Life Goes On - 15. Chapter 15 Peter & Tom Meet Bette (the Divine Miss M) and Barry

February 1970

Professor Peter Smith who was always interested in improving student experience in introductory courses implemented curriculum changes in his course for first year students. His research in curriculum development resulted in his publishing a paper, Designing the Introductory Physics Course for Engineering Majors, which was accepted for presentation at the 1970 Winter Meeting of APPT – American Association of Physics Teachers. The conference was to be hosted by The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art located in New York City on Cooper Square. When Peter received the announcement for the meeting at one of the nation’s most prestigious engineering schools he was pleasantly surprised at its location. After studying a map of Manhattan he realized the main building of Cooper Union was less than a five minute walk from St. Mark’s Bath on St Mark’s Place (East Eight Street). He laughingly told himself that this was a clear sign that he should get his rocks off while being a respected professor. As it turned out he was too busy during his visit with professional activities and ‘getting his rocks off’ elsewhere to visit the St Mark’s.

Peter asked Tom if there was a possibility he could accompany him to New York. Tom discussed the timing of the trip to New York City with Keith, his mentor, sometimes sex partner as well as a Vice President of Olentangy Insurance. Keith arranged meetings between Tom and financial service suppliers in the Wall Street area the same days as Peter’s conference.

Months earlier when Peter had submitted his paper for consideration he had written to his friend Tim (who he had met on a crowded subway when the young man’s hand accidentally (????) pressed into Peter’s crotch). He was aware that Tim’s roommate-lover, Luis, had a brother who was top student at a New York City high school specializing in the sciences. Peter had corresponded with the brother, Juan, as the young man who was in his senior year in high school applied to various university engineering programs. When Peter received the advanced notification about the conference he saw that one session would include a panel discussion of high school science majors. Peter contacted the moderator of the panel and suggested that Juan be included.

Everything was coming together perfectly for his second visit to New York City: he would present a paper to his peers, he would travel with his lover – Tom, he would visit their friend Tim and meet his partner, Luis, and he would mentor an outstanding high school senior.

Peter and Tom flew from Columbus to LaGuardia airport on a Wednesday in February. The main sessions of the conference were to be on Thursday and Friday with a wrap-up program Saturday morning that was usually sparsely attended. Tom’s meetings with financial service executives were scheduled for a few hours each on Thursday and Friday. There would be time for sightseeing and fun prior to their Sunday evening departure. The timing of the conference was wonderful since Peter and his lover, Tom, would be together on Saturday, February 14, Valentine’s Day of 1970.

Keith had strongly recommended they visit the Continental Baths on the Upper West Side. A friend of his had visited it and raved about the facility. In addition to its size being able to accommodate almost 1,000 men, 24 hours a day, it contained a disco dance floor, a cabaret lounge, sauna rooms, a narrow Olympic length swimming pool, small private rooms and open areas with platforms for play. Various amenities were available such as K-Y Lube in the candy machine. What made The Continental unique compared to other gay baths was its shows. Keith suggested they visit on Saturday night for both fun and entertainment.

They arrived at their hotel at noon on Wednesday. Since the room was not yet available they had a quick lunch and did some touristy sightseeing including a visit to the United Nations Building. Since they had slept together the previous night and would have numerous opportunities for coupling during their visit they were willing to forego sex the first afternoon. Three or four nights a week Peter and Tom slept together in the basement office of the home of Peter’s family (next door to Tom’s family) returning to their bedrooms to be in bed with their wives when the children woke up. The wives shared the office other nights being back in bed with their husbands by dawn.

Tim and Luis had invited them to meet at their apartment their first evening of the visit and then go out to dinner. Luis met them at door. One look at Luis and they immediately knew why Tim had found this young man so loveable. The scintillating eyes, provocative smile, young sensuous body and the tingling they felt when shaking his hand were just some of the attributes that made him a charming man to be with. Luis told them Tim was delayed at work and hopefully would be there in half an hour. As they shared beers the conversation easily flowed. Luis started by thanking Peter for contacting his brother, Juan. The young man would be part of a panel at the conference Thursday afternoon. Juan and Peter had written each other frequently as Juan explored university engineering programs to apply to. Juan had shared his letters with his brother. Luis did not share the letters that Peter had written to him and Tim with his brother. These letters contained many references to sex adventures in Ohio and comments about Tim and Luis’ travels through sexual awareness. The conversation was easy and interesting. Tim arrived and after hugs, tight man to man hugs, they walked to a nearby restaurant. Tim suggested they skip dessert and return to the apartment where they could have cake baked by Luis’ mother. When she heard Peter, the Professor who had been so helpful to her son, was visiting she insisted on baking him a cake. Both Tom and Peter smiled at each other as Tim suggested dessert at the apartment. They both had the same thought, ‘Would dessert be more than cake’?

Back at the apartment Tim put on the coffee pot as Luis cut the cake. The four sat at the kitchen table sharing cake and conversation that naturally included details of erotic adventures of all. Then Tim said, “Since meeting, Luis and I have been exclusive. Neither of us seems to need to be with anyone else. However, we discussed your visit at length and we both agreed some quality ‘men to men’ time with you two would be appealing and delightful. Ever since you molested me on the subway (as Tim looked at Peter with a smirk on his face) my life has changed. I would not have met Luis if you two with Keith had not helped me out of my shell of innocence and purity.”

Peter broke in, “You, Innocence? Innocent naive me from the mid-west had been in this sin filled city less than twenty-four hours taking my first subway ride when suddenly a hand grabbed my virtuous dick (said with a smile). Just what kind of ‘men to men time’ did you two have in mind?” Peter reached for and began caressing Luis’ hand.

Luis responded, “Whatever makes you feel good.” Tom got up and stood behind Tim’s chair. He put his hands on Tim’s shoulders and then moved them under his shirt and to the chest, lightly pinching the hardening nipples. Tim moaned with pleasure. All four suddenly were standing facing each other, hands exploring while deeply kissing each other. Tim and Luis kneeled and kissed the crotches of the two Ohioans. They then unbuckled and pulled down their pants with Luis at Tom and Tim at Peter caressing and swallowing the now rock hard dicks. The tall muscular Tom picked up the smaller Luis while Peter carried Tim. Each pair went to one of the two beds in the bedroom.

Tom placed Luis on the bed. He gently removed Luis’ clothes and then his own shirt, all that he was wearing as his pants were on the living room floor. From their letters Tom knew Luis desired to have a man make love to him and Luis knew Tom was a passionate top. Following extended foreplay Tom pushed Luis onto his back. Tom leaned over him kissing and caressing every inch of his body from forehead and fingertips to toes. Tom then lubed both his dick and Luis’ hole with the conveniently available tube of K-Y. He then placed a folded pillow under Luis’ ass and pulled his feet to his shoulders. Knowing that his dick was longer and thicker than Tim’s, Tom loosened him by tenderly finger probing Luis prior to placing his dickhead against the hole. He then asked Luis if he was ready. “Please. Yes!” was the reply. Tom, whose body overpowered the young mans, was so gentle that Luis felt nothing but pleasure as he was impaled. Tom then began thrusting. “Harder and harder”, Luis responded with cries of joy. While Tom wanted to pull out so as to prolong the pleasurable episode his dick overruled his brain and he continued to pump until he exploded into the hungry young man. With Tom still in him Luis quickly jerked himself to completion. Tom fell onto him in exhaustion and the two men rolled onto their sides while embracing.

Meanwhile in the bed across the room Peter and Tim passionately embraced and kissed. Soon Tim was fucking his friend with the same level of lust as was happening on the other bed.

Following helping each other shower they sat naked at the kitchen table having more cake and drinking beers. Tim then walked over to Tom. He then said, “No one knows better than Luis how much I enjoy playing with the skin on a natural dick. If I could I would grow my own skin. But, alas, I must find others to play with.” He kneeled, pushed Tom’s legs apart and took the soft uncut dick in his hand. He pushed the skin back and then pulled it forward as far as possible. Then using two fingers pulled the foreskin apart and then leaned in and tried without much success to push his own dick head down the tunnel. Of course the dicks soon turned as hard as steel and Tom’s foreskin moved back. While the docking (pulling another’s skin over your head) was not successful it certainly was fun trying. Tim then squeezed the uncovered head and drops of juice bubbled out. He smeared the juice over the head and pulled the skin up covering it. He then shoved a finger down the tunnel and rubbed the juice over the hidden head. After another long probing kiss of Tom’s masterpiece Tim returned to his seat at the table with precum on his lips and a smile on his face displaying his own now hard piece.

The four returned to the beds with their own partners: Tom with Peter and Luis with Tim. Twice during the night Luis and Tim coupled while the two older men weary from traveling only had one session. At 7:00 the next morning Tom and Peter got up, dressed and returned to their hotel room to prepare for the day’s activities.

After conference registration Peter attended the opening session followed by breakout concurrent presentations, one of which was his own. The large number attending his session indicated he had chosen a topic of substantial interest, Designing the Introductory Physics Course for Engineering Majors. There were many comments and questions. All of the participants appeared to be high school teachers or college professors except for one young man who asked, “Do you have any suggestions for a high school student who plans enroll in a university engineering program and take your physics course?” Peter happily responded. He had a suspicion this young man may be Juan, Luis’s brother, who he had corresponded with but never met. After the session the high school student introduced himself as Juan. Peter invited Juan to lunch. The young man was as handsome and charismatic as his brother. Peter enjoyed their conversation. Later that afternoon Peter attended the panel of high school students that included Juan discussing high school physics curriculums. The panel also included a young woman who was as articulate as beautiful. After the session Peter congratulated Juan on his meaningful contribution. Juan introduced Mary Beth from a Brooklyn high school, the attractive panel member. Although they had just met that afternoon Juan appeared to be smitten with the girl. Juan told Peter they were going out for coffee. The body language of both indicated the discussion would cover more interesting topics than physics. A month later in a letter from Tim, Peter learned Juan and his girlfriend at least weekly visited the apartment for dinner, conversation and private time in the guest bedroom. The letter explained that Luis had gaven his brother the ‘rubber’ lecture and they made sure the bedside night stand was well supplied with rubbers and K-Y.

The conference continued into the evening with more sessions, a cocktail hour, dinner and a speaker. It was important for Peter to network with colleagues and explore developments in physics education. Tom knew his friend would be late so had entertained himself that evening. After being taken out to dinner with a representative from a bank wanting to increase its business with Olentangy Insurance Tom, at the suggestion of Peter, visited the Exquisite Theater on Eighth Avenue near Times Square. Peter had visited this male x-rated cinema with live nude dancers during their first visit to New York while Tom attended an insurance seminar. Like Peter, Tom found the movies boring. They consisted of naked men posing in semi erotic positions always with soft dicks. If two or more men were in a scene they wore jock straps or G-strings while talking, playing volley ball or just lounging. It would be at least a year until the first gay pornographic feature film, Boys in the Sand starring Casey Donovan, would open in New York playing to packed theaters with record-breaking box office revenue. Following the movie a series of dancers came onto the stage. After an erotic a strip tease each moved into the audience flopping his dick near the faces of audience members who were willing to stuff dollar bills in his socks. The dancers were all good looking, buff young men, white and black, whose ability to swing their impressive dicks outshined their dancing skills. They played with themselves getting semi erections while pinching nipples, showing their asses and attempting to look erotic while appearing bored. As Peter had told Tom the most interesting activity in the theater would be in the audience. An incredibly handsome man of about forty slid into the seat next to Tom. His hands were first on Tom’s knees. Tom did not protest and the hands moved to the chest, his shirt was unbuttoned and Tom’s nipples enjoyed the attention of the stranger. Eventually hands were in the crotch, pants were lowered and his new friend leaned over to swallow Tom’s rock hard, precum seeping dick. Tom pushed the head away while placing the new friend’s hand on his dick. They jerked each other to conclusion while a naked guy on the screen played with a sword.

Back at the hotel room Tom had showered off the sleaze of the Exquisite Theater and was watching TV in anticipation of his lovers return. As soon as Peter arrived Tom, who was wearing only a towel, took his man to the shower. After washing him from head to toe Tom pushed him against the shower wall and lubed both his dick and Peter’s hole. A fast and furious fuck was soon followed by tender loving and a slow fuck in bed.

Late Saturday morning Tom and Peter were invited to have brunch at Tim and Luis’ apartment. Arriving they found the two young men lounging in loose bathrobes. Breakfast was forgotten as the four soon played without taking time for foreplay. Following breakfast and more quality fuck time the four departed for the theater. Tom and Peter had obtained tickets as a gift to their friends to a Saturday matinee performance of 1776. The story of this popular and long running show is based on the events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Following the show they had an early dinner at Mama Leone’s. They did not want to arrive at their final destination of the evening until after later so they went to a filming of M*A*S*H, a comedy with serious overtones about a medical team during the Korean War. The cinema on the Upper West side was a fifteen minute walk from their final and most anticipated destination of the day, The Continental Baths.

At the entry window each couple rented a room and a locker. While the lockers would not be used, each had to pay for a room or less expensive locker to gain admission. At first glance the Continental appeared no different than other both houses they had visited. Being a Saturday evening the place was crowded. As typical in gay bath houses men of all descriptions roamed the halls wearing a towel or less, doors to many of the tiny cubical rooms were open with the occupant usually naked displaying his attributes, the sauna and steam room were full of men sweating and groping and in play areas men were fucking, sucking, jacking (solo or in pairs) or just watching. They encountered an intriguing mixture of ages, shapes and nationalities. One notable difference from other baths was its size. With up to a thousand men playing throughout the place it was an unbelievable sight.

The other difference was the lounge area and disco open to women and straight men. The entertainment on weekends was legendary. Clad in their towels the four found a table surrounded by gays and straights, men and women. Soon after their beer arrived the room darkened and a young woman walked onto the stage. Her pianist accompanist, a cute twink wearing a towel, began a melodic introduction.

In a loud large voice the woman called out, “Thank you, thank you all for coming tonight. Give a hand to our pianist, arranger and songwriter as well as good friend and fellow Brooklynite, Barry Manilow.” The adorable towel clad Barry stood and bowed. For the next hour they were enthralled by this spunky woman with her bawdy humor and big voice. Luis commented, “I am sure some day Bette Midler will be famous far beyond the Continental. We are privileged to hear the Divine Miss M in such an intimate setting.

After the entertainment in the lounge the four returned to the labyrinth of gay sexuality. They visited the steam room where they were pleasantly and sometimes not so enjoyable groped. When a tall muscular guy leaned in to suck Peter’s nipples, Peter raised one arm and directed the intruder to his hairless pit. As the man began licking and then gently chewing on Peter’s most sensitive spot other than his dick, Peter’s semi hard dick rose to full hardness. When someone moved into the other pit his throbbing dick began to spew out precum. Through the haze of the steam Tom saw what was happening to his man. He kneeled in front of Peter and squeezed some of the precum on his finger. Then he gently rubbed the tip of the shaft just below the head. With his mouth wide open and Peter’s dick head just inches away he continued to rub this sensitive spot on the shaft expecting a reward. In less than a minute Peter screamed out as he shot squirt after squirt toward his lovers waiting mouth. His body went limp and he would have fallen to the steam room floor if the two attacking his pits had not embraced him.

Tom led the still shaking Peter to the showers. They then rested and cuddled on the narrow platform bed in their cubical.

Meanwhile Luis and Tim were each being groped by a variety of men. While neither permitted sucking by strangers, Luis enjoyed a two finger fuck from a tall thin man with exceptionally long and talented fingers. He was soon spewing out cum that Tm caught in his hand and used to lube himself for his own massive unloading.

After showers the four returned to each of their rooms for rest and more. Finally at 7:00 in the morning they shared a taxi. Tom and Peter got out at their hotel saying goodbye and thanking their friends for an enjoyable visit. The exhausted men fell asleep in each other’s arms. Luckily they had requested an afternoon wake-up call or they would have missed their afternoon flight back to Ohio.

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Bette Midler & Barry Manilow at the Continental – Videos of their performances at the Continental are available on YouTube – do a search: continental midler

History and demise of The Continental Baths. Peter and Tom had visited the Continental at its peak of gay activity. It had opened in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel in 1968 and was advertised as reminiscent of "the glory of ancient Rome".

From Wikipedia : The features of this bathhouse included a disco dance floor, a cabaret lounge, sauna rooms, a narrow "Olympia blue" swimming pool, bunk beds in public areas, and tiny rooms as one would find in any gay bathhouse. The facility had the capacity to serve nearly 1,000 men, 24 hours a day.^]

One gay guide from the 1970s described the Continental Baths as a place that "revolutionized the bath scene in New York City.

Some features of the Continental Bathhouse included a warning system that tipped off patrons when police arrived. There was also an STD clinic, a supply of A200 (a lice-killing shampoo) in the showers, a mouthwash dispenser, and K-Y Jelly in the candy vending machine.

Due to her performances at the baths, Bette Midler earned the nickname Bathhouse Betty. It was at the Continental, accompanied by pianist Barry Manilow (who, like the bathhouse patrons, sometimes wore only a white towel) that she created her stage persona the Divine Miss M.

The Continental Baths lost much of its gay clientele by 1974. The reason for the decline in patronage was, as one gay New Yorker was quoted, "We finally got fed up with those silly-assed, campy shows. All those straight people in our bathhouse made us feel like we were part of the décor and that we were there for their amusement."

The Continental rebranded itself as a couple’s sex club, Plato’s Retreat. A few years later it closed.