Splash On The Screen - 12. Chapter 12 You Turn Left At Lake Wobegon

“According to our priest, and from your letters, this is more than a friendship?” At 75, she was sharp as a tack.

I was impressed that she would bring up the subject with her Episcopal minister. “Yeah, Mike and I are as committed as mom and dad were.”

“It took me a little while to understand exactly what kind of relationship you were into, Dave. But with the guidance of Father Ryan and a little research, we are more than happy to welcome your Mike into the family.”

“I couldn’t be happier, Grams.” I went over to her and gathered this beautiful, wrinkled, small woman into my arms. “Thanks for understanding.”

The entire weekend couldn’t have been better organized, and Uncle Trey and Aunt Betty were perfect hosts. Starting Saturday night, we dined at the country club…the same club in which my folks were members…and by the time we finished a cookout on Uncle Trey’s patio Monday night, Mike had grown very comfortable with both sides of my family. Over those three days, all of my clan had adopted Mike as a nephew and grandson.

~~~~~

“That was a real overload of family,” Mike said, as we navigated the freeway leading to the airport. Barring a scheduling screw-up, all airplanes would be arriving within a half-hour of each other: Doug from L.A.; Brent from New York; Russ from Chicago; and Trevor from Memphis, via Chicago. I had borrowed Uncle Trey’s Suburban to fit the entire crew and baggage for the trip to the lake.

“It was important to have everyone meet. These are my only living relatives.”

“I loved them all. I’m glad it’s all out in the open. No one seems to have a problem with our relationship?”

“Mike, we’re both lucky with family support. We’ve gotta get your family and mine up at the lake, sometime.” I grinned at him, as we pulled into short-term parking.

We planned on meeting the group in Northwest’s private, VIP WorldClub at the airport, a fringe benefit I had maintained by inheriting dad’s old membership card. It was around noon, and grazing on the hors d’oeuvres buffet seemed to be in order.

“Hey, Swenson and Cole, have you left food for anybody else?”

I recognized Brent’s voice. Our plates were piled with cold shrimp, snow crab salad, cold roast filet of beef and pasta salad. Mike and I stood and turned in time to receive a very warm, physical greeting from our friend. Dressed in a dark blue polo shirt, tan slacks and tassel loafers, Brent projected the casual, friendly, GQ celebrity image that I had seen in several magazines this year. His rakishly long, blond hair was messed up in a subtly arranged fashion.

“Great to see you again. Mike, you too,” Brent said warmly. We all hugged each other, in a manly fashion. I couldn’t help but notice that several of the club members’ eyes were glued to the movements of Brent. The receptionists of the club were beside themselves that a hot, national TV personality was in their clubroom.

“And you look fantastic,” I said with a look of brotherly pride and respect, “Just can’t get over the idea of my old roomie being a big deal in Hollywood and on Broadway. Congrats.” We all sat down at a large table. “How goes it?” A server came over and poured coffee.

“Same ole, same ole,” Brent replied. He reached over, grabbed a shrimp by the tail, popped it in his mouth and licked his lips with a sheepish smile. “I’m still trying to get a handle on this celebrity thing. It’s come to a point where fans just jump out of the woodwork, but I’m not complaining ’cause it goes with the job. It’s just something that I’m not used to yet, and believe me; it’s a pleasure to see familiar faces. And to be at the lake with old friends…well, let’s just say I’m going to love it. I’ve kinda OD’d on New York for a while and to have a chance to rough it up at your cabin is just what I need. Maybe we’ll run into your buddies with the boat that we met last year? They were neat guys.”

“Yep, Robbie and Roy from the university,” I replied. “I’ll give them a call when we get to the lake.”

“Great. They’d be fun to hang with,” Mike added. “Last year at the cabin was a coming out party in more ways than one.”

“Yeah,” I said with a snicker, “all of us homos on the high school swim team and we didn’t know it.”

“Dave, as I recall from out conversations in the barracks,” Brent said, “you and Russ kept pretty busy.”

“You got a point,” I replied as I looked over to Mike and rolled my eyes. “But back to the present – if everything’s on schedule, Doug will get in from L.A. soon, and Russ and Trevor will arrive about the same time on the Chicago flight. By the way, who is Trevor? I don’t remember him from the base.”

“Trevor, or Trev as he likes to be called, was a student at the University of Memphis when Doug and I knew him, but I don’t think you two ever met. He’s moving to Chicago to study for his MBA at the University of Chicago.” Brent had one of those you know something that should be kept quiet smiles.

“He must be a smart dude?” Mike asked, “That’s a tough business school.”

“Yep, Trev’s bright and pretty cool,” Brent said, “and I think you’ll like him.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting Trev, and Russ could help him get acclimated after he moves to the city.”

“Acclimated? How?” Brent turned on a quizzical expression with a raised eyebrow.

“Relax…good, old, straight Russ is studying pre-med at Northwestern, he’s been in Chicago for three years and can show Trev around.”

“I remember your stories about the two of you growing up,” Brent said with a laugh, “Outstanding.”

“Dave and I had lunch with Russ last fall in Chicago,” Mike said, “and I think Dave’s best friend might not be so…straight.” He rolled his eyes and wagged his hand in an iffy manner.

‘Hey, give the guy a break,” I replied, “and I’d appreciate what I told you guys kept quiet. Russ might get embarrassed if he knew I had blabbed my mouth about, you know. “Seriously, he could really be helpful…and that’s all.” I didn’t want Russ to have any unwarranted attention – especially from these horny characters.

“We’ll knock it off,” Brent replied as his eyes shifted to the club foyer, “Doug, over here.”

“Hi, guys,” came a voice.

Looking up, I saw the civilian version of Doug DiMarco walking toward us. He was absolutely hot in his tight, black jeans, a white tee sculpted over his taut torso and black cowboy boots. With his sunglasses propped up on his sun-tanned forehead, Doug was the epitome of a Southern California dude.

“Let the party begin,” Mike said. He stood and grabbed his old friend in a hug. “Buddy, great to see you.”

We all hugged and shook hands.

“The missing links will be here soon,” I said with a grin. It was fantastic to see these guys again. The server, in awe of Brent, offered more coffee. I pointed out the location of the buffet, and Doug followed Brent to the food.

While the guys were gone, a handsome, blond guy was escorted over to our table. “Pardon me, did I just see Doug and Brent at this table?” he asked with a masculine, smooth, soft, Southern accent. “I’m meeting them.” A short brush-cut of his dark blond hair matched a preppy ensemble of khakis, button-down blue shirt and loafers.

“You must be Trevor Winston?” Mike and I stood and extended our hands. “I’m Brent’s friend, Dave Swenson, and this is Mike Cole.” I looked at him with curiosity and thought, ‘This guy must have been in the same business with Doug and Brent.’

“Hi. Actually, most people call me Trev,” he said, returning the handshakes. “Dave, I understand that you’re the host for this weekend, and you two are a couple?” Trev said, tentatively.

“Yeah, definitely, on both counts…so, relax. Brent and Doug are at the buffet. You want some chow? We’re still waiting for one more guy before we drive north.”

“Yeah. Sure, I could use some food. I’ll just…”

“Dave, Mike. How are you?” Russ came forward with a big smile on his youthful, confident face and the same cocky stride that he used when walking onto a gym mat for the floor competition. The fit of his 501’s and polo shirt confirmed that Russ had not gained an ounce of body fat. We all fell into the familiar, brotherly embraces.

“Russ, how friggin’ great to see you. Say hello to Trev. He just arrived and will be joining us,” I said.

“Weren’t we on the same plane?” Russ asked.

“Yeah, I visited Chicago this weekend. I’ll be moving there in July,” said Trevor.

“From…?”

“Memphis. I’m going to business grad school at the University of Chicago.”

“Well, when we get back from the lakes, I will show you around my town,” Russ said with a broader grin.

“That would be terrific. I’d never been to Chicago before this weekend. What a great, energetic town. I couldn’t believe Boystown and everything going on around Halsted Street. Quite a scene.”

“I’m the token straight guy in the crowd, so I don’t know much about Boystown. But I can show you the rest of the city. You’ll love it,” Russ responded, as Brent and Doug returned with plates amply filled with food.

Introductions were made, and the newest arrivals went to the buffet to grab some food before we departed for Gull Lake. Everyone remarked about Brent’s new career and left it at that. I knew that friendships were at the initiation stage for the new arrivals. ‘It’ll be a fun, casual week of bonding and ‘roughing’ it at the lake,’ I thought as we walked out of the club.

~~~~~

DOUG

The Suburban fit everyone and all the baggage very comfortably. After a few awkward moments, all the guys relaxed and became comfortable with each other. Within milliseconds, Brent, Mike, Dave and I immediately picked up where we left off six months earlier, knowing that we would probably be great pals for life. I was curious about the early friendship that appeared to be developing between Russ and Trev. The ‘odd couple’ didn’t appear to be all that odd. As we passed the McDonalds I recognized from our earlier trip, I dozed off. It seemed like only minutes later that Brent shook my leg.

“Hey, buddy, we’re here,” Brent said quietly. I opened my eyes and viewed the familiar scenery of a year ago. It was 6:30 p.m. and the early summer sun would be setting shortly. The SUV was parked in front of the cabin on the crushed-gravel drive next to the front door steps and all the vegetation was in full bloom.

“Boy, it’s been four years since I was last here…but the cabin is just as I remembered it,” Russ remarked, “It’s great to be up here with new friends.”

“Friend’s the key word. And we might see a few of the guys from St. Paul,” Dave said. “I’m going to see if Robbie and Roy are up here this week. Let’s go inside and get settled.”

We all grabbed our gear and followed Dave up the stairs to the front door. Dave used his key and opened the door. Trev was the only one who had never been here.

“Wow, Dave. This is a fantastic place. A big ‘thanks’ for including me,” said Trev, as he wandered from the entry into the great room.

“Why don’t we stow our gear, change into something comfortable and meet by the fireplace in a hour for some beers before dinner?” Dave said with friendly authority. “Mike and I will take the master bedroom,” he added with a wink.

‘This is clearly a different Dave,’ I thought, ‘from the last time we were here.’

“Doug, you and Brent get my old room. Russ, you and Trev will share the bedroom with the double beds. Okay?”

“Yes, Mother,” replied Russ.

We all laughed.

“Come on, Brent. As I remember, we’ve got to be careful with the bed in Dave’s old room. Seems to me I heard lots of squeaks and groaning last time.”

I playfully punched Dave on the arm, as Brent and I went up the stairway.

“Your bedroom and Russ and Trev’s connect to one shared bathroom. Might be a good idea to develop a signal when you’re using the head,” Dave shouted out.

“Got it,” I shouted from the top.

~~~~~

RUSS

‘What a neat group of guys, and my old buddy certainly has good taste,’ I judged as Trev and I walked up the stairs and found our bedroom. “I’m not choosy, either bed is fine.”

“I’ll flop here, then.” He laid his bag on the bed and opened it. Looking at the bureau of drawers, Trev continued, “You take the top two drawers, and I’ll take the bottom two.”

God, I loved his gentle, Southern drawl. At the same time, I heard the shower running in the bathroom.

“Hey, guys. Save some hot water for Russ and me,” Trev shouted as he knocked on the door.

“We’ll be brief.” It sounded like Doug was answering the request.

“Why don’t you shower after the guys finish? I’ll do a fast ‘in n’ out’ afterwards. I’m used to cold showers at the dorms,” I suggested with a smile.

“I appreciate that. You must have some Southern gentleman blood in you.” Trev smiled as we both started stripping from our traveling clothes.

“How do you know Dave?” ‘Hmmm,’ I thought as he removed his loose shirt, ‘Trev is a linear, built dude beneath his preppy clothes.’

Trev’s khakis came off after he toed off his loafers, and a trim man emerged.

“Just met him. I’m here because of Doug and Brent – I knew those two in Memphis and we were…real close. When they invited me to join y’all, I had already planned to be in Chicago looking for housing.”

“Timing’s everything,” I replied. “This worked out for me cuz I’ve just finished school for the year. I consider this a real treat.”

“Same here, and I never imagined a cabin could be so nice. Down in Tennessee, a cabin is just that and if ya wanna take a crap, the facility is out back,” he said with a laugh.

Trev had now removed all clothing except for a tight pair of white briefs that were filled out very well. ‘That Southern boy is put together pretty well,’ I observed as I started getting out of my clothes.

“You’re close with Dave?”

“Dave and I have known each other forever and he’s a great friend to have…although we haven’t seen much of each other since high school. Did the other guys tell you about Dave’s loss of his mom and dad?”

“Yeah, Brent gave me the run-down. A real bummer.”

“But Mike’s been very good for him and Dave seems to be on the mend.” I slipped out of my shirt, tee and jeans and felt my dark boxer briefs moist from perspiration. Noticing a stack of towels on a table, I self-consciously took off my boxer briefs and walked over to grab a towel. ‘Might as well satisfy his curiosity,’ I thought, ‘and maybe he’ll do the same.’ Trev was trying not to look, but I caught his eyes traveling south as I wrapped the towel around my waist.

“That’s a great idea, Russ. I really feel all bunched up.” He pulled down his briefs and kicked them over to the side. As he walked over to the towels, I noticed some real ‘Southern comfort’ swinging between his legs and confirmed that Trev was a natural blond. He wrapped the towel around his mid-section and sat on the bed. “Russ, just for the record, I know you’re not gay, but don’t worry that I’ll try something. Lusting over and converting straight guys is not my thing.”

“No biggie…I’ve been around gay guys all my life. As a gymnast, I had pretty close contact with a lot of guys who batted for your team,” I answered with a smile. “And Dave is my closest friend. So, I’m pretty cool. Morning wood is pretty common with guys our age, so I won’t get embarrassed if you don’t.”

“Gymnast? That explains your build. I always tried to develop my lats and bi-ceps, but haven’t had much success,” Trev said, looking at me wistfully.

“From what I see, you’re doing okay. What I’ve got came about from years of conditioning, and I’m just trying to maintain my build before it all goes to pot. Pre-med school doesn’t allow for a lot of time at the gym.”

“Well, I’m envious” Trev replied. “How about you and I doing a little workout in the mornings while we’re up here? You could probably show me a few things”

“Hell, yes. I could do that.” Just then, there was a knock on the bathroom door. “Go for it, Trev. If you don’t mind, I’ll brush my teeth while you’re showering?”

“Modesty has never been a big deal with me. Plus, I think we’ve already checked each other out?” Trev said with a laugh. “No surprises?”

“No surprises,” I answered, as I playfully swatted his firm butt.

He turned and winked. “Into rough sex, Dr. Bennett?”

“I’m not a doctor, yet – just scrambling to finish pre-med. As far as rough sex, I think it’s all in the eye of the beholder.” I playfully grabbed Trev’s buns and squeezed. ‘We’re going to have a lot of fun this week,’ I thought, ‘and maybe become good friends.’

“Ouch. Trying to establish a level of pain?”

“Naw. Just trying to get you to move into the shower. Maybe, with luck, I’ll have some warm water left.”

Trevor pulled off his towel and jumped into the shower. I noticed that he was ‘growing and showing’ in his crotch. ‘The guy definitely has some assets for the right person,’ I thought, as he closed the opaque shower door. As I looked at the door, his toned, male body form stood out in blurred, fleshy detail. While he shampooed, I watched the sudsy water move down his body. It was hard not to notice that his circumcised cock and balls were in perfect proportion to his toned, trim body.

Shaking myself from further fantasy, I put some toothpaste on my brush and started cleaning my teeth. ‘Jeez, Bennett,’ I thought, ‘where are all these thoughts coming from?’

“I’m almost finished, Russ. And the water is still hot,” Trev said a few moments later. “If you want, I’ll leave the water running?”

“Cool. I’m ready,” I replied after I spit out the last of the toothpaste.

Trev stepped out as I entered the shower. Little jolts of energy sparked my body as my cock accidentally dragged across his buns as we changed positions. “Sorry, buddy,” I said, once I was in the shower. ‘Being sorry is hardly the case, ‘ I thought, ‘cuz I’m happy we touched.’

“Nothing to be sorry about.” He smiled and started drying off. As I was finishing soaping myself, I heard him brushing his teeth. “What should we wear tonight?” he asked, with a mouth full of toothpaste and water.

“I’m probably going to wear jeans and a sweatshirt. It’s still pretty cool up here in the evenings. After dinner, we can take a stroll down to the dock if you want and check out the place?” I turned off the water, opened the door and reached for the towel. Trev thoughtfully handed it to me.

“Thanks for clueing me in, Russ. Yeah, I’d like to look at the lakeshore later. Minnesota is really special.”

“Great. It’s a deal,” I replied. Dave planned on cooking in. It would be fun getting to know Trev better, later. ‘He’s a helluva nice guy,’ I judged, ‘and it would be good to get together in Chicago.’

We both knew that this innocent exchange was more than simple banter.

DAVE

I smiled, as Mike and I showered together. ‘Dad knew exactly what he was doing when he built this fantastic shower,’ I thought, ‘and there are many things that I’ll have to piece together about my recent past.’ It would have been great to know the folks when we were all adults. ‘One thing for sure – they really loved each other and worked hard to make that feeling last.’

“Penny for your thoughts, Dave?”

We were both taking a pretty orthodox approach to showering. “I’m thinking how lucky we are to have each other.”

“I’ll second that, lover,” Mike said, as he leaned in for a light kiss.

“And that this master bedroom is ours. Somehow, the folks have spiritually given it to us.” I looked at Mike and moved in for a tight hug and passionate kiss. “This shower was designed to be used by two people…at the same time.”

“I like the sound of that, Dave. I feel that way, too. God, I love you.” Mike re-affirmed the hug and ground his crotch into mine. “After dinner, I want to make love to you.”

“After dinner, we’re doing dishes. However, later on,” I laughed and grabbed his dick.

“Hey, don’t start something you can’t finish,” Mike replied, as he got a hand full of my Minnesota-bred testicles.

“Gently…these puppies have to last me a long time.”

“I know, and I’ll be around making sure they work,” Mike said, as he kneeled down. Holding my balls gently, he kissed each one, before wrapping his lips around my glans. My cock started to salute as Mike moved it further into his mouth.

“Oh, shit.” I started a slow motion fucking of his face. I placed my hands on his head and sped up the motion. I felt Mike’s tongue swirling around my dickhead as he opened his throat to take me completely. Looking down, I noticed that Mike had started a vigorous jerking action on his hard member.

“Hmmm,” was all he could utter. However, the vibration of his baritone rumblings added to the ecstasy of the afternoon, as I started making movements to facilitate a face-fucking.

“Oh, Cole, this definitely is…ahhh…man…lover…ummm,” I uttered, as we coordinated our actions. I reached down and tweaked his nipples.

“Urghh, hmmm.” The deep vibrations continued from Mike’s diaphragm.

“Mike, I’m…going…to…cum,” I yelled, as I tensed my glutes and drove my dick in to announce an orgasm. I shot several streams of semen into Mike’s welcoming mouth. I felt his load hitting my leg. As we wound down, Mike rose and brought his lips to mine. I greedily accepted my warm jizz deposits in his mouth. We stood together for a few minutes, and I felt the water getting cold.

“Feels like we better finish our shower before the icicles start forming,” Mike suggested.

“Babe, icicles wouldn’t dare interrupt our shower. But I think that you’ve got a point…in addition to what’s between your legs.” We both laughed and finished our shower.

~~~~~

I came down early and busied myself in the kitchen. Tonight would be a simple spaghetti dinner. The management company had provided a meat sauce from a local restaurant as part of the provisions. I tossed a package of pre-mixed greens in the large wooden salad bowl and had everything staged in a short time. Seeing that the water was hot and the sauce was in a crock-pot on hold, I went to the great room.

With the gas-assisted jets, I started a fire in the fireplace and sat back in the sofa. It was just after 7:30 p.m., and the sun had definitely gone down beyond the ‘yardarm’. In the background, my CD selection of Mariah Carey’s Daydream was playing. While I sipped on a longneck bottle of Grain Belt beer, I was feeling content and confident that this was going to be a great vacation.

“Hi, love.”

I turned and saw my partner come into the great room. “Grab a beer and join me.” I pointed to a table supporting a large, iced bucket containing a dozen bottles of Grain Belt.

“Did I hear the word, beer?” Doug shouted from the stairway. “You’ve got four thirsty dudes coming down.”

“The beer’s over by Mike,” I answered, gesturing to the side table.

The remainder of the crew waved and gathered around Mike. Everyone had dressed down to the comfort and casualness of the north woods. As they joked while retrieving their beers, I looked this hot group of young men and marveled at my good fortune in developing their friendship. Starting with Russ years ago, later with Mike and the Memphis Navy crew and, now, the addition of Trev. I had a gut feeling that Russ and Trev would become a permanent part of the gang.