Belovéd - 67. Chapter 67

Carl Emrick and Andy Helder were sitting in the study on the big leather couch, holding hands, not talking much, just enjoying each other's company as the time for Andy to go back to San Rafael on Monday drew closer.

Andy leaned over and kissed Carl on the side of his partner's head.

"Let's go for a walk," he suggested.

Carl nodded, and they stood up and made their way out to the beach. They only walked as far up the beach as the Millers' front deck, and sat down on the steps. Andy took Carl's hand again and held it as they looked out at the bay and a cloudless sky.

"It won't be long before I'll be moving down here," Andy said. "That makes me happy, man, 'cause I miss you all the fucking time. Just texting and talking to you on the phone doesn't do it for me. There's a hole in my life when I'm not with you."

"Same here," Carl agreed emotionally, swallowing hard. "I can't wait for you to get down here permanently." He put an arm around Andy's muscular frame. "Don't laugh at me, but every time I touch you, it's like a little 'love bomb' goes off inside me. I wanna feel that every day for the rest of my life."

Andy couldn't help smiling. "Me, too, dude." The wind wasn't blowing, and Andy could detect the clean smell of his partner's body. He turned his head and looked Carl in the face. "When I go to bed at night and close my eyes," he said, "I get a picture of you in my mind that stays with me until I fall asleep. I'm surrounded by friends all day at school, and I spend a lot of time at Catherine's house with the guys, but I'm still lonely without you."

"I know the feeling. Have you had any more feedback from your mom and dad about transferring down here for school?" Carl asked.

"That's good. I really appreciate everything they've done to make me feel welcome in your family. As soon as you get down here and get settled, let's invite them to Malibu. I want to get to know them better."

That pleased Andy, and he turned his face and rubbed noses with Carl. "That would be great!" he said.

Carl leaned into Andy's body. "Y'know, we need to think about how we're gonna get your stuff down here from San Rafael."

"Yeah. Any ideas?" Andy asked, turning his head again and searching his partner's face. He liked looking at Carl. A lot. Andy could feel his cock start to thicken in his shorts, and he spread his legs a little.

"I guess it all depends on whether you want to bring any of your bedroom furniture with you or just limit yourself to your personal stuff," Carl said.

"Your bedroom here--er, our bedroom, is great just as it is," Andy said. "I might wanna bring my computer desk down here from San Rafael with me, though. I love my tablet, but I still like using a notebook for school papers and stuff. You think Kevin and Cam would be all right with another piece of furniture in the house?"

"Not a problem," Carl assured him. "What we may want to do is rent a U-Haul or a truck up north so we have room for all your clothes and anything else you want to bring."

"How would we pull a U-Haul?"

"I think we'd have to get a car up north. I wouldn't want to drive the Highlander up there and then drive it back down here pulling a trailer. It would put a strain on the hybrid engine from shifting back and forth to the gas engine, doncha think?"

"Yeah," Andy said. "But where could we get a car up there?"

"Well, Dan and I still own the Cadillac dealership in Monterey," Carl said. "I'm sure Ian would help us get a new or good used car from Emrick Motors to pull a trailer back down here." Carl paused. "I suppose we could get an Escalade--it wouldn't hurt to have another car down here, I guess. On the other hand, I don't think we want to have a big Escalade sitting in our driveway all the time, either. The Highlander is plenty big enough for the family."

"I think you're right. Why don't we see if Ian has any thoughts about this?"

"Good idea," Carl agreed. Then a light bulb went off in his head.

"Hey," he said, "I just had an idea."

Andy laughed. "You had a what?"

Carl elbowed him in the side. "Don't make me hurtcha."

"I'm all ears."

"Father Mason will be moving down here before long. Why don't we see if we can move you and him down here at the same time? We could rent a truck in San Rafael or San Francisco."

Andy looked at Carl, and then pulled his head over for a smooch. "Y'know," he said, "that's actually a great idea. Let's talk to him."

They continued to look at each other just as a bunch of girls walked past them down the beach close to the water. The girls all turned their heads to scope out the two handsome, well-built, muscular guys sitting on the Millers' front steps. The girls waved and smiled, and Carl and Andy waved back. Carl's body was still in good shape from wrestling in high school, and Andy's from still doing martial arts in the San Francisco area. Running every day hadn't hurt either one of them, either, and both of them watched what they ate. And Maria made sure Carl, Cam, Kevin and Art Smith ate a healthy diet.

Once the girls had passed by, the guys turned their heads and kissed each other on the lips, Carl pulling Andy's face to his own and holding it there as their tongues wrestled with each other.

"Lord, I love you, man!!" Andy sighed once they had ended their lip lock. "You're fucking makin' me hard," he said. "How could I be so lucky to find a great guy like you who likes dick as much as I do?"

Carl looked down between his own legs, where a big bulge testified to the same condition Andy was in. He reached over and cupped Andy's package, squeezing the bulge in his boy's shorts.

"Oh, yeah!" Andy sighed, bringing his legs together, trapping Carl's hand in place. "I wish there was someplace we could and go and make love."

"There is. I'm pretty sure Cam and Kevin have been using the downstairs bathroom for sex since you guys all got down here. Let's go over there," Carl said, smiling in anticipation at the thought.

"How do you know they've been using that bathroom?"

"I've seen them come back to their room in the middle of the night. With all of us bunking together, that bathroom is the best bet for a little privacy."

Andy grinned. "Love always finds a way."

Carl nodded in agreement, and they sat there for a minute or so to let their erections subside before standing up and heading back next door, holding hands.

Once in the house, they strolled along the downstairs corridor heading for the bathroom where they could be alone. His body covered with sweat, William eyed them when they passed the gym doorway, and a smirk passed across his face. He was pretty sure he knew where the guys were headed.

Andy and Carl went through the bathroom door, flicked on the lights, and shut and locked the door behind them. For a long moment they stood in the middle of the room, holding each other in a long, passionate kiss before they toed off their Skechers, eased off each other's T-shirt, pulled down each other's cargo shorts and boxers, and moving with all deliberate speed, hit the floor. Naked, they fronted each other again for several minutes, hugging one another with their growing erections trapped between their bodies. They stroked each other's leaking dicks before breaking to spread towels on the carpet and throw rugs for a bed and getting horizontal again.

First they sixty-nined, breathing deeply of the musk from each other's crotch. Well endowed and hard, they began to lick and suck one another's cock until a serious amount of pre-cum began to leak into their mouths. Each of their tongues probed his partner's piss slit as deeply as possible as the volume of sweet-tasting pre-cum increased.

Several minutes later and already close to the edge, Andy pulled away and shifted around face to face Carl.

"Sweet!" Carl told his partner. "And sweet tasting. You taste so freakin' good!"

"You, too," Andy said. "Dude, after I move to Malibu, I can't wait to suck your dick and taste your juice every night before we fuck and go to sleep. I think about that every time I jack off." He chuckled. "And lots of times when I'm not jacking off."

Carl covered his partner's lips with his own, and then pulled back to look into Andy's eyes. "So you've been jerkin' it between your visits to LA, is that right?" Carl demanded, simulating outrage. "You've never asked me for permission to shoot a load when I'm not there to help you get off."

"I didn't know I was supposed to do that," Andy said unapologetically. "What about you?"

"I never get off without your mouth or hand making it happen. I walk around here hard all the time."

Andy began laughing. "You're such a liar! A provocateur!"

"No, I'm not. I've learned everything I know about sex from you," Carl insisted, "so naturally I stay sexually frustrated between your visits because I've always thought you'd be in the same condition whenever we're apart."

"I think I heard Satan turn up the fires of hell when you lied just then," Andy kidded Carl. "You need to go to confession--not for cranking one out now and then, but for lying to your partner about being celibate when I'm not around."

"Shut up!" Carl said. He raised up from the floor and opened the lower drawer of the sink. "Let's see what Cam and Kevin have left behind to promote a good fuck."

And there it was at the very back of the drawer--a partly used tube of lube. Carl showed it to Andy.

"Outstanding!" Andy said. "Who's going to top?"

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Carl suggested.

"Yep," Andy agreed.

"One, two, three," Carl said, and they flashed their choice.

Carl--rock. Andy--scissors.

"Oh," Carl said with a grin. "Too bad, man."

"Well, that's just the thing," Andy demurred. "When it comes to sex with you, there's no 'too bad.' There's no loser no matter who's doing what."

"Oh, yeah!" Andy breathed quickly in and out as Carl soon added a second finger. "Oh, fuck yes!"

Carl let his fingers do the walking for several minutes before eventually introducing his hard, leaking dick to Andy's hole, working it in until his pubes were tight against Andy's ass.

"Oh yeah!" Andy hissed again with pleasure.

At first Carl remained unmoving after he lowered his body on to Andy's abs and stomach, and then in a few minutes he put his tongue into Andy's mouth and explored it. But it wasn't long before Carl began to pump into Andy as they continued kissing, his long, thick cock rubbing Andy's prostate and making his partner groan with pleasure. Andy pulled Carl tight to his body, his own penis now getting a good massage from the smooth skin of Carl's muscular abs sliding over it, lubricated by Andy's pre-cum and their mutual sweat. Carl gradually increased his speed and pumped away with love and enthusiasm.

Andy reached a long arm down Carl's sweating back to the boy's ass and into his crack. Finding Carl's hole and rubbing it, Andy worked a middle finger into him. Carl groaned in pleasure when Andy found his prostate.

"Oh, fuck," Carl rasped as he moved inexorably toward ejaculation, but fought the urge to just let go. Andy raised his legs to encircle his partner waist and ass, and clasped Carl even tighter to himself. Carl liked that a lot.

Perhaps fifteen minutes later, although Carl had manfully tried to slow the pace they had set so he wouldn't lose his edge, both guys groaned deeply and repeatedly as they almost simultaneously ejaculated. Andy was deluged with Carl's cream internally, as well as up and down his abs and stomach with his own cum.

Andy slowly lowered his legs to the floor, and the two of them lay there, Carl still on top of Andy, both of them breathing deeply and gasping and then dozing until Carl eventually slipped out and off of Andy and lay beside his boy, holding him now in a relaxed mental and emotional haze.

Eventually they began to regain full consciousness and move their limbs a bit. Andy turned his head and studied Carl, whose blue eyes were open and looking at him.

"Well," Andy said quietly, "celibate or not, you sure haven't forgotten how to do it!"

"Thanks," Carl whispered and nuzzled Andy's face. "When your mind and your heart and your dick work together the way ours do, amazing things happen. I love you to death, man."

"Y'know, you sound like a poet more than a business major," Andy said, smiling. "I don't know how getting fucked could feel any better, and I've never heard anybody describe great sex better than you just did! Not bad at all for an accountant!" Andy rolled toward Carl, and after licking some of his own cum off Carl's torso, plunged his tongue into Carl's mouth. Then they continued to kiss deeply until they conked out again for several more minutes, still clasped tightly together.

They finally awakened for good, jumped into the shower and enjoyed scrubbing each other, using hands and fingers to wash and probe and massage every part one another's body, finishing up with soapy wash cloths.

Turning off the water, they got dressed, and cleaned up the bathroom. They dumped the soiled towels and wash cloths into the downstairs washing machine before finding and mingling with the other guys. Maybe it was Carl's imagination, but he thought he got some knowing looks from the others, especially William. He wondered in passing whether William was getting any action since he and his squeeze Alicia McCaskill had been outed to Ian by Alicia's father.

Ah, so fucking what! Carl thought to himself about the guys' speculation about his and Andy's sexual activities. Andy and I aren't the only ones thinking about sex all the time. The difference is, we get to do something about it. It's better to do it than just think about it. He laughed, imagining a little devil in a red suit on his shoulder, laughing and jumping up and down for joy.

After supper that night, everybody in the house went to the movies along with Sean and Susan Miller to see Whiplash, and they all had a great time. Even straight William agreed that Miles Teller, playing the young drummer in the film, was handsome as hell.

Cam looked over at William as they all walked out of the theater to their cars. "William, I don't want you fantasizing about Miles tonight after we sack out."

Before Cam could dodge retaliation, William grabbed him around the neck and gave him hard nuggies on his scalp. Cam yelped and managed to escape.

"Miles Teller isn't a problem for me," William said. "But make sure to take your own advice."

After breakfast, they went into the study and tried to come to a final decision about what they wanted their engagement rings to look like. They finally agreed on Cam's suggestion that the major stone be a flat cut ruby for the engagement rings, with two small emerald stones to each side of the ruby. As they had discussed with Ralph Albernathy at the jewelry store, the engagement rings would interlock with plain gold, filigreed wedding rings which would be blessed by Father Mason at their wedding.

The decision made, they went back to the kitchen and told Maria what they had decided. They asked her what she thought about the stones they had selected, and she said she liked what they had agreed upon.

"You're just saying that," Kevin kidded her.

"Come here, you," Maria said, laughing and reaching out and pulling Kevin into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Never," Kevin admitted. "Just checking. Speaking about checking, are Juan, Jr., and Roberto still having a good time with the guys here?" Maria's boys had just continued to stay with the family since the Romero family had come over for Thanksgiving.

"They're having the best time ever!" Maria said. "I can't thank you guys enough for including them in all the fun things you've been doing. Everybody's been so nice to them."

"They're great kids," Cam said. "Just know that they're welcome here anytime. And so is Juan, Sr. Nobody needs to wait for a special invitation."

"Well, I can't tell you how much Juan and I appreciate all you've done for our family."

After the two of them talked with Maria, they went back to the study and got on landline extensions to Mr. Abernathy and filled him in on their decision about the rings.

The jeweler shared his favorable opinion about their choices. "A fiery, polished ruby makes the principal statement about your feelings for each other," Abernathy said, "and the emeralds are the parentheses to that statement. Good decisions, gentlemen. I can't wait to see these two rings myself when they're finished. They'll be beautiful and wearable without being overpowering. Not overly flashy, but making a clear statement."

"That's what we were going for!" Kevin said enthusiastically.

He and Cam gave the jeweler permission to begin crafting the rings.

The two of them had been sitting on a leather couch beside each other while they talked with the jeweler, and after they hung up the phones, Cam pushed Kevin flat on the couch and lay down on top of him and looked into his face.

"Now that we've decided on the rings, getting married is really, really starting to hit me," Cam said, kissing his partner.

"Me, too," Kevin agreed when they broke their kiss. "Have you given any thought to who you want for your best man?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cam responded. "I want Carl to be my guy."

"All right," Kevin said. "I'm going to ask Berto."

"Good choice. What are we going to give William to do? I don't want him to be pissed off when he doesn't get to be best man for one of us."

"I know it. What about making him head usher?" Kevin suggested.

"Good idea. Either that, or ask Father Mason to train him after the family goes home to San Rafael to be Master of Ceremonies at the wedding and the Mass. That's pretty high profile."

"You're so smart," Kevin said, pulling Cam's head down and kissing him again. "Offering William some options is a great idea!"

"You always inspire me to come up with some new shit," Cam said.

"It's a gift," Kevin said.

Cam laughed. "Always stay as humble as you are," he said.

"You have my word on that. Listen, since we didn't run this morning, why don't we see if the guys want to do that before it gets any hotter outside."

"Good idea. You're looking kind of chubby lately. And I can lick the sweat off your body when we get back."

'If I didn't love you so much, I'd hurtcha real bad right now," Kevin said, holding his partner's head and kissing him on his nose. "Let me up and I'll go see if the guys want to run."

"I might let you up, and I might not."

Kevin laughed as he grabbed Cam's body and lifted him straight up, holding his boy's lanky body suspended directly over himself.

"Show-off!" Cam said.

Kevin lowered his partner back down on to himself, and then began to tickle Cam's midsection.

Cam began to laugh. "Ow, ow, you're hurting me! Domestic violence!"

Just then William came into the study.

"Kinky!" he said.

Kevin stopped tickling his boy, and looked at William. "I know it's a little later than usual, but are you interested in going for a run?"

"I'm always looking for an opportunity to show up you pseudo-jocks," William said.

"Good," Cam said. "You have to run naked because you're such a wise ass."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" William said with a smirk.

"Where are the rest of the guys?" Kevin asked.

"They're just getting up," William said. "Catherine and my mom and dad already took Casey and went over to the Millers' pool for some morning sun.

"Why don't you go upstairs and kick some ass to get the guys to run," Kevin suggested, "and I'll go next door and do the same thing with the grown-ups at the pool. Only in a more genteel fashion, it goes without saying."

"You? Genteel? Give me a break," William said. "When were you ever genteel? I must have missed it," he said as he turned and headed for the stairs.

Many in the congregation remembered Father Mason as a newly ordained deacon at St. Dunstan's, six months before being ordained a priest and being called to St. Andrew's parish in San Rafael to work for Father Blackburn. Father Ryan spoke warmly of then-deacon Mason's work in the parish, pointing out that it was Father Mason's planning that helped lay the foundation for the remarkable growth the parish had sustained in recent years.

The congregation broke into smiles and spontaneous applause upon hearing the good news, and Father Ryan went on to say how much he was looking forward to working again with a dear friend in continuing to serve and grow the parish. He called Mason down from the altar where he was preparing the elements of bread and wine for consecration to greet the people close-up.

After they arrived back at the house after Mass, the family spent the rest of the day swimming, playing volleyball and football on the beach. Father Ryan, Lisa and their three kids had joined them in Malibu along with Juan Romero, Sr., after church. Ian Carson and Sean Miller took charge of cooking spareribs and potatoes on the grills on Cam and Kevin's deck in mid-afternoon, while Maria and Juanita tossed big bowls of salad in the kitchen.

Cam asked Father Mason to offer thanks as the lines formed to serve the food.

The priest opened his arms wide, saying, "The Lord be with you."

"And also with you," the crowd said.

"Let us pray...

"Heavenly Father, we offer you grateful hearts for this food You have provided us, and also for the love and companionship which we enjoy with one another. As when our Lord Jesus fed his disciples during His time on earth, so we thank you for Your bounty in feeding us today and holding us in Your hand during our journey through life. Bless this food to our use, and us to your service, and make us always mindful of the needs of others, through the same Christ our Lord."

"Amen," the family said, making the sign of the cross.

William grinned and high-fived Father Mason. "Good job, Father," he said. "We're sure gonna to miss you in San Rafael when you move down here."

"Back atcha on that, William," Mason said. "But I know I'm going to continue to see you down here a lot."

"Count on it," William said. He impulsively embraced the priest, and to his own surprise, kissed Mason on the cheek before joining the line filing past the grills and the tables with salad. Cam was behind William in the line, and told him quietly, "See, when ya show affection like that, that's why I love ya, even when you're a jerk sometimes."

William grinned. "Thanks, I guess."

Carl and Andy sat near Ian and Father Mason, and they worked out Andy's and Father Mason's move from San Rafael to L.A. by the end of November. They agreed that renting a truck would best accommodate moving both of them south. Carl would fly to San Francisco so he and Andy could drive the truck.

"If we tow my car, I could trade off with you guys in driving the truck," Mason said.

"Sounds like a plan," Andy said.

"Andy, how much furniture are you going to have?" Ian asked.

"Just a computer desk," Andy said. "That and my clothes will be about it."

"Father, how about you?"

"A bed, two dressers, couch, three easy chairs, a bookcase and books, a dining room table and chairs, pots and pans, and clothes. That'll be it," the priest said.

"Well, when you settle on a date for the move, I'll make sure we have plenty of 'boy-power' to load the truck," Ian said. "Are you going to put your furniture in storage down here until you find an apartment?"

"Yes. Cam and Kevin have invited me to stay here at the house until I find a place of my own," Mason said.

"Stay in touch," Ian told Cam, Kevin and Carl, giving each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You, too, Juan," he told Juan Romero, Sr., as he shook hands with the man. "Let me know when you hear from Magnum Studios about doing some work for them."

"Will do," Juan said. "Thanks again for the positive recommendation."

"Romero," he said into the phone.

"Mr. Romero," a well modulated female voice said. "Mr. Eisner at Magnum Studios is calling. Are you available to speak with him?"

"Yes, m'am," Juan said.

"One moment, please."

The line went dead for a few seconds, and then a deep male voice came out of the speaker, getting right down to business.

"Mr. Romero? This is George Eisner, chairman at Magnum Studios. Ian Carson, our attorney for special projects, gave me your name and number, and highly recommended I contact you concerning some construction we're planning on our movie lots here in LA. Would you be available to take a lunch meeting with me and our Vice President of Facilities, Rick Lazlo, sometime in the near future?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. We've checked out your company, and know you do good work. We'd like to explore doing business with you."

"I'd be delighted to talk with you, sir."

"Excellent. Let me put you on with my secretary for a date that's good for all of us, and let's get together soon. The sooner, the better."

"I'll look forward to it," Juan said.

The phone again went dead for a moment, and then the female voice was back. They set a date for lunch for one o'clock at the studios for Tuesday of the following week.

Juan felt a little weak in the knees at the speed with which George Eisner had responded to Ian Carson's recommendation. The latter had been as good as his word given to Juan at Thanksgiving dinner that he would contact the studio on his behalf.

"MacKenzie--Stoltz--Emrick residence," she said.

"Cam MacKenzie, please," the voice stated.

"Mr. MacKenzie isn't at home," Maria said. "May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Allan Petrie at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office."

"Cam is in class at UCLA this morning, Mr. Petrie," Maria said. "May I take a message?"

"Is there any way I can reach him?"

"No, sir, I don't think so at present. As I say, he's in class, and he doesn't take any calls at school."

"Will you give me his cell phone number, please?"

"I'm not at liberty to do that, Mr. Petrie. But if you'll give me your telephone number, I'll contact him as soon as possible and ask him to call you."

Petrie wasn't in a very good mood, having just emerged from a rather unpleasant conference with his supervisor about moving his cases along at a faster pace. He decided to try to get Cam's number by bullying the help.

"M'am, I want Cam's cell phone number, and I want it now."

'Perhaps I wasn't clear with you, sir. I'm not giving you Mr. MacKenzie's cell phone number without his permission. Please let me have your phone number, and I know he'll want to get back to you as soon as possible."

"I'll have your job for this, lady! What's your name?"

Maria barely stifled a laugh.

"You're welcome to try that, sir. My name is 'Maria.'"

"Maria what?"

"Just Maria. I can put you in touch with Mr. MacKenzie's attorney, Mr. Ian Carson, in San Francisco if you like. Mr. Carson has Mr. MacKenzie's cell phone number, and perhaps you can get it from him."

Oh, shit, Petrie thought to himself. All I have to do is get in trouble with the President of the California Bar Association, and naturally a personal friend of the DA.

"Never mind," Petrie said, the anger now drained out of his voice. "Here's my number." He gave Maria his phone number. "Ask Cam to call me ASAP, please."

He hung up with a bang.

Maria hung up the landline with a smile, and opened a drawer with her purse in it. Taking out her cell phone, she brought up Cam's name on the contact list and texted him:

"Son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath--for two reasons. One, the call probably meant that the Clymer-Murtha trial was coming up fast, with Rory Lomer hopefully having pled out. Shit, he thought to himself--the trial might well be before Christmas. Secondly, Petrie had threatened Maria with the loss of her job, and that pissed him off. Really pissed him off.

He dialed the number for Petrie that Maria had sent him. It rang.

"Petrie," a voice answered.

"This is Cam MacKenzie," Cam said, his voice icy cold. "What the fuck!" he said.

"What's the matter?" Petrie asked, having a pretty good idea exactly what was the matter.

"What the fuck do you mean calling my house and threatening my employee Maria with the loss of her job because she followed my instructions not to give out my cell phone number? She doesn't take fucking orders from you."

"I was wrong to do that," Petrie admitted sheepishly. "I apologize."

"Don't apologize to me," Cam said. "You call Maria back and apologize to her!"

Petrie's face flamed red. How had he put himself in the position of taking orders from a wet-behind-the-ears college student? Unfortunately, Cam MacKenzie was a wet-behind-the-ears college student with important connections.

"I will."

"I'll check with Maria when I get home to make sure you did," Cam warned. "Now, why was it so imperative for you reach me?"

"The Clymer/Murtha trial is back on the docket for a week from Monday. Rory Lomer will plead out and testify against his buddies. But would showing up on that Monday be a problem for you?"

"No, But do I really have to be there?"

"Probably not," Petrie said. "The only possible glitch would be if Lomer had a last minute change of heart and decided not to take a plea. I don't think that's going to happen, but if it did, we'd have to ask for a continuance to get you on deck, and this judge would hate that. Lomer's had a rough time of it in jail, if you know what I mean. He was raped repeatedly before he went into solitary for his own protection, and didn't like any of it. But if he didn't take a plea, you'd have to be in the courtroom to testify against all three of them."

"I almost feel sorry for Lomer. Almost. At any rate, I can be in the courtroom that Monday, just in case. What time?"

"Ten a.m. Downtown courthouse."

"I'll be there."

"Good," Petrie said.

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

"Don't forget about Maria," Cam told Petrie, still hardass before thumbing the Disconnect button on his phone.

"Let's go off campus for lunch," Cam suggested when they all arrived. "I have some info for you about the trial, so let's go somewhere quiet."

"You got it," Kevin said as they headed for the parking lot.

"You drivin'?" Carl asked Kevin. "I wanna ride in the 'Sting."

"Everybody wants to ride in the 'Sting," Kevin said. "It's a quality ride, and you all know it."

"It's no Camaro, though, that's for sure," Cam responded. "For one example, the Camaro has ports that close and cover the headlights when you turn the lights off."

"So what?" Kevin said.

"So when some car throws up a stone on the road when the ports are closed, it won't break the headlights," Cam said smugly. "No such luck with the 'Sting."

Kevin couldn't deny that, and could only say, "Big fucking deal."

"I call shotgun," Cam said as they approached the car.

"You're so selfish," Carl observed to Cam as he climbed into the back seat. "You're lucky I don't tell Casey about how possessive you are about shit like riding shotgun all the time."

"If you wanted the death seat, you should have called it," Cam said. "I can't read your mind. I just like to sit beside my boy Kevin."

Art got in the back seat with Carl, and laughed to himself as his three housemates continued to verbally abuse one another as they drove to an In and Out Burger not far from campus.

They ordered at the drive-in, pulled ahead, and when their food was up, Kevin headed for a quiet corner of the parking lot.

Cam said a quick grace, and they chowed down right in the car.

"Don't spill anything on this fine Corinthian leather," Kevin warned his passengers about spilling anything on the seats.

"Now, now, after all the juice you spilled on this 'fine Corinthian leather' in your horny high school days with Heather Butler, this would be the least of your problems," Cam said. "I can still smell your juice on the seats."

"Yeah, I'm positive you know what it smells like," Kevin laughed. "But don't bring up Heather Butler's name again."

"Sorry," Cam said, pretending to be be contrite.

"If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that only Chryslers had 'fine Corinthian leather,'" Carl interjected. "It was mentioned in their ads. That was before our time, of course."

"Why don't you all stop running your mouths so we can get the trial news?" Kevin told the guys.

"All right," Cam said between bites of a big, thick burger. "Petrie called me from the DA's office. The trial starts a week from Monday at 10 a.m."

Kevin looked over at Cam to see if he was upset. "You OK with that?"

"Yep," Cam said. "It's been a long time coming. I wanna get it over with."

"I'll go with you," Kevin offered.

"That's why I love you," Cam said appreciatively. "It would be great to have some company just in case I have to testify."

"Anything else?" Carl probed.

"It still looks like Rory Lomer is gonna roll on Clymer and Murtha," Cam added.

"If Lomer is gonna do his thing, why do you have to be in court?" Kevin asked.

"In case he has a last minute change of heart," Cam said. "Petrie doesn't think that's going to happen, but you never know."

"And. . .?" Carl asked.

"That's it on the trial," Cam said. "But Petrie threatened Maria on the phone with losing her job."

"What?!!" Kevin said, looking over at Cam with big brown eyes, dark with anger.

"Yeah," Cam said. "He wanted my cell phone number so he could call me at school, and she wouldn't give it to him. So he told her she could lose her job for that."

"What a dick!!" Art Smith said. "What the fuck?!!" Art really had really bonded with Maria since he had moved in, and was outraged.

"Yeah," Cam said. "My sentiments exactly. After Petrie hung up, Maria texted me that I should call him ASAP, and also mentioned his threat about her job in the text. So I called him right away after class, and yelled at him for what he'd said to Maria. He apologized to me, and I told him he better call Maria and apologize to her. He said he would. When we get home, he'd better have called her and said he was sorry, or he and I are going to have a big problem."

"What a prick," Carl said about Petrie. "The world's full of 'em, unfortunately!"

"Amen to that!" Art said. "Just when I think I've met 'em all, another one shows up."

They continued to eat their meal and talk, and Cam changed the subject to talk about his film class, explaining to the guys some of the finer points about computer generated imagery (CGI) that he'd been learning.

When they finished eating, Kevin collected the refuse and dumped it in a nearby receptacle.

"You may have your faults, Stoltz, but you do keep your vehicle clean," Carl said. "I have to give you that."

"You're right," Kevin responded. "You should keep your body as clean as this car, Carl. We'd all appreciate it. Especially Andy."

Cam and Art laughed as Kevin fired up the Mustang and they headed back to school.

When Cam arrived home after school that day, the first thing he did was look for Maria. Kevin, Carl and Art followed him into the kitchen.

"Did Mr. Petrie get back to you today?" Cam asked her.

"Yes, he did," Maria said. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. What did he say to you?"

"He apologized to me for saying that I might lose my job for refusing to give him your cell phone number."

Cam nodded in satisfaction.

"Mr. Petrie never should have said that to you," he said. "You're part of this family, and nobody gets to talk to you like that. Ever. Period. End of story."

"Well. . ." Maria started to say when Cam embraced her and kissed her on the cheek.

Kevin hugged her in turn, and pointing at Cam, told her, "What he said!"

Art and Carl embraced her as well, and as always, Maria was moved by the affection these four boys had for her.

"Now, where's the little guy?" Kevin asked.

"He should be in the study, just waking up from his afternoon nap," Maria said.

"Was he a good boy today?" Cam asked.

"Always."

All four of the guys trooped into the study to find Casey standing up, gripping the side of his playpen and still looking a little sleepy. The little boy raised his arms to be picked up, and Kevin passed Cam his backpack and obliged the baby.

"Mr. Casey," Kevin said, kissing the little guy on top of his head. "What have you been doing today?"

"Playing, Daddy," Casey said. "I wanna play now."

"Me, too," Kevin agreed, sitting down with him on the floor near a pile of toys. Cam joined his partner and the little boy on the floor. Kevin and Cam played roll-the-ball with Casey as Carl and Art watched for a while. Carl and Art eventually excused themselves to go upstairs to start on some homework.

"Let me know when it's my turn for some playtime," Art instructed before he left the room. He'd grown very fond of the baby since he'd become part of the family.

"Will do," Kevin said, always appreciative that Art and Carl were so unselfish in wanting to spend time with Casey.

Kevin moved closer to Cam that morning, and lowered his head to gently kiss his boy's beautiful, smooth, muscular chest, and inhale the smell of him. Cam's smell never failed to arouse him.

Cam finally stirred, epened his green eyes, and looked at his partner.

"Last night was so good. . ." he whispered to his partner.

"Bud, it's always so good with you," Kevin said.

"Do we have time for an encore?" Cam asked, reaching over and making a fist around Kevin's usual, early morning hard-on. Cam had a huge paw, but he could never quite close it completely around Kevin's girth when his partner was fully aroused.

Kevin groaned and looked over at the clock on the bedside table. It was 6:30 a.m.

"Not if we want to be on time at the courthouse. You know what the freeway going downtown is like in the morning."

"Damn!" Cam said, disappointed. He bent himself double and kissed Kevin's cock, putting the head of it in his mouth, releasing it only after tonguing it thoroughly. "I'll take care of this bad boy later," he promised as he unfolded himself.

"Let's just cuddle for a couple minutes," Kevin suggested, quickly checking the clock again. "I love you so much, Cameron. I'm thankful to have you for my partner. And happy to have you share Casey with me."

Cam was moved. He knew Kevin loved him, but he wasn't usually that verbal about it.

"Oh, Kev..."

Cam didn't say anything else. They just clung together, and finally shared a soul kiss before jumping out of bed, both of them still hard, and heading for the bathroom. After brushing their teeth, they hit the shower to wash one another and then towel each other dry. Back in the bedroom, they put on dark suits, dress shirts, ties and highly polished black shoes, and then went downstairs for a quick breakfast.

Maria had already brought Casey downstairs, and he was perky and sitting in his highchair eating baby food and a little cereal. The guys kissed the baby on his head before sitting down at the table.

"You guys clean up so well," Maria told Cam and Kevin. "Those are beautiful suits."

"Thanks," Kevin said. "Maybe we'll get some points with the powers-that-be for looking nice."

Maria busied herself at the stove, and served them up scrambled eggs, salsa on the side, with oatmeal toast, accompanied by mocha coffee.

Kevin said grace.

"Yum," Cam said after tasting the eggs and toast with a forkful of salsa, and taking a swig of coffee. "Thanks, Maria."

"You're welcome."

"Good stuff," Kevin agreed with a grin.

"Do you boys know when you'll be home today?" Maria asked.

"Not exactly," Cam said. "If we can make it to our last afternoon class right after court, we'll probably get here at the usual time."

"All right," Maria said. "Just wondering." She looked at Cam. "Do you think you'll have to testify?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Cam said.

"I know you'll be all right whether you testify or not," Maria reassured the boy, patting him on the shoulder and kissing his cheek.

Both unshowered at that point, Carl and Art came downstairs and into the kitchen right then, patting Casey on the head as they went by him.

"Cam, I--we--just want to wish you well today," Carl said. "Everything will come out great, I just know it. I'm looking forward to hearing some good news tonight."

Cam stood up from the table and hugged his two friends. "Thanks, guys," he said. "If you have time, say a prayer for me in case I have to testify," he said, speaking a little shyly about his request.

"No problem. You got it!" Art said as he and Carl went back upstairs to get ready for their run.

Cam sat down again, and he and Kevin finished up their breakfast and then said good-bye to Maria and Casey. They went out to the driveway.

"You want to drive?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah," Cam said. "It'll keep my mind off what may happen in court," he added.

They shed their suitcoats, laying them on the back seat, and stepped into the Camaro. Cam pulled his cell phone out of his dress pants, turned it on, and put it into a receiver which was plugged into the dashboard. Cam fired up his car, and the phone beeped to indicate it was ready to receive calls.

By the time they were out of Malibu and eventually hit the freeway around Santa Monica about 7:30, the traffic heading downtown was its usual nightmare. The guys talked and listened to music, and Cam was surprised about how calm he felt about whatever lay ahead of him in court.

His phone rang, and Cam punched a button on it to receive the call without having to put the phone to his ear. It was Ian Carson.

"Are you on your way downtown?" Ian asked.

"Hey, Ian," Cam said. "Yes. Kevin and I are on the freeway. We'll be at the courthouse in plenty of time for a brief meeting with Allan Petrie. Hopefully, Rory Lomer is going to plead guilty and testify against Clymer and Murtha, and I won't have to testify."

"I know," Ian said. "I talked to DA Jim Nolan himself first thing this morning, and according to him, Lomer really is going to roll on his buddies."

"Thank goodness," Cam said. "Thanks for confirming that. I'm relieved."

"Well, I wanted you to know that. And that the family is thinking about you and praying for you. We love you, and we're behind you one-hundred percent."

Cam choked up. "I don't know what to say."

"I'll call you later today, okay? You're going to be fine, Cam. Leave your phone on when you can, and I'll be in touch to get the good news."

"Thank you, Ian. It's means the world to me that you'd call."

"You're welcome, buddy. Talk to you later, Cam. And you take care, Kevin."

"'Will do. Bye, Ian," Kevin said.

Cam punched a button to end the call, and looked over at his partner. "That was nice of Ian to call."

"That's the kind of person he is," Kevin observed. "I'd have been surprised if he hadn't called."

They continued driving, and once downtown, found a parking garage in the vicinity of the courthouse. They parked in a vacant, out-of-the-way spot on an upper floor.

Putting on their suitcoats and pulling up their ties, they strolled over to the courthouse. After dumping their keys, wallets, and other contents of their pockets into plastic baskets, they successfully went through screening and headed toward an information kiosk. They asked for directions to the onsite offices for ADAs involved in daily trials, and made their way through crowded corridors to find Allan Petrie up on the second floor.

A receptionist at the DA's front desk called the Assistant DA, and he came out to the desk, unsure of how Cam would greet him given the words they'd had over the Maria debacle. Petrie and Cam shook hands without betraying any bad attitude, and Petrie shook hands with Kevin, and he escorted them back to a cubbyhole with a desk against one wall and three chairs. They sat down, crowded together.

"Ian called this morning after talking to your boss, and gave me the word on Lomer," Cam said immediately. "Nothing's changed, I hope."

"No. He's taking a plea, and will testify against Clymer and Murtha," Petrie said. "That's the last word I had from his lawyer about an hour ago."

It might be old news by now, but Cam heaved a sigh of relief, and Kevin could see his partner's face relax.

"I'm glad to hear that," Cam said. "Do you want me in the courtroom, then?"

"No. We'll put you and Kevin in a vacant jury room across the hall from the courtroom. We put a TV monitor in it, and you'll have a perfect view of everything that goes on as the trial gets started. The charges will be read after the judge calls the proceedings to order, and the defense will most likely waive the complete reading of the charges. When the judge asks the lawyers to enter a plea, Clymer and Murtha will plead 'not guilty' and Lomer will plead 'guilty.' At that point, the judge will most likely sever Lomer's case from that of Clymer and Murtha, will accept their 'not guilty' pleas for the record. In Lomer's case, the judge will most likely ask for a sentencing recommendation from my office and from social services, and put Lomer's sentencing on the docket for later.

"Once Lomer's attorney enters his client's guilty plea," Petrie continued, "you and Kevin are free to go. Or you can stick around. It's up to you."

"Ok," Cam said. "We might watch the proceedings for awhile."

"You might want to. I think the judge is going to publicly castigate the scandal-mongering rag of a newspaper that first published your name rather than keeping your identity secret. The publication didn't break any laws, but news outlets here in town have an agreement with one another another and with law enforcement not to identify minors who are victims of sex crimes. They broke with that understanding. You may want to talk to Ian Carson about whether you have grounds for a civil suit against that paper."

"I never even thought about that," Cam said. "But I think I'd rather not open myself up to more publicity."

"Understandable," Petrie said. "Well, unless you have any questions, let's go downstairs." They stood up and began to walk out of the large common room when Petrie stopped at the receptionist's desk.

"Margaret, give me the key to Jury Room 2, please," he said.

The lady smiled and reached into a desk drawer, handing Petrie a key on a large plastic fob as she simultaneously answered her phone. The three of them walked down some stairs rather than waiting for an elevator, and walked to a closed and locked door on the first floor corridor. Petrie used the key he'd been given, and the three of them went to a table with a large TV monitor on it. Petrie turned the monitor on, and a clear picture of a courtroom was displayed. Cam immediately spotted LA Sheriff's Detectives Simon Roker and Emilio Suarez, who had so vigorously investigated what had happened to Cam and presented the evidence to the DA's office for charges, sitting toward the front of the courtroom.

The bench was still empty, as the judge had not yet entered the room, and the courtroom was only sparsely populated because Cam, the victim, was a minor and the trail was not open to the public.

The ADA moved toward the jury room door to leave for the courtroom. "This jury room door automatically locks when you go out, so if you leave the room to use the restroom at any point, one of you needs to stay here to open the door when your partner returns," the ADA told them.

"Got it," Cameron said.

Cam and Kevin sat down at the table in front of the monitor, and watched as Clymer, Murtha and Lomer, dressed in suits, were escorted into the courtroom by Sheriff's police. Cam noted that none of the three defendants exhibited the same cocky attitude that he remembered so vividly, but his hands began to tremble when he saw the men who had assaulted him for the first time since that awful evening down the beach. Kevin reached over put his hand over Cam's, and the trembling stopped.

"The Bailiff will seat the jury," Judge MacLaine ordered. The bailiff opened a door to the back hall, and seven men and five women walked into the courtroom and went into the jury box.

The judge told the bailiff to announce the case.

"The State of California vs. Eric Clymer, Peter Murtha and Rory Lomer for kidnapping, attempted murder in the first degree, and aggravated sexual assault of a minor in the first degree."

"Read the charges," Judge MacClaine ordered.

The three defense attorneys stood up, and one of them said, "Defendants Clymer and Murtha waive a complete reading of the charges, your honor."

"Defendant Rory Lomer also waives a complete reading of the charges, your honor," Lomer's attorney stated.

"Very well," the judge said. "How do you plead?" he asked the defendants.

"Eric Clymer pleads 'Not guilty,' your honor," Clymer's lawyer said.

"Peter Murtha pleads 'Not guilty,' your honor," Murtha's attorney said.

"Rory Lomer pleads 'Guilty' to a reduced charge of sexual assault in the second degree, your Honor," Lomer's attorney said, "persuant to a pre-trial amendment of charges by the office of the District Attorney, Los Angeles County."

Allan Petrie stood up. "Your honor, the State stipulates to the reduced charges for Rory Lomer, and at this time the State requests that the case of Rory Lomer be severed from the cases of Eric Clymer and Peter Murtha," he said.

"Granted," Judge MacClaine said. "The court recognizes and approves the reduced charges against Defendant Lomer, and severs his case from those of Defendants Clymer and Murtha. Bailiff, please remove Mr. Lomer from the courtroom until recalled."

"Thank you, your honor," the ADA said.

"Mr. Petrie, is the State ready to proceed to trial?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honor."

The judge looked at the defense table.

"Is the defense ready to proceed to trial?" he asked.

The defense attorneys stood up.

"Yes, your honor."

"Mr. Petrie, you may offer your opening statement."

Petrie walked over to the jury box and greeted the jury, and then began.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is my duty to recount to you a set of some of the most egregious criminal acts our office has ever encountered, in which a young man, a minor, was abducted from a beach in Malibu, taken to a vacant house, and repeatedly beaten, tortured and sexually assaulted by the defendants. At the conclusion of their protracted activities, the defendants left the victim bound and unconscious on the floor to die. He would indeed have died had the victim's housemates and their dogs not tracked him down the beach and found him on the scene of the crime, unconscious and helpless, and telephoned the sheriff's police and paramedics. . ."

Cam reached over and snapped off the monitor and looked at Kevin.

"I can't listen to this," he said.