by Gerald Lopez
“Whatever you say, boss,” Gabriel said. “I’ll set out the silverware. We are allowed to talk today, right?”
“Ha, ha,” Bart said. “That wasn’t a complaint about last night, was it?” He turned the bacon over.
“No… never,” Gabriel said, before taking the silverware to the table.
“I just want to say thank you for everything you did last night, Jeremy,” James said. “It was all rather unorthodox, but it did the trick. There’s no way I can ever deny my feelings for Gabriel anymore.”
“Good,” Bart said.
“Three was definitely our lucky number for last night,” James said. “But in the light of day, I feel slightly guilty about all of it.”
“Knowing you, I thought you might feel that way,” Bart said, “And it’s not uncommon to feel that way after a threesome,” he remembered he was supposed to have amnesia and made an addendum to his statement. “It’s just my guess, but—”
“He’s just feeling typical British guilt,” Gabriel said. “And there’s no reason for you to feel that way, James. It was a beautiful experience that we shared last night.”
“Because you and Jeremy are so beautiful. I was just—”
“Don’t even think about finishing that statement,” Bart said, dividing the scrambled eggs evenly onto the three plates to the side of him. “I’m going to hazard a second guess,” he placed bacon on the plates. “If the first feeling after a threesome is guilt, then the second feeling must be inadequacy… or the like.” Picking up two of the plates, he headed to the table with James behind him carrying the third plate of food.
“It was all about you last night, James,” Gabriel said. “You can’t think otherwise.”
“He’s just suffering from a little amnesia himself,” Bart said.
James put his plate down on the table and was grabbed from behind by Bart, who hugged him then turned him and leaned him back against one of the chairs.
“Gabriel, I think James needs to be reminded of just how much we appreciated him last night. What do you say?”
“I’m tempted to agree,” Gabriel said.
Bart looked at James, suddenly reached forward, opened his robe, and got on his knees in front of him. It didn’t take long before Gabriel joined Bart, and together they sucked on James’s cock until, after moaning loudly, James came.
“God, you taste so good,” Gabriel said, licking some of the cum off James’s cock, before letting Bart finish the rest of it. “I knew he would have a nice cock, Jeremy, but I never dreamed it would be as beautiful as it is.”
“And it tastes so good, too,” Bart said. “You’re a lucky man, Gabriel.”
“Believe me, I know that,” Gabriel said, turning to kiss Bart on the lips.
Bart and Gabriel stood back up, hugged and kissed James, then sat down to eat. A slightly dazed James was still leaning against the chair behind him.
“I don’t understand,” James said. “Wasn’t this over last night?”
“Wasn’t what over last night?” Bart said. “Are you talking about our friendship, the sexual attraction between the three of us… what?”
“I’m very confused,” James said.
“We’re all friends still, Gabriel said. “We always will be. There’s no reason for us not to be.”
“But we had sex last night, and now this just happened,” James said.
“Did you dislike it?” Gabriel said.
“Let me try and clear things up again,” Bart said. “Gabriel and I are very similar in some ways… almost like we’re one man. We discovered that when we talked before you got here last night. When Gabriel and I are together, it’s as if in exploring one another’s bodies we’re exploring ourselves. It’s not as strongly sexual as when we’re with you. And James, buddy, I don’t think you have any real idea just how sexually attractive you are.”
“But where do we go from here?” James said. “I’m in love with Gabriel.”
“And I’m in love with you… and only you, James,” Gabriel said.
“And as much as I thoroughly enjoyed the hot sex last night,” Bart said. “I only love the two of you as friends. Nothing more—sorry.”
James chuckled. “It can’t really be this simple.”
“It is simple,” Gabriel said. “Don’t over think it. Just treat Jeremy as a close friend. Hug and kiss him when you see him, if you want. You can even talk about what a good time we had together, but any more than that and I’d like to be invited to join in.”
James and Bart both laughed.
“I did enjoy everything… a lot,” James said. “And that scares me. What if we’re… or specifically, what if I’m tempted to do it again. I don’t want to jeopardize anything we have, Gabriel.”
“You can’t jeopardize what we have, because it’s true love,” Gabriel said. “You are over-thinking things. You liked what we did and it scares you. That’s OK. But if you don’t just accept that fact, then it’ll build up in your mind until you seek to make it happen again in a bad way. Just appreciate what we had, and look back at it fondly. As a couple, it’s an experience we have in common, and one we can always talk about freely with one another.”
“Heck,” Bart said finishing his piece of bacon, “Maybe you can talk about the experience as foreplay sometimes.”
Gabriel laughed. “Maybe, but the truth of the matter is I’ve decided to stay here until James is ready to leave. Then if he agrees, I plan to go back with him to his beloved island resort. I’ll keep him too busy for his thoughts to wander to anyone else… even you, Jeremy.”
“Is it really possible?” James said. “Can we really stay together forever this time?”
Gabriel finished the eggs in his mouth before replying. “I’m almost positive my father is getting ready to retire. If he’s not, I’m going to ask my uncle and his people to force the issue with him. Once he retires, he won’t be as powerful as before—I’ll be free.”
“Now, that I’ve finished eating, I’ll be happy to leave you two lovebirds alone,” Bart said. “If you’ll lend me the use of this robe for the day, I’ll call someone to pick me up.”
“Keep the robe,” Gabriel said.
“You can use my car, and Gabriel can take me back to the resort later,” James said.
“Wow, you are anxious to get rid of me,” Bart said.
Chapter 40
Connecting with Friends Old and New
ONCE HE got back to his apartment at the resort, Bart took a shower, then decided to take a long nap. A gentle shaking of his shoulders woke him, and he found himself looking into Jenna’s soothing eyes. Frank stood beside her.
“OK, fill us in on things, Romeo,” Frank said.
Bart told Jenna and Frank everything that had occurred during the last evening, and they listened intently… interrupting him only a few times with their laughter.
“And I always heard the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach,” Jenna said. “Apparently, the real way to a man’s heart is through a significantly lower organ.”
“I just can’t believe you had the nerve to complain about us not finding anything out around here, and with all your diddling about, you haven’t done any better,” Frank said.
“Speaking of ‘diddling about’ how did your dinner date go, you two,” Bart said.
“Not as well as yours did,” Frank said. “You’ll have to give me some pointers one day—that is if your moves work on the opposite sex.”
“Men,” Jenna said, shaking her head in feigned disgust. “And just as I was thinking you might be good husband and father material, Frank.”
“Don’t tease,” Frank said.
“Maybe I’m warming up to you, Frank” Jenna said. “So, where do we stand on more important things, like the chupa problem, Bart?”
“I think we’re right where we were. But we’ve gained an important ally in Gabriel.”
“Surely, his father has to be involved in what’s going on here,” Jenna said. “He sent Gabriel to
Miami, Palm Beach, now here… there must be a reason.”
“He did tell Jer he thought his father might be looking to retire, and was checking places to move to. But why send Gabriel first?”
“Like Gabriel told Jeremy—it’s to establish a presence,” Jenna said. “But why the need to establish a presence if he just wants to retire? It’s got to be business related.”
“Or maybe he just wants to be top dog wherever he lands,” Frank said. “The man’s in charge at home. He might want to establish a similar power structure here.”
“We don’t have enough information to form a reasonable hypothesis yet,” Jenna said. “We’ve got to see Marcus and his brother together, and hope someone shows their hand.”
“And even then, we may not get what we need,” Bart said.
“Then we need to look at other options to obtain ‘what we need’,” Jenna said. “That means getting a blood sample from someone right after they’ve taken the chupa mixture. According to Tara, it’s becoming harder to stabilize the newer patients.”
“Why is that?” Bart said. “I thought there was an expert on chupa helping them.”
“He’s an expert on native plants and medicines,” Jenna said. “He says the ratio of the other chemicals to the chupa is changing with every cocktail mix being produced.”
“And they still can’t find traces of what the other chemicals are?” Frank said.
“No,” Jenna said, “and things are beginning to get desperate. I can tell Dr. Farrow and Tara are beyond frustrated. It’s time for us to do something.”
“Like what?” Bart said. “I’m going with Julia, Simon, and Reese to Jacksonville tomorrow to get the Mr. Orion situation in order. Hopefully, that’ll cause someone to take action and show their hand.”
“If dealing with Mr. Orion is enough to get people to show their hand,” Frank said.
“We’ve been invited to Rachel and Julia’s room when Rachel gets delivery of her wares,” Jenna said. “We both need to be there, Jeremy, with our wits about us. I’m praying she’ll have something there that will help us.”
“Do you have cameras in Rachel’s room, Frank?” Bart said.
“Nope,” Frank said. “Her rooms are set up to detect anything of that sort. I looked and checked out all the rooms here when I first arrived. It’s impossible for me to set up any sort of spying devices or camera equipment in Rachel’s rooms without her finding them.”
“Either she, or the people she works for, don’t want anyone finding out exactly what they’re up to,” Bart said.
“I wonder if there’s any chance we can get Rachel alone after she’s indulged in some of the chupa cocktail,” Jenna said. “I’d love to get a sample of her blood.”
“There’s one big problem with that idea, Jenna,” Frank said. “She may be ‘indulging’, but she’s still walking around looking fairly healthy. Why isn’t she affected by the chupa drug cocktail?”
“Maybe she’s built up a sort of immunity to it,” Jenna said. “Or she may be taking smaller doses of some of the ingredients. We’ve got to hope it’s got at least some ingredients in common with the chupa mixture she’s distributing. So far, she’s our best chance at getting a blood sample… provided we can get her alone to do it.”
“She won’t freely give us a sample of her blood,” Bart said. “We need to get her alone when there’s something else big going on to distract other people, such as Julia and Simon. I think the Mr. Orion plan can create the perfect distraction, if it’s handled right.”
“How soon do you think you can put that plan into action?” Jenna said.
“That’s what I’ll find out tomorrow from Simon,” Bart said. “Marcus’s money should be plenty of incentive for Simon to arrange things quickly.”
“Then we’d better leave, so you can get some rest,” Frank said. “You’ve been a busy boy, and who knows what tomorrow may bring your way.”
Minutes after Frank and Jenna left Bart’s apartment, there was a familiar knock on the door. Dressed only in boxers, Bart left his bed to go answer the door. He was greeted with a smile and a deep kiss as soon as he opened the door.
“Yum… to what do I owe this pleasure?” Bart said to Reese, who stood in front of him wearing only yellow Speedos.”
“Oh, I just wanted to see how I compared to Gabriel and James,” Reese said.
“You can hold your own against them,” Bart said, closing and locking his front door, once Reese was all the way inside.
“And here I was hoping I wouldn’t have to hold my own tonight,” Reese said. “I missed you last night.”
“That’s nice of you to say,” Bart said, as he walked toward the kitchen, where he grabbed a bottled water from the counter, opened it, and drank some. “Can I get you something, Reese?”
Reese took the bottled water from Bart’s hand and drank some. “Mmm… it still tastes like you.”
Bart smiled. “Don’t tell me you spent a lonely night alone while I was gone.”
“I met up with an ex-girlfriend of mine.” Reese said. “We experimented with some new techniques, like having her put her finger in my ass, but she was nowhere near as good as you.”
Bart laughed loudly for a few seconds, which earned him a concerned look from Reese. In response, he kissed Reese and was pushed against the kitchen wall, where Reese proceeded to kiss his neck and mouth, before removing his boxers and working on his cock.
“Let’s go to bed, where we can be more comfortable,” Bart said, as he helped Reese out of his Speedo and led him down the hall to the bedroom. “How did you know about James being on the yacht, Reese?”
“I didn’t,” Reese said. “Well… I wasn’t sure until you just confirmed it. Julia and Simon came home from the ball early, because Julia got into a spat with Marcus and Lisa Kristoff; and they told me you left the ball early with Gabriel. I looked for you, but you hadn’t returned, so I visited an ex-girlfriend. When I got back to the resort, I saw James leaving in his car. Heading back to my place, after taking a dip in the main pool today to check it out, I saw you arrive in James’s car.”
Bart pushed Reese on the bed and got on top of him. “You’re smarter than you let on, Mr. Lifeguard. Your girlfriend didn’t tire you out, did she?”
“No,” Reese said. “She aggravated me more than anything else. I’d forgotten how much I dislike her, and the sex was so bad I couldn’t even get off.”
“Did you play safe?” Bart said.
“Yes,” Reese said.
“Good, then I’ll see about helping you to ‘get off’.”
“Do you still have the energy?” Reese said.
“Oh, I think I can manage,” Bart said. “Since I slept through lunch, I was thinking maybe I’d treat you to an early dinner and a movie after we finish things, then we can come back here for dessert. And by dessert, I mean more hot sex. But, I may need some help getting up in the morning.”
“I’ll be more than happy to stick around until then,” Reese said.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Bart said.
Chapter 41
Enlightening Trip
BART WOKE Reese up in the best way he knew how… with a friendly sixty-nine. Afterward, they had a quick breakfast of microwaved pancakes and orange juice, before Reese left to get dressed in his own apartment.
After dressing in khakis, a blue button-down shirt, and deck shoes, Bart went downstairs to meet Julia and Simon. He met up with Reese first, who was dressed in tan shorts, a white Polo shirt, and slip-on canvas shoes.
“You look nice,” Bart said, putting his arm around Reese’s shoulders.
“Thanks,” Reese said, “so do you.”
They walked out to the edge of the parking lot and saw Simon and Julia waiting in Simon’s car. Julia got out of the passenger’s side to greet Bart and Reese.
“Hi, will you two be alright in the back seat?” Julia said.
“We’ll be fine,” Bart said, as he looked at Julia, who was dressed in slim-fitting
red pants with a matching red jacket. Underneath the jacket, she wore a top with the name Jansen Salon and Spa on it. “You look very professional and businesslike, Julia.”
“Thank you,” Julia said. “I drew the line at putting my hair up in a bun.”
“Your hair always looks great when you leave it down and curled like that,” Reese said.
“Stop trying to sweet talk my woman and get in the car, you two,” Simon said, then chuckled.
Julia got back in the car, and Bart and Reese got in the backseat.
“Simon, don’t forget to stop in front, so I can give George a check for his wife,” Julia said.
“Sure thing,” Simon said.
When they got to the front of the resort, Simon rolled down his window and waved George over.
“How ya doing, Jorge?” Simon said.
“Good,” George said. “Thanks for switching days with my wife.”
“Thank Julia for that, not me,” Simon said. “You know I’m just her lackey.”
“Hush, now,” Julia said, leaning over and handing George an envelope. “There’s a check in there for the regular amount. Oh, and I hope little Amy gets better soon.”
“Thank you,” George said. “You folks have a safe drive.”
“Thanks, we will, Jorge,” Simon said.
“Why’d you call George, Jorge?” Bart said.
“Because Jorge is Spanish for George, I learned that some time ago,” Simon said. “Sometimes I like to call him Jorge just to get his back up. He’s alright… he’s assimilated here more than some other Hispanics in this area, and he prefers to be called George. Puerto Ricans assimilate better because they’re American citizens. Cubans like Joe, not so much. Same for some of the other Hispanics.”
“That’s enough of that, Simon,” Julia said.
Once they were on the way, Julia turned around in her seat and talked to Bart and Reese. “Sorry about stopping to talk to George. His wife Lorena cleans the salon and spa here at the resort. She just started a cleaning business about a year ago and does very good work.”