The Beard - 16. Chapter 16

“Hi.” Dale said, trying to keep the smile plastered on his face without letting it seem fake at all. It was only a few weeks, or maybe months ago that he would have totally lost it, blurting out his accusations and suspicions as soon as he laid eyes on Glen.

“Hello.” Glen said as he looked a little surprised to see Dale in the basement of Cole’s house. Why he should be surprised, Dale didn’t know, or at least he didn’t know yet. The look of surprise grew on Glen’s face as Dale managed a perfect bank shot, sinking the nine ball. “You’re getting better.”

“Practice makes perfect and all that.” Dale said with a smile as he straightened up from the shot. His eyes met Glen’s and he wondered if Glen’s preppy rich-boy looks were as appealing as they seemed to be for most people. He wasn’t personally attracted to Glen, never had been beyond a really superficial level, and he wondered if Jeremy had found more depth to the guy.

“I thought Cole was here.” Glen said with a slightly uncomfortable look as he came further into the basement. Dale went around the side of the pool table, leaning back on the edge of it closest to Glen. He could see Glen’s eyes scanning his body, taking in the tight jeans, tight black t-shirt, and of course the big smile Dale was giving him.

“He was, but he had to leave.” Dale said with a heavy sigh. “He’s been doing that a lot. I think he’s having second thoughts about the whole queer thing.”

“Why would you think that” Glen asked him with a frown. “I know he thinks he’s in love with you.”

“That’s the problem.” Dale said with a frown. “He thinks he’s in love with me, but he doesn’t want to admit it, and well things are a bit tough right now. His father found out some details about our little trip to the lake and I think he’s putting pressure on Cole. I’m not the Senator’s favorite person right now. Last time he saw me here, he told me to leave and I know he’s made phone calls to the people I worked for.”

“I can’t believe he’d do that.” Glen said with slightly wide eyes. “The Cong…I mean Senator has never treated anyone like that before. What’s got him so upset? He wouldn’t really care about the trip to the lake. Cole did tell him we were going, right? He didn’t lie to him about who was going or anything, right? Sure, he might not be too happy with Jer and I having sex, but you and Cole are both do-gooders sticking to kissing and maybe some petting. I’d know if Cole was doing more with you. He wouldn’t be able to keep a silly grin off his face if he finally lost his virginity.”

“That depends on if you consider humping each other on the beach with nothing but our board shorts on to be just heavy petting.” Dale said with a little laugh that sounded genuine even to his ears, and he knew he was faking his amusement.

“Have you guys done blow jobs yet?” Glen said with a look of interest on his face and then he blinked. “No, never mind I asked that. I don’t need to know that unless Cole wants to tell me.”

“And here I thought we were becoming friends.” Dale pouted, letting the pool stick lean against the table while he crossed his arms.

“We are, but no offense Dale, it’s Cole that’s my best friend.” Glen said.

“I seem to remember a time not too long ago when you tried to get in my pants.” Dale said sarcastically.

“Uh huh, well we all make mistakes.” Glen said as he frowned and leaned back against the wall near the entrance. “Look, I’ll admit I’ve had a crush on Cole. I think you figured that out, and I got jealous every time he dated girls. He told me he’s mentioned them before and how I’d try to seduce them so he’d dump them. I thought you were just like them, but Dale, you’re not.”

“How’s that?” Dale asked as his frown deepened. He thought the suggestion from his boss’s husband had been insane, but Brandon had said for him to try and trip up Glen while Cole worked on Jer. Brandon had suggested that because Glen knew Cole for so long he’d know his friend was up to something.

“I thought you were after the attention, all the stuff that goes with dating someone like Cole.” Glen said. “It’s not just the money, or the attention you get from who his father is, but Cole’s a damn fine catch. You know that.”

“Yes, he is.” Dale agreed.

“You care about him as a person though, and you make him really happy.” Glen said with a frown. “I can’t believe he’s behaving like this to you. I’d sooner believe he was pissed at me and never talking to me again before he’d run off on you.”

“You really didn’t have anything to do with the pictures, did you?” Dale said, dropping his act and frowning. Glen shot off the wall and stood straight, glaring at Dale.

“What pictures?” Glen demanded. “Did the bastard get compromising shots of you and Cole as well? Are they hitting you up for a hundred grand as well?”

“Woah, what?” Dale said as he too straightened. “Are you saying someone took pictures of you at the lake as well and they are trying to blackmail you?”

“Yes.” Glen said. “They got pictures of me getting fucked by Jeremy and threatened to send them to my old man if I didn’t pay, and they had a damn good idea of how much I can get at through my different accounts too. What they didn’t know is I’ve already told my old man about Jeremy, and he even likes Jeremy compared to all the people he’s seen me with in the past. The two of them talk football of all things. I never knew my old man liked fucking football! American football that is, not the English crap.”

“You’re joking.” Dale exclaimed. “Your dad and Jeremy getting along. I thought your dad was homophobic.”

“So did I.” Glen said with a shrug. “When he kept on seeing Jer coming around, he finally made a comment about me finally getting a higher quality date and that’s when things blew wide open. It was pretty dramatic and all that, but it couldn’t have happened at a greater time. We got the pictures and the money demand last week. They’re pretty good glossies and got my face perfectly and there’s a great shot of Jer’s cock.”

“Okay, that’s a little too much info for me.” Dale said, shaking his head in an attempt to discard that image.

“Jer said we should put them in a photo album.” Glen added and Dale glared at him.

“Whoever it was also sent some pictures of Cole and I dry humping on the beach.” Dale said. “They’re not quite as graphic as yours, but they didn’t send a ransom demand.”

“It’s not a ransom demand, it’s a blackmail demand.” Glen corrected him. “Come on Dale, if you’re going to move in our rarified circles, you need to know the correct terminology for some schmuck trying to scam money out of us.”

“I’m not one of you yet.” Dale snapped.

“That outfit says you’re not far behind.” Glen said. “Neither is trying to get me to admit to sending those pictures. You sneaky devil. I’d have never thought it from the pimply burger flipper Cole brought home that one day. I have to say, you clean up well.”

“Stop that.” Dale said flatly. “I liked you better when you weren’t staring at me like that.”

“Did you know your nipples show through that shirt?” Glen said in his usual seductive voice, taking a few steps forward. Dale grimaced and moved to the other side of the pool table. “Nice ass too. No wonder Cole’s ready to go further than ever before. I’d love to tap that thing.”

“You are perverted.” Dale couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips. “You do it as a defense mechanism, don’t you?”

“Yes, and you are definitely now in the dangerous territory.” Glen said. “Your arms look twice as big as they were. Will I get to watch you AND Jeremy in those tight pants and big pads?”

“Yes, but touch me and you’ll find out I’ve been taking fighting lessons too.” Dale said with a stern look.

“Fighting lessons?” Glen asked and the frivolity slipped from his face. “Someone threatening you as well as trying to blackmail you?”

“They aren’t trying to blackmail us.” Dale said with a frown. “The pictures are gone to the tabloids already and they’re being printed. Whoever is doing this is trying to hurt the Senator’s campaign and Cole.”

“Then why are you learning to fight, or was that a bluff?” Glen asked.

“It’s part of my work.” Dale answered. “I have no idea why, but they require all employees to take self-defense courses.”

“Weird.” Glen said. “You forgot to name yourself on that list of who they might be trying to hurt by sending the pictures to the tabloids, and then using the others to make money off of me.”

“Why would anyone want to hurt me?” Dale asked with a frown.

“Oh, let’s see, you work for a liberal think tank that’s setting up shop at that abandoned campground and has some of the wackier enviros pissed at the damage to the environment that you’ll do.” Glen said holding up a single finger. Then he raised another and Dale sighed. “Then we have the conservative wackos who think you’re going to be training communist insurgent guerillas if you’re allowed to open.”

“Okay, I didn’t think of that.” Dale admitted.

“Third, we have all those girls that Cole dated and who are now pissed as hell and believe you worked your fairy magic to draw him to the dark side.” Glen continued, holding up a third finger and causing Dale to blush. “Fourth we have all the closeted queer boys in your school who are pissed they weren’t the one to convert our impressively gorgeous Cole Pritchard. Fifth we have all those fag boys who might be pissed you have joined the enemy by dating the most beautiful man to ever grace the halls of your school, and to be the leading contender for the jock of all jock positions: quarterback of your high school football team.”

“Jesus, I hope you don’t go all the way to twenty.” Dale said with a sigh. “You might run out of fingers and toes to count with.”

“Twenty-one actually.” Glen said with a leer. “I can use the thing in between my legs to count that high. He’ll stand to attention all on his own if you keep on showing off your new body like that.”

“Okay, so put my name on the list as well.” Dale said as he shook his head. “What I don’t get is why they’re trying to blackmail you and how they got into the subdivision up there. It’s a gated community.”

“That’s easy.” Glen said with a shrug. “They either own one of the properties, or they were invited by people who own there, or they rented from an owner because they knew we were going to be there.”

“So we start with the list of people that would have known we were going.” Dale said, starting to broaden his thinking.

“That’s going to be a big list.” Glen warned him. “I can think of at least twenty people right off the top of my head who knew I was going with you guys. How many did you tell, or Jer, or Cole, or any of the people that those people told?”

“God I hate exponentials.” Dale frowned. “Well, that number can get too high too quick. There is a finite set of numbers. I seem to recall being told there are only eighty-six houses in that community.”

“I told you that.” Glen said with too much pride. “Nice to know you listen to me once in a while.”

“I wish I didn’t most of the time.” Dale griped, earning a laugh from Glen. “That wasn’t meant to be funny.”

“I know – makes it even funnier.” Glen said with his most annoying smile. “What does it help knowing how many units there are?”

“I’ve been working for a wacko liberal think tank running property record searches among other things.” Dale shrugged. “I’ll have the records of all the house owners by the end of the week. The rental company will be harder, but I think if I work the bad publicity angle and threaten to warn all the residents that their privacy is not guaranteed there, well they’ll cooperate with me. Now, the hardest part is going to be getting information on friends or family who stayed that weekend without going through the rental company. Cole told me while we were there that the community’s CCNR required everyone to use the same leasing agent.”

“Damn, looks and brains.” Glen teased him. “This makes me glad I wasn’t responsible for that. Let me guess. You blamed me and Cole blamed Jer.”

“Yeah, uh, about that.” Dale said with a frown. “Sorry.”

“No problem, I’d have suspected me, if I was you.” Glen said with a shrug. “Why do you have to look into this personally, though? I mean, if it was me or Jer I could see you doing it personally, but why not go to the Senator and let him hire an investigator to do this.”

“I… why shouldn’t we do it ourselves?” Dale asked and Glen just shook his head.

“Dale, that’s just not how it’s done.” Glen smiled at him. “We don’t do something ourselves when we have the resources to hire professionals to do it for us. Let the Senator get his law enforcement people, or a PI to do the investigation, or maybe even those people you work for now. It might be because you work for them, so they might spring for the investigation on your behalf. I hear they’re all friendly-helpful for their people that way.”

“You are some piece of work.” Dale said as his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned before answering it. “Hey Cole.”

“You done?” Cole asked him without preamble. “Any luck?”

“Only the good kind, I guess.” Dale answered. “Glen didn’t have anything to with it and he’s being blackmailed with pictures.”

“Good boy, use the right word.” Glen said under his breath, but he was smiling and Dale felt a smile creep onto his face.

“I’m sure Jeremy’s innocent too.” Cole said and something in his tone told Dale that something was wrong.

“You okay?” Dale asked.

“Yeah, just, Jeremy hits too damn hard.” Cole laughed. “When I came onto him, he hit me and started calling me every name in the book for even thinking of cheating on you.”

“Ouch.” Dale laughed.

“Yeah, he’s standing right here making sure I tell you everything so he knows I wasn’t lying to him about all the blackmail stuff.” Cole said in an edgy tone.

“Well, why don’t you and him come up to your place?” Dale asked. “Glen’s suggesting I don’t bother pursuing this on my own, but that we get someone to hire a PI.”

“That’s a good idea.” Cole laughed. “Besides, I think it’d do all four of us good to clear the air.”

“So do I.” Dale said. “See you soon.”

“Yup.” Cole said before hanging up.

“You want to rack before they get here?” Glen asked him and Dale nodded, lost in thoughts as he always seemed to be after talking to Cole. Even after all these months that little flutter in his stomach didn’t go away.

He was really, really dating Cole Pritchard.

Dale had just barely lost to Glen when Cole and Jeremy arrived. The room was relatively silent as the two couples kissed each other.

“So.” Jeremy said as he finished kissing Glen. He was holding Glens hands as he faced off across from Dale. “Have we gotten all the suspicions out of the way?”

“I think so.” Cole said with a nod.

“You better or I’ll hit you again.” Jeremy said with a frown. “Glen, you and Dale talk about the romantic issues between you guys about Cole?”

“Don’t you love it when he goes all butch and controlling?” Glen said with a laugh and then he nodded when Jer glared at him. “Cole and I worked out our own insecurities, so we can all be friends without fearing one of us is going to poach the other’s boyfriend?”

“God this could be a messy situation.” Dale said with a shake of his head.

“Yeah, but it could be worse.” Cole said as he rubbed his jaw where a bruise was forming.

“How’s that?” Jer asked with a growl.

“I could develop crushes on guys who hit me.” Cole said with an exaggerated wagging of his eyebrows. Jeremy laughed, as did Dale while Glen just shook his head.

“Pritchard, that sense of humor still needs work.” Glen said, wrapping his arm around Jeremy. “So, how about we talk in a bit. I haven’t gotten to make out with my boyfriend in at least a day.”

“Fine.” Cole said with a grin, and they separated to opposite sides of the room. Dale purposely kept his eyes on Cole as they kissed and hugged, their hands roaming almost all over each other. The wet slurping sounds and groans from Jeremy told him the other couple had definitely gone closer, and Dale leaned his forehead against Coles.

“Do you want to go further?” Dale asked.

“I want to, yes.” Cole’s voice was husky, and filled with a physical need that sent shivers up and down Dale’s spine.

“So do I.” Dale said as he reached down, slowly gripping the metal tab of Cole’s zipper, and pulling it down. He reached inside, and shivered again as he gripped Cole’s erection through his silk briefs.

“Boys, you down here?” Cole’s mother calling from the top of the stairs was like a splash of cold water over them, and he could hear the sound of Jer cussing and getting to his feet, catching his hard-on on his zipper and then covering his mouth as he tried to keep from shouting in pain.

“Yeah, what do you want, mom?” Cole’s voice almost broke halfway through the sentence as he got his zipper up. Dale was too busy blushing and wishing his pants weren’t so tight. If she came down here, she’d see the outline in them clear as day.

“Your father called and said he’d be home soon and wanted to talk to you and Dale.” She said without coming down the steps. “I saw Glen’s car out front. Is he down there?”

“Yes ma’am.” Glen called out. “Jer and I are visiting.”

“Oh, you boys want to stay for dinner?” She asked.

“That’d be nice.” Glen said as he bent over and helped Jer get his now soft dick back into his pants.

“Okay, well dinner is in about an hour and a half.” She called out.

“Thanks mom.” Cole shouted back to her and grinned at Dale while miming wiping the sweat off his brow. Dale started to giggle until he heard her open the door at the top of the stairs again.

“Oh, and Cole dear, there is an exhaust fan down there.” She said in a very prim voice that left Dale quaking. “I suggest that you turn it on, if you four decide to have that much fun again.”

“Okay.” Cole’s voice did break this time, and he turned a bright pink while Jer and Glen broke out into giggles. Dale just closed his eyes and wondered if Cole’s parents would ever let him be alone with Cole again.

“I’ve had a team investigating the pictures.” Cole’s father said at dinner that night, eliciting some furtive looks between the boys. “Glen, your father and I talked about the attempt to blackmail you and Jeremy. That makes it a crime, and because it’s happening at the same time as the pictures of my son and future son-in-law, I’ve gotten the federal marshals involved.”

“Oh, wow.” Glen said with a direct look at Dale. “I’m sure with real professionals like them involved it won’t be long before we find out who has been trying to blackmail us.”

“Why don’t you boys just spill it?” Cole’s father said with a sigh. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Dale and Cole figured they’d play amateur spooks and try to prove Jeremy and I were behind the photos.” Glen said with a shrug and a smile. “I never had a chance to tell Cole about the blackmail attempt before they did this.”

“Well, I see the friendship survived that experience.” Cole’s father laughed.

“Oh, they more than survived it, I think.” Cole’s mother said, giving her son a very direct look, and Dale got to see Cole blush again, and then he caught on to something the Senator had said.

“Wait, future son-in-law?” He demanded out loud, getting a fond look from the Senator.

“That’s why you’re the only one of these louts with a real job.” The Senator said with a nod and smile. “You actually use your brain.”

“Cole hasn’t even proposed to me yet, and we’re not even seniors in high school yet!” Dale protested.

“Mere technicalities.” Cole’s mother said as she took a sip of wine. “I expect my son to make an honest man out of you.”

“Mom!” Cole whined and everyone laughed, until they saw the serious look on the faces of Cole’s parents. When all four of them were shifting uncomfortably in their chairs, the parents smiled.

“Gotcha.” The Senator said, laughing with his wife. Dale wasn’t the only one blushing and shaking his head.

The days of summer drifted by after that, and while Dale didn’t hear any details of the investigation going on, he was promised that it was progressing. The pictures in print caused a minor ruckus, but he was surprised that it ended up in a bigger backlash against the tabloids.

The Senator even managed to get his anti-paparazzi bill to the floor of the Senate before it got killed.

When the news broke about the arrest, Dale was as surprised as everyone else.

“I told you to wait and trust in the FBI.” Sean Rule said with satisfaction. He’d ‘dropped by’ today to follow up on some work Dale had done. They were watching the television in Sean’s office together.

“I can’t believe it was Mr. Heathrow.” Dale said with a shake of his head. He’d thought the man had long since forgotten about Dale. The owner of the fast food restaurant Dale had worked for had money, and of course a house at the lake.

“It was the kid he hired to take the photographs that did him in.” Sean said and Dale gave him a dirty look.

“You knew all this was happening?” Dale accused him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I have a friend in the FBI who kept me updated on what was going on, but I couldn’t tell you as a condition of keeping up to date.” Sean said with a shrug. “Don’t try to tell me you wouldn’t have done the same.

“Fine, I won’t, but you can tell me now, right?” Dale asked.

“Yes, because tomorrow you’ll get a call from the U.S. Attorney’s Office to confirm you’ll still testify.” Sean informed him.

“No problem there.” Dale said with a frown. Mr. Heathrow had finished his ‘perp walk’ and was now in the car that would take him to jail.

“Anyway, the guy Heathrow hired is a minor, last name of Rodriguez.” Sean said, giving Dale a knowing look.

“Ah hell.” Dale said with a sigh. “He’s the guy that attacked me at the school and use to be the quarterback.”

“How’s that going by the way?” Sean asked him with a smile.

“Not bad.” Dale shrugged.

“Davey and Brian will come to a few of your games so don’t be surprised to see them.” Sean said with a smile. “Brandon will drag me along too. They all played football in high school.”

“I always knew there was something wrong with them.” Dale groused. “Damn stupid jocks.”

“Oh god, I can’t wait to tell them you said that.” Sean laughed. “Although, you know you qualify as a ‘damn jock’ now as well.”

“Not mentally and that’s where it counts.” Dale shot back. “So, Rodriguez is the guy who took the pictures?”

“Yes, and he decided to blackmail Glen and Jeremy.” Sean said. “If he hadn’t gotten greedy they’d have had a harder time getting to Heathrow and setting him up for the takedown. Rodriguez turned on Heathrow for a deal of course, and testified that Heathrow was after you, and wanted to hurt you. He thought the Senator would have made his son dump you after the pictures came out.”

“Not likely at all.” Dale laughed as a smile filled his face. He had a date with Cole tonight, and since it was Friday, they were going out of town for the weekend. They had a hotel and everything reserved, and he just knew it would happen this weekend.

“I think I’ll just leave you alone now.” Sean said. “Don’t forget to have the files ready for next Tuesday before you leave. We need to be ready to move forward with the first phase of construction and we need the final approvals next week or it will be next year before we begin the foundation work.”

“I won’t forget.” Dale said and Sean smiled.

“I’m proud of you, Dale.” Sean said. “You and Cole have managed to come through a lot of troubles and you did that together. Just remember that in the years ahead, and remember to work together.”

“We will, Sean, we will.” Dale promised. He was finally letting himself do something he’d never imagined before that fateful day when Cole came into the restaurant.

He could dream about the future, and it was looking to be a good one.