Chapter 431 – Power Lunch and Tour – Someone Unwanted Comes Back
Although Blake interrupted Tim’s and my discussion, he was excited to tell us all about his visit with Ty, and we were relieved to end our conversation and listen to his excitement. We were all ears, anxious to hear him out.
“Josh, you have the most fantastic marketing program of anything I’ve ever heard of. Your professor is fantastic, just remarkable. I couldn’t believe all the stuff you guys are going to do. It’s like real hands-on business, not some sort of stuffy textbook case studies. Your course is a chance to do some real work, then measure the effectiveness of what you’ve done. Ty said you are going to actually measure results along the way, to get an idea if what you guys come up with, works or you need to change course. He said he’s going to teach you guys the metrics on how to handle that. I can’t believe he spent as much time as he did explaining everything you’re doing and going to be doing. By the way, he thinks the world of all you guys, too. Man, I’d give my left nut to be in that class and work with you guys,” Blake said, all excited.
“I’ll take it,” Tim offered. Blake look at him, curiously. “You’re left nut, Blake. I’d take both of them any day,” Tim said, proudly. Blake laughed, then hugged Tim.
“Gotta love this guy, Josh,” Blake replied.
“Oh, but I do. I love him tremendously and forever,” I replied, hoping Blake might share the same sentiments, but all he did was go on and on about our marketing course. He couldn’t get it out of his mind.
“What I really admire is that he’s writing his doctorial thesis on the value of this course, a new approach to teaching. It’s easy to see the tremendous value of it. Oh, and he said the course has several kids of CEOs from various fields of business, which should add to the value of the contributions. I mean, you couldn’t structure something like this more perfectly,” Blake said, praising the program.
“I agree with you, Blake. That’s why there’s five of us in the class. We wanted to take full advantage of it,” I commented. Blake asked me again who all was in the class. “Jake, me, Andy, Trevor and Thad,” I replied.
“Oh, wow, Trevor’s in the class?” Blake asked, surprised Trevor was in it. I told him absolutely. “That’s got to make it interesting as crazy as he is. But, sometimes crazy is excellent creativity. Well, with Trevor in the class, that should make it interesting and enjoyable,” Blake added. I told him it was interesting alright. “Oh, and I met Bret also. I take it he’s helping Ty organize his data and research to write his thesis?” Blake asked. I assured him that’s what Bret did and he was very good at it. “Does he live there with Ty? I know that Terry rooms there and Luke is bunking with Terry, well more than bunking I guess,” Blake commented. I smiled.
“Not sure if Bret lives there or not, but he’s there most of the time. Why do you ask?”
“No reason, other than he came out and shook my hand in his underwear, and it looked like he just got up or something. The boy had a nice bulge in his briefs. See, I’m starting to notice things like that because of you guys. I swear you guys are rubbing off on me,” Blake replied. Tim hugged Blake, telling he was glad we finally were. Blake just smiled.
“Come on, guys, let’s get lunch. Jordan, Nate and Ken are coming over for lunch. Maybe Jonas, boy wonder, as Ken calls him, might come also. Not sure if Hunter is coming or not, but maybe. I hope he does, as he’s damned cute to look at,” I informed them, making them smile. Blake asked if it was possible for him and Tim to sit in on our power luncheon. I had to laugh. “You’re welcome to, but it may be more about male ass and dicks than any kind of power, but we’ll see. Blake smiled, shaking his head, thinking I was pulling his dick. If he only knew how much I wanted to pull his dick, literally. Jake was still trying to sort out the lines in the center storage area of the bar and said he’d grab something with Eric, Dustin and Chase later, but he wanted to get to the bottom of the mess and get things back together again for tonight.
I got us a table when Jordan, Buzz, Nate, Ken and Jonas arrived. “What no Hunter?” I asked Nate, looking disappointed. Nate laughed.
“He’s spending time at the Uni Med Center. The doctors are kind of checking him out and showing him around. I really think this residency thing here is going to fly, Josh. I really think It’s going to happen,” Nate explained. I told him how glad I was to hear that, as I hated the thought of having to go to the City to have sex with Hunter. Nate cracked up. “If it was sex you were after with Hunter and he knew you wanted to have sex with him, hell, he’d come here just for you, Josh. He thinks the world in all of you, you know,” Nate replied. I told him I was only kidding, but Nate said he wasn’t, making us laugh.
I introduced Blake to the guys again. Some had briefly met him and some had not. They gave him a hearty welcome, but told him he was keeping strange company hanging out with me. Blake told them he didn’t think so at all. After Trent took our order, I asked Buzz to give us an update on the dormitory and office building projects, telling him we were going to be touring those this afternoon and checking them out. Blake asked Tim who Buzz was again. Tim whispered he was our architect.
“Coming along fine, Josh. We’re almost completely enclosed on the outside of the building for the dorm. The guys are working on some of the interior walls now. Your buddies, Devin and Sandy are working with the other electrical trades running wiring currently. Damn, if there aren’t miles of wiring in that building. He’s putting like a small hub or substation on each floor which is good. There’s miles of overhead conduit that will be above the ceilings in the rooms and drop down the walls on each floor from there. Devin has a small army of guys working on that project. It’s really starting to come together. Oh, we need to get together soon and look at what all you want to do for the top floor luxury suites you wanted. There is a private elevator for that floor only also, that you have to have a special key to use. Not anyone can access that floor. We can also arrange private corridors from the private elevator lobby area there on the top floor. Certain areas can only be accessed by the ones leading off from the various private corridors. I’ve been working on a possible layout in my office, that I’ll show you sometime when you’re over. So, say like you have five suites reserved for your guys. They can have their own secured hallway off the private elevator corridor to reach only their rooms. There can be other numbers of suites off other corridors that feed into the elevator lobby on the top floor, also. It’s kind of neat in a way. If you have guests that need housing while they’re here from out of town, you can use the rooms for that. If I were you, I’d offer private maid service and even room service like a hotel for those luxury suites. Anyway, the option is there. We can configure it however you like,” Buzz added.
“That presents some interesting opportunities, Buzz. We could really market something like that. It’d be expensive for a school year, but very profitable to us,” I commented. Blake was blown away by the possibilities he thought of and discussed with us. I liked what he was thinking. So did the rest of the guys. He apologized for butting in, but we told him that’s why we had lunch together and brain storming sessions to consider all kinds of possibilities.
“Buzz, can the elevator go only to the main floor up, or can the private elevator access the pool, convenience store and workout areas below the main floor?” Blake asked.
“You know, I’ll have to look at the plans again and see how I originally designed that elevator bank. It should be able to access the lower floors also, as the shaft has to go all the way down anyway, so whatever we want to do with it we still have time to do, but I’ll look at that when I get back,” Buzz replied. I told Blake that was a good question.
“What about an amenities area on the top floor just for the luxury suites, like one weight/workout/exercise area for the ones on the top floor? Can you design that in somehow?” I asked. Blake said that would make it even more marketable. We all had to agree. Jonas suggested a steam room and a sauna also for after workouts. I told him I had a steam room at the natatorium I’d take him in sometime. He chuckled nervously. I told him not to worry as I’d be gentle, causing Nate and Jordan to laugh. Ken told him to run. Blake and Tim cracked up.
We talked all through lunch about the endless possibilities we could offer for the new dorm. We also talked about the office building. Buzz told us the office building would be complete way before the dorm was, as it was considerably smaller and had less living space and more office space, thus less restrooms, with just restrooms in a bank on each floor. Although he did say Stoney Enterprises executive offices would have more amenities. I told him not to go crazy on that stuff, as we were going to be running lean and mean. He said he didn’t add anything that couldn’t be covered by the profits made from all the other areas rented out. I was glad to hear that. I assured him we didn’t need any Ivory tower. We wanted to be efficient, not affluent. He said he totally understood. I asked Jordan if he had all the spaces leased out yet.
“Yes, boss, all the spaces are leased and there’s a waiting list of companies that want space should others turn them down. And we got top dollar for all our spaces, since there’s such a shortage of office space in this town,” Jordan assured me. I liked that. Blake asked him how much of a spend did he make for advertising the new office areas to lease. “Uh, we didn’t advertise anything, Blake. It was all word of mouth. Didn’t spend a dime leasing any of the space. Wouldn’t even share anything with realtors that wanted in on the project. We just put a sign up at the construction site and a number to call our leasing office, which was me. I handled the whole thing, so we didn’t have to pay any commissions to anyone,” Jordan replied.
“Wow, now that is really amazing. Can’t say that happens all that much. Fantastic revenue savings and you got what you wanted. It’s remarkable,” Blake replied.
“Just basic business,” Jordan told him. Blake was all smiles.
“How’s the house coming, boys?” I asked Buzz and Jordan. Buzz was all smiles.
“Well, it’s all enclosed, getting close to drywalling. Devin is still running electric and putting in receptacles and switches, boxes for lights and ceiling fans. The HVAC guys have duct work run so far. Plumbers have got the plumbing roughed in now, so that’s good to go. We have electric run to the pad, water and sewer now, so it’s coming along. It’ll really look great when the drywall is in. Then it’ll start to take shape,” Buzz commented, all excited. “Oh, and we’re not going to put the pool in until the spring. No sense in trying to do that in the winter. Besides, we’ll put all the landscaping in at the same time. I still have the acreage staked out for you and Jake, Josh. Might be thinking of when you want to start building. I have the design I think you’ll like ready to go,” Buzz hinted. I rolled my eyes.
“I have a hard enough time making it to my bedroom, much less trying to think about taking care of a house, Buzz. I think that will be some time off before Jake and I could even consider something like that. Besides, we’ll need several bedrooms, as half my brothers want to live there with us,” I chided. “Dylan will have to have his own room for sure, as he’s not leaving our side for life, according to him,” I replied. Tim got a kick out of that. So did Blake.
I told the guys our marketing class was going to start working on a marketing plan for the dorm starting next week, so we’d see if anything interesting came out of what we discussed there, we might want to work into the interior design. Buzz said the inside pallet was an open slate at the moment, but we needed to start thinking about paint and wall coverings, any different designs in lighting and art for common areas, hallways, pool area, etc. Buzz said there were some good interior designers that we could hire to work on that, but if we had students that could work in those areas, that would be even better. I told Buzz we had Ashton, who designed our penis pump soap dispensers in the restrooms here. Blake said he saw those, and they literally blew his mind. He thought they were the greatest. Jonas said he wasn’t sure whether to use those or not, as they were unsettling to him. We all laughed. Ken joked about putting those in the new office building, so he should get used to using them. Jonas made a weird face. We all laughed.
The boys thanked us for lunch. I got hugs as they headed out, telling me to come over more often. Jordan said he saw the need for more lunch meetings like this, as we started to get busier. I told him I thought they were a good opportunity to get more things done and improve communication with all of us. They all agreed. After the guys left, Blake said the luncheon meeting was great, and a very productive. He said it was a power lunch, and we never talked about dicks or boy ass at all. I told him I was saving that for him. He laughed at that thought.
Tim, Blake and I piled in my Jeep and headed to the dormitory site. We parked, then walked into the construction trailer to see Todd and Chad. They were looking over the basement mechanical area on the plans. “Well, look who finally showed up to check on the millions of dollars he’s spending,” Todd chided. “I see you brought reinforcements. Good, now I can put you guys to work. Oh, and your boss’s name is Dylan, by the way,” Todd said, chuckling. I gave him a playful punch in the arm. “No, our boy has really grown up, Josh. He’s been a huge help to Chad and me. The guys all respect him also, as he’s so damned helpful to all of them. We have us a winner in our guy,” Todd boasted. That made me proud.
“He has grown up and matured. I can’t tell you how proud we all are of him. We all love him to death these days. Just watch out for Q-Tips being left in strange places,” I joked, Tim and Blake remembering the joke from this morning. I told him that Dylan had a habit of leaving notes stuck to Q-tips he stuck in some of the guys’ assholes. Todd and Chad cracked up, but said they could see him doing something like that. I assured them it was a lot of fun, actually.
“You guys want to see the place?” Todd asked. I told him we wanted to see every floor and what all was completed. He gave us hardhats, telling us we had to wear them on site now, as an OSHA requirement. I had to admit, we looked a little crazy in hardhats, but then we wanted to be safe. I was used to seeing Todd and Chad in them, so it was nothing new. Todd called Dylan on the walkie-talkie, telling him the boss was here and wanted his ass. I rolled my eyes.
Dylan came back to Todd saying, “the boss knows he can have my ass anytime,” making us all laugh. Dylan showed up a few minutes later in his Karhart jacket, pull over leggins and boots, with his hardhat on. “You trying to make a fashion statement,” I joked. He shot me the finger.
“Keeps my balls, dick and ass warm, Josh. I keep them nice and warm just for you, boss,” Dylan replied, making us shake our heads chuckling. “Damn, if you don’t look hot in a hardhat, Blake. Going to make my dick hard seeing you all macho like this. Kind of have a thing for construction workers ever since I became one,” Dylan chided. He was such a character.
Dylan took us floor by floor to let us see the progress. We actually had strings of construction lights on each floor now. Some of the floors weren’t being worked on at the moment, but others were really busy. It was starting to take shape, at least the skeleton of the place. I was amazed at how high the lobby ceiling was going to be. There would be a reception area not unlike a hotel, with the manager’s office and admin offices behind it. There were only aluminum studs at the moment, but at least you could see where the walls were going to be now. The upper floors were mainly open, at the moment. There weren’t many partition aluminum studs up yet. Dylan told us they were mainly working a floor at a time, putting the partition studs up, then the electric contractors could come in behind and start their work, plus the HVAC guys also. There were a bunch of guys busy working everywhere on the lower floors. On the top floor, we looked at the area near the one elevator shaft that would be private for just that floor. The rest of the floor was still bare. The whole shaft was masonry, to protect for fire. I was amazed at what all had to be done to build a building. You could smell raw concrete everywhere and the smell of kerosene for the space heaters to keep the place tolerable in the winter, while the construction crews worked on the building. All three of us were fascinated by the amount of work that was going into the building.
Dylan ended our inside tour down on the lower levels showing us the convenience store area, the exercise/weight room area and the pool area. He said one wall by the pool would be all glass looking out onto the creek, and what would become the park area below it. The glass hadn’t been installed yet, and the area was all boarded up, but we could visualize what it would look like.
We finally made our way back to the trailer and turned in our hardhats. “Well, what’d you think?” Todd asked.
“Dylan gave us the full tour, all the floors and the lower areas where most of the mechanicals are going and the pool and amenities. I have to say, it’s all very impressive, guys. This is going to be the dorm to end all dorms, by the time we’re open,” I replied. Todd looked proud.
“Never in my lifetime, did I ever dream I’d construct a building like the one we’re building now. I just never ever thought I’d ever build anything like this, Josh. My dad is completely blown away by what we’re doing here. Chad and I brought him out here last week on Christmas Day and showed him around. He was literally blown away. He still has a hard time believing we’re building this structure. He said he wasn’t sure what I did to deserve the opportunity to build something like this, but whatever it was, he was mighty proud I did. I told him it came out of being honest and forthright, working with great people and you guys, Josh, are great people, and now great friends also. Dad said he always believed in relationships, but mine were a little warped compared to his. Still, he said, whatever they were, we did good. He said he couldn’t wait to see the damned thing open. I told him I couldn’t either. Then he said this one building cost more than he grossed on construction in his entire career. I told him it was about time we started growing and building larger complexes than just additions to houses or garages. He said we made a huge step in a short period of time, and he’d never have believed it, if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. He was even impressed with the office building. I did show him the bar one time, shortly after we finished it inside. He loved what we did to the bar area, saying he’d never seen anything like it. He said he was proud of Chad and me for really putting the business on the map. Then I told him we collaborated with a company in Key West for a renovation job down there and one in the City also. He chuckled and said we might have to hire a person of two if we kept that up. I hate to tell him how many subs we had on this project,” Todd said, chuckling.
“You have a lot to be proud of, you and Chad both, Todd. You guys worked with us side by side to build the CNB, and you deserved our friendship and our business forever, as far as I’m concerned. You both are family to us and we love you both. We’re going to continue to do great things together, I promise you,” I told him sincerely. He hugged me, telling me how much we all meant to him and Chad. Chad came and hugged me also. “Hey, we’re just getting started. I was telling that to Ken and our accounting team this morning, telling them when we finally graduate and get serious about the business, all hell is going to break open with what we’ll be able to do,” I assured him. He said that was for damn sure, and he couldn’t wait. “Okay, we have to go to work, but thanks for the tour, and try your damndest to keep Dylan under control. You have to watch him, as he’s quick,” I chided, patting Dylan on his tight skinny ass that was padded like crazy with those thick Karhart leggings he had on.
“If he’s out of control, I’ll just bend him over the desk there and pound him out,” Todd teased.
“Promises, promises. I’ve been trying to get you to do that practically from the day I met you. I heard about that big dick you have, and I want it, buddy,” Dylan teased. Todd shook his head.
“You wouldn’t know how to handle that big thing,” Todd chided.
“Hey, let me get hold of that, and I’ll have you so worked up you’ll beg me to let you cum, that’s how I’d handle it,” Dylan shot back, making Todd and Chad laugh.
“See what we have to put up with here? You guys created a monster when you took him in and saddled us with him,” Todd told us.
“You love it and you know it,” Dylan said. Todd grabbed Dylan and hugged him, then kissed him on the forehead. “Hey, you need to kiss my dick, not my forehead,” Dylan teased. Todd let him go and swatted his ass.
“Okay, time to go before this gets completely out of hand,” I said, as we scooted for the door. They told us to stay warm and they’d see us later.
“Wow that is an amazing project, Josh. I can’t begin to comprehend how you guys were able to put something like that together. I mean where did this idea and funding come from? You guys come up with that?” Blake asked. I had to explain to him that it was Stoney that pushed us for a large project to invest in. I told Blake I thought about the why after he passed away, thinking maybe he wanted to see if we could handle the big stuff before he left us. But Stoney was all for it and pushed us to get it done. I also told him the building would be named, Stoney Hall in memory of Stoney. Blake thought that was wonderful and would extremely honoring our benefactor.
“That Dylan is a character for sure. I can’t believe the way he carries on around Todd and Chad. You know they all have to care about one another,” Blake commented.
“Oh, they love Dylan like family. We all do. But don’t let him kid you, Todd does have a big cock and Dylan is somewhat of a size queen. He loves his big dicks,” I replied. Blake had to ask me what the hell a size queen was. Tim and I rolled our eyes, thinking he had a lot to learn. We did explain it to Blake, making him shake his head. “Are you getting tired of us shocking you every few minutes?” I asked, jokingly. Blake smiled.
“No, actually. At least I’m learning a hell of a lot, which is a good thing,” Blake replied.
Jake was just finishing up his conundrum in the keg room. Actually, all the lines looked straight and well organized. He and Eric stood there proudly admiring their work. They looked a little haggard. I drew them a couple of beers then one for Tim, Blake and me, while we listened to them explain the plumbing problem. “Actually, I don’t know how we got the right beer out of the right taps, as screwed up as the lines were back there. I guess we must have mislabeled them at some point and then tried to correct them by memory, which changed over time and then what was bad got worse, plus we found a few kinks in the system. Luckily, we had some time this week to fix it all and make it right. We should be good now,” Jake said, proudly. Eric gave him a big hug and thanked him. “How’s the construction at the dorm coming?” Jake asked. We sat down at the bar and filled him in on where we were. After that explanation Jake asked Blake how his meeting went with Ty. Blake could hardly stop talking about how exciting the program was. Blakes phone rang, but he immediately rejected it, sending it to voice-mail. Then he checked his voice mail and saw he had 15 messages.
“You need to talk to someone, Blake?” I asked curiously.
“Just the girlfriend. She’s blowing up my phone today starting during my meeting with Ty this morning. I had it on silent and I could feel it vibrating in my pocket all afternoon when we were at the construction site. I’ll call her later, as she’s gonna be pissed as hell I haven’t talked to her all day,” Blake replied.
“Hey, if you need to talk to her, go in the office where it’s quiet and talk to her. Don’t let us keep you from it,” I offered. He shook his head, like he really didn’t want to be bothered, then he said he’d be back in a minute and went to the office. Tim didn’t look overly happy about the fact he needed to talk to his girlfriend. I patted him Tim on the shoulder when Blake was out of site.
“I wish he’d just tell her he wasn’t going back,” Tim said, wishfully. “You see how excited he is here, and how interested he is in everything. Plus, last night, we really made some progress. I just need a few more days to really convince him we care about one another,” Tim exclaimed. “I guess he can’t be rude, but I wish she’d just leave him alone.”
“If he’s going back, he can’t afford to have her pissed off at him, Tim. It’s not like he’s ditching her. We don’t really know what he wants, so you just have to play it by ear and don’t make him uncomfortable. Just let things happen, and if something is meant to be between the two of you, then it is. If he wants to come back in the summer, then that’s a good sign. Then it will probably be permanent at that point, but in the meantime, he still has to live his life there. Just have faith that things will work out the way they were meant to be. Who knows, you may fall in love with someone here between now and next summer,” I chided. Tim smiled.
“Fat chance. I’m already in love with you and Jake, Josh. I can’t find anyone like the two of you, other than Blake. I mean it was fate that brought us together to begin with. Then the more we got to know each other at our dads’ house, the more he was interested in me and interested in meeting you guys and finding out what all this wonderful enterprise was all about. He’s hooked, in case you can’t tell. He’s really hooked. Now, if we can just reel him in,” Tim said, wishfully.
“Hey, like I said, have faith. Good things happen to good people and you’re one of the best. Besides you have to be the new VP at the frat starting next week sometime. Don’t forget that. Duty calls, or we all suffer with Harvey. Good Lord, we can’t let that happen, now can we,” I assured him. Tim smiled, knowing I was right about that.
Trevor and Andy showed up and sat down at our table. I asked them where they’d been all day. “Laundry and rest mainly. We had two hard days come at us there, in case you didn’t remember,” Trevor replied.
“And, tell them what else happened,” Andy told him. Trevor rolled his eyes.
“Les and Brandon came over, and I don’t need to explain to you what happened after that. Damn, those guys are needy,” Trevor complained, but with a smile on his face.
“I told you to be careful starting something with those two, as now you can’t hardly stop, unless you find someone to replace you, Trev,” I reminded him. He knew I was right. Andy said it wasn’t all that bad. He kind of liked Les’ ass and Trevor liked Brandon’s. Both Andy and Trevor liked Les’ cock and Brandon’s also, but the two brothers were both dedicated bottoms. However, Trevor told them they had to reciprocate or the deal was off. So at least Andy and Trevor got something good out of the deal.
Dustin and Chase came walking in. They had been out shopping for some heavier clothes, noting the temperature had taken a dive from cold to frigid. Chase had a new pair of thick gloves and Dustin got a heavier jacket. “Did we miss anything?” Chase asked. Jake smiled at them and told them they missed a whole day of figuring out what was causing the slow taps on the back side of the bar.
“Did you finally figure that out? I’ve been complaining to Eric about that for a long time. Well, did you fix it?” Trevor asked. Jake nodded.
“Took Eric and I all damn day, but I think we got it. At least they’re working fine at the moment. Don’t jinx it, Trevor,” Jake warned. Trevor shook his head a Jake.
“Oh, my Lord, as I live and breathe, guess who just walked in the door five days earlier than he should have,” Jake said, somewhat stunned. Dustin and Chase had their backs to the door and didn’t see who came in. They turned around to see their buddy Caleb, returning early from Break. “Good grief, let the fun begin,” Jake sighed.
“Oh, shit no. Please no. I’m not ready for that drama yet. I’m just not there,” Dustin said, obviously agitated at having Caleb back period but five days early? That was not acceptable. “Well, he’s just going to have to watch you and I fuck at night, Chase, because we’re not giving each other up for that supposed straight boy,” Dustin said emphatically, as Caleb made his way over to us.
“Hey, guys. Miss me?” he asked, all smiles. It was obvious that Dustin was not overjoyed. “You guys told me to come back anytime if things weren’t good at home. They actually sucked, so I came back here to be with normal guys, well, not actually normal, but kinder more thoughtful guys than what I left at home,” Caleb explained.
“So, things didn’t go that well at home?” I asked. Caleb frowned.
“It’s that damned brother of mine and my step uncle. They had to come. Mom invited them. Shit, I can’t stand to be around them. They just irritate the hell out of me. I just don’t want to have anything to do with them. I tried to stay at Dad’s apartment, but he has a new girlfriend and said it wasn’t ‘convenient’ this time,” Caleb explained, making the quotation signs with his fingers when he said ‘convenient’.
“Bummer,” Dustin, said for lack of something better to say. Caleb dropped his stuff and went to fetch himself a beer, then rejoined us like our long lost lovable friend. He started to sit down in Blake’s chair, but Tim stopped him and had him move over on the other side of Chase, telling him that chair was taken. Tim said his friend Blake stepped out to make a phone call, but would be back shortly.
“Who’s Blake?” Caleb asked, curiously. Tim just told him he was a friend that was spending a few days with us from Ohio State, a friend of the family and a great guy. Caleb seemed uninterested, as he usually did about anything that had to do with any of us.
“What is it with your brother and uncle you can’t stand about them, when you originally told us you were close with both of them?” Dustin asked, with a little air of irritation, somewhat concerning to Caleb.
“I told you, it was no one’s business. They’re just creeps, that’s all. Dad threw my brother out of the house for good reasons, and my uncle sided with my brother. Dad was right for what he did, and both him and my uncle can rot in hell. End of story,” Caleb said rather emphatically. “If I wasn’t welcome back, after you told me to come back early if I wanted to if things didn’t work out well at home, then you should have told me that. I thought I was coming back to some guys that were at least somewhat civil to me, but I guess I’m just wrong about everything lately,” Caleb said, rather irritated. Then he downed half his beer in a quick swallow.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I just don’t get why you can’t get all this crap out in the open so we can help you deal with it. You want to keep it inside and let it fester, making you miserable and eat away at you, just letting it ruin your chances of ever playing basketball again, Caleb. Gees, we’re just trying help, and you don’t want any part of it. Are you sure you aren’t the problem instead of your brother and uncle?” Dustin asked, pissing off Caleb even more, but in a way, I kind of thought Dustin had a right to ask. That question was certainly on my mind.
“Shit, Dustin, please just cut me some slack. You don’t want to know anything about those two. They’re scum, and don’t deserve to be around our family, except my mom can’t give up her oldest son and her adopted brother. He’s not even blood, so why in hell do we even have to put up with him? It’s just a mess,” Caleb said, trying to de-escalate some. Dustin decided to let it rest.
“We’re not going to get anywhere unless you open up and get that garbage out where we can deal with it, Caleb. We’re just wasting our time,” Dustin told him.
“I’ll be okay, Dustin. I promise. I can handle this. I thought maybe Chase and I could do some intense practicing the rest of the week and weekend, if it’s okay with him, then maybe I’ll be ready to show Tuck I can do the job,” Caleb replied. “Just help me here a little. After all, you are my best friend in the world, practically my only friend, really,” Caleb added.
“Right now you’re not a the top of my friend list. My friends would trust me enough to open up to me and let me help them. You can’t do that, so I can’t help you, which tells me I need to spend my efforts with friends where caring goes two ways,” Dustin replied. “Josh, Jake, Chase, Tim, Trevor, Andy here, all of us support one another when we need help. We share the burden of all our friends and they share our burdens. You don’t share. You’re being selfish, actually, Caleb. That’s not what friends do,” Dustin told him. I had to give Dustin credit, he wasn’t giving in. He was being totally honest with Caleb and shaming him for being selfish. “Josh, Chase and me all have a vested interest in helping you. Tuck expects us to help you, which is why he made you stay with us. But if you’re not willing to help yourself, then all we have to do is to tell Tuck it isn’t working and it’s all over for you. So, listen, bucko, you need to get straight with us, and believe me when I tell you, you are not the straight guy you think you are. You’re as much a queer as the rest of us are, so that needs to be your first step, admitting you’re a homosexual and then we might possibly make some progress after that. Step One, Caleb. You’re a homosexual, so admit it to all of us right here and now, then we’ll see where we can take the next step of recovery,” Chase demanded. Caleb got up from his chair.
“This is fucked up, Dustin. This is really fucked up. I’m straight and you’ll never convince me otherwise. I just like a little brotherly love from time to time like a lot of straight guys. I thought you were my friend and brother, but I guess I was wrong about that too, like I am about a hell of a lot of other things,” Caleb said, rather angrily. I was starting to get concerned we might quickly have a scene if we didn’t get this under control, but Caleb helped me out there. “Josh, I need to work. Where do you want me to work?” he asked. I pointed to the kitchen, telling him that might be a good place for him to cool off a bit. “Thanks,” he said, then stormed off to the kitchen.
“Well, that went well, didn’t it?” Dustin said, right as Blake returned from the office.
“Did I miss anything important?” he asked, seeing all of our glum faces. “Did someone die?” We all kind of broke out laughing. I was surprised Trevor had been as quiet as he had. Then he said it.
“That boy needs a stiff cock up his ass. That’s what he needs,” Trevor said, referring to Caleb. Blake looked dumbfounded. Tim leaned over and filled him in on the rather heated discussion we just had with a ‘friend’ of Dustin’s. Blake remembered Dustin talking about Caleb, but was shocked to hear it got heated when he returned early. Blake wanted to know if his, Blake’s, presence was going to be a problem for Caleb. We told him his presence was a blessing to us compared to Caleb, and if anyone had to leave, that would be Caleb. Blake seemed relieved.
“Josh, he’s not sleeping with us tonight,” Dustin said emphatically. He can take his little mattress and go sleep in the dressing room down here. There’s a shower and a bathroom in there, so he’ll be fine. This is my time with Chase, and I’m not going to let him spoil it for us,” Dustin stated. I told him it was fine with me, but I didn’t see us making any progress until we could dig whatever his secret was, with this brother and step uncle, out of him. Chase and Dustin agreed.
“I’ll go shoot some hoops with him tomorrow, work him hard, then maybe he’ll fess up to what’s going on. There has to be some way to win him over and get that out of him. Dustin, you’re too upset with him for him to level with you now, so I’ll play sympathetic tomorrow and see if he’ll share with me,” Chase offered.
“Hell, just send him over to Andy and me. We’ll fuck it out of him,” Trevor said. I shook my head chuckling at him, like WTF. “Well, you got a better idea?” Trevor asked.
“Yes, Chase can do what he proposed. Fucking is not always the only answer, Trev. You know that,” I replied. Trevor smiled.
“Yeh, but it sure makes you feel better afterwards. Then maybe he’ll fess up, like Chase said,” Trevor said smiling. I thought Blake was going to laugh out loud, but he suppressed it.
“So, does your girlfriend still love you?” Tim asked Blake. Blake sighed.
“I had a lot of explaining to do. She was pissed I didn’t come back today. I told her about all the exciting things I was learning, the time I spent with Ty today discussing the new marketing program here, which was fantastic in its own right. Then I told here we toured the new construction today, and the new dorm was going to be fantastic and was going to be the subject matter of your marketing class, putting the marketing program together. I told her we were flying in the corporate airplane to the City tomorrow to check on your bar over there, the cattle feeding ranch and then the aviation department, checking out one of the new jets you just purchased. She said, at that rate, she’d probably never see me again. I laughed at that, but she said I didn’t need to be involved in any of that stuff, and I should be home enjoying the rest of the Break with her. I told her this was extremely important to me, and I was benefiting from it educationally. She said that might be the case, but her pussy was lacking my dick and I should be there to provide her with some intimacy. Can you imagine that?” Blake asked. We were a little shocked to hear that.
“So, how much trouble are you in?” Tim asked, somewhat concerned. Blake smiled.
“Not sure, but she told me to quit fucking around and get my ass back there, as she was pissed I didn’t come home from Florida, but went somewhere with a bunch of millionaire guys,” Blake replied. We all shook our heads.
“More like good friends, not millionaire guys,” I said, shaking my head. Blake agreed.
“I told her I’d be home in good time, I just wasn’t sure when yet,” Blake replied. Well, that didn’t tell us much either. “Maybe Friday or Saturday. I checked the flights from your regional airport near here and there are a couple a day connecting through Chicago I can take. There seems to be space on most of them, so I’m not worried about getting back at any specific time, unless you guys are tired of me and want to send me home,” Blake offered. Tim gave him a side hug.
“Blake we’d love to keep you forever if we could,” Tim told him. Blake smiled, saying that was a nice compliment, as he sure enjoyed being with us. He said he wasn’t looking forward to going back. I could tell Tim sure wasn’t looking forward to him leaving us.
Dylan finally arrived back from work and asked us if we had a good tour. Blake couldn’t say enough good things about the tour he gave us. I told him I was proud of him and the great job he was doing to bring this new project online. That seemed to please Dylan like you wouldn’t believe.
“So, Dylan, you know that initiation is coming up and my dick just might get a taste of your tail there, bud. What do you think about that?” Trevor teased. Dylan laughed.
“I just hope you can handle it, Trev. You know there are some things out of your range of comprehension, and that, just might be one of them. I don’t think you’ve ever run into someone like me. It might change your entire life. You just never know. I do hope you’ll be able to handle it, but in case you can’t, I’m sure Andy can help you out. I’m really looking forward to Andy, as he’s the sweetest guy. I know my ass will love him. Not sure about you, though. I guess we’ll just have to see. Miracles can happen. I just hope we’re friends afterwards, because if my ass doesn’t like something, I really can’t continue a relationship with the dick that screwed up the intimacy my ass thought it was getting. Like I said, I hope you can handle it,” Dylan said, then headed upstairs to change.
“Wow, I’m not sure what all that meant, but I guess we’ll have to see,” Trevor replied, scratching his head.
“I think he just told you, Trev, you better be good or be gone never to return that dick of yours to his ass again,” Andy interpreted. Trevor looked at me as if to confirm what Andy told him. I told him it sounded like that to me, all the while chuckling inside.
“Well, we’ll see if my dick doesn’t change his standards and allow him to start fucking crazy college guys,” Trevor replied.
“Or end the idea forever,” Andy replied, getting a strange look from Trevor. Andy gave him a side hug and we all laughed.
“You guys are merciless with one another, but on the other hand, love each other more than most people can understand,” Blake told us.
We all worked the bar that night, serving a decent sized crowd, seeing as most of the college folk were out of town. Luckily the work Eric and Jake did on straightening out all the lines, worked well and all functioned properly. Les and Brandon showed up and parked themselves at the bar in front of Trevor. I could tell they were looking for another hot night of Trevor and Andy dick. I was glad it was Andy and Trevor and not Jake and me. Dylan wanted to know who straightened out all the lines in the keg room. Jake smiled, informing Dylan that he and Eric worked on that practically all day. Dylan replied, telling them we might want to consider keeping them on, as it was an okay job, and he could finally tell what was hooked up to what. That seemed to please Eric and Jake. He even gave them a hug.
Caleb came out of the kitchen not long before we closed and asked me a question at the bar. “Josh, I see you’ve got a full house with everyone having to stay here because the dorms and frat house aren’t open yet. Maybe that was part of why Dustin was upset I came back early, other than the fact he seems to like fucking Chase, and doesn’t want me around. Is it okay if I sleep in the dressing room? I think I’d be more comfortable by myself than having to argue with Dustin and Chase,” Caleb asked. I shook my head at him.
“Sure, that’s fine, Caleb. You know they’re only trying to help you, but you don’t seem to want any help. Chase said he’d work with you tomorrow practicing. We aren’t that busy during the day this week anyway, so you two can really work hard. But eventually, you need to come to grips with what’s haunting you. We really are trying to care, but you make it so difficult on us, the ones that really want to help you. You need to let us in. I’m sure we all can support you and help you handle whatever haunts you, Caleb. We really do want to help,” I assured him. He acted like he wanted to say something, but then held back.
“I can handle it, Josh. You guys think I’m weak, but I’m actually pretty strong. If Chase will work with me and push me in practice, I’ll be up to speed in no time. I’m sure of that,” Caleb replied. I shook my head in somewhat disbelief. He gave me a quick hug, as if he wanted to share some sort of appreciation, but that was the end of it. Later I saw him carrying his stuff down to the dressing room. I made a note to check in on him later.
We finally called it a night around 10:00. Business had dropped off, so we decided to close early on a Tuesday night. Most of the guys headed upstairs. Ethan, Trevor and Andy left to go back to their apartment. I asked Jake if he wanted to help me check on Caleb before heading up. When we entered the room, Caleb had his laptop out, sitting in his briefs, and was watching a video as he sat at the table. He looked up, but didn’t say anything. “Just thought we’d check on you before heading to bed. You doing okay?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders, as if he wasn’t sure and really didn’t care. Anything you want to talk about?” I asked. Again, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Not much to talk about. I’ve pretty well pissed off everyone I know in this world and fucked up my chances of fulfilling a dream of playing in the NBA, so I’m just sitting here amusing myself until it all comes to a crashing halt,” Caleb replied, pessimistically.
“It doesn’t have to be like that, Caleb. It will if you let it be that way. I’ve always thought I needed to fight for what was right and what needed to be, not just give up and roll over,” I commented. He looked at me shaking his head.
“You’ve got all the answers, Josh. You’re a smart guy, and I know all the guys love you and Jake. Look at what you’ve done for yourselves and your friends, even the guy I thought was my friend, Dustin. He’s in love with you, you know. Both of you. You guys set the sun in his eyes. You guys will be there to support him for life, and that’s what makes him so self-confident and assured. I never had anyone to look up to or care that much about me other than one person and that person betrayed me so bad, I’ll never get over it. But, live and learn, so they say. Life goes on, yada, yada, yada,” Caleb replied facetiously.
“Who betrayed you, Caleb. Who and why?” I asked. “It might help for us to know. Get it out. Get angry at them. Tell Jake and I how you feel about how he or her betrayed you, Caleb. Get it off your chest, and let some of us help you pick up the pieces and put yourself back together again,” I urged. Caleb shook his head silently.
“It’s all my fucking fault, Josh. I let myself fall into it and let it happen. I’ll fucking never do that again. I trusted them, fuck I loved them with all my heart and they betrayed me,” he said, staring into space, as if he was watching a reenactment of what happened.
“Explain what happened to Jake and me. We want to help. Let it out, Caleb,” I urged again. He just stood there and stared, then slammed the table with an open hand, making a huge smack, startling Jake and me. It was though he had to release the anger inside him. “Who betrayed you, Caleb. Tell us. Was it your brother, your uncle, your mother or your dad? We get it. Someone close to you betrayed your trust and it hurt you. It hurt you deeply and you need to get that out and let it go. All of us want to help you, even the ones you think don’t,” I explained.
“For your information, my mother is a saint. Maybe too much so, as she forgives way too easy. My brother was a saint, but he’s pretty much an asshole now. He’s weak, and my dad was right to throw his ass out. My dad is strong. He’s tough. He’s macho and he fucks women hard. He’s a real man, tough, strong, virile and forceful. Got his ass in trouble with my mom when he threw my brother out, but he did the right thing. My brother deserved what he got, although my mother forgave him and he keeps creeping back into our lives. I was hoping to stay at my dad’s apartment to avoid any contact with my weak, nimby assed brother. Then he and my step uncle show up and sicken me to no end. If Dad would have let me stay with him, I wouldn’t be back here to bother you guys, Josh. But, I had no where else to go. I was lost. I know I must be a burden and pain in the ass, but I do appreciate what you guys are doing for me, which is more than my own family does. I just have to get through this and prove myself, then it’s behind me,” Caleb somewhat confessed.
“Caleb, don’t get mad when I say this, but shouldn’t your dad have cared about you more and your need to stay with him, as opposed to telling you it wasn’t convenient for you to stay with him because of a casual girlfriend?” I asked.
“No, my dad has his own life. He always does the right thing. He’s always reinforcing that with me, saying, ‘we always do the right thing, son, now don’t we’. That’s my dad, always insisting on me doing the right thing, never straying. He says ‘be tough’, don’t take shit from nobody. Then he tells me to fuck as many women as I can because planting your seed in women only makes you more of a man, and you don’t want to be weak,” Caleb said, as if he was quoting the old man, even mimicking how he talked, very sternly. Jake and I both got the feeling the father was at least overbearing and maybe controlling. Caleb seemed to subscribe to his instructions, even idolizing is father’s style.
“Did you happen to mention to any of your family, your mother or your father about your problems here at school?” I asked. Caleb stared at me, almost scaring me.
“What, and let them know I’m weak? Fuck no. I would never do that. My dad would slap me right out of the house, telling me what a weak piece of shit I was. I’d deserve that from him. No, I have to be strong. I have to solve my own problems, because I am a man now, and I have to be strong,” Caleb said, as if he was quoting his old man. That was almost disturbing to Jake and me.
“Caleb, you are a man, that’s true, but you have a heart and Dustin has seen that heart. He knows you’re capable of caring about others. You are your own person. You have to decide what’s right for your happiness, not what’s right in your father’s eyes. There is a caring side of you that Dustin has seen and experienced. Caleb, you two have slept together. You’ve had the most intimate sex known to man. You shared something with each other, so you know what it is to care, and what it is to love. Where did that side of you disappear to?” I asked, as thoughtfully as I could make it sound. Caleb laughed a short laugh.
“Josh, I wasn’t in love with Dustin by any means. It wasn’t intimate in the sense we shared love for one another. It was just a case of getting your rocks off, taking off the pressure, making yourself feel better and relieve some stress. There was nothing emotional connected to it. There never is, even with women, which is how my dad does it. He’d never let another guy help him out relieving stress, but if that’s all you have, then I guess that’s what you have to use,” Caleb replied.
“Now, wait just a minute. You two fucked your girlfriends first, then you and Dustin fucked. If it was just to take the pressure off your balls, Caleb, you did that already fucking your girlfriend. There had to be more to it than relieving your balls, buddy,” I replied. “There absolutely had to be some emotional connection between the two of you.”
“Huh, tried that before, and it nearly destroyed me. That’s a bunch of fucking BS, Josh. Shows you’re weak. Letting yourself care and get entangled in emotions until you get your balls ripped off and shoved down your throat only to break your heart. It’s just a sign of weakness. Real men don’t let that happen. They’re above all that. You have to be strong. My dad is strong. I have to be strong like him,” Caleb said, reverting back to what he told us earlier. I shook my head at Jake. Jake threw up his hands as if to say we were wasting our time.
“Well, I can see we’re not making any progress tonight, so why don’t you get a good night’s sleep and maybe things might improve tomorrow when you get out on the court with Chase. Eventually, you’re going to have to get whatever it is that your suppressing inside, out, and let us help you deal with it. If you want to be strong again, Caleb, you’re going to need our help. That’s rather evident from our conversation tonight,” I told him. I got up and went over to give him a quick hug. He didn’t budge or stop me. “There, I guess I’m weak, but I really don’t give a shit what your dad thinks. I still care about my friends,” I told him. Jake passed, telling me later he wasn’t about to hug that narcissistic asshole. I told him to be more caring. The he chased me upstairs, trying to tickle me, which was not nice in the least.
Dustin, Chase, Tim and Blake were sitting in their underwear at the kitchen island drinking some ice tea, having had their fill of beer today, it seemed. Jake and I sat down and joined them. I told them about my conversation with Caleb and that now we definitely knew there were issues with the dad, the brother and the uncle. It was all related somehow. Dustin apologized for getting upset with Caleb, but he said if the guy wasn’t willing to help himself, then he gave up on him. Dustin said he was so frustrated at Caleb, hoping he’d come back with a better attitude, having been home and shared time with his family, but he seemed to come back more bitter than when he left. I admitted, I thought the same thing.
“I’ll work with him tomorrow, push him hard on the court, even maybe piss him off to the point he tells me what happened because it pisses him off so much. Let me see what I can get out of him,” Chase offered. We all wished him luck on that one. I chuckled.
“Maybe Trevor was right. Maybe Caleb needs a good butt fucking to change his attitude,” I chided. We all kind of laughed.
“Don’t look at me to handle that chore. I wouldn’t fuck the boy with your dick, Dustin,” Chase joked, getting him attacked playfully by Dustin, giving us all some comic relief.
“So who’s Dylan sleeping with tonight?” I asked, noticing he’d gone to bed somewhere. Dustin went and looked in their room. Dustin came back to the kitchen and told us Dylan was already sound asleep in his bed.
“I think I just might have to write him a little Q-Tip note and stick it in his asshole,” Dustin chided.
“Don’t go waking a sleeping giant, Dust. Sounds like you’re going to have to fuck me tonight, so as we don’t wake up Dylan since he’s asleep. You make too much damn noise when I fuck you,” Chase chided. Dustin shook his head.
“I have a better idea. Let’s do make enough noise to wake Dylan up, so maybe we can get him to fuck us both,” Dustin replied. Blake shook his head, blown away by all our craziness.
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