Summer - 8. Fade Away

The spa-like enclosure in the master bathroom was Brett’s favorite spot in the townhouse; the multiple showerheads and body nozzles provided a relaxing and sensual environment. Early Monday morning both men stepped into the shower, pissed while the marine adjusted the water temperature, and then closed their eyes as he hit the proper control and water jets barraged their bodies from multiple directions.

César pressed the lever on the shampoo wall dispenser, taking a small amount of the fluid he rubbed his hands with together and then began washing his partner’s short hair and massaging his scalp. Brett moaned in pleasure, placed the palms of his hands against the rough stone of the wall, and gave himself over to the taller man’s ministrations.

Although a bit shorter, and outweighed by at least fifteen pounds, he could definitely hold his own in a physical contest. His military training meant he could subdue César if he so wanted. He didn’t want anything of the sort. This was one of those circumstances when he was willing to submit to anything his other half wanted.

César next used the body wash canister, once he’d worked up a lather in his hands, he stepped closer to Brett’s back and began running his hands over the man’s chest and abdomen, playing with the trimmed body hair he so loved. The second round of body washing began just below the marine’s abdomen, quickly moving to his groin, until César’s right hand was stroking a rapidly growing erection and his left one was holding the boys down below.

“Hmmm,” moaned Brett.

“What was that, babe?”

“I said: you have twenty-four hours to stop what you’re doing or I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”

“Really, Jarhead? That’s the best you can do? Here I have you by the balls―literally. I’m stroking your hard cock while mine is poking at the entrance to your ass and the best you can do is repeat some old, tired cliché?”

Brett reached behind himself, grabbed César’s ass cheeks, and pulled him hard against his own body. He turned his head, his lips kissing along his man’s jawline until they reached his mouth. He latched on to it; his tongue seeking entrance which was swiftly granted. They moaned in unison. Both loved to kiss and took every available opportunity to practice their technique.

“Are you in the mood to play, babe?” asked César pulling his head back slightly. You want me to make you moan some more?” There was playfulness in the voice asking the questions, but there was also a sense of unbridled lust.

“Just shut up and fuck me, stud. I’m so damn horny―if you keep this up, you’re gonna make me shoot before you even get inside me!”

César did as he was ordered. A short time later, the marine blasted the shower wall without even touching himself. His partner went off seconds later inside him. They stayed in place for a minute or two, catching their breath. Then Brett turned around and they finished washing each other while smiling.

Brett was long gone by the time CJ walked downstairs in his boxers, in search of juice and coffee.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. How did my favorite son sleep?”

“Yeah right, I’m it as far as sons. Unless I have a brother somewhere I don’t know about?”

“Nope, I’m not aware of any others. You’re it, but you do have a half-brother back in Miami.”

“Yeah, and I miss the little guy. Ritchie’s such a cool kid. We were buds even if his dad always made it a point of letting us know I was not his son for real. He wasn’t like real mean or anything. He just didn’t care that much about what I did.”

“I guess once Lourdes gave birth to an heir, his interest in you waned. No matter, we have you now, we want you with us, and we plan to make up for all the years you were not in my life. I thought we could chat over breakfast before we go work out. We’ve got errands to run this afternoon but we’ll be back home early to fix dinner. What do you like to eat on weekday mornings?”

“Breakfast on school days is OJ, coffee, a banana, maybe some cereal, and a protein shake. And even though school’s out, I’d like to keep on doing the same. Unless you guys cook something. Until classes start again, I’ll have another smoothie, or a protein bar after the gym. Last year I ate one of those bars between classes. With all the growing I’ve been doing, I’d be real skinny if I didn’t pack away a lot of calories every day.”

“That all makes sense. The blender’s at the end of the counter, behind the roll-up door. Slide it out and you can plug it into the outlet inside. There’s protein powder in the cabinet next to it, it’s what Papa buys at the PX. Later today, make a list of what you’d like to keep in the house, Brett can get it for you. If they don’t carry the brand you like, do a little shopping tomorrow afternoon. You can use your ATM card.”

“Cool! Just so you know, about the ATM card, I can’t see myself spending much. Maybe presents at some point or a t-shirt once in a while.”

“Yeah, a t-shirt now and then, my ass. Your tune will change once you start school, and then again when you start driving. We gave it to you to use whenever you want to. Papa Brett and I had a little conversation regarding you last night.”

“Was it before the wild gorilla sex or after?”

“WHAT?”

“Kidding, Dad, kidding,” said the teen smiling.

“As I was saying, we talked about you, made a few tentative decisions, but we want your input and approval. If anything’s not to your liking, we can discuss possible alternatives. When you visited in the past, one or both of us took vacation time so you were never alone for more than a few hours at a time―this summer it’s gonna be much different.

“We thought about signing you up for some sort of sports camp, and we’ll do it if you want us to. However, we think you’re mature enough we don’t have to be concerned about your whereabouts while we’re at work. We know you’re not the type to just sit on your ass all day long, so here’s what we thought: going to the gym, and visiting museums and monuments down by the National Mall, can occupy a lot of your hours. All the guys would like to take you to work with them for at least a day or two, and Dragon would love to have you tag along with him for as long as you want.”

“OK, all of it sounds good. I’d rather not go to any sort of camp this year, I’d like to get to know the city a bit better instead. I plan on hitting the gym every morning, so it’s late mornings and afternoons I have to plan for. I can skip the lifting on any day I’m with one of you at an early hour.”

“Tommy and John Paul thought maybe you’d be interested in learning how to sail, so you can handle the cat whenever we go out? If interested they’ll arrange for it with the sailing club they belong to.”

“Definitely! That would be sick!”

“Oh boy, Chip was right, I’m gonna have to learn teen-speak aren’t I?

“Ha, ha, ha! Sometimes you’re such a dork, Dad.”

“Whatever… Those two are having a dinner party on Friday night, at their place in Alexandria. They asked us to bring you along, but we told them it was up to you.”

“Everyone there gonna be old?”

“Define old?” asked the father knowing the answer in advance.

“You know, like you, Papa, and the other guys.”

“Yep, it’s going to be us old folks. We’ll sit around talking about all our aches and pains and what medicines we take!”

“You have to work on your jokes, Dad, they suck! And no thanks, I’ll pass on the party. The NBA Eastern Conference Finals start on Wednesday and the second game’s on Friday. I’d rather order pizza in and watch the game.”

“Hmmm, sounds like having you here means Papa and I must become HEAT fans. Do we need to forget the Wizards? Can we still go to a few games a year?”

“Hell yeah, hell no, and hell yeah! The Miami HEAT will become the official team in the house. The Wizards can be the second favorite. You can still hit their games, as long as I get to tag along!”

“Oh, that reminds me―if you have any interest in Major League Baseball check out the Nationals schedule. Any daytime games this summer would also give you something else to do while Brett and I are working. We try to catch a few of them during the season, mostly at night or on weekends. If you find any you’re interested in, let me know. I’ll check to see if one of the company’s tickets is available for the games you want to see. Let’s get changed and head over to the University.”

”'Kay.”

Stomping downstairs, CJ showed up wearing Nikes, shorts, and a faded green t-shirt with a large orange and green stylized U printed on the chest. The logo for the University of Miami.

“You little punk! How dare you wear such a shirt in the home of a University of Florida Gator?”

“Everyone knows gators are good for eating, shoes, belts, and not much else! The U is one of the schools I’ll apply to when the time comes, so start getting used to the idea, Dad.”

“Over my dead body!”

César threw a half-hearted head slap his son’s way; the teen avoided it and ran out the front door laughing.

Yates Field House, located on the main campus of Georgetown University, was just a couple of blocks away from the townhouse. César gave his son a short education on the school as they walked. Established in 1789, Georgetown was the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university. The main campus sat atop a hill in the neighborhood and the distinctive silhouette of its buildings, both old and new, dominated the view. Including the law and medical school, around 3,500 students enrolled each year. It had a great reputation and boasted many famous alumni including President Bill Clinton.

The field house was the primary recreation spot for GU; a top-class facility, it served students, faculty, staff, and those of the local community who purchased a membership. It had an indoor track, swimming pool, basketball courts, cardio-fitness area, and a large free weight and machines area.

“Okay kiddo, you do your usual routine, I’ll follow along. Let’s see if you can teach your old man something new.”

César was curious as to what type of program had helped a fifteen-year-old boy develop his body so much over the past few months. His size and poise did make him appear much older than he was. Two hours after they began, he had his answer. The father was soaked in sweat and was certain pain would soon follow. He was impressed with CJ’s stamina and earnestness. Being a Monday, the boy was working chest muscles, he explained it was part of a 2-1-2 schedule. It meant two days of lifting, one day of rest, followed by another two days of lifting. On off days he did cardio and abs. It allowed muscle groups to rest until they were coaxed into action again.

The one time his son seemed to lose his focus, was when a handsome ginger guy walked by and smiled at him. César grinned while realizing all the free time, combined with the kid’s looks and raging hormones, could mean trouble. He and Brett were gonna have to work hard to keep the lines of communication with the boy open, it was the one certain way to know what went on in CJ’s day-to-day life. He was well aware teenagers were not known for their interest in talking about the details of their lives.

Glad to be home, after the toughest workout he had ever experienced, César headed upstairs to shower and change. CJ followed with the same intentions.

“Hey, bud, would you mind wearing dress shoes instead of sneakers? I want to do some more shopping. You’ll need real shoes when the tailor measures you for the pants.”

“A tailor, Dad?”

“Yeah, go shower and I’ll explain afterward. When you get done, come down and make us both one of those protein smoothie things of yours.” The damn drinks were good! The kid had Brett hooked on them already, and César was starting to become addicted also.

“'Kay, see ya in the kitchen.”

The older man could have stayed under the spray of all the nozzles for another hour. The pulsating hot water felt great on his tired muscles. He had to force himself to shut the shower off, towel dry himself, and get dressed.

Down in the kitchen, CJ was already busy. He was wearing jeans, penny loafers, and a polo shirt. Must have been his compromise to match the nicer shoes. He tossed the chosen ingredients in the blender―whey protein, fresh bananas, frozen strawberries, rice milk, and non-fat plain yogurt. He added crushed ice once it was all well blended; the resulting drink was as refreshing, tasty, and satisfying as usual.

“So, Dad, what’s up with the tailor thing?”

“You recall when I mentioned you’d need a tux for black tie events? It was right after we signed you up for the Smithsonian?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I want to walk down to Brooks Brothers and check their tux selection. More importantly, we need to set you up with some dressy clothes. My firm has events all the time, which require you to wear at a minimum a sports coat and slacks. I hope you’ll agree to attend some. JP often invites us to diplomatic receptions, you’ll be included in most of his invitations from now on. Some can be interesting, you may want to go now and then, and proper attire is most often a suit. There’s one coming up at the French Embassy in July to celebrate Bastille Day―the food will be outrageous and the champagne will flow. The French are very liberal about young people drinking.” The smile on CJ’s face told the father the kid would be at the French Embassy on July 14.

“It sounds like fun. What did you have in mind as far as our shopping today, Dad?”

“Do you have any dressy clothes?”

“A blue suit, which doesn’t fit me well, and a sports coat that’s pretty old. I have a few long sleeve shirts, and a bunch of ties since we had to wear them at school.”

“Here’s my thinking―a well-dressed man requires certain basic items in his wardrobe so the shopping may be a bit extensive. I would get a pair of wool suits, one dark charcoal and one a lightweight tan, a classic blue blazer, a pair of gray flannel slacks, two pairs of khakis―one with cuffs and one without, half a dozen button-down shirts in assorted colors, brown and black dress shoes, half a dozen pairs of dress socks and a handful of rep ties.”

“Whoa, what the fuck? Do I need all that stuff? Seems like a lot.”

“Yes, you’ll need all that stuff. I’ll betcha, we’ll even go back for more real soon. Washington is a dressier city than Miami. Plus it gets cold here, shorts and t-shirts won’t cut it in January. Anyway, it’s a lot ‘cause we’re buying it all at the same time. In the future, it’ll be just a piece here and a piece there.”

They spent over two hours in the store; the salesman took excellent care of them and the tailor promised the items needing alteration would be ready the following Monday. CJ asked to skip the tux for the time being.

“Enough shopping, Dad. I’m hungry, let’s get some food.”

They stopped at City Tavern Club for lunch, then at Dean & DeLuca, for fresh produce for dinner. The meal that evening was pasta with fresh garlic, chopped tomatoes, and baby spinach, Florida avocados with sliced onions, grilled zucchini, Italian bread rubbed with olive oil and garlic, and lemon sorbet for dessert―typical ‘Meatless Monday’ fare. All three had a glass of Chianti with dinner, and after cleaning up, sat in the family room to talk and watch a little TV.

César decided to return to work a day earlier than originally planned. CJ was settling in well, and the sooner the boy established his routine, the better it would be for him.

“Wait until you follow along with CJ on a full workout, that boy of ours almost killed me today. Now I know why he looks the way he does,” said César as he and Brett lay in bed.

“Intense?”

“That’s putting it mildly. It reminded me of some of those stories you’ve told me regarding basic training, and what drill sergeants put you guys through. He gets into that zone people talk about, and then goes at it full out. I’m sore in places I never knew could be sore.“

“Hmmm, does that mean you ain’t putting out tonight?”

“Fuck you, Jarhead! Damn right I’m not putting out tonight. Maybe you should give me a massage?”

“I can do that, babe. Let me get the oil.”

“Put the bottle under hot water to take the chill off.”

“'Kay.”

When Brett returned from the bathroom, with the warmed massage oil, César was already asleep. The marine slipped under the bed-sheet and cuddled his man―the man he loved so much. With a smile on his face, he allowed himself to fade away.