“Oooh, man, sorry about that. That almost never happens in the shower,” Max said, staring at his own straining erection.
“Let it happen, buddy. It’s cool. I didn’t know if you could do that.”
“Neither did I – not like this. You must have the magic touch. No wonder my brother likes you so much. Grant, ol’ buddy, uh, don’t stop. I think I’m almost….geez, I can’t believe I’m gonna….please don’t stop.”
It happened so fast that it took them both by surprise, and soon Grant’s hand was covered with more than just soap suds. They looked at each other, not knowing what to say. In spite of himself, Grant felt his own organ chubbing up, much to his chagrin. Through sheer will power, he kept it in check.
“Oh, man, thanks. That was amazing,” Max said with a contented sigh. “Uh, listen, maybe we’d better not tell anyone. This could get a little bit awkward. I don’t want to upset Bobby.”
“Neither do I, Max, but I think we have to. I can’t keep something like this from him. Maybe I shouldn’t bathe you anymore.”
“I’m comfortable with it, Grant, but I understand your situation. This wasn’t really sex, was it? I mean it just sort of happened. It wasn’t like we planned it. You were just helping me out, and my body played a trick on us. When it builds up, it’s gotta come out one way or another.”
“I’ll have to think about this before I say or do anything more. Let’s get you dried off and put to bed – okay?”
After Grant helped Max get into bed, they hugged each other and said goodnight. Max thanked him profusely for the shower – and all that went with it. Grant went back to the room he was sharing with Bobby, with a pit stop on the way. He wasn’t sure what to think about what happened between Max and him in the shower, but he felt guilty about it for some reason, even though it hadn’t been deliberate – or even remotely expected.
Bobby was fast asleep when Grant crawled in beside him. He knew he’d have to talk to Bobby about what happened, but it would have to wait until morning. He stewed about it for a long time before finally falling asleep. The worst part of it was that Grant had found it somewhat erotic – but then what gay man wouldn’t have?
When Bobby woke up the next morning, Grant was still asleep on his back, with a raging hard-on evident under the sheet. Bobby tickled it gently through the sheet and watched it twitch and bob as he played with it. He pulled the sheet down to his lover’s knees, exposing his magnificent morning wood to the light of day. It was sexy beyond belief, and Bobby continued to play with it until it was oozing precum liberally. How Grant could sleep through that, Bobby had to wonder.
After a few minutes, he pulled the sheet completely down and off Grant’s body and pulled his lover’s legs apart enough to get on his knees between them. Leaning over, he gently licked the head of Grant’s cock, causing it to twitch wildly. Bobby picked it up with his hand until it stood perpendicular to Grant’s body – tall and proud, just like Bobby’s own prick was by now. Ever so gently, he took Grant into his mouth, barely touching him with his soft lips and tongue – just enough to lap up his pre-juices. Up and down he went on it until Grant woke with a start.
“Oh, gosh, Bobby, I thought it was a dream, but you’re really doing it – please don’t quit. It feels fantastic.”
Bobby didn’t speed up. He kept the slow pace up and continued stimulating the head of Grant’s cock with the gentlest of suction, causing the man to writhe and moan with pleasure under him. It wasn’t more than a few minutes before Grant pushed his butt down hard on the bed and then erupted with a powerful explosion of hot semen into Bobby’s mouth, causing the younger man to have to swallow fast to keep it from spilling out. Grant usually spurted several times, but this time it felt like everything came out in one incredible, extremely pleasurable explosion.
“Bobby my love, you are amazing. That was absolutely as good as it gets. Does this mean your headache is gone now?”
“Yes, it is, thanks. I thought you were trying to drown me there for a minute. I didn’t know you could make so much stuff.”
“I didn’t either, lover boy. What a way to wake up!”
“Don’t go away – I’ll be right back after I pee.”
“That’s okay – I couldn’t get up right now if I wanted to. I’d faint!”
Grant had gone to the bathroom a couple of hours earlier, so he didn’t need to pee just yet. He and Bobby cuddled in bed for a while, knowing it was Saturday and that they didn’t need to go to the office just yet.
“How did you manage with Max’s shower last night?” Bobby finally said.
“Bobby, I’ve got something to tell you.”
CHAPTER 18
Bobby’s eyes got big when Grant told him what had happened during Max’s shower.
“He did? I didn’t think that was possible. How long did it take?”
“Only seconds – one minute he was flaccid and before I could finish washing him down there he had ejaculated all over my hand. It caught us both by surprise. He thought I shouldn’t say anything to you about it, but I felt otherwise. I told him I thought you should know.”
“Wow…I’m not sure what to think,” Bobby replied. “You were right to tell me, but I really don’t see a problem with it. You weren’t trying to be sexual with each other. He didn’t touch you, did he?”
“No, just as necessary to get him in and out of the shower. Neither one of us came on to the other, if that’s what you mean.”
“I trust you on that. It’s just going to be a little awkward now among all of us. If it happened once, it could happen again. On the one hand, I’m glad for Max’s sake to know that something like that can happen for him. The poor guy deserves a little pleasure after all he’s been through, and I don’t begrudge him that at all. I just wish he had someone more, uh, neutral doing it, if you know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean, but it’s kind of up to him to decide who he ‘relates’ to.”
“Yes, I think Max is far too dependent on his family for everything for someone his age. I wish he could meet some people he could be friends with. Maybe I could have a talk with him about it, but it’s kind of a touchy situation. Let’s get cleaned up and dressed for breakfast. I smell bacon.”
Max didn’t make much eye contact during breakfast and only spoke when spoken to. It was not his usual demeanor, and everyone seemed to realize it.
“Are you okay, honey?” Barbara asked him point blank.
“Yeah – I just didn’t sleep too well last night.”
She let it drop and finished her breakfast so she could get Al ready for his morning walk. She was glad to have him at home where it was easier to take care of him, and she constantly pushed him to take increasingly longer walks with her to regain his strength before winter weather would inevitably set in.
After they left, Grant and Kenny went to the office for half a day, as was their recent custom on Saturdays. Wanting some private time with Max, Bobby told them he would come down there later.
Max was uncomfortable with Bobby staying home alone with him, under the circumstances. He was afraid that Grant had told him what happened last night in the shower, and that Bobby would be angry about it.
“Max, let’s go to the living room,” Bobby told him, after he had cleaned up the kitchen and found Max still at the dining table finishing his coffee. That sounded ominous to Max, but he reluctantly wheeled himself there, with Bobby following closely behind.
When they were seated together, Bobby hesitated – not really knowing where to begin.
“Max, I need to talk to you about what Grant told me about your shower last night.”
“I’m so sorry, Bobby. Please don’t blame Grant for what happened. He didn’t mean to.”
“Max, Max, listen to me. It’s no big deal. I just want you to know that I’m happy it happened.”
“You are?”
“Of course, bro. I love you – you know that, don’t you? I want you to have whatever pleasure you can get out o
f life. You saved my life that day when I was 9. It could have been me in that wheelchair – or worse – and I feel guilty every day for what happened to you.”
“Don’t feel that way, Bobby. It was just fate. If it had to be one of us, I’m glad it was me. I’ve learned to live with it.”
“Yes, and that’s why I call you my hero. I don’t want you to feel bad about last night, but I do think we need to talk about how we do this in the future. Why do you think it happened with Grant and not ever with Kenny or me or dad – as far as I know?”
“I’m not sure, Bobby, but maybe it was because it was the first time Grant ever washed me and that he’s not a blood relative. Or maybe nature decided it was time. It was out of my hands – so to speak,” Max said with a wry smile, not intending to make light of the situation.
Bobby smiled at the pun but went on. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense, but I wonder what you want in the future. Do you think it might happen again if Grant washes you?”
“I don’t know – it might. How would you feel if it did?”
“That’s a fair question. I trust Grant completely, and I think he’d be okay with it if you, uh, did what you did last night. But orgasms have a funny way of having emotions attached to them, and it might change your relationship with him in ways that neither of you expect.”
“I see what you’re saying, Bobby, and I would never do anything to betray you. On the other hand, I have to admit that what happened last night was pretty exciting for me, and I’d hate to go through life never having that happen again – now that I know it can.”
“It’s a basic human need, Max. I guess what I’m leading up to is wanting to encourage you to find someone outside the family for you to connect with. You were home-schooled, and the few friends you did have are now married or have moved away, haven’t they?”
“Yes,” Max answered sadly. “I’ve probably relied too much on my family for my physical and emotional needs. But I’m scared about trying to meet new people. I mean, look at me! How many people in Evansville want to be friends with a guy in a wheelchair?”
“You might be surprised. Look at all you have to offer – you’re good-looking, you’re funny, you’re smart, you enjoy life. Max, I have to ask you one thing…”
“What’s that?”
“Have you ever thought about whether you might be gay or straight…or something in between? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking, what turns you on?”
Max didn’t answer right away, and Bobby thought maybe he’d crossed a sensitive line.
“To be honest, I can be attracted to both sexes. I’m on my computer a lot, and I do appreciate images of both women and men. I’ve never been intimate with a woman, but it excites me to think I could be. But I think the male body is pretty great, too. Kenny, and you, and now Grant – I have to say I think you’re all pretty good-looking in your birthday suits, even though I don’t think of you in sexual way, of course. Very frankly, one reason I prefer my showers over sponge baths in bed is that I’m not the only one naked then, and I think that’s pretty cool. Does that sound perverted?”
“Not at all. I have to say it feels comfortable to be naked with you, too, but that doesn’t mean I want to have sex with you.”
“Well, that’s good, bro, ’cause it ain’t gonna happen. There are already enough horny fags running around this house,” Max said with a wide grin.
Bobby smiled back.
“Look, Max, you’re good with computers. Why don’t you put an ad on Craigslist or somewhere and try to meet some new people online? Who knows – maybe you’ll find someone special.”
“I’ve thought about that, but I’ve been afraid to, for fear of rejection. But I can’t see myself being this dependent on my family for the rest of my life. Someday Mom and Dad will be gone, and you and Kenny will want to be living your own lives outside this house. It isn’t fair to you for me to be an ongoing burden.”
Bobby got up from his chair and got down on his knees and hugged his older brother.
“Listen to me, Max. You are never a burden! We all love you, and all we want is for you to be happy. I don’t know where Grant and I will wind up someday, but I sure hope – and think – it’ll be somewhere nearby so I can see you as often as possible.”
For the first time in years, Bobby saw Max cry, and he returned Bobby’s hugs tightly.
“I love you so much, Bobby. You have no idea. And that guy of yours is pretty special, too. I already think of Grant as my third brother, and I’m damn proud of you for living your lives so honestly and openly.”
The brothers continued to hold each other silently, until Bobby’s cell phone interrupted them. It was the bank manager in Nashville wanting to know when he was coming back.
Bobby told him he could not return by the 30-day limit on his leave and asked for another 30 days. He refused, much to Bobby’s dismay. Suddenly he felt adrift on the sea without oars.
“The bank let me go, Max. I’ve gotta call Grant.”
Bobby and Grant were now forced to face up to the fact that they both needed to find full-time work. Barbara and Al invited them to stay as long as they wanted to – at least until Al could resume his duties full time – and they were glad to accept.
The boys knew they had to make a decision very soon about returning to Nashville or giving up their apartment there. It was too expensive to keep paying rent and utilities on it if they weren’t going to return soon, so they gave notice to the landlord. They continued to help Bobby’s family for a few more weeks and then returned to Nashville in late October to pack up their stuff, vacate the apartment, and drive both cars back. They moved it all to Evansville, putting some items in storage and intending to live with the Rushtons for a while longer. They would seek employment in Evansville so they could remain close to Bobby’s family and continue to help out as best they could.
Al returned to work around Halloween on a part-time basis, but soon he was back to his old ways – putting in more hours than he should have. Fortunately, he realized that he needed to take it easier and decided – with not a little pressure from his wife and sons – to limit himself to 15 hours a week until after Thanksgiving.
Bobby and Kenny continued to bathe Max, with Grant stepping in one day a week to help out. After a little powwow among Max, Bobby, and Grant – which Kenny and their parents were not in on – it had been decided that it would not be the end of the world if Max had another climax during one of Grant’s shifts. But they all knew that it couldn’t go on indefinitely without becoming a potential problem.
Since normal cash flow had returned to the household, Max asked his parents if they could provide a little cash to hire a care attendant once or twice a week so that he didn’t have to depend on his brothers and Grant every day. They agreed, and Max placed an ad on Craigslist asking for an experienced male caregiver. He thought a female would have more trouble lifting him, but secretly he wondered if that was the real reason for his preference for a male.
He communicated by phone with three different guys before he found one who sounded like someone he could be comfortable with. His name was Eric Potter, and he agreed to come to the Rushtons’ house one morning when Max was home alone so they could get acquainted and discuss an arrangement.
Max was watching for him when Eric pulled up in front of the house. Max already knew that Eric was a student at UE and was 19 years old. He was looking for some part-time work on weekends and had done some caregiving in the past. Max just didn’t remember all the details.
Max waved him in through the door and invited him to sit with him in the living room. He was immediately impressed with Eric’s looks and demeanor. He showed off a great smile as he shook Max’s hand confidently. Eric appeared to be about 5’10” and 160 pounds with a good build on him. He had light brown hair and brown eyes and was neatly dressed in jeans, a knit pullover shirt, and a jacket that protected him from the chilly early November air.
“It’s good to meet you, Max,” he said, sitt
ing down in the chair next to him. “Nice house you have here.”
“Well, it’s not really mine. My parents own it, and I live here with them and my two brothers and another fellow. Would you like something to drink, Eric?”
“No, I’m good. I just had something. How long have you been in a wheelchair, Max?”
“Since I was 12. I got hit by a big falling rock right on my spine when I lived in Tell City. One of my brothers was with me and went for help. Thank God he didn’t get hit, too.”
“Bummer of an accident. Do you have use of your upper body?”
“Yes, that part of me works fine. I can also control my bladder and bowels. I just can’t walk. What I need help with is bathing. My brothers take turns giving me a sponge bath in bed one day and a shower the next. I’m looking for someone who could come in on weekends and give them a break. You said you had some experience at that. Tell me about it.”
“My twin brother Ethan was in a bad car accident when we were 17, and I used to help my dad bathe him every day for a few months until he recovered.”
“So he’s okay now?”
“Yes – with a lot of physical therapy. He was lucky – I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t survived that crash. We’ve always been super close.”
“You’d have to lift me, and I weigh 150 pounds. Can you handle that?”
“No problem. I was a wrestler in high school. That came in handy when I had to lift Ethan in and out of bed.”
Max already felt a strong connection with this young man and knew he would be the one he wanted to hire. He certainly looked strong enough to lift him and had an engaging personality. Eric felt the connection, too, and empathized with Max’s situation.
“Why don’t I show you around? Come on back.”
Someone to Bank on Page 16