Written By: Mel
This is in response to the WL Spring Drabble Challenge
Danny smiled as he handed his modified glucometer over to his partner. He’d spent the afternoon in the computer lab with a friend doing the work.
The modified LED display could be programed to show whatever Danny entered into it through the computer link-up.
Paul insisted upon checking the history of Danny’s glucometer every evening. Today he was in for a surprise.
When Paul clicked on the history icon large letters filled the screen. “Chillax Dr. P. Danny’s cool”
Paul looked up at his grinning brat. “Chillax? Mess with your glucometer again my boy and you’ll be needing to chill-ass!”
The End
Missing You (Part I & II)
Mel's response to the Picnic Drabble Challenge
Missing You (Part 1)
Paul could stand it no longer he missed Danny and needed to spend some time with him.
It was a three hour drive to Camp Huronda, but it would be worthwhile. Danny was giving up his summer to volunteer at the camp for diabetic children.
Paul booked reservations at Deerhurst Resort and ordered a picnic basket with Danny’s favourites.
When Paul arrived at Huronda, he found Danny up to his knees in water catching frogs with four little boys. The smiles and laughter of those children suddenly made the sacrifice of spending the summer without his partner worth every minute.
****************************************
Missing You Part 2
Danny couldn’t believe that Paul had driven all the way to Huronda on a Sunday just to take him on a picnic.
They sat in the quiet meadow near the camp and Paul carefully unpacked the basket. He announced each item as he placed it in front of his partner, “chicken salad with pineapple and almonds; a green salad with red onion and balsamic dressing; a crusty baguette; a bottle of pinot noir; and a slice of cheesecake to share. And after we’re done here, reservations at Deerhurst where I intend to show you just how much I’ve missed you.”
Missing You (Part 1)
Paul could stand it no longer he missed Danny and needed to spend some time with him.
It was a three hour drive to Camp Huronda, but it would be worthwhile. Danny was giving up his summer to volunteer at the camp for diabetic children.
Paul booked reservations at Deerhurst Resort and ordered a picnic basket with Danny’s favourites.
When Paul arrived at Huronda, he found Danny up to his knees in water catching frogs with four little boys. The smiles and laughter of those children suddenly made the sacrifice of spending the summer without his partner worth every minute.
****************************************
Missing You Part 2
Danny couldn’t believe that Paul had driven all the way to Huronda on a Sunday just to take him on a picnic.
They sat in the quiet meadow near the camp and Paul carefully unpacked the basket. He announced each item as he placed it in front of his partner, “chicken salad with pineapple and almonds; a green salad with red onion and balsamic dressing; a crusty baguette; a bottle of pinot noir; and a slice of cheesecake to share. And after we’re done here, reservations at Deerhurst where I intend to show you just how much I’ve missed you.”
I Hate Glucerna
Written by: Mel
Characters: Paul and Danny
“It wasn’t my fault Paul! I only meant for you to dump what we had. I didn’t think you’d have your secretary call all your patients who drink the stuff,” Danny complained from over Paul’s lap.
“Your forged letter was very convincing.” Paul sat looking at the printed letterhead with the photo and logo for Glucerna nutritional drinks for diabetics and the clear words warning people to dispose of the product immediately due to chemical contamination.
“Not only are you grounded but it’s going to cost you way more than this spanking to replace yours and all my patients’ drinks.”
The End
Characters: Paul and Danny
“It wasn’t my fault Paul! I only meant for you to dump what we had. I didn’t think you’d have your secretary call all your patients who drink the stuff,” Danny complained from over Paul’s lap.
“Your forged letter was very convincing.” Paul sat looking at the printed letterhead with the photo and logo for Glucerna nutritional drinks for diabetics and the clear words warning people to dispose of the product immediately due to chemical contamination.
“Not only are you grounded but it’s going to cost you way more than this spanking to replace yours and all my patients’ drinks.”
The End
The Not So Subtle Art of Discipline
Written By: Mel
Dave could not believe his good fortune, Four days at the Banff Springs Hotel, lift tickets for skiing, use of the Willow Stream Spa, dinners and breakfasts included, flights from Toronto to Calgary and a rental car from there to Banff. This would be followed by a return to Calgary , then a flight from there to Vancouver where they would stay for three days at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel enjoying all the beauty and excitement of this coastal city, and he’d won it all. Never did he think when he bought the raffle ticket at the hospital, that he would be the lucky winner of the grand prize. He could hardly wait to get home and tell his lover.
They’d never taken a luxury vacation together; as he and Bobby had always opted for trips to the cottage and camping. They had liked quieter places where two men in a discipline relationship could be themselves without fear of censure. Places where they could both revel in the power dynamic between them. There was always something very heady about having his Brat all to himself with no outside obligations or interferences.
They had taken a long weekend trip last year to Quebec to go skiing but that was as fancy as they’d gotten. Now they’d be staying at what was affectionately known of as the Castle in the Rockies one of the finest luxury resorts in the country, followed by a stay in one of Canada’s most beautiful cities; this was going to be great, good for them both to relax and come together again. And doing it in the lap of luxury, well that couldn’t hurt either.
Three weeks later on a cold crisp February afternoon, two very happy men stood outside of the Fairmont Banff Springs Resort as their baggage was loaded onto a cart.
Bobby’s head was practically spinning on his neck as he tried to take in the majesty of the scenery and the opulence of the hotel. “Do you believe this place, Dave?” he asked. “Have you ever seen anything this incredible?”
Dave smiled and leaned into his partner to whisper, “Every morning when I wake up next to you.” Bobby was looking suitably pleased and slightly embarrassed by the compliment when his lover added. “Of course, this place doesn’t have morning breath.” That comment earned the doctor a punch on the arm.
Bobby couldn’t help commenting on the size of the hotel as they entered it. “It’s like a small city, must take half an hour to walk across one floor.” He exaggerated only slightly, as this was a huge hotel with almost eight hundred rooms.
They were quickly checked in and shown to their suite. Though not huge it was beautifully appointed, with an incredible view of the Rockies . The sitting room was very comfortable with sofa, two chairs, a small dinette, entertainment centre and a mini bar; which Dave had warned Bobby not to touch as mark up on the items within was nothing short of robbery.
The bedroom was more impressive still, with a king size bed with real down-filled duvet and silky soft sheets, (nothing at all like the sturdy stiff cotton found in your average Best Western) and large fluffy pillows. What impressed Bobby most though was the armoire that stood in the corner of the room. It was nearly as tall as the ceiling and about four feet wide. It had strong masculine lines, without appearing overbearing. The cabinet maker in him could not resist a closer inspection of the unit. It was obviously an old piece, perhaps not yet truly an antique but certainly early twentieth century. The craftsmanship was beautiful; he was amazed that such a fine piece of furniture would be found in a hotel even as nice a one as this. The finish had developed a beautiful patina with time and the wood felt as smooth as satin under his finger tips.
Dave watched his lover caress the wood and teased. “Should I leave you two alone?”
Bobby turned and stuck his tongue out, but replied enthusiastically. “It’s just such a nice piece, I’m going to do some sketches, I’m sure copies of this would sell very well.”
“I’m sure they would, babe, but maybe that can wait until later. What I’d really like to do now is to check out the bed and see if it’s just as nice a piece of furniture.” He pulled his partner into his arms and kissed him deeply. “Lose the clothes, Brooks.” He growled against the younger man’s neck.
Bobby pushed away laughing. “I thought you were hungry? Didn’t you want to go to the restaurant?” He didn’t make it two feet from his lover’s arms before he was pulled back roughly.
“I’m hungry alright, but unless they’re serving Robert Brooks Hot Buns in that restaurant, I’m not leaving this room.” He grabbed Bobby’s butt with both hands, firmly kneading the taut flesh with almost bruising strength. “I’ve got all I could want right here.”
“You trying to mark your territory?” The younger man moaned against him.
“You wanna believe it,” Dave replied possessively.
Within moments clothes were discarded, the duvet was thrown back and the room was filled with the sounds of pleasuring bodies.
The two happy lovers spent the next days partaking of all the wonderful experiences offered in the resort, falling into bed each night happily worn out from the day’s activities. They were both avid skiers and had thoroughly enjoyed the incredible mountain runs, knowing that they would never feel the same about skiing the small hills in Ontario after experiencing majesty of the Rockies . They had followed their skiing days up with trips to the hot springs for a soak in the naturally heated mineral pool. This was surely the vacation of a lifetime.
Bobby was still very taken with the beautiful armoire and had gone so far as to purchase a measuring tape to take dimensions and make detailed drawings. He had filled several sheets of the hotel stationary with his sketches and was quite excited about the prospect of recreating the piece.
They awoke on the morning of their final day in Banff ; feeling both elated from their experience and excited for the next leg of their journey to Vancouver . They would need to leave Banff for the drive to Calgary by one p.m., so they decided that they would enjoy a last few hours in the spa, having a swim and sauna, followed by lunch. They packed all their things into their cases and put in a request that their luggage be brought down to the desk, so that they could depart immediately upon checking out, without having to return to the room.
Just as they approached the desk Bobby had a sudden revelation, “Damn it, I left the drawings of the armoire sitting on the desk in our suite. I was adding a few last minute details and forgot to tuck them into my suitcase, when we packed up.”
Dave sighed and looked at his watch. “If you hurry you should be able to get to the suite and back before we need to depart. I’ll deal with the checkout. You can turn in your key card as soon as you get back here.”
Bobby jogged to the elevator and stood bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting for its arrival. Half of the bank of elevators had been taken out of service for maintenance so he was several minutes before reaching their floor. He ran down the long hallway to their suite and swiped the pass card for entry. He was grateful when the door opened for him and he entered the room where they had spent the past three nights. His stomach clenched when he looked at the clean, uncluttered desk top. Franticly he pulled open the drawer to find the folder of hotel stationary within, but when he opened it all that was inside was fresh new paper. He pulled out all of the drawers desperately hoping to find his sketches, but no luck. He pulled the waste paper basket out from under the desk only to find in had also been emptied. He madly tore through the suite looking in each drawer and garbage container to no avail, the room had been thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the next guests.
There was no time left to make new sketches. They had to leave soon in order to get to the Calgary airport for their flight to Vancouver . Then he remembered that during his jog down the hallway the chambermaid’s cart had been parked outside of one of the rooms. She would have the papers he was sure. He left the slightly dishevelled suite in search of the maid. Her cart stood outside of a room down near the elevators and he could hear the sound of a vacuum cleaner running inside the room. Not wasting time he began to fish through the trash bag hanging in the front of the cart. It was more than half filled so in order to have a thorough look he turned the bag over dumping the contents onto the floor carelessly tossing aside food wrappers, empty toilet rolls and tissues, thinking he’d have to wash his hands well after this.
“What do you do!” the voice of the chambermaid shrieked at him. “You making huge messes with trash!” the young blonde woman with the heavy eastern European accent looked at him with outrage.
“My drawings, what did you do with my drawings from the desk in room 6124?” Bobby asked as he franticly continued his search through the trash.
The woman looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but she did not want to be in trouble for upsetting a guest so she thought back to the room in question. “Oh you mean doodlings of furniture all over paper?”
“Yes, yes!” he cried hopeful she had saved them.
“I throw away,” she declared. “People make doodles all the time while on phone and leave them laying on desk. When you check out, I toss in trash.”
“But where, they aren’t here,” Bobby answered indicating the mess of garbage thrown about the hall floor.
“That bag long since gone was full and I put it down the trash chute.”
Bobby felt his temper and frustration rise to the boiling point. “How could you be so fucking stupid?” he yelled. “You’re an idiot. They weren’t doodles they were architectural sketches of an armoire and you tossed them out! I can’t believe anyone could be so asinine!”
He hadn’t been aware of the sound of the elevator doors opening behind him during his tirade but he was certainly aware of the large hand that came to rest on his shoulder and the very quiet voice that spoke close to his ear. “I would think very carefully before I’d say one more word, if I were you.”
Bobby spun around, too caught up in his anger to think clearly. “This stupid woman trashed my sketches!” he declared. “I’ve lost them all and don’t have time to make more, all because this idiot thought they were doodles!”
Dave looked at the face of the stricken chambermaid; the poor young woman was obviously upset by Bobby’s words.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t know papers were important. My manager will be very mad with me for throwing out guest’s pictures. I’m sorry,” she repeated.
Bobby opened his mouth to speak but felt Dave painfully tighten the grip on his arm.
“It’s all right, Miss, you didn’t know,” Dave reassured her. “We’ll clean up this mess and be on our way.” He indicated the trash covered floor.
“You will tell manager?” the woman asked nervously.
Bobby wanted to say yes but the glare from Dave caused him to keep his mouth shut.
“No, we have no intention of telling your manager, though I would suggest in the future you try and be a bit more careful about what you discard. But it was an honest mistake and we’ve caused you enough distress over it,” Dave replied evenly. “Bobby, let’s get this mess back in the trash bag.”
Bobby was still fuming but he knew better than to make a public issue of this. He roughly tossed the things back into the bag and put it onto the cart perhaps a little more firmly than necessary but not enough to set his Top off any further.
“Again I’m sorry for the upset and mess; you have a good day, Miss,” Dave said as they made their way to the elevator, his younger partner seething beside him.
As soon as the elevator doors closed on them Bobby turned to speak, intending to express his outrage, but the look on Dave’s face stopped him cold.
The older man spoke very quietly. “Listen to me carefully. This is not the place to discuss this; we’ll talk in the car on the way to Calgary . Give me your pass card, I’ll turn it in while you go to the washroom and scrub your hands, as they certainly need it after digging through all that trash. Our bags are loaded in the car and the valet has it waiting at the front for us. I’ll meet you there.”
Though still upset Bobby knew better than to argue with Dave when he spoke in that manner, Dave rarely raised his voice. If anything when he was upset he would command attention simply by lowering his voice. He handed Dave the pass key and headed for the men’s room by the lobby.
After freshening up he met his partner beside the silver Toyota Camry rental car. Typically Bobby would drive the long distance runs as he enjoyed taking the wheel but Dave was waiting by the driver side door and Bobby suspected he’d be declined if he offered to drive, so he slipped into the passenger seat, for once glad of the wide console between them.
They drove without speaking for the first ten minutes before Dave broke the silence. “Are you ready to talk now?”
“What’s to talk about?” Bobby snapped defensively. “It’s obvious you agree with that woman, that my sketches were worthless doodles.”
“That’s untrue and unfair. You know I’m very proud of you and the work you do. However, I will never be impressed by rudeness or downright abusiveness. You had every right to be angry and upset that your drawings had been trashed but you had NO right to yell and swear at the chambermaid. She made an honest mistake and apologized for it. I’m sure in the future she will be more cautious of what she disposes of. But nothing she did justifies you tossing garbage all over the hallway of a five star hotel and hurling abusive language at that poor woman. We have discussed your temper on more than one occasion in the past, so you know there are better ways of expressing yourself when you are angry. Just take a moment and put yourself in the shoes of that chambermaid. How do you think she felt being spoken to as you did?”
Bobby hated this. He wanted so badly to hang on to his feelings of just indignation, to feel he’d been the only injured party and within his rights to vent his temper as he’d done. However, Dave had a way of making him see a side of himself that he didn’t always like and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. He had been horrible to the poor maid, his language inexcusable. He sat silently for several minutes stewing on his feelings and the horrible feeling of guilt that began to weigh down his gut. Still he tried to keep up the appearance of righteousness sitting stiffly looking out the window of the car while trying to ignore his partner and his feelings.
Dave recognised Bobby’s defensive posturing; he’d seen it many times before. He’d remain sullen and stiff, while guilt ate at his soul. If they were at home he’d have dealt with this issue right away, knowing the terrible intimacy and physical pain of a spanking would give Bobby the cathartic release he needed to let go of his guilt. But there was no place here to deal with this matter, as they still had another hour in the car, time at the airport going through the check in process, the flight to Vancouver and then picking up the next rental car and making the journey to their hotel. It would be more than five hours before they would be ensconced in the privacy of their room. Well it couldn’t be helped. He reached his hand over and laid it gently on his lover’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. He expected no response, nor did he get one, but he knew that it the right thing to keep in physical contact with Bobby as it helped to ground him.
In the end it took over six hours before they were checked into their suite at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver . There had been a delay in their flight, and traffic from the airport through down-town Vancouver had been heavy. The trip had been a bit strained but Dave had kept up a light conversation that had Bobby responding despite the tension they were both feeling.
Once the porter had left them in their room, Dave knew it was time to deal with the situation. He locked the door and turned to seek out his partner.
Bobby stood stiffly in front of the large window looking out over Vancouver Harbour , his arms wrapped around himself as if he were chilled.
Dave came up behind him and wrapped his own arms over top of his lover’s. He brought his head down to rest on Bobby’s shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on the side of his face. “It’s a beautiful view,” he acknowledged. “We have the next three days to enjoy it. Now however, I think we have something that needs dealing with, don’t we?” he asked.
Bobby’s head barely moved as he nodded. “I really don’t want to,” he whispered.
Knowing that his lover needed some help Dave moved around and took Bobby’s hands and guided him over to sit on the couch with him. “You don’t have to want to, honey. That’s why I’m in charge, and you do what I want, yes?” Bobby nodded. “We talked this all through in the car and you know why you’re going to be spanked, don’t you?”
“Yes” was all the response he got.
“Do you have anything else to add?” Dave asked, wanting to give Bobby every opportunity to discuss his actions and their consequences.
With a shake of his head Bobby knew he was sealing his fate. Dave guided him to his feet and helped him get his trousers undone and pushed down along with his boxers. Without further ceremony, he was guided to lie over his partner's lap and felt the firmness of Dave’s hand come to rest on his butt. Dave wrapped his left arm around Bobby’s waist then raising the right, he brought it down smartly against the vulnerable flesh.
It wasn’t the harshest spanking Bobby ever had but neither was it the lightest. Tears were escaping through his tightly scrunched eyes by the time it was over and he knew for sure he’d never swear at a chambermaid again as long as he lived.
The rest of their days in Vancouver were very enjoyable. In many ways their vacation mode made some things easier to cope with. Bobby was always more emotional after a punishment and tended to stick closer to his partner, needing the physical reassurance that all was good between them. Dave of course enjoyed that as well. The power dynamic between the two was especially sharp after the application of discipline, and Bobby seemed to revel in the way Dave would show his possessiveness.
Too soon they were walking through the front door of their home tired and yet contented with their holiday. Bobby carried luggage upstairs as Dave was sorted through the week’s worth of mail. He was surprised to find an envelope from the Banff Springs Hotel addressed to Bobby.
“Hey snow-boy!” he called up the stairs. “Letter here for you from Banff .”
Bobby came tearing down the stairs and took possession of the large manila envelope. Ripping it open, he was shocked to find several photographs of different angles of the armoire from their room along with carefully written list of the dimensions. The attached note read:
Dear Mr. Brooks,
I remember your doodlings were of this cupboard so I ask my friend from the concierge to take pictures of it and make measurements. I hope this is help to you.
Marsha Szalay
Banff Springs Resort
“Oh wow, I can’t believe she did this after I was so rude to her. I’d like to do something to make it up to her,” Bobby said quietly, remorse for his actions hitting home yet again.
Twenty-four hours later, a very surprised chambermaid was handed a beautiful floral arrangement from the hotel’s flower shop along with a card containing a certificate for a day in the Willow Streams Spa.
The End
Dave could not believe his good fortune, Four days at the Banff Springs Hotel, lift tickets for skiing, use of the Willow Stream Spa, dinners and breakfasts included, flights from Toronto to Calgary and a rental car from there to Banff. This would be followed by a return to Calgary , then a flight from there to Vancouver where they would stay for three days at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel enjoying all the beauty and excitement of this coastal city, and he’d won it all. Never did he think when he bought the raffle ticket at the hospital, that he would be the lucky winner of the grand prize. He could hardly wait to get home and tell his lover.
They’d never taken a luxury vacation together; as he and Bobby had always opted for trips to the cottage and camping. They had liked quieter places where two men in a discipline relationship could be themselves without fear of censure. Places where they could both revel in the power dynamic between them. There was always something very heady about having his Brat all to himself with no outside obligations or interferences.
They had taken a long weekend trip last year to Quebec to go skiing but that was as fancy as they’d gotten. Now they’d be staying at what was affectionately known of as the Castle in the Rockies one of the finest luxury resorts in the country, followed by a stay in one of Canada’s most beautiful cities; this was going to be great, good for them both to relax and come together again. And doing it in the lap of luxury, well that couldn’t hurt either.
Three weeks later on a cold crisp February afternoon, two very happy men stood outside of the Fairmont Banff Springs Resort as their baggage was loaded onto a cart.
Bobby’s head was practically spinning on his neck as he tried to take in the majesty of the scenery and the opulence of the hotel. “Do you believe this place, Dave?” he asked. “Have you ever seen anything this incredible?”
Dave smiled and leaned into his partner to whisper, “Every morning when I wake up next to you.” Bobby was looking suitably pleased and slightly embarrassed by the compliment when his lover added. “Of course, this place doesn’t have morning breath.” That comment earned the doctor a punch on the arm.
Bobby couldn’t help commenting on the size of the hotel as they entered it. “It’s like a small city, must take half an hour to walk across one floor.” He exaggerated only slightly, as this was a huge hotel with almost eight hundred rooms.
They were quickly checked in and shown to their suite. Though not huge it was beautifully appointed, with an incredible view of the Rockies . The sitting room was very comfortable with sofa, two chairs, a small dinette, entertainment centre and a mini bar; which Dave had warned Bobby not to touch as mark up on the items within was nothing short of robbery.
The bedroom was more impressive still, with a king size bed with real down-filled duvet and silky soft sheets, (nothing at all like the sturdy stiff cotton found in your average Best Western) and large fluffy pillows. What impressed Bobby most though was the armoire that stood in the corner of the room. It was nearly as tall as the ceiling and about four feet wide. It had strong masculine lines, without appearing overbearing. The cabinet maker in him could not resist a closer inspection of the unit. It was obviously an old piece, perhaps not yet truly an antique but certainly early twentieth century. The craftsmanship was beautiful; he was amazed that such a fine piece of furniture would be found in a hotel even as nice a one as this. The finish had developed a beautiful patina with time and the wood felt as smooth as satin under his finger tips.
Dave watched his lover caress the wood and teased. “Should I leave you two alone?”
Bobby turned and stuck his tongue out, but replied enthusiastically. “It’s just such a nice piece, I’m going to do some sketches, I’m sure copies of this would sell very well.”
“I’m sure they would, babe, but maybe that can wait until later. What I’d really like to do now is to check out the bed and see if it’s just as nice a piece of furniture.” He pulled his partner into his arms and kissed him deeply. “Lose the clothes, Brooks.” He growled against the younger man’s neck.
Bobby pushed away laughing. “I thought you were hungry? Didn’t you want to go to the restaurant?” He didn’t make it two feet from his lover’s arms before he was pulled back roughly.
“I’m hungry alright, but unless they’re serving Robert Brooks Hot Buns in that restaurant, I’m not leaving this room.” He grabbed Bobby’s butt with both hands, firmly kneading the taut flesh with almost bruising strength. “I’ve got all I could want right here.”
“You trying to mark your territory?” The younger man moaned against him.
“You wanna believe it,” Dave replied possessively.
Within moments clothes were discarded, the duvet was thrown back and the room was filled with the sounds of pleasuring bodies.
The two happy lovers spent the next days partaking of all the wonderful experiences offered in the resort, falling into bed each night happily worn out from the day’s activities. They were both avid skiers and had thoroughly enjoyed the incredible mountain runs, knowing that they would never feel the same about skiing the small hills in Ontario after experiencing majesty of the Rockies . They had followed their skiing days up with trips to the hot springs for a soak in the naturally heated mineral pool. This was surely the vacation of a lifetime.
Bobby was still very taken with the beautiful armoire and had gone so far as to purchase a measuring tape to take dimensions and make detailed drawings. He had filled several sheets of the hotel stationary with his sketches and was quite excited about the prospect of recreating the piece.
They awoke on the morning of their final day in Banff ; feeling both elated from their experience and excited for the next leg of their journey to Vancouver . They would need to leave Banff for the drive to Calgary by one p.m., so they decided that they would enjoy a last few hours in the spa, having a swim and sauna, followed by lunch. They packed all their things into their cases and put in a request that their luggage be brought down to the desk, so that they could depart immediately upon checking out, without having to return to the room.
Just as they approached the desk Bobby had a sudden revelation, “Damn it, I left the drawings of the armoire sitting on the desk in our suite. I was adding a few last minute details and forgot to tuck them into my suitcase, when we packed up.”
Dave sighed and looked at his watch. “If you hurry you should be able to get to the suite and back before we need to depart. I’ll deal with the checkout. You can turn in your key card as soon as you get back here.”
Bobby jogged to the elevator and stood bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting for its arrival. Half of the bank of elevators had been taken out of service for maintenance so he was several minutes before reaching their floor. He ran down the long hallway to their suite and swiped the pass card for entry. He was grateful when the door opened for him and he entered the room where they had spent the past three nights. His stomach clenched when he looked at the clean, uncluttered desk top. Franticly he pulled open the drawer to find the folder of hotel stationary within, but when he opened it all that was inside was fresh new paper. He pulled out all of the drawers desperately hoping to find his sketches, but no luck. He pulled the waste paper basket out from under the desk only to find in had also been emptied. He madly tore through the suite looking in each drawer and garbage container to no avail, the room had been thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the next guests.
There was no time left to make new sketches. They had to leave soon in order to get to the Calgary airport for their flight to Vancouver . Then he remembered that during his jog down the hallway the chambermaid’s cart had been parked outside of one of the rooms. She would have the papers he was sure. He left the slightly dishevelled suite in search of the maid. Her cart stood outside of a room down near the elevators and he could hear the sound of a vacuum cleaner running inside the room. Not wasting time he began to fish through the trash bag hanging in the front of the cart. It was more than half filled so in order to have a thorough look he turned the bag over dumping the contents onto the floor carelessly tossing aside food wrappers, empty toilet rolls and tissues, thinking he’d have to wash his hands well after this.
“What do you do!” the voice of the chambermaid shrieked at him. “You making huge messes with trash!” the young blonde woman with the heavy eastern European accent looked at him with outrage.
“My drawings, what did you do with my drawings from the desk in room 6124?” Bobby asked as he franticly continued his search through the trash.
The woman looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but she did not want to be in trouble for upsetting a guest so she thought back to the room in question. “Oh you mean doodlings of furniture all over paper?”
“Yes, yes!” he cried hopeful she had saved them.
“I throw away,” she declared. “People make doodles all the time while on phone and leave them laying on desk. When you check out, I toss in trash.”
“But where, they aren’t here,” Bobby answered indicating the mess of garbage thrown about the hall floor.
“That bag long since gone was full and I put it down the trash chute.”
Bobby felt his temper and frustration rise to the boiling point. “How could you be so fucking stupid?” he yelled. “You’re an idiot. They weren’t doodles they were architectural sketches of an armoire and you tossed them out! I can’t believe anyone could be so asinine!”
He hadn’t been aware of the sound of the elevator doors opening behind him during his tirade but he was certainly aware of the large hand that came to rest on his shoulder and the very quiet voice that spoke close to his ear. “I would think very carefully before I’d say one more word, if I were you.”
Bobby spun around, too caught up in his anger to think clearly. “This stupid woman trashed my sketches!” he declared. “I’ve lost them all and don’t have time to make more, all because this idiot thought they were doodles!”
Dave looked at the face of the stricken chambermaid; the poor young woman was obviously upset by Bobby’s words.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t know papers were important. My manager will be very mad with me for throwing out guest’s pictures. I’m sorry,” she repeated.
Bobby opened his mouth to speak but felt Dave painfully tighten the grip on his arm.
“It’s all right, Miss, you didn’t know,” Dave reassured her. “We’ll clean up this mess and be on our way.” He indicated the trash covered floor.
“You will tell manager?” the woman asked nervously.
Bobby wanted to say yes but the glare from Dave caused him to keep his mouth shut.
“No, we have no intention of telling your manager, though I would suggest in the future you try and be a bit more careful about what you discard. But it was an honest mistake and we’ve caused you enough distress over it,” Dave replied evenly. “Bobby, let’s get this mess back in the trash bag.”
Bobby was still fuming but he knew better than to make a public issue of this. He roughly tossed the things back into the bag and put it onto the cart perhaps a little more firmly than necessary but not enough to set his Top off any further.
“Again I’m sorry for the upset and mess; you have a good day, Miss,” Dave said as they made their way to the elevator, his younger partner seething beside him.
As soon as the elevator doors closed on them Bobby turned to speak, intending to express his outrage, but the look on Dave’s face stopped him cold.
The older man spoke very quietly. “Listen to me carefully. This is not the place to discuss this; we’ll talk in the car on the way to Calgary . Give me your pass card, I’ll turn it in while you go to the washroom and scrub your hands, as they certainly need it after digging through all that trash. Our bags are loaded in the car and the valet has it waiting at the front for us. I’ll meet you there.”
Though still upset Bobby knew better than to argue with Dave when he spoke in that manner, Dave rarely raised his voice. If anything when he was upset he would command attention simply by lowering his voice. He handed Dave the pass key and headed for the men’s room by the lobby.
After freshening up he met his partner beside the silver Toyota Camry rental car. Typically Bobby would drive the long distance runs as he enjoyed taking the wheel but Dave was waiting by the driver side door and Bobby suspected he’d be declined if he offered to drive, so he slipped into the passenger seat, for once glad of the wide console between them.
They drove without speaking for the first ten minutes before Dave broke the silence. “Are you ready to talk now?”
“What’s to talk about?” Bobby snapped defensively. “It’s obvious you agree with that woman, that my sketches were worthless doodles.”
“That’s untrue and unfair. You know I’m very proud of you and the work you do. However, I will never be impressed by rudeness or downright abusiveness. You had every right to be angry and upset that your drawings had been trashed but you had NO right to yell and swear at the chambermaid. She made an honest mistake and apologized for it. I’m sure in the future she will be more cautious of what she disposes of. But nothing she did justifies you tossing garbage all over the hallway of a five star hotel and hurling abusive language at that poor woman. We have discussed your temper on more than one occasion in the past, so you know there are better ways of expressing yourself when you are angry. Just take a moment and put yourself in the shoes of that chambermaid. How do you think she felt being spoken to as you did?”
Bobby hated this. He wanted so badly to hang on to his feelings of just indignation, to feel he’d been the only injured party and within his rights to vent his temper as he’d done. However, Dave had a way of making him see a side of himself that he didn’t always like and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. He had been horrible to the poor maid, his language inexcusable. He sat silently for several minutes stewing on his feelings and the horrible feeling of guilt that began to weigh down his gut. Still he tried to keep up the appearance of righteousness sitting stiffly looking out the window of the car while trying to ignore his partner and his feelings.
Dave recognised Bobby’s defensive posturing; he’d seen it many times before. He’d remain sullen and stiff, while guilt ate at his soul. If they were at home he’d have dealt with this issue right away, knowing the terrible intimacy and physical pain of a spanking would give Bobby the cathartic release he needed to let go of his guilt. But there was no place here to deal with this matter, as they still had another hour in the car, time at the airport going through the check in process, the flight to Vancouver and then picking up the next rental car and making the journey to their hotel. It would be more than five hours before they would be ensconced in the privacy of their room. Well it couldn’t be helped. He reached his hand over and laid it gently on his lover’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. He expected no response, nor did he get one, but he knew that it the right thing to keep in physical contact with Bobby as it helped to ground him.
In the end it took over six hours before they were checked into their suite at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver . There had been a delay in their flight, and traffic from the airport through down-town Vancouver had been heavy. The trip had been a bit strained but Dave had kept up a light conversation that had Bobby responding despite the tension they were both feeling.
Once the porter had left them in their room, Dave knew it was time to deal with the situation. He locked the door and turned to seek out his partner.
Bobby stood stiffly in front of the large window looking out over Vancouver Harbour , his arms wrapped around himself as if he were chilled.
Dave came up behind him and wrapped his own arms over top of his lover’s. He brought his head down to rest on Bobby’s shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on the side of his face. “It’s a beautiful view,” he acknowledged. “We have the next three days to enjoy it. Now however, I think we have something that needs dealing with, don’t we?” he asked.
Bobby’s head barely moved as he nodded. “I really don’t want to,” he whispered.
Knowing that his lover needed some help Dave moved around and took Bobby’s hands and guided him over to sit on the couch with him. “You don’t have to want to, honey. That’s why I’m in charge, and you do what I want, yes?” Bobby nodded. “We talked this all through in the car and you know why you’re going to be spanked, don’t you?”
“Yes” was all the response he got.
“Do you have anything else to add?” Dave asked, wanting to give Bobby every opportunity to discuss his actions and their consequences.
With a shake of his head Bobby knew he was sealing his fate. Dave guided him to his feet and helped him get his trousers undone and pushed down along with his boxers. Without further ceremony, he was guided to lie over his partner's lap and felt the firmness of Dave’s hand come to rest on his butt. Dave wrapped his left arm around Bobby’s waist then raising the right, he brought it down smartly against the vulnerable flesh.
It wasn’t the harshest spanking Bobby ever had but neither was it the lightest. Tears were escaping through his tightly scrunched eyes by the time it was over and he knew for sure he’d never swear at a chambermaid again as long as he lived.
The rest of their days in Vancouver were very enjoyable. In many ways their vacation mode made some things easier to cope with. Bobby was always more emotional after a punishment and tended to stick closer to his partner, needing the physical reassurance that all was good between them. Dave of course enjoyed that as well. The power dynamic between the two was especially sharp after the application of discipline, and Bobby seemed to revel in the way Dave would show his possessiveness.
Too soon they were walking through the front door of their home tired and yet contented with their holiday. Bobby carried luggage upstairs as Dave was sorted through the week’s worth of mail. He was surprised to find an envelope from the Banff Springs Hotel addressed to Bobby.
“Hey snow-boy!” he called up the stairs. “Letter here for you from Banff .”
Bobby came tearing down the stairs and took possession of the large manila envelope. Ripping it open, he was shocked to find several photographs of different angles of the armoire from their room along with carefully written list of the dimensions. The attached note read:
Dear Mr. Brooks,
I remember your doodlings were of this cupboard so I ask my friend from the concierge to take pictures of it and make measurements. I hope this is help to you.
Marsha Szalay
Banff Springs Resort
“Oh wow, I can’t believe she did this after I was so rude to her. I’d like to do something to make it up to her,” Bobby said quietly, remorse for his actions hitting home yet again.
Twenty-four hours later, a very surprised chambermaid was handed a beautiful floral arrangement from the hotel’s flower shop along with a card containing a certificate for a day in the Willow Streams Spa.
The End
I Hate You
Written By: Mel
“I hate you!” Even as I yelled it out, running from the house with the door slamming behind me, I knew I didn’t mean it. But for those few moments, I didn’t want to be with him. After all if he was going to send me away, why not just leave now?
The day had been a good one up until Paul told me the news. It was Tuesday, my last class had ended early and I had only one paper left to finish before spring break officially began on Friday. I was really looking forward to a week of laziness, with no school work to think about. I had originally asked Paul about taking the week off with me but he said it was not possible as two of the family practitioners he worked with had already booked the week off. So I had planned instead on having some fun with friends. I even planned to do some domestic stuff, like cooking nice dinners for my man. But now that wasn’t going to happen cuz he was sending me away.
I was in the kitchen working on making a salad when I heard the sound of Paul’s key in the lock. He walked into the kitchen through the attached mud room, tossed his keys in the basket and threw me a smile.
“Hey, beautiful. How was your day?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around me. We shared a deep kiss before we went on to talk about some of the highlights of our day.
Paul washed his hands, then pulled the chicken out of the fridge and we worked together to get our dinner prepared. As we worked and talked I happened to mention how much I was looking forward to being off school next week.
“Well I have a surprise for you for Spring Break,” he said with a grin.
Immediately jumping to conclusions, I threw my arms around him and kissed him. “You got it off, didn’t you? Are we going away, somewhere hot and sunny?” I asked excitedly.
Paul pulled back a little, shaking his head. “Sorry, sweetheart, that’s not quite the surprise I meant. I’m afraid I still have to work. However you’re going to get to go away for the week.”
“Going away without you?” I asked suddenly suspicious.
“Yes; I was talking with Dr. Silver, the Endocrinologist from Guelph Memorial and he was telling me about Camp Huronda near Huntsville . It’s a summer camp for children with Type 1 diabetes. This year they are offering a special program during the spring break for young adults who have been recently diagnosed. There will be teaching and counselling sessions, as well as the opportunity to talk with others your age that are going through the same adjustments you are. It sounds like it will be informative as well as fun. I understand the lake is very beautiful. Though it’s still to cold for swimming, they do have a lot of activities planned. There was only one space left open so we were lucky to get you booked in. I thought we’d drive up together on Saturday morning and I’d pick you up the following Saturday when it’s over.”
Paul stood there looking at me with this big dumb smile on his face and all I could think of was that he was sending me away to camp like some bratty kid whose parents needed a break.
I pushed out of his arms. “How could you?” I asked incredulously. “How could you agree to this without even talking to me? You’re just going to send me away so you can do what? Have a break from me? Get rid of the pain in the ass brat for a week?”
Paul’s face looked stunned. He’d obviously thought I was stupid enough to want to go along with this.
“Danny, calm down. That’s not how I feel and you know it,” he stated calmly. “I thought this was a great opportunity and that you would enjoy it. I also know you that still have a great deal to learn about living with diabetes and that this will do you a lot of good.”
“Do me good or you good?” I shouted. “I’m not some little kid you can just fucking ship off to camp!”
“Daniel Seaforth Ladd, watch that mouth of yours or you’ll be shipped off to bed with a sore backside,” he warned. “Now let’s sit down and talk about this like adults”
“I know you’re kind of sit down! You talk and I listen, then I still get shipped off. Well you can just stuff it cuz I’m not going to spend my spring break at any fucking kids' camp!”
Now my Paul is nothing but consistent in his means of dealing with rude and disrespectful behaviour. Before I could draw my next breath, I found myself turned over his upturned knee with a half dozen stinging swats applied to the seat of my jeans. I was then pulled upright and frog marched to the corner of the kitchen.
“You can stand there until you can calm down and talk to me reasonably,” he said.
I stood there fuming silently. Instead of calming down as I might normally have, I found myself growing more and more angry with my partner. I could hear the sounds of Paul efficiently finishing the dinner preparations and somehow his calm nature only served to ignite my volatile one. I heard the chicken dish being placed into the oven, then the sound of a chair being pulled out from the table as he took a seat.
“Are you ready to be civil now?” he asked.
I turned around and saw him sitting there so calmly and decided immediately without benefit of further discussion that he was going to send me to this cursed camp, like it or not and I was not going to have any part in that. “No I’m not! If you want rid of me, fine, I’m leaving. I hate you!” I screamed as I ran through the mud room and out the side door, slamming it in my wake.
I fumbled in my jeans pocket for the keys to my Civic, and was just trying to yank the door open when two strong arms wrapped around me. He pulled me tightly against his body with his chin resting on my head, his voice deep and steady.
“I love you,” he whispered softly.
Let me tell you, there is nothing more disarming than hearing ‘I love you’ right after you’ve shouted ‘I hate you’ at someone. It took less than five seconds for the tears to seep from my eyes. I barely remember him walking me back to the house other than almost laughing between my tears as I realized I’d run out in my stocking feet. Paul guided me to the living room and pulled me down on the couch beside him.
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry,” I snivelled at him.
“I know, darling, it’s going to be okay,” he answered as he held me. After a few minutes, he asked. “Danny, have I ever done anything that made you think I wanted a break from you? That I ever considered you to be a pain?”
All I could manage was a wimpy, “No” in response.
“Whatever could make you think I wanted rid of you?”
I had no decent answer to give him. I’d done what I’d done so many times in the past, jumped to a conclusion without thinking. I had allowed my own insecurities to presume this wonderful man felt about me the way I too often felt about myself. Paul has worked so hard to assure me I am deserving of his love but I’m afraid what he calls my self-deprecating nature had won out again.
We talked for the next two hours, first on the couch, then over dinner, then in his office. We discussed the camp and looked it up on the web site. Paul was right, it did look great. By the time we were done I was getting excited about going. Though I’d miss Paul terribly, I knew this was an experience I would both enjoy and gain a lot from.
Once we had worked through all the camp issues, Paul led me from the spare chair at his desk to sit with him on the old leather sofa in the office. I began to feel the butterflies churning in my stomach as he gave me that serious look of his.
“We have a bit of unfinished business here, don’t we?” he asked.
Oh God how I hated this part; when he’d want to talk about my behaviour and why I was about to get my ass beat. (Okay, he’d really object to that terminology, but who’s telling this story, huh?) “Yeah, I know,” I whispered.
“Do we need to discuss being rude and disrespectful of each other again? How it belittles our partnership and demeans both of us?” he inquired.
“No, I’m sorry,” was all I could think of to say.
“I know you are, baby. Let’s get this done.” He guided me to my feet and undid my jeans sliding them down my legs along with my shorts. Then, with that terrible efficiency of his, I found myself stretched over his lap, face buried in a pillow on the couch, hands gripping the leather cushion in anticipation of what was coming. He wasted no more time and went straight to work spanking my butt and the tops of my thighs with hard sharp swats. It wasn’t the worst spanking I’d ever had but neither was it a light one. We had covered this territory before and he wasn’t about to let me off easy. By the time he was done, I crying freely and promising never ending respectfulness.
This story took place a year and a half ago. I had every bit as wonderful an experience at Camp Huronda that spring as Paul thought I would. So much so, that I have been a volunteer councillor there for the last two summers. The kids are great and it’s such a joy knowing we’re giving them the opportunity to just be kids and put aside for a while the fact that they have a difference from their peers. Though I miss Paul while I’m at the camp, I know I come home to him a better person for the experiences I have there.
And just for the record, I have never said “I hate you” to that wonderful man again.
The End
Note: Camp Huronda is a real camp for Diabetic Children located near Huntsville Ontario providing kids a joyous summer experience since 1954. Although the spring young adult camp from this story is fictional, there are similar programs offered in other facilities.
“I hate you!” Even as I yelled it out, running from the house with the door slamming behind me, I knew I didn’t mean it. But for those few moments, I didn’t want to be with him. After all if he was going to send me away, why not just leave now?
The day had been a good one up until Paul told me the news. It was Tuesday, my last class had ended early and I had only one paper left to finish before spring break officially began on Friday. I was really looking forward to a week of laziness, with no school work to think about. I had originally asked Paul about taking the week off with me but he said it was not possible as two of the family practitioners he worked with had already booked the week off. So I had planned instead on having some fun with friends. I even planned to do some domestic stuff, like cooking nice dinners for my man. But now that wasn’t going to happen cuz he was sending me away.
I was in the kitchen working on making a salad when I heard the sound of Paul’s key in the lock. He walked into the kitchen through the attached mud room, tossed his keys in the basket and threw me a smile.
“Hey, beautiful. How was your day?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around me. We shared a deep kiss before we went on to talk about some of the highlights of our day.
Paul washed his hands, then pulled the chicken out of the fridge and we worked together to get our dinner prepared. As we worked and talked I happened to mention how much I was looking forward to being off school next week.
“Well I have a surprise for you for Spring Break,” he said with a grin.
Immediately jumping to conclusions, I threw my arms around him and kissed him. “You got it off, didn’t you? Are we going away, somewhere hot and sunny?” I asked excitedly.
Paul pulled back a little, shaking his head. “Sorry, sweetheart, that’s not quite the surprise I meant. I’m afraid I still have to work. However you’re going to get to go away for the week.”
“Going away without you?” I asked suddenly suspicious.
“Yes; I was talking with Dr. Silver, the Endocrinologist from Guelph Memorial and he was telling me about Camp Huronda near Huntsville . It’s a summer camp for children with Type 1 diabetes. This year they are offering a special program during the spring break for young adults who have been recently diagnosed. There will be teaching and counselling sessions, as well as the opportunity to talk with others your age that are going through the same adjustments you are. It sounds like it will be informative as well as fun. I understand the lake is very beautiful. Though it’s still to cold for swimming, they do have a lot of activities planned. There was only one space left open so we were lucky to get you booked in. I thought we’d drive up together on Saturday morning and I’d pick you up the following Saturday when it’s over.”
Paul stood there looking at me with this big dumb smile on his face and all I could think of was that he was sending me away to camp like some bratty kid whose parents needed a break.
I pushed out of his arms. “How could you?” I asked incredulously. “How could you agree to this without even talking to me? You’re just going to send me away so you can do what? Have a break from me? Get rid of the pain in the ass brat for a week?”
Paul’s face looked stunned. He’d obviously thought I was stupid enough to want to go along with this.
“Danny, calm down. That’s not how I feel and you know it,” he stated calmly. “I thought this was a great opportunity and that you would enjoy it. I also know you that still have a great deal to learn about living with diabetes and that this will do you a lot of good.”
“Do me good or you good?” I shouted. “I’m not some little kid you can just fucking ship off to camp!”
“Daniel Seaforth Ladd, watch that mouth of yours or you’ll be shipped off to bed with a sore backside,” he warned. “Now let’s sit down and talk about this like adults”
“I know you’re kind of sit down! You talk and I listen, then I still get shipped off. Well you can just stuff it cuz I’m not going to spend my spring break at any fucking kids' camp!”
Now my Paul is nothing but consistent in his means of dealing with rude and disrespectful behaviour. Before I could draw my next breath, I found myself turned over his upturned knee with a half dozen stinging swats applied to the seat of my jeans. I was then pulled upright and frog marched to the corner of the kitchen.
“You can stand there until you can calm down and talk to me reasonably,” he said.
I stood there fuming silently. Instead of calming down as I might normally have, I found myself growing more and more angry with my partner. I could hear the sounds of Paul efficiently finishing the dinner preparations and somehow his calm nature only served to ignite my volatile one. I heard the chicken dish being placed into the oven, then the sound of a chair being pulled out from the table as he took a seat.
“Are you ready to be civil now?” he asked.
I turned around and saw him sitting there so calmly and decided immediately without benefit of further discussion that he was going to send me to this cursed camp, like it or not and I was not going to have any part in that. “No I’m not! If you want rid of me, fine, I’m leaving. I hate you!” I screamed as I ran through the mud room and out the side door, slamming it in my wake.
I fumbled in my jeans pocket for the keys to my Civic, and was just trying to yank the door open when two strong arms wrapped around me. He pulled me tightly against his body with his chin resting on my head, his voice deep and steady.
“I love you,” he whispered softly.
Let me tell you, there is nothing more disarming than hearing ‘I love you’ right after you’ve shouted ‘I hate you’ at someone. It took less than five seconds for the tears to seep from my eyes. I barely remember him walking me back to the house other than almost laughing between my tears as I realized I’d run out in my stocking feet. Paul guided me to the living room and pulled me down on the couch beside him.
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry,” I snivelled at him.
“I know, darling, it’s going to be okay,” he answered as he held me. After a few minutes, he asked. “Danny, have I ever done anything that made you think I wanted a break from you? That I ever considered you to be a pain?”
All I could manage was a wimpy, “No” in response.
“Whatever could make you think I wanted rid of you?”
I had no decent answer to give him. I’d done what I’d done so many times in the past, jumped to a conclusion without thinking. I had allowed my own insecurities to presume this wonderful man felt about me the way I too often felt about myself. Paul has worked so hard to assure me I am deserving of his love but I’m afraid what he calls my self-deprecating nature had won out again.
We talked for the next two hours, first on the couch, then over dinner, then in his office. We discussed the camp and looked it up on the web site. Paul was right, it did look great. By the time we were done I was getting excited about going. Though I’d miss Paul terribly, I knew this was an experience I would both enjoy and gain a lot from.
Once we had worked through all the camp issues, Paul led me from the spare chair at his desk to sit with him on the old leather sofa in the office. I began to feel the butterflies churning in my stomach as he gave me that serious look of his.
“We have a bit of unfinished business here, don’t we?” he asked.
Oh God how I hated this part; when he’d want to talk about my behaviour and why I was about to get my ass beat. (Okay, he’d really object to that terminology, but who’s telling this story, huh?) “Yeah, I know,” I whispered.
“Do we need to discuss being rude and disrespectful of each other again? How it belittles our partnership and demeans both of us?” he inquired.
“No, I’m sorry,” was all I could think of to say.
“I know you are, baby. Let’s get this done.” He guided me to my feet and undid my jeans sliding them down my legs along with my shorts. Then, with that terrible efficiency of his, I found myself stretched over his lap, face buried in a pillow on the couch, hands gripping the leather cushion in anticipation of what was coming. He wasted no more time and went straight to work spanking my butt and the tops of my thighs with hard sharp swats. It wasn’t the worst spanking I’d ever had but neither was it a light one. We had covered this territory before and he wasn’t about to let me off easy. By the time he was done, I crying freely and promising never ending respectfulness.
This story took place a year and a half ago. I had every bit as wonderful an experience at Camp Huronda that spring as Paul thought I would. So much so, that I have been a volunteer councillor there for the last two summers. The kids are great and it’s such a joy knowing we’re giving them the opportunity to just be kids and put aside for a while the fact that they have a difference from their peers. Though I miss Paul while I’m at the camp, I know I come home to him a better person for the experiences I have there.
And just for the record, I have never said “I hate you” to that wonderful man again.
The End
Note: Camp Huronda is a real camp for Diabetic Children located near Huntsville Ontario providing kids a joyous summer experience since 1954. Although the spring young adult camp from this story is fictional, there are similar programs offered in other facilities.
Licorice Burns
Written By: Mel
Hi Folks,
My name is Danny Ladd. A while back someone posed the DP philosophy question, “What is the strangest implement your Top has used to punish you with?” I’ve been thinking about writing this answer but to be honest, it was kind of embarrassing. But I figure what the heck, you guys all understand, right?
You see, I have Type 1 Diabetes and Paul (my husband/partner) is a doctor, so to say that he keeps a tight rein on my diet and anything that affects my health, is the understatement of the millennium. Now don’t get me wrong, Paul isn’t an ogre. He’s just really careful with me. I can have some treats now and then, even including my favourite candy, licorice. But the rule we have is that I have to ask him first before I indulge and then he monitors my other sugar intake to balance it out. Of course he sometimes says no to my request if my blood sugar hasn’t been as good as it should.
So my sad story goes kind of like this. It was the day after Paul’s birthday, we’d been out for a real fancy dinner the evening before and I had been allowed to have a baked potato with my dinner, a roll, and a piece of cake for dessert. Might sound perfectly normal to most folks, but all those foods are filled with carbohydrates that drive my blood sugar way up. Paul told me that I had to be very good the next couple of days about sticking to my diet and not to be taking in what he calls empty sugars and what you all might call junk food.
I knew what I should be eating but temptation came up and bit me on the butt that very morning. I was finished with my morning classes and was sitting in the cafeteria having my very health lunch which Paul had packed, when my friend Mindy plopped herself down across from me. She had a big box with her and it was covered with pictures of kids having fun at some sort of summer camp.
“Hey, Danny, my friend,” she said with her most winning smile. “How about helping me out here? My church is trying to raise money to send a bunch of underprivileged kids to camp this summer and I gotta move this box of candy. So what can I interest you in?” She opened the box to reveal an assortment of chocolate bars, hard candies, mints, and sitting right there in the middle, a bag filled with strawberry licorice whips.
I tried real hard to say no that I couldn’t buy any candy, but those bright red, shiny licorice were just calling out to me. Making myself a promise not to eat them for a couple of days, I pulled out my wallet and handed over the cash. Mindy thanked me and moved on to her next victim.
I put the tempting candy into my backpack; hoping ‘out of sight, out of mind’ would help me. But once I’d finished my lunch the siren song began. I tried reading and studying but my mind kept going back to that juicy sweet candy. The devil voice inside of me began to chant ‘one little piece can’t hurt’. Finally I gave into it and pulled out the bag. Once again I made a promise, only once piece then I would put it away.
To make a long sad story short, by the end of the afternoon I’d polished off eight licorice whips.
I was in the den studying when Paul arrived home. “Hey, babe,” he said as he walked into the room. “How was your day?”
With the licorice totally forgotten, I jumped up to greet my lover. “My day was great, how was yours?” I asked as I wrapped myself into his arms and accepted his deep loving kiss. My question wasn’t answered as he pulled back from the kiss. Instead he gave me his most stern Toppish look.
“Do you want to explain what I just tasted in your mouth?” he asked.
‘Oh, frig! I was busted!’ “Ummm…. Not really?” I ventured.
His hand came down on my jean-covered backside with amazing strength. “Try that again, please.”
“I suppose it was um…licorice,” I whispered.
He pulled me over to the couch to sit with him. “Was there some part of what I said to you about not eating empty sugars that was unclear to you?” he asked.
“No, sir.”
“But you went out of your way to purchase licorice despite what you had been told.”
I shook my head vehemently at that. “It wasn’t like that.” I went on to explain about the fund-raiser and the way the candy had called out to me.
“Danny, I am not going to dignify the candy talking to you as a defense. And though I do appreciate that you wanted to help out Mindy with her charity, you could have just as easily given her a donation without accepting the licorice. Just how many of these things did you eat?” he asked.
When I told him I’d eaten eight his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Do you have more?”
When I nodded, he sent me to get them. I presented him with the nearly empty package. He pulled the two remaining pieces out of the bag and folded them over in his hand then looked at me.
“Danny, this is not the first time we’ve had this talk about the dangers of high blood sugar. You probably know the possible consequences as well as I do. Yet still you gave yourself over to temptation. Well, you claim that this candy talked to you today, tempting you with its sweetness, perhaps an appropriate response might be for the candy to talk to you in a less than sweet manner. Take off your jeans, please.”
I swallowed hard, not sure but suddenly wary of his plans. I slowly undid my belt and lowered my jeans to the floor. Paul reached up and took down my boxers as he pulled me across his lap.
As always he took the time to ensure I was in a good position and held me close to him. His hand came down very hard against my right butt cheek and a second later, just as hard on the left. He continued raining down a miserable pattern back and forth over both cheeks until I was sure they would burst into flame.
I was crying pretty hard when he stopped and I squirmed to pull off his lap but he held me tight. Next thing I knew there was a terrible burning line of pain laid across my already tender butt. I know I let out an awful screech. It was the licorice whips. He was using them to emphasize his point. Before it was over he’d laid down five more stripes, each one slightly lower than the one before, with the last one hitting the tops of my thighs.
Paul then pulled me up into his arms, being very careful of my burning bottom he held me close, raining kisses on my face that helped lessen the pain from the spanks he’d rained down on my butt. He spoke gentle words of love and caring as he held me.
As miserable as I was, I also knew I was much loved. Paul is pretty strict with me, but then it’s what I need. I don’t know how I would survive without him and I don’t ever want to find out.
Danny
P.S. In case you were wondering, I’ve lost my taste for licorice. It’s been six months since this happened and every time I see a piece all I can think of is the burn it can inflict.
The End
Hi Folks,
My name is Danny Ladd. A while back someone posed the DP philosophy question, “What is the strangest implement your Top has used to punish you with?” I’ve been thinking about writing this answer but to be honest, it was kind of embarrassing. But I figure what the heck, you guys all understand, right?
You see, I have Type 1 Diabetes and Paul (my husband/partner) is a doctor, so to say that he keeps a tight rein on my diet and anything that affects my health, is the understatement of the millennium. Now don’t get me wrong, Paul isn’t an ogre. He’s just really careful with me. I can have some treats now and then, even including my favourite candy, licorice. But the rule we have is that I have to ask him first before I indulge and then he monitors my other sugar intake to balance it out. Of course he sometimes says no to my request if my blood sugar hasn’t been as good as it should.
So my sad story goes kind of like this. It was the day after Paul’s birthday, we’d been out for a real fancy dinner the evening before and I had been allowed to have a baked potato with my dinner, a roll, and a piece of cake for dessert. Might sound perfectly normal to most folks, but all those foods are filled with carbohydrates that drive my blood sugar way up. Paul told me that I had to be very good the next couple of days about sticking to my diet and not to be taking in what he calls empty sugars and what you all might call junk food.
I knew what I should be eating but temptation came up and bit me on the butt that very morning. I was finished with my morning classes and was sitting in the cafeteria having my very health lunch which Paul had packed, when my friend Mindy plopped herself down across from me. She had a big box with her and it was covered with pictures of kids having fun at some sort of summer camp.
“Hey, Danny, my friend,” she said with her most winning smile. “How about helping me out here? My church is trying to raise money to send a bunch of underprivileged kids to camp this summer and I gotta move this box of candy. So what can I interest you in?” She opened the box to reveal an assortment of chocolate bars, hard candies, mints, and sitting right there in the middle, a bag filled with strawberry licorice whips.
I tried real hard to say no that I couldn’t buy any candy, but those bright red, shiny licorice were just calling out to me. Making myself a promise not to eat them for a couple of days, I pulled out my wallet and handed over the cash. Mindy thanked me and moved on to her next victim.
I put the tempting candy into my backpack; hoping ‘out of sight, out of mind’ would help me. But once I’d finished my lunch the siren song began. I tried reading and studying but my mind kept going back to that juicy sweet candy. The devil voice inside of me began to chant ‘one little piece can’t hurt’. Finally I gave into it and pulled out the bag. Once again I made a promise, only once piece then I would put it away.
To make a long sad story short, by the end of the afternoon I’d polished off eight licorice whips.
I was in the den studying when Paul arrived home. “Hey, babe,” he said as he walked into the room. “How was your day?”
With the licorice totally forgotten, I jumped up to greet my lover. “My day was great, how was yours?” I asked as I wrapped myself into his arms and accepted his deep loving kiss. My question wasn’t answered as he pulled back from the kiss. Instead he gave me his most stern Toppish look.
“Do you want to explain what I just tasted in your mouth?” he asked.
‘Oh, frig! I was busted!’ “Ummm…. Not really?” I ventured.
His hand came down on my jean-covered backside with amazing strength. “Try that again, please.”
“I suppose it was um…licorice,” I whispered.
He pulled me over to the couch to sit with him. “Was there some part of what I said to you about not eating empty sugars that was unclear to you?” he asked.
“No, sir.”
“But you went out of your way to purchase licorice despite what you had been told.”
I shook my head vehemently at that. “It wasn’t like that.” I went on to explain about the fund-raiser and the way the candy had called out to me.
“Danny, I am not going to dignify the candy talking to you as a defense. And though I do appreciate that you wanted to help out Mindy with her charity, you could have just as easily given her a donation without accepting the licorice. Just how many of these things did you eat?” he asked.
When I told him I’d eaten eight his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Do you have more?”
When I nodded, he sent me to get them. I presented him with the nearly empty package. He pulled the two remaining pieces out of the bag and folded them over in his hand then looked at me.
“Danny, this is not the first time we’ve had this talk about the dangers of high blood sugar. You probably know the possible consequences as well as I do. Yet still you gave yourself over to temptation. Well, you claim that this candy talked to you today, tempting you with its sweetness, perhaps an appropriate response might be for the candy to talk to you in a less than sweet manner. Take off your jeans, please.”
I swallowed hard, not sure but suddenly wary of his plans. I slowly undid my belt and lowered my jeans to the floor. Paul reached up and took down my boxers as he pulled me across his lap.
As always he took the time to ensure I was in a good position and held me close to him. His hand came down very hard against my right butt cheek and a second later, just as hard on the left. He continued raining down a miserable pattern back and forth over both cheeks until I was sure they would burst into flame.
I was crying pretty hard when he stopped and I squirmed to pull off his lap but he held me tight. Next thing I knew there was a terrible burning line of pain laid across my already tender butt. I know I let out an awful screech. It was the licorice whips. He was using them to emphasize his point. Before it was over he’d laid down five more stripes, each one slightly lower than the one before, with the last one hitting the tops of my thighs.
Paul then pulled me up into his arms, being very careful of my burning bottom he held me close, raining kisses on my face that helped lessen the pain from the spanks he’d rained down on my butt. He spoke gentle words of love and caring as he held me.
As miserable as I was, I also knew I was much loved. Paul is pretty strict with me, but then it’s what I need. I don’t know how I would survive without him and I don’t ever want to find out.
Danny
P.S. In case you were wondering, I’ve lost my taste for licorice. It’s been six months since this happened and every time I see a piece all I can think of is the burn it can inflict.
The End
My Paddle's Clean and Bright
Written By: Mel
Hi Everyone:
When I saw the DP question: ‘Has your Brat ever hidden or disposed of a potential implement when expecting trouble?’ I could not help but think of a particular incident that occurred early in the days of our DP.
Bobby and I had been discussing the use of implements and I had suggested that a paddle would be appropriate for some of the more serious or difficult instances. Bobby had at first protested vehemently against the use of any implement beyond my hand and of course I would not force him, as I believe strongly in the consensual elements of a DP. However, I did use my powers of persuasion to convince him of it and eventually he did agree, with one proviso. Bobby is a master carpenter and craftsman and he argued that if such an implement were to be used on his backside he wanted to create himself, thus ensuring the quality of the workmanship and he added most importantly, the smoothness of the finish. I believe his exact words were “I’m not gettin’ any damn splinters in my butt.”
A few days later Bobby shyly presented me with a beautifully crafted paddle. I held it in my hand and admired the way all the edges had been perfectly rounded. For the user’s benefit, the handle was ergonomically designed and the finish was mirror smooth; no splinters would be found. I was very proud of Bobby for doing this. Knowing the pain this implement could bring to him, he still was willing to be its creator. I wrapped the paddle in a soft cloth and placed it respectfully into my desk drawer.
During the following two weeks Bobby seemed edgier than usual, his behavior surly and snappish. I had had to reprimand him on several occasions for his rude mouth and had even been forced to turn him over my knee when he lost his temper with me over a small disagreement about washing dishes. I was frankly concerned that something larger was bothering my Brat but could get no where with him when I tried to talk it out.
On a Friday evening, we were working together to clean out the shed that we used for storage of all the lawn and gardening supplies as well as sporting equipment. Bobby’s mood was poor right from the start of this project and continued to deteriorate as we worked. Finally, I grew tired of his rude mouth and gave him two hard swats the seat of his pants and told him to go into the house and pick a corner and wait for me.
What happened next came as a huge surprise. Bobby walked towards the door of the shed where his bicycle was standing. Before I could react, he had leaped up onto the bike and started peddling down the driveway, shouting back to me about what I could do with myself in the corner.
I watched in shock as he sped rapidly down the street. Without even slowing at the stop sign, he turned left and disappeared from my sight. He was riding in an angry and emotional state towards a busy road, without his helmet. My heart pounded in my chest as I envisioned my partner lying beneath the wheels of some large truck. I drew several deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself and then got into my car to go in search of him.
It was over an hour later that I spotted him peddling along Highway 7 back towards our home. I had been going in the opposite direction and had to turn around and catch up with him. I drove slightly passed him and pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. I was half afraid he’d turn and go the other way when he saw me but he came to a halt and climbed off his bike right behind my car.
I won’t bore you with all the details of our reunion but to say the least, Bobby was contrite and very sorry he’d run off as he had. My Bobby is a runner. When a problem seems overwhelming to him or he looses his temper, he has an awful tendency to run. This was a habit I was determined to break. Although if you have heard of Bobby’s adventure when he cut himself in his workshop, you’ll know that it’s not been a habit I’ve been totally successful in breaking.
We loaded his bike into the back of my car and proceeded home slowly. When we got there, I took Bobby into my office sat him on the sofa and told him how seriously I took this incident. Not only had he defied me when I told him to go into the house, he had taken off on his bike without a helmet, as required by law, and with no concern whatsoever for his or anyone else’s safety. I went to my desk, took out the paddle, carried it over and placed it on the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa beside him.
Bobby looked at the paddle and his breathing began to grow a bit erratic. Sensing his distress, I pulled him close with a hug. “We need to cover the issues, sweetheart. Come to an understanding as to what you did as compared to what you should have done. Okay?”
We talked it all through and I thought that Bobby was pretty clear on things but when I told him to take off his pants he began to get panicky again. I decided that he was just worried about the paddle as it was the first time we’d be using it and thought the kindest thing to do would be to just get on with it. I got him to his feet and undid his pants for him, lowered them along with his boxers to the floor, and drew him firmly over my lap. “All right, let’s get this done, Bobby. The first part by hand and then you get six swats with the paddle.”
I spanked hard. Bobby endured it with few tears, mostly groans and a few gasps as his bottom grew redder in colour. I decided it was time to put this little paddle to use and reached for it. Bobby tried to protest at the last second, but I would have none of it. I simply pulled Bobby tightly against me and brought the paddle down smartly. Bobby cried out as it stung on his already tender skin. I raised the paddle again and brought it down on the opposite cheek. That’s when it happened. With a loud crack, the paddle separated from its’ handle. The force of the blow sent the paddle spinning up off of Bobby’s butt right into my nose.
I’m sure anyone who has taken a blow to the nose knows what it feels like; the pain is sudden and terrible. I let out an involuntary cry and dropped to broken handle as I brought my hands up to hold my throbbing proboscis. I could feel blood dripping between my fingers and felt Bobby slide off of my lap. He was sobbing and mumbling on about how horrible he was and that it was all his fault if I had a broken nose. I knew I had to stop the bleeding first, before I could deal with Bobby. I pulled my shirt off and used it to staunch the flow and asked Bobby to go to the kitchen and get me an ice pack and some paper towels.
Bobby ran out of the room and quickly returned with the requested items. It took only a few moments to stop the bleeding and although very sore, I knew my nose was not broken. Bobby had continued to carry on about it’s being his fault and that I should beat him with my belt until he was black and blue. Once I cleaned up a bit, I took my practically hysterical lover into my arms and tried to calm him.
“Baby, look at me! I’m okay! Nothing is broken, just a bloody nose is all.” I spoke slowly and calmly. He finally looked up at me and studied my face carefully. That seemed to relax him a bit. When I knew he’d settled I asked, “Now do you want to explain what all this carrying on was about?” His face turned as crimson as his bottom and he turned away again. “Bobby?”
He drew a deep breath as if to fortify his nerves and began to talk. “I’m really sorry, Dave. It wasn’t meant to hurt you, just to make you think that the paddle was a bad idea. If it broke the first time you used it, you’d realize how strong you are and wouldn’t want to use one again. I’m sorry, I really am. I’m so stupid, it was such a dumb idea.” With this he began to cry harder and light began to dawn for me.
“Bobby, you made that paddle so it would break?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
He nodded sadly. “I made the veneer very thin on both sides and even scored it before attaching it to a core of drilled out balsa wood. I knew it would break within a couple of swats, but I never thought it would hurt you.”
‘My poor boy,’ I thought but knew it would do little good to provide him with extensive sympathy for his actions. “I have to say I’m disappointed to hear this, Bobby. If you were so unsure or unhappy about the paddle, you should have told me. I’m always willing to talk with you. The discipline we use is consensual, isn’t it?” He nodded again. “However, instead of talking with me, you chose to deceive me with a sabotaged paddle.” This statement brought on a fresh round of tears.
“I’m going to have to think through the consequences for this, Bobby. While I’m thinking, I want you to be doing the same.” I pulled a wooden chair out and pointed to it. “You sit there and don’t move until I call you.” At some point he’d managed to pull on his boxers but that didn’t change the fact that his bottom was still stinging from the spanking and aborted paddling I had given him. So I wasn’t surprise to see the pleading look in his eyes as I pointed to the hard seat. “Sit!” I repeated firmly, leaving no room for argument. He let out a mighty hiss as butt met chair but he did what he was told.
I went up to our bedroom and got cleaned up and changed. I looked in on Bobby as I walked past my office; he was still seated as instructed, so I proceeded to the kitchen to get us both a bottle of water. When I returned, he looked up at me with sad expectant eyes. I took a seat on the couch but left him where he was on the hard chair. We spent the next half-hour discussing he’s feelings about using a paddle and the reasons he went so far as to create the sabotaged one.
In the end Bobby surprised me by saying that he felt the paddle was an appropriate thing for us and then he begged me to allow him to create a proper one. I know my boy well enough that he would make the best paddle in the world after what happened. I was however, careful to give him very specific instructions for dimensions as I got the feeling he might make a larger, more sever one than I wanted.
Bobby was still feeling very guilty about the whole incident though and I knew that in order to clear the air for him we would have to finish up the punishment we had started. I added four more swats to the sentence for his sabotaging of the other paddle.
Four days later Bobby presented me with a beautiful rosewood paddle, finish as smooth as satin. I looked it over carefully and gave it two firm swats against the palm of my hand, not that I thought for a second that it would break but more to get the feel of the impact it created. Bobby took those ten swats as stoically as possible but by the end the tears were seeping through his tightly closed eyelids.
I have had over to course of time a few occasions to make further use of that paddle. It looks as perfect today as it did the day he made it. It might sound odd but I think each time I’ve used it, it has brought us a little closer together with the remembrance of what lead to its creation.
Dave Brooks
Hi Everyone:
When I saw the DP question: ‘Has your Brat ever hidden or disposed of a potential implement when expecting trouble?’ I could not help but think of a particular incident that occurred early in the days of our DP.
Bobby and I had been discussing the use of implements and I had suggested that a paddle would be appropriate for some of the more serious or difficult instances. Bobby had at first protested vehemently against the use of any implement beyond my hand and of course I would not force him, as I believe strongly in the consensual elements of a DP. However, I did use my powers of persuasion to convince him of it and eventually he did agree, with one proviso. Bobby is a master carpenter and craftsman and he argued that if such an implement were to be used on his backside he wanted to create himself, thus ensuring the quality of the workmanship and he added most importantly, the smoothness of the finish. I believe his exact words were “I’m not gettin’ any damn splinters in my butt.”
A few days later Bobby shyly presented me with a beautifully crafted paddle. I held it in my hand and admired the way all the edges had been perfectly rounded. For the user’s benefit, the handle was ergonomically designed and the finish was mirror smooth; no splinters would be found. I was very proud of Bobby for doing this. Knowing the pain this implement could bring to him, he still was willing to be its creator. I wrapped the paddle in a soft cloth and placed it respectfully into my desk drawer.
During the following two weeks Bobby seemed edgier than usual, his behavior surly and snappish. I had had to reprimand him on several occasions for his rude mouth and had even been forced to turn him over my knee when he lost his temper with me over a small disagreement about washing dishes. I was frankly concerned that something larger was bothering my Brat but could get no where with him when I tried to talk it out.
On a Friday evening, we were working together to clean out the shed that we used for storage of all the lawn and gardening supplies as well as sporting equipment. Bobby’s mood was poor right from the start of this project and continued to deteriorate as we worked. Finally, I grew tired of his rude mouth and gave him two hard swats the seat of his pants and told him to go into the house and pick a corner and wait for me.
What happened next came as a huge surprise. Bobby walked towards the door of the shed where his bicycle was standing. Before I could react, he had leaped up onto the bike and started peddling down the driveway, shouting back to me about what I could do with myself in the corner.
I watched in shock as he sped rapidly down the street. Without even slowing at the stop sign, he turned left and disappeared from my sight. He was riding in an angry and emotional state towards a busy road, without his helmet. My heart pounded in my chest as I envisioned my partner lying beneath the wheels of some large truck. I drew several deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself and then got into my car to go in search of him.
It was over an hour later that I spotted him peddling along Highway 7 back towards our home. I had been going in the opposite direction and had to turn around and catch up with him. I drove slightly passed him and pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. I was half afraid he’d turn and go the other way when he saw me but he came to a halt and climbed off his bike right behind my car.
I won’t bore you with all the details of our reunion but to say the least, Bobby was contrite and very sorry he’d run off as he had. My Bobby is a runner. When a problem seems overwhelming to him or he looses his temper, he has an awful tendency to run. This was a habit I was determined to break. Although if you have heard of Bobby’s adventure when he cut himself in his workshop, you’ll know that it’s not been a habit I’ve been totally successful in breaking.
We loaded his bike into the back of my car and proceeded home slowly. When we got there, I took Bobby into my office sat him on the sofa and told him how seriously I took this incident. Not only had he defied me when I told him to go into the house, he had taken off on his bike without a helmet, as required by law, and with no concern whatsoever for his or anyone else’s safety. I went to my desk, took out the paddle, carried it over and placed it on the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa beside him.
Bobby looked at the paddle and his breathing began to grow a bit erratic. Sensing his distress, I pulled him close with a hug. “We need to cover the issues, sweetheart. Come to an understanding as to what you did as compared to what you should have done. Okay?”
We talked it all through and I thought that Bobby was pretty clear on things but when I told him to take off his pants he began to get panicky again. I decided that he was just worried about the paddle as it was the first time we’d be using it and thought the kindest thing to do would be to just get on with it. I got him to his feet and undid his pants for him, lowered them along with his boxers to the floor, and drew him firmly over my lap. “All right, let’s get this done, Bobby. The first part by hand and then you get six swats with the paddle.”
I spanked hard. Bobby endured it with few tears, mostly groans and a few gasps as his bottom grew redder in colour. I decided it was time to put this little paddle to use and reached for it. Bobby tried to protest at the last second, but I would have none of it. I simply pulled Bobby tightly against me and brought the paddle down smartly. Bobby cried out as it stung on his already tender skin. I raised the paddle again and brought it down on the opposite cheek. That’s when it happened. With a loud crack, the paddle separated from its’ handle. The force of the blow sent the paddle spinning up off of Bobby’s butt right into my nose.
I’m sure anyone who has taken a blow to the nose knows what it feels like; the pain is sudden and terrible. I let out an involuntary cry and dropped to broken handle as I brought my hands up to hold my throbbing proboscis. I could feel blood dripping between my fingers and felt Bobby slide off of my lap. He was sobbing and mumbling on about how horrible he was and that it was all his fault if I had a broken nose. I knew I had to stop the bleeding first, before I could deal with Bobby. I pulled my shirt off and used it to staunch the flow and asked Bobby to go to the kitchen and get me an ice pack and some paper towels.
Bobby ran out of the room and quickly returned with the requested items. It took only a few moments to stop the bleeding and although very sore, I knew my nose was not broken. Bobby had continued to carry on about it’s being his fault and that I should beat him with my belt until he was black and blue. Once I cleaned up a bit, I took my practically hysterical lover into my arms and tried to calm him.
“Baby, look at me! I’m okay! Nothing is broken, just a bloody nose is all.” I spoke slowly and calmly. He finally looked up at me and studied my face carefully. That seemed to relax him a bit. When I knew he’d settled I asked, “Now do you want to explain what all this carrying on was about?” His face turned as crimson as his bottom and he turned away again. “Bobby?”
He drew a deep breath as if to fortify his nerves and began to talk. “I’m really sorry, Dave. It wasn’t meant to hurt you, just to make you think that the paddle was a bad idea. If it broke the first time you used it, you’d realize how strong you are and wouldn’t want to use one again. I’m sorry, I really am. I’m so stupid, it was such a dumb idea.” With this he began to cry harder and light began to dawn for me.
“Bobby, you made that paddle so it would break?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
He nodded sadly. “I made the veneer very thin on both sides and even scored it before attaching it to a core of drilled out balsa wood. I knew it would break within a couple of swats, but I never thought it would hurt you.”
‘My poor boy,’ I thought but knew it would do little good to provide him with extensive sympathy for his actions. “I have to say I’m disappointed to hear this, Bobby. If you were so unsure or unhappy about the paddle, you should have told me. I’m always willing to talk with you. The discipline we use is consensual, isn’t it?” He nodded again. “However, instead of talking with me, you chose to deceive me with a sabotaged paddle.” This statement brought on a fresh round of tears.
“I’m going to have to think through the consequences for this, Bobby. While I’m thinking, I want you to be doing the same.” I pulled a wooden chair out and pointed to it. “You sit there and don’t move until I call you.” At some point he’d managed to pull on his boxers but that didn’t change the fact that his bottom was still stinging from the spanking and aborted paddling I had given him. So I wasn’t surprise to see the pleading look in his eyes as I pointed to the hard seat. “Sit!” I repeated firmly, leaving no room for argument. He let out a mighty hiss as butt met chair but he did what he was told.
I went up to our bedroom and got cleaned up and changed. I looked in on Bobby as I walked past my office; he was still seated as instructed, so I proceeded to the kitchen to get us both a bottle of water. When I returned, he looked up at me with sad expectant eyes. I took a seat on the couch but left him where he was on the hard chair. We spent the next half-hour discussing he’s feelings about using a paddle and the reasons he went so far as to create the sabotaged one.
In the end Bobby surprised me by saying that he felt the paddle was an appropriate thing for us and then he begged me to allow him to create a proper one. I know my boy well enough that he would make the best paddle in the world after what happened. I was however, careful to give him very specific instructions for dimensions as I got the feeling he might make a larger, more sever one than I wanted.
Bobby was still feeling very guilty about the whole incident though and I knew that in order to clear the air for him we would have to finish up the punishment we had started. I added four more swats to the sentence for his sabotaging of the other paddle.
Four days later Bobby presented me with a beautiful rosewood paddle, finish as smooth as satin. I looked it over carefully and gave it two firm swats against the palm of my hand, not that I thought for a second that it would break but more to get the feel of the impact it created. Bobby took those ten swats as stoically as possible but by the end the tears were seeping through his tightly closed eyelids.
I have had over to course of time a few occasions to make further use of that paddle. It looks as perfect today as it did the day he made it. It might sound odd but I think each time I’ve used it, it has brought us a little closer together with the remembrance of what lead to its creation.
Dave Brooks
Regrets, I've Had a Few
Written By: Mel
Question: Was there ever a time in your life that you got away with something you wish you hadn't? Tell us what it was and try to explain your feelings.
When I first read this question I dismissed it as it not pertaining to myself, after all in the relationship I share with my partner Bobby I hold the role of Top. I had thought to draw it to Bobby's attention, but I know everything that boy has ever tried to get away with and wished he had, and I can guarantee he wouldn't have anything to report here. As a matter of fact as I am writing this my young lover is sitting on a very sore bottom, while hunched over the kitchen table writing 'I will never use the snow covered roof as a toboggan jump again’ two hundred times.
However as I sit here supervising my contrite partner's writing, my mind wandered back to a time ten years ago before Bobby came to share my life. I was a resident at Riverside Hospital and in a relationship with a man who would remain my life long friend, but our life as lovers was short lived.
Paul was born mature. I have little doubt he was instructing his mother on proper diapering techniques before his first birthday. For me the desire to take charge and lead in a relationship grew with time. When we were together, Paul was the Top and I, not having learned the control that would later come through the firm application of Paul's hand to my butt, was the Brat.
Residency for anyone who has never done one is a both physically and mentally challenging experience. Paul and I were both going into Family Practice and were doing a rotation in the ER that winter. Paul was very driven and worked hard to keep both himself and me on track. I had taken more than one of his blistering spankings on the subject of getting enough rest when we were off duty. I won't go into long boring detail with you but suffice it to say when Paul and I were on opposite shifts instead of sleeping when I should I got into the habit of going out for a bit of fun with some of my friends. It took little time for this partying to catch up with me and I found myself facing 24 hours of on-call duty after having been awake for the previous twenty hours. The ER was filling up fast and I could barely keep my eyes open.
I made a decision that I still regret to this day. I wrote myself a prescription for amphetamines to give me a boost. Oh you're right if you're thinking this was not exactly kosher practice, but I was foolish enough to believe that I could handle it, especially since I wasn't a user and certainly ‘knew’ what I was doing, after all ‘I’ was a doctor and trained in these things. I cannot believe how arrogant and stupid I was.
I downed the pills with enough coffee to float a boat and took on practically every patient that came through the door. It was the middle of a miserable flu season, that along with a multi-victim M.V.A. (motor vehicle accident) and a load other assorted illnesses and injuries it was one hell of a busy day. But I was super doctor and there was no stopping me. About half way through my shift I began to feel the let down that comes when amphetamines wear off, so of course I rationalized myself into taking just a couple more to finish up the shift.
There was a point where it was quiet and of course I was encouraged to use the doctor's lounge to nap while I had the chance. But I was too wired to sleep and spent the time buzzing around the ER doing everything from charting to sweeping up in the trauma room. Less than an hour before the end of my shift, I was again feeling the let down of the drug wearing off.
A distraught mother arrived then with her four-year-old daughter who had taken a nasty fall and broken her arm. The child was in obvious distress and a great deal of pain. Typically I would have given the order for analgesics to the nurse and she or he would administer them, but it so happened that it was the middle of shift change for the nurses and the child would have had to wait a few minutes. Being at the end of my tether and not wanting to hear this child's crying go on, I went to the med locker myself and drew up the analgesic into a syringe. By the grace of God, Gloria Murphy R.N. and angel extraordinaire, walked in as I was doing this. She knew I was exhausted from the 24 hour shift and offered to help. I asked her if she would give the child the shot while I talked with the mother. Gloria is nothing if not a consummate professional and she would give no drug without checking it first, most especially a narcotic for a child.
As I was turning away she reached out and grabbed my arm firmly. "Dr. Brooks, I believe you may want to rethink the dosage for a four-year-old."
I looked at her rather haughtily and took the syringe from her hand and studied the contents. My stomach clenched. Tthere was enough Demerol in that needle to numb the pain of a grown man. I could have killed that child.
I barely made it through the end of that shift and wanted nothing more than to fly into Paul's strong arms and bare my soul; even knowing that it would earn me a paddling I would feel for days.
As I walked in the door of our apartment, ready to face what I had coming, I could hear Paul's beautifully accented voice talking. He was in the kitchen leaning heavily against the wall his face ashen and a tear was slipping down his cheek. "I know, Mum. I'll be home on the first flight I can get. I can't believe it. I love you too." He hung up the phone and looked at me with such sorrow in his eyes. His father had had a massive coronary infarction that morning and he died before reaching the hospital.
I never had the heart to burden Paul with my guilt and have carried it with me all these years. Although it wasn't long after that, Paul and I grew to know our relationship wasn't meant to be. We were first and foremost friends and have remained such. We entered into medical practice together and the first thing I insisted we do was to hire Gloria Murphy R.N. to run our office for us. She never once said a thing about that moment in the ER. She runs that office with an iron hand and is the only person I know who can tell Paul to bugger off and get away with it. LOL
I am very lucky man to have found a partner with whom I hope to share the rest of my life. I hope my own beloved Brat never feels the kind guilt I have born over this.
David Brooks M.D.
Question: Was there ever a time in your life that you got away with something you wish you hadn't? Tell us what it was and try to explain your feelings.
When I first read this question I dismissed it as it not pertaining to myself, after all in the relationship I share with my partner Bobby I hold the role of Top. I had thought to draw it to Bobby's attention, but I know everything that boy has ever tried to get away with and wished he had, and I can guarantee he wouldn't have anything to report here. As a matter of fact as I am writing this my young lover is sitting on a very sore bottom, while hunched over the kitchen table writing 'I will never use the snow covered roof as a toboggan jump again’ two hundred times.
However as I sit here supervising my contrite partner's writing, my mind wandered back to a time ten years ago before Bobby came to share my life. I was a resident at Riverside Hospital and in a relationship with a man who would remain my life long friend, but our life as lovers was short lived.
Paul was born mature. I have little doubt he was instructing his mother on proper diapering techniques before his first birthday. For me the desire to take charge and lead in a relationship grew with time. When we were together, Paul was the Top and I, not having learned the control that would later come through the firm application of Paul's hand to my butt, was the Brat.
Residency for anyone who has never done one is a both physically and mentally challenging experience. Paul and I were both going into Family Practice and were doing a rotation in the ER that winter. Paul was very driven and worked hard to keep both himself and me on track. I had taken more than one of his blistering spankings on the subject of getting enough rest when we were off duty. I won't go into long boring detail with you but suffice it to say when Paul and I were on opposite shifts instead of sleeping when I should I got into the habit of going out for a bit of fun with some of my friends. It took little time for this partying to catch up with me and I found myself facing 24 hours of on-call duty after having been awake for the previous twenty hours. The ER was filling up fast and I could barely keep my eyes open.
I made a decision that I still regret to this day. I wrote myself a prescription for amphetamines to give me a boost. Oh you're right if you're thinking this was not exactly kosher practice, but I was foolish enough to believe that I could handle it, especially since I wasn't a user and certainly ‘knew’ what I was doing, after all ‘I’ was a doctor and trained in these things. I cannot believe how arrogant and stupid I was.
I downed the pills with enough coffee to float a boat and took on practically every patient that came through the door. It was the middle of a miserable flu season, that along with a multi-victim M.V.A. (motor vehicle accident) and a load other assorted illnesses and injuries it was one hell of a busy day. But I was super doctor and there was no stopping me. About half way through my shift I began to feel the let down that comes when amphetamines wear off, so of course I rationalized myself into taking just a couple more to finish up the shift.
There was a point where it was quiet and of course I was encouraged to use the doctor's lounge to nap while I had the chance. But I was too wired to sleep and spent the time buzzing around the ER doing everything from charting to sweeping up in the trauma room. Less than an hour before the end of my shift, I was again feeling the let down of the drug wearing off.
A distraught mother arrived then with her four-year-old daughter who had taken a nasty fall and broken her arm. The child was in obvious distress and a great deal of pain. Typically I would have given the order for analgesics to the nurse and she or he would administer them, but it so happened that it was the middle of shift change for the nurses and the child would have had to wait a few minutes. Being at the end of my tether and not wanting to hear this child's crying go on, I went to the med locker myself and drew up the analgesic into a syringe. By the grace of God, Gloria Murphy R.N. and angel extraordinaire, walked in as I was doing this. She knew I was exhausted from the 24 hour shift and offered to help. I asked her if she would give the child the shot while I talked with the mother. Gloria is nothing if not a consummate professional and she would give no drug without checking it first, most especially a narcotic for a child.
As I was turning away she reached out and grabbed my arm firmly. "Dr. Brooks, I believe you may want to rethink the dosage for a four-year-old."
I looked at her rather haughtily and took the syringe from her hand and studied the contents. My stomach clenched. Tthere was enough Demerol in that needle to numb the pain of a grown man. I could have killed that child.
I barely made it through the end of that shift and wanted nothing more than to fly into Paul's strong arms and bare my soul; even knowing that it would earn me a paddling I would feel for days.
As I walked in the door of our apartment, ready to face what I had coming, I could hear Paul's beautifully accented voice talking. He was in the kitchen leaning heavily against the wall his face ashen and a tear was slipping down his cheek. "I know, Mum. I'll be home on the first flight I can get. I can't believe it. I love you too." He hung up the phone and looked at me with such sorrow in his eyes. His father had had a massive coronary infarction that morning and he died before reaching the hospital.
I never had the heart to burden Paul with my guilt and have carried it with me all these years. Although it wasn't long after that, Paul and I grew to know our relationship wasn't meant to be. We were first and foremost friends and have remained such. We entered into medical practice together and the first thing I insisted we do was to hire Gloria Murphy R.N. to run our office for us. She never once said a thing about that moment in the ER. She runs that office with an iron hand and is the only person I know who can tell Paul to bugger off and get away with it. LOL
I am very lucky man to have found a partner with whom I hope to share the rest of my life. I hope my own beloved Brat never feels the kind guilt I have born over this.
David Brooks M.D.
Snow Much Fun
Written By: Mel
It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, a real thrill. Bobby had always loved winter sports and with the 2006 Winter Olympics due to start in only twenty-one days, he was excitedly remembering his favourite events. No doubt the ones he enjoyed the most were the luge and ski jump. A program on the sports channel had been showing highlights from the previous Olympics. Bobby watched with fascination the incredible skill and daring of the athletes. The luge and the speed at which the competitors would move down the run with nothing but that small sled under them, was unbelievable. The ski jumpers and the way they flew through the air with such grace, was awe-inspiring. As he watched he dreamed of being an Olympian and feeling the thrill of competition.
Somewhere in the back of his mind an idea began to take place of how could he feel a small part of the thrill and excitement here in his own backyard?
Bobby and Dave lived in an old Victorian style home with a steep multi peaked roof, crowning it was a widow’s walk. This feature made it possible to stand safely on the top of the roof even when it was snow covered like it currently was. They had had several snowfalls recently and the roof had thick blanket of snow clinging to it.
On one side of their house was the driveway and separate garage that housed Bobby’s workshop and they had a huge fenced in yard at the back. On the other side of the house there was a rather steep hill that led down into a ravine.
Bobby stood outside the house and stared at the line of the roof and the drop of the hill, the angle for both was almost identical. Something coming down the side of the roof would fly two stories through the air and land on the hillside and continue the journey down into the ravine. There were a couple of trees along the hill but if one came off the roof at just the right place the trees could easily be missed he assured himself.
Wow, that would be the ultimate thrill, tobogganing off the roof through the air onto the hillside and continue down at what was sure to be incredible speed right into the ravine below. Being a skilled craftsman, Bobby had made his own toboggan and polished and waxed the wood to the point that it was as smooth and sleek as was possible.
Bobby knew damn fine that this would not be the sort of action Dave would approve of. Hell, a little voice in the back of his head was asking him if he needed psychiatric help. Bobby was not a child and knew that such a maneuver could be considered the actions of some dumb kid. But last week had been his 25th birthday and the words Danny had written in his card still burned him.
“Happy Birthday, Old Man. You’re too old now to have fun. Time to build yourself a rocking chair and live like all the other geezers, just remembering the good ol’ days as you rock your life away.” Bobby knew Danny had only been joking and really hadn’t meant the words at all but they still niggled at him. When was the last time he’d done anything just for the thrill, without thinking of the consequences? Way too long ago, that was for sure.
Mix together two parts ego, three parts testosterone and one part courage and you get one twenty-five year old man/brat with a toboggan climbing up an extension ladder onto a roof. Bobby carefully made his way to the widow’s walk and stared down the steep drop in front of him, his heart was pounding in his chest but despite the cold, he was sweating. Two voices warred in his mind. The adult voice of reason was screaming very loudly that not only was this just plain dumb, but it was highly possible he could be hurt. The other voice, that of his half-grown testosterone powered inner child, was yelling go for it you’ll fly!
David Brooks M.D. pulled into the driveway of the home he shared with his life partner. The first thing to catch his attention was the extension ladder leaning against the side of the house. It was pulled its full length right up to the roof. He leaped from the car and stepped quickly backwards along the driveway so he could see the roof. There were track marks marring the pristine snow on the housetop. ‘What the hell?’ He moved around to the front yard where he could see his beloved partner poised at the edge of the widow’s walk, straddling a toboggan in what appeared to preparation to shove off.
“Robert William Evans-Brooks don’t you dare!” he screamed out as loudly as his horror-filled voice would allow.
Startled, Bobby turned towards the voice and let go of the toboggan. Both men watched in stunned fascination as the sled quickly picked up speed and flew off the edge of the roof. It landed perfectly on the side of the hill and slid quietly down into the ravine. As it landed, Dave noticed that a large sack appeared to be lashed to the bed of the toboggan. Looking back up at the roof and seeing Bobby still safely ensconced within the rails of the widow’s walk, allowed Dave to draw what felt like the first breath he’d taken since pulling into the driveway.
“Uh… Hi, Dave,” Bobby called down to his stunned partner. “Perfect landing huh?” Dave’s face went from being as white as the snow on the lawn to the most incredible shade of purple Bobby had ever seen. “I’ll uh…. be right down.”
He worked his way down the ladder but before his could reach the ground he felt Dave’s hand take hold of the belt on his pants. As soon as his feet touched the driveway, he was pulled around and swatted four times on his backside. “Dave I…” he was cut off before he could begin to explain.
“In the house, Bobby, and find a corner in the office. You can explain all of this to me as soon as I can be sure I haven’t had a coronary.” Dave’s voice was harsh but slightly shaky.
Bobby decided that doing as he’d been told might be the best choice he’d made this evening and he quickly moved into the house, shucking his boots by the door and put his coat neatly on the hook, not wanting to further aggravate his partner.
Dave leaned up against the side of the house, willing himself to breathe slowly and deeply therefore calming his tattered nerves. Once he was collected enough to move, he carefully put the ladder back into the garage and retrieved his keys that were still dangling from the ignition of his car. He let himself into the house, removed his own boots, lining them up neatly on the boot tray and straightening Bobby’s hastily tossed ones along side his.
Dave Brooks wasn’t much of a drinker but there were times that simply called for a drink and this was one of them. He went to the cupboard in the kitchen where the liquor was stored and retrieved a bottle of Glenfiddich single malt whisky that he kept there for times when his father was visiting. He poured himself a healthy shot and took a deep swallow, shuddering at the strong taste and burn it produced. Then he sat at the kitchen table and slowly sipped at the rest until he’d emptied the glass. He seriously considered having another but knew it was time he went to check on Bobby. By now the Brat would have worked himself into quite a state standing in the corner of the office.
Dave walked into the office to find Bobby exactly where he expected, facing into the corner, arms wrapped tightly across his chest as if trying to bring himself some comfort. Dave sat on the old suede sofa and spoke softly. “Please come here, Bobby”
His partner turned and slowly made his way over to the couch. Dave patted the seat beside him and Bobby took a seat. Once comfortably situated, Dave took hold of his Brat’s hands and looked at him. “I know that I’m going to regret asking this, but what in the name of heaven were you doing up on that roof with the toboggan and what was that tied to it?”
Bobby went on to carefully explain how he had come up with this ill-considered plan to try a sort of combination luge and ski jump. “But when I got up there I realized that it might not work out as I had planned so I thought a kind of test run might be in order. So I climbed back down and got an old sack and some bricks that would add up to about my weight and some rope. It took a few trips to get it all up there but once I had, I lashed the works onto the sleigh and was just preparing to send it off for the test when you yelled at me. I was startled and let go and well….” At this point he couldn’t help but grin. “But did you see it? It worked, Dave, it really worked.”
Dave had done his best to remain calm and not interrupt this story as it was being told, but the thought of what might have happened had he not come home when he did, absolutely terrified him. The fact that Bobby seemed excited by the safe landing of the toboggan did not bode well for making him understand the shear foolishness of his actions.
“Bobby, I can completely understand that as you grow a little older you might mourn the loss of some of the easy freedoms of being a kid. To feel that adulthood and its responsibilities suppresses spontaneity is normal. Everyone goes through that. But to endanger your well-being, perhaps your very life on a thrill ride is something I cannot accept.”
Bobby hung his head knowing Dave was right but still, oh still, he’d have loved to have tried it. Dave seemed to sense that Bobby was still not completely on the same page as he was so he decided to use his final weapon in this battle to show his partner the error of his ways.
“Bobby, let me ask you something. If you had come home and looked up at the roof of our house and saw me standing there about to take a wild toboggan ride down the slippery roof, two stories through the air and then down a steep hill to the ravine below, what do you think you would be feeling?”
Bobby looked up and stared into Dave’s calm eyes. It took but a second to put himself in Dave’s shoes and understand where his partner was coming from. “I….I’d be scared beyond belief.” He whispered and then threw his arms around Dave’s neck and hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m so sorry to have scared you like that.”
Dave hugged his love tightly. “I know you are, honey, and I’m relieved that you can understand how I felt.” He sat and rubbed soothing circles on Bobby’s back for a few minutes, as much to calm himself as to calm his partner. Once he felt they were both ready to move on, he gently pushed Bobby out of the bear hug. “Now I think it’s time we dealt with this matter,” he said.
Bobby swallowed hard, knowing what Dave meant by that.
“You’re in for a serious spanking here, my boy. Although you didn’t actually make the final attempt, I think you and I both know that you were giving it serious thought. That falls under endangering your health and well-being, Bobby, and I will not let you off lightly for that. You are going to write out two hundred lines after we’re done in here and you are grounded for the weekend.”
Bobby looked up at that last decision and opened his mouth to protest, but quickly changed his mind when he saw the look in Dave’s eyes.
Dave drew his younger partner to his feet. “Take off your jeans and underwear please.”
Bobby’s hands shook a little as he slowly undid the button and zipper and lowered his pants and boxers together and stepped out of them.
Dave drew his Brat carefully across his lap and ensured that Bobby’s upper body was situated comfortably on the sofa. He wrapped his left arm around Bobby’s waist and then moved his right leg around to hold the younger mans legs still as his beloved had a reflex tendency to kick during a spanking. He drew his right hand up and brought it down with a crack against the vulnerable bottom. Bobby let out a yelp but had no time for further protests as the next smack was smartly landed.
Dave was determined to make his point felt on this matter and was in no hurry to end the painful barrage. He ensured that every inch of his partner’s firm bottom was well punished along with the top third of his thighs. If the hitching cries were any indication, Bobby was in no doubt of the seriousness Dave was trying to impart. Each time he considered stopping, Dave pictured Bobby flying off the rooftop to his death and he found the strength to continue. Finally when Bobby’s poor butt was well reddened, Dave put an end to it. He took the same hand he had punished with and began to softy rub his lover’s back.
Bobby lay crying miserably against the pillow he had buried his face into. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to move again, his bottom was burning so badly. But finally the gentle massaging motions of Dave’s hand combined with the intimate words of comfort from his mouth soothed him to the point he could consider movement.
Dave drew his young love up into his arms and pulled a blanket from it’s resting place on the back of the sofa and wrapped it around them both, cocooning them together. The two men sat quietly together for more than an hour before either felt like leaving their warm nest.
Three weeks later on a blustery winter’s day, they were cuddled together in the den watching the real Olympians in Torino, Italy. When the luge event came on and they watched the Team Canada member begin his run, Bobby looked at his partner. “You know, maybe I should build a sled like that. Bet it would move a whole lot faster down the rooftop than my toboggan.”
Dave turned and was about to begin a scathing lecture, when he saw the mischievous grin on his lover’s face. “You!” he laughed as he leaped on top of the little tease and began tickling. The two men finished out a cold winter’s day laughing and making love on the braided carpet of the den, forgetting all about the Olympics and the snowy weather outside.
The End.
Summer Vacation
Written By: Mel
Please Note: This is a sequel to ‘The Deepest Cut of All’ and is a WIP
The stream of sunlight falling on his face woke Danny from his deep slumber. He felt the familiar comfort of his lover’s arm draped across him. Paul was a cuddly sleeper and it had taken Danny sometime to get use to being held while he slept. He had always tossed and turned a lot during the night, and would often wake with the sheets tangled around himself or thrown off all together. However there was something comforting about having your lover wrap himself around you, something so reassuring about lying in Paul’s strong arms, that he soon came to enjoy the confinement.
Danny was too excited today to spend anytime lying in bed, enjoying his lover’s presence. He was anxious to get this day started, he and Paul along with their best friends Bobby and Dave would be leaving this morning for two glorious weeks of vacation. Bobby’s parents had given them the use of their cabin up in Muskoka for the last two weeks of August. It promised to be a relaxing and carefree time for the men. It would be good to get the two-workaholic doctors away from their patients and see them unwind.
Danny tried to roll over and slip out from under Paul’s arm, but it seemed his lover had other ideas. He quickly found himself being dragged back into Paul’s embrace.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Paul asked. His voice was heavy with sleep, but that sexy British accent still managed to give Danny a little shiver of excitement. Danny always swore that Paul’s voice was a beautiful blend, falling somewhere between that of Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery. “We are on vacation, sweetheart, there is no need to jump out of bed so early.” He lowered his lips onto his Brat’s and felt Danny melt beneath him.
Forty minutes later, the ringing phone awakened the slumbering lovers. Danny’s head popped up, he looked in surprise at the time and tried to climb out of bed. Paul fumbled for the receiver and grumbled out. “Hello?”
He was greeted by Bobby’s exuberant voice. “Hey Paul! You guys almost ready to go?”
Before he could formulate a response he heard Bobby yelp. “Oww!” and the sound of Bobby’s partner Dave could be heard in the background. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother them so early?” Dave came on the line. “Sorry, Paul, a certain young man here is pushing his luck this morning. He was told to wait until 8:30 before calling you.”
Paul chuckled. “It’s alright, David. I can understand his enthusiasm.” At this point the only thing holding Danny in the bed was Paul’s strong arm wrapped around his waist. “I’ve got a similar problem on my hands.”
Danny who was squirming in Paul’s arms, decided to try tickling Paul to get him to release his grasp, but soon found the tables turned and his partner was tickling him mercilessly. “Uncle…uncle” he squealed, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
“Hold on a second would you David?” Paul asked as he put the phone down on the bed and pulled Danny in close. He kissed him deeply, then gave a light swat to Danny’s bottom and said. “Hit the shower, Brat, we need to get a move on here.”
Danny was still breathless from the laughter and the kiss. “Tell Dave and Bobby to hurry, we don’t want to be late leaving!” he called out as he moved toward the bathroom.
Paul smiled to himself as he watched Danny’s tight little butt walking away from him. “Sorry about that, David. What’s your E.T.A. for this morning?”
“Bobby and I should be ready and waiting for you by ten AM. Does that sound good to you?” Dave replied.
“Sounds fine, we got everything except the perishable foods packed into the truck last night. So it will not take us long to get ready. We’ll see you by ten.”
Paul yawned and stretched as he got up from the bed. He was really looking forward to this vacation two wonderful weeks away with his lover and their friends, at a beautiful remote cabin. He smiled ruefully as he remembered his last visit to the cabin. They had gone in search of Dave’s runaway Brat. Bobby had injured himself on the job and had runaway with the misguided idea of saving Dave from disappointment. It had been an awful time for both Bobby and Dave, and the two were finally working through their problems. Bobby had been grounded from driving since the incident, three months earlier. Paul knew that the young man was desperately looking forward to retrieving his car from the cabin, where they had left it after bringing Bobby home.
Paul entered the master bathroom, his glasses immediately fogging up from the steam emanating from the shower. “Daniel!” he called out as he reached into the shower enclosure and adjusted the taps. “How many times have I told you not to have the shower so hot? It dries out your skin.” He gave his lover’s wet bottom a firm swat.
“I’m sorry, Paul.” Danny said as he jumped back from the older man’s reach. “It just feels so good.”
“It might feel good while it’s pouring over you.” Paul replied as he placed his glasses onto the counter and climbed into the shower to join his lover. “But it leaves your skin dry and itchy.” He pulled Danny out from under the spray, picked up the bottle of shampoo and poured a generous amount into his hand and gently washed his lover’s sopping hair. “And you, Brat that you are, scratch yourself until you bleed. And how do I feel about diabetics with open sores?”
Danny sighed as he quoted his partner mimicking Paul’s English accent. “You don’t like it, because open sores lead to infection, and diabetics are more susceptible to infection. And we don’t heal as well.”
Paul couldn’t help but laugh at the imitation. “Your accent’s improving,” he said as he gave his lover’s bottom a pinch. Danny jumped away, but Paul pulled him back and continued to wash the pale flaxen hair.
Paul loved to wash Danny’s soft hair, and of course Danny loved it too, he practically purred to the gentle massage. Danny was such a tactile creature, he responded so well to Paul’s touch. Whether it was the sensuous caress of lips to lips or a firmly applied hand to bottom, it never took much to get reaction from the younger man.
The two men finished up their shower, quickly dried off and returned to their room to dress. Ever prepared, Paul had laid out their clothes the night before. Danny frowned as he picked up the long pants and long sleeved shirt Paul had selected for him.
“You are kidding?” he asked, holding the garments in front of himself.
“Is there a problem, love?” he asked, knowing full well what Danny was complaining about.
“Long sleeves and pants!” he exclaimed. “It’s August, remember? Hot weather, sunshine, time for t-shirts and shorts.”
Paul smiled. “First of all, they are light weight cotton and will breathe very well. Secondly, we will be traveling for nearly two hours in an air-conditioned vehicle. So I hardly think you’ll get over heated. And finally, we will be unloading the truck on arrival and the mosquitoes will certainly love your unprotected skin.”
“The mosquitoes will be there the whole time we are! Do you expect me to dress like this all the time?”
“No, sweetheart, I don’t expect you to dress like that all the time, however when we are there you will have the time to put repellant on all your exposed skin before you go outside. That would be too difficult to do in the truck.”
Danny whined. “Paul, I’ll die from the heat!”
“I’m a Doctor I can revive you and if I can’t, I’ll make sure you have a nice funeral,” he replied with a grin.
“Not funny!” Danny shouted, as he threw the clothes down is disgust. “And I’m not wearing these.” He stormed over to the closet with the intention of seeking out more desirable clothing. Paul moved faster and grabbed his still-naked lover by the waist. Before he knew what was happening, Danny found himself face down over Paul’s bent knee, receiving a half dozen hard swats to his vulnerable bottom.
“Oww! No, Paul…stop!” he cried out.
“You do not speak to me in that manner, young man. Do you hear me?” He punctuated the question with two more swats before returning Danny to his feet.
Danny’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I’m sorry,” he sniffled.
Paul pulled him into a hug. “It’s alright. Now tell me, do you think that there was a better way for you to handle that?”
“I…I should have talked to you calmly and explained my feelings.”
“And if I still told you no, what should you do?” Paul asked.
“Do as I’m told, because you’re the one in charge and I gave you that authority over me when we started using discipline in our relationship,” Danny recited.
Paul shook his head. “Danny, this isn’t something to be memorized and recited. You should feel it and believe it. We’ve discussed this before and I’m willing to do so as often as you need it. Do you want discipline to be a part of our relationship?”
Danny nodded slowly. “Yes, you know I do. I just…well you know. Sometimes it’s hard.”
“I know, sweetheart, and I don’t expect you to be perfect. Just try and be more respectful and listen, okay?” Paul requested.
“I will, Paul, but please can’t I wear shorts and a tee?” He looked pleadingly at his partner.
“No, honey, I don’t want to take extra risks with mosquitoes. Scratching, itchy bites lead to the same kind of damage as scratching dry skin. I know it’s impossible to avoid all the mosquitoes that far north, but I’m determined you’ll avoid as many as possible. And for those that do get you I have packed the anti-itch cream.” Paul smiled at his young Brat. “Now let’s get moving here, before Dave and Bobby start wondering where we are.”
Although resigned to doing as his partner said, Danny still felt a little resentful of the required clothing. The two lovers quickly dressed, Paul wearing similar clothing to his Brat’s. The pair efficiently got the bed made and room tidy. Paul ensured all the upstairs windows were closed and locked, before they headed down stairs to for breakfast and to finish the final packing.
Danny had become quite efficient at his morning routine and had his blood glucose checked and insulin taken before Paul had a chance to remind him. Although Paul was still unable to stop himself from checking the readout on the glucometer before Danny shut it off. Satisfied with the numbers on the machine; Paul laid out a quick but nutritious breakfast. As they ate he couldn’t help but smile at how fidgety his young partner was, Danny was wolfing down his food in an effort to get going faster.
“Daniel, slow down! You’ll only end up with an upset stomach eating that quickly,” he admonished.
Danny was too excited to be effected by Paul’s chastising of him. “Come on Paul, don’t you wanna get going?” he asked while shoveling another spoonful into his mouth.
As Danny was preparing the next spoonful, Paul reached over and took hold of his wrist. He turned the wrist gently so that the watch face was turn towards its owner, effectively dumping the contents of the spoon back into the bowl. “Time please?” he asked.
Sighing deeply, Danny looked at his watch. “Nine o-five.”
“Danny, we have only to clear up from our breakfast, load the perishable foods into the coolers, and put them and ourselves into the truck. You were the one who worked so hard at getting everything else loaded last evening, while I was finishing up at the office. Now relax, sweetheart. We don’t have to be at David and Bobby’s until ten o’clock. You have time to finish your breakfast in a calm manner and still get all the other things done and be there in plenty of time. Okay?”
“Okay, Paul,” he mumbled as he continued to eat his breakfast in a somewhat more subdued manner.
Within short order the two men had their chores completed and were in the garage, placing the last cooler into the truck. Paul shook his head in wonder. “It’s going to be a real squeeze to get all of Dave and Bobby’s gear in here as well. Are you sure we need everything you packed here?” he asked as he poked through one large carton that appeared to be filled with nothing but inflatable beach toys and rafts. “Daniel, there must be four rafts in here and I don’t know how many beach balls.” He poked further around in the truck. “Volleyball net and ball, fishing gear, croquet set, beach chairs, pool noodles, boom box, and CD’s. You cannot possibly expect to need all of this.”
“The rafts are all different types and besides which, what if one gets a leak then we wouldn’t have enough. We need the sports equipment. Oh heck, Paul, we need everything here. Don’t worry; we’ll get it all in. Bobby and I can fit a lot of stuff around us in the back seat, too,” Danny spouted enthusiastically.
Paul shook his head and smiled. “Alright Brat, I don’t want to put a crimp in your vacation joy, but if we cannot get everything David and Bobby bring into the truck, we’re leaving you behind.”
Danny laughed as they closed the tailgate. “You’d miss me.”
Paul reached out and grabbed his young partner around the waist, and pulled him close. “Babe, I couldn’t imagine taking a vacation without you ever again.” He leaned over and kissed him deeply.
Ten minutes later they pulled into the driveway of the Brooks residence. Bobby was placing a large suitcase in front of a pile of other bags, cases and boxes. Danny winced at the size of the pile, Paul had been right this was going to be quite a squeeze. Danny leaped from the truck as soon as it came to a halt.
“Hey Bob-man, you guys got enough stuff here?” he called out as approached the huge pile.
“Shhh, quiet, Danny,” Bobby whispered. “Dave’s already on my case about how much stuff I packed. You don’t need to be adding fuel to his fire.”
Paul was close enough to hear the exchange between the two Brats. “Don’t worry, Bobby, you’re in good company. Daniel here has packed equally as much if not more than you have. And from the looks of things, you’re both going to have to give up some of your extras.”
“Extras!” they cried out in unison.
“Paul, I didn’t pack extras. Everything I brought was a necessity!” Danny exclaimed.
“That goes for me too!” Bobby added just as enthusiastically.
Dave came out of the house carrying one last bag. He took in the stack of baggage and the discussion going on between the men and knew they were going to have a problem with their over-packing Brats.
“Hi guys!” He called to Paul and Danny. Then looking at his own lover he admonished. “Bobby, didn’t I tell you to cut back on some of this stuff.”
Bobby turned toward Dave. “I already did cut back, we need all these things.”
Paul shook his head. “Boys, the laws of physics apply here, you cannot fit six cubic meters of volume into four cubic meters of space. Some of each of your stuff has to go.”
Danny looked indignantly at his partner. “Why ‘our’ stuff?” he asked. “Shouldn’t some of your stuff have to go too?”
“Daniel, I have packed one suitcase full of clothing, toilet articles and sundries, plus a small bag with books and medical journals. Beyond that there is only the food and bag of beach towels that we both are making use of. You on the other hand have a large volume of amusements and comfort items, that you will have to pare down. And I believe the same likely applies to young Robert here.”
Dave was quick to agree with his friend. “My packing list is just about identical to Paul’s, the only thing extra that I have is that small lumbar pillow for my back and since I will use it in the car, it won’t be taking up any extra space. However you, my boy,” he said, looking at Bobby and then pointing at the stack of bags, “seem to have just a few things more.”
Both the younger men frown and looked to each other. Danny spoke first. “Man you’re just gonna have to get rid of some of this junk, cause mines already packed.”
Bobby looked outraged. “My stuff isn’t junk! And I need it all; you get rid of your crap!”
“Crap!” Danny shouted.
Before the disagreement could escalate, the two Tops each took hold of their own Brat and delivered a firm swat to the seats of their trousers.
Paul spoke up. “That will be quite enough of that,” he said firmly. “You will both cooperate or we will not be leaving for this vacation. Daniel, I expect better behavior than this. We will unload the truck and sort through our belongings and you will decide on what you can leave behind or I will make that decision for you and you may not like my choices. Do I make myself clear here?”
Looking properly chastened, Danny replied. “Yes, sir.”
“The same goes for you, young man,” Dave said to his young partner.
Within short order the four men had everything laid out on the driveway in two distinct piles, one of necessities and the other luxuries. After some quickly-ended bickering, each Brat had given up an equal share of their luxury items, which were then locked up into the garage. Then everything else was loaded carefully into the truck.
By the time they were done it had gotten quite warm and Danny was whipping perspiration from his brow.
Bobby seemed to notice for the first time how his friend was dressed. “Danny man, what’s with the long sleeves and pants? You expecting a cold spell?”
Danny tipped his head towards his partner and replied. “You know who is afraid of mosquitoes,” he whispered.
“Afraid of mosquitoes?” Bobby laughed loudly enough to be heard by the older men.
Danny looked indignantly at his partner. “See Paul, Bobby thinks I’m over-dressed too!”
Paul gave Danny a look that caused his partner to wilt. “Daniel, haven’t we already had this discussion? Do we need to talk about it again?”
Danny knew from the look on Paul’s face that there was no sense in arguing. “No, sir,” he answered sullenly.
The four men piled into the heavily loaded truck and pulled out of the driveway, the two Brats in the back seat sorting through the CD’s trying to pick out the music they wanted to listen to. It had been agreed that the younger men could pick the first CD and from there they would alternate choices until their arrival.
Bobby pulled a disc out and showed it to his friend with a smirk. “How about this one? It’ll drive them nuts,” he laughed.
Danny whispered, “You know they both hate rap. You sure you want to pick this?”
“Why not? They said we could have the first pick and we both like Eminem.” Bobby leaned forward handing the disc to Dave. “Dave, we picked this one. Will you put it in for us please?”
Without bothering to look at the title, Dave popped the CD into the player. Within seconds the first of the rap music came over the speakers. Dave and Paul both turned to look at the two smiling Brats. Paul frowning even more than Dave, but before they could speak Bobby injected. “You said we could pick what we wanted.”
As Paul was about to respond, four letter expletives began to play over the car’s stereo system. Dave immediately reached over and ejected the offensive disc.
“Who is the owner of this trash?” he inquired holding the disc up to view.
Bobby looked a little sheepish. “It’s mine,” he responded.
Without further hesitation, Dave snapped the disc in half. “Not anymore it isn’t. I can barely tolerate your wanting to listen to rap-crap, but I will not tolerate the disgusting language I just heard. Would I put up with you talking like that?”
“Dave that disc cost me $17. You had no right to break it!” Bobby said indignantly.
“If that’s how you’re spending your money, young man, I’m going to have to start monitoring your purchases. This is totally inappropriate! What would make you want to listen to such garbage?”
“It’s not garbage; it’s music and I like it. Danny does too!” Bobby shouted.
Dave looked into the eyes of his partner and spoke in a soft, yet serious voice. “Lower your voice immediately, young man. I will not be spoken to in such a disrespectful manner.”
Bobby continued to shout. “You’re just being mean! And in the language of that song, fuck you!” He regretted the words the very second they came out of his mouth, but didn’t know how to take them back.
Danny looked in shock at his best friend. Dave and Paul exchanged looks, Paul slowed the truck and did a three-point turn on the road only two blocks away from their starting point and headed back to the Brooks house.
Realizing what was happening Bobby began to recant. “Dave, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. Please, don’t be mad,” he pleaded.
Dave held his temper. “Be quiet, Bobby. We’ll discuss this at home.”
“No, Dave, please, I’m sorry! We don’t need to go back home.” Bobby looked to his partner with tears welling in his eyes.
“I asked you to be quiet, Bobby. I meant it! Not another word until we are home,” Dave replied.
Bobby wrapped his arms around himself and stared out the window of the car until they pulled into the driveway. Dave got out first and opened Bobby’s door. When Bobby didn’t move, he reached over and undid his seat belt and took his arm, pulling his unresisting partner from the truck. Dave lead Bobby up the front steps of the house, unlocked the door and quick marched him into the den.
Not feeling the need to provide the comfort of the couch, Dave pulled a straight back chair out and sat on it. He pulled his Brat between his legs and holding him there, he reached up, undid his pants and lowered them along with the boxers down to Bobby’s knees.
“Please, Dave, I’m sorry!” Bobby pleaded again as he found himself staring at the carpet.
“Why are you being spanked, Bobby?” Dave asked.
“I’m sorry, Dave, I didn’t mean it…”
“Bobby, I asked you why are you being spanked?” he repeated.
“Because I swore at you and spoke disrespectfully,” Bobby replied knowing that Dave would keep him in this position until he gave the right answer.
Not wanting to hold up the proceedings any longer Dave raised his hand and delivered twenty sharp smacks to his partner’s bottom. By the time he was done, Bobby was sobbing freely. He pulled his young lover up into his arms, watchful of the tender behind and softly rubbed his back until Bobby regained his composure.
“I’m so sorry, Dave. I’ve ruined the start of our vacation,” he sniveled into Dave’s shoulder.
“No, baby, you haven’t ruined anything. It’s over now, finished and forgotten. Okay?” Dave continued to rub Bobby’s back. “Shall we get ourselves together and head out again?” He pulled himself and Bobby up from the chair and led his lover to the washroom. “Give your face a wash and we’ll to back out to the car.”
Within minutes they were climbing back into Paul’s S.U.V. Bobby gave Danny a half smile that his friend quickly returned.
The remainder of the journey to the cottage was uneventful. The moment they arrived, Bobby jumped from the truck and ran to his abandoned car. His car had been sitting there since May when he had run away from home after injuring himself in his workshop. He had taken refuse at his parent’s empty cabin and when Dave, Paul and Danny found him there, they took the injured Bobby back home in Paul’s SUV. Part of Bobby’s punishment for the debacle had been losing his driving privileges for the summer, so his car had remained where he’d left it all those months ago. Bobby was so grateful to see his car was still intact after sitting at the cabin all that time that he actually kissed the hood.
Danny laughed as he teased his friend, “Man, you really missed the car that much? You better watch it or Dave might get jealous.”
“Yeah, well, I missed her a lot. You know it’s hard not to have a car when you’re used to driving where ever you need or want,” he quipped, but then instantly regretted his words. Danny hadn’t been allowed to drive for months after he was first diagnosed with diabetes; his condition was difficult to stabilize and he had had dizzy spells. He had only just been able to regain his driving privileges a short while before. “Sorry, man, I forgot,” he said quietly to his friend.
“It’s okay,” Danny replied. “I understand.”
Dave called to the boys. “Come on, guys, lets get this truck unpacked and we can start having fun. That is if you’re through making out with your car, Bobby,” he teased.
The two Brats laughed and ran back to help with the work.
The dreaded unloading of the truck, and putting away of their belongings went well. The beautiful century old log cabin was fully modernized for convenience, but still maintained its old rustic charm. There were four good sized bedrooms each equipped with large comfy beds, a well-appointed bathroom, the great room with attached-kitchen, had huge windows right across the front with a spectacular view of the lake and a screened in deck. On the Deck were a large patio set and a six-person hot tub.
Bobby and Danny were in the kitchen fixing some lunch for the group. Paul was in the great room admiring the view of the lake, when he noticed in the reflection of the glass that Dave was coming up behind him surreptitiously rubbing at his lower back. Without turning he asked, “Is the pain bad today?”
“How do you always know?” he said with a grimace and shake of the head. “It’s really not too bad, just aching from the long trip and carrying so much baggage.”
“Have you taken anything?” Paul inquired.
“Just Advil.” Dave responded quietly, knowing how that would go over.
But Paul just looked at him over the top of his glasses. “Is that enough?”
“The Flexeril makes me drowsy and it’s not that bad right now. Okay?”
Dave had injured his back playing college football, despite repeated physiotherapy and the ongoing care of his personal physician, who was staring at him right now over the rim of his glasses, Dave still suffered bouts of pain and muscular spasm.
Paul decided it wasn’t worth arguing about yet. “Why don’t you try out the hot tub later, it might help.”
Dave smiled. “Sounds like a good idea.”
In the kitchen Bobby and Danny had fixed a plate heaping with sandwiches and had filled three glasses with iced tea and lemon and a fourth with Diet Pepsi for Danny. They carried them on trays through the great room to the sliding doors that lead to the deck beyond.
“Come on, guys, let’s eat!” Danny called out enthusiastically.
“Yeah, let’s get this done so we can go swimming,” Bobby agreed.
“You have to wait a while after you eat, before you can go in swimming,” Paul cautioned.
“Oh, come on, Paul. That’s an old wives tale,” Danny moaned.
Paul gave his lover a serious look. “It is a healthy and reasonable precaution that you will follow.”
Both of the younger men sighed knowing that an argument would get them no where.
A brilliant thought came to Bobby’s mind. “How about we go out in the boat after lunch? We could tour around the lake.”
Danny smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! We could all go for a ride. I’d love to see some of the other places around here.”
Paul nodded his head in agreement. “Excellent thought, Bobby. Something we’d all enjoy.” However, his enthusiasm for the idea came to a sudden halt when he heard the soft moan from Dave. Turning to look at him, Paul realized that his friend and former lover was in a lot more a pain than he had previously admitted. “David, that back of yours is giving grief, isn’t it?”
Dave plastered a smile on his face and decided to lie through his teeth. “No, I’m perfectly fine and a boat ride sounds like fun.”
Displeased with Dave’s deception but not wanting to call him on it in front of their partners, Paul formulated a plan. “After we finish, why don’t Dave and I go down to the dock and get the boat ready to go, while you boys clean up the dishes. Then Dave and I will take care of the dinner and clean up, while you two go swimming. Sound fair?”
The two Brats agreed enthusiastically and the group quickly finished their lunch.
Paul took the boat keys from the kitchen cabinet and they walked down to the dock, Dave could feel the spasms in his back getting worse, but there was no way in hell he was going to let on to Paul. He knew Paul would have him doped up and on restricted activity if he was aware of the situation. Besides he thought, if he took the muscle relaxants at bedtime and made liberal use of the hot tub he’d be just fine.
The boat was an old 1940’s cedar strip model with an inboard motor. Bobby’s stepfather had lovingly restored it to its original beauty and it was his pride and joy. When they reached it Paul easily climbed in and sat at the helm watching as Dave carefully lowered himself inside. As soon as Dave was in, Paul turned to check the gages.
“Looks like we’re low on fuel. Is there a marina near by?” Paul asked knowing full well there were no marinas on this lake. The gas for the boat had to be brought in from the outside, in containers that were stored behind the garage.
“No,” Dave answered, and explained the gas situation.
“Oh yes, I remember now. Bobby mentioned it when we were discussing this trip,” Dave said smilingly. “Be a good fellow would you and bring down one of those petrol cans, so we can fuel her up and be on our way.” He knew that Dave would find climbing back out of the boat, trudging up the hill to the garage, and then carrying back a full can of gasoline, to be impossible with the pain he was currently in.
Dave attempted to come up with a plausible excuse to have Paul get the gas, but knew in his heart he was being set up. He looked at his friend’s intense blue eyes and finally sighed. “You know damn fine I can’t manage that right now, don’t you?”
Paul was unwilling to let Dave off quite so fast. “Whatever do you mean, old man?” he asked sweetly.
“My damn back, that’s what I mean and you bloody well know it, too!"
Giving Dave a look he knew only too well, Paul responded, “And I don’t appreciate being lied to. I’ve half a mind to turn you over my knee right here. About the only thing stopping me is the fact that your back couldn’t tolerate that position.”
“So then let me sit here and rest my back while you get the gas, huh?” he suggested, hoping that Paul would go along with him.
“David, you’re obviously in a great deal of pain. Now let’s get you back up to the cabin where you will take the Flexeril and some Tylenol 3. I’ll give you a massage and you will get some rest.” He moved over to Dave, holding out his arm to give his friend a hand out of the boat.
However, Dave had other plans. “The boys want to go boating and I’m not about to disappoint them. My back will be fine, this is hardly a life threatening condition, Doctor, and I will survive a few muscle spasms.”
Paul sat down on the bench seat beside him. “The boys can manage to wait for the boat ride until tomorrow when we get these spasms settled. You however cannot wait to receive treatment you know that the pain will only get worse with the buffeting your body would take in the boat. Now stop giving me grief, young man, and do as you’re told.”
Dave sat momentarily considering arguing further with Paul, but knew it would be a waste of energy. He knew that Paul was right, the boat ride would play havoc on his back. He might just as well give in and let his friend treat him.
“You win,” he sighed. “Let’s go.” He reached for Paul’s arm and allowed his friend to assist him out of the boat and back up to the cottage.
Bobby and Danny were just coming out the door as Dave and Paul arrived. Paul was supporting Dave as he walked and handed the boat keys to Danny. “Put these away for me, honey. We won’t be going boating today.”
Danny took the keys looking very disappointed. “How come?” he asked.
Paul had no time to answer as Bobby took in the pained expression on his lover’s face and the hesitant manner in which he was walking.
“Dave, is it your back again?” he interrupted.
“Yes, honey, I’m afraid it is.” Dave looked sadly towards his partner. “We’re going to have to put off the boat ride for now.”
“Oh, of course we will. Let me help you,” Bobby replied sympathetically. They led Dave down the hall towards the bedroom he and Bobby were staying in, and Bobby helped him strip down to his shorts as Paul went to retrieve his medication.
Dave dutifully swallowed the pills Paul handed to him and smiled up at his lover from the bed. “Bobby, I’m just going to get some rest. Why don’t you and Danny do something to amuse yourselves? You could shoot some hoops or toss the Frisbee or something. Then you can go for a swim in a little while. Okay?”
Bobby didn’t want to leave his lover in pain. “No, I’m going to stay here with you. You might need me.”
It was Paul who spoke up to reassure him. “Dave is right, Bobby. I’m going to give him a massage, and stay with him a little while. The medication will make him sleepy. It’s perfectly fine to leave him. You and Daniel might as well go and have some fun. Just promise me you’ll stay out of the water for another half hour okay?”
Bobby looked hesitantly at Dave, but Dave smiled at him. “Go on, hon, and have some fun,” Dave said.
“Okay, if you’re sure?”
“Yes, baby, I’m fine. I’ll feel better if I know my back isn’t spoiling your fun.”
Danny was in the living room waiting for someone to let him know what was happening. He looked up expectantly as Bobby came down the hall.
“How’s Dave doing?” he asked.
Bobby gave his friend a reassuring smile. “He’ll be okay. He just needs some rest. Paul is going to stay with him for a bit. They both said we should go have some fun. So what do you wanna do?”
Danny smiled brightly. “So let’s go out in the boat.”
“Not without Dave and Paul, ‘cause they both wanted to go with us,” Bobby reminded him.
“We can go again tomorrow with both of them. But what’s stopping us from going now? You have driven the boat before, haven’t you?” Danny teased.
“Of course I have,” Bobby answered. “I just wanted to take all you guys to see the lake together. It’s so nice to see.”
“Well I want to go and I don’t see why our good time should be spoiled because Dave has a bad back.”
Thinking it through, Bobby began to believe a boat ride was just what the doctor ordered. “Okay, but you go and check with Paul. I don’t want to go without their okay.”
“Sure,” Danny replied enthusiastically. “I’ve got the keys and I’ll tell Paul we’re heading out.”
Danny stopped outside of the door to Dave and Bobby’s room. He could hear Dave moaning, and then Paul’s voice could be heard.
“Dave, you’re really tight, when was the last time you let anyone do this for you?”
“You were the last one, Paul. Quit talking and just do it.” Dave moaned again. “Press harder you’ll never loosen me up going that gently.” There was a pause and then Dave spoke again. “Oh yeah, that’s better, that feels so good.”
The blood drained from Danny’s face as he realized what was happening in that room. Knowing he’d heard enough, he turned from the door and ran down the hall through the great room and out the door, not stopping as Bobby called out to him.
“Hey, Danny! Where you going, man?” Bobby yelled as he ran after his friend.
Danny ran down the incline to the dock and jumped into the boat, tears streaming down his face. He threw himself into the helm seat and sobbed miserably against the steering wheel.
Bobby was seconds behind and placed his hand on Danny’s shoulder as he took the seat beside him.
“Danny? Danny, what’s wrong?” he asked gently.
Danny just sat there feeling the boat bobbing up and down in the water, and the hand of his friend pressed against his shoulder. Nothing in his life could ever be the same again; the man he loved was cheating on him. Not only that but now he had to tell Bobby that Dave was cheating on him as well. He tried to pull himself together to explain what was wrong, but only found himself crying harder.
Bobby was worried; he couldn’t understand what was happening with his friend. Danny was always such a happy person. What could have caused this sudden change in his mood. He tried again to comfort his distraught friend.
“Danny, it’s okay, man. Just tell me what’s wrong, I can help you.” But Danny still couldn’t seem to talk, he just continued to cry. “I’m gonna go and get Paul, okay?” Bobby added, thinking this would reassure his friend.
Horrified by what Bobby was saying, Danny yelled out, “No!” Barely able to catch his breath enough to talk, he grabbed Bobby’s arm and again repeated, “No, don’t…don’t get Paul.” He sobbed as just saying Paul’s name caused a pain to stab through his heart.
“Okay, Danny. Just calm down, man, and I won’t get him.” Danny was squeezing his arm unbearably hard, and he tried to loosen his fellow Brat’s grip.
Danny just wanted to get far away from the cabin; he needed some space in order to explain the situation to Bobby. Pulling himself together enough to speak he said, “Let’s go and take that tour of the lake.” He was trying to wipe the tears away from his eyes enough to get the key into the boat’s ignition.
Bobby said, “Danny, we shouldn’t be going anywhere with you so upset. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
Danny turned and was finally able to meet Bobby’s eyes; he tired to formulate an excuse that would persuade him to go. “I’m okay Bobby, really. I’ll tell you all about it as we go. Okay?”
Bobby shook his head. “We need to tell Paul and Dave where we’re going first.”
Danny knew they had to get away and couldn’t let Bobby go back up to the cabin and hear what was happening in that bedroom. “No, it’s okay I already told them,” he lied.
Bobby was torn, he knew that Danny was keeping something from him and that he really should go and discuss it with Dave, but his best friend needed him. ‘Damn, are you a man or a child?’ he asked himself. A man would be able to help his friend without running to his lover for advice. Besides they were just going for a boat ride and he didn’t want to disturb Dave, who should be sleeping.
Bobby nodded. “Okay, just let’s go, but I should drive. You don’t know the lake like I do.”
“You can navigate,” Danny replied as he put the key into the ignition and started up the motor. It took a couple of tries to get the old engine to turn over, but soon it was purring and he turned to his friend. “Can you release the lines?”
Bobby went first to the front and leaned out releasing to line from the dock and then repeated the same at the back of the boat. Danny pulled slowly away from the dock. Bobby guided Danny along a well-known route around the lake and watched his friend’s expression carefully as they drove. Danny appeared pale and tense; a sad look in his face was that of someone who had lost their best friend.
“Danny, you wanna talk about it now?” he asked gently.
Danny shook his head. “In a little while; let’s just get far from here, okay?”
This was a quiet, private lake with cottages that had been kept in the owner’s families for generations. Most cottagers owned large pieces of property with beautiful cottages nestled into the trees. Many were century buildings like Bobby’s parent’s cabin, and there were long stretches of shoreline with no development.
The boys were about four miles from the cabin towards the west side of the lake and at least eight-hundred feet from shore when Danny heard the engine sputter. He looked down at the gas gage for the first time that trip and realized with horror what the problem was. The engine quickly died and he turned to Bobby with fear. “Oh God, Bobby, we’re out of gas.”
Bobby leaned over his friend to look at the gage, as if doubting the truth of the predicament they were in. “Shit! Didn’t you look at the gage when you started out?” he asked reprovingly.
Shaking his head, Danny replied, “No, I didn’t even think about it. Fuck, this is the worst day of my life.” He began to cry again.
As the boat bobbed silently in the water, Bobby took in his surroundings. They were a long ways from any cottages and the lake was quiet right now, no other boaters were anywhere near to them. He looked back at his friend and knew that there were other problems to be dealt with. Danny was still very upset and being stranded on the water wasn’t helping.
“Danny, since we’re stuck here for the moment, you wanna tell me what’s bothering you?”
Looking up at Bobby’s huge blue eyes he realized it was time to tell his friend the truth. They could share their broken hearts together and somehow figure out what to do with their shattered lives. He wiped at the tears that threatened to spill again and swallowed hard. “Bobby what I have to say is very hard and I know you’ll be as miserable as I am when you hear it, but I can’t hide it from you.”
A chill ran up Bobby’s spine as he listened to his friend.
“When I went to tell Paul we were going to go out boating, I heard something, I heard Dave moaning and…” he stopped for a moment to pull himself together. “Paul was telling Dave how…how tight he was. Oh God, Bobby, Dave was telling Paul to push harder. They were having s…sex.”
Suddenly Bobby burst out laughing. At first Danny thought he was crying but looking at his friend’s face he knew it was laughter. Had Bobby flipped out he wondered; what the hell was wrong with his friend?
Looking at Danny’s stricken face sobered Bobby quickly. “Oh Danny, I’m sorry, but you’re so mistaken. Danny, they weren’t having sex, don’t you see? Paul was giving Dave a massage.”
Danny’s eyes opened widely with surprise. “A…a…massage?” he stammered.
“Yeah, you nut. Paul and Dave would never cheat on us like that. Paul told me he was going to give Dave a massage for his back. Besides, with the drugs Dave took, he would’ve fallen asleep in the middle of it. Think about it, Paul said Dave was tight, right? And Dave said push harder. Yeah, that could sound like sex, but it could also be a massage. Am I right?”
Poor Danny felt like such a fool. Of course Paul wouldn’t cheat on him; he’d made such sweet love to him only that morning. Paul was such an honest decent person that cheating like that would be completely out of character.
“I’m so stupid,” Danny answered him. “How could I ever have thought they would cheat on us?”
Laughing Bobby replied, “Yeah, can you picture those two Tops together? What a hoot; both of them trying to take charge.”
The two Brats sat in the powerless boat laughing until they had tears pouring down their cheeks. They traded ‘Top’ jokes for sometime until Bobby noticed that the wind was picking up and the boat was being tossed about in growing swells. He looked upward and could see a quickly approaching storm front. Sudden afternoon storms on hot humid days like this were not uncommon but not good news for boaters out on the lake; especially ones stranded without gas.
Danny turned to look at his friend, concern written on his face. “This weather doesn’t look good, Bobby. What should we do?”
Bobby moved to the back of the boat and lifted up one of the seats that was over a storage box. He pulled two paddles from the box handing one to Danny. “We’re going to have to try and paddle over to the closest shoreline, and wait out the storm there. You paddle from where you’re sitting and I’ll paddle from the other side, we need to work together to get the boat going in the right direction. It won’t be as easy as trying to paddle a canoe, but we can do it.”
Danny took the paddle and followed Bobby’s directions. The wind was rapidly picking up and the two young men franticly paddled working hard to get the boat going where they wanted, the shore-line slowly grew closer as the skies opened up on them. Rain pelted down in great sheets and the sky was lit by huge bolts of lightening, within seconds both of them were drenched to the skin.
As they got closer to the shore they could see that it was lined with large boulders with the waves crashing over them. Bobby knew that the boat could be thrown against one of those rocks and smashed like kindling. He turned to his friend shouting over the storm. “We’ve got to paddle further down the lake towards the next cottage; the boat will be torn to pieces over those rocks if we get too close.” But the wind and the storm were too strong for the small paddles to control the direction of the boat. They found themselves getting closer and closer to the rocky shore. They paddled like mad men trying to avoid impending doom.
Suddenly over the din of the storm Bobby could hear the sound of a boat motor he looked up and saw a large modern boat closing in on them. The boat’s driver was waving at them yelling something. At first neither of the boys could understand, but as the boat grew closer they could see and older man at the helm of the boat and a young woman, both were dressed in life jackets.
The driver called out again to them. “We’re going to throw you a line, secure it to the bow cleat and we’ll tow you in.”
As Bobby began to crawl out onto the bow the driver again yelled to him. “Get a life jacket on you damn fool!”
Bobby stopped and realized how foolish they both had been not wearing life jackets in this storm. He grabbed one from the storage box and tossed another to Danny. The both donned their jackets and Bobby again proceeded onto the bow. The driver angled to boat a little closer he had dropped fenders down the side of his boat to prevent damage if the two boats should make contact. The young woman had a coil of line in her hand the other end of which was secured to a water skiing hitch. When the two boats were close enough she tossed to line to Bobby, who immediately tied it to the cleat on the bow of his boat.
The older man again called to him. “Get back and sit down while we tow you in.” The two cold and wet young men sat together in their boat thanking what ever gods who look after wayward Brats for their timely rescue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour earlier at the cabin:Paul smiled down at his sleeping friend, Dave had finally settled off to sleep the pull of the medication and the relaxing massage had overcome his restlessness.
Leaving Dave to rest he walked out to the great room in search of the two younger men. He walked to the side entrance and looked out over the yard behind the cottage, seeing no sign of them he walked around to the lakeside. It had been longer than the prescribed half-hour wait, so he expected to find the Brats splashing around in the lake. Instead the sight that caught his eye was the empty boat slip on the dock.
‘Damn,’ Paul though to himself. ‘I don’t believe those two would go out in the boat without saying a word to us.’ He turned back to the bookshelves behind him, remembering that he had seen a pair of binoculars there earlier that day. Taking them with him, he left the cottage and ran down to the dock. Paul scanned the immediate area, seeing no sign of the boat he began to search as far as he could with the high powered field glasses. He had been sure that the boys would not go far from the cottage and began to grow worried as he realized that he was mistaken in his presumption.
Paul scanned the lake with futility for more than 30 minutes. As he was searching storm clouds began to move in overhead and the water grew steadily choppier with the increasing winds. Small whitecaps formed on the lake and Paul began to feel the edge of panic setting in, as he could still see no sign of the vintage boat within range of the cottage.
As the skies began to open and fat raindrops started to pelt down around him, Paul knew it was getting less and less safe to be standing in the open. The first bolt of lightening lit up the heavens as he ran for the cottage. In the few short seconds it took him to reach shelter Paul found himself nearly soaked to the skin. He quickly toweled himself off and returned his attention to the outdoors and the storm blowing across the lake. He once again scanned the lake with the binoculars to no avail.
The sound of footsteps coming down the hall behind him drew his attention from the window. Dave came into the room. “Hell of a blow we’re getting; the thunder woke me up,” he said with a grin. Looking around he noticed the absence of their lovers. “Where are the boys?” he asked. The scowl of Paul’s face immediately alerted Dave that there was a problem. “What’s wrong Paul? Where are they?” his voice taking on a decided edge.
“I don’t know David. The boat was gone from the dock when I came out here. I’ve been searching the lake ever since.” He indicated the field glasses in his hand. “I just came inside when the storm hit. What I don’t understand is why they wouldn’t have come back when they saw the storm approaching?”
“It’s been over an hour since Bobby left me to your ministrations. Do you think they left immediately?”
Paul shook his head. “I wish I knew. Why wouldn’t they say anything? Those two know better than to take off like this without informing us.” He asked not really expecting an answer.
A great clap of thunder shook the cabin and rattled the windows, both the Tops stood at the window transfixed by the tempest before them. Dave shook himself from his reverie and turned to his friend. “The only think I can think is that they were too far out to get back safely and they found a safe place to dock and wait out the storm.”
“I hope you’re right. But one way or the other that young man of mine is in serious trouble for taking off like this without letting me know,” Paul replied.
“Danny isn’t the only one in trouble; Bobby is in just a deep with me.” Dave stood chewing on his lower lip, an unconscious habit he had whenever he was troubled.
Paul noticed the action and reached up carefully tugged the lip out of the mouth with his thumb. “Don’t chew,” he admonished gently. “How’s your back feeling?”
“It’s fine,” Dave replied, distracted from his chewing. “I just wish we would hear from the boys.”
Another thirty minutes passed and the two men were getting as frantic as two cool headed Tops can get. The storm was letting up, reduced now to a steady rainfall without the high winds and electrical activity it previously had.
As their powerless boat arrived at the dock behind their rescuers Bobby and Danny took hold of the docks edge and then pulling the boat into position they got the lines and secured it to the dock. The older man and young woman had already secured their boat and were approaching the smaller craft.
“Tie her off well.” The man advised rather loudly over the storm. “We need to get inside before one of us becomes a lightening rod.” He pointed up to a beautiful cottage nestled between huge spruce trees. As they finished with the boat the man reached down to help the boys up. “Let’s go!” he yelled.
The four ran for the cottage and were breathless as they made their way inside. Turning to the young woman, the man said, “Grab us all some towels Stephanie.”
“All ready on it, Dad,” she replied. Stephanie handed large soft towels to each of them and taking one for herself; they all began to dry off.
Bobby looked around and saw they were in a mud room of sorts with large hooks on the walls many of which were filled with jackets, rain wear and assorted hats. There were neat cubby holes with various foot wear and boots tucked into them and cupboards and shelves all well organized and filled with various sporting goods and beach toys. This included the deep shelves filled to capacity with the soft fluffy beach towels of which they were all making use.
Once they were no longer dripping the elder man turned to Bobby and Danny. “There are robes in that closet behind you. Hand me the navy one, you two can have your pick of the others.” Then looking to his daughter, he said, “Steph, you go change in your room we’ll strip down here and get all these clothes into the dryer.”
Obeying the directive Danny opened the closet and took out three robes as the young woman called Stephanie left the room. He handed out the robes and then the two boys stood shyly as they waited for their host to make the first move.
The man looked at the two self-conscious younger men and laughed. “Shuck the clothes boys. We’re all men here, nothing to be embarrassed about.”
The two boys stripped down and quickly donned the robes; they were both shivering from being soaked so long and the cool air-conditioned cottage. The man tossed them each a pair of thick gray insulated socks. “I don’t think I have slippers that will fit you but these should help warm your feet.”
Speaking up for the fist time, Bobby whispered quietly. “Thank you, sir.”
“Yes, thanks.” Danny joined in.
The man smiled at them. “Hand me those wet things lads and we’ll toss them into the dryer.” At the end of the room there was a stacked washer and dryer, he placed all the clothes into the dryer and started the machine. He then led the way into the cottage interior.
The cottage was of a newer construction from that of Bobby’s parents place, but was very tastefully decorated, and filled with large overstuffed furniture that just cried out to be sunk deeply into. There was a beautiful view of the lake through expansive windows. “Make yourselves comfortable, boys,” he said as he took a seat in a large wing chair and to boys sat together on the huge sofa. “So which one of you is Phil Brewer’s step-son?”
Bobby looked up in surprise. “I am,” he replied. “But how did you know?”
“Well let me introduce myself first. I’m Dr. William Simmons, and Phil Brewer is a friend of mine. It was his boat on the lake in this storm that first caught my eye. There is no mistaking that antique of his. He told me that you and your partner and friends were using the cabin for the rest of the month, I was going to come over and say hello this week anyway. This just speeds up the introductions.”
Bobby smiled at the man. “Well I’m Bobby Brooks and this is my best friend Danny Ladd. I don’t know how we can thank you Dr. Simmons. You saved our lives out there. We were so lucky you saw us and that you were willing to endanger your own lives to rescue us. We would have smashed into those rocks for sure.”
“No need to be so formal, young fella, just call me Bill,” he replied. “What I don’t understand though is what made that boat stall out on you. Phil had that motor completely rebuilt only last month.”
Danny hung his head in shame. “It was all my fault. The motor didn’t stall out, we ran out of gas, cause I didn’t check it before we left.” He whipped at the tears forming in his eyes. “I nearly killed us both and would have destroyed that beautiful boat as well.”
Bobby put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Hey, Danny, it's okay. It could have happened to anyone.”
Bill looked at the remorseful young man and felt his heart melt for the poor kid. But still such foolish behaviour needed to be dealt with firmly. These young people needed to learn to take appropriate precautions before taking on such potentially dangerous activities as boating.
“Sorry young, Robert, but it really isn’t okay. Taking a boat on a lake this size is serious business; you always do a complete check before you leave the dock. You boys made some dangerous mistakes out there, running out of fuel wasn’t the only one. For instance, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found neither of you had put on your life jackets during that storm. And paddling towards an unknown shore was very foolish indeed.”
With this Danny began to cry. “Paul is gonna kill me,” he muttered.
Bobby wasn’t having much luck holding back his own tears. “Dave too, we’re in deep here, Danny.”
“I’m not sure who Paul and Dave are, but I can take a guess that they are your partners. Am I right?” Bill inquired. The two Brats nodded in unison. “Don’t you think you should give them a call and let them know you’re okay?”
Sniffling back his tears, Bobby looked up at their host. “Yeah, can we borrow your phone?”
Reaching to the table beside him Bill took a cordless phone and handed it to Bobby. "Help yourself. I’m happy to talk to them and give them directions on where to pick you up.”
Bobby took the phone and with shaky fingers began to dial the number to the cabin.
On the other end the two Tops dived towards the phone and Dave had it in his hand before the echo of the first ring ended. “Hello?” He spoke anxiously.
“Hi Dave, it’s me,” Bobby whispered into the phone.
“Bobby! Thank god! Where are you? Are you all right? Is Danny with you?" He spoke his voice breaking with relief.
“Yes, Danny’s here and we’re okay. We’re at a cottage a few miles down the lake,” Bobby replied.
Paul was hovering near Dave, waiting to hear what was happening. Dave quickly relayed the answers as he was getting them.
“What happened to you? Why didn’t you head back home as the storm was approaching? For that matter what were the two of you thinking about, going out in that boat without even discussing it with us?” he questioned his partner.
“Dave, can we discuss all the details when you get here?” Bobby pleaded.
“You want to bet we’ll be discussing this in detail, young man. Just tell me where to find you. Paul and I will be there as quickly as possible.”
“Bill, that is Dr. Simmons, the man that helped us. He’ll give you the directions, okay?” Bobby handed the phone back to their host. “This is my partner Dr. David Brooks. You can give him the directions.”
“Dr. Brooks,” Bill said. “Bill Simmons here, I’m a friend of Phil Brewer’s. I found these young fellas stranded on the lake during the storm. No need to worry though they’re just fine.”
“Dr. Simmons, I don’t know exactly what happened here, but I get the impression I owe you my deepest gratitude for helping out our partners.”
“Not at all, glad to be of assistance. Now if you’re going to drive here you need to take the lake road you’re on back out to Side Road 38 and turn west until you come to Humber Trail, go north along Humber Trail for 5.3 km. My cottage has a sign by the road that says Simmons Retreat just turn in the driveway. We’ll be waiting for you.”
“Thank you, we’ll be there as quickly as possible,” Dave replied.
Bill turned off the phone and replaced it in its cradle. Stephanie re-entered the room; she had changed into fresh sweatpants and a T-shirt. Her long dark hair tied up into a twist on her head. She was carrying a tray with a jug and several ice-filled glasses. “Can I offer you gentlemen some lemonade?” she inquired.
Bill smiled gratefully. “Thanks, hon, that’s very nice.”
Bobby nodded his head enthusiastically. “Thank you! I love lemonade.”
Beside him though, Danny just whispered quietly. “No thank you. I’m just fine.”
Realizing his friend’s problem, Bobby spoke up. “Danny can’t drink something with sugar like lemonade.”
Bill looked towards the slim, quiet young man and his experienced medical eye told him that the boy wasn’t just dieting. “Are you diabetic?” he inquired kindly.
Danny nodded. “Yes sir.”
“Can I offer you a Diet Pepsi?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” Danny said with a smile.
Stephanie sat the tray down on the coffee table and turned as to go back to the kitchen, but Bill his already risen. “Sit down sweetheart; I’ll get our guest his drink. If you could pour some lemonade for the rest of us?”
“Sure, Dad,” she responded
Within moments, the four were enjoy a refreshing drink and talking about life on the lake. Stephanie took a shine to these delightful young men. They were close to her age and she found herself lamenting the fact that they were gay. Especially that Danny, she had a weakness for blondes.
It took little effort on her behalf to have Danny smiling and laughing at her stories. He had a beautiful smile that lit up his face and although she knew she couldn’t have the type of relationship she might like with him, she found herself thinking what a good friend he would be. Not that she couldn’t be friends with Bobby as well, but there was something she just found exceptionally appealing about Danny.
She was especially pleased when they discovered that the men lived only a short distance from where her dad and she lived. Travel time would be less than half an hour door to door.
A short time later, they could here the sound of a car coming down the gravel driveway. Bill stood and looked out the back window to see two men exiting an SUV. “I think your partners have arrived.”
Bobby and Danny rose and saw their lovers walking up to the cottage. “Yep,” Danny said, “that’s them.”
Bill opened the main entrance to the cottage as the two men approached. “Good afternoon, I’m Bill Simmons.” He introduced himself and held out his hand towards Paul who was first at the door.
“Paul Ladd,” he replied, “and my friend, David Brooks.” He indicated Dave.
Hands were shook and Dave and Paul followed Bill into the cottage. Danny and Bobby stood by the sofa, trying to gage the collective moods of their senior partners. Although the men had smiled pleasantly at the introductions, their expressions when their eyes met with the younger men were quite serious. Both boys cringed slightly and lowered their eyes.
Stephanie didn’t like what she was seeing. Where Danny and Bobby afraid of their partners? Shouldn’t they be happy to see them after such a harrowing experience? Being a rather forward young woman, she decided to speak up. “I’m Stephanie Simmons, Bill’s daughter. You are?” she asked of the two new arrivals.
Dave turned towards her. “I’m Dave Brooks and my friend, Paul Ladd. I’m Bobby’s partner and of course, Paul is Danny’s. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Simmons.” He held out his hand to her, as did Paul.
Stephanie took the offered hands and gave a sharp firm shake to each.
With the introductions complete, the men were able to give their full attention to their young lovers. Paul placed his hands on Danny’s shoulders and looked him over carefully. Then meeting his eyes, he asked, “You’re alright?”
Danny smiled up at Paul with unshed tears. “Yeah I’m fine. Really,” he reassured his lover. Paul pulled him into a tight embrace.
Dave just grabbed Bobby and gave him a quick hug, whispering into his ear as he held him. “We’re going to have a long talk when we get home, young man.” Bobby sniffled a bit and nodded his head against his partner’s shoulder.
Although she appreciated the affection she saw, Stephanie still wasn’t sure about these men, about what in them would make the Danny and Bobby cringe. But she was determined to find out, determined to make sure that Danny was in a safe, healthy relationship.
Stephanie had just graduated from University with a Bachelor of Social Work the previous spring. In her short career, she had already seen too many cases of domestic abuse and felt somewhat unsure of what she was seeing in front of her now.
Releasing their partners almost simultaneously, Paul and Dave turned back to their hosts. Looking towards Bill, Paul spoke. “I don’t know how to thank you for rescuing my partner, but you have my eternal gratitude. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to Danny. And I know that David feels the same way about Bobby.”
Dave nodded his head. “Yes, we are most thankful. I would however, like to know how this whole incident came to pass.” he asked mostly looking to Bobby for an answer.
It was however, Danny’s soft voice that answered the question. “It was all my fault,” he replied. “I was the one who wanted to go out boating and…” Danny swallowed. “And I didn’t check to see if there was enough gas. So you see no one is to blame but me.”
“No, Danny, it was a much my fault as yours,” Bobby chimed in. “You were so upset; I shouldn’t have let you drive.”
This caught Paul’s immediate attention. “Upset?” he questioned. “What were you upset about?”
Danny’s cheeks coloured with embarrassment. “Can we talk about this later?” he spoke so low his partner could barely hear him. Paul looked so sternly at him that Danny felt he could read right through to his soul.
Picking up on his young guests discomfort, Bill felt it was a good time to steer the subject in another direction. “Do you want to put some gas in the boat and take it back with you now? Or would you rather leave it docked here until tomorrow?”
Knowing the younger men were still pretty shook up, Dave spoke up. “If you don’t mind, I think it would be better if we left it here for the night.” Looking towards Bobby dressed in the bathrobe, he asked, “Where are your clothes?”
“They were soaked. Bill was kind enough to put them into his dryer for us,” Bobby answered.
“I’m sure they’re dry by now,” Bill said, pointing toward the mud room. “Why don’t you fellas go and get changed?”
Danny and Bobby looked to their lovers and were each given a quick nod. They both went into the mud room, shutting the door behind them. This too did not escape the observant Stephanie; she was again puzzled but the deference that Danny and Bobby showed for their partners. She sat contemplating this while half listening to the polite conversation between her father and the two older men. Before she could formulate any response, Danny and Bobby had re-entered the room dress once again in their own clothes.
Dave and Paul stood up from their places on the sofa. “Once again, thank you so much everything you have done for us today,” Paul said as he held his hand out to take hold of Danny’s. “We will be in touch with you tomorrow about picking up the boat.”
The four men made their good-byes to their hosts and made their way out to the truck. Bobby and Danny nervously took their places in the back seat; they could feel theirs stomachs knot with anticipation. Each knowing that their partners would be less than happy with this afternoon’s adventure.
The drive back to the cottage was quiet and the tension only mounted as they pulled into the driveway. Danny and Bobby gave each other a consolatory glance as they entered the cabin.
“You two take a seat on the sofa,” Paul commanded the boys. Once they were seated, with Paul and Dave on chairs right across from them, Paul asked, “So who wants to begin the story of this mess?”
Forty minutes later, the whole story and all its sorted details had been explained to the partially bemused and partially horrified Tops. Dave spoke first. “Bobby, go in our room and pick a corner. I’ll be with you shortly”
Paul looked to Danny. “Same for you, young man,” he instructed.
The two Brats slowly shuffled towards their respective rooms quietly closing the doors behind them, leaving the two Tops looking at each other.
The two Brats slowly shuffled towards their respective rooms quietly closing the doors behind them, leaving the two Tops looking at each other. Dave couldn’t help the slight grimace on his face as he met Paul’s eyes.
“I don’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head. “We’ve always been so careful that they don’t find out about our past and then Danny overhears you giving me a massage and suspects of us having an affair. Talk about irony.”
Paul smiled at his friend. “Well, thank goodness they realize that Danny was mistaken in his assumption and that they have no good reason to suspect that we were involved in the past. As we’ve said before, nothing good could come from them knowing about us. It would only give them cause for concern and knowing my Danny, a reason to get himself in to a major panic.”
“Bobby wouldn’t be much better, I’m afraid,” Dave replied. “Paul, I know we both have said that how we handle our Brat’s punishment is personal and that we would never interfere with each other. However, I think that in this circumstance, it would behoove us to be working together.”
“I agree the boys got into this trouble together and we are sharing the same place of residence at this time so the punishments should be of a similar nature.”
Dave nodded. “I’m also concerned about preserving the privacy and dignity of Bobby and Danny. I have never made punishment a public scene and I don’t intend to start that now. Even though they both know the other is to be punished and they may even talk about it after, I won’t embarrass Bobby by having anyone, not even you or Danny witness to it.”
“I think that goes without saying for both of us, David,” Paul agreed. “If we have the doors closed to the bedrooms and perhaps play the radio in each room, it should be enough to preserve privacy.”
The two Tops discussed and worked out the level of punishments that they were comfortable meting out to their respective Brats, and then each went to deal with the difficult business.
Paul quietly closed the bedroom door behind him. He looked to his young partner. Danny stood in the far corner from the door with his face pressed into the wallboard. Paul couldn’t help but admire him. Danny was not very tall, only 5’4” but he had a perfectly formed body. Lithe and slim, his hair was a little longer that Paul might have liked but he wasn’t going to argue with the young man on that small thing. He could see Danny’s slight shiver as he became aware that his partner had entered the room, his round tight bottom clenched in anticipation of the up coming punishment.
Walking over to the antique armoire, Paul opened the cabinet and turned on the radio hidden within. He adjusted the volume so as to be loud enough to muffle sounds from outside the room and yet not affect the ability of he and Danny to communicate comfortably. He took a seat in the large wing-backed as it was the only one in the room. He knew he would have to sit forward to hold Danny across his lap, but it seemed the best solution.
“Daniel, please come here,” he called.
Danny steeled himself with a deep breath and turned around. He had made up his mind as he stood in that corner that he was not going to give in and cry. Biting hard down on his lip, he walked over to face the music and focused his eyes just below Paul’s face so that he didn’t have to see the look there.
However, there was no fooling his loving partner. Paul reached up and gently tugged Danny’s lower lip out from between the teeth. “Don’t bite your lip,” he admonished as he slipped that same hand under his chin and tilted it up just enough to meet Danny’s eyes.
Paul noticed the slight quiver in Danny’s lip as he looked at him. “Come on, baby, let’s get this done,” he said more calmly than he actually felt. Punishing Danny was never easy. Paul always had to remind himself that it was what worked for them and that Danny had agreed to this. Natural born Top though he was, he had a soft spot for his lover and it was difficult to see this beautiful young man in trouble. He pulled Danny down to sit on his lap.
“You have explained everything that happened this afternoon. What we need to do now is to cover exactly what you did that was wrong,” Paul said with more calm surety than he was feeling.
“I’m sorry Paul, I really am.” Danny looked to his lover. “I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”
“I know you didn’t mean to, Honey, but the fact is you and your partner in crime put yourselves in a lot of danger, caused Bill and Stephanie to endanger themselves rescuing you, and scared both Dave and I half to death,” Paul said as he rubbed gentle circles on Danny’s back. “Now let’s cover the issues here so we can get this over with. First, you ran off without taking a moment to say where you were going.”
Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Paul held up a hand to silence him. “I know you were upset by what you thought you’d heard in Dave’s bedroom. But, Daniel, you have got to stop being so impulsive. If you would have stopped for a minute and thought things through, I think you would have come to the conclusion that what you thought you’d heard was not right. You should have knocked on the door or at the very least gone into the other room and waited until I came out to ask me what was happening. Do you honestly think that David and I would be having an affair?”
“No, I know that you wouldn’t do that, but at that moment I just…well I just…didn’t think, I guess,” Danny said sadly.
“No you didn’t think and you didn’t stop and think either when you decided to get in that boat and drive off without stopping to check the gas gauge or watching the weather before you went so far from home. Then when you were sitting there on the lake out of gas, with a storm bearing down on you, neither of you even considered putting on life jackets. Danny, when I think of how close I came to losing you today, I can hardly breathe.”
Despite his earlier resolve, Danny’s eyes filled with tears that threatened to overflow. “I’m so so…sorry Paul.”
“I know you are, baby, but we need to deal with this now. Get it behind us, okay?” Paul stood Danny up in front of him and reached for the closure on his pants. He had them undone in short order and pushed them down the slim legs. He then hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his young partner’s boxers and sent them down to join the pants blow Danny’s knees.
Before he could squirm away Danny found himself looking at the braided carpet that covered the plank flooring, his bottom helplessly displayed for his lover’s attention. He could feel Paul’s large right hand resting against his butt cheeks and his left hand and arm wrapped firmly around his waist.
Paul raised his hand and brought it down smartly against one cheek then quickly down on the other. He continued this back and forth pattern while slowly moving around each rounded globe and down to the backs of each thigh.
Danny could feel the heat growing with each painful spank. When it began to burn something awful, he squirmed and tried to kick his legs. However, Paul had trapped Danny’s legs firmly between his own as he continued the painful assault. He was determined to make his young partner see the error of his ways, to emblazon into his very soul the need to think before acting.
Danny’s bottom was already a deep rosy shade and he was struggling to move his butt away from the stinging slaps, but there seemed to be no end. His early resolve not to cry was quickly forgotten and tears began to stream from his eyes.
“Please…” he cried out. “Paul, please I’m sorry…please stop.” Paul kept up the barrage; it felt to Danny that each spank was harder than the last. By this point Danny was sobbing hard and could no longer put together words of protest. Feeling the spanking would never end he stopped struggling and slumped over in exhausted submission.
This was the moment that Paul was waiting for, when Danny finally gave up the fight and surrendered to the punishment. He brought his hand down twice more on each cheek and then stopped. He released his tight hold on his young partner’s waist and Danny slid to his knees on the floor, while wrapping his arms around Paul, he buried his tear-soaked face into the soft shirt of his lover and sobbed. Over and over he repeated “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Paul stroked the sweat-dampened hair. “Okay, baby, it’s over now, shhh.” He reached down and carefully pulled Danny up into his arms. Mindful of the sore bottom, Paul sat back in the large chair and placed him gently into his lap with his butt resting between his open legs. Danny clung tightly to him and continued to cry into his shirt as Paul rubbed soothing circles on his back.
Paul didn’t expect any verbal response from Danny, he knew his lover to be quite incoherent at times like this. He just sat giving a gentle massage and speaking nonsensical words of comfort. He had to smile as he looked down at his shirt, it was soaked with Danny’s tears and mucus from his running nose. He realized as he smiled just how much he loved this young man, for he could not imagine finding the tears and snot of any other person to be endearing.
Within a short time, Danny’s hitching sobs quieted and he pressed his face again into Paul’s shirt to wipe away the last of the tears. When he looked up to his lover’s face, he could see a small smile there.
“Are you feeling better?” Paul asked.
“Yes, I think so,” he replied.
Paul carefully lowered Danny from his lap and helped him regain his feet. He stood and led his sweet partner across the room, where he pulled back the covers on the bed and managed to get Danny to lie down on his stomach.
“I’m going to get the aloe, honey. Just lay still okay?” Paul retrieved the large bottle of green gel from his bag and sat down on the side of the bed and carefully inspected the hot red behind of his beloved partner. Satisfied that there was no bruising, Paul applied a liberal amount of aloe to the blazing skin.
Danny hissed as the cool gel first touched him, but was grateful for the reduction in heat. He turned his head so he could look at his Top. “We’re okay now, right?” he asked.
Paul bent over and kissed the tear-stained face. “We’re fine now, honey, it’s all over. Why don’t you just close your eyes and have a nap. I’ll lay down with you for a while, okay?” Paul stood, kicked off his shoes and removed his pants. He folded them neatly and put them over the chair he and Danny had just vacated and returned to the bed. He lay own beside his love and pulled him over so Danny was half on top of him with his head lying on Paul’s broad shoulder. It was quite warm still and neither felt the need of a blanket. Paul gently stroked Danny’s back as together, the two lovers drifted off to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dave walked into the bedroom he shared with Bobby. His beautiful lover stood in the far corner, dark hair curling over his collar. Dave couldn’t help but admire the view. Bobby was perfect. Taller by several inches than his fellow Brat, Bobby was still six inches shorter than Dave’s six foot two. He was broad at the shoulder and leanly muscled with strong callused hands, thanks to his work as a carpenter.
From the position Bobby took in the corner, Dave could see the edge of the angry red scar on his leg. Although well healed now, the scar had not yet faded in colour. It had been more than three months since Bobby had cut himself with the saw and subsequently ran away, leaving Dave to search franticly for him, only to find him incoherent and fevered with infection in this very cottage. That had been the occasion that had led to his most severe punishment to date. Although Dave didn’t feel the current circumstances warranted quite as harsh sentence, he did feel that he needed to make an impression on his young partner. Bobby’s reckless behaviour had to be dealt with; he needed to learn to think before he acted.
Dave got out the small boom-box that Bobby had insisted upon bringing and placed his favourite mixed disc of 70’s pop music into the player. The music flared to life just as he could hear the sound of the classical radio station Paul preferred, coming on in the bedroom across the hall. To his amusement, the first song on his disc was the old Donna Summer classic, Last Dance. As he listened to the lyrics of the chorus he felt almost like he was receiving a divine message.
Oh, I need you by me
To guide me, to guide me
To hold me, to scold me
'Cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
‘Alright,’ Dave thought. ‘Time to get on with this dance.’ He sat himself down on the side of the bed and called to his partner. “Bobby, come here please.” He gave Bobby a gentle smile as he took in the worried look on his face. “It’s going to be okay, baby,” he reassured.
Bobby knew that it would be alright. Dave loved him enough to deal with issues between them. He knew his backside would be burning before the hour was out but his heart and soul would be free of the heavy weight that currently was residing within him.
Thirty minutes later, the two lovers lay cuddled together on the bed. Bobby lay on his stomach with his head pillowed on Dave’s shoulder, and Dave slept with a half smile on his face and his arm firmly wrapped around his Brat.
The next morning with breakfast out of the way, the four men decided to head back over to the Simmons' cottage and collect the abandoned boat so they could enjoy their postponed cruise of the lake. It was decided that Dave and Bobby would take the boat back across the lake to the cottage while Paul and Danny made the return trip in the SUV.
When they arrived at the Simmons’, Paul lifted the large red gas canister out of the back of the SUV and the men made their way down to the dock. Danny was pleased to see his new friend, Stephanie, sitting there throwing a stick out into the water and having it eagerly returned by a beautiful golden lab.
“Hi!” Danny called as they arrived at the dock’s edge. “Who’s the dog?”
Stephanie jumped up, a huge smile across her face. “Hi, yourself,” she returned. “This is Peaches. I belong to her. You wouldn’t have seen her yesterday because of the storm. Poor thing is terrified of thunder, so I’m sure she spent the entire time cowering under my bed.”
“She’s beautiful,” Danny remarked as he watched the dog swimming back to the shoreline with the stick in her mouth.
Bobby had stayed on the shore to get a closer look at the dog as she emerged from the water.
”I’d stand back if I were you,” Stephanie called out in warning, but it was a little too late as the lab stopped only a couple of feet from the young man and began to shake vigorously. Bobby was quickly dowsed with doggy spray. He let out an indignant yell as the rest of the spectators laughed. Peaches then trotted past her hapless victim onto the dock and deposited the stick at her mistress’s feet.
Brushing some of the water from his clothes, Bobby gave his friends and partner a sour look. “It isn’t that funny,” he replied to their laughter.
“The look on your face is,” Dave replied with a grin as he wrapped his arm around his sodden lover. He leaned in close to Bobby’s ear and whispered, “You look so sexy when you’re wet.”
The younger man’s face went from indignant to happily embarrassed as he returned Dave’s embrace.
Paul put down the gas canister, came up on the dock behind Danny and wrapped his arms possessively around his young love as Danny talked with Stephanie. They were quickly joined by Dave and Bobby who was held lovingly against his partner’s side.
As they talked congenially about the weather and their plans for the day, Stephanie took in the body language of the men in front of her. Each of the younger men was being held firmly in the arms of their older partner. Although she could read no signs of discomfort in either of them, to be honest both Danny and Bobby looked quite content in their positions. She still felt a certain hesitancy that she just couldn’t put her finger on. The looks she saw on these two young faces yesterday afternoon were just not right, at least in her opinion, and Stephanie Simmons was not someone who would simply discard her gut feelings. There was something unusual going on between these men and if it involved any form of abuse or coercion by the two doctors she would find out and do something about it.
“We’d better be off or we’re never going to do the things we have planned,” Dave announced.
Bobby nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, let’s get the boat back to the cabin and then we can take our cruise.” He pulled out from Dave’s arms and started to climb into the boat. Before he sat down, he looked to his partner questioningly. “Is it okay if I drive?”
“Sure, honey, but I don’t think you’re going to get far,” Dave replied with a smile.
“Huh?” Bobby responded.
“What was the reason that the boat was here in the first place?” Dave asked.
Realization suddenly dawned in the younger man’s mind. “I guess the gas would be a good idea eh?”
“Your brilliance is only exceeded by your good looks, my love,” Dave chided. He turned to pick up the gas can from where it sat on the dock, only to have his hand slapped as he reached for it. He looked up into the face of that slapping hand’s owner and grimaced.
“I’ll lift it, you save your back,” Paul admonished.
Dave signed and stood back as Paul handed Bobby the canister. Then he watched his partner carefully fill the boat’s fuel tank.
This entire exchange and deference that Bobby showed towards Dave, once again caused Stephanie to frown.
Dave and Bobby settled into their seats after they had done the appropriate safety checks, and Bobby started up the engine. “See you guys at the cabin!” he called as the last line was freed and they pulled away from the dock.
Stephanie turned back in time to see Paul once again wrap a possessive arm around Danny’s shoulder. Hoping to visit with Danny a little longer, she asked, ”Can you stay for a cold drink?”
However, Paul shook his head before Danny had a chance to speak. “Thank you, Stephanie, but I’m afraid we have to decline. Even leaving right now, David and Bobby will arrive back at the cabin before we will. Thank you though, for your kind offer and again, you have my eternal gratitude for rescuing Danny and Bobby yesterday. I cannot even imagine what I would have done if something had happened to Daniel.” He squeezed his lover tightly. “He means the world to me.”
Danny looked slightly embarrassed at his lover’s attention, but appreciated the feelings behind the words. “Yeah, Stephanie, thank you and your father for everything you did yesterday.”
Stephanie smiled brightly at Danny’s words. “It was our pleasure. I’m glad we got a chance to know you.”
Later that evening, after a fun filled day of boating, swimming and croquet, a game the two Brat’s had handily won; the four men lounged in the hot tub, each snuggling happily with their partner.
Paul sat and studied the young man wrapped in his arms and sighed. Never in his life did he believe he could find such happiness as he found his Danny. Deciding that he needed to be alone with his lover, he turned his mouth against the delicate shell shaped ear, sucked the tender lobe into his mouth and tongued it gently. He listened to Danny moan quietly against him, then released the lobe and whispered softly, “I want you so badly.” He could feel Danny’s heart rate accelerate against his arm as he stood and pulled his lover up with him.
Paul smiled toward Bobby and Dave who appeared to be caught up in a similar mood. “Daniel and I are going to call it a night; we’ll see you two in the morning.”
He received only mumbled replies as he and Danny climbed from the tub. They dried off quickly and made their way back towards their bedroom. As soon as the bedroom door was closed, Paul took Danny into his arms and kissed him deeply. Danny tasted like the bar-b-que sauce on the ribs they had eaten for dinner, sweet and tangy. Paul kept his lips locked to Danny’s as his fingers fumbled to push down swim trunks over slim hips. Once the trunks were out of the way, he grasped the tight buttocks and kneaded at them gently.
Danny’s hands explored the furry chest in front of him and rubbed his thumbs over the dark nipples, causing them to stand at stiff peaks. Then he too divested his lover of his swimsuit. With the height difference Danny had to stand on his toes to press his hardened cock into that of his lover, but Paul was holding him so firmly by the butt that he had no fear of toppling as he ground his hips against Paul’s.
Paul nipped and sucked at the tender skin along Danny’s neck, eliciting deep moans from his partner. His hands wandered across the cheeks they held and his fingers dipped into the crevice, gently teasing the rose bud opening until his lover began to buck and groan against him. He then slid his hands down the taught young thighs and lifted them up over the curve of his hips. Danny wrapped his legs around Paul’s waist and held on tightly as his Top carried him over and deposited him gently on the bed.
Becoming almost frantic with need, Paul groped in the nightstand drawer for the lube and flipped the cap off and across the room in his haste. He squeezed a generous amount into his fingers and then kneeling between his lover’s legs, he began to prepare him. He bent over Danny, peppering his lips, face and neck with kisses as he gently slipped first one slick finger into the opening and another until neither of the lovers could stand the wait. He pressed his throbbing cock against the tight opening and pushed. Danny gave a slight hiss of pain, but it passed in a moment and they both began to move in pleasure.
Paul slowed for a moment, trying to regain control. He looked into the glazed eyes of his lover while Danny began thrusting against him, trying to regain the rhythm. He placed his hand against Danny’s hip. “Easy, lover, if you want me to last more than a few seconds, you need to slow down a bit.”
Danny smiled, pulled Paul’s head down to meet his lips and kissed him with hunger and need. After a few seconds, Paul pulled away breathless and began to move in deep slow thrusts. Danny moaned with pleasure every time Paul brushed over his prostate. His breath grew ragged until suddenly he gasped and let out a strangled cry as Paul grasped his cock and stroked it in time to their movements. Danny mewled with pleasure as he came in Paul’s hand. Seconds later, Paul too cried out as he emptied himself deep within his lover.
Paul held himself carefully above his young partner as he slowly slid out of his body then gently lowered Danny’s legs to the bed. Danny’s eyes were glassy and his face gave the look of deep contentment. The older man suddenly realized he had made no preparations for this love making and had nothing with which he could clean up his lover and himself. He was not about to go walking out in the hall to the bathroom in his present condition, so he reached for the soft old T-shirt he had been wearing earlier and used that to gently wipe first Danny, then himself clean.
The two sated lovers then fell asleep in each other’s arms.
TBC………
Please Note: This is a sequel to ‘The Deepest Cut of All’ and is a WIP
The stream of sunlight falling on his face woke Danny from his deep slumber. He felt the familiar comfort of his lover’s arm draped across him. Paul was a cuddly sleeper and it had taken Danny sometime to get use to being held while he slept. He had always tossed and turned a lot during the night, and would often wake with the sheets tangled around himself or thrown off all together. However there was something comforting about having your lover wrap himself around you, something so reassuring about lying in Paul’s strong arms, that he soon came to enjoy the confinement.
Danny was too excited today to spend anytime lying in bed, enjoying his lover’s presence. He was anxious to get this day started, he and Paul along with their best friends Bobby and Dave would be leaving this morning for two glorious weeks of vacation. Bobby’s parents had given them the use of their cabin up in Muskoka for the last two weeks of August. It promised to be a relaxing and carefree time for the men. It would be good to get the two-workaholic doctors away from their patients and see them unwind.
Danny tried to roll over and slip out from under Paul’s arm, but it seemed his lover had other ideas. He quickly found himself being dragged back into Paul’s embrace.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Paul asked. His voice was heavy with sleep, but that sexy British accent still managed to give Danny a little shiver of excitement. Danny always swore that Paul’s voice was a beautiful blend, falling somewhere between that of Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery. “We are on vacation, sweetheart, there is no need to jump out of bed so early.” He lowered his lips onto his Brat’s and felt Danny melt beneath him.
Forty minutes later, the ringing phone awakened the slumbering lovers. Danny’s head popped up, he looked in surprise at the time and tried to climb out of bed. Paul fumbled for the receiver and grumbled out. “Hello?”
He was greeted by Bobby’s exuberant voice. “Hey Paul! You guys almost ready to go?”
Before he could formulate a response he heard Bobby yelp. “Oww!” and the sound of Bobby’s partner Dave could be heard in the background. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother them so early?” Dave came on the line. “Sorry, Paul, a certain young man here is pushing his luck this morning. He was told to wait until 8:30 before calling you.”
Paul chuckled. “It’s alright, David. I can understand his enthusiasm.” At this point the only thing holding Danny in the bed was Paul’s strong arm wrapped around his waist. “I’ve got a similar problem on my hands.”
Danny who was squirming in Paul’s arms, decided to try tickling Paul to get him to release his grasp, but soon found the tables turned and his partner was tickling him mercilessly. “Uncle…uncle” he squealed, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
“Hold on a second would you David?” Paul asked as he put the phone down on the bed and pulled Danny in close. He kissed him deeply, then gave a light swat to Danny’s bottom and said. “Hit the shower, Brat, we need to get a move on here.”
Danny was still breathless from the laughter and the kiss. “Tell Dave and Bobby to hurry, we don’t want to be late leaving!” he called out as he moved toward the bathroom.
Paul smiled to himself as he watched Danny’s tight little butt walking away from him. “Sorry about that, David. What’s your E.T.A. for this morning?”
“Bobby and I should be ready and waiting for you by ten AM. Does that sound good to you?” Dave replied.
“Sounds fine, we got everything except the perishable foods packed into the truck last night. So it will not take us long to get ready. We’ll see you by ten.”
Paul yawned and stretched as he got up from the bed. He was really looking forward to this vacation two wonderful weeks away with his lover and their friends, at a beautiful remote cabin. He smiled ruefully as he remembered his last visit to the cabin. They had gone in search of Dave’s runaway Brat. Bobby had injured himself on the job and had runaway with the misguided idea of saving Dave from disappointment. It had been an awful time for both Bobby and Dave, and the two were finally working through their problems. Bobby had been grounded from driving since the incident, three months earlier. Paul knew that the young man was desperately looking forward to retrieving his car from the cabin, where they had left it after bringing Bobby home.
Paul entered the master bathroom, his glasses immediately fogging up from the steam emanating from the shower. “Daniel!” he called out as he reached into the shower enclosure and adjusted the taps. “How many times have I told you not to have the shower so hot? It dries out your skin.” He gave his lover’s wet bottom a firm swat.
“I’m sorry, Paul.” Danny said as he jumped back from the older man’s reach. “It just feels so good.”
“It might feel good while it’s pouring over you.” Paul replied as he placed his glasses onto the counter and climbed into the shower to join his lover. “But it leaves your skin dry and itchy.” He pulled Danny out from under the spray, picked up the bottle of shampoo and poured a generous amount into his hand and gently washed his lover’s sopping hair. “And you, Brat that you are, scratch yourself until you bleed. And how do I feel about diabetics with open sores?”
Danny sighed as he quoted his partner mimicking Paul’s English accent. “You don’t like it, because open sores lead to infection, and diabetics are more susceptible to infection. And we don’t heal as well.”
Paul couldn’t help but laugh at the imitation. “Your accent’s improving,” he said as he gave his lover’s bottom a pinch. Danny jumped away, but Paul pulled him back and continued to wash the pale flaxen hair.
Paul loved to wash Danny’s soft hair, and of course Danny loved it too, he practically purred to the gentle massage. Danny was such a tactile creature, he responded so well to Paul’s touch. Whether it was the sensuous caress of lips to lips or a firmly applied hand to bottom, it never took much to get reaction from the younger man.
The two men finished up their shower, quickly dried off and returned to their room to dress. Ever prepared, Paul had laid out their clothes the night before. Danny frowned as he picked up the long pants and long sleeved shirt Paul had selected for him.
“You are kidding?” he asked, holding the garments in front of himself.
“Is there a problem, love?” he asked, knowing full well what Danny was complaining about.
“Long sleeves and pants!” he exclaimed. “It’s August, remember? Hot weather, sunshine, time for t-shirts and shorts.”
Paul smiled. “First of all, they are light weight cotton and will breathe very well. Secondly, we will be traveling for nearly two hours in an air-conditioned vehicle. So I hardly think you’ll get over heated. And finally, we will be unloading the truck on arrival and the mosquitoes will certainly love your unprotected skin.”
“The mosquitoes will be there the whole time we are! Do you expect me to dress like this all the time?”
“No, sweetheart, I don’t expect you to dress like that all the time, however when we are there you will have the time to put repellant on all your exposed skin before you go outside. That would be too difficult to do in the truck.”
Danny whined. “Paul, I’ll die from the heat!”
“I’m a Doctor I can revive you and if I can’t, I’ll make sure you have a nice funeral,” he replied with a grin.
“Not funny!” Danny shouted, as he threw the clothes down is disgust. “And I’m not wearing these.” He stormed over to the closet with the intention of seeking out more desirable clothing. Paul moved faster and grabbed his still-naked lover by the waist. Before he knew what was happening, Danny found himself face down over Paul’s bent knee, receiving a half dozen hard swats to his vulnerable bottom.
“Oww! No, Paul…stop!” he cried out.
“You do not speak to me in that manner, young man. Do you hear me?” He punctuated the question with two more swats before returning Danny to his feet.
Danny’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I’m sorry,” he sniffled.
Paul pulled him into a hug. “It’s alright. Now tell me, do you think that there was a better way for you to handle that?”
“I…I should have talked to you calmly and explained my feelings.”
“And if I still told you no, what should you do?” Paul asked.
“Do as I’m told, because you’re the one in charge and I gave you that authority over me when we started using discipline in our relationship,” Danny recited.
Paul shook his head. “Danny, this isn’t something to be memorized and recited. You should feel it and believe it. We’ve discussed this before and I’m willing to do so as often as you need it. Do you want discipline to be a part of our relationship?”
Danny nodded slowly. “Yes, you know I do. I just…well you know. Sometimes it’s hard.”
“I know, sweetheart, and I don’t expect you to be perfect. Just try and be more respectful and listen, okay?” Paul requested.
“I will, Paul, but please can’t I wear shorts and a tee?” He looked pleadingly at his partner.
“No, honey, I don’t want to take extra risks with mosquitoes. Scratching, itchy bites lead to the same kind of damage as scratching dry skin. I know it’s impossible to avoid all the mosquitoes that far north, but I’m determined you’ll avoid as many as possible. And for those that do get you I have packed the anti-itch cream.” Paul smiled at his young Brat. “Now let’s get moving here, before Dave and Bobby start wondering where we are.”
Although resigned to doing as his partner said, Danny still felt a little resentful of the required clothing. The two lovers quickly dressed, Paul wearing similar clothing to his Brat’s. The pair efficiently got the bed made and room tidy. Paul ensured all the upstairs windows were closed and locked, before they headed down stairs to for breakfast and to finish the final packing.
Danny had become quite efficient at his morning routine and had his blood glucose checked and insulin taken before Paul had a chance to remind him. Although Paul was still unable to stop himself from checking the readout on the glucometer before Danny shut it off. Satisfied with the numbers on the machine; Paul laid out a quick but nutritious breakfast. As they ate he couldn’t help but smile at how fidgety his young partner was, Danny was wolfing down his food in an effort to get going faster.
“Daniel, slow down! You’ll only end up with an upset stomach eating that quickly,” he admonished.
Danny was too excited to be effected by Paul’s chastising of him. “Come on Paul, don’t you wanna get going?” he asked while shoveling another spoonful into his mouth.
As Danny was preparing the next spoonful, Paul reached over and took hold of his wrist. He turned the wrist gently so that the watch face was turn towards its owner, effectively dumping the contents of the spoon back into the bowl. “Time please?” he asked.
Sighing deeply, Danny looked at his watch. “Nine o-five.”
“Danny, we have only to clear up from our breakfast, load the perishable foods into the coolers, and put them and ourselves into the truck. You were the one who worked so hard at getting everything else loaded last evening, while I was finishing up at the office. Now relax, sweetheart. We don’t have to be at David and Bobby’s until ten o’clock. You have time to finish your breakfast in a calm manner and still get all the other things done and be there in plenty of time. Okay?”
“Okay, Paul,” he mumbled as he continued to eat his breakfast in a somewhat more subdued manner.
Within short order the two men had their chores completed and were in the garage, placing the last cooler into the truck. Paul shook his head in wonder. “It’s going to be a real squeeze to get all of Dave and Bobby’s gear in here as well. Are you sure we need everything you packed here?” he asked as he poked through one large carton that appeared to be filled with nothing but inflatable beach toys and rafts. “Daniel, there must be four rafts in here and I don’t know how many beach balls.” He poked further around in the truck. “Volleyball net and ball, fishing gear, croquet set, beach chairs, pool noodles, boom box, and CD’s. You cannot possibly expect to need all of this.”
“The rafts are all different types and besides which, what if one gets a leak then we wouldn’t have enough. We need the sports equipment. Oh heck, Paul, we need everything here. Don’t worry; we’ll get it all in. Bobby and I can fit a lot of stuff around us in the back seat, too,” Danny spouted enthusiastically.
Paul shook his head and smiled. “Alright Brat, I don’t want to put a crimp in your vacation joy, but if we cannot get everything David and Bobby bring into the truck, we’re leaving you behind.”
Danny laughed as they closed the tailgate. “You’d miss me.”
Paul reached out and grabbed his young partner around the waist, and pulled him close. “Babe, I couldn’t imagine taking a vacation without you ever again.” He leaned over and kissed him deeply.
Ten minutes later they pulled into the driveway of the Brooks residence. Bobby was placing a large suitcase in front of a pile of other bags, cases and boxes. Danny winced at the size of the pile, Paul had been right this was going to be quite a squeeze. Danny leaped from the truck as soon as it came to a halt.
“Hey Bob-man, you guys got enough stuff here?” he called out as approached the huge pile.
“Shhh, quiet, Danny,” Bobby whispered. “Dave’s already on my case about how much stuff I packed. You don’t need to be adding fuel to his fire.”
Paul was close enough to hear the exchange between the two Brats. “Don’t worry, Bobby, you’re in good company. Daniel here has packed equally as much if not more than you have. And from the looks of things, you’re both going to have to give up some of your extras.”
“Extras!” they cried out in unison.
“Paul, I didn’t pack extras. Everything I brought was a necessity!” Danny exclaimed.
“That goes for me too!” Bobby added just as enthusiastically.
Dave came out of the house carrying one last bag. He took in the stack of baggage and the discussion going on between the men and knew they were going to have a problem with their over-packing Brats.
“Hi guys!” He called to Paul and Danny. Then looking at his own lover he admonished. “Bobby, didn’t I tell you to cut back on some of this stuff.”
Bobby turned toward Dave. “I already did cut back, we need all these things.”
Paul shook his head. “Boys, the laws of physics apply here, you cannot fit six cubic meters of volume into four cubic meters of space. Some of each of your stuff has to go.”
Danny looked indignantly at his partner. “Why ‘our’ stuff?” he asked. “Shouldn’t some of your stuff have to go too?”
“Daniel, I have packed one suitcase full of clothing, toilet articles and sundries, plus a small bag with books and medical journals. Beyond that there is only the food and bag of beach towels that we both are making use of. You on the other hand have a large volume of amusements and comfort items, that you will have to pare down. And I believe the same likely applies to young Robert here.”
Dave was quick to agree with his friend. “My packing list is just about identical to Paul’s, the only thing extra that I have is that small lumbar pillow for my back and since I will use it in the car, it won’t be taking up any extra space. However you, my boy,” he said, looking at Bobby and then pointing at the stack of bags, “seem to have just a few things more.”
Both the younger men frown and looked to each other. Danny spoke first. “Man you’re just gonna have to get rid of some of this junk, cause mines already packed.”
Bobby looked outraged. “My stuff isn’t junk! And I need it all; you get rid of your crap!”
“Crap!” Danny shouted.
Before the disagreement could escalate, the two Tops each took hold of their own Brat and delivered a firm swat to the seats of their trousers.
Paul spoke up. “That will be quite enough of that,” he said firmly. “You will both cooperate or we will not be leaving for this vacation. Daniel, I expect better behavior than this. We will unload the truck and sort through our belongings and you will decide on what you can leave behind or I will make that decision for you and you may not like my choices. Do I make myself clear here?”
Looking properly chastened, Danny replied. “Yes, sir.”
“The same goes for you, young man,” Dave said to his young partner.
Within short order the four men had everything laid out on the driveway in two distinct piles, one of necessities and the other luxuries. After some quickly-ended bickering, each Brat had given up an equal share of their luxury items, which were then locked up into the garage. Then everything else was loaded carefully into the truck.
By the time they were done it had gotten quite warm and Danny was whipping perspiration from his brow.
Bobby seemed to notice for the first time how his friend was dressed. “Danny man, what’s with the long sleeves and pants? You expecting a cold spell?”
Danny tipped his head towards his partner and replied. “You know who is afraid of mosquitoes,” he whispered.
“Afraid of mosquitoes?” Bobby laughed loudly enough to be heard by the older men.
Danny looked indignantly at his partner. “See Paul, Bobby thinks I’m over-dressed too!”
Paul gave Danny a look that caused his partner to wilt. “Daniel, haven’t we already had this discussion? Do we need to talk about it again?”
Danny knew from the look on Paul’s face that there was no sense in arguing. “No, sir,” he answered sullenly.
The four men piled into the heavily loaded truck and pulled out of the driveway, the two Brats in the back seat sorting through the CD’s trying to pick out the music they wanted to listen to. It had been agreed that the younger men could pick the first CD and from there they would alternate choices until their arrival.
Bobby pulled a disc out and showed it to his friend with a smirk. “How about this one? It’ll drive them nuts,” he laughed.
Danny whispered, “You know they both hate rap. You sure you want to pick this?”
“Why not? They said we could have the first pick and we both like Eminem.” Bobby leaned forward handing the disc to Dave. “Dave, we picked this one. Will you put it in for us please?”
Without bothering to look at the title, Dave popped the CD into the player. Within seconds the first of the rap music came over the speakers. Dave and Paul both turned to look at the two smiling Brats. Paul frowning even more than Dave, but before they could speak Bobby injected. “You said we could pick what we wanted.”
As Paul was about to respond, four letter expletives began to play over the car’s stereo system. Dave immediately reached over and ejected the offensive disc.
“Who is the owner of this trash?” he inquired holding the disc up to view.
Bobby looked a little sheepish. “It’s mine,” he responded.
Without further hesitation, Dave snapped the disc in half. “Not anymore it isn’t. I can barely tolerate your wanting to listen to rap-crap, but I will not tolerate the disgusting language I just heard. Would I put up with you talking like that?”
“Dave that disc cost me $17. You had no right to break it!” Bobby said indignantly.
“If that’s how you’re spending your money, young man, I’m going to have to start monitoring your purchases. This is totally inappropriate! What would make you want to listen to such garbage?”
“It’s not garbage; it’s music and I like it. Danny does too!” Bobby shouted.
Dave looked into the eyes of his partner and spoke in a soft, yet serious voice. “Lower your voice immediately, young man. I will not be spoken to in such a disrespectful manner.”
Bobby continued to shout. “You’re just being mean! And in the language of that song, fuck you!” He regretted the words the very second they came out of his mouth, but didn’t know how to take them back.
Danny looked in shock at his best friend. Dave and Paul exchanged looks, Paul slowed the truck and did a three-point turn on the road only two blocks away from their starting point and headed back to the Brooks house.
Realizing what was happening Bobby began to recant. “Dave, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. Please, don’t be mad,” he pleaded.
Dave held his temper. “Be quiet, Bobby. We’ll discuss this at home.”
“No, Dave, please, I’m sorry! We don’t need to go back home.” Bobby looked to his partner with tears welling in his eyes.
“I asked you to be quiet, Bobby. I meant it! Not another word until we are home,” Dave replied.
Bobby wrapped his arms around himself and stared out the window of the car until they pulled into the driveway. Dave got out first and opened Bobby’s door. When Bobby didn’t move, he reached over and undid his seat belt and took his arm, pulling his unresisting partner from the truck. Dave lead Bobby up the front steps of the house, unlocked the door and quick marched him into the den.
Not feeling the need to provide the comfort of the couch, Dave pulled a straight back chair out and sat on it. He pulled his Brat between his legs and holding him there, he reached up, undid his pants and lowered them along with the boxers down to Bobby’s knees.
“Please, Dave, I’m sorry!” Bobby pleaded again as he found himself staring at the carpet.
“Why are you being spanked, Bobby?” Dave asked.
“I’m sorry, Dave, I didn’t mean it…”
“Bobby, I asked you why are you being spanked?” he repeated.
“Because I swore at you and spoke disrespectfully,” Bobby replied knowing that Dave would keep him in this position until he gave the right answer.
Not wanting to hold up the proceedings any longer Dave raised his hand and delivered twenty sharp smacks to his partner’s bottom. By the time he was done, Bobby was sobbing freely. He pulled his young lover up into his arms, watchful of the tender behind and softly rubbed his back until Bobby regained his composure.
“I’m so sorry, Dave. I’ve ruined the start of our vacation,” he sniveled into Dave’s shoulder.
“No, baby, you haven’t ruined anything. It’s over now, finished and forgotten. Okay?” Dave continued to rub Bobby’s back. “Shall we get ourselves together and head out again?” He pulled himself and Bobby up from the chair and led his lover to the washroom. “Give your face a wash and we’ll to back out to the car.”
Within minutes they were climbing back into Paul’s S.U.V. Bobby gave Danny a half smile that his friend quickly returned.
The remainder of the journey to the cottage was uneventful. The moment they arrived, Bobby jumped from the truck and ran to his abandoned car. His car had been sitting there since May when he had run away from home after injuring himself in his workshop. He had taken refuse at his parent’s empty cabin and when Dave, Paul and Danny found him there, they took the injured Bobby back home in Paul’s SUV. Part of Bobby’s punishment for the debacle had been losing his driving privileges for the summer, so his car had remained where he’d left it all those months ago. Bobby was so grateful to see his car was still intact after sitting at the cabin all that time that he actually kissed the hood.
Danny laughed as he teased his friend, “Man, you really missed the car that much? You better watch it or Dave might get jealous.”
“Yeah, well, I missed her a lot. You know it’s hard not to have a car when you’re used to driving where ever you need or want,” he quipped, but then instantly regretted his words. Danny hadn’t been allowed to drive for months after he was first diagnosed with diabetes; his condition was difficult to stabilize and he had had dizzy spells. He had only just been able to regain his driving privileges a short while before. “Sorry, man, I forgot,” he said quietly to his friend.
“It’s okay,” Danny replied. “I understand.”
Dave called to the boys. “Come on, guys, lets get this truck unpacked and we can start having fun. That is if you’re through making out with your car, Bobby,” he teased.
The two Brats laughed and ran back to help with the work.
The dreaded unloading of the truck, and putting away of their belongings went well. The beautiful century old log cabin was fully modernized for convenience, but still maintained its old rustic charm. There were four good sized bedrooms each equipped with large comfy beds, a well-appointed bathroom, the great room with attached-kitchen, had huge windows right across the front with a spectacular view of the lake and a screened in deck. On the Deck were a large patio set and a six-person hot tub.
Bobby and Danny were in the kitchen fixing some lunch for the group. Paul was in the great room admiring the view of the lake, when he noticed in the reflection of the glass that Dave was coming up behind him surreptitiously rubbing at his lower back. Without turning he asked, “Is the pain bad today?”
“How do you always know?” he said with a grimace and shake of the head. “It’s really not too bad, just aching from the long trip and carrying so much baggage.”
“Have you taken anything?” Paul inquired.
“Just Advil.” Dave responded quietly, knowing how that would go over.
But Paul just looked at him over the top of his glasses. “Is that enough?”
“The Flexeril makes me drowsy and it’s not that bad right now. Okay?”
Dave had injured his back playing college football, despite repeated physiotherapy and the ongoing care of his personal physician, who was staring at him right now over the rim of his glasses, Dave still suffered bouts of pain and muscular spasm.
Paul decided it wasn’t worth arguing about yet. “Why don’t you try out the hot tub later, it might help.”
Dave smiled. “Sounds like a good idea.”
In the kitchen Bobby and Danny had fixed a plate heaping with sandwiches and had filled three glasses with iced tea and lemon and a fourth with Diet Pepsi for Danny. They carried them on trays through the great room to the sliding doors that lead to the deck beyond.
“Come on, guys, let’s eat!” Danny called out enthusiastically.
“Yeah, let’s get this done so we can go swimming,” Bobby agreed.
“You have to wait a while after you eat, before you can go in swimming,” Paul cautioned.
“Oh, come on, Paul. That’s an old wives tale,” Danny moaned.
Paul gave his lover a serious look. “It is a healthy and reasonable precaution that you will follow.”
Both of the younger men sighed knowing that an argument would get them no where.
A brilliant thought came to Bobby’s mind. “How about we go out in the boat after lunch? We could tour around the lake.”
Danny smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! We could all go for a ride. I’d love to see some of the other places around here.”
Paul nodded his head in agreement. “Excellent thought, Bobby. Something we’d all enjoy.” However, his enthusiasm for the idea came to a sudden halt when he heard the soft moan from Dave. Turning to look at him, Paul realized that his friend and former lover was in a lot more a pain than he had previously admitted. “David, that back of yours is giving grief, isn’t it?”
Dave plastered a smile on his face and decided to lie through his teeth. “No, I’m perfectly fine and a boat ride sounds like fun.”
Displeased with Dave’s deception but not wanting to call him on it in front of their partners, Paul formulated a plan. “After we finish, why don’t Dave and I go down to the dock and get the boat ready to go, while you boys clean up the dishes. Then Dave and I will take care of the dinner and clean up, while you two go swimming. Sound fair?”
The two Brats agreed enthusiastically and the group quickly finished their lunch.
Paul took the boat keys from the kitchen cabinet and they walked down to the dock, Dave could feel the spasms in his back getting worse, but there was no way in hell he was going to let on to Paul. He knew Paul would have him doped up and on restricted activity if he was aware of the situation. Besides he thought, if he took the muscle relaxants at bedtime and made liberal use of the hot tub he’d be just fine.
The boat was an old 1940’s cedar strip model with an inboard motor. Bobby’s stepfather had lovingly restored it to its original beauty and it was his pride and joy. When they reached it Paul easily climbed in and sat at the helm watching as Dave carefully lowered himself inside. As soon as Dave was in, Paul turned to check the gages.
“Looks like we’re low on fuel. Is there a marina near by?” Paul asked knowing full well there were no marinas on this lake. The gas for the boat had to be brought in from the outside, in containers that were stored behind the garage.
“No,” Dave answered, and explained the gas situation.
“Oh yes, I remember now. Bobby mentioned it when we were discussing this trip,” Dave said smilingly. “Be a good fellow would you and bring down one of those petrol cans, so we can fuel her up and be on our way.” He knew that Dave would find climbing back out of the boat, trudging up the hill to the garage, and then carrying back a full can of gasoline, to be impossible with the pain he was currently in.
Dave attempted to come up with a plausible excuse to have Paul get the gas, but knew in his heart he was being set up. He looked at his friend’s intense blue eyes and finally sighed. “You know damn fine I can’t manage that right now, don’t you?”
Paul was unwilling to let Dave off quite so fast. “Whatever do you mean, old man?” he asked sweetly.
“My damn back, that’s what I mean and you bloody well know it, too!"
Giving Dave a look he knew only too well, Paul responded, “And I don’t appreciate being lied to. I’ve half a mind to turn you over my knee right here. About the only thing stopping me is the fact that your back couldn’t tolerate that position.”
“So then let me sit here and rest my back while you get the gas, huh?” he suggested, hoping that Paul would go along with him.
“David, you’re obviously in a great deal of pain. Now let’s get you back up to the cabin where you will take the Flexeril and some Tylenol 3. I’ll give you a massage and you will get some rest.” He moved over to Dave, holding out his arm to give his friend a hand out of the boat.
However, Dave had other plans. “The boys want to go boating and I’m not about to disappoint them. My back will be fine, this is hardly a life threatening condition, Doctor, and I will survive a few muscle spasms.”
Paul sat down on the bench seat beside him. “The boys can manage to wait for the boat ride until tomorrow when we get these spasms settled. You however cannot wait to receive treatment you know that the pain will only get worse with the buffeting your body would take in the boat. Now stop giving me grief, young man, and do as you’re told.”
Dave sat momentarily considering arguing further with Paul, but knew it would be a waste of energy. He knew that Paul was right, the boat ride would play havoc on his back. He might just as well give in and let his friend treat him.
“You win,” he sighed. “Let’s go.” He reached for Paul’s arm and allowed his friend to assist him out of the boat and back up to the cottage.
Bobby and Danny were just coming out the door as Dave and Paul arrived. Paul was supporting Dave as he walked and handed the boat keys to Danny. “Put these away for me, honey. We won’t be going boating today.”
Danny took the keys looking very disappointed. “How come?” he asked.
Paul had no time to answer as Bobby took in the pained expression on his lover’s face and the hesitant manner in which he was walking.
“Dave, is it your back again?” he interrupted.
“Yes, honey, I’m afraid it is.” Dave looked sadly towards his partner. “We’re going to have to put off the boat ride for now.”
“Oh, of course we will. Let me help you,” Bobby replied sympathetically. They led Dave down the hall towards the bedroom he and Bobby were staying in, and Bobby helped him strip down to his shorts as Paul went to retrieve his medication.
Dave dutifully swallowed the pills Paul handed to him and smiled up at his lover from the bed. “Bobby, I’m just going to get some rest. Why don’t you and Danny do something to amuse yourselves? You could shoot some hoops or toss the Frisbee or something. Then you can go for a swim in a little while. Okay?”
Bobby didn’t want to leave his lover in pain. “No, I’m going to stay here with you. You might need me.”
It was Paul who spoke up to reassure him. “Dave is right, Bobby. I’m going to give him a massage, and stay with him a little while. The medication will make him sleepy. It’s perfectly fine to leave him. You and Daniel might as well go and have some fun. Just promise me you’ll stay out of the water for another half hour okay?”
Bobby looked hesitantly at Dave, but Dave smiled at him. “Go on, hon, and have some fun,” Dave said.
“Okay, if you’re sure?”
“Yes, baby, I’m fine. I’ll feel better if I know my back isn’t spoiling your fun.”
Danny was in the living room waiting for someone to let him know what was happening. He looked up expectantly as Bobby came down the hall.
“How’s Dave doing?” he asked.
Bobby gave his friend a reassuring smile. “He’ll be okay. He just needs some rest. Paul is going to stay with him for a bit. They both said we should go have some fun. So what do you wanna do?”
Danny smiled brightly. “So let’s go out in the boat.”
“Not without Dave and Paul, ‘cause they both wanted to go with us,” Bobby reminded him.
“We can go again tomorrow with both of them. But what’s stopping us from going now? You have driven the boat before, haven’t you?” Danny teased.
“Of course I have,” Bobby answered. “I just wanted to take all you guys to see the lake together. It’s so nice to see.”
“Well I want to go and I don’t see why our good time should be spoiled because Dave has a bad back.”
Thinking it through, Bobby began to believe a boat ride was just what the doctor ordered. “Okay, but you go and check with Paul. I don’t want to go without their okay.”
“Sure,” Danny replied enthusiastically. “I’ve got the keys and I’ll tell Paul we’re heading out.”
Danny stopped outside of the door to Dave and Bobby’s room. He could hear Dave moaning, and then Paul’s voice could be heard.
“Dave, you’re really tight, when was the last time you let anyone do this for you?”
“You were the last one, Paul. Quit talking and just do it.” Dave moaned again. “Press harder you’ll never loosen me up going that gently.” There was a pause and then Dave spoke again. “Oh yeah, that’s better, that feels so good.”
The blood drained from Danny’s face as he realized what was happening in that room. Knowing he’d heard enough, he turned from the door and ran down the hall through the great room and out the door, not stopping as Bobby called out to him.
“Hey, Danny! Where you going, man?” Bobby yelled as he ran after his friend.
Danny ran down the incline to the dock and jumped into the boat, tears streaming down his face. He threw himself into the helm seat and sobbed miserably against the steering wheel.
Bobby was seconds behind and placed his hand on Danny’s shoulder as he took the seat beside him.
“Danny? Danny, what’s wrong?” he asked gently.
Danny just sat there feeling the boat bobbing up and down in the water, and the hand of his friend pressed against his shoulder. Nothing in his life could ever be the same again; the man he loved was cheating on him. Not only that but now he had to tell Bobby that Dave was cheating on him as well. He tried to pull himself together to explain what was wrong, but only found himself crying harder.
Bobby was worried; he couldn’t understand what was happening with his friend. Danny was always such a happy person. What could have caused this sudden change in his mood. He tried again to comfort his distraught friend.
“Danny, it’s okay, man. Just tell me what’s wrong, I can help you.” But Danny still couldn’t seem to talk, he just continued to cry. “I’m gonna go and get Paul, okay?” Bobby added, thinking this would reassure his friend.
Horrified by what Bobby was saying, Danny yelled out, “No!” Barely able to catch his breath enough to talk, he grabbed Bobby’s arm and again repeated, “No, don’t…don’t get Paul.” He sobbed as just saying Paul’s name caused a pain to stab through his heart.
“Okay, Danny. Just calm down, man, and I won’t get him.” Danny was squeezing his arm unbearably hard, and he tried to loosen his fellow Brat’s grip.
Danny just wanted to get far away from the cabin; he needed some space in order to explain the situation to Bobby. Pulling himself together enough to speak he said, “Let’s go and take that tour of the lake.” He was trying to wipe the tears away from his eyes enough to get the key into the boat’s ignition.
Bobby said, “Danny, we shouldn’t be going anywhere with you so upset. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
Danny turned and was finally able to meet Bobby’s eyes; he tired to formulate an excuse that would persuade him to go. “I’m okay Bobby, really. I’ll tell you all about it as we go. Okay?”
Bobby shook his head. “We need to tell Paul and Dave where we’re going first.”
Danny knew they had to get away and couldn’t let Bobby go back up to the cabin and hear what was happening in that bedroom. “No, it’s okay I already told them,” he lied.
Bobby was torn, he knew that Danny was keeping something from him and that he really should go and discuss it with Dave, but his best friend needed him. ‘Damn, are you a man or a child?’ he asked himself. A man would be able to help his friend without running to his lover for advice. Besides they were just going for a boat ride and he didn’t want to disturb Dave, who should be sleeping.
Bobby nodded. “Okay, just let’s go, but I should drive. You don’t know the lake like I do.”
“You can navigate,” Danny replied as he put the key into the ignition and started up the motor. It took a couple of tries to get the old engine to turn over, but soon it was purring and he turned to his friend. “Can you release the lines?”
Bobby went first to the front and leaned out releasing to line from the dock and then repeated the same at the back of the boat. Danny pulled slowly away from the dock. Bobby guided Danny along a well-known route around the lake and watched his friend’s expression carefully as they drove. Danny appeared pale and tense; a sad look in his face was that of someone who had lost their best friend.
“Danny, you wanna talk about it now?” he asked gently.
Danny shook his head. “In a little while; let’s just get far from here, okay?”
This was a quiet, private lake with cottages that had been kept in the owner’s families for generations. Most cottagers owned large pieces of property with beautiful cottages nestled into the trees. Many were century buildings like Bobby’s parent’s cabin, and there were long stretches of shoreline with no development.
The boys were about four miles from the cabin towards the west side of the lake and at least eight-hundred feet from shore when Danny heard the engine sputter. He looked down at the gas gage for the first time that trip and realized with horror what the problem was. The engine quickly died and he turned to Bobby with fear. “Oh God, Bobby, we’re out of gas.”
Bobby leaned over his friend to look at the gage, as if doubting the truth of the predicament they were in. “Shit! Didn’t you look at the gage when you started out?” he asked reprovingly.
Shaking his head, Danny replied, “No, I didn’t even think about it. Fuck, this is the worst day of my life.” He began to cry again.
As the boat bobbed silently in the water, Bobby took in his surroundings. They were a long ways from any cottages and the lake was quiet right now, no other boaters were anywhere near to them. He looked back at his friend and knew that there were other problems to be dealt with. Danny was still very upset and being stranded on the water wasn’t helping.
“Danny, since we’re stuck here for the moment, you wanna tell me what’s bothering you?”
Looking up at Bobby’s huge blue eyes he realized it was time to tell his friend the truth. They could share their broken hearts together and somehow figure out what to do with their shattered lives. He wiped at the tears that threatened to spill again and swallowed hard. “Bobby what I have to say is very hard and I know you’ll be as miserable as I am when you hear it, but I can’t hide it from you.”
A chill ran up Bobby’s spine as he listened to his friend.
“When I went to tell Paul we were going to go out boating, I heard something, I heard Dave moaning and…” he stopped for a moment to pull himself together. “Paul was telling Dave how…how tight he was. Oh God, Bobby, Dave was telling Paul to push harder. They were having s…sex.”
Suddenly Bobby burst out laughing. At first Danny thought he was crying but looking at his friend’s face he knew it was laughter. Had Bobby flipped out he wondered; what the hell was wrong with his friend?
Looking at Danny’s stricken face sobered Bobby quickly. “Oh Danny, I’m sorry, but you’re so mistaken. Danny, they weren’t having sex, don’t you see? Paul was giving Dave a massage.”
Danny’s eyes opened widely with surprise. “A…a…massage?” he stammered.
“Yeah, you nut. Paul and Dave would never cheat on us like that. Paul told me he was going to give Dave a massage for his back. Besides, with the drugs Dave took, he would’ve fallen asleep in the middle of it. Think about it, Paul said Dave was tight, right? And Dave said push harder. Yeah, that could sound like sex, but it could also be a massage. Am I right?”
Poor Danny felt like such a fool. Of course Paul wouldn’t cheat on him; he’d made such sweet love to him only that morning. Paul was such an honest decent person that cheating like that would be completely out of character.
“I’m so stupid,” Danny answered him. “How could I ever have thought they would cheat on us?”
Laughing Bobby replied, “Yeah, can you picture those two Tops together? What a hoot; both of them trying to take charge.”
The two Brats sat in the powerless boat laughing until they had tears pouring down their cheeks. They traded ‘Top’ jokes for sometime until Bobby noticed that the wind was picking up and the boat was being tossed about in growing swells. He looked upward and could see a quickly approaching storm front. Sudden afternoon storms on hot humid days like this were not uncommon but not good news for boaters out on the lake; especially ones stranded without gas.
Danny turned to look at his friend, concern written on his face. “This weather doesn’t look good, Bobby. What should we do?”
Bobby moved to the back of the boat and lifted up one of the seats that was over a storage box. He pulled two paddles from the box handing one to Danny. “We’re going to have to try and paddle over to the closest shoreline, and wait out the storm there. You paddle from where you’re sitting and I’ll paddle from the other side, we need to work together to get the boat going in the right direction. It won’t be as easy as trying to paddle a canoe, but we can do it.”
Danny took the paddle and followed Bobby’s directions. The wind was rapidly picking up and the two young men franticly paddled working hard to get the boat going where they wanted, the shore-line slowly grew closer as the skies opened up on them. Rain pelted down in great sheets and the sky was lit by huge bolts of lightening, within seconds both of them were drenched to the skin.
As they got closer to the shore they could see that it was lined with large boulders with the waves crashing over them. Bobby knew that the boat could be thrown against one of those rocks and smashed like kindling. He turned to his friend shouting over the storm. “We’ve got to paddle further down the lake towards the next cottage; the boat will be torn to pieces over those rocks if we get too close.” But the wind and the storm were too strong for the small paddles to control the direction of the boat. They found themselves getting closer and closer to the rocky shore. They paddled like mad men trying to avoid impending doom.
Suddenly over the din of the storm Bobby could hear the sound of a boat motor he looked up and saw a large modern boat closing in on them. The boat’s driver was waving at them yelling something. At first neither of the boys could understand, but as the boat grew closer they could see and older man at the helm of the boat and a young woman, both were dressed in life jackets.
The driver called out again to them. “We’re going to throw you a line, secure it to the bow cleat and we’ll tow you in.”
As Bobby began to crawl out onto the bow the driver again yelled to him. “Get a life jacket on you damn fool!”
Bobby stopped and realized how foolish they both had been not wearing life jackets in this storm. He grabbed one from the storage box and tossed another to Danny. The both donned their jackets and Bobby again proceeded onto the bow. The driver angled to boat a little closer he had dropped fenders down the side of his boat to prevent damage if the two boats should make contact. The young woman had a coil of line in her hand the other end of which was secured to a water skiing hitch. When the two boats were close enough she tossed to line to Bobby, who immediately tied it to the cleat on the bow of his boat.
The older man again called to him. “Get back and sit down while we tow you in.” The two cold and wet young men sat together in their boat thanking what ever gods who look after wayward Brats for their timely rescue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour earlier at the cabin:Paul smiled down at his sleeping friend, Dave had finally settled off to sleep the pull of the medication and the relaxing massage had overcome his restlessness.
Leaving Dave to rest he walked out to the great room in search of the two younger men. He walked to the side entrance and looked out over the yard behind the cottage, seeing no sign of them he walked around to the lakeside. It had been longer than the prescribed half-hour wait, so he expected to find the Brats splashing around in the lake. Instead the sight that caught his eye was the empty boat slip on the dock.
‘Damn,’ Paul though to himself. ‘I don’t believe those two would go out in the boat without saying a word to us.’ He turned back to the bookshelves behind him, remembering that he had seen a pair of binoculars there earlier that day. Taking them with him, he left the cottage and ran down to the dock. Paul scanned the immediate area, seeing no sign of the boat he began to search as far as he could with the high powered field glasses. He had been sure that the boys would not go far from the cottage and began to grow worried as he realized that he was mistaken in his presumption.
Paul scanned the lake with futility for more than 30 minutes. As he was searching storm clouds began to move in overhead and the water grew steadily choppier with the increasing winds. Small whitecaps formed on the lake and Paul began to feel the edge of panic setting in, as he could still see no sign of the vintage boat within range of the cottage.
As the skies began to open and fat raindrops started to pelt down around him, Paul knew it was getting less and less safe to be standing in the open. The first bolt of lightening lit up the heavens as he ran for the cottage. In the few short seconds it took him to reach shelter Paul found himself nearly soaked to the skin. He quickly toweled himself off and returned his attention to the outdoors and the storm blowing across the lake. He once again scanned the lake with the binoculars to no avail.
The sound of footsteps coming down the hall behind him drew his attention from the window. Dave came into the room. “Hell of a blow we’re getting; the thunder woke me up,” he said with a grin. Looking around he noticed the absence of their lovers. “Where are the boys?” he asked. The scowl of Paul’s face immediately alerted Dave that there was a problem. “What’s wrong Paul? Where are they?” his voice taking on a decided edge.
“I don’t know David. The boat was gone from the dock when I came out here. I’ve been searching the lake ever since.” He indicated the field glasses in his hand. “I just came inside when the storm hit. What I don’t understand is why they wouldn’t have come back when they saw the storm approaching?”
“It’s been over an hour since Bobby left me to your ministrations. Do you think they left immediately?”
Paul shook his head. “I wish I knew. Why wouldn’t they say anything? Those two know better than to take off like this without informing us.” He asked not really expecting an answer.
A great clap of thunder shook the cabin and rattled the windows, both the Tops stood at the window transfixed by the tempest before them. Dave shook himself from his reverie and turned to his friend. “The only think I can think is that they were too far out to get back safely and they found a safe place to dock and wait out the storm.”
“I hope you’re right. But one way or the other that young man of mine is in serious trouble for taking off like this without letting me know,” Paul replied.
“Danny isn’t the only one in trouble; Bobby is in just a deep with me.” Dave stood chewing on his lower lip, an unconscious habit he had whenever he was troubled.
Paul noticed the action and reached up carefully tugged the lip out of the mouth with his thumb. “Don’t chew,” he admonished gently. “How’s your back feeling?”
“It’s fine,” Dave replied, distracted from his chewing. “I just wish we would hear from the boys.”
Another thirty minutes passed and the two men were getting as frantic as two cool headed Tops can get. The storm was letting up, reduced now to a steady rainfall without the high winds and electrical activity it previously had.
As their powerless boat arrived at the dock behind their rescuers Bobby and Danny took hold of the docks edge and then pulling the boat into position they got the lines and secured it to the dock. The older man and young woman had already secured their boat and were approaching the smaller craft.
“Tie her off well.” The man advised rather loudly over the storm. “We need to get inside before one of us becomes a lightening rod.” He pointed up to a beautiful cottage nestled between huge spruce trees. As they finished with the boat the man reached down to help the boys up. “Let’s go!” he yelled.
The four ran for the cottage and were breathless as they made their way inside. Turning to the young woman, the man said, “Grab us all some towels Stephanie.”
“All ready on it, Dad,” she replied. Stephanie handed large soft towels to each of them and taking one for herself; they all began to dry off.
Bobby looked around and saw they were in a mud room of sorts with large hooks on the walls many of which were filled with jackets, rain wear and assorted hats. There were neat cubby holes with various foot wear and boots tucked into them and cupboards and shelves all well organized and filled with various sporting goods and beach toys. This included the deep shelves filled to capacity with the soft fluffy beach towels of which they were all making use.
Once they were no longer dripping the elder man turned to Bobby and Danny. “There are robes in that closet behind you. Hand me the navy one, you two can have your pick of the others.” Then looking to his daughter, he said, “Steph, you go change in your room we’ll strip down here and get all these clothes into the dryer.”
Obeying the directive Danny opened the closet and took out three robes as the young woman called Stephanie left the room. He handed out the robes and then the two boys stood shyly as they waited for their host to make the first move.
The man looked at the two self-conscious younger men and laughed. “Shuck the clothes boys. We’re all men here, nothing to be embarrassed about.”
The two boys stripped down and quickly donned the robes; they were both shivering from being soaked so long and the cool air-conditioned cottage. The man tossed them each a pair of thick gray insulated socks. “I don’t think I have slippers that will fit you but these should help warm your feet.”
Speaking up for the fist time, Bobby whispered quietly. “Thank you, sir.”
“Yes, thanks.” Danny joined in.
The man smiled at them. “Hand me those wet things lads and we’ll toss them into the dryer.” At the end of the room there was a stacked washer and dryer, he placed all the clothes into the dryer and started the machine. He then led the way into the cottage interior.
The cottage was of a newer construction from that of Bobby’s parents place, but was very tastefully decorated, and filled with large overstuffed furniture that just cried out to be sunk deeply into. There was a beautiful view of the lake through expansive windows. “Make yourselves comfortable, boys,” he said as he took a seat in a large wing chair and to boys sat together on the huge sofa. “So which one of you is Phil Brewer’s step-son?”
Bobby looked up in surprise. “I am,” he replied. “But how did you know?”
“Well let me introduce myself first. I’m Dr. William Simmons, and Phil Brewer is a friend of mine. It was his boat on the lake in this storm that first caught my eye. There is no mistaking that antique of his. He told me that you and your partner and friends were using the cabin for the rest of the month, I was going to come over and say hello this week anyway. This just speeds up the introductions.”
Bobby smiled at the man. “Well I’m Bobby Brooks and this is my best friend Danny Ladd. I don’t know how we can thank you Dr. Simmons. You saved our lives out there. We were so lucky you saw us and that you were willing to endanger your own lives to rescue us. We would have smashed into those rocks for sure.”
“No need to be so formal, young fella, just call me Bill,” he replied. “What I don’t understand though is what made that boat stall out on you. Phil had that motor completely rebuilt only last month.”
Danny hung his head in shame. “It was all my fault. The motor didn’t stall out, we ran out of gas, cause I didn’t check it before we left.” He whipped at the tears forming in his eyes. “I nearly killed us both and would have destroyed that beautiful boat as well.”
Bobby put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Hey, Danny, it's okay. It could have happened to anyone.”
Bill looked at the remorseful young man and felt his heart melt for the poor kid. But still such foolish behaviour needed to be dealt with firmly. These young people needed to learn to take appropriate precautions before taking on such potentially dangerous activities as boating.
“Sorry young, Robert, but it really isn’t okay. Taking a boat on a lake this size is serious business; you always do a complete check before you leave the dock. You boys made some dangerous mistakes out there, running out of fuel wasn’t the only one. For instance, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found neither of you had put on your life jackets during that storm. And paddling towards an unknown shore was very foolish indeed.”
With this Danny began to cry. “Paul is gonna kill me,” he muttered.
Bobby wasn’t having much luck holding back his own tears. “Dave too, we’re in deep here, Danny.”
“I’m not sure who Paul and Dave are, but I can take a guess that they are your partners. Am I right?” Bill inquired. The two Brats nodded in unison. “Don’t you think you should give them a call and let them know you’re okay?”
Sniffling back his tears, Bobby looked up at their host. “Yeah, can we borrow your phone?”
Reaching to the table beside him Bill took a cordless phone and handed it to Bobby. "Help yourself. I’m happy to talk to them and give them directions on where to pick you up.”
Bobby took the phone and with shaky fingers began to dial the number to the cabin.
On the other end the two Tops dived towards the phone and Dave had it in his hand before the echo of the first ring ended. “Hello?” He spoke anxiously.
“Hi Dave, it’s me,” Bobby whispered into the phone.
“Bobby! Thank god! Where are you? Are you all right? Is Danny with you?" He spoke his voice breaking with relief.
“Yes, Danny’s here and we’re okay. We’re at a cottage a few miles down the lake,” Bobby replied.
Paul was hovering near Dave, waiting to hear what was happening. Dave quickly relayed the answers as he was getting them.
“What happened to you? Why didn’t you head back home as the storm was approaching? For that matter what were the two of you thinking about, going out in that boat without even discussing it with us?” he questioned his partner.
“Dave, can we discuss all the details when you get here?” Bobby pleaded.
“You want to bet we’ll be discussing this in detail, young man. Just tell me where to find you. Paul and I will be there as quickly as possible.”
“Bill, that is Dr. Simmons, the man that helped us. He’ll give you the directions, okay?” Bobby handed the phone back to their host. “This is my partner Dr. David Brooks. You can give him the directions.”
“Dr. Brooks,” Bill said. “Bill Simmons here, I’m a friend of Phil Brewer’s. I found these young fellas stranded on the lake during the storm. No need to worry though they’re just fine.”
“Dr. Simmons, I don’t know exactly what happened here, but I get the impression I owe you my deepest gratitude for helping out our partners.”
“Not at all, glad to be of assistance. Now if you’re going to drive here you need to take the lake road you’re on back out to Side Road 38 and turn west until you come to Humber Trail, go north along Humber Trail for 5.3 km. My cottage has a sign by the road that says Simmons Retreat just turn in the driveway. We’ll be waiting for you.”
“Thank you, we’ll be there as quickly as possible,” Dave replied.
Bill turned off the phone and replaced it in its cradle. Stephanie re-entered the room; she had changed into fresh sweatpants and a T-shirt. Her long dark hair tied up into a twist on her head. She was carrying a tray with a jug and several ice-filled glasses. “Can I offer you gentlemen some lemonade?” she inquired.
Bill smiled gratefully. “Thanks, hon, that’s very nice.”
Bobby nodded his head enthusiastically. “Thank you! I love lemonade.”
Beside him though, Danny just whispered quietly. “No thank you. I’m just fine.”
Realizing his friend’s problem, Bobby spoke up. “Danny can’t drink something with sugar like lemonade.”
Bill looked towards the slim, quiet young man and his experienced medical eye told him that the boy wasn’t just dieting. “Are you diabetic?” he inquired kindly.
Danny nodded. “Yes sir.”
“Can I offer you a Diet Pepsi?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” Danny said with a smile.
Stephanie sat the tray down on the coffee table and turned as to go back to the kitchen, but Bill his already risen. “Sit down sweetheart; I’ll get our guest his drink. If you could pour some lemonade for the rest of us?”
“Sure, Dad,” she responded
Within moments, the four were enjoy a refreshing drink and talking about life on the lake. Stephanie took a shine to these delightful young men. They were close to her age and she found herself lamenting the fact that they were gay. Especially that Danny, she had a weakness for blondes.
It took little effort on her behalf to have Danny smiling and laughing at her stories. He had a beautiful smile that lit up his face and although she knew she couldn’t have the type of relationship she might like with him, she found herself thinking what a good friend he would be. Not that she couldn’t be friends with Bobby as well, but there was something she just found exceptionally appealing about Danny.
She was especially pleased when they discovered that the men lived only a short distance from where her dad and she lived. Travel time would be less than half an hour door to door.
A short time later, they could here the sound of a car coming down the gravel driveway. Bill stood and looked out the back window to see two men exiting an SUV. “I think your partners have arrived.”
Bobby and Danny rose and saw their lovers walking up to the cottage. “Yep,” Danny said, “that’s them.”
Bill opened the main entrance to the cottage as the two men approached. “Good afternoon, I’m Bill Simmons.” He introduced himself and held out his hand towards Paul who was first at the door.
“Paul Ladd,” he replied, “and my friend, David Brooks.” He indicated Dave.
Hands were shook and Dave and Paul followed Bill into the cottage. Danny and Bobby stood by the sofa, trying to gage the collective moods of their senior partners. Although the men had smiled pleasantly at the introductions, their expressions when their eyes met with the younger men were quite serious. Both boys cringed slightly and lowered their eyes.
Stephanie didn’t like what she was seeing. Where Danny and Bobby afraid of their partners? Shouldn’t they be happy to see them after such a harrowing experience? Being a rather forward young woman, she decided to speak up. “I’m Stephanie Simmons, Bill’s daughter. You are?” she asked of the two new arrivals.
Dave turned towards her. “I’m Dave Brooks and my friend, Paul Ladd. I’m Bobby’s partner and of course, Paul is Danny’s. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Simmons.” He held out his hand to her, as did Paul.
Stephanie took the offered hands and gave a sharp firm shake to each.
With the introductions complete, the men were able to give their full attention to their young lovers. Paul placed his hands on Danny’s shoulders and looked him over carefully. Then meeting his eyes, he asked, “You’re alright?”
Danny smiled up at Paul with unshed tears. “Yeah I’m fine. Really,” he reassured his lover. Paul pulled him into a tight embrace.
Dave just grabbed Bobby and gave him a quick hug, whispering into his ear as he held him. “We’re going to have a long talk when we get home, young man.” Bobby sniffled a bit and nodded his head against his partner’s shoulder.
Although she appreciated the affection she saw, Stephanie still wasn’t sure about these men, about what in them would make the Danny and Bobby cringe. But she was determined to find out, determined to make sure that Danny was in a safe, healthy relationship.
Stephanie had just graduated from University with a Bachelor of Social Work the previous spring. In her short career, she had already seen too many cases of domestic abuse and felt somewhat unsure of what she was seeing in front of her now.
Releasing their partners almost simultaneously, Paul and Dave turned back to their hosts. Looking towards Bill, Paul spoke. “I don’t know how to thank you for rescuing my partner, but you have my eternal gratitude. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to Danny. And I know that David feels the same way about Bobby.”
Dave nodded his head. “Yes, we are most thankful. I would however, like to know how this whole incident came to pass.” he asked mostly looking to Bobby for an answer.
It was however, Danny’s soft voice that answered the question. “It was all my fault,” he replied. “I was the one who wanted to go out boating and…” Danny swallowed. “And I didn’t check to see if there was enough gas. So you see no one is to blame but me.”
“No, Danny, it was a much my fault as yours,” Bobby chimed in. “You were so upset; I shouldn’t have let you drive.”
This caught Paul’s immediate attention. “Upset?” he questioned. “What were you upset about?”
Danny’s cheeks coloured with embarrassment. “Can we talk about this later?” he spoke so low his partner could barely hear him. Paul looked so sternly at him that Danny felt he could read right through to his soul.
Picking up on his young guests discomfort, Bill felt it was a good time to steer the subject in another direction. “Do you want to put some gas in the boat and take it back with you now? Or would you rather leave it docked here until tomorrow?”
Knowing the younger men were still pretty shook up, Dave spoke up. “If you don’t mind, I think it would be better if we left it here for the night.” Looking towards Bobby dressed in the bathrobe, he asked, “Where are your clothes?”
“They were soaked. Bill was kind enough to put them into his dryer for us,” Bobby answered.
“I’m sure they’re dry by now,” Bill said, pointing toward the mud room. “Why don’t you fellas go and get changed?”
Danny and Bobby looked to their lovers and were each given a quick nod. They both went into the mud room, shutting the door behind them. This too did not escape the observant Stephanie; she was again puzzled but the deference that Danny and Bobby showed for their partners. She sat contemplating this while half listening to the polite conversation between her father and the two older men. Before she could formulate any response, Danny and Bobby had re-entered the room dress once again in their own clothes.
Dave and Paul stood up from their places on the sofa. “Once again, thank you so much everything you have done for us today,” Paul said as he held his hand out to take hold of Danny’s. “We will be in touch with you tomorrow about picking up the boat.”
The four men made their good-byes to their hosts and made their way out to the truck. Bobby and Danny nervously took their places in the back seat; they could feel theirs stomachs knot with anticipation. Each knowing that their partners would be less than happy with this afternoon’s adventure.
The drive back to the cottage was quiet and the tension only mounted as they pulled into the driveway. Danny and Bobby gave each other a consolatory glance as they entered the cabin.
“You two take a seat on the sofa,” Paul commanded the boys. Once they were seated, with Paul and Dave on chairs right across from them, Paul asked, “So who wants to begin the story of this mess?”
Forty minutes later, the whole story and all its sorted details had been explained to the partially bemused and partially horrified Tops. Dave spoke first. “Bobby, go in our room and pick a corner. I’ll be with you shortly”
Paul looked to Danny. “Same for you, young man,” he instructed.
The two Brats slowly shuffled towards their respective rooms quietly closing the doors behind them, leaving the two Tops looking at each other.
The two Brats slowly shuffled towards their respective rooms quietly closing the doors behind them, leaving the two Tops looking at each other. Dave couldn’t help the slight grimace on his face as he met Paul’s eyes.
“I don’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head. “We’ve always been so careful that they don’t find out about our past and then Danny overhears you giving me a massage and suspects of us having an affair. Talk about irony.”
Paul smiled at his friend. “Well, thank goodness they realize that Danny was mistaken in his assumption and that they have no good reason to suspect that we were involved in the past. As we’ve said before, nothing good could come from them knowing about us. It would only give them cause for concern and knowing my Danny, a reason to get himself in to a major panic.”
“Bobby wouldn’t be much better, I’m afraid,” Dave replied. “Paul, I know we both have said that how we handle our Brat’s punishment is personal and that we would never interfere with each other. However, I think that in this circumstance, it would behoove us to be working together.”
“I agree the boys got into this trouble together and we are sharing the same place of residence at this time so the punishments should be of a similar nature.”
Dave nodded. “I’m also concerned about preserving the privacy and dignity of Bobby and Danny. I have never made punishment a public scene and I don’t intend to start that now. Even though they both know the other is to be punished and they may even talk about it after, I won’t embarrass Bobby by having anyone, not even you or Danny witness to it.”
“I think that goes without saying for both of us, David,” Paul agreed. “If we have the doors closed to the bedrooms and perhaps play the radio in each room, it should be enough to preserve privacy.”
The two Tops discussed and worked out the level of punishments that they were comfortable meting out to their respective Brats, and then each went to deal with the difficult business.
Paul quietly closed the bedroom door behind him. He looked to his young partner. Danny stood in the far corner from the door with his face pressed into the wallboard. Paul couldn’t help but admire him. Danny was not very tall, only 5’4” but he had a perfectly formed body. Lithe and slim, his hair was a little longer that Paul might have liked but he wasn’t going to argue with the young man on that small thing. He could see Danny’s slight shiver as he became aware that his partner had entered the room, his round tight bottom clenched in anticipation of the up coming punishment.
Walking over to the antique armoire, Paul opened the cabinet and turned on the radio hidden within. He adjusted the volume so as to be loud enough to muffle sounds from outside the room and yet not affect the ability of he and Danny to communicate comfortably. He took a seat in the large wing-backed as it was the only one in the room. He knew he would have to sit forward to hold Danny across his lap, but it seemed the best solution.
“Daniel, please come here,” he called.
Danny steeled himself with a deep breath and turned around. He had made up his mind as he stood in that corner that he was not going to give in and cry. Biting hard down on his lip, he walked over to face the music and focused his eyes just below Paul’s face so that he didn’t have to see the look there.
However, there was no fooling his loving partner. Paul reached up and gently tugged Danny’s lower lip out from between the teeth. “Don’t bite your lip,” he admonished as he slipped that same hand under his chin and tilted it up just enough to meet Danny’s eyes.
Paul noticed the slight quiver in Danny’s lip as he looked at him. “Come on, baby, let’s get this done,” he said more calmly than he actually felt. Punishing Danny was never easy. Paul always had to remind himself that it was what worked for them and that Danny had agreed to this. Natural born Top though he was, he had a soft spot for his lover and it was difficult to see this beautiful young man in trouble. He pulled Danny down to sit on his lap.
“You have explained everything that happened this afternoon. What we need to do now is to cover exactly what you did that was wrong,” Paul said with more calm surety than he was feeling.
“I’m sorry Paul, I really am.” Danny looked to his lover. “I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”
“I know you didn’t mean to, Honey, but the fact is you and your partner in crime put yourselves in a lot of danger, caused Bill and Stephanie to endanger themselves rescuing you, and scared both Dave and I half to death,” Paul said as he rubbed gentle circles on Danny’s back. “Now let’s cover the issues here so we can get this over with. First, you ran off without taking a moment to say where you were going.”
Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Paul held up a hand to silence him. “I know you were upset by what you thought you’d heard in Dave’s bedroom. But, Daniel, you have got to stop being so impulsive. If you would have stopped for a minute and thought things through, I think you would have come to the conclusion that what you thought you’d heard was not right. You should have knocked on the door or at the very least gone into the other room and waited until I came out to ask me what was happening. Do you honestly think that David and I would be having an affair?”
“No, I know that you wouldn’t do that, but at that moment I just…well I just…didn’t think, I guess,” Danny said sadly.
“No you didn’t think and you didn’t stop and think either when you decided to get in that boat and drive off without stopping to check the gas gauge or watching the weather before you went so far from home. Then when you were sitting there on the lake out of gas, with a storm bearing down on you, neither of you even considered putting on life jackets. Danny, when I think of how close I came to losing you today, I can hardly breathe.”
Despite his earlier resolve, Danny’s eyes filled with tears that threatened to overflow. “I’m so so…sorry Paul.”
“I know you are, baby, but we need to deal with this now. Get it behind us, okay?” Paul stood Danny up in front of him and reached for the closure on his pants. He had them undone in short order and pushed them down the slim legs. He then hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his young partner’s boxers and sent them down to join the pants blow Danny’s knees.
Before he could squirm away Danny found himself looking at the braided carpet that covered the plank flooring, his bottom helplessly displayed for his lover’s attention. He could feel Paul’s large right hand resting against his butt cheeks and his left hand and arm wrapped firmly around his waist.
Paul raised his hand and brought it down smartly against one cheek then quickly down on the other. He continued this back and forth pattern while slowly moving around each rounded globe and down to the backs of each thigh.
Danny could feel the heat growing with each painful spank. When it began to burn something awful, he squirmed and tried to kick his legs. However, Paul had trapped Danny’s legs firmly between his own as he continued the painful assault. He was determined to make his young partner see the error of his ways, to emblazon into his very soul the need to think before acting.
Danny’s bottom was already a deep rosy shade and he was struggling to move his butt away from the stinging slaps, but there seemed to be no end. His early resolve not to cry was quickly forgotten and tears began to stream from his eyes.
“Please…” he cried out. “Paul, please I’m sorry…please stop.” Paul kept up the barrage; it felt to Danny that each spank was harder than the last. By this point Danny was sobbing hard and could no longer put together words of protest. Feeling the spanking would never end he stopped struggling and slumped over in exhausted submission.
This was the moment that Paul was waiting for, when Danny finally gave up the fight and surrendered to the punishment. He brought his hand down twice more on each cheek and then stopped. He released his tight hold on his young partner’s waist and Danny slid to his knees on the floor, while wrapping his arms around Paul, he buried his tear-soaked face into the soft shirt of his lover and sobbed. Over and over he repeated “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Paul stroked the sweat-dampened hair. “Okay, baby, it’s over now, shhh.” He reached down and carefully pulled Danny up into his arms. Mindful of the sore bottom, Paul sat back in the large chair and placed him gently into his lap with his butt resting between his open legs. Danny clung tightly to him and continued to cry into his shirt as Paul rubbed soothing circles on his back.
Paul didn’t expect any verbal response from Danny, he knew his lover to be quite incoherent at times like this. He just sat giving a gentle massage and speaking nonsensical words of comfort. He had to smile as he looked down at his shirt, it was soaked with Danny’s tears and mucus from his running nose. He realized as he smiled just how much he loved this young man, for he could not imagine finding the tears and snot of any other person to be endearing.
Within a short time, Danny’s hitching sobs quieted and he pressed his face again into Paul’s shirt to wipe away the last of the tears. When he looked up to his lover’s face, he could see a small smile there.
“Are you feeling better?” Paul asked.
“Yes, I think so,” he replied.
Paul carefully lowered Danny from his lap and helped him regain his feet. He stood and led his sweet partner across the room, where he pulled back the covers on the bed and managed to get Danny to lie down on his stomach.
“I’m going to get the aloe, honey. Just lay still okay?” Paul retrieved the large bottle of green gel from his bag and sat down on the side of the bed and carefully inspected the hot red behind of his beloved partner. Satisfied that there was no bruising, Paul applied a liberal amount of aloe to the blazing skin.
Danny hissed as the cool gel first touched him, but was grateful for the reduction in heat. He turned his head so he could look at his Top. “We’re okay now, right?” he asked.
Paul bent over and kissed the tear-stained face. “We’re fine now, honey, it’s all over. Why don’t you just close your eyes and have a nap. I’ll lay down with you for a while, okay?” Paul stood, kicked off his shoes and removed his pants. He folded them neatly and put them over the chair he and Danny had just vacated and returned to the bed. He lay own beside his love and pulled him over so Danny was half on top of him with his head lying on Paul’s broad shoulder. It was quite warm still and neither felt the need of a blanket. Paul gently stroked Danny’s back as together, the two lovers drifted off to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dave walked into the bedroom he shared with Bobby. His beautiful lover stood in the far corner, dark hair curling over his collar. Dave couldn’t help but admire the view. Bobby was perfect. Taller by several inches than his fellow Brat, Bobby was still six inches shorter than Dave’s six foot two. He was broad at the shoulder and leanly muscled with strong callused hands, thanks to his work as a carpenter.
From the position Bobby took in the corner, Dave could see the edge of the angry red scar on his leg. Although well healed now, the scar had not yet faded in colour. It had been more than three months since Bobby had cut himself with the saw and subsequently ran away, leaving Dave to search franticly for him, only to find him incoherent and fevered with infection in this very cottage. That had been the occasion that had led to his most severe punishment to date. Although Dave didn’t feel the current circumstances warranted quite as harsh sentence, he did feel that he needed to make an impression on his young partner. Bobby’s reckless behaviour had to be dealt with; he needed to learn to think before he acted.
Dave got out the small boom-box that Bobby had insisted upon bringing and placed his favourite mixed disc of 70’s pop music into the player. The music flared to life just as he could hear the sound of the classical radio station Paul preferred, coming on in the bedroom across the hall. To his amusement, the first song on his disc was the old Donna Summer classic, Last Dance. As he listened to the lyrics of the chorus he felt almost like he was receiving a divine message.
Oh, I need you by me
To guide me, to guide me
To hold me, to scold me
'Cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
‘Alright,’ Dave thought. ‘Time to get on with this dance.’ He sat himself down on the side of the bed and called to his partner. “Bobby, come here please.” He gave Bobby a gentle smile as he took in the worried look on his face. “It’s going to be okay, baby,” he reassured.
Bobby knew that it would be alright. Dave loved him enough to deal with issues between them. He knew his backside would be burning before the hour was out but his heart and soul would be free of the heavy weight that currently was residing within him.
Thirty minutes later, the two lovers lay cuddled together on the bed. Bobby lay on his stomach with his head pillowed on Dave’s shoulder, and Dave slept with a half smile on his face and his arm firmly wrapped around his Brat.
The next morning with breakfast out of the way, the four men decided to head back over to the Simmons' cottage and collect the abandoned boat so they could enjoy their postponed cruise of the lake. It was decided that Dave and Bobby would take the boat back across the lake to the cottage while Paul and Danny made the return trip in the SUV.
When they arrived at the Simmons’, Paul lifted the large red gas canister out of the back of the SUV and the men made their way down to the dock. Danny was pleased to see his new friend, Stephanie, sitting there throwing a stick out into the water and having it eagerly returned by a beautiful golden lab.
“Hi!” Danny called as they arrived at the dock’s edge. “Who’s the dog?”
Stephanie jumped up, a huge smile across her face. “Hi, yourself,” she returned. “This is Peaches. I belong to her. You wouldn’t have seen her yesterday because of the storm. Poor thing is terrified of thunder, so I’m sure she spent the entire time cowering under my bed.”
“She’s beautiful,” Danny remarked as he watched the dog swimming back to the shoreline with the stick in her mouth.
Bobby had stayed on the shore to get a closer look at the dog as she emerged from the water.
”I’d stand back if I were you,” Stephanie called out in warning, but it was a little too late as the lab stopped only a couple of feet from the young man and began to shake vigorously. Bobby was quickly dowsed with doggy spray. He let out an indignant yell as the rest of the spectators laughed. Peaches then trotted past her hapless victim onto the dock and deposited the stick at her mistress’s feet.
Brushing some of the water from his clothes, Bobby gave his friends and partner a sour look. “It isn’t that funny,” he replied to their laughter.
“The look on your face is,” Dave replied with a grin as he wrapped his arm around his sodden lover. He leaned in close to Bobby’s ear and whispered, “You look so sexy when you’re wet.”
The younger man’s face went from indignant to happily embarrassed as he returned Dave’s embrace.
Paul put down the gas canister, came up on the dock behind Danny and wrapped his arms possessively around his young love as Danny talked with Stephanie. They were quickly joined by Dave and Bobby who was held lovingly against his partner’s side.
As they talked congenially about the weather and their plans for the day, Stephanie took in the body language of the men in front of her. Each of the younger men was being held firmly in the arms of their older partner. Although she could read no signs of discomfort in either of them, to be honest both Danny and Bobby looked quite content in their positions. She still felt a certain hesitancy that she just couldn’t put her finger on. The looks she saw on these two young faces yesterday afternoon were just not right, at least in her opinion, and Stephanie Simmons was not someone who would simply discard her gut feelings. There was something unusual going on between these men and if it involved any form of abuse or coercion by the two doctors she would find out and do something about it.
“We’d better be off or we’re never going to do the things we have planned,” Dave announced.
Bobby nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, let’s get the boat back to the cabin and then we can take our cruise.” He pulled out from Dave’s arms and started to climb into the boat. Before he sat down, he looked to his partner questioningly. “Is it okay if I drive?”
“Sure, honey, but I don’t think you’re going to get far,” Dave replied with a smile.
“Huh?” Bobby responded.
“What was the reason that the boat was here in the first place?” Dave asked.
Realization suddenly dawned in the younger man’s mind. “I guess the gas would be a good idea eh?”
“Your brilliance is only exceeded by your good looks, my love,” Dave chided. He turned to pick up the gas can from where it sat on the dock, only to have his hand slapped as he reached for it. He looked up into the face of that slapping hand’s owner and grimaced.
“I’ll lift it, you save your back,” Paul admonished.
Dave signed and stood back as Paul handed Bobby the canister. Then he watched his partner carefully fill the boat’s fuel tank.
This entire exchange and deference that Bobby showed towards Dave, once again caused Stephanie to frown.
Dave and Bobby settled into their seats after they had done the appropriate safety checks, and Bobby started up the engine. “See you guys at the cabin!” he called as the last line was freed and they pulled away from the dock.
Stephanie turned back in time to see Paul once again wrap a possessive arm around Danny’s shoulder. Hoping to visit with Danny a little longer, she asked, ”Can you stay for a cold drink?”
However, Paul shook his head before Danny had a chance to speak. “Thank you, Stephanie, but I’m afraid we have to decline. Even leaving right now, David and Bobby will arrive back at the cabin before we will. Thank you though, for your kind offer and again, you have my eternal gratitude for rescuing Danny and Bobby yesterday. I cannot even imagine what I would have done if something had happened to Daniel.” He squeezed his lover tightly. “He means the world to me.”
Danny looked slightly embarrassed at his lover’s attention, but appreciated the feelings behind the words. “Yeah, Stephanie, thank you and your father for everything you did yesterday.”
Stephanie smiled brightly at Danny’s words. “It was our pleasure. I’m glad we got a chance to know you.”
Later that evening, after a fun filled day of boating, swimming and croquet, a game the two Brat’s had handily won; the four men lounged in the hot tub, each snuggling happily with their partner.
Paul sat and studied the young man wrapped in his arms and sighed. Never in his life did he believe he could find such happiness as he found his Danny. Deciding that he needed to be alone with his lover, he turned his mouth against the delicate shell shaped ear, sucked the tender lobe into his mouth and tongued it gently. He listened to Danny moan quietly against him, then released the lobe and whispered softly, “I want you so badly.” He could feel Danny’s heart rate accelerate against his arm as he stood and pulled his lover up with him.
Paul smiled toward Bobby and Dave who appeared to be caught up in a similar mood. “Daniel and I are going to call it a night; we’ll see you two in the morning.”
He received only mumbled replies as he and Danny climbed from the tub. They dried off quickly and made their way back towards their bedroom. As soon as the bedroom door was closed, Paul took Danny into his arms and kissed him deeply. Danny tasted like the bar-b-que sauce on the ribs they had eaten for dinner, sweet and tangy. Paul kept his lips locked to Danny’s as his fingers fumbled to push down swim trunks over slim hips. Once the trunks were out of the way, he grasped the tight buttocks and kneaded at them gently.
Danny’s hands explored the furry chest in front of him and rubbed his thumbs over the dark nipples, causing them to stand at stiff peaks. Then he too divested his lover of his swimsuit. With the height difference Danny had to stand on his toes to press his hardened cock into that of his lover, but Paul was holding him so firmly by the butt that he had no fear of toppling as he ground his hips against Paul’s.
Paul nipped and sucked at the tender skin along Danny’s neck, eliciting deep moans from his partner. His hands wandered across the cheeks they held and his fingers dipped into the crevice, gently teasing the rose bud opening until his lover began to buck and groan against him. He then slid his hands down the taught young thighs and lifted them up over the curve of his hips. Danny wrapped his legs around Paul’s waist and held on tightly as his Top carried him over and deposited him gently on the bed.
Becoming almost frantic with need, Paul groped in the nightstand drawer for the lube and flipped the cap off and across the room in his haste. He squeezed a generous amount into his fingers and then kneeling between his lover’s legs, he began to prepare him. He bent over Danny, peppering his lips, face and neck with kisses as he gently slipped first one slick finger into the opening and another until neither of the lovers could stand the wait. He pressed his throbbing cock against the tight opening and pushed. Danny gave a slight hiss of pain, but it passed in a moment and they both began to move in pleasure.
Paul slowed for a moment, trying to regain control. He looked into the glazed eyes of his lover while Danny began thrusting against him, trying to regain the rhythm. He placed his hand against Danny’s hip. “Easy, lover, if you want me to last more than a few seconds, you need to slow down a bit.”
Danny smiled, pulled Paul’s head down to meet his lips and kissed him with hunger and need. After a few seconds, Paul pulled away breathless and began to move in deep slow thrusts. Danny moaned with pleasure every time Paul brushed over his prostate. His breath grew ragged until suddenly he gasped and let out a strangled cry as Paul grasped his cock and stroked it in time to their movements. Danny mewled with pleasure as he came in Paul’s hand. Seconds later, Paul too cried out as he emptied himself deep within his lover.
Paul held himself carefully above his young partner as he slowly slid out of his body then gently lowered Danny’s legs to the bed. Danny’s eyes were glassy and his face gave the look of deep contentment. The older man suddenly realized he had made no preparations for this love making and had nothing with which he could clean up his lover and himself. He was not about to go walking out in the hall to the bathroom in his present condition, so he reached for the soft old T-shirt he had been wearing earlier and used that to gently wipe first Danny, then himself clean.
The two sated lovers then fell asleep in each other’s arms.
TBC………
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