Splash in the Pool

SPLASH IN THE POOL

SPLASH IN THE POOL

Jack Scribe

Warning:  The following story contains graphic descriptions of sex between consenting adult males. If you are underage or do not wish to read such materials, or if reading this sort of material is illegal in your jurisdiction, then read no further. This multipart story is entirely fictional, and any resemblances to actual persons are completely coincidental.

Special acknowledgements to Brad from Denver for providing diligent proofing and editing of the story, and to Carey for being a patient teacher.

If you have any comments or suggestions for the author, feel free to write me at jack.scribe@gmail.com. I love feedback. Support Nifty!

Part 9, CONVERGENCE

From Part 8,

As Brent disappeared inside, he filed away the arrival he had just observed and I turned to Mike. "Hey, do I have to wear a coat?" I had not planned on dressing up.

"No, buddy, you look great. I know the owners and I always dress a little bit formal when I'm here."

With that, we entered the Rendezvous.

__________________________________________

DAVE:

I looked with excitement as I observed this relic of a building. "This is the best dry barbeque restaurant in town. I think that you will enjoy the food," Mike said as we entered into this smoky den of the past. "The Rendezvous has been around for a long time. Everyone calls it the 'Vous.' This is real piece of Memphis history." Looking around, I could see that the interior was well worn but appeared to be maintained and clean. The exposed brick walls and dark heavy wood beams in the ceiling gave the rooms a sturdy masculine feeling.

I was also concerned about an unplanned meeting with Brent. Or, specifically, thinking about an unwanted confrontation between my roommate and Mike, as I said, "This sure beats Applebee's." We smiled at each other as I subtly jabbed his side with my elbow.

As we walked up to the reception area, surrounded by timeworn artifacts and the smells of the ovens creating their magic, the host greeted Mike as an old friend as they shook hands. "Hi Charlie. I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Dave Swenson. Dave, Charlie Vergos and his family own the restaurant."

With that said, this large Greek-appearing man smiled and grabbed my hand. "Dave, any friend of Mike's is always welcome here." After shaking hands, Charlie led us into the front dining room and a corner table with menus in hand.

"Charlie's son and I went to school together at Cornell," Mike passed on as we followed the gracious host.

Once we were seated, a mature African American waiter with the worry-lines of a man twice his age approached and said, "Hey, Mr. Mike, good to seek you again." He then asked what he could bring from the bar. Mike opted for a Manhattan up; I asked for a Corona Light. After he was satisfied with my I.D., the waiter left.

"Our waiter, Percy, has been here over 25 years. Most of the crew has been here all their lives. Are you ready to dig into the ribs?"

"This is going to be a real treat, ah...Mike," I stuttered, still not completely at ease calling this handsome officer by his first name.

When Percy returned with the drinks, Mike ordered a large slab of ribs to be shared, the famous mustard slaw, and two sides of corn-on-the-cob. Moments later, a busboy brought hot biscuits with butter and honey on the side to the table.

Preparing a biscuit with honey only, Mike looked at me and said, "Jump in, these are best when eaten right away while they're still hot."

I followed suit, chasing the first bite with the beer. After digesting the food, I said, "Thanks for getting me out of the base. I haven't been out that much for a while."

"It's time you check out this terrific city. I hope you'll let me be your guide." He looked into my eyes with conviction.

"I'd like nothing more. It's just that this has happened so fast."

"We both know that we need to talk about what happened back at the locker room," he said in a pleasant but somber tone of voice.

"I'd like to clear the air, Sir."

"First, drop this 'Sir' stuff." Mike reached for his cocktail glass by the stem and took a long sip. "I want to make sure that you're OK with what we did and what you feel?" I felt his energy transferring to me, as he looked into my eyes with caring and assurance.

As I looked at my dinner companion, slowly rotating the cocktail glass on the table with his fingers, I answered, "No regrets at all. And, my feelings for you are pretty intense." My voice was a mixture of excitement and concern.

"Me too," Mike added as he reached over and briefly squeezed my hand. "I've been rattling around in the closet alone too long."

"I told you I came out to my parents a year before they died. But, except for a few guys, I've maintained a very low profile." I didn't add that the "few" guys numbered three; two of whom I had met in the last 48 hours.

"I admire you for being honest with yourself. It's was just recently that I finally figured out that I'm only attracted to guys," he continued as he looked down at his half-finished Manhattan. "I've lived in a lie so long." He looked solemnly down at his cocktail glass. "I literally screwed around Chicago's gay area when I was a high school senior. And had my share of experiences at Cornell. I always thought that it was a phase."

"Just for the record, Mike," I rejoined in an upbeat manner, "I'm not your garden variety slut," grinning as Mike looked back at me. "I've experienced different levels of sex with only one other guy. But it was only with my best friend at home. And, I was in love with him. The other times, it was really about two guys getting off.  Safely, I might add."

"Love?"

"Yeah, but it was one-sided. Russ was my straight friend that loved the sex and liked the friend. But, we had sex a lot."

"It looks like I might need some instruction from you, other than swimming," Mike offered with his smiling personality returning. "The casual one-time encounters were always very safe. And, I routinely was tested. I'm very healthy."

"Me too." I thought for a moment, selecting the right words. "Mike, would I be too out of line to ask where you think our friendship could go? Is this going pretty fast for you?" I asked slowly. "I may be younger but I don't want this to be a brief affair."

"Hey, it's not like I'm an old man," Mike said as he laughed out loud. "What am I, three years older?" Then, switching gears, he added, "I'll be upfront. I'm not risking a Navy commission for a fling with a sailor." In a lower tone with hushed inflection, he added, "From our first meeting, I have felt something special growing in my heart for you. Yeah, it's a bonus that you are a hot looking guy. But, I sense a depth about you that I want to discover. Dave, this may be fast, but I'm pretty sure want to be with you a long time."

Lowering my voice, I replied, "A fling is the furthest thing on my mind. I want to share with you my thoughts and secrets. I want you to do the same."  

At that moment, the waiter bringing the dinner interrupted the intensity at the table. 'Wow,' I thought, 'this is enough food to feed the barracks.' We ordered two beers and dug into the hot food and slaw in front of us. Percy placed large paper bibs over our heads to protect our shirts.

As we wolfed down these fucking fantastic ribs, Mike continued with the topic at hand. "Let's talk about the Navy thing," he offered, after wiping the rib coating from his lips. "I'm glad we are in agreement that what has happened is positive. And that we nurture this relationship quietly only between you and me?"

"Yep, 'Don't' ask, don't tell,' " I shot back in agreement. "I'll be turning 21 soon. But, I know, Mike, that I want to explore this mutual feeling we have." Under the table, I felt his foot that had been removed from his shoe slowly stroking a left calf. I smiled.

"Obviously we need to be completely discrete on the base at all times," Mike said. "As tempting as it is, I don't think we should screw around after hours in the locker room."

I shook my head in agreement. "Yeah. The last thing we need is a Navy version of 'Candid Camera'."

"You really are a trivia guy."

"My social life has been anything but hot...and gay," I remarked with a wink.

"I think your social life is going to improve immensely." He appeared to be one happy camper.

After we ate more of our dinner, I looked up at Mike, and while still chewing, suggested, "Why don't we rent a small studio apartment, nothing fancy, somewhere here in Memphis?" Washing the food down with a swig of beer, I added, "I've got enough 'rainy day' money to share the rent if you do." In my mind, I also knew that I needed to buy a car pronto.

"Dave, that could work," Mike said, immediately responding to the suggestion. "We might look over in the U. of M. campus area. We could blend in really well. I could afford a couple of hundred dollars a month. How about you?"

"No problem. I'm off Friday. Can you get away for a while in the morning so that we could drive over to the campus and check out rentals?"

"I can get away for the morning. The Office Supervisor can cover for me. But I've got to get back for lunch and happy hour. We'll really be busy. I'll grab the classifieds of the Commercial Appeal tomorrow and start looking."

That settled, we finished dinner. I told Mike that I was going to buy a car Saturday. While waiting for the waiter to bring the dessert menu - I'd be swimming some laps tomorrow to burn off the acquired calories - out of the corner of my eye, I saw the face I recognized earlier. Brent and his "friend" were seated in a booth far across the room from us in a dark corner. Brent looked at me, scanned our table, smiled and raised his eyebrow.  

The waiter brought the dessert menu. Mike said, "Dave, why don't we order one bread pudding with the Jack Daniel's whiskey sauce and share?" He was unaware of what was transpiring in the booth beyond.

I nodded approval and said, "Sure, it sounds good to me." Mike ordered and gave the menu back to the waiter. I saw Brent stand up and watched him motion with his head for me to follow him to the hall that led to the restrooms. Once he walked through the hall and in the shadows, I told Mike, "I'm going to hit the head before dessert comes." He smiled at me as I rose from my chair and walked across the room.

Entering the men's room, I spotted Brent over at one of the three urinals. He really looked sharp with the dark gray suit, white shirt, and lighter gray tie. I walked over to a urinal next to him and, said "Surprise." I looked down, unzipped the fly, fished out my soft dick, and started to pee. Brent was finishing his duty.

As he shook the last drop and put his member back in his pants, he said, "Hey, buddy, when I suggested that you suck up to Ensign Cole, I didn't quite imagine you going out on a dinner date with him on the first night." He was chuckling to himself as he walked over to the hand sinks.

Since there was no one else in the room, I retorted by saying as I finished peeing, "Brent, I'm not going to bullshit you with some lame story. Let's just say that Mr. Cole and I are deciding about a friendship off the base." I felt I was on safe ground saying this, knowing the sketchy details of my roomie's activities after hours. I shook the head of my cock, tucked in, zipped up, and walked over the sinks as Brent was wiping his hands.

As I turned on the water, he replied, "Well then, I won't bullshit you about the man I'm with being my uncle."

"Brent, we both know that a sailor doesn't normally wear, what, a $2,000 Armani suit on shore leave? If you're coming back to the base tonight, why don't we have a conversation about all this?" I said as I dried my hands.

"I'll be back by 11 o'clock. Yeah, let's talk then. I think we're two roommates that need to clear the air. Why don't you get back to your table and I'll leave a minute afterwards. I don't think Ensign Cole knows me by sight. But, I don't want to chance it. You're cool that this is something we don't want to discuss with anyone else?" Brent concluded.

That said, I nodded and squeezed his arm. "Done deal," I said as I left the men's room and returned to Mike at the table and the desert.

"Hey, I thought you'd fallen in," Mike said looking up, smiling as I sat down. "I think you'll really like this," he remarked. The waiter had placed the warm, whiskey-sauced bread pudding in the middle of the table and had left two forks and two spoons, as well as 'Vous' wet naps and the bill.

I smiled back and dug into my side of the pudding. The huge portion was just right for two men. Savoring the first mouthful, I nodded affirmatively and joined Mike in devouring the last part of this interesting dinner of so many levels. "Let me pay for my share, Mike," as I retrieved my wallet from my back pocket, pulled out some bills, and placed it on the tray with the check.  "Whatever happens, I want to be equal in our friendship."

As we discussed the bill and tip, Mike was reviewing the bill in detail. I looked up and noticed another couple joining Brent and his "uncle." 'Holy shit,' I reacted as I saw the now-familiar profile of Ltjg. Di Marco in a well-tailored, double breasted blazer with an open-neck shirt and gray slacks walk over to the booth with another distinguished "uncle". They didn't see us.

"Sounds fair to me." Mike pulled out a VISA card from his pocket and placed it with my money on the tip tray. When the waiter returned, he said, "Just split this down the middle, my half on the credit card." He looked at me and said, "My respect for you is expanding, Dave. We will be equals. On base, we'll just play a little charade for the Navy."

I mentally was limp after seeing Mr. Di Marco join Brent. 'Jeez, what are those two up to,' I asked myself. However, this was nothing that I could resolve right now. Later, perhaps?

We handled the final tipping routine. I stood and turned quickly to Mike's side so that both our backs were to the booth. "Thanks Mike. I loved the chance to wind down with you."

He nudged me with his shoulder and said, "Dave, this is the first of many evenings." We left the restaurant and Mike retrieved the car. It was a quiet drive back to Millington. Mike was not aware of the dynamics that had occurred back at the restaurant.

We spoke a little more about our past and I slipped into a little doze. I felt the car stop and I opened my eyes to find Mike had stopped the car on a side street not far from the base main entrance.

Mike pulled me over to the driver's side and brought his lips to meet mine. After a long kiss with me initiating a tongue probe, Mike pulled back and said, "Buddy, this has been the best day I've had for a long time."

I breathlessly uttered "Me too." I didn't add that this was the craziest day I've had for a long time. Looking up at him with my head nuzzled on his shoulder, I continued, "I don't want this day to be over."

"I don't have a time machine or a DeLorean, babe." He slowly stroked my thigh. "But we do have all the time in the world starting tomorrow."

'Babe,' I considered. I liked that. "I'm going to hold you to your promise, Ensign Cole."

"I always keep my promises, Airman." With that he kissed me on the forehead.

Mike put the dark green Acura into gear and started the car back to the base: He to the BOQ and me to my barracks room and a conversation with Brent.