The Company - 6. White Knight

The county seat DeKalb was a fifteen-minute drive from Lakeview but at 3:30am, Detective Monroe could make it in twelve. The little town was an old timber hub. Even in the wee hours trains rumbled through hauling finished lumber from the two big mills off to New Orleans, Atlanta and points beyond.

He pulled into the old hospital’s official vehicle's lot, showed his badge at the ER entrance and was directed to the combination morgue and coroner’s office in the basement.

He knocked on the office door and the night man, Doctor Anderson greeted him. It had been a long night for both of them. The Doctor poured two cups of coffee and handed one to the Detective.

“Morning Bill. I assume you are here about Charlie Dalton?”

“Yeah. I think there’s more to it than meets the eye. When we searched his car, we found several boys' underwear in the trunk. One of them might be from that Bryant kid who went missing from Rivervine last week. I’ve sent it to the State Crime Lab for processing.”

“Shit. Well, at least he got his. Whoever took him out did a through and professional job of it. I’ve seen people killed in fights, but this looked like someone very skilled with martial arts.”

Monroe chuckled and said, “Chief wants to keep it quiet but the guy who took out Dalton— his father was a career Marine officer and taught his boy the same martial arts stuff they teach the grunts. You wouldn’t believe it if you saw him. He’s really young himself, big but not huge and built tight. If there’s a crowd of kids, he would blend right into them without a trace.”

“He must have been an excellent student. Take a look at this.”

Anderson slid the file across the desk. Monroe looked at the cover sheet and saw both lower left leg bones were broken, the left arm was broken in three places, all of his front teeth were missing, and the long-bladed knife had gone all the way through his head and was protruding out the right ear.

Monroe said, “What a shame. This looks like it had to hurt.”

“It’s a pity… that it was so fast.”

The Detective said, “The crime scene guys sprayed luminol in that bathroom and there was jizz all over the place- floor, walls and ceiling. Those poor kids walked right into it. If it hadn’t been for the guy the kids are calling Batman, this mutt might have had more underwear in his trunk, and we would be looking for another missing kid or two.”

Anderson said, “Do me a favor Chuck. I’ve seen first-hand what sickos like Dalton do to kids. Next time you see Batman, buy him a beer for me.”

 

 

I woke having an intense orgasm thanks to Frank. It was going to be a great day.

It was an overcast morning and I smelled rain. Barry was gone, but Kevin was grinning at me.

As I gathered my wits, Kevin said, “Good morning. Did you sleep well big bro?”

“Not as well as I woke up. Where’s Barry?”

Frank said, “I think he’s down the hall giving Brandon a little morning glory.”

“Come here Frank.”

“Just a minute.”

Frank got off the foot of the bed, there was a flush and then water started running. He came back and lay by my right side. We had a sweet morning kiss and I heard Kevin sigh.

He said, “I hope I find someone who will look at me the way you two look at each other.”

“You will”, Frank said. “You’re cute, sweet, and you’ve got a lot of potential.”

Kevin looked at Frank like he had grown a new head. It wasn’t really. It was just the kitten parked on his favorite spot on his shoulder. He said, “Everybody thinks I’m a fuck up.”

I reached over, grabbed Kevin and rolled him over between me and Frank. We both hugged him and I said, “What everybody thinks means jack shit. It’s what you and the people that love you think. I think that with the right kind of people around you, what you think will change. I think the world of you little bro.”

He looked at me with glittering eyes and said, “Really?”

“Really. I wouldn’t let my boyfriend blow you if I didn’t, would I?”

Frank surprised Kevin by taking his whole cock at once and I kissed him. Frank and I made love to Kevin and showed him that he was lovable. I admit that it was fun but, Kevin needed it, and it brought us together.

 

I visited the bathroom and checked the water level. That tub was a lot of fun, but it was oh so slow to fill.

I passed by Tony and Chris’s room. Tony and Chris were asleep with Lance in between them, but Jeb was awake. He slipped out of bed, and he was wearing that super sexy red and black jock that was straining against his morning wood.

Jed came out of the room, we hugged, and he whispered in my ear, “Last night was incredible. I loved it. I mean after…”

I said, “I understand. It was pretty cool that we were able to scoop up your buds. The big bath tub is just about ready.”

“Cool.” Jeb ran off to get clothes and a towel. Note to self: get more towels.

Next I looked in on the boys and had an “AWE” moment. They were so cute! Toby and Cole were asleep nose to nose with their arms over each other’s shoulders like they went to sleep talking. Barry’s head was on Brandon’s chest who had his arms around the little guy. Oh my God, Barry was sucking his thumb. I had an inspiration and went into my Mom’s/Toby’s studio and pulled out her old Polaroid One-Step camera that hadn’t seen the light of day in years. There was no telling if it would still work, but it did power up.

I took a quick picture of the idyllic scene, it flashed, and the undeveloped picture came out. I shook it. I’m not sure why you shake it but everybody did. It actually did still work. I put the camera up and left the picture on what I was now thinking of as Toby’s worktable.

I went back to the big tub where Frank, Jeb and Kevin were getting ready to get in. “If you want to see the most adorable thing ever, go peep in the boy’s room.”

Frank came back first and said, “I had to restrain myself from hugging them. They’re all so cute.”

“That’s why I went in the lake and that bathroom yesterday.”

He hugged me and said, “So I’m in love with Batman. I can live with that.”

Kevin and Jeb returned, and a sleepy Chris poked his head out of his room. Frank put his fingers to his lips and pointed at the boy’s room. Chris went down the hall and had a look and put his hands on his cheeks. He turned around and went back in his room and dragged a befuddled Tony and Lance to have a look.

When they all came in my bathroom Chris said, “They’re precious.”

Lance said, “I understand why Tim is so protective of them now.”

Kevin, our newest brother, said, “He’s protective of us all.”

I wasn’t expecting that insight from Kevin but, I had already gathered that there were more depths to him than were obvious.

“Whoa guys, way too heavy for this early in the morning. Stuff to do. Let’s get moving.”

We weren’t in a huge hurry, but eight guys in the tub filled it up and raised the water level to alarming heights. We had to be careful not to slosh water out. It was fun to start the day this way. We laughed and talked for a while then one by one we got out and dried off and started to dress.

Toby and Cole arrived and a few minutes later, Barry and Brandon replaced us as we got out.

I said, “My cupboard is bare, so we’re having McBreakfast this morning. Some of you will need to go home and get some clothes. We’ll do a Super K-mart run too.”

The mention of breakfast seemed to motivate the guys. As I got ready, I noticed Frank’s kitten had decided to sleep in. The little feline was flat on his back stretched out long on Frank’s pillow. I had to stop to pet the little fellow. He didn’t open his eyes, he just stretched and purred.

We rolled into the McDonald's in the little cluster of businesses around the Super K-mart a little after seven. The guys regaled their Padawans with stories about my cooking. I decided I’d have to do a little something about that. We got our McBreakfast and were sitting under the television when the seven-thirty news came on.

In our top story this morning the Sheriff’s department and Rivervine Police executed a search warrant at the home of a man who was killed yesterday when he attempted to abduct two teens in Lakeview. Evidence found in Charlie Dalton, age 47 of Rivervine, car linked him to the missing children ages eleven, twelve and fourteen who were recovered alive from his basement this morning. They are recovering at County General Hospital. Those teens were taken from Rivervine, Selma, Alabama and Lake Charles, Louisiana. Police are still at the scene gathering evidence and attempting to ascertain if there are more victims.

 

A lady at the table across from us said, “Sweet Jesus, that that should happen here.”

An old man said, “I’d like to shake the hand of the man who put that mutt down. God knows how many kids he saved.”

My whole crew was looking at me. I wanted to hurl, and my head was swimming. Gunny Anders had warned me. I had to put my head down and tried to get my shit together. Frank and Tony helped me get up and go outside.

I heard the man say, “What’s wrong with him?”

Cole said, “That’s the man whose hand you wanted to shake. My friend Barry and I here were the kids that creep tried to snatch. Tim is still a little messed up about killing the guy.”

Once I got outside in the open air the wave of nausea subsided.

Frank asked with concern in his voice, “Are you all right.”

I sighed and said, “I wasn’t ready to hear that. When I fought with that guy, I had a choice. I could have left him alive, but I wanted to protect Barry and Cole…”

Tony said, “Don’t second guess yourself. There wasn’t a perfect solution, but five kids walked away because you acted. You stopped it.”

I centered myself as best I could and went back inside. I realized that everyone in the place was looking at me. Then they started clapping. There’s something really cool about Southern people. They could see I was freaked out. I shook a few hands and was hugged by that lady, but they didn’t crowd me.

 

We went to Super-K when we were done at McDonald’s and I sent my cronies off on various missions. Towels, Speedos, boxers and I got a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. I loaded up on food, soft drinks and about a cow of meat.

We went home and a Lakeview PD car was waiting by the driveway on the street.

The rookie cop stepped out of his car and I realized that he was younger than me and quite a looker. He approached me smiling and said, “Mr. Shepherd, it’s a pleasure to meet you sir. The Chief would like to have a word with you.”

He handed me a card with a handwritten and unfamiliar number. I recognized the prefix as being from the county seat of DeKalb. Sometimes it pays to be a phone guy.

He said, “You made a lot of friends yesterday. I’m Randy Carlson and the Chief told us to extend you every courtesy.”

I had the feeling that this rookie cop was either a fanboy or liked what he saw. I said, “Call me Tim, and thanks Randy.”

The kid smiled and actually blushed as he headed back to his car.

Chris grinned at me and Frank said, “I like the way he wears the blue. We should have him over for coffee and an orgy.”

As my minions unpacked our haul in the kitchen and pantry, I slipped into the office to call Dodd.

I only had a short wait on hold for him to come on the line.

“Tim, have you heard the news?

“Yeah, we were having McBreakfast, and it really freaked me out. Chief, if you guys hadn’t found those kids…”

“You did what had to be done. Only psychos like killing. Can you come over to County General? Those kids aren’t talking to anybody.”

“I can’t until this afternoon. I’ve still got Cole and Barry. One's parents are out of town and the other is… I don’t know. I’m taking us to a Doc friend of mine to check us out. Heck, I’ve got two more whose parents are out of town that didn't want to be by themselves.”

“I can’t think of a better place for them. Get to the hospital, there are some parents that really want to meet you.”

“OK Chief. Look for me around two.”

As I was in my office, I tried to get some work done. I first called the number of the halfway house where Marie Romano was. After waiting a few minutes, I got her counselor. I told the lady that I needed a housekeeper and I employed her son Tony. She was delighted to hear this as one of Marie’s big issues was losing track of her boy. All Marie would have to do is to transfer her probation supervision and that could easily be accomplished with or without connections.

My next call was to the T-Shirt Factory. I described what I wanted, and they said they would be ready by ten.

When I was done, I had the big brothers take their little brothers to their houses to pack a bag and leave a note. They all decided to say that they were staying with friends rather than by themselves and left the house number.

This little operation went off easily. Barry found a note and two hundred dollars at home saying that his Dad and Brad would be back next week.

 

 

When we arrived at Doctor Chang’s office he was most accommodating about doing the extra physicals and spent extra time with Barry and Cole. He even spoke to me about post event trauma and offered a referral to a psychiatrist in DeKalb that specialized in that field. Of course the good doctor didn’t mind seeing us all naked.

He asked me if I was aware of Barry’s problem and I said that I wasn’t. The Doc told me that he was ninety-nine percent sure that Barry had a mild form of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He went on to explain that he had the facial features and borderline hyperactivity that went with a mild case. He expected Barry would be a few points behind in IQ and slow to grow. He said that FAS kids are very tactile and need to be touched a lot. They are also very vulnerable to manipulation and sexual abuse.

He talked to the group for a half hour about AIDS and its prevention. The pesky virus that caused AIDS had only been identified three years before, and it was a very grim subject. At this point, it was a death sentence. There was a strong statistical correlation between AIDS and anal sex. Condoms and safe sex were the order of the day or else.

We all took blood tests for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and wouldn’t get the results for a week. The doctor was confident that the probability for infection was very, very low. AIDS wasn’t a huge thing in the South yet but, every gay person was one stupid choice away from a horrible, lingering death.

It was difficult to live with that kind of grim reaper hanging over your shoulder. Too many people wanted to pretend that it only happened to other people. I had already known several people that I went to high school and college just up and die.

It was ugly and vicious. There was a pattern that I saw entirely too often. Some acquaintance would just drop off the grid then four to six weeks later there would be an obituary.

I wasn’t stupid or suicidal, and I wanted to protect the little family that I had somehow acquired. They all knew it. My secret dread was having one of them fall ill because I am who I am. I would stay to the bitter end, and it would tear me to shreds. I desperately hoped Toby was wrong about Sam.

I can lose football games. I can lose at cards. I can lose keys, and screws and tools. What I can’t do is lose people because people are what matters: first, last and always.

 

When we were done, we went to Arby’s on 22^nd street. It was new, shiny and clean. The staff was well-trained and knew what they were doing. Despite having just faced the specter of our mortality, the group’s mood changed for the better with food.

I told Toby about the photograph I had left on the drawing table in the studio. He was mystified as to why I had done such a thing until I told him that he actually had to see a scene to understand it. My mother had often worked with pictures she had taken from that camera as she didn’t have Toby’s gift for visualization.

After lunch, I drove by the T-Shirt Company, told the boys to wait and went inside to see how things were coming. As it was a small order they were ready, and I had a look at them. The first batch was red t-shirts with a small pocket. They were airbrushed with a stencil and had RED TEAM on both front and back. The second batch of shirts was lime green with GAME ZONE in bold black letters on the front. I paid for them, took the parcel and went to the van.

The boys were curious but, I told them it was a surprise. Then I drove them to the office and took the bag of shirts. They all followed me inside curious to see what their mad leader was on about.

The office was a big building with lots of space that I had used a lot like some of my relations in the valley used their barns for to work on cars, trucks and tractors. Instead of farm equipment I used it to fiddle with gadgets.

I told the guys, “After my folks passed away, I had to get my mind out of the depression I had fallen into. I wanted to do some things that were just for fun. As I grew up playing arcade games, I had been collecting and restoring video games for a couple of years.”

I opened the door to the workshop and where I had the big consoles all in rows. Two were plugged in: my favorites Missile Command and Defender.

The workshop itself was impressive. I had four worktables with big shop lights hanging over them. Tools were hanging from pegboards and a really nice Tectonics oscilloscope, power supplies, multimeters, testers and assorted gadgetry were neatly arranged on the tables. The boys came in and googled at the collection. There were sixty machines in the warehouse, but only forty-four were really ready to go. On one of the tables I had a Donkey-Kong’s innards dissected waiting for parts I had on back order.

All the guys were fascinated, and I heard Lance say, “Atari football. I love that game.”

I opened the bag that contained the Game Zone t-shirts, held one up and said, “So Kevin, Lance, Cole, Brandon, Barry and Toby: how would you like to run an arcade?”

And that’s how the riot started your honor. I was hugged, kissed, groped, tickled and Barry even stuck his tongue in my ear. The younger guys were wearing the lime-green Game Zone t-shirts.

“Now, now- we’re not quite done: Frank, Chris, Tony and Jeb. We fly to Atlanta next week to do our four days of training.” I held up the RED TEAM t-shirts and said, “Let’s all get rich together.”

They looked at me like I’d lost my mind and started laughing, then it turned into a group hug, and then we had fun taking each other’s shirts off and putting the new shirts on.

Barry, ever helpful little soul that he is, suggested that we have an orgy right there on the spot.

I sighed and said, “As much fun as that sounds like, maybe later. We have stuff to do.”

 

I rolled into the parking lot of Gunny Anders Gym about a quarter till and stopped in front of the old drug store. This strip mall had been built in the fifties and had seen better days. It was a little run down, but I saw a lot of potential. Nothing was wrong with the property that a little paint and some elbow grease wouldn’t solve. The businesses here had simply succumbed to the competition of newer, shinier businesses in better locations.

We couldn’t get in the place, but we could see that it was easily big enough to house all the machines and had room for at least that many more. I wrote down the name and number of the leasing agent. All the Game Zone team was electrified with excitement and even some Red Team members looked stoked.

I took the boys in to meet Gunny Anders, and they were impressed. He was a huge man who greeted me, “Little Shep! It’s great to see you boy. Are these your recruits?”

“Yes Gunny. They’ll be working for me. The ones in the GAME ZONE t-shirts will be running an arcade in the old drug store next door. The RED TEAM I’m training up to work on telephone systems. After that ugly incident last night, I was hoping you could teach these guys how to take care of themselves.”

Anders looked at the boys and smiled, “Looks like you’ve got a full squad with two fire-teams split up just about right for ability. The cops work out here, so I know what happened last night.”

He took a knee and said, “Would the two boys that nearly got snatched come here?”

Cole and Barry came over to the Gunny, still looking up at the mountain of a man even on his knee. He put his arms around them and spoke quietly to them. I overheard Barry say yes about something and then all three laughed, and he picked up Barry.

Gunny said, “What makes a person tough is guts and heart. This little guy has got it. Work with me, and I’ll help make all of you more of a handful than anyone would want to snatch up. Have any of you had any martial arts training?”

No one answered and Gunny said, “Good. We can start from scratch with no bad habits to unlearn.”

I said, “Gunny, before you get started could I see you in your office a minute?”

I followed the hulking man into an office that he made look small and put an envelope on his desk, “Tuition for the group for the summer.” He nodded.

“I need to be at County General in DeKalb at two with Barry and Cole. The parents of the other kids want to see if we can get their boys talking. Can you take care of my merry band for a while? Frank can drive them home.”

Anders grinned, “My pleasure Tim. I’ll just evaluate them today and start working on conditioning. Thanks for bringing them to me. I love working with kids.”

I grinned and said, “Yeah, I know. You taught me a lot, and yesterday I was glad to know it.”

He said, “How are you doing?”

“I had a rough spell this morning, but my friends were there for me.”

Gunny asked cautiously, “That redhead?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“It’s the way he looks at you. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks Gunny.”

“Some of the best Marines I know are gay. It’s a damned shame that it is like it is. You would have made a fine one.”

I sighed and said, “I just didn’t want to lie about it. Maybe someday but, I missed that bus.”

“No son. It was the Corp that missed out.”

He chuckled and said, “It would never have done for the recruits I was yelling at for all those years to know I loved each one of them. They’re my family.”

“They knew Gunny. Maybe not when you were yelling at them but when you were teaching them. That’s my family out there. Teach them well.”

Gunny straightened, came to attention and saluted, “Aye-aye, sir.”

 

As Gunny Anders ran the boys around the gym, I used his office to make a few phone calls. The leasing agent was delighted to have someone interested in the old drug store. It had sat empty for seven years, and he made an offer on a year lease that was a bit like taking candy from a baby. His office was just around the corner, and he said he would be right there with papers and a blueprint.

My next call was to my favorite contractor. He answered his phone, “Bridges Contracting. How can I help you?”

“Tim Shepherd. How are you doing David.”

He said, “Sucking hind tit. For some reason, it seems you can’t get rich and be honest at the same time in this business.”

“I have a little project I need done, the quicker, the better. You know the old strip mall with the gym on Jasper?”

He thought for a minute and said, “Yeah. My parents used to go to that drug store until it moved to their new place over by Super-K.”

“That’s the property I had in mind. I want to make a video game arcade out of it. It can be done fast. I want to put some raised flooring in, so we can put the electrical outlets where we want them, paint the place black and install black lights. Then we’ll have a snack bar behind a partition, and we can use the original back office space for a workshop, office and loading dock. I’m willing to make it worth it if we can get it done fast.”

He said, “Are you there now? I can be there in five.”

“Yeah. The leasing agent will be here with blueprints shortly. I’ve got a connection with the city and permits won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll be there shortly.”

My next call was to my favorite fat, sweaty truck salesman. I told him I wanted a Red Toyota extra cab truck with a bed liner and all the trimmings. I could hear him drooling over the phone. I needed to pick it up between four-thirty and five, and I needed someone to drive my ride home. He was delighted to oblige.

 

 

David Bridges pulled up in his truck shortly before the leasing agent. I had known him since junior high school. He was three years older than me and had noticed that I was hypnotized what looked to a seventh grader to be the most enormous cock on the planet. He was really nice about driving me home. He was mostly straight but still had a horny place for me.

He got out of his truck wearing work boots and old faded Levis and still looked great in them. By the look of those jeans he was happy to see me. The leasing agent and I did the paperwork on the hood of David’s Chevy Silverado and I wrote a check. I told him what I had in mind for the place, and he was obliging about any modification or improvements that we wanted to make. He handed over the keys, left and David and I went inside.

David grinned when I locked the door from the inside and the bulge in his jeans expanded.

I said, “All the shelves and counters are out up front all the way back to the old pharmacy counter. Let’s step back there and see what we’ve got to work with.”

We walked back to the back wall. It had a window for service to the pharmacy and a door for access that was missing. Once we got out of sight, he hugged me and said, “Damn I’ve missed you.”

“I haven’t been worth much since my folks passed, but I’m back now.”

He said, “Tim, I’m married now. No one can know.”

“It’s OK. You know I’d never screw you over like that. You were a great friend to a clueless little turd when we were in school. I still love you for that.”

David’s bulge got larger, and he said, “You were great to me too. I’ve never been with another guy except Cody.”

I laughed and said, “Drunken circle jerks don’t count stud. That giant cock of yours, if Betty won’t suck it, someone will. Best it is someone that still loves you. You were cool and handsome and shit… straight.”

He hugged me and our crotches ground together. He said huskily, “Well, mostly straight.”

I didn’t kiss him. I had no intention of screwing up his marriage. In fact, a little safe side action would probably help. I lifted his shirt and was rewarded with lean hard muscles and a tan from working in the sun.

I said, “You’re horny as hell Dave. Not getting any? As hot as you are, Betty should be all over this.”

He said, “She’s pregnant. Three months and she won’t do a thing. I’m hurting for it, and the work. Doc says it’s going to be twins.”

“This job will help, and I’ve got a couple of other projects coming up soon that’ll keep us up working late on job sites. Oh, and there will be a substantial bonus for getting this done quick.”

I unzipped his jeans and he had to work to get his magnificent cock out as it was running down the leg of his jeans. I’d never measured it. That would be rude, but it had to be over ten inches. I licked the pre-cum off. He quivered, and I said, “I’ve always loved this cock.”

He chuckled and said, “I’ve always loved you on that cock.”

I pulled his jeans down, and he sat on the pharmacy shelf. I started by licking his balls. He quivered and moaned as I slid my tongue under the ball sack. Dave was pretty worked up and was going to blow pretty fast.

I went down on him, and it didn’t take long. He came like a race horse: noisy, mussing my hair, bucking, panting and a lot.

I swallowed Dave. I always swallow Dave. We’re bros.

 

 

Dave was good enough to give Cole, Barry and me a ride back to my house where we got in my truck for the ride to the County General Hospital in DeKalb. Despite the clouds this morning, it had turned out really nice.

Cole and Barry were tired from Gunny Anders attention but were excited. They could tell that Gunny Anders was an enormous teddy bear and knew what he was doing.

I asked, “What did the Gunny ask you when he whispered to you?”

Barry giggled, “First he asked if it was true that it bit the creep’s dick that was holding a knife on me. When I said yes, he asked how could a little thing like me could walk around with balls that big.”

We howled with laughter over that. If Barry could laugh about it, he was going to be OK.

Barry had his reasons for wanting to be close to me, but I was pretty sure they weren’t trauma anymore. Like Toby, it was impossible not to love the little guy.

Cole kept looking at me and then looking away if I noticed. I hadn’t interacted with Cole much. I wanted to avoid complicating things between him and Toby. I made a note to myself about finding some time to spend with him and Toby later.

We got to the hospital a few minutes after two and Chief Dodd met me. He saw Barry and Cole and asked, “You think that’s a good idea?”

I said, “Rule number one chief: kids talk to kids and these kids have common ground.”

He nodded and said, “That makes a lot of sense.”

The Chief introduced me to some truly grateful but worried parents. They were as much in shock as the boys. They had been told not to expect this to end well for them. Most of the time abducted kids that aren’t recovered in forty-eight hours are not recovered alive. In two of the cases it had been weeks. It had only been a few days for the Rivervine boy. Now the kids were in some kind of shock and the parents feared their boys had been permanently scarred by that Dalton lunatic.

The hospital staff was not happy but the attending psychiatrist, a man who introduced himself as Doctor Patrick said, “It’s not just a good idea, it’s a brilliant idea, and it will work. Teens relate best to their peers. If you don’t mind my saying so Mr. Shepherd, you look like you could be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-four yourself. I understand why Chief Dodd said you were fantastic with kids— they see you as a peer. If you don’t mind, I can think of several other cases you might be able to help me with.”

I said, “I’d be glad to help Doctor but, let’s take it one step at a time. You’re in charge.”

Doctor Patrick said, “The first boy I want you to see is the one from Rivervine—Colt Bryant. He’s twelve and was held less than a week, but he won’t talk other than to say yes/no, and I don’t know. I can observe through the mirror.”

I asked, “Will you hear?”

He nodded.

“Is it confidential to the case?”

“Yes Mr. Shepherd.”

Barry entered first followed by Cole and finally me. Colt immediately reminded me of Toby: not quite a teen, he still had baby fat and was still small not having started his adolescent growth spurt. He was laying on his back looking out the window.

When he turned to see Barry and Cole, the reaction was immediate. He went from rigid defensiveness to a more relaxed posture. He actually smiled at them.

Barry said, “Hi. I’m Barry and this is Cole. We’re delighted you’re OK.”

Colt said, “Thanks.”

Cole said, “The same guy that was holding you tried to snatch us last night. This is our friend Tim. He saved us and…”

Colt interrupted, “You killed him?”

I nodded.

He said, “Did he hurt?”

Barry said, “He screamed like a girl. Tim knows martial arts. He broke his leg, his arm and stuck that big nasty knife in his left ear.”

Colt said, “Good. He hurt us. He made us… do stuff while he held that knife on us. He made us do stuff to each other. He wouldn’t give us food or water if we wouldn’t do what he said.”

I said, “None of this is your fault Colt; none of it. This is all that Dalton creep— every bit of it.”

Colt choked a sob, and said, “Yes it is. I went to a bathroom in the park where kids go to… meet each other. I really like that. God was punishing me for liking that. Some of the things he did… I don’t know. I liked it sort of. ”

Cole said, “That’s what me and Barry were doing.”

Colt looked at him and said, “Really?”

I said, “Really. Everybody likes sex Colt. Lots of boys your age will at least try it with other boys even if they won’t admit it. At your age, it doesn’t mean you are gay or evil— just horny. The only wrong thing that happened was a prick named Charlie Dalton showed up and decided you were so cute he wanted to take you with him. You had no choice at all. This whole mess is on him.”

Colt was quiet and said, “You really think I’m cute?”

Barry said, “Yep. You get out of this taco stand, and I’ll show you a good time sailor.”

Colt blushed but he laughed. He looked at Barry and said, “I’d like that.” He looked at me said, “Do you…”

Cole sighed and said, “No, damn it, and we’ve all tried, hard. You should see his boyfriend. He’s smoking hot.”

Barry said, “Tim is like our big brother. He looks out for us. He won’t do it with us, and God knows we’ve all tried, but he’ll beat the hell out of anyone who messes with us.”

I left the boys to chat and stepped out of the room to have a word with Doctor Patrick. He opened the door and said, “You did really well in there Mr. Shepherd. This explains a lot. I can work with this.”

“I expect that we’ll get the same out of the other two.”

We did. The other two boys related very much the same story. One had gone to a park, the other, an isolated part of a shopping mall looking for a good time. Instead, they met Charlie. They blamed their abduction on themselves. That gave the doctor the place he needed to start.

Doctor Patrick was impressed with me and asked for my number. Although my time was limited, I told him I would be glad to help when and if I could.

 

I caught up with Police Chief Dodd talking to the parents. I told them that thanks to the boys, we were able to get the kids talking. I told the parents that their problem had been blaming themselves when the true culprit and no one else but Charlie Dalton.

I exchanged pleasantries with the parents and asked for the Chief Dodd to have a word.

We spoke in the hall and I told him about my plans to renovate the old drug store next to Gunny Anders gym, so the kids could have jobs and a safe place to be. With all the cops in and out of the Gunny’s gym, the Chief was immediately on board. I asked him for his help to get the city permits expedited, and he told me that everything I needed would be ready in the morning.

I said, “What in the world are you going to do with a baby-faced rookie like Randy Carlson?”

Dodd grinned and said, “I’ve got him doing adminis-trivia. Do you have any ideas?”

I paced around and said, “What if… I paid his salary, he kept up his training and he worked security for me? That would give him a safe place to grow up a little before he goes out looking for creeps like Charlie Dalton.”

The Chief said, “Maybe we can work something out. He’s too green for the street and a lot of the senior cops that should be his mentors… they don’t want a gay partner. Randy’s not out or anything it’s just his look.”

I shook my head and said, “If you can work out the city end of it, I’ll take him. Talk to him about it.”

“There’s one other matter- I’m thinking of hiring a lady to be our housekeeper and cook, but she’s on probation for drugs charges that splashed on her when her old man got busted. She’s in Georgia. Would it be any trouble to get that transferred here?”

Dodd said, “No problem. Call my office, and we’ll grease the gears.”

On the way out, the Chief said, “That’s it? You’re not taking any credit at all for this?”

I said, “Gentlemen of honor don’t need a pat on the back for doing the right thing. It should be expected.”

Dodd shook my hand and said, “Tim, you’re a rare one. Thank you so much. It’s not just from me. The Mayor wanted to do a press conference with you and is baffled why you aren’t taking a victory lap over this thing.”

“It’s simple Chief. I’m not running for office.”

The Chief said, “Maybe you should. I’d sure as hell vote for you.”

 

 

Thirty minutes later In the Coroner’s Office in the basement of the hospital, Chief Dodd, Detective Monroe and Doctors Anderson (pathologist) and Patrick were seated around a table covered in file folders, paperwork, coffee cups and a pint bottle of Johnny Walker red. Their mood was one of relief.

Detective Monroe said, “I did not see a happy ending to the Bryant case coming. Damn I’m glad we closed this one.”

Dodd said, “The city and the county came out of this thing smelling like a rose and the real hero of the whole mess won’t even take a bow.”

Doctor Patrick said, “The most interesting thing about this whole case is Tim Shepherd. I swear I could study him for years and make a name for myself writing a book on this guy’s psychology.”

Monroe asked, “What makes him tick Doc? I can’t figure this guy out.”

Patrick said, “I did my residency in the Veterans Administration as my specialty is post trauma recovery. That’s a quasi-military organization and I saw a lot of internal research stuff on the studies done by the different branches of the service on the psychology of leadership. Now I haven’t interviewed Mr. Shepherd, but I’ve talked to some people and observed his behavior. The first thing that impresses me about the guy is he’s smart, very damned smart. He has an intuitive grasp of psychology that many professionals would envy. He had all the victims talking and even smiling within just a few minutes. I think what we have in Mr. Shepherd one leadership study literally calls a white knight.”

Monroe snorted and said, “Doc, this is the twentieth century. There’s no such thing anymore.”

Patrick grinned and said, “It’s a very rare leadership archetype. They aren’t born. They are made. We usually see it in military officers— they are charismatic as hell and inspire incredible loyalty in their men. They are the sort who leads from the front and his men will follow him anywhere.”

Dodd said, “That sounds a lot like his father. I remember seeing his obituary a couple of years ago. There were a number of Navy Crosses and Silver Stars involved from World War II in the Pacific, Korea and Vietnam. They don’t give those away.”

Anderson said, “He learned his fighting skills from his father and believe me he is very skilled. He took on a guy with a knife that outweighed him by a good sixty pounds and took him apart barehanded and only got a scratch.”

Patrick said, “It all fits. A white knight is very much honor bound. He’ll have a code. You can kill him, but he’ll never break it. I heard someone compare him to Batman, but that’s a terrible analogy. In the Batman myth, Bruce Wayne was essentially a vigilante. A white knight won’t behave in that way at all. He’ll be very protective of those he has under his care or those he thinks he is responsible for. He will act if he feels it’s necessary but, he won’t seek it out.”

Dodd said, “I can live with that kind of citizen. When I asked him why he didn’t want to take credit for any of this, he said, ‘I was taught that gentlemen of honor don’t need a pat on the back for doing the right thing. It should be expected.’”

“One other thing you might want to know about this guy”, Patrick said after taking a sip of the fortified coffee. “I got a call from the business office. Just before he left the building, Shepherd wrote a check for a quarter million dollars to cover the treatment of the three victims. He required that it be an anonymous donation and that the parents are not be charged a red cent. This is the best part: the check was written on the Good Shepherd Foundation.”

Dodd nearly choked on his coffee and said, “That’s who is funding the St. Luke’s Community Center. Jesus, maybe we really do have a white knight but, what do you do with a white knight in your midst?”

Patrick chuckled and said, “That’s the fun part. White knights are self-guided weapons with honor, incredible integrity and a conscious. Lacking hordes of barbarians, you can expect them to be law-abiding and very quietly serve the public good.”

Monroe asked, “Doctor, can we really trust him with those kids? It doesn’t track with what we see of most profiles.”

Patrick played with his tape recorder and said, “You are thinking about criminal profiles detective. To profile this guy, you would have to compare him to an Alexander or a Richard the Lionhearted. He’s that charismatic and that powerful of a personality. Listen to this.”

“I’d like that. Do you…?

“No, damn it, and we’ve all tried, hard. You should see his boyfriend. He’s smoking hot.”

“Tim is like our big brother. He looks out for us. He won’t do it with us and, God knows we’ve all tried, but he’ll beat the hell out of anybody who messes with us.”

 

Patrick said, “What you can absolutely depend on is that whoever our white knight has taken under his protection, he would kill or die before he would allow any harm to come to them. Gentleman, what you have is much better than a Dark Knight. Tim Shepherd is our White Knight.”

 

 

On the way back to Lakeview I stopped at a place called Madame Divines Lingerie to buy a few toys and Cole and Barry were absolutely fascinated. When I parked I said, “You guys did great back at the hospital. I owe you one for that. Now, I need a little discretion about this place. Keep quiet about it, and I’ll owe you a special favor OK? Wait here, I won’t be long.”

Both boys nodded enthusiastically.

The Madam was actually a drag queen who ran what was essentially a sex shop. It was out in the country away from city ordinances and had a parking lot with a privacy fence. This time of day, my Toyota truck was the only thing in the lot. She had all sorts of paraphernalia for sex, kink, bongs, pipes, gay, straight and bi videos and twelve video booths in the back.

I entered her store knowing pretty much what I wanted. I got some leather arm and ankle bracelets, a studded leather collar, a soft whip, some fuzzy handcuffs, nipple clips, a modest vibrating dildo, a small water bong, and two gay videos— Memories of 18 and Blonds do it Best.

When I took the stuff to Madam Divine she chuckled and said, “This is different for you sugar.”

“Yeah, well one of my boyfriends is interested in bondage and S&M. I prefer not to hurt him but, he gets a charge out of it.”

She laughed and said, “One of your boyfriends! How many have you got?”

I stammered and said, “Uhhh… I’m losing count.”

She cackled with laughter and asked seriously, “You playing safe sugar?”

“Every time.”

“Good boy.” She pulled a small booklet out from under the counter and showed it to me: A Beginner’s Guide to Bondage and S&M. “On the house precious.”

I took her hand kissed it and bowed. “Thank you Madam.”

“Awe now, look at you. You better go before I keep you.”

I said in my best Southern drawl, “Dad taught me to always treat ladies right, mam.”

 

 

We got back to the house and I left the bag of goodies on the back seat. I told the boys to send Kevin, and we would be back with barbecue just about dark.

Kevin arrived breathlessly still wearing his green GAME ZONE t-shirt and said, “For real, this is my driving lesson?”

“This is one of your driving lessons. I want to get you out in the country so just be patient.”

Kevin was clear eyed and showed no signs of being high. I said, “Daddy approves of you arriving for this lesson straight.”

“I want to please you daddy.”

I put my hand and his trapezius muscle in his neck at just the right place and pressure and said, “You do please me, and I’m about to please you too.”

I pulled onto the GMC/Toyota lot at four thirty precisely and was greeted by my fat, sweaty truck salesman. I wrote the check, signed the papers and owned it. Five minutes on the phone, and it was on my business auto insurance policy. I transferred the grocery bag full of goodies from my truck to the new Toyota and Kevin and I drove off toward LaSalle National Forest.

As I drove I gave a running narrative of what he needed to know to drive the Toyota. With an automatic transmission, there really is no easier vehicle to drive. New truck smell is almost as intoxicating as new truck fever.

Kevin was quiet, and I think maybe a little confused about what was happening. He wanted clarification but was afraid to ask. Daddy would tell him in good time.

We crossed the boundary into the National Forest about twenty minutes out of town. It wasn’t at all crowded. I didn’t see another car or truck anywhere. I took him to a place I knew with a view over a waterfall, parked, got out and let down the tail gate.

Kevin was subdued and very submissive. He didn’t know what to do and did not want to make a mistake. There wasn’t a sound for miles other than birds.

I put my arm around him and said, “I sense a disturbance in the force.”

He leaned into me and asked, “What does this all mean?”

“I’m trying to teach you something Kevin.”

“I don’t understand.”

I kissed his neck and said, “I’m trying to teach you your value. To me, you are beautiful and precious and no one has ever told you that. Let me explain the truck. I have it listed as a business asset. You’ll be using it to work for the Game Zone but in every way that really matters, it’s yours. You’ll be sharing it with Lance to get back and forth to the arcade but, I wanted to physically show you what I think of you. We’re going to get you a study guide and get your license.”

Kevin melted into my arms. I stood there holding him and realized that he was sobbing.

I held him, kissed his head and gently stroked his back. I spoke softly to him, “Kevin, this isn’t really about sex. Don’t get me wrong, sex with you is spectacular, but there’s something all of us have in common. The cruising culture we all blundered into following our hormones is exploitive and predatory. It wrecks our self-esteem. I feel that in you. I heard that from you when we got together last night. What I’m trying to teach you is that you are beautiful, sweet and wonderful and worthwhile. You are lovable and I love you.”

Kevin looked at me through tears and said, “How in the hell did I get so lucky to meet someone like you? You made me cum so hard last night all I could do was crawl in bed and pass out and… you love me.”

I wiped his tears away and said, “I have another surprise for you.”

I went around to the truck and pulled out the goodie bag.

I said, “The nice thing about where we are is we can hear any vehicle miles away. We’re safe out here. Would you like to play?”

He grinned and said, “Hell yeah. What’s the game.”

“It’s the Make Kevin cum like a horse game.”

He took off his shirt and said, “I like that game.”

“Good. Now get naked bad boy. We’re going to have some fun.”

I lovingly dressed him in the leather collar kissing his neck as I did. Then I put the studded leather arm and ankle bands on him, kissing his hands and ankles as I did. I’d never really considered how leather would make him look so hot. I guess it was the contrast between the leather and his soft, youthful skin but, damn if he didn’t look sexy.

He looked at me through dreamy loving eyes and said, “Tim. I want you to fuck me.”

“Whoa— last night you freaked out as soon as I got near your ass. Giving up your cherry is a big step.”

“I know it would be good with you. Last night you could have done anything to me or been as rough as you wanted and everything, every touch was gentle, kind and loving. It doesn’t have to be today but sometime down the road— take my cherry. I want you to have it.”

I snorted and said, “Some sadist I am. You like it rough, but you know I couldn’t bear to leave a mark on you beautiful boy.”

“But you have left a mark on me beautiful man. It’s right here.” He put his hand over his heart. “It’s like everything else you touch— it’s better now. You do that you know.”

“It’s something my Dad always said: take what you need, give more than you take and always leave them better off.”

“Your Dad gave you that kind of advice about love?”

I chuckled and said, “No. He was really talking about campsites. I modified it to be about love.”

“You are crazy, but it’s a wonderful crazy.”

“Crazy about you.”

We kissed, fully nude in the long shadows of late afternoon in the shade of the old eroded mountains that were now just big green rolling hills. Time seemed to stand still as a cloud moved from in front of the sun and bathed us in golden rays.

Breathless, Kevin broke the kiss and said, “I want it bad Tim. Can I have it?”

“Yes but, I have a homework assignment for you.”

“Homework?”

“For tonight when we get home: you know I can’t do anything with the little guys, but I want them to have a good time too. Take Brandon and Barry somewhere private and lick them into frenzy and suck them dry. Barry really loves to suck cock, and from what I’ve heard, he’s great at it, but most people don’t give it back to him. Brandon is a little hottie, so you’ll have fun too.”

Kevin said, “Take what you need, give more than you take and always leave them better off.”

“Exactly.”

Like the country boys we really were, we sixty-nined in the bed of the truck taking tail-gating to a different level. We didn’t play with all our toys. Kevin insisted on keeping the wrist bracelets on and hadn’t even taken the choke collar that marked him as my boy off even in the shower.

Kevin drove on the way back. After a nervous start, he gained confidence with every mile. Toyota's trucks are a dream to drive and out in the country, the learning is stress-free.

On the way home I had him take a road we didn’t come on and directed him to a little village so small that it barely had a stop sign and a dog. Kevin noticed it first, “Oh my God, something smells wonderful.”

Just around a curve in the road was Aunt Kitty’s Smokehouse. I said, “Pull in here. This is where I’m picking up dinner.”

Kevin pulled into the large gravel parking lot and picked a spot by the door. He followed me, and his nose, inside.

Aunt Kitty’s Smokehouse was an old barn that had been repurposed and improved. It had fresh red paint on the outside, a smooth concrete floor and central air on the inside. Everything was clean and neat. It was one of those little places out in the country that usually only the locals know about.

I said, “Hi Aunt Kitty. What’s for supper?”

She looked up from the little novel she was reading and said, “Timmy! Good to see you sugar. You come give Auntie a hug.”

I received a large hug from a rather large woman.

She released me and said, “How are you doing sweetie?”

“I'm doing good. Auntie, this is my friend Kevin.”

She gave an astonished Kevin a big hug and said, “If Tim calls you a friend Kevin, you are welcome here anytime sugar.”

I said, “I’ve got to feed a bunch of people tonight and thought some of your ribs and pulled pork would really hit the spot.”

“What do you need?”

“I think about four racks and five pounds of pulled pork.”

She wrote the order down on an index card and said, “Coming right up.”

While she was getting our order squared away, I got a pint of potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob and baked beans to go with our supper. I also got some of Aunt Kitty’s sausage and bacon.

Kevin said, “This place is great.”

“Wait until you taste it. It’s one of those little places most people just pass by on their way somewhere else but, it’s worth a little extra ride.”

I paid Aunt Kitty and Kevin helped me bring the packages out to the truck. As I looked up, I saw a familiar black kid wearing nothing but too small gym shorts on a bike peddling hard toward us.

I waved at him and said, “Uh oh. Looks like you’re going to get to meet Roderick today.”

Kevin said, “Man, he’s hot. Who is Roderick?”

I said, “You know how good the barbecue here is, at least by the smell?”

Kevin nodded.

“Well their weed is at least that good or better. Aunt Kitty won’t have it around her place, so we’ll have to follow him. I’m pretty sure I know where he’s going and you two will get along just fine.”

Kevin got behind the wheel and pulled out of Aunt Kitty’s lot. We followed Roderick down the road a short way and then off on to a dirt road to a spot where a house used to be. The house was just a pile of rubbish now but the parking place was still there, heavily screened by trees and brush. Roderick used it to meet his customers clandestinely.

Kevin parked, we got out and dropped the tailgate to shoot the shit with Roderick. He rode around on his bike and said, “Nice ride Tim. I thought you might like to see some bud. We have a good batch coming in.”

“Let’s see what you’ve got Roderick. Knowing you it’ll be good.”

He pulled a nice sized baggie out of his high tops and handed it to me. It was heavy and had that reeking skunky smell with bright-green color with red hairs.

Kevin took a sniff and said, “Man that smells good.”

Roderick pulled out a joint out of his shorts. “You want a taste?”

Kevin said, “I’ve got to drive.”

I said, “It’s OK Kevin. I’ll drive home. Burn one with Roderick. Something tells me you two are going to be pals.”

It was good weed. I think the way you can tell is the worse it smells, the better it is. Kevin and Roderick were shit-faced and silly in no time. I watched with amusement as the two teens bantered and laughed and slowly drew closer to each other. Roderick put his arm around Kevin. Kevin ran his hand down Roderick’s chest.

I put my arms around both of them kissed them both on the head and said, “You boys have fun. I’m going to take a little walk. They both looked up at me with red eyes and Roderick said, “Awe man, stay.”

“I know you’re outstanding Roderick. I want my boy Kevin here to get a taste. Besides, I know you’re interested.”

Roderick said, “You do?”

I pointed down where his big cock had escaped his gym shorts and was running down his leg. Kevin gasped when he saw it.

Roderick reached over and caressed the tent in Kevin’s shorts and kissed his neck.

I said, “Remember— we don’t have any towels. Try not to get too messy.”

I took a short walk. It wouldn’t take long for those two. Even through the sounds of birds, cicadas and cars on the nearby road the sounds of their lovemaking carried. It sounded like my little brother Kevin was holding his own.

When the noise level subsided, I walked back to the truck to find them both naked with Roderick cradling Kevin in his arms. I asked, “Did you two have fun?”

Kevin laughed and Roderick said, “Holy Shit Tim. Lil’ Kevin here is heat walking on two legs.”

Kevin objected, “I’m not little.”

I said, “I think he means you’re a little shorter than he is and two years younger.”

Roderick cradled Kevin tenderly and said, “Thanks for hooking us up Tim. He’s… special.”

I chuckled and said, “You both are. I heard you guys say Oh God and Jesus so many times; I thought you were having a revival meeting over here. If you guys like each other, I’ll help you get together.”

That’s when they tackled me.

I offered Roderick a job with the Game Zone. We could pick him up, he would stay with me, work and come home for breaks. The added advantage of having a really great weed connection was just gravy.

I bought the bag he offered. I handed him the money and Roderick looked at like I had handed him a scorpion. He said, “Tim, there’s three hundred dollars here.”

I hugged him and said, “A hundred bucks for the weed, and the rest for you and your brothers. Good enough?”

Roderick said, “Kevin, hold him down. I’m going to blow him.” He pulled down my shorts and went down on me.

I objected, “We’re going to be late…”

When I felt Roderick swallowing my cock and Kevin licking my balls I said, “Well, not that late.”

 

As I drove us home Kevin said, “Roderick told me the story you know.”

“Which one? We’ve got several and most of them are hot as fire.”

“The story about how your old truck broke down right in front of Aunt Kitty’s house a year ago. How they helped you and, you helped them get her smokehouse built, up to state code and now people come from all over to buy their barbecue.”

“There was nothing wrong with Aunt Kitty’s bunch that a little good old-fashioned capitalism couldn’t cure. They weren’t lazy. They were farmers and there’s no such thing as a lazy farmer. They were just poor and needed someone to help get their little operation moving.”

Kevin sighed and said, “You don’t understand Tim. Nobody does that and, you don’t take credit for any of it. You’re not just a good man, you’re a great man and nobody knows it.”

“I do that and I know it. That’s what matters. Look. I’ve got a shit ton of money. Kevin, I literally could not spend it all. I could sit in the party room and drink scotch, snort coke and fuck until my dick fell off. That’s not what I want to do. I want to put that money to use helping good people like Aunt Kitty’s family rise out of crippling poverty, give a bunch of kids a safe place to hang out or put the older guys in our crew to work in a job that pays extremely well.”

“Jesus Tim…”

I interrupted him and said, “Precisely.”

Kevin was dumb struck. He said nothing for at least a half-mile and finally, “All I’ve ever heard is that gay people can’t be Christians.”

“Kevin, have you ever heard of something called Pascal’s Wager?”

“It sounds vaguely familiar, but I don’t remember what it was about.”

“Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician and philosopher in the 17^th century. Even back then they were arguing over whether God exists. His answer to that question was that even if God does not exist, we are better off if we act like he does. Not necessarily in the forms and rituals of religion but by being Christ-like, loving and forgiving to each other.”

This was a heavy concept for Kevin who said, “Tim, I think I just broke my brain.”

I reached over and gently rubbed his shoulder and said, “I don’t think it’s a break, probably just a sprain.”

“I was just coming to grips with having really great sex with a hot black guy for the first time and that I could see myself actually falling for him. Pascal’s Wager was pretty heavy. My dad already thinks I'm a fuck up, but if I fall for a black guy, holy shit.”

“Is your dad racist?”

Kevin sat back in his seat and said, “Dad’s not a cross burning Klansman type racist. He’s the sort that just doesn’t want to live around or have anything to do with black people. He doesn’t even like it if I have black friends.”

I said, “This is the South and there’s a still lot of that around. There aren’t very many black people in Lakeview except a few black cops and the little community outside the city limits toward Rivervine. When you get out in the country, there are a lot of them.”

“Thanks for giving Roderick a shot at Game Zone. The kids will love him. He’s tall, good-looking and charming. I’m sure he’ll be great at it.”

“Me to. There was also pragmatism behind that decision. You are sixteen and Lance is fifteen. Cole is just fourteen. We need him or you guys will be running yourselves ragged keeping things going. We might even need a few more guys. Be thinking about that but let’s wait and see how things work out first.”

Kevin reached over and put his hand on mine and said, “Thank you for the most amazing day of my life Tim. It was wonderful.”

I held his hand as we pulled into the driveway, pulled it to my mouth and kissed it. “There will be more Kevin. Let’s get our supper inside before our crew starves. Remember your homework?”

“Rock Brandon and Barry’s world?”

“Good boy.”

 

 

Aunt Kitty’s barbecue was a great hit with the guys. The kids had already been in the pool and were cute as heck running around in Speedo. I sat with Frank, Jeb and Lance after supper, and we chatted for a bit with the kitten running around playing with our feet. They all liked Gunny Anders, but he ran them pretty hard. They were all tired, and I suggested that I crank up the sauna for them for later.

Jeb asked, “Back rubs?”

“If I’ve got time. Frank is learning too.”

He said, “Yes!” and pumped his fist.

Frank said, “Put me in line for some of that. Afterwards, we can sit in the whirlpool a while.”

Lance said, “Who does back rubs?”

Jed said, “Tim is like a world champion of back rubs.”

“Then put me on the list”, Lance said. “If not I know I’ll be sore tomorrow.”

“It takes a while for the sauna to warm up, but it’s good to sweat the sore out of muscles. I’ve got to go downstairs anyway, so I’ll turn it on and in an hour or so it’ll be just right. I didn’t get a chance to spend much time with you last night Lance let’s try to catch up before too late.”

 

 

I went downstairs to the new truck to retrieve the loot from Madam Divine’s, Roderick’s weed and another package of videotapes out of my Toyota. I locked everything up and closed the garage.

Once back in the gym, I went over and turned on the sauna and heard faint voices inside. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I was sure it was Barry, Brandon and Kevin. I was a little surprised that Kevin would get to his homework that quick. I knocked on the door and opened it up to see Kevin blowing Barry who was really getting into receiving instead of giving for a change and Brandon working on Kevin.

I said, “Sorry to interrupt guys, but I wanted to let you know. Me or Frank will be doing rub downs in here in the sauna in about an hour.”

I didn’t interrupt. They didn’t even change rhythm.

I closed them up and headed to the party room with my loot.

 

 

I took my parcels upstairs, stopping on the way to put a little water in the new bong and decided to stash the goodies in the party room. I wanted to taste a little of the new batch, so I pinched off a little piece of bud and smoked it. I could tell it was strong and all the day’s tensions melted away.

One of the features of the room I had built in several concealed compartments into the closet. I stashed the weed in one of them and came across Kevin’s coke still cut into lines on the mirror. Just for shits and giggles, I snorted both of them and loaded another bong hit with that extra little from the mirror on top like sugar frosting. I hit that that bowl and tasted that rich flavor as the buzz made me tingle.

That would be quite enough, so I put everything away and had the nicest buzz on. I made a note to return with Frank later and let him try Roderick’s new batch. Come to think of it, Frank would probably like to give Roderick a try.

I opened one of the VHS tapes, Blonds do it Better, stuck it in the Mitsubishi VCR and used the dual remote to turn everything on. I fast forwarded to see what it looked like and my grade was above average.

 

 

After finishing up in the party room, I went to my bedroom, took off my clothes, and slipped on my blue Speedos. I was about to put on some board shorts on over them, but I sensed a change in the air.

I turned around to find Toby and Cole admiring the view. I noticed that they were both boned up in their Speedos and had closed the door behind them. Horn-dog Toby was here and he had backup. At least it was Cole and not Brandon.

I sat on the bed and held my arms out wide. They took the signal and came to me giggling and sat on my knees.

“Hey guys.”

Toby said, “I liked the picture you left me. I’ve been working on it since we got home. I think you’ll really like it.”

I said, “I’m sure I will. Y’all were so cute this morning, everyone in the house wanted to go in there and hug you. Toby, your Cole did really well at the hospital today. He helped get those scared kids to talk about what happened to them. I’m proud of him.”

With the arm, I had around Cole I hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Cole asked, “I still can’t figure out why it was such a big deal for them. Couldn’t they have just blamed it all on the Dalton creep?”

“They were badly traumatized Cole. Remember how you felt while that creep with the knife came after you and just after it happened? They went through that for days, some of them for weeks. They felt like it was their fault because they were cruising. Think how much more complicated your situation would have been if we hadn’t cleaned up your and Barry’s spoo off the floor.”

Cole hugged me and said, “Thanks again for saving me from going through that.”

I said, “I promised you both something special. Cole doubled his special fun today with his work at the hospital and a special favor to me. So let’s go see what bonus points your art racked up for you Toby.”

As we walked down the hall to the studio, the house was so quiet that Toby commented, “Sure is quiet in here when everybody else is out in the pool.”

Cole giggled. Subtlety and Toby are completely unacquainted.

When we got to the studio, Toby showed me a series of amazing pictures he had sketched out that afternoon. First was the one he made from the photograph. Unlike the Polaroid image, this one had depth, shadow and morning light. How he could create that with charcoal pencils was astonishing.

The detail was astonishing. Barry’s head was on Brandon’s chest and Barry was sucking his thumb. That kid had an oral fixation that would make a shrink tear his hair out. Toby and Cole were in the same position as the photo: nose to nose with and arm over each shoulder.

I said, “Toby, that’s what I was hoping for. That’s beautiful. If I should be so bold, could I name it?”

Toby said, “I never even thought of naming any of my stuff. What would you call it?”

“I would name it ‘Buddies’. It captures the innocent beauty of the moment. In it, you and Cole look like you are just two kids that went to sleep talking. Brandon looks like an older brother maybe comforting a little brother who had a bad dream.”

Toby laughed and said, “Hold that thought on innocent beauty for a moment Tim. There’s more.”

Toby flipped to the next sketch which was a larger image of him and Cole in the same position. It was even more impressive and detailed.

I said, “This one is even better.”

He flipped to the next sketch which featured Brandon and Barry. The larger sketch brought out more details like Barry’s long curls lying across Brandon’s chest and just a hint of Brandon having an erection. Maybe Toby was more subtle that I thought. It had a more erotic undertone to it than the first drawings but, the sleepy innocence was still there too.

“This one raises the heat a little Toby. It’s nothing overt. It’s subtle with just a dash of sexiness.”

Cole and Toby laughed at my comment and asked, “What?”

Toby said, “OK. The next one happened maybe five or ten minutes before you took the photograph. Maybe it’ll explain why Brandon was treating Barry so lovingly. It’s how Barry woke up Brandon, and us.” He flipped the page.

In the next sketch, the perspective changed viewing Brandon and Barry from the opposite side. Brandon was obviously experiencing an intense orgasm. Barry was blowing Brandon applying all of his amazing blow job voodoo. Brandon’s back was arched off the bed, the muscles in his arms, chest and abs were all contracted and his hands had a death grip on the sheets. His head was rolled back in a mask of ecstasy with his mouth open in a silent cry of delight.”

I said, “Holy shit Toby. That’s intense. It’s giving me a boner just looking at it. So, Barry gave Brandon some morning glory after all.”

Cole asked, “What’s morning glory?”

“That’s when you wake up someone you like a lot with a blow job”, Toby said. “I wonder where he got that idea.”

I said, “It’s pretty common. I did it to Frank last night, and he did it to me this morning. It’s a great way to wake up.”

Toby grinned and said, “We heard about Barry’s little ambush last night. While you were doing Frank, he got you. Did you cum?”

Shit. “Yes. I was pretty worked up over Frank and Barry has some sort of blow job magic.”

Cole said, “That sounds like a pretty neat loophole.” He ran his hand over my ass and said, “If you were to take a nap, someone could give you a blowjob, and it wouldn’t be your fault.”

I asked, “Are you planning to be a lawyer Cole? You’re sneaky. I like that.”

Toby said, “It’s his superpower. So, what do you say Tim. Feel like a nap?”

I said, “Why don’t we save that one for later. I have a little something different in mind.”

Toby pouted, and I said, “Have I ever disappointed you yet?”

He smiled and said, “No daddy you haven’t. It’s always fun with you.”

“Will you do as I ask?”

Toby and Cole both said, “Yes daddy.”

They followed me back to my bedroom and I went into the bathroom for a towel. This was probably going to be messy.

“Now boys, are you horny?”

Cole said breathlessly, “Extra horny daddy.”

“The problem is, you’re going to blow too fast. This isn’t cruising. The point is to relax and enjoy it. We’re going to do a few things that will make you really hot. This lesson will be about making it last and enjoying it.”

They whimpered, they groaned, they had big wet spots on their Speedo. Ten minutes later they were begging me for permission to cum.

I said, “Toby, give your boyfriend a blow job.”

Toby pulled down Cole’s Speedos and started sucking him. I got behind Cole and stuck my tongue up his pucker. He yelped and came hard in Toby’s mouth shaking. I twisted my tongue and Cole said, “Holy shit, I’m coming again.”

Cole collapsed in my arms panting and looked at me with wide eyes. He said, “Holy crap Tim, I’ve never cum like that… nobody’s ever… That was spectacular.”

I held him and kissed him on the forehead. “I’m trying to teach you guys a few tricks, so it’ll be better when you’re together.”

Toby was smiling and had some of Cole’s brand running down the side of his mouth. He said, “It must have worked, I nearly drowned.”

“Cole, are you recovered enough to make Toby cum?”

Cole grinned and said, “Hell yeah.”

Toby wouldn’t last a minute. His fun would be my little surprise.

Cole knelt in front of Toby and pulled his Speedos down. As soon as he went down on Toby, he began to shake. I wanted to hit it at just the right moment. I used my judgement to pick the timing and jammed my tongue into Toby. He sucked in his breath and hissed like a snake. Like Cole, he came intensely and a lot.

I asked, “Did you guys have fun and learn a few new tricks to enjoy?”

Cole said, “Yeah, but I think I want to lie down a while. My knees are weak after that.”

Toby agreed. I picked them up and carried them to a new room on the north hallway just around the corner from Toby’s studio. Toby asked, “Why are you putting us in here?”

I laid them down on the bed and said, “Four is a little crowded for the room you were in. Since you are a couple now, you’ll want a little space of your own. You can go back and forth to visit, of course. You guys rest a bit. I’m going to be giving rubdowns in the sauna in a bit. Come down if you feel like it.”

After I left, Cole asked Toby, “Is it always like that with him?”

Toby laughed and said, “You might not get what you expect but trust me— you’ll learn something and have fun every time.”

Cole asked, “Did he…”

Toby giggled and said, “No. It was dark, and his tongue accidentally went there.”

“It was the happiest accident I’ve ever had. I think I love that guy.”

Toby said, “I know I do.”

 

When I was headed downstairs I ran into Kevin, Brandon and Barry all carrying a handful of clothes and covered in a towel. Brandon and Barry dropped their stuff in their room and two naked boys jumped into my arms.

I asked, “What are you two so happy about?”

Brandon said, “You know. You asked Kevin to rock our world. God, it was wonderful. I came four times. He’s so hot.”

Kevin said, “It was fun. Tim won’t have to prompt me next time.”

I said, “You did well on your homework Kevin. I love to see my boys happy like this. What did you learn?”

“Well besides Barry might just be the sweetest kid in the world”, and Kevin kissed him. “Brandon is hot as fire”, and he kissed Brandon. “They are fun to uhh… ”

“A plus Kevin. Now scoot and get some clothes on that nice ass.”

Holding a very naked Brandon and Barry, I said, “As much as I’d like to carry you two off and have my way with you, you two had better get dressed.”

Brandon said, “Promises, promises. Would you mind holding us like this for a minute? I really like it.”

Barry said, “Yeah, me too.”

As I carried them into their room, Brandon closed the door with a foot.

I said, “Since Toby and Cole are a couple and you two are headed that way, I gave them a room of their own. This one is yours. Of course, you can visit, but couples need alone time too.”

Barry said, “I can’t believe you set us up with Kevin like that. That was really nice of you.”

I said quietly into his ear, “Anyone that gives head as well as you do little Bear, it was Kevin getting the treat.”

He giggled and said, “You called me little Bear. I like that.”

Brandon smirked and said, “I heard how you found out how good Barry is at BJs.”

“Does everybody know?”

Brandon said, “Just those of us that really want your cock.” His foot was caressing my crotch, right beside Barry’s.

Barry said helpfully, “It’s a really nice cock. It’s big, but it’s not too big, and your cum tastes great.”

I said, “Jeez guys, how can you still be horny after Kevin?”

Brandon sighed and said, “You’re right. I think I’m done for the night.”

I said, “If you two are sleepy, with your room, you could sleep in the nude.”

They both thought that was an exceptional idea.

I laid the two boys down in the bed, pulled the sheet over them, hugged them and kissed them goodnight.

 

I was in the kitchen when I heard the security system make the boink sound that indicated that a car had pulled into my driveway once the alarm was armed.

I looked on the security monitor in the office and saw that a Honda Prelude had pulled into the driveway. Running through the laundry room, I grabbed a shirt and didn’t notice that it was a half shirt. There was a pair of topsiders in the garage. I slipped them on and went out to see who was visiting.

It was a bright moon lit night. I walked out to the car and Randy Carlson got out. He was wearing white tennis shorts and a polo shirt.

“Hey Randy. How are you?”

He looked nervous. “Chief told me about your offer. Can we talk about it?”

“Sure. I guarantee I’ll pay you better than the city. Come over here and take a load off.”

My mom and always loved the oak by the drive. Its acorns attracted swarms of squirrels and there was a circular marble bench around it.

“Mr. Shepherd…”

“Tim.”

“Tim. Knowing your capabilities, you could be protecting me.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s my kids.”

We could hear the occasional ruckus from the pool. Randy grinned and said, “It sounds like you've got a few.”

"I’ve got two that belong to a friend who is out of town. I’ve got the two I rescued from Charlie Dalton. Two more don’t want to be home alone and another who is left with their butler and housekeeper while the parents summer in Europe. My plan is to get them working and in activities and not just hanging out and getting in trouble. My problem is that I can’t be here all the time. I need someone I can trust to look after them. Then I’m beginning to see the need for someone to watch our backs.”

“What are you getting out of this?”

I said, “Family. Are you up for a walk Randy? It’s just about five minutes both ways. Let me run around to the pool to let them know I’ll be away.”

After a short delay in which I enjoyed the view of the older members of our group enjoying the hot tub, nude, Randy and I began our excursion.

As we walked, I said, “I grew up here. All of my relatives are from farms about an hour north of here. How about you?”

Randy said, “I was raised on a farm and knew I preferred not to do that. I got a criminal justice degree from a junior college and went to the police academy at the capital. I’ve been on the force six months.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty.” He sighed and said, “I’m sorry Tim, but this is a little awkward. I have to admit that I am… very attracted to you.”

“Randy, it’s OK. You’re young and hot, but I’m guessing you’re a virgin?”

He stopped in his tracks. “How did you know that?”

“You grew up in a tiny little community where everyone knows each other’s business hearing preachers talk shit about gay people your whole life. You knew you didn’t want that life for yourself in a small town, so you got out. I know gay people from the rural south Randy. You are hardly unique in that. Then, again most police culture isn’t known for being gay-friendly.”

He asked, “That’s how you knew I was a virgin?”

“It’s a little of profiling and a lot of reading people. No one gets a lot of sexual experience in the sticks unless they have a bunch of cousins, a funny uncle or spend entirely too much time in the barn.”

Randy laughed and said, “OK. You got me. Where are we going?”

“Like I said, I grew up here. When I was a kid, I’d ride my bike down this very trail. This is a rich neighborhood Randy. You might think that means nice, functional families but in the summer many kids are… well, let’s just say they are unsupervised.”

After a short walk, the trail ran into the road. To the right are the boat ramps. To the left is the restroom.

Randy said, “The scene of the crime.”

“Yes. Imagine that you are fourteen, and you discover that there’s a place in walking distance you can go and get blow jobs.”

“Oh shit.”

“Everybody expects them to jerk off and waste Kleenexes when they can get on their bike and find someone to suck them off. Even the straight kids visit from time to time. It’s fun, they are attracted by the sex like moths to a flame but, it’s dangerous. There are freaks like Charlie Dalton, AIDS, molesters and people that offer them drugs and money for sex. The reason I contacted the police in the first place is the thirteen-year-old I’m taking care of told me that when he was just eleven a man lured him into the bushes, gave him money and did shit to him that I didn’t experience until college.”

I asked, “Randy, if this were around, and you were a fourteen-year-old boy with blue balls, would you still be a virgin?”

He chuckled and said, “Probably not. This is a nightmare from a law enforcement standpoint. We broke the Dalton case because we were lucky. We had the day shift in and out of here all day, and they saw nothing. At least they’ve gotten serious about closing the main gate at night so cars and trucks can’t get in here”

“That’s good. See if you can get us a key to the gate, so we can back up the parks people. They are going to come here, I mean that literally, so if they are on bikes or on foot, at least they’ll be local.”

Randy said, “It’s getting close to nine, the gate is closed, and it’s pretty quiet out here. It looks dead.”

I said. “I’ll bet you if we go in the restroom, we’ll catch someone.”

He said, “What do you want to bet?”

“If we do, join my little family.”

“What if we don’t?”

“Join anyway. It’ll be good for you Randy. So… do you want to see what’s down the rabbit hole?”

Randy smiled and said, “I have to admit that the idea makes me curious and maybe a little horny.”

“Then follow me quietly.”

We walked toward the bathroom from a blind approach. There was no way to see us. We circle around behind and saw five bikes: two mountain bikes and three BMX style. We could hear youthful hushed voices inside and the sounds of sex. The smell of weed was strong.

Randy whispered, “Holy shit. Just hearing that’s making me hard.”

I whispered back, “You want to go in?”

Randy paused and said, “I really want to join in.”

I said, “Really?”

He nodded.

I said, “This late they’re not as likely to be underage in there but, you’re only twenty. Ok, follow me. The doors open silently, and we can be inside quick. Once we’re inside, take your shirt off and drape it over your shoulder. I don’t know exactly what it means, but I keep seeing them do it.”

As we rounded the women’s room side, the sound and intensity was growing. We could clearly hear someone say, I’m getting close.

When got around to the door, there was a streetlight overhead, I could tell that Randy’s white tennis shorts were bulging with the promise of a nice big cock. I flipped open the outer door stepped up, flipped the inner door and stepped into the game zone.

The sink was full of clothes and five naked teens froze in place at the shock of someone entering their little orgy with absolutely no warning.

They weren’t all super hot but three of them caught my eye and the other two would improve with age. There was a cute pair of twins and a really nice redhead who was busy blowing one of the twins. One was a big, chunky muscular kid that looked like my idea of an offensive lineman being sucked off by a thin, waif of a blond.

I said, “Sorry if I startled you guys but, do you mind if we join you?”

When Randy took off his shirt, I was in for a big surprise. He wasn’t a big muscle guy, but every muscle was cut like he spent a lot of gym time. His cock was sticking straight up four inches above the waist line of his tennis shorts. I started kissing his chest and nipples and his heart was pounding.

The unoccupied twin, naked and erect, came over and said, “Hey, aren’t you Jeb’s friend?”

I nodded as I kissed my way down Randy’s abs.

The other twin said, “Aren’t you the guy who killed that troll who tried to snatch Cole?”

Randy reached and starting jacking the closer twin's cock and said breathlessly, “He sure is.”

The big guy who was with the thin blond came over and said, “He saved Little Barry too. I love that kid.”

I licked the part of Randy’s cock that was exposed above his shorts and said, “Yeah, me too. Little Bear is a sweetheart. Big guy, could you do me a favor? Randy here doesn’t weight a lot. Would you mind holding him while I lick his balls?”

“My name is Ted, and I’d love to. I like little guys; especially when they are this hot.”

The big teen easily picked up Randy as easy as I could pick up Toby. His tennis shorts hit the floor, he was completely naked, and they saw the badge clipped to his shorts.

The red haired boy said, “You’re a cop?”

I said, “Guys, he’s not just a cop. He’s one of us. He’s here to protect you from low-life’s like that bastard that tried to snatch Barry and Cole.”

Red said, “He’s damn sure the cutest cop I’ve ever seen.” He began greedily sucking Randy’s cock.

 

A few minutes and a number of orgasms later, the group had moved to one of the picnic tables to talk.

Out of the group, the boy-mountain Ted was the biggest surprise to me. He was seventeen, a high school football player and offensive linemen. Despite his size and obvious power, he was extremely gentle and protective of the smaller guys. The boy Ted doted on was a willowy platinum blond of sixteen named Rod who was painfully shy and almost seemed to hide behind Ted.

The twins, both sixteen, names were Tommy and Bobby and were quite a sight in the light. There was simply no telling them apart. They had skater looks with stoner attitude. Their appearance was above average, had the most striking gray eyes and the shapes of muscles were in the right places.

Red’s actual name was Rory, and he was short, pretty and feisty. He was slight of build and had sparkling mischievous green eyes. He would tell you that he loved cock. Judging by Randy’s reactions, he appeared to be good at it.

I explained to them that I had grown up close by and pointed at the big house across the water. I, too, had discovered blow jobs and creeps in that very same bathroom. They were shocked to discover that Randy was a virgin until I told them that he had come from a small town where preachers equated being gay with murder and devil worship and the only thing he could do was to keep quiet and get away.

Randy talked to them about the dangers involved in their cruising hobby: creeps and diseases were just a start. There were other hazards they hadn’t considered like adults who would try to get them addicted to hard drugs. Others would offer them money for sex— that might not sound dangerous but when money changed hands, things could become complicated. Some asshole decides he's king pimp of the city. Some people might try to blackmail them or their parents. Plain old robbery wasn’t out of the question, gay bashing was a real threat and the rape of pretty boys in isolated spots wasn’t at all unheard of.

The kids were a gold mine of information about the trolls and the creeps. They talked about a guy that sounded a lot like Andrew that liked boys about junior high age. He would pick them up, take them somewhere nice and get them high and blow them. They also talked about several guys who would drive around flashing money and trying to pick them up.

Without information, the police were powerless to do anything about it. With the facts that Randy was gathering, it just might be enough to get started with.

Big Ted looked up and saw a pair of boys on foot headed for the bathroom. He waved and said, “Hey look— it's Cory and Steven. I wonder why they didn’t come over here.”

Rory said, “They are under that streetlight and can’t see us over here in the dark. I know they’ll hate that they missed the fun. Anyone want to walk with me to say hi?”

Tommy laughed, and his twin Bob said, “Knowing you Rory, you want to say more than hi to those two.”

I said, “I’ll walk with you.”

Rory said, “Cool” and led the way.

When we were just out of earshot, Rory asked, “Did you get off during the festivities?”

“No, but after that, it wouldn’t hurt. I was more focused on Randy. It looks like you did a good job on him. How old are these guys?”

Rory said, “Randy was easy. He walked in half done. Cory and Steven are fourteen-ish. They hang out together and get high a lot. They’re a little kinky and like to watch. That gets them charged up. I could see from where I was that you ate Randy’s ass.”

“Yeah.”

Rory said, “I like that a lot and no one will do it for me. Would you, please?”

“That’s such a nice ass, it’ll be my pleasure. Just take care of the boys after, OK?”

Rory said, “You are a nice one. This will be fun. Just pretend you don’t see them and give them a good show.”

We went inside, and two boys were inside leaning against the wall wearing nothing but gym shorts and shoes. It was too dim for me to see much, but I guessed they were pretty cute.

Rory shed his shorts and shirt and stuck them in the sink, knelt in front of me and undid my board shorts. He stopped at the Speedo and kissed and licked my cock through them. He peeled back the Speedos and my cock jumped out at him. He appeared to study it just for a moment, and then he went down on me.

Through my peripheral vision I could see the two boys had dropped their shorts and were jerking off to the spectacle. It was a little odd but, I got a little charge out of being watched.

Rory could really suck cock. He was doing a fine job, and I was feeling it.

I said, “Don’t freak out Rory. I’m going to flip you. I promise that I won’t drop you.”

“You’re what?”

I flipped him over into a standing sixty-nine. It startled him, but he got the idea and didn’t let go of my cock. Rory’s dick was short, but it was quite thick. I took it down and his whole body shivered. I sucked him and tasted a lot of pre-cum. Rory was not far away. I let his cock go and licked my way down his balls to his pucker and ran my tongue over it, teasing it and then jammed my tongue in licking and tongue fucking his cute little ass.

Our spectators joined the festivities licking my balls and doing a fine job of it. I came hard in Rory’s mouth a few seconds before Rory came all over my chest.

I very gently flipped Rory over put him on his feet, put my arms around him and kissed him.

Rory said, “Holy shit that was awesome.”

One of the boys broke his silence and said, “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Rory spoke down to the boy licking cum off our dicks, and furiously jerking off, “Cory, you’re supposed to ask before you do that. Tim, here is such a nice guy, he made me promise to blow you too.”

Rory blew Cory where he stood and finished him quickly. Steven, the second boy, lasted a little longer. The spectacle of Rory and my tryst had sent these adolescent peepers into a hormonal frenzy.

I said, “So you boys have a taste for voyeurism.”

Cory asked, “What’s voyagerism?”

I corrected him, “The word is voyeurism. It means you like to watch. I was trying to give you a good show.”

Steven said, “Thanks. It worked. Watching is cool somehow. I don’t understand it, but it makes me rock hard. Thanks for asking Rory to finish us. That was way better than jerking off.”

I asked, “Cory, Steven- you guys are really high, and you’re drunk too aren’t you?”

Steven laughed and said, “The weed our friend in the Firebird gave us made us really high and horny. The booze was just a half pint between us.”

As we all cleaned up with toilet paper Cory asked, “What the hell happened here? There’s spunk everywhere.”

Rory said, “You just missed the hottest thing I’ve seen since last spring when those drunk frat boys showed up looking for blow jobs. The guys are all still here. We’re down at a table talking. Y’all come on.”

I said, “Just a minute. Let me show you something.”

Steven and Cory followed me outside and around the building.

“If you guys like to watch, there are cracks in the mortar between these cinder blocks. It doesn’t work in the daytime— too much contrast. Works fine at night though.”

They both got excited about this new discovery that would allow them to watch unobserved.

Cory said, “You’re really cool. I’ve seen you around but…”

Rory said, “He's not like the other guys. He doesn’t do under aged kids.”

Steven said, “Damn. I’d sure do him.”

I asked, “Where are you staying tonight?”

Cory said, “His mom thinks I’m with him and my parents think I’m at another friend’s house, so we might sleep in our fort in the woods or slip in late at night.”

I chuckled and said, “It’s amazing that still works. My friends and I did something similar when we were your age until my dad figured it out. That ended it. Look guys, I’ve got a nice comfortable couch you can sleep on, so there will be no chiggers or poison ivy on your fun parts. There’s also some more kids there you probably know like Jeb, Barry or Brandon. They’re probably asleep by now, but you can hang out with them in the morning.”

Steven and Cory looked at each other trying to decide what to do and Rory said, “It is simple guys: get chiggers on your balls or sleep on the hot guy's couch. I know which way I’m leaning.”

 

 

We got Steven and Cory back to the table where everyone was sitting. They didn’t go in a straight line. Trying to manage those two high and drunk was like trying to walk two puppies without a leash.

When I got to the table, there was a cloud of that skunky smelling marijuana smoke and everyone was laughing. I sighed and said, “Oh boy.”

Randy looked up at me with a big silly grin and I said, “What have you been doing?”

He said, “I’ve been immersing myself in the culture of my people. I realized that I’ve been away from it all my life, and I’ve finally come home. Free at last, free at last, good lord almighty I’m free at last.”

I said, “What did you give Randy?”

Bob said, “It was just strong weed. I think it’s his first time.”

Randy said, “We are all bound by the shackles of the ordinary that divert us from the extraordinary.”

“I need to get Randy home. Last thing we need is for the PD or Sheriff’s office to roll through and catch him like this. What are you going to do about the bikes?”

Tommy said, “We have a hiding place for them in the work shed behind the bathrooms. I’ll go take care of that right quick and catch up with you.”

I picked Randy up in my arms, and he looked at me and said, “You’re so hot Timmy I could just put whipped cream on you and eat you up. I’ve never felt so good before. My first blow job, my first joint; I didn’t know what I was missing. I love you man.” He put his head on my shoulder and I think he nodded off.

I went slow and Tommy was indeed quick to catch up.

Tommy and Bobby flanked me. One of them, I’m never sure which when I’m talking to them, said, “One thing is for sure. Randy here is my favorite law dog ever.”

The other twin said, “No shit. He’s really sweet. Who knew that a cop could be one of us?”

I said, “He had a choice: he could have busted up in that bathroom and thrown his weight around. When he heard what a good time you guys were having, he just wanted to go in and join you. You’re right. He is one of us. In a way, he’s just like a junior high kid that had his first trip out here.”

I got a look at Big Ted carrying Steven and Cory, one on each huge arm. By looking at the contentment on their faces, I could tell that they were right where they wanted to be. Someone they trusted was looking out for them and paying attention to them. This was something every kid should have, but some had to go find it for themselves, even if it was just for a little while.

I asked, “Hey Big Ted, what happened to Rod?”

“He had to go home. If he’s not in by ten-thirty, his evil step-father has a fit. I’m pretty easy going, but even I hate that guy. I’d throw him in the lake, but Rod won’t let me.”

We made it to my garage and light and I had Rory punch the door down. We went into the gym and I ran into Frank, and he smiled. I said, “Hey honey, they followed me home, can I keep them?”

Frank looked at Randy and said, “What’s wrong with him?”

Rory said, “I gave him his first-ever blow job, and then he smoked some strong weed for the first time. He’ll be all right in a while.”

I said, “I’m going to lay him down. Would somebody stay with him? I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

Frank said, “I’ll do it. He looks so young.”

I said, “He’s just twenty.”

Frank followed me upstairs where I took Randy to our bedroom. I took off his shoes, shorts and shirt and lay him in the middle of the bed naked.

Frank striped to his boxers, lay beside Randy and said, “He’s beautiful Tim. We’ll definitely keep him.”

I chuckled and said, “I’ve got to square away the rest of the puppies. Carrying sleeping beauty back from the park wore me out. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

 

My first project was Steven, Cory and Big Ted. I put them in the TV room on the first floor. I rarely watch anything but movies. I set them up with some canned cokes and a big bag of Cheetos, and they were set. I ended up putting the twins in there too with some snacks. I stuck Star Wars in the VCR, set the volume to moderate. I told them that I would check in on them later.

I ran into Kevin and put him and Lance into a room next to Toby and Cole. Kevin told me that Jeb and Lance were in the sauna. I had Rory follow me down to the gym. We stripped in the locker room and I finally had a look at Rory in the light to see what a knock-out he really was.

I said, “Man Rory, you look even better in the light.”

He blushed and said, “Thank you. You aren’t so bad yourself Tim.”

“You know, I really like redheads a lot, and you’re a fox.”

Rory trembled a bit, nodded, hardened and smiled.

I said, “I want to take you right here on the floor, but I’d never be that disrespectful to a beauty like you. Let’s take a quick shower and be sure to wash your ass good.”

After a quick shower, we toweled off and put shorts back on. I went to the sauna and listened closely and heard Jeb and Lance talking.

Jeb said, “When Tim spends time with you, it doesn’t mean he’s going to have sex with you. He’ll want to talk and get to know you better.”

Lance said, “Should I tell him…”

Jeb said, “Yes, absolutely. He’s smart and he’ll help.”

I knocked and stuck my head in the sauna and saw a beautiful sight: Lance and Jeb, oiled up with towels over their laps sitting on the bench arm and arm.

I said, “I’m sorry I got sidetracked guys. Did you get your rub downs?”

Lance said, “Yeah. Frank did it. It was great.”

“Did it give you a boner?”

Lance blushed and said, “Yes.”

“Good. That means it was a good rub down. No more distractions. I’ll see you in the party room in twenty minutes for our chat Lance. Now I’ve moved you and Kevin to the second room on the North hall. OK?”

Jeb asked, “Can I move in there with them?”

“Sure. It was just too crowded with four in Chris and Tony’s room. You can visit anytime, but they’re a couple and need a little space sometimes. Now, I’d hug you, but you’re oily. Take your time. I love seeing you guys taking care of each other like this.”

 

Rory and I made for the party room while I made a quick diversion to check on the guys in the TV room on the first floor. Big Ted and the twins were sound asleep but Steven and Cory were wide awake watching the movie. They saw me and both tip-toed over to the hall just outside the room.

I said, “How are you doing?”

Cory said, “We’re great! We’re with Big Ted watching our favorite movie. How did you know?”

I chuckled and said, “Maybe the Star Wars shorts you are wearing gave me a clue.”

Steven said, “Oh. We really like you Tim. You’re really nice and… would you like us to…”?

I said, “Why thanks Stevie. I’d love a hug.”

I hugged them both and two greedy little hands went down my shorts. I let them get in a good grope.

“That’s enough boys.”

They pulled their hands back and Cory said, “We’re sorry.”

“No you’re not. You wanted to get a little. I understand. That’s why I let you. I just can’t let it go any further than little accidents like that. There are a lot of really hot good-looking guys here. I’m sure good things will happen for a couple of cuties like you. Now another hug.”

The boys did the same grabby, grope routine and I let myself harden a bit. I kissed them both on the heads and said, “Oops. Now, go watch Luke become a Jedi, and I’ll check on you again later.”

When I headed back to the kitchen Rory was waiting just around the corner, and we headed upstairs. He said, “You’re treating Steven and Cory better than anybody has other than Big Ted.”

I said, “Don’t I treat everybody well?”

He said, “Well yeah. I just though you treated me that way because…”

“I treat everybody here well because I love them. You being a rare beauty doesn’t hurt, but I’d treat you well even if you weren’t.”

He stopped, I almost collided with him and I ended up with my arms around him. He turned and hugged me back hard.

I said, “What was that for?”

“Because I believe you. It’s the way you were with Steven and Cory. You really do love us… and me. It’s just a shock.”

“You’re shocked that someone would love you?’

He looked “Well, yeah. Someone like you anyway: strong, hot and could have anybody they want. I’m just a little faggot cocksucker. That’s what my dad says.”

“I’m so sorry that you had to hear shit like that.” I picked him up and carried him to the party room whispering in his ear, “I’m about to show you just how much I love you. “

I pulled out my entire bag of tricks and made beautiful Rory cum three times within about five minutes. By the time I was done, he was basically one hundred and ten pounds of very giddy jello. I held him in my arms and said, “Beautiful Rory, I’m going to lift you up. You’re going to have a place here beside me as long as you want it.”

Rory asked, “Tim, how can you love so many people?”

“Some people are small and can only handle loving one person. I’m a lot bigger than that Rory.”

He looked up at me with adoring eyes and said, “I believe you are Tim. I believe you are.”

He was asleep in my arms when I made it to my bedroom. So were Frank and Randy. I had three beautiful young men in my bed and as far as I was concerned, I was king of the world.

 

I was loading bowls when Lance arrived fresh and clean from the showers. He was beautiful as ever and was wearing a red Speedo that fit him like a glove.

I stood and hugged him. He gave me a little grind and I patted him on the ass.

“Have a seat Lance. As good as you look, I’m tempted just to eat you up, but that’s not what this is about. Ever since I started seeing you in the park, you seem to have a little dark cloud that follows you around like something is bugging you. You need to talk about it to someone.”

He looked really nervous and said, “OK. You bought Kevin and me a truck and promised to teach me to drive. I love you for that, but I’m afraid you won’t love me if I tell you what I’m thinking. Could I have a few bong hits first?”

I said, “Sure. We’ll have a couple of bowls, and we’ll talk about what’s on your mind.”

As Lance fired up, I went over to the stereo and turned on an FM rock station out of Memphis for some noise. That FM antenna kit was worth its weight in several precious metals. Steely Dan was playing.

I sat back down and let Lance fortify himself for whatever his big reveal was.

Lance was tense even after the bong hits. I said, “Lance you’re really worked up about this. Come here.”

He came closer but I pulled him into my lap and hugged him. He was stiff at first and then he relaxed. I said, “Whatever it is, it’ll be OK.”

I could feel Lance working himself up and he blurted, “I like boys.”

“Lance, you’re a boy and you're gay. That’s kinda how it works.”

Lance said, “No I mean boys like Barry and Toby’s age. They make me totally hot. I get hard when I hug them and stuff.”

I hugged him and said, “There’s nothing at all wrong with that.”

Lance was quiet for a beat and said, “What?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. You're just two, maybe three years older than they are. There’s nothing illegal about it. They’re cute as hell and love the attention and affection. As long as you're gentle and loving with them, they’ll love you back. You know one of their most common fantasies boys that age have is having a older partner.”

Lance said, “It’s just that business with the Dalton guy made me really afraid I might grow up like that.”

“That will never happen Lance. You have a conscious and a loving soul. You couldn’t do the shit Charlie Dalton did at gunpoint. It’s like some of the guys here like spankings and I can’t really help them with that because my inner self won’t let me spank them hard enough for them to really enjoy it. Your inner self would never even consider terrifying a little kid like Barry with a knife just for a blow job. Besides, you’re so handsome yourself, I’m pretty sure they’d be just thrilled to give you one and would be ecstatic for you to give them one.”

Lance was thoughtful and said, “I get hard thinking about getting together with Barry.”

“You should. He gives brilliant head.”

He chuckled and said, “Yeah I heard about that it was really funny and, he really wanted to do it after you saved him. Truthfully I get hard here in your lap so… I pretty much get hard all the time.”

“Sounds like a perfectly normal fifteen going on sixteen year old boy to me.”

Lance relaxed and said, “Thank you. It’s weird you know. There’s something about boys that age. Not all sexual, they're cute and I just want to hug them sometimes.”

“They need it. They’ve got their own complicated little lives going on and the more people that are sweet to them, the better. People get really confused about the idea of being loving and sex. Lance, do you know animals fairly well; cats and dogs in particular?”

He said, “Sure I guess. My mom has cats and my Uncle has Labrador retrievers.”

“Evolution or God, whichever one, and I don’t think that’s mutually exclusive, made cats and dogs very different. They’re similar in that they are both mammals, predators and just about the same shape but their entire psychology and behavior are different. Male cats are very territorial. If they encounter another male they’ll fight. Male cats will even kill and eat male kittens so they won’t grow up to compete with them. Male felines don’t cooperate at all so they are somewhat limited in what they can hunt. That design works for them in nature but, compare it to dogs.”

“Dogs or wolves exhibit pack behavior. There’s a dominate male who establishes himself as pack leader. He will hump the other males to establish dominance. What’s interesting is how the hierarchy within the pack under the alpha male shakes out. Have you ever seen how unfixed male dogs act towards each other?”

Lance said, “Yeah it’s a little gross. They hump each other and lick each other’s… HOLY SHIT Tim.”

“Yeah, a lot of so called scientists like to say that homosexuality is unnatural while their poodles are under the table humping each other. There are some who think that sexual component in dog packs are the basis for their cooperative behavior.”

I gave Lance a squeeze and said, “I know my puppies like it.”

He laughed and for the first time since I had known him, the darkness lifted. It was the clear laugh of a sweet kid with an unencumbered conscious.

I said, “If we were like cats, it would be bad for teen boys. Adults would run them off, beat their ass or even kill them. Sure, it happens but it’s rare. Instead, we’re more like dogs. We have a smidgeon of attraction for the younger males. It makes us want to hug them or take them fishing- stuff that beneficial to them. When you are with the younger guys, you have to take some responsibility. It’s tempting to be selfish but, it’s more rewarding and better for you both, to be a kind and gentle lover. If you do that, you won’t hurt them and it’ll reward you both.”

“Where this goes wrong is that some adult men get so fixated on younger males, and females for that matter, they want it so bad, they are willing to con, connive, extort, bully or bribe their way into some poor kids pants. They can be dangerous and cause psychological damage. At 15 and pretty good looking, you’re good. There will be some 13 to 14s looking your way. Now if you still have this quirk at 25, that’s a problem.

“I gave Kevin some homework. Do you know about it?”

Lance laughed and said, “Oh God yes. He loved it.”

“I have some for you too: tomorrow, you Toby and Cole, the next day, Barry and Brandon. Have fun, be sure that they enjoy it too and no guilt, OK?”

He said, “I think I can force myself. This was cool as hell. Thank you Tim.”

I said, “It’s not over yet stud. There’s still the matter of that wet spot on your speedos. It’s a good thing they won’t stretch out of shape.”

He said, “You want to help me with that?”

“I’d dearly love too but, you aren’t sixteen yet. When you turn, I promise I’ll give you a present that’ll leave you weak in the knees. It’s also not my custom to leave my friends with blue balls. I want you to wait here. Take a few bong hits and whatever you do, don’t jerk off OK?”

Lance agreed and I left him hitting the little red bong.

 

I went downstairs to the TV room and Steven and Cory were still wide awake. Big Ted was sound asleep. There’s a reason beyond being two hundred fifty pounds for why they call him Big Ted. The sleep boner he was throwing could hurt somebody.

The twins were curled up like a couple of puppies.

Steven and Cory followed me to the stairs where I sat down and let them sit on my knees. The first thing they did was say oops and reach into my shorts.

I said, “I take it you guys are horny?”

Cory chuckled, “Always.”

“Do you guys know a kid from the park named Lance?”

Steven said, “Yeah, he hangs with Kevin. We’ve burned a few joints with him. He's kind of out of our league.”

“If you don’t get laid with Lance, we’ll spend the night together.”

 

Cory and Steven looked at each other and then at me.

Cory said, “Wow! Look... uhhh we both really like you. My dad is at the hospital all the time and mom split last year."

Steven added, "I never even met my dad. Could we like... hang out with you and your friends?"

I hugged them both and said, “Absolutely, but you have it wrong though. They aren't just friends, they're family. Not by blood but choice, understand? You want to join us?"

Cory and Steven nearly knocked me down hugging me.

I laughed and said, "I take that as a yes. You’ll have friends, fun and be safe. All I ask that you behave, wait until night to smoke out, no drugs stronger than weed and our secrets stay between us. Deal?”

They both said, “Deal.”

“Do you like this room? Would you like to stay here? It’s private and daddy can sneak away to spend time with his boys. It has a bath and a walk in shower.”

 

When we arrived in the party room, the weed smell was already gone. I had an air return installed in the room so it drew the smoke out. The radio was playing a Zeppelin song. Lance was lying on the couch taking a snooze with a big boner in his speedo. I think Cory and Steven might have drooled. They looked at me and mouthed the words “thank you”.

I loaded them bowls of Roderick’s weed and Steven turned on the porn and turned down the volume so there was just the occasional moan and groan. It was a good flick and my young voyeur friends were already pitching tents.

Lace stirred, opened his eyes and saw us passing the bong.

He sat up, took a look at the porn and said, “Hell yeah. Hi Cory and… Steven. What’s up?”

I said, “I think that movie has us all up. I forgot it was in the VCR. It served me well during alone times if you know what I mean.”

Lance chuckled and rubbed his boner. “Yeah, I can see how it might have been helpful. This movie is hot.”

With Lance sitting up, it was most convenient for Cory and Steven to sit on either side of him to pass the bong. As they seemed to be getting along I said, “Here’s a nice bud on the tray. I’m going to make my rounds. Be back in a while.”

 

I made my way around the house: first by Kevin and Lance’s room with Jeb asleep by Kevin. Toby and Cole’s room was dark but I could see a lump that was most probably them. Brandon and Barry’s room door was cracked open and I could see Brandon’s bare behind glowing in the moonlight. Chris and Tony’s door was closed. I could hear music playing so softly I couldn’t even tell what it was.

 

When I stepped into my bedroom, Frank and Rory were sound asleep but Randy was awake. He scooted out of the bed, spotted his tennis shorts and we walked out on the balcony.

He said, “Tim, I’m so sorry I screwed this up.”

“No you didn’t.”

“I got so high you had to carry me home and then I…”

“You slept with Frank.”

He said, “I’m so ashamed.”

“Nonsense. That was part of the interview. You’re hired.”

“Wait, what?”

“You told me something you thought I didn’t want to hear. Truthfully, if Frank hadn’t slept with you, it might have been a problem. It’s sort of his stamp of approval.”

He chuckled and said, “That’s crazy but in an odd way, it makes sense. What I learned tonight is that in a lot of ways, I’m still just a kid with a whole lot to learn.”

“A-plus Mr. Carlson. There’s a reason everyone in my inner circle is so young beyond them being so easy to look at. Most billionaires are very lonely people that live in exquisite holes in fear that someone is going to take their cheese away.”

Randy stuttered, “Did you say billionaire?”

“Oh, I’m not the biggest one in the country by far but, if I play the game well, I might be. I inherited defense stocks worth north of two point five billion. They generate revenues of between two and three hundred million a year. My foundation has to give away about half that or more to keep taxes from eating it up.”

Randy said, “Jesus Tim, this is so far over my head I can’t even begin…”

“Now, today, it’s over your head but, you’ll grow. That’s what everyone is here for: to grow into the team I want around me that I can count on down the road. More than just associates more like family: people that I love and can trust not to fuck me over to the national inquirer or some competitor. If some asshole offers you a bribe of a million dollars, laugh in his face because I’ll write you a check for ten times that.”

He said meekly, “You believe in me that much?”

“I believe in the country boy in you that hates a lie, is loyal to the core and makes friends for life. Take all this away and that’s who I am. I got my first blow job when I was twelve in a hayloft from a cousin after drinking moonshine.”

Randy laughed and said, “When do I start?”

“Tomorrow we’ll ask for volunteers to move you into the private apartment off the kitchen.”

He asked, “Could I see it now?”

“Sure.”

We walked downstairs to the apartment. It had a door off the kitchen. It was roomy and neat with a desk, a bed and a bath.

I stepped into the room that was the brains of the house security system. It was fortified steel with two racked AR-15s and two M9 Beretta pistols with magazines for both. There was communications gear independent of the phone lines and the workstation that controlled the cameras. I flipped on the monitor and focused on the party room where a threesome that put any porn to shame was going on.

Randy looked at the scene on the monitor transfixed, his shorts bulging and said, “I’ve never seen porn that good.”

“Bet you a BJ it was the jerk off booths at Madam Divine’s.”

“How did you know?”

“That’s the only gay porn in a hundred miles in any direction.”

I left Randy a very happy boy in his new place and promised to let him know when breakfast was ready.

 

On my sweep of the 1^st floor, Big Ted was up and getting ready to leave. He had work to be at work the next day so he had to go. Tommy and Bob were dead to the world.

I returned to find everyone naked and asleep in the party room. I got Lance to some degree of consciousness and got his speedo back on him. I carried him to his room and put him in bed. He didn’t want to let go of me so I held him until Jeb rolled over and put his arm around him.

Cory and Steven were pretty dead too. I got their shorts on them and carried them downstairs to their room. Cory curled up with his pillow but Steven said, “Don’t go daddy.”

I sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room holding Steven for a while and nodded off. His moving around woke me and he whispered, “I need the bathroom.”

I picked him up and quietly carried him to the bathroom, shut the door and turned on the nightlight. We both peed with sleep hard dicks and I asked, “How was it with Lance?”

Steven said, “Lance was great. Thanks daddy.”

This time he stayed down and I went upstairs.

So who cares if I get five hours sleep?

I’ll be sleeping between Rory and Frank and that is my happy place.