcho had admitted defeat and released both players so they could sign for a new club on free transfers. They also missed relegation by one point. The first team squad found themselves with no offers in the transfer market and the club actioned all the bonus clauses. Each player lost more than a million pounds. Fans deserted in droves and the next season's season ticket sales slumped by 70%, no one supports a loser.
Chris signed for Barcelona and went to live in the city with his boyfriend. Luke went to university to study sport science and lived with Hudy in his flat.
The next season finished with Bedfont relegated, Barcelona winning the European Cup and lauding Chris as their highest goal scorer. He and his Indonesian boyfriend, Naret, were seen in all the fashionable clubs in Barcelona, and Naret never missed a home game. Chris could have been a Martian as far as the fans were concerned, their only interest was in a team that won. Trips to London and Chris and Naret were always in the company of Luke and Hudy.
Luke played college soccer but had to admit he missed the adrenaline rush of playing at the top flight. The next season, Luke bowed out of university and signed for Barcelona. The first press conference sealed his future.
"We are delighted to sign Luke Cross to play alongside Chris Hartford, and we are sure the two strikers will be battling to be the highest scorers in the league."
It was rumoured that his salary topped his previous salary with Bedfont and despite his sexuality his sponsor ship income rocketed. With Hudy working in London a private jet was purchased and Luke spent most days in the air commuting from London until Hudy managed to get his company to set him up in a Spanish modelling agency based in Barcelona.
Six years later, Luke signed, on a free transfer, for second division club, Bedfont Rovers. He had bought a controlling interest in the club and was joining as player coach. In two seasons he took the club back to the Premier league and his first signing, again on a free transfer was 32 year old Chris Hartford.
Luke was still with Hudy who now ran his own model agency, and Chris was still with Naret who took a job in the fine arts department of an arts museum in the midlands.
It took Luke two more years to win the league title again and the next season, he moved to the chief executive's job, and Chris became manager.
At his first press conference, Luke made it clear that the club would never again sign a homophobic player and would be delighted to sign gay players if they could play football.
At 40 years old, Luke sold his interest in the club and devoted the remainder of his life to supporting Hudy and helping gay kids stand tall and embrace their sexuality.
Chris Hartford continued as a soccer manager until his mid-sixties, always emphasising that soccer was about ability and dedication not sexual orientation.
He died of a massive heart attack the night Bedfont Rovers completed the treble by winning the European Cup on top of the FA Cup and the league title.
"Chris Hartford was my dearest friend for all of my soccer career. He was the most dedicated player I ever met and the world of soccer is poorer for his passing. The club he loved, that disowned him for years, became his greatest challenge and his greatest success. I will miss him, the world of soccer will miss him. Rest in peace my friend, you have earned our love and respect."
The pictures in the paper the next day showed Hudy trying to console a sobbing Luke.
The End