The Rainbow Conspiracy

by Stuart Hopps

  In any case, on that first night of their reunion, Clive was much more eager to learn all about the changes that had occurred in Dennis’s world since they had met in Provincetown and, in particular, he wanted to know how he had come to meet Michael. Dennis responded by confessing that he’d come out with a vengeance since that summer on Cape Cod, and freely admitted that he was now open about the fact that he loved to be admired and was proud of his ability to captivate, either by seducing or being seduced. His newly acquired confidence had encouraged him to start what he referred to as his sideline, which turned out to be both profitable as well as enjoyable. He again mentioned that he had his ‘regulars’, which was how he’d come to get to know Senator Jim and why he’d frequently gone back and forth to Washington.

  Clive made a further attempt at finding out more about the senator, since it was now obvious to him that the man figured large in his friend’s life. However, Dennis didn’t seem to want to talk about Jim and so the subject was immediately changed back to Michael, who, Clive was told, had been a student in the fine art department of Dennison University where Dennis worked as a parttime model for the life-drawing class. Dennis added that when they’d first got together, Michael found his sideline rather difficult to handle but that eventually he’d just got used to it.

  ‘Michael’s really looking forward to meeting you, you know.’

  ‘That’s nice,’ Clive responded. Then hearing the lack of sincerity in his own voice, tried to cover up with: ‘Oh sorry! I mean it. I really want to meet him too.’ Said last remark produced what was now becoming that all-too-familiar incredulous look from Dennis, which Clive was very quick to pick up on.

  ‘Listen, Den, you two have been together for over six years and I just wanted to congratulate Michael on his feat of endurance … that’s all,’ Clive added, wearing a broad grin on his face and hoping that his witty remark would cover up his faux pas.

  ‘Look,’ countered Dennis. ‘I just know you two will hit it off, and I want so very much for you to become good friends. By the way, there’s bottle of Almaden in the icebox. Would you mind getting it out?’

  Clive made some crude remark about getting something else out, and gave Dennis a little fondle on his way over to get the wine. However, once again his pal appeared to reject his overtures and pulled away, and this total lack of interest eventually produced a numbing effect on Clive. Finally, they sat down to dine, each seated at a comfortable distance from each other, thus preventing either of them from playing footsie under the table. The food was plentiful, if a little too overcooked for Clive’s palate, but the large bottle of chilled Californian red helped the meal go along with a swing. Then, with dinner over and the bottle emptied, they made for the ample sofa on the other side of the room.

  More than a little tipsy by now, they threw off their shoes and Clive removed Dennis’ socks and once again set about massaging his toes. This time it seemed to do the trick, and at last they cuddled up close together, bodies entwined, and gently stroked each other for a while. Then Dennis disengaged himself, closed the curtains and went and put a record on, now opting for his choice of music: he wanted to hear Albinoni’s Adagio and not A Chorus Line, which Clive had given him.

  ‘Clive, you know, it’s so great to be with you again after so many years. But I’m sure you remember I’m not very good on first nights. I’ll make it up to you on the second, I promise.’ Then after a slight pause he asked: ‘Say, do you feel like taking a sauna?’

  Dennis explained that Alexandria Colony Court boasted a pool and sauna that was available to all residents. Clive reminded his pal that he wasn’t a strong swimmer but said he wouldn’t mind having a sauna or a quick dip.

  ‘You’ll have to loan me some trunks; I didn’t bring mine.’

  ‘Some what?’

  ‘A bathing suit.’

  ‘No problem. Let’s go!’

  They raced upstairs to Dennis’ bedroom, stripped off completely and Clive tried on a selection of his friend’s slim-hipped swimwear, then squeezed himself into the smallest pair of navy-blue trunks he could find. They threw on a couple of bathrobes, dashed out of the house, ran across the courtyard and made for a building that occupied a central position on the estate and served as a leisure centre.

  The Colony was now silent, although there were some windows dotted around that projected small pockets of light, indicating that they were not the only people still up and about. They quietly entered the pool house and went downstairs into the basement, Clive hoping that there would be no other midnight bathers around. He had no desire to use the pool, since it was the sauna he was really after, so that he could be alone with Dennis in that warm and relaxing little room, where he hoped they could be naked. He noticed that his friend switched on the lights as they went along the corridor, encouraging Clive to assume that they were indeed the only residents down there, which added impetus to the growing excitement he was feeling.

  The sauna itself was a little square wooden box built in the corner of a much bigger room that contained changing cubicles, lockers, loos and showers. Dennis adjusted the level of the heat in the sauna and once again ordered Clive to take a hot shower. Clive did as bidden, but was amused by his friend’s fastidious behaviour, since he was certain that his earlier ablutions had already cleared away any vestige of travel fatigue and grime, and thought it totally unnecessary to wash himself yet again.

  ‘I suggest you take those off too you know, before you get under the shower. I don’t think anyone’s gonna come down here at this time of night. And if they do, then they’ve got a little treat in store.’ Then as he began to soap Clive down, he added, ‘Mmm … and not such a little treat, neither.’

  Clive tried to turn away to hide his embarrassment, causing Dennis to grab hold of him in one arm and scoop him up with the other, while with his free hand he switched off the shower, pushed open the sauna door, swung through and dropped Clive down onto a wooden bench.

  This Tarzan-like display caused Clive to burst into peals of laughter, only to be silenced by Dennis announcing that he needed to take a crap.

  When he returned, he gave Clive a tight bear hug, squeezing all the air out of his lungs and then kissed him fully on the mouth. It was what Clive had been craving ever since he arrived in Columbus, and after a certain amount of foreplay, the two men became more intimate. Sex with Dennis was always easy and very natural, causing no discomfort or pain, despite his size. He was a master at it and Clive, now very relaxed from the heat of the sauna, allowed himself to be taken with no problem at all. As Dennis bucked back and forth, filling Clive with his warmth and strength, he began to increase his rhythm and within a very short time Clive was helped to climax. While jerking spasms were still coursing through his own body, he could sense his master’s pace quicken and then heard a deep groan come from the back of Dennis’s throat, and at the same time, he felt a hot release pouring into him.

  By now the sauna had become more like a steam room and both men felt the need for a cold shower to cool themselves down before they finally vacated the leisure centre. Dennis attended to turning down the heat in the sauna and switched off all the lights as they exited. It wasn’t that late, but Clive noticed that the streets in the Colony were now deserted, making him wonder whether the entire suburb was exclusively inhabited by old-age pensioners.

  Dennis invited his house guest to open the front door, and as Clive followed Dennis back into the house, he was truly contented and pleased he had come to Columbus to resume what he liked to think of as the continuation of his American ‘sex education’. The obsession he had for his lifeguard had been rekindled, although that did cause him to question his own sanity.

  Both men made a dive for the sofa and sprawled out for a while, somewhat exhausted. Then, with no word of explanation, Dennis quickly got up and went upstairs. Clive simply assumed that he’d gone to have a pee and must have dozed off for a while, when he suddenly woke up to find Dennis fully dressed and starring at him.


  ‘Look Clive, it’s just no good. I simply can’t do it with you again.’

  ‘But I don’t understand. What have I done wrong?’

  ‘It’s not you, it’s me! I feel so guilty about Michael. You see, he loves me and I love him.’

  ‘But I need you too.’

  ‘Need – Clive, is that all you can say? Need? I’m talking about love.’

  ‘And do you love all the others you do it with?’

  ‘That’s business.’

  ‘Well in that case, I’ll pay for the fuck if it makes you feel better.’

  With that, Dennis sprang to his feet, shaking with rage and looking really threatening. For a moment Clive thought the American was going to hit him, so he quickly curled himself up into a tight ball. Instead Dennis turned on his heels, rushed upstairs to get a coat and went storming out, slamming the front door shut as he went. It all seemed to happen in a flash, suddenly leaving Clive quite alone in a house that was foreign to him and in the middle of the suburbs of a town he was completely unfamiliar with. It made him feel most uneasy and cold, which was hardly surprising since he’d had no clothes on during the row that had just taken place.

  Clive calmly went upstairs, found an old dressing gown, and sank down onto the foot of Dennis’ king-sized bed. He tried to reason with himself and get his infatuation into perspective and made a serious effort to see things from Dennis’s point of view. At last he was able to face up to the fact that it was foolish to believe that Dennis could think of him in the same emotional terms as he thought of Michael.

  And so, having got that clearly settled in his mind, Clive went down to the kitchen, helped himself to a glass of milk, turned off the record player and switched off all the lights downstairs. Climbing back up the open staircase, he decided to try and get some sleep in the spare bedroom, congratulating himself on being such a good house guest, while at the same time chastising himself for being such a bad loser.

  Much to his own surprise, he slept well that night and woke bright and early. He felt that a dark cloud had been lifted, and he was now able to face up squarely to the situation he had got himself into. As Clive showered and got dressed, he admitted to himself that it would have been far wiser to have left his hulking great lifeguard behind on that Provincetown beach years ago, instead of chasing halfway across the world after him. Sometimes in life, lessons had to be learnt the hard way and when a door closes, it’s pointless to try to prise it open, even if one’s teeth are strong and sharp.

  Clive heard his host pottering around in the kitchen downstairs and shouted out: ‘Hey, good morning, Dennis.’

  ‘I’ll bring you up some coffee,’ came the reply.

  ‘That’s all right. I’ll be down in a couple of minutes. Keep it warm for me.’

  There had been a time when such a comment would have contained all sorts of hidden agenda, but not any more. Clive’s feelings had changed overnight and with the help of his newly acquired cool and logical approach, he had been able to come to terms with the fact that his affair with Dennis was finally over and he could go downstairs and face the music, if not quite break into a foxtrot. Clive found Dennis making fresh coffee and stirring something over the stove. He looked as though he’d been up all night, but with total calm and that ever so sincere soft-spoken voice of his said: ‘Clive, I really hope you slept well last night.’

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid I did. Didn’t you?’

  ‘As a matter of fact, I haven’t been to bed yet,’ Dennis continued. ‘I went to our local gay disco, met up with my friend Dick and made quite a night of it.’

  Clive quite surprised himself by not feeling in the least bit put out and simply smiled back: ‘Oh, good for you.’

  ‘I’ve made some corned-beef hash. Would you like some?’

  ‘No, thank you. But I’d love a soft-boiled egg.’

  ‘Sure. No problem.’

  There then followed a rather long silence, while both men summoned up the courage to say what was really on their minds. Finally it was Clive who broke it.

  ‘Dennis, I’ve been thinking. I’ve decided to go back to New York … Look, we both know this just hasn’t worked out, but if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I arrived with too many demands and the last thing I want to do is complicate your life with Michael.’

  ‘If you really wanna go, Clive, I won’t stop you.’

  ‘Dennis, I think it’s for the best. Don’t you?’

  ‘I suppose so. And I’m truly sorry.’

  ‘Well, don’t be. And, by the way, I really do want to meet Michael before I leave.’

  ‘Yes of course. We’d both like that very much.’

  There being nothing more left to say, Dennis tucked into a heaped plateful of hash and fried potato, while Clive delicately dunked his toast into his solitary boiled egg. Then with breakfast over, they climbed into Benjy and drove off to Dennison as planned. It was still surprisingly warm for April and the previous night’s storm seemed to have freshened the atmosphere.

  Driving through the streets of Columbus with the roof off yet again felt most exhilarating and also helped clear the air between the two of them. After Dennis’s amazing performance for the art class, they grabbed a quick lunch and the star model, as Clive now thought him, announced that he wanted to stop by at Michael’s house since he had a few things to collect from there. He assured Clive that he didn’t expect Michael to be back from his folks till the following day, as he knew he was spending Easter with Douglas and Gloria, who lived on the other side of town.

  Although Clive had decided to return to New York, he was somewhat relieved to put off his first meeting with his rival for one more day. However, imagine his total surprise to find the house occupied after all and, naturally enough, Clive suspected the ever-manipulative Dennis of having planned the entire episode. So there finally stood his competition, and Dennis made a great meal of introducing them to each other. His new host’s good looks presented something of a blow to Clive’s vanity, and their first meeting got off to a rather more awkward start than he had ever anticipated.

  ‘What a cosy little house,’ slipped out before Clive had a chance to stop himself and check how condescending his remark sounded.

  Then to make matters worse, when Michael offered him some tea that a friend had specially brought over from London, Clive said he preferred coffee. As they chatted over biscuits and beverages, Clive began to scrutinise his new acquaintance, and on closer examination, actually found Michael’s features to be quite irregular. He decided that those gorgeous green-blue eyes were in fact set too far apart, the lips a little too thin and that nose not quite straight.

  Sensing tension in the air, Dennis decided to take control of what he believed had become a delicate situation, and, in an attempt to bring the focus back to himself, explained that he had decided that Michael needed space in which to practise his artwork, and that was the main reason for them living separately.

  ‘Say, would you like to see my studio?’ Michael asked.

  Clive, wearing his best English manners, replied that he’d be delighted and was shown upstairs into a light and airy bedroom at the front of the house, which had been turned into the perfect place in which to paint and sculpt. A large easel occupied a central position in the room and on it stood a work in progress. There were several canvases stacked up against one of the walls and a small table nearest the window had tubes of paint spread out over it, as well as a tall glass jar containing several sets of brushes. All in all, Clive reckoned it looked like a proper artist’s studio. However, when it came to having a closer look at Michael’s paintings displayed throughout the house, in his heart of hearts, Clive thought that the art was only average.

  Nevertheless, ever the diplomat, he felt it only polite not to be too critical when invited to comment on the paintings.

  With the art inspection over, Clive asked where the toilet was, more out of the need to be alone for a while than to really use the loo. It was along the upstairs hallway and se
parate from the bathroom. Once he’d locked himself in, Clive sat down for a while and reflected on the events of the last twenty-four hours. Some time must have elapsed before he got up and went back to join his friends.

  When he opened the lavatory door, there, to his total surprise, he found his two American friends not only embracing, but stark bollock naked. He had intended to wash his hands in the bathroom, but they were barring his way. As Clive approached them, they stood their ground and remained firmly in their clinch. Dennis reached out and pulled Clive towards him, followed by Michael, who warmly welcomed the Englishman into what had now become a trio. Clive allowed himself to be drawn into their cosy huddle, offering only a hint of resistance. Once his mate’s tongues became disengaged, the two men turned, looked at Clive, smiled and simply welcomed him into their world. The meaning behind Dennis’s last letter became clear as they both began to caress Clive, who by now had yielded totally. He started to fondle their two naked bodies, and his inhibitions seemed to have vanished overnight. All three hovered in the doorway to Michael’s boudoir and at the time, it struck Clive that the bed it contained looked enormous and seemed out of all proportion with the size of the rest of the room. Clive attempted to disengage himself from what he thought could be a new and overpowering sexual experience, uttering that feeble line about threesomes being illegal in England, and then went off to wash his hands.

  In the past, men in Clive’s life had either been bright but physically unappealing, or stunning to look at, but thick as shit. Such was not the case now: experiencing a change of heart and mind, he rushed back to that enormous bed and dived on top of his Columbus boys, kissing and licking them, and exorcising all fear and inhibition. He was now having the time of his life with those two desirable, sensitive and intelligent young men. It wasn’t the first time Dennis had choreographed a novel physical activity for Clive, and this threesome had introduced the Englishman to an even greater degree of sexual freedom than he’d ever experienced before.