The Knothole - 1. The Knothole

Summer, 1967

Fourteen-year-old Jeffrey switched off the bedroom lights and climbed into the upper bunk, careful not to disturb his older brother's slumber. Peeling the tape back from the knothole next to his pillow, he looked through into the other room and smiled. His timing was perfect.

Ryder, the ranch-hand hunk, lay on his bed pleasuring himself. Jeffrey spit on his hand and grasped his own rigid member, matching Ryder's slow, sensual strokes. Based on experience, it should take Ryder about five minutes, and Jeffrey optimistically hoped for simultaneous ejaculation this time.

Ryder was getting close now, and so was Jeffrey. The pace of their wanking increased. Jizz exploded onto Ryder's chest. Five seconds later, Jeffrey pasted his against the wall. Not perfect yet, but he was getting closer.

Jeffrey looked over the edge into the lower bunk, relieved to find his brother still asleep. The last thing he wanted was for Derrick to know what he was doing.

************

The brothers had shared the bunkhouse bedroom for four years, ever since they'd moved to their grandparents' ranch. A second room was occupied by a succession of young, seasonal ranch hands. The bunkhouse also featured a shared bathroom, laundry room, and kitchenette, the latter stocked with food by their grandmother. Over time, except for the evening meal, the brothers had become more independent than most boys their age.

Knotty-pine paneling separated their room from the one used by the ranch hand. Most of the knots were sound, but a large one at the head of Jeffrey's top bunk, after shrinking for decades, had recently come out.

Looking through the knothole, Jeffrey discovered that it lined up with a round hole on the other side, cut for a wall light fixture that had never been installed. He covered the knothole with electrical tape, and became a Peeping Tom, or a Peeping Jeff if you prefer.

Most of the time there wasn't much to see. Watching seventeen-year-old Ryder eat, sleep, or watch TV wasn't horribly inspiring. True, his athletic torso, curly brown hair, and dark eyes held some fascination, but seeing a wet, naked Ryder after a shower - or watching him jack off - was far more interesting, and Jeffrey had quickly learned when the interesting things were likely to occur. Though he likely would have denied it, Jeffrey had a crush on the hot, young ranch hand.

************

Jeffrey's best friend, Clayton, lived on the adjoining ranch. A year younger than Jeffrey, they'd been friends since the brothers came to live with their grandparents. Over the years they'd regularly played games together, games which changed as they grew older. Eventually, their favorite became masturbating together, which soon advanced to jacking each other off.

It was during one of these wank sessions in the barn loft that Jeffrey raised the issue of gay sex, in the straightforward manner that best friends do.

"What do you know about guys having sex with other guys, I mean, more than what we do?"

Clayton ran his fingers through his pale blond hair as he considered the question.

"Not much. Only what the guys say in the locker room."

Like Clayton, Jeffrey had heard the vague, off-color, junior-high jokes about blowjobs and cornholing, which didn't contain any useful information.

"Anything else?"

Clayton poked his buddy and grinned slyly.

"Why do you wanna know?"

Jeffrey blushed. "Just curious."

"Maybe your brother knows more."

"He probably does, but if I asked him, he'd just give me shit about it. How about Michael?"

Clayton snorted. "No way my brother would tell me anything. What about Ryder?"

Jeffrey thought for a few seconds.

"It's a good idea, but I don't know him well enough yet to ask. I guess we gotta wait a while."

Clayton punched his buddy in the arm.

"What do you mean we, dude? It's you that wants to know."

Jeffrey grinned as he punched back.

"You wanna know too, asshole, and we both know it."

Down in the barn itself, Derrick smiled. The boys didn't know how well their voices carried.

************

Poker night had become a mid-week institution for Ryder and Derrick. These were friendly, low-stakes games, and rarely was either of them more than a couple of bucks richer or poorer at the end of the evening.

As a boy who'd always relished adequate room for playing pocket pool, Ryder had abandoned underwear sometime during the sixth grade. His usual indoor attire now consisted solely of a pair of loose-fitting Levi's, and he was amused when, after a couple of weeks, Derrick came over dressed the same way.

The next week, Ryder served Derrick a glass of beer instead of a soda, and the boy drank it without comment.

A couple of weeks later, Ryder left a magazine on his kitchen counter, and wasn't surprised when Derrick picked it up and checked it out.

"Wanna borrow it for a few days?"

"Yeah... Thanks."

************

Jeffrey lay on his bed looking at the ceiling. Earlier that day, thanks to a few clues from Clayton's brother, he and his buddy had given each other blowjobs. Clayton's jizz tasted sort of sweet. He wondered what Ryder's would taste like.

So they'd experienced that part now, but the cornhole stuff was still a mystery.

Unknown to the boys, Derrick had observed their activities. He'd keep it to himself - he'd once done the same thing with Michael - but it was knowledge that might come in handy.

************

"So, what do you think about the magazine?"

"It's pretty hot." Derrick laid down his hand. "Two pairs. Queens and sevens."

Ryder put down his three kings and took the pot.

"Your deal."

Derrick dealt the cards.

"Got any more like it?"

"Yeah, I got a new one yesterday. Younger guys - about our age."

Ryder took two cards and opened.

"Five cents."

"Raise you a quarter."

"Here's your quarter. Call."

"Four jacks."

"Beats my two pair."

Derrick raked in the pot.

"Can I borrow it?"

"Sure."

************

"If you keep jacking off, you'll go blind."

At the sound of his brother's voice, Jeffrey leaned over the edge of his upper bunk. As usual, Derrick lay on the lower bunk, stark naked, reading a book and stroking his pole. His fourteen-year-old habits were still in place two years later, though the object of his attention had grown a couple of inches.

"Look who's talking. How'd you know I was jacking off?"

"The bed always shakes."

Jeffrey blushed. "You shoulda said something."

Derrick laughed. "It's more fun lying here counting. If I jacked off as often as you do, I'd run out of jizz."

"If I jacked off as much as you do, my dick would fall off."

Jeffrey rolled back onto his bunk, embarrassed and angry. Derrick got off his bed and stood next to the upper bunk, grinning at his brother.

"It's okay, bro. I'm glad you're having fun. I just had to give you a little shit."

Jeffrey turned on his side and grinned back.

"Do you remember how much you jacked off when you were my age?"

"Uh-huh."

"What's that book you're reading?"

"It's a new one that just came out. It's called Human Sexual Response, by Masters and Johnson."

"Do you ever read about anything besides sex?"

"Sometimes."

"Do you have anything with pictures?"

"... No."

The brief hesitation revealed more than the answer.

************

Jeffrey knew where to look. Derrick always hid things in his underwear drawer. Jeffrey rarely did more than look, although a few years back he'd taken the Super Duper Slingshot outside to test - and decided Derrick had wasted his money.

This time, he found a brown, nine-by-twelve-inch envelope stamped Educational Materials on both sides. It was from some place called Denmark, addressed to Ryder. The cover of the magazine inside was enough to tell Jeffrey he'd hit pay dirt.

The title was Welcome to the Ranch, Dude. The cover featured two teenage boys at a stereotypical dude ranch. One was a shirtless ranch boy, otherwise dressed in Levi's, a Stetson cowboy hat, and well-worn Justin boots. The other was a younger city-boy guest, decked out in duds representing the latest Hollywood-cowboy image. From the lust in the younger boy's eyes and the sly smirk on the country boy's face, their immediate future was pretty clear. Sure enough, the pictures within chronicled this initial encounter to the ranch boy's orgasm.

The magazine fell open to the centerfold. Apparently the focus of Derrick's attention, it became the focus of Jeffrey's attention too.

The blond city boy lay on his back on a blanket-covered pile of straw. Kneeling between his legs was the dark-haired, muscular ranch boy. Their discarded clothing lay nearby. The older boy held the younger down with his left forearm, while his right hand guided his hard cock inside.

So, it was that simple. Just like his model airplane instructions: Insert Tab A into Slot B. The only differences were that you used something called K-Y Jelly instead of glue, and you didn't expect it to stay there permanently. He was glad he hadn't wasted any time on the books Derrick read. A picture was worth a thousand words.

During the next half hour, Jeffrey went through the magazine from cover to cover twice. Returning to the centerfold, he propped it against the foot of his bed while he satisfied his primal urges. Then he carefully returned it to the brown envelope and to its original location.

************

For the next poker game, Ryder left the top two buttons of his Levi's unfastened. It took Derrick only a few seconds to notice and emulate - and reveal a hint of hard treasure at the end of his soft, blond trail.

Derrick shuffled the deck and dealt the cards.

"That ranch boy in the magazine is hot. He looks a lot like you."

Ryder picked up his cards.

"I'll open with a nickel."

"Raise you a nickel."

"Here's your nickel and another."

Derrick tossed in a quarter.

"Raise you twenty cents."

Ryder tossed in two dimes.

"Call."

"Three queens."

"Your pot."

Ryder shuffled the cards and dealt them. Derrick picked up his cards.

"I liked it when the kid got nailed. I bet it felt good."

Ryder looked at his hand.

"Open with a dollar."

Derrick looked up at Ryder's poker face.

"You're bluffing."

"Only one way to find out."

"Find out what?"

"If I'm bluffing."

"Oh... I thought maybe you meant..."

Ryder put down his cards.

"You wanna try it, don't you?"

Derrick swallowed hard.

"Yeah."

************

Jeffrey lay on his upper bunk reflecting on what he'd learned from the magazine. He'd look at it again except Derrick was next door playing poker and might come back at any time.

Jeffrey looked at the clock. Nine-thirty. They usually finished by nine, and it had been quiet over there for a long time. The walls were not insulated, and the usual muffled voices as they bid and occasional shouts of excitement after a good hand were missing. He turned off the lights and uncovered the knothole.

Two pairs of Levi's lay abandoned on the floor. His brother lay on the bed with Ryder on top of him. Between Derrick's raised legs, Ryder's hips moved forward and back at a steady, moderate pace. Derrick's hands roamed over the older boy's muscular back, and his feet, the toes curled, hung loosely above Ryder's braced legs.

It was reasonably clear to Jeffrey that Tab A was in Slot B. The real-time, three-dimensional evidence was worth more than all the still images in Ryder's magazine.

Ryder's pace increased, and then suddenly he pushed forward hard. Derrick's hands grasped Ryder's shoulders and his toes curled even more tightly as he let out a sharp cry of excitement - and Jeffrey knew that something more than a smile had passed between them.

As Derrick followed Ryder off the bed, his own jizz glistened on his chest and ran down his abs. Ryder put a hand on his shoulder.

"So, did you like getting screwed?"

Derrick grinned.

"I loved it, especially when you blew your load. I'm glad you didn't pull out."

Ryder smiled.

"I never pull out."

Derrick picked up his Levi's and a borrowed towel, and headed for the shower room.

Jeffrey covered the knothole. When Derrick slipped into the bedroom, he pretended to be asleep, but in fact he was thinking about what his brother had done. Now that the initial shock had worn off, he decided it wasn't all that surprising - Derrick had shown interest for a long time. Now he wanted that experience too - and he wanted Ryder to do it.

Derrick was also awake, excited about what he'd done. Nothing had ever felt so good as Ryder's hard body against his own and the steel shaft moving inside him. And when Ryder blew his load, Derrick knew he'd passed through a turnstile into uncharted territory.

He was hard again. He quickly took care of that problem.

************

Derrick looked in his underwear drawer and smiled. The envelope was two inches further to the left than when he put it there. He'd known for some time that Jeffrey knew about his hiding place. The important stuff he hid elsewhere. The stuff he wanted Jeffrey to find went here.

Now that he'd done it one way, Derrick wanted to do it the other way too. Jeffrey would have been his first choice, but even though he knew his brother was curious, probably interested, and certainly informed, there was this taboo about screwing your brother.

He considered who else might be a candidate. Ryder? Not bloody likely, as his grandfather would say. Then he smiled as the obvious choice came to mind. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

************

It had been a good evening for Derrick. He gathered his winnings and put them in his designated coffee can. Ryder's was next to his. The levels of each can rose and fell over time, but Ryder ensured that neither ever became empty.

Ryder stood up and stretched sensually. The seductive value of the movement was enhanced by his partially-unbuttoned Levi's, now a poker-night standard for both boys.

"Do I get a consolation prize?"

Derrick grinned broadly.

"What would you have said if you'd won?"

"I'd have wanted a reward for winning."

"So, either way, you're gonna screw me."

Ryder finished unbuttoning his Levi's and pulled out his pole.

"We both know you want it."

The hunger in Derrick's eyes told Ryder he was correct. Derrick pulled off his Levi's and sat on the edge of the bed, still looking at Ryder's boner.

"By the way, Jeff's staying with Clayton tonight."

"Yeah, you mentioned that earlier. Did Jeff see the magazine too?"

Derrick grinned.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that I know he looked at it. He also doesn't know I saw him and Clayton give each other blowjobs in the barn the other day." Lying back, he put his hands behind his head. "Are you gonna be here this weekend?"

"Nope. I'm off to the big city. Why?"

"Can I borrow your room?"

"Got something going?"

"Yeah... I'll wash the sheets when we're done."

Kneeling between Derrick's raised knees, Ryder grinned down at his fuck buddy.

"In the morning or this weekend?"

Derrick grinned back.

"Both, if I get to stay all night."

Ryder chuckled as he lowered himself down over the blond sixteen-year-old.

"It's a deal. Sure, you can use my room, but you gotta tell me about it."

"Cool! Thanks, Ryder."

Ryder braced his knees and pushed forward. Derrick inhaled sharply, and his hands clutched at the bedding.

"Oh, yeah..."

************

While Derrick was spending the night with Ryder, Jeffrey was making good use of his time with Clayton. Though it wasn't a term he knew yet, the magazine had taught him about sixty-nines. It was more fun doing it together that way - he could discover what felt good and then immediately do it to Clayton. It also gave him a close look at Clayton's pink pucker. He expected to have his hard cock in there eventually, and Clayton's cock in his, but that could wait until he'd done it with Ryder.

************

Clayton had been surprised by the invitation. three years younger than Derrick, he wasn't that close to the older boy. It wasn't really blackmail. Derrick simply told Clayton he knew about the blowjob Jeffrey gave him in the barn, and asked if he was interested in trying something more. After Derrick provided more detail, Clayton had jumped at the chance. While he and Jeffrey were friends, there was also competition, and pulling off something like this first would be a feather in his cap.

************

Derrick had one problem - getting Clayton into Ryder's room without Jeffrey knowing about it. He solved that by setting the event for eight o'clock Sunday morning. Jeffrey never got up that early.

Derrick spent most of the night awake, both nervous and excited about what he was going to do. A first for both of them, he hoped it wouldn't be too awkward.

Clayton was punctual, and Derrick was at the outer door to meet him and usher him into Ryder's room. There were a few uncomfortable moments while they undressed, but no more so than if they were stripping for a shower in a junior-high locker room.

Nervous, Clayton sat down on the edge of the bed. Derrick prepared himself the same way Ryder always did.

"Lie down on your back."

Clayton lay down and looked up at him.

"Have you done this before?"

"I've done your part a few times - with Ryder." He knelt between Clayton's legs. "Now, I'm gonna do what Ryder did, and the first thing is use my fingers to get you ready. Are you okay with that?"

"Do what you gotta do."

Derrick did the preparation and then wiped his hands on the sheets. As he looked down at Clayton, the humor of the situation hit both of them at once, and they started to laugh. Derrick put his finger to his lips.

"Shhh. We don't wanna wake up Jeff."

Derrick leaned over and got into position. He moved forward - and couldn't believe how easy it was. It seemed like they were custom-made to fit together. He looked into Clayton's eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"It hurt a little at first, but it's okay now."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"'Cause I want this as much as you do."

************

The call of nature woke Jeffrey up. Wiping his eyes, he wandered to the bathroom. Finished, he headed back towards his bedroom, but stopped when he heard muted, rhythmic noises coming from Ryder's room - like something banging against a wall. He was sure Ryder was gone for the weekend. He tried the door knob. It was locked. Ryder never locked his door.

Returning to his room, he noted Derrick was absent, but that wasn't unusual. Derrick was an early riser. Nevertheless...

He climbed onto his bunk and looked through the knothole, and quickly pulled back, sure his eyes were deceiving him. He looked again. They were not. His brother was screwing his best friend in Ryder's bed.

Jeffrey dropped back onto his bed? What should he do? He needed to think. He got up, dressed quickly, and went to the barn where he could sort things out alone. Sitting down on a bale of hay, he leaned back against the wall. He felt cheated. Tears of disappointment filled his eyes. How could they do this to him? How could they leave him out of an adventure like this?

He made two decisions. First, he'd have to pretend he didn't know because otherwise he'd give away his guilty secret. Second, it was time to get Ryder to screw him.

************

Once wasn't enough. Neither was twice. Before Derrick and Clayton knew it, noon was approaching. Ryder would be home soon. Alarmed, they quickly dressed. Derrick smuggled Clayton out and set about doing the laundry. He was making the bed when Ryder arrived. Ryder got them each a beer and sat down at the table.

"So, who did you screw?"

"Clayton."

"Tell me about it."

And Derrick did, leaving nothing out. When he finished, Ryder got up and squeezed his shoulder.

"Good for you, buddy. You're a stud. But why Clayton instead of Jeff?"

"You're not supposed to screw your brother."

"I guess you won't mind if I do then."

Derrick hesitated.

"He should do it with someone younger than you."

Ryder smiled patiently.

"There's no more age difference between me and Jeff than between you and Clayton."

Derrick considered that for a few moments before looking down at the floor.

"You're right. I'm being too protective."

Ryder put his hands on Derrick's shoulders and looked into his eyes, serious now.

"Big brothers are supposed to be protective. I won't do anything that Jeff doesn't want me to do."

"Okay."

"And Derrick..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't be surprised if he stays overnight."

Having quickly adapted to the idea of Ryder having sex with his brother, Derrick grinned broadly.

"Got it."

************

Shortly after noon, Jeffrey came back to the bunkhouse and fixed himself a sandwich. Ryder's door was open. The ranch hand called out as he passed, and Jeffrey stepped into the room, still looking disgruntled.

"Wanna hang out with me for a while this evening?"

Jeffrey's heart beat faster and his spirits rose.

"Sure!"

"You know what your brother wears when he comes to play poker, right?"

"Yeah. Just a pair of Levi's." He grinned. "With the top buttons unfastened."

"That's what I want you to wear - the same way he does."

"Cool! I'll see you after dinner."

The look of excitement in Jeffrey's eyes almost made Ryder laugh out loud.

************

Jeffrey stood at his bedroom door, wearing semi-unfastened Levi's. He'd secretly borrowed a pair of Derrick's. He had to turn up the cuffs several inches, but the extra inch in the waist let them hang lower on his hips.

Reclining on his bed with a book in his hands, Derrick looked up.

"Where are you going?"

"To hang out with Ryder."

"Dressed like that?"

"What's wrong with it? It's what you wear."

"He's gonna fuck you, Jeff."

"Maybe I want him to."

"Okay, have a good time."

Jeffrey paused in the doorway. That was too easy. Derrick turned a page and looked up again.

"It's okay to stay overnight if you want to, bro."

Derrick knew, and he was letting Jeffrey know that he knew and approved, and that it was something they couldn't talk about yet but would someday.

"Thanks, bro."

"And Jeff..."

"Yeah?"

Now the previously-anticipated smirk was there.

"You look really hot in my Levi's."

Jeffrey gave him the finger and closed the door to the sound of good-natured laughter.

************

The door to Ryder's room was open. Jeffrey stepped inside and closed it. From his seat on the sofa, the ranch hand grinned at him.

"Lookin' good, buddy."

Jeffrey grinned back.

"Thanks... buddy."

Ryder patted the cushion beside him.

"Come sit beside me and look at what I put on the wall."

Jeffrey looked, and his jaw dropped with surprise. Ryder had hung a large poster featuring the same two boys and the same blanket-covered pile of straw as the magazine he'd seen.

Viewed from above, the dark-haired ranch boy was nestled between the spread legs of the blond city boy, his braced knees, tense back muscles, and tight ass cheeks making it clear that he was blowing his load. Gripping the older boy's back, the younger one looked up past his shoulder with an expression of excitement that made it clear where the load was going.

Ryder put his arm around Jeffrey's shoulders and pulled him closer.

"Pretty hot isn't it?"

"It's awesome!"

"Think they're boyfriends?"

"Is it okay for a guy to have a boyfriend?"

"You bet it is."

Jeffrey considered that for several long moments before quietly replying.

"Will you be my boyfriend then?"

Ryder ran his fingers through the boy's dark hair.

"I was hoping you'd ask me that. Sure, I will."

"Can we do what the guys on the poster are doing?"

"Sure. And lots of other things too."

Jeffrey grinned from ear to ear.

"Cool!"

************

Other than the muffled sound of Ryder's television, Derrick had never been aware of how noise carried between the two rooms. Tonight he listened closely and at first heard conversation, though he couldn't make out the words. A period of suspenseful silence followed, broken by a squeal of excitement. He smiled to himself, picturing his brother being penetrated for the first time.

The subsequent squeaking of the bed, and the accompanying gasps and moans, and Ryder's familiar animal grunt of pleasure when he came, provided Derrick's imagination with enough input to fully arouse him. He quickly resolved that problem. More than once.

************

As the sun came up, Ryder lay in his bed looking at the ceiling. Beside him with one arm across his chest, Jeffrey still slept. He gently ran his fingers through the boy's hair. Jeffrey stirred slightly and then cuddled up closer to the older boy.

After they'd reproduced what the boys in the poster were doing, Ryder had taught Jeffrey cowboy-style so he could take control and experiment. However, the boy's favorite was doggy-style. He wanted Ryder to have control, and the deeper the hot ranch hand sank his shaft, the better Jeffrey liked it.

Ryder smiled to himself. He'd hankered after Jeffrey from the day he took the job at the ranch and, thanks to the knothole, it had all worked out the way he wanted. Jeffrey thought he was the only one who knew about the knothole. Ryder knew about it too. In addition, he knew how the knot happened to fall out.