A Tumbleweed Adventure – Chapter Five
The next day, Golden walked down the
lane carrying breakfast for the two boys.
He let himself in and placed the tray on the table. He walked over and stood in the doorway to
their bedroom for a moment, looking into the sleeping faces of the two
men. He remembered looking in on Danny
when he was younger, just as he was now.
Danny had seemed very happy and content back then. That was before the trouble began with his
father. It had started during Danny’s junior
year at high school, and escalated throughout his senior year until their final
confrontation that ended with Danny leaving his home for good. Something had changed in Danny’s father
during that time.
Golden remembered that during Danny’s
junior year, Mr. Eccles had become something of a celebrity in his church. He had advanced to a position of power in
his congregation that seemed to go to Mr. Eccles’ head. It was from that time forward that things
went downhill between Danny and his father.
It revolved around Mr. Eccles’ worry that his reputation would suffer
from Danny’s seemingly wayward ways.
Danny had always been independent, but
never got into trouble as other kids did.
Golden never understood what Danny ever did to merit the harsh treatment
at his father’s hands. In his view, it
was Mr. Eccles’ pride and supersized ego that was the problem, not Danny’s
independent streak. From the beginning,
Danny had always gravitated toward Golden’s company. Golden had called him his little
shadow. The young boy had blossomed like
a flower in full sun in Golden’s company.
Every summer, Golden and Danny seemed to be inseparable. Delores frequently observed that he was more
of a father to Danny than his employer.
Whenever Danny was troubled about something, he came to Golden to talk
about it. Over the years, Golden had
come to see Danny as his own son, especially since he and Delores were
childless.
Golden looked into Danny’s face and saw
the same happy and contented look he remembered seeing years ago. He saw a similar look on Jerry’s face. They slept in each other’s arms which
reminded him of how he and Delores used to sleep in that very same bed. He shook himself out of his reverie and sighed. How he missed his Delores!
He said, “Wake up sleepy heads. Your honeymoon is over. I expect you to earn your keep. I’ve brought your breakfast down from the
main house, but I won’t serve it to you in bed. You’ll just have to drag yourselves out of
bed if you want to eat.”
Jerry untangled himself from Danny and
stretched, yawning widely. “Good
morning, Golden. Thanks for bringing
breakfast. We’ll be up shortly.”
Golden laughed, “You might be up, but
that one will sleep all day if you let him.
I remember that from when he lived here before. I always had to drag him out of bed to do
his chores.”
Danny opened his eyes and said, “You did
not. I was the one who dragged your
sorry behind out of bed most of the time.”
Golden laughed and said, “Jerry, I have
to compliment you. You’ve managed to
cure Danny of his foul mouth. There was
a time that he would have cursed me out and then some.”
Danny blushed and looked over at
Jerry. Jerry grinned, “I’m glad to know
that I’ve been a positive influence on the poor boy.”
Danny jabbed a finger into Jerry’s ribs
as he said, “I’m not a poor boy.”
Jerry grabbed Danny’s hands and pulled
him close. “No, but you’re all
mine.” He kissed Danny. “What do you say to that?”
Golden laughed. “Danny, I think you’ve met your match. I’m glad to see that Jerry knows how to
handle you.” He left the room and they
heard him open the door. “Don’t be too
long!” he shouted over his shoulder, shutting the door behind him.
Jerry said, “I like Golden.”
“I do too,” Danny said. “He’s the reason I dared to come here. I didn’t know that Delores had passed, but I
figured Dad would still have Golden taking care of the ranch in his absence.”
“So what will we be doing today?” Jerry
asked.
Danny replied, “I imagine we’ll be
checking on the cattle today. If we’re
lucky, we can do some rabbit hunting. I
think I saw the shotguns still up on the wall in the main house. We used to ride in the back of the truck and
shoot them as they ran for cover. They
aren’t good eating, but it’s great fun!”
“What kind of rabbits are they?” Jerry
asked, mildly interested. Shooting
rabbits didn’t sound that great to him.
Deer hunting was his favorite thing to do in the hunting arena.
Danny saw Jerry’s look and said, “I promise
you’ll like it.”
Jerry grinned and said, “I’ll be just
fine as long as you’re with me.”
“Then we’re going to have a great time,”
Danny said, grinning.
Jerry got out of bed, his fine body on
full display. He turned, showing off
for his lover. He grinned and said, “If
you want me, you’ll have to get out of bed and join me in the shower.”
That was all Danny needed to hear. He was out of bed in a flash and took
Jerry’s hand, leading him into the bathroom.
He turned on the water and adjusted the temperature. As soon as it was nice and hot, he stepped
into the tub and pulled Jerry in after him.
Jerry pulled the shower curtain closed and turned to his lover. He was beginning to really like their shower
time together!
*** ***
After showering, they dried each other
off and went into the cabin’s main room.
They sat down to the breakfast Golden had left them. They polished off the stacks of pancakes,
several fried eggs and all the sausage links.
They washed up the dishes and placed them on the tray, ready to be
returned to the main house.
Jerry said, “I guess we had better get
dressed.”
“We don’t have to get dressed, if you
don’t want to,” Danny said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’d love to see you running around naked in
the snow, freezing your balls off!”
Jerry laughed, “I think we can arrange
for you to see what freezing your balls off means.” He grabbed his lover and lifted him over his
shoulder and headed toward the door.
“Don’t you dare throw me in the snow!”
Danny shouted, struggling to get free.
Jerry got to the door and asked, “What
will you give me to NOT throw you in the snow?”
“I’ll let you fuck me as many times as
you want,” Danny said.
“I can already do that. What else will you give me?” Jerry asked,
laughing.
“I’ll give you all my love,” Danny said.
Jerry turned around and carried him into
their bedroom. He gently laid him on
the bed, pinning him against the mattress.
He looked deeply into Danny’s eyes and said, “If you’ll promise to give
me all your love for the rest of your life, I’ll take it.”
Danny said, “I’ve already given you my
heart, Jerry. I’ll love you forever.”
Jerry released his hold on Danny’s arms
and began kissing him all over. Danny’s
hands roamed Jerry’s body. Their
passion engulfed them as their bodies bonded together to form one single unit.
*** ***
Jerry nibbled on Danny’s earlobes and
whispered, “How many times can we have sex in one day?”
Danny turned his head and kissed Jerry
before responding, “As many times as you can get it up.”
Jerry gave Danny a lecherous grin. “In that case, I think we won’t be able to
keep count.”
Danny asked, “I wonder what Golden would
say if he heard you talking about having sex all day?”
“He would say we’re acting like
newlyweds,” Jerry said, laughing.
“And he would be right, because we are
newlyweds,” Danny said. “Jerry, I want
to buy a ring for you. Would you wear
my ring?”
Jerry gazed into Danny’s eyes, “I would
be honored to wear your ring. Will you
accept one from me?”
Danny put his hand up to Jerry’s cheek,
lightly brushing it with his fingertips.
“I would love to wear your ring.”
“After we help Golden, we can drive into
town to find rings,” Jerry said. “But
we’ll have to buy rings at separate stores, or maybe in different towns to keep
from raising suspicions.”
“We should get up and go help Golden
before he comes looking for us,” Danny said.
“Okay, let’s get dressed,” Jerry said.
They dressed warmly and walked up the
lane to the main house, carrying the empty food tray. They met Golden at the front door. He smiled and said, “Put the tray in the
kitchen and let’s go feed the cattle.”
Danny ran the tray inside the house and
then joined Jerry and Golden. Danny sat
between the two men. Jerry put his arm
around Danny’s shoulders and leaned over to give him a quick kiss.
Golden said, “You two had better not act
like the newlyweds you are, in public.
You don’t want to give yourselves away like that.”
Jerry laughed and said, “I know you’re
right, Golden, but I love Danny so much that I can’t resist him.”
Golden
snorted in response and started the truck.
He drove them out to the fenced in area where they kept the cattle. They began unloading the hay from the back
of his truck and throwing it over the fence into the feed troughs. The cattle crowded around the troughs to get
at the fresh bundles of hay.
“How many head of cattle are there?”
Jerry asked Golden.
“There are 200 head here,” he
replied. “We can run as many as 500
head, but since I’m the only one working the ranch this winter, we kept the
number down.”
They finished unloading the truck; then
climbed into the cab for the ride back to the house. Danny asked, “Golden, will you go rabbit
hunting with us tonight at sunset?”
Golden laughed and said, “You mean you
want me to drive, while you and Jerry shoot jack rabbits.”
“Yes, would you?” Danny said, placing
his hand on Jerry’s inner thigh. Jerry
covered Danny’s hand with his own.
Golden glanced over at the two men and
said, “I’ll do it, but you have to cook dinner after we get back.”
“Sure,” Danny said. “I’m sure we can scare something up in the
house to eat; like rats or mice.”
Golden laughed. “I don’t think you’ll find either one of
those kinds of rodents. The cats are
pretty good at keeping the rodent population under control around the house.”
“Speaking of cats, do you remember
Buttercup?” Danny asked.
Golden smiled, as the memory came back
to his mind of 12 year-old Danny proudly displaying his fat yellow tabby
cat. “Yes, I do. Wasn’t he the cat that you brought out to
the farm from Richfield?”
Danny said, “Yes, that’s the one. Remember how he disappeared from the farm,
and showed up a week later back at our house in Richfield?”
“Yes, I remember. He left a mouse on the back porch for your
Uncle Alma who was keeping up the yard for your parents,” Golden said.
“Uncle Alma called us to tell us that
the cat had showed up back at the house.
But then he disappeared, only to show up on the farm a couple of weeks
later. I was so happy that he came
back,” Danny said.
“He must have been quite a cat to make
it all the way into Richfield and back,” Jerry said. “By the way, why did you call a male cat,
Buttercup?”
“I thought he was a female cat when we
got him; so I named him Buttercup.
After we discovered that he was a male, my parents tried to convince me to
change his name, but I liked the name Buttercup,” Danny said. Jerry snickered; but before he could say
anything, Danny said, “Don’t laugh!
Buttercup was my favorite cat.”
Golden said, “Jerry probably thought like
we all did at the time, that you were just being stubborn.”
Jerry guffawed, “Yeah, that’s it!”
Danny jabbed his elbow into Jerry
ribs. Jerry grabbed Danny’s hands to
keep him from doing it again. He leaned
over and kissed Danny. He pulled back
and looked into Danny’s eyes. “Don’t be
so sensitive. Remember, I love you and
I don’t mean to hurt you.”
Danny felt bad for what he’d done and
said, “I’m sorry. It’s just that my
brothers teased me a lot about Buttercup.”
“That was a long time ago,” Golden
said. “You need to let Jerry tease you
sometimes, Danny. You can’t have a good
relationship without having a good sense of humor, even if it’s at your own expense.”
Danny looked at Jerry and said, “I’ll
try not to be so sensitive about stuff.”
Jerry said, “That’s okay.” He intertwined his fingers with Danny’s.
They arrived at the house and climbed
out of the truck. Golden said, “Why
don’t you boys run into town and pick up some supplies for us. Here’s a list of what we need.” Golden handed them the list and a wad of
cash. “Pick up a few things you guys
like to eat, if it’s not already on the list.”
Danny said, “We’ll be glad to go. Who is living in my parents’ house in town?”
“I believe your Uncle Alma has rented it
out for your parents. I don’t know who
lives there at the moment. There has
been a parade of renters in and out of there over the years,” Golden said. “You might stop by the sheriff’s
office. Sheriff Larsen should be there
until around noon.”
“Thanks for reminding me. The Larsens were good to me when I most
needed a friend,” Danny said.
The two men climbed into Jerry’s truck
and drove the 17 miles into town.
“Let’s stop at the sheriff’s office first,” Danny said, giving Jerry
directions. They pulled into a parking
space and Jerry shut off the engine.
“Do you really want to see the
sheriff? You know that he will be
obligated to arrest us if he ever finds out we’re lovers,” Jerry said, his
voice filled with concern.
“Well, let’s make sure he never finds
out,” Danny said, climbing out of the cab of the truck.
Jerry joined him and they walked into
the sheriff’s office. A young deputy
sheriff saw them come in. He stood up
from his desk and walked over to them.
“What can I do for you?”
“We’re here to see Sheriff Larsen,”
Danny said.
“Who should I tell him is looking for
him?” the deputy asked.
“Tell him it’s Danny Eccles,” Danny
said.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” he
said. He disappeared into the back
office and then returned. “Follow
me.” They followed him and found themselves
in a large office. Sitting behind a
large double pedestal mahogany desk was a large, heavy set man. He had small, deep set blue eyes, heavy
jowls, a double chin and a shiny bald head.
His ample person completely filled his large office chair. In fact, the chair looked like it would
collapse from his weight at any moment!
He said, in a booming voice, “Hello,
Danny! It’s good to see you!”
“Hello, Sheriff Larsen. I want you to meet my friend, Jerry
Wallace.”
The sheriff extended his hand, but
didn’t stand up. Jerry shook his hand
and said, “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard
a lot about you, Sheriff. Danny has
told me how you took him in after his parents booted him out of their house.”
Sheriff Larsen smiled and said, “Yes,
Danny needed someone to look after him, and we were glad of the extra help.”
Danny said, “I will always be grateful
for what you did for me.”
Sheriff Larsen said, “It was the least
we could do. How are things going for
you?”
“They’re good,” Danny said. “We’re visiting Golden over at the ranch for
a few days before moving on to California.
We worked in Jackson Hole this past summer; but the tourist season is
over for this year.”
Sheriff Larson nodded his head in
understanding. “Winter is a slow time
here as well. We don’t get much traffic
through town during the off season.
Things will pick up again in the spring, when things warm up.”
“Golden suggested that we stop by to see
you, since he sent us into town to pick up supplies,” Danny said.
“Thank you for stopping in to see
me. If you plan on sticking around for
a while, stop over to the house. The
wife would like to see you, I’m sure,” he said.
“We’ll do that,” Danny said. They left Sheriff Larsen’s office and made
their way out to Jerry’s truck. “Now,
that wasn’t so bad.”
Jerry shook his head. “Danny, you like to live dangerously.”
They climbed back into Jerry’s truck. They stopped at the hardware store to pick
up a new doorknob for the cabin. This
one came with a set of keys, so they could lock the cabin door! Jerry spotted a jewelry store and
stopped.
They walked into the little shop and
were greeted by a short, balding man.
“How may I help you boys today?”
Jerry said, “I’m looking for a simple
gold wedding band.”
The shopkeeper pulled out a tray of gold
rings from a display case. “Do you know
what size ring?”
“No, I don’t,” Jerry said.
“Let me measure your ring finger,” he
said. The jeweler measured Jerry’s
finger and said, “You need a size 9.”
He pulled out a golden wedding band and handed it to Jerry. “Try that on.”
Jerry slipped it onto his ring
finger. He looked at and asked, “How
much is it?” The jeweler named a price
and Jerry said, “I’ll take it.”
A few minutes later, they left the
little shop. Jerry grinned, I have my
wedding band. Now we just need to get
yours.”
“We can drive up to Salina,” Danny
said. “I think they have a jewelry store
there.”
They climbed into the truck and Jerry
drove them to the grocery store, where they picked up everything on Golden’s
list. They returned to the ranch and
delivered the supplies to the main house.
They helped Golden put everything away, before walking down the lane to
the cabin. Jerry made quick work of
installing the new doorknob. When he
was finished, he stood up and grinned at Danny.
Jerry announced, “There! Golden can’t walk in on us anymore. Do you think we should give him a key just in
case we get locked out?”
Danny laughed. “If we’re going to give him a key, why did
we buy the new doorknob?”
“Good point,” Jerry said. “Let’s hide a key under a log in the wood
pile. That way, we won’t get locked
out.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Danny said,
approvingly.
“Let’s go get your ring,” Jerry
said. He left the cabin, and walked
around the cabin to hide the key at the bottom of the wood pile. He returned to find Danny standing in the
doorway. He had a pensive look on his
face. “What’s up?” Jerry asked.
Danny answered, “I was thinking how much
I missed being home. I’m glad we’ve
been able to spend some time here.” He
met Jerry’s gaze. “It’s good for us to
start our relationship here, because home will be wherever you are.”
Jerry smiled and said, “That’s because
we’re a family now, Danny.” He walked
over and pulled Danny into his embrace.
They kissed for a long time before Jerry said, “Let’s go get your
ring.” He led Danny to the passenger
side of the truck and helped his partner into the cab. He smiled and said, “Don’t get used to me
opening the door.”
Danny stuck his tongue out at his
lover. Jerry leaned inside the truck
and stole a quick kiss. He practically
jumped over the hood of the truck and climbed in beside Danny. They drove down the lane to the main highway
and turned north. They passed through
Richfield and on to Salina. They drove
along the main street of town, and didn’t find a single jewelry store. They pulled into a gas station. The attendant came out and began filling the
gas tank.
Jerry got out and started a conversation
with the attendant. He looked to be in
his mid-thirties, tall with dark and eyes.
Jerry asked, “Do you know where there’s a jewelry store in the area?”
“Depends on what kind of jewelry you’re
looking for,” the man replied.
“We need to find a man’s wedding band,”
Jerry said.
“If you’re travelling north, you’ll have
to drive to Payson to find a jewelry store that sells quality stuff. Otherwise, you can head south to
Richfield. There are a couple of decent
places to buy jewelry there,” he said.
“Thanks,” Jerry said. He paid for his gas and climbed back inside
the truck. “I guess we’re going to
Payson.”
Danny nodded his head. “I thought that might be the case when we
didn’t see a single jewelry store on the main street.”
They returned to Highway 89 and
continued north to Payson. About
halfway through town, they found the jewelry store. They parked in front of the establishment
and walked inside. A young lady in her
mid-twenties greeted them with a smile.
“My name is Mindy. How can I help you two gentlemen today?” she
said.
Danny said, “I’m looking for a wedding
band.”
“Do you know what size you need?” she
asked. Danny shook his head. “Let’s get you measured.” She handed Danny a couple of rings marked
with their sizes. “Try these on.” He did as she directed and she said, “It
looks like you need a size 10 ring.”
Danny looked at her in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied. She pulled out a tray of gold rings and
selected a couple of them. “Try these
on.”
Danny put each of them on his ring
finger. He chose a plain gold
band. “I’ll take this one.”
She rang up his purchase and he handed
her the cash. A few minutes later they
walked out of the shop. Danny looked
over at Jerry and said, “I always thought your fingers were bigger than mine.”
Jerry laughed and said, “Well, now we
know that you have wider fingers than I do, but mine are longer than yours.”
Danny grinned and replied, “Yes, they
are. Should I put my ring on now, or
wait until tonight when we’re at the cabin?”
“Let’s wait until we’re alone,” Jerry
said. “I want it to be a special
occasion for us.”
Danny nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll wait.”
They drove back to the ranch, arriving
just in time to help Golden load more hay into the back of his pickup. They drove down the lane to where the horses
were corralled and fed them.
Golden asked, “Are you ready to go
rabbit hunting?”
“Yes, we are,” Jerry said.
“Okay, let’s get the guns and the
ammunition,” Golden said. He drove them
back to the house where he unlocked the cabinet where the ammunition was
kept. He unlocked the gun case and
retrieved two shotguns. “Remember that
these shotguns won’t leave much of the rabbit behind.”
Danny grinned and said, “That’s the
whole point, Golden.”
Golden shook his head. “Kids!
You’re all alike.”
“Only we’re not kids,” Jerry said,
smiling.
“No, you’re not; however, you still act
like teenagers,” Golden said, frowning.
They went outside and climbed inside the
truck. They drove to a deserted part of
the ranch and stopped. Golden turned on
his search lights, turning to Danny and Jerry and said, “Go ahead and climb
into the bed of the truck. You can load
the guns at that point, and I’ll direct the spot light on the rabbits.”
Danny and Jerry did as they were instructed. Soon, they were ready, with their guns
pointed out into the sagebrush. Golden
started swinging the search light back and forth over the sagebrush.
Danny spotted a rabbit and pulled the
trigger. “Got him!”
Jerry looked over at Danny and asked,
“Why do you hunt rabbits?”
“We hunt them to bring down the rabbit
population. Otherwise, they would eat
everything in sight, leaving nothing for the cattle,” Danny said. “I’m not killing rabbits just for the sake
of killing them, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Jerry said, “I was wondering about that;
because you seem to be pretty mild mannered.
You caught me by surprise when you asked if I wanted to hunt
rabbits.” Another rabbit appeared in
the spotlight. It seemed to be
hypnotized by the light, sitting very still.
Jerry raised his gun and fired.
They continued until they were too cold
to enjoy the sport. They unloaded their
guns and put away the live rounds. They
climbed back into the truck cab. Danny
was shivering pretty badly.
“You stayed out in the cold too long,”
Jerry said, putting his arms around him.
Golden turned the truck around and they drove
back to the cabin. He dropped the boys
off and returned to the main house.
Jerry guided Danny inside and stripped
off his clothes. He did the same, then
walked his lover into the bathroom and turned on the shower. They stood huddled together under the warm
water. Jerry held Danny close, nibbling
on his earlobe. As soon as they were
warm, Jerry turned off the water and dried Danny with a towel. He led him into their bedroom and wrapped
him inside a comforter. Jerry pulled on
some clothes and returned to the main room to build a fire in the
fireplace. He also built a fire in the
stove to cook their dinner.
Jerry pulled out a cast iron skillet and
a kettle. He peeled potatoes and placed
them in the kettle with some water and put them on the stove to boil. He placed some oil in the skillet and pulled
two steaks out of the refrigerator. He
also pulled out lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber for a green salad.
As soon as the potatoes were close to
being done, he began cooking the steaks.
Danny came into the main room and sat down at the table. He was wearing bright white briefs. “Thank you for making dinner for me.”
“You’re welcome, Babe,” Jerry said. He mashed the potatoes, adding butter, salt
and pepper. He placed the mashed
potatoes and the green salad on the table.
Then he retrieved the steaks from the skillet and placed them on a
plate. He sat down at the table with
Danny and they said grace.
Jerry said, “I don’t have candles to
make this a romantic dinner, but I hope you know that I love you, just the
same.”
“But we have the light of the fire,”
Danny said, smiling. He reached across
the table and took Jerry’s hand. “I
love you.”
They ate their dinner in silence, since
words weren’t needed to express their feelings for each other. They made short work of the cleanup. Jerry walked into their bedroom and brought
out pillows and a couple of comforters, spreading them out in front of the
fireplace.
Danny joined Jerry in front of the
fireplace. Jerry pulled him into his
arms and kissed him deeply. “Do you think
we should formally exchange rings?” Jerry asked.
Danny smiled. “Yes, let’s make it official.” They pulled the wedding bands off their
fingers and exchanged them.
Jerry took Danny’s hand in his and said,
“Danny, I vow to love you and cherish you for the rest of your life. I give you this ring as a token and a
reminder of my promise to you.” He slid
the plain, gold band onto Danny’s ring finger.
Danny took Jerry’s hand and said,
“Jerry, I promise to love you and cherish you forever. I give you this ring to remind you of my
everlasting love for you.”
They kissed each other
passionately. Pulling back, Danny said,
“It’s almost like we just got married.”
Jerry said, “It’s the closest to being
married we’ll ever get.”
“It’s good enough for me, as long as
you’re with me,” Danny said.
Jerry smiled and said, “I think we
should consummate our union, since we’re officially committed to each other.”
Danny grinned and pulled Jerry closer to
him. “I get to fuck you first, since
you went first last night.”
Jerry asked, “Who said we had to
rotate?” He gave Danny’s nipples a
tweak, causing Danny to moan with pleasure.
“I did,” Danny said, running his fingers
through the hair on Jerry’s chest. “I
want to make you mine.” He leaned
forward and captured Jerry’s lips. He
helped Jerry move into a more comfortable position, as he continued to caress
Jerry’s body with his hands. Jerry
whispered in his lover’s ear, “Fuck me, Danny.”
*** ***
Afterward, Danny lay on top of Jerry,
his muscles completely relaxed. He
could feel that Jerry was still very much aroused. Jerry put his hands on either side of
Danny’s face and looked into his eyes and said, “I like it when you take
charge. It’s a real turn on for me.”
Danny smiled and said, “It’s the same
for me. I’ve always been attracted to
strong men who have the confidence to be leaders, and who know what they
want. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t
interested having sex with a guy.”
Jerry said, “Well, that’s a good thing for
me, because you had to wait until I found you.
As far as meeting your criteria for your Mr. Right, I’ve never been one
to follow other people. I prefer to be
independent and free of conventions that society imposes on people. I guess that’s why I’m so attracted to you,
in a way. Being in a relationship with
a man certainly puts me at odds with most of the people in this country.” Jerry caressed his lover’s body, kissing the
nape of his neck.
Danny leaned his head back and gave a
sigh of pure pleasure. He loved how his
body reacted to Jerry’s touch. “Don’t
stop.”
Jerry whispered in Danny’s ear, “I have
no intentions of stopping. It’s my turn
to make you mine.” He captured Danny’s
lips in a deep kiss. The flames of
their passion leapt higher and higher as they abandoned themselves to the wants
and desires of their hearts.
*** ***
They enjoyed their time on the ranch as
days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.
They spent their first Christmas together in the little log cabin at the
Eccles’ ranch, as well as ringing in the New Year. They spent many nights talking with Golden,
who regaled them with many stories of his childhood; as well as answering
Jerry’s questions about Danny and his family. Jerry felt like he had hit a jack pot in Las
Vegas; because Golden knew everything there was to know about Danny. In fact, Danny complained that Golden was
revealing too much information to Jerry!
One evening in early January, Danny and
Jerry decided to go into town for dinner.
They entered the only diner in town and took a booth. The waitress took their order and soon
returned with their beverages.
Danny said, “Jerry, things are going so
well for us at the ranch that I keep thinking something is bound to go wrong.”
Jerry said, “You’re just being paranoid,
Danny. Relax and let’s enjoy our meal.”
Danny said, “I’m going to put some money
in the Jukebox. Is there a song you
want to hear?”
Jerry said, “Yes, I like The
Platters. My favorite song is ‘The
Great Pretender.’ If that one isn’t
there any of their other hits would be great.”
Danny approached the Jukebox and dropped
a coin in the slot. He found the song
that Jerry had requested and punched in the numbers. He also found their hit, ‘Only You,’ and selected
it as well. He picked out a couple of
more songs and then returned to their booth
Jerry asked, “Did you find it?”
“Yes, I did and I picked their song,
‘Only You,’ as well. I didn’t know you
liked them,” Danny said.
“Yes, I met them when they were
performing in Los Angeles. I was
working as a stage hand, setting up for concerts. They are a great musical group,” Jerry said.
“Who else did you meet?” Danny asked.
“Elvis Presley,” Jerry replied.
The waitress brought their food and they
listened to their musical selections as they ate their meal.
“Let’s take the horses up into the
Tushar Mountains. I want to show you
the Kimberly Mine, if the snow isn’t too deep,” Danny said. “Most of the winter, you can’t get to it
because of the snow.”
“We can leave tomorrow if Golden doesn’t
need us,” Jerry said.
They finished their meal and left the
diner. They climbed into the cab of
Jerry’s truck. Jerry looked around,
checking for pedestrians. Seeing no one
on the streets, he leaned over and kissed Danny on the lips.
“Thank you for a nice evening,” Jerry
said.
“You’re most welcome,” Danny said,
placing his hand on Jerry’s inner thigh.
They chatted as they drove down the
highway toward the ranch. Jerry parked
the truck in front of the cabin and they went inside. Jerry was lighting a fire in the fireplace
when Golden opened the door and rushed in.
“You boys need to leave here right now,
and never come back. Sheriff Larsen is
on his way over to arrest you.
Apparently, someone saw you kissing in the truck in front of the diner,
and called the sheriff.”
Jerry looked at Danny and said, “I’m
sorry, Danny. I should have been more
cautious.”
Danny said, “Let’s get our stuff and get
out of here.”
Golden said, “I’m sorry it has to be
this way.” He followed the boys into
their bedroom. “Don’t come back this
way. You can drop me a post card
sometime. Don’t put your name on it,
but write me a note saying you’re okay.”
Jerry had his things packed and headed
for the door. Danny grabbed his gear
and followed his lover. They went out
the door, and threw their belongings into the back of the truck.
Danny hugged Golden. “Thank you for warning us. I’ll never forget you.”
Golden had tears running down his face
as he handed Danny an envelope.
“There’s enough cash here to see you through until you find a job
somewhere else.” He turned to Jerry and
said, “Don’t stop until you absolutely have to. Take good care of my boy.”
Jerry said, “I promise. Thank you for everything.” Jerry pulled Golden into a bear hug and then
released him. “Goodbye.”
The two men climbed into the truck and
Jerry started the engine. Golden tapped
on the window. Jerry rolled it down and
Golden said, “Take the back road out of here.
The sheriff will be using the main road. That way you can make your way south toward
Las Vegas.”
Jerry said, “Thank you again.” He rolled up the window and pointed the
truck down the rutted track that led them between the river and the empty
hayfields of the Eccles ranch. They
eventually arrived at the rickety old wooden bridge that crossed the
river. As they crossed, they heard the
timbers groan under the weight of the truck.
Jerry punched the accelerator, and the truck shot across to the other
side.
Looking back, Danny saw the bridge
collapse into the rushing, cold water of the Sevier River. “We barely made it across,” he said.
“I know,” Jerry replied. “Let’s hope that Golden can detain the
sheriff long enough for us to make a clean get away.”
They came out to the main road. Jerry looked both ways before turning south,
putting as much distance between them and the ranch as possible.
*** ***
Jerry drove through the night. He had made this trip many times in the
past; between the many moves he had made with his parents, and his own nomadic
ways. They arrived in Las Vegas just as
the sun was peeking over the horizon.
Jerry reached over and shook Danny awake. “Danny, we’ve got to stop for gas.”
He pulled into a gas station. The attendant filled the tank and Jerry paid
him, giving the teenager a nice tip.
Danny took over the driving duties, following the signs for Highway 91. The highway had a lot of small hills and
valleys, which made it difficult to pick up much speed without causing the
truck to catch air at the top of every hill.
Danny said, “I’m glad we’re done with
that stretch of road. I was beginning
to get seasick from all the ups and downs.”
“You should consider yourself lucky,
because I had to navigate all of the road construction just north of Las
Vegas. That was much worse. We will need to stop in Barstow,” Jerry
said.
Danny said, “Okay. Where are we going after that?”
Jerry said, “I think we should drive
north to San Francisco to find your friend, Mr. Hansen. Do you still have his address?”
“Yes, I do. But why do you want to see him?” Danny
asked.
“I think we need his help,” Jerry
said. “He lived with his partner for
many years. It would be wise for us to
find out how they did it.”
“So you’re not jealous of him?” Danny
asked, amazement showing in his voice.
“No, I’m not. Should I be?” Jerry asked, in return.
“No.
I was just surprised that you wanted us to seek him out,” Danny said.
They stopped in Barstow. They filled up the gas tank and bought a new
California roadmap. Jerry planned out
their route north to San Francisco, showing Danny where he needed to go. Danny drove while Jerry tried to sleep. He stopped in Bakersfield to get something
to eat.
They sat in the diner, looking out of
the plate glass window. Jerry said, “I
always knew we would have to live the life of a tumbleweed; but I didn’t expect
to have to leave the ranch so soon.”
“I didn’t either,” Danny said. “I guess it was better that we left, because
we were getting too comfortable there.”
Jerry nodded his head in agreement. “That will always be a danger for us. Getting too comfortable and letting down our
guard will land us in trouble every time.”
Danny said, “I’m going to call Mr.
Hansen.”
“Why don’t you call him by his first
name,” Jerry said. “It’s not like you
didn’t share his bed.” Despite Jerry’s
attempt to keep his jealousy under control, it managed to manifest itself in
his voice.
Danny gave Jerry a quick glance. “I thought you said you weren’t jealous of
Mr. Hansen?”
Jerry knew he’d been caught. “Okay, I was jealous as hell that you spent
every waking moment with that old man.”
“He might have been old, but he was a
good fuck,” Danny said, grinning.
Jerry smacked Danny’s leg. “You weren’t supposed to admit that you
enjoyed it.”
Danny looked contrite. “I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Jerry glared at Danny, but managed to
control his emotions. “Just don’t get
any ideas about jumping into bed with him while we’re visiting him.”
A wide grin broke out on Danny’s
face. “I can’t believe you’re jealous
of DeLoy.”
Jerry said, “Why are you calling him
DeLoy now, when it was Mr. Hansen before?”
Danny laughed. “I’m only doing it because you seem so
obsessed with the fact that I had a few nights in the sack with an old man who
was grieving for his deceased partner.
It didn’t mean anything to him or me, other than a few nights of good
sex.”
Jerry tried to calm down. He took a long drink of his beer. He knew he was being unreasonable. It frustrated him that he wasn’t able to
control his emotions. No one had ever
brought out such strong feelings as he had experienced since he met Danny. Until he had experienced the fiery heat of
his love for Danny, and the powerful feelings of jealousy engendered by Danny’s
interlude with Mr. Hansen, or ‘DeLoy’ as he had just called him, he had not
been able to comprehend how anyone could lose control over their emotions.
Danny said, “How is my time in the sack
with DeLoy any different than those times you went to the whore house? I know you went there a few times, and left
me sitting at home alone.”
Jerry laughed and said, “Would you have
gone with me had I asked?”
“No, I wouldn’t have gone with you,
because Jolene cured me of any desire I ever had to be with a woman; but you
didn’t answer my question,” Danny said, gazing across the table into Jerry’s
eyes.
Jerry said, “It’s very different. I paid to have sex with those women, and
they AND I knew there wasn’t any emotional attachment. On the other hand, you spent nearly all week
with ‘DeLoy;’ and there was a definite emotional connection made between the
two of you.”
“There may have been one on his part, Jerry;
but he knew I was in love with you,” Danny countered. “He tried to convince me to move to San
Francisco with him, but I told him I thought there was still a chance you might
change your mind about being with a guy.”
Danny reached over and took Jerry’s hand in his, and gave it a gentle
squeeze. “I’m glad I was right about
you.”
Jerry, somewhat mollified, said, “Well,
I guess it all worked out for the best in the end.”
Danny said, “There’s a pay phone outside
on the corner of the parking lot. Let’s
pay for our food and make that phone call.”
Jerry signaled for the waitress to bring
their check. He paid the check and left
her a generous tip. They walked out of
the diner and over to the pay phone.
Danny pulled a slip of paper out of his wallet, while Jerry lifted the
handset and put in a coin.
He turned and handed the phone to
Danny. “Make sure you get good
directions from him.”
Danny dialed the number and waited for
the operator to come on the line. “You
will need to put in more coins,” the operator said, quoting the missing amount
for the call. Danny inserted more coins
and the operator said, “Thank you.
Please wait for your call to be connected.”
The phone rang twice before Mr. Hansen
answered it. “Hello,” he said.
“Mr. Hansen, this is Danny Eccles
calling,” Danny said.
Mr. Hansen’s voice showed his
excitement. “I’m glad you called. Are you coming here? Where are you?” He spoke rapidly and didn’t wait for Danny
to answer his questions. “Of course,
you’re coming here, or you wouldn’t be calling me.”
Danny said, “Slow down, Mr. Hansen. We’re in Bakersfield right now, and we need
directions to your home.”
Mr. Hansen asked, “We? Do you mean you’re with Jerry?”
“Yes, I’m with Jerry,” Danny said. There was a pregnant pause on the other end
of the line.
Mr. Hansen asked, “Are you a couple?”
“Yes, we are,” Danny answered. “We need your advice, Mr. Hansen. We want to be together forever; but we need
to talk to you about how you managed to be together with Herb over the years.”
Mr. Hansen said, “Congratulations,
Danny. I didn’t think Jerry would have
changed his mind about things, given how he treated you. I’m happy that you’re together. Please come see me.” He gave Danny specific directions about how
to get to his house. Danny repeated
them out loud to Jerry, who wrote them down.
“Thanks, Mr. Hansen,” Danny said. “We’ll see you in a few hours.”
He broke the connection and turned to
Jerry. “I think he was a little
disappointed to hear that we’re together.”
Jerry smiled and said, “I’m sure he
is. He really fell for you, Danny. I totally understand how he feels; since you
cast your magic spell on me, as well.”
Danny laughed and said, “I didn’t know I
was a sorcerer working his magic on unsuspecting gentlemen such as yourself and
Mr. Hansen.” They walked over to Jerry’s
truck. Danny said, “I’d better drive,
since you had a couple of beers and I didn’t.”
Jerry said, “Okay.” He walked around to the passenger side, and
climbed into the cab.
Danny got in and started the truck. He pulled out onto the highway and started
their trip north. Jerry navigated for
them, following Mr. Hansen’s directions.
They finally arrived in Walnut Creek.
They navigated the city streets and arrived at the gates of a huge
mansion. They pulled up to the guard
shack and stopped. The security guard
approached the truck. He had straight
black hair that hung down to his shoulders, bushy black eyebrows over black
eyes, a Roman nose, a big, thick black mustache, and a chiseled chin. The way his uniform fit him, it was apparent
that he lifted weights and worked out a lot.
The guard said, “May I see your driver’s
license, please.”
Danny pulled out his wallet and handed
the guard his license. The guard looked
it over, apparently satisfied by what he saw.
He handed it back and said, “Welcome to Bellevue. Mr. Hansen is expecting you. Please drive up to the house and leave your
keys with the valet, who will take care of your truck.”
Danny looked over at Jerry in
surprise. He knew Mr. Hansen was
wealthy, but this was way more than he had expected. The gate opened and Danny drove through and
up the drive as he had been instructed.
He reached the house and parked the
truck in front of the house, where a young man in fancy livery took his keys
and said, “Please go inside. Charles
will show you into the study, where Mr. Hansen will join you momentarily.” Danny looked the guy over from head to
toe. He was tall and slender, with
blond hair, blue eyes and a small pert nose.
When he noticed him looking him over, he smiled at Danny, showing
perfectly straight teeth.
Danny and Jerry walked up the steps and
were greeted by Charles. “Welcome
Messrs. Eccles and Wallace.” The man
spoke English with a French accent. He
had a pleasant baritone voice. Danny
couldn’t help but notice how good looking the man was. He looked to be in his late forties. His hair was still jet black with gray
around the temples. His face was deeply
tanned. He had deep brown eyes, an
aquiline nose, a generous mouth and a killer smile. He was trim and fit. He wore tight fitting white pants and a bright
blue button down shirt. “I’m
Charles. I am Mr. Hansen’s personal
secretary. He is very excited to see
you. I hope that you will enjoy your
stay with us.”
Danny noticed how Charles emphasized the
word ‘us’ and wondered if Mr. Hansen had taken Charles as a lover. He glanced over at Jerry and saw that he was
thinking the same thing.
Danny looked back at Charles and noticed
the appraising look he was giving them.
Danny gazed directly into Charles eyes and asked, “How long have you
been with DeLoy?” Danny pronounced
‘DeLoy’ with a husky tone of voice.
Charles’ eyes narrowed as he said, “I’ve
been with Mr. Hansen a little over a month.”
Before Danny could say anything else,
Mr. Hansen appeared in the foyer.
“Danny, my boy!” Danny was swept
into Mr. Hansen’s arms. Danny kissed
Mr. Hansen, intentionally pushing his tongue past his lips. Mr. Hansen tightened his embrace, grinding
his crotch against Danny’s. Danny heard
a gasp, and Mr. Hansen released him.
Danny grinned like a Cheshire cat and
said, “I’m so glad to see you.”
Mr. Hansen responded, “Not as glad as I
am to see you!” He turned to
Jerry. “Jerry, I am equally glad you
came.” Mr. Hansen ignored Jerry’s
outstretched hand and pulled him into his arms, kissing Jerry on the lips. He pulled back and looked Jerry in the
eye. “I’m glad you came to your
senses.”
Jerry smiled and said, “It took me
another six months to figure out that what you said was true.”
Mr. Hansen said, “Come into my study and
tell me everything that has happened since last summer.” He took Jerry and Danny by the hand, walking
them across the foyer and into his study.
They were followed by Charles, who stood near the door, as Mr. Hansen
settled into his chair behind the desk.
He looked up at Charles and said, “Thank you, Charles. I won’t need anything the rest of the
day. You are free to do as you wish
until tomorrow morning. We’ll meet here
at the usual time.”
Charles smiled and said, “Thank you,
sir.” Turning to the two men, he said,
“It was nice meeting you. If you’ll
excuse me, I think I’ll take a few laps in the pool.”
He left the room, closing the door
behind him. Mr. Hansen said, “I hired
Charles to be my personal trainer, as well as my secretary.”
Danny smiled and said, “But he’s more than
just an employee.”
Mr. Hansen smiled and said, “Yes, you’re
right about that; however, I think he will be leaving my employment soon. He thinks that he is more than he is to
me. I’ve been waiting for the right
moment to give him his two week notice.
I think your arrival has given me the perfect reason to let him go. Now, let’s hear why you are here.”
Jerry said, “We’re here because we need
your advice. You are the only man we
know who has lived with his partner for an extended period of time. We want to be together for the rest of our
lives; but we don’t want to end up in jail.
How did you and Herb do it?”
Mr. Hansen met Jerry’s gaze, and asked,
“You honestly came here to ask for my advice?”
“Yes, we did. For my part, I’ve had to overcome my
feelings of jealousy I felt toward you.
When you and Danny were spending every moment together, I was filled
with so much hatred for you, it scared me,” Jerry said. “It really bothered me that you were right
about Danny being in love with me. It
took me a long time to admit to myself that I loved him as much as he loved
me.”
Mr. Hansen nodded his head in
understanding. “I figured you would
come around, eventually; if you didn’t end up running scared from the idea of
falling in love with another man.”
Danny said, “We’ve decided that we can’t
stay in any one place for very long; because we’ll be found out, sooner or
later.”
Mr. Hansen said, “That’s very true,
unless you have enough money that people leave you alone.”
“Is that your secret?” Jerry asked.
Mr. Hansen nodded his head. “It wasn’t until Herb and I become
millionaires that people finally left us alone. We bought this mansion and hired a security
staff to keep people out. We also have
adjoining bedrooms that have a door between them. That way, we could go to our own separate
rooms at night, giving the impression that we were going to bed alone. Then we’d open the connecting door and sleep
together. Of course, we had to make
sure the other bed looked slept in.”
“I guess we’ll always be on the run,
because I don’t see how we’ll ever become wealthy like you and Herb,” Danny
said.
“That is where you’re wrong,” Mr. Hansen
said. “I have a proposal for you to
consider. I want to adopt you both as
my sons. I am getting up in years and I
have no children. I do not intend to
leave a single penny to any of my blood relatives and even less to Herb’s
family. They treated us very badly and
I’ve never been able to forgive them for what they did to us. My only condition is that you learn to run
my businesses. I can’t, in good
conscious, leave my fortune in your hands, without making sure you know how to
handle wealth and how to continue to amass more of it.”
Jerry looked at Danny and said, “What do
you think?”
Danny said, “I’m not sure what to think.” He turned to Mr. Hansen. “You don’t want me to sleep with you or
anything like that?”
“I would love to have a physical
relationship with you; however, both of you have to be in agreement that your
relationship won’t suffer as a result of sharing your bed with me. It is enough for me to know that I’m leaving
my fortune in good hands,” Mr. Hansen said.
He smiled and said, “Besides, I can hire almost any guy off the street
to satisfy my sexual urges.”
“You won’t require us to live here with
you?” Jerry asked.
“No, I won’t require you to live with
me. I would love for you to stay with
me; however, I know that you will need your own space, as you both adjust to
each other,” Mr. Hansen said.
“DeLoy, why are you doing this?” Danny
said.
Mr. Hansen held Danny’s gaze for a long
moment and then answered. “I fell in
love with you, Danny Eccles. I fell
harder for you than I ever did for Herb.
Herb was my life partner, my soul mate.
You, however, are the man that makes my blood run hot in my veins. I’ve never been so attracted to any man in
my life. The fact that you are
unattainable, only makes you that much more attractive to me. Intellectually, I know that you are deeply
in love with Jerry. I can see it in
your eyes. I also know that Jerry is in
love with you. What you two have is
very precious and needs to be protected and safe-guarded. I love you too much, Danny, to wish you ill. Therefore, I will become your
protector.” Here he glanced at
Jerry. “I hope that Jerry will allow me
that small comfort, since he has won the prize.”
Jerry said, “How do I know that you
won’t try to take him away from me?”
Mr. Hansen replied, “You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.”
Jerry said, “I’m okay with you playing
the role of protector, as long as that is as far as it goes.”
Mr. Hansen nodded his head. “I understand. I would have been disappointed in you if you
had said anything else. I want you two
to have some time to think about what we discussed. Let me show you to your rooms. You need to relax and rest from your long
drive.”
He stood up and indicated that they
should follow him. He led them back
into the foyer and up the sweeping grand staircase to the second floor. He led them down the corridor and opened a
door half way down on the right side.
They stepped inside.
Danny said, “Wow!”
Mr. Hansen laughed. “It’s pretty overwhelming isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” Jerry said. The room was opulent to the point of being
ostentatious. There was an ornately
decorated fireplace at one end, where a fire burned brightly. Arranged around it were a leather couch and
love seat with a huge armchair in between them. At the other end, there was a grand piano
with a number of sofas and armchairs arranged around it. The walls were covered with gold embossed
wallpaper. Original oil paintings in
gilded frames hung at intervals around the room. The deep carpet was pure white, with an
occasional Persian carpet that added color to the room.
“I instructed Derek to bring your things
up to your room,” Mr. Hansen said. They
followed him through a door on the right that led into a magnificent
bedroom. The king-sized four-poster bed
stood at the center of the room, complete with canopy and bed curtains. The entire room was richly decorated in shades
of gold and burgundy. The carpet was
the same pure white carpet as the sitting room. Along one wall were a pair of armoires and
on the opposite wall was a fireplace.
The entire room was reflected in the surface of the mirror that covered
the entire wall opposite the four-poster bed.
The same man who had taken charge of
Jerry’s truck appeared in the room. Mr.
Hansen said, “Derek, thank you for bringing up our guests’ luggage.”
Derek replied, “Mr. Hansen, I brought up
their clothes but I wasn’t sure what to do with the camping equipment.”
“Leave it in their truck for now,” Mr.
Hansen said. “Jerry and Danny, this is
Derek. He joined Herb and I several
years ago. I trust him completely.”
Derek blushed at his employer’s
praise. “I only do what needs doing.”
Mr. Hansen walked over to Derek and
pulled him into his embrace, kissing him on the lips. “Derek, you know that I love you.”
Derek ducked his head, but then raised
his eyes to meet Mr. Hansen’s. “I know
you love me.”
Mr. Hansen slid his arm around Derek’s
waist and said, “Please make yourselves comfortable. Dinner is at 6 PM. I will send Derek to guide you to the dining
room.”
*** ***
Mr. Hansen guided Derek out of the room
with him, and left Danny and Jerry alone.
Mr. Hansen closed the door and pulled Derek into his arms. “Derek, let’s find Charles. I think it’s time to terminate his
employment.”
Derek looked troubled, “Why are you
firing him? I thought you liked how he
worked with you.”
“I did like him working with me, but he
presumes too much. I’ve decided you are
to take his place by my side. Herb
always wanted me to find someone to fill his place after he passed, and that
someone is you,” Mr. Hansen said.
“How do you know that we’re a perfect
fit? You’ve only known me for six
months. I love you, but I want you to
be absolutely sure; because I have no intentions of ever leaving you. I’m going to be accused of wanting you for
your money, and all kinds of other horrible things. I’m not willing to go through all of that if
you aren’t 100 percent sure. I’ve
watched you flirt with Charles, and I know you’ve bedded him more than
once. I won’t tolerate that kind of
behavior if we’re going to be in a committed relationship,” Derek said.
Mr. Hansen gave his lover an injured
look. “I’ve never violated your trust.”
“Not yet, you haven’t; but we’re not in
a committed relationship. You’ve made
it clear from the beginning that you weren’t interested in a permanent
arrangement,” Derek said.
Mr. Hansen said, “Yes, but I want that
to change.”
Derek searched Mr. Hansen’s eyes and
said, “I want that as well. Just
remember; I love you, NOT your money. I
can’t be bought and I refuse to let money sway me in any way. I don’t need your money. My parents left me well off. More importantly, I saw how money ruined
their lives. I won’t let that happen to
me. I agreed to act as your servant
while you explored your options. I’m
glad that you’ve arrived at a decision.”
Mr. Hansen smiled, “You remind me so
much of my Herb. Maybe that’s why I
love you so much.”
“Well, I’m not your deceased partner,
DeLoy. Be careful not to confuse your
grief for him with what you believe to be your love for me,” Derek said.
Mr. Hansen held Derek’s gaze and said,
“I’m in love with the flesh and blood Derek that I’m holding in my arms at this
moment.”
Derek smiled and said, “Okay, let’s go
take care of Charles. What do you
intend to do if he turns violent?”
Mr. Hansen said, “I’ve thought about
that and have taken precautions.”
Derek raised his eyebrows, but didn’t
ask, knowing that Mr. Hansen wouldn’t divulge his plans. They walked arm in arm down the hall and
down the stairs.
*** ***
Once they were alone, Danny looked at
Jerry and asked, “What do you think about his proposal?”
Jerry replied, “I don’t know. I’m really confused by his behavior. It’s obvious that he’s in sexual
relationships with Charles and Derek, but, yet, he claims to be in love with
you.”
“I agree. I’m wondering if he isn’t lying to us. I’m thinking we need to reject his offer. I’m don’t like the feeling I’m getting
around here,” Danny said.
Jerry said, “I agree with you.” He walked over and sat down on the bed. “Well, let’s get a shower and enjoy our
stay. At least we have a safe place to
stay for a few days.”
Danny said, “Okay.” Jerry got up and walked over to Danny,
taking his hand. He led him into their
en suite.
*** ***
Author’s Note:
