Affairs of State

[Guest]

Great turn of events! I hope to get more of Carlo's story next time 🙂

[daddybear54]

5 hours ago, ChaserKubby said:

Great turn of events! I hope to get more of Carlo's story next time 🙂

@ChaserKubby That would be a whole other story to itself. I could do it, too. Hmm.... Thanks for the suggestion, I think I just might run with that one!

[Guest]

You are welcome, I would read anything you write tbh, but that could be a cool spinoff😜

[daddybear54]

Chapter 9  Endings and Beginnings

 

Tuesday morning dawned bright and sunny. There’d been a burst of rainy weather for a couple of days, but the warm sunshine set the water steaming off the plants and trees. On the terrace, the oleanders and hibiscus were in full bloom, their fragrances filling the air. Bees and hummingbirds buzzed and flitted among the luxuriant blooms. It was a calm, peaceful morning – until shortly after 7:00 AM when the morning stillness of the lazy Alcantaran dawn was shattered by splashes, roars, and shrieks of laughter. Rich and Tommy were playing in the pool again, having already finished an energetic round of playing in bed.

 

This time, it was Rich who’d started the action off. He’d woken up with the pre-dawn twilight glow at about 5:40 AM, with a clear head, a happy frame of mind, and a serious attack of morning wood. A quick trip to the bathroom emptied his bladder (with some technical difficulties) but did nothing at all to solve his other problem.

 

Back in bed, he slowly peeled back the duvet to reveal Tommy, asleep in his favourite position, face down with his legs slightly spread. If that wasn’t an open invitation to a surprise attack, Rich didn’t know what was.

 

He spread some lube on his erection, moved slowly around until he was between Tommy’s legs, then aimed his rigid pole right at Tommy’s ass crack, moved downwards… and stabbed his cock right into the mattress. Tommy had just been pretending to be asleep and had twisted away with his customary agility.

 

“Hah! Fooled you!”

 

“You faker!”

 

“Me? You’re the one who keeps falling for it over and over!”

 

With that, Tommy grabbed Rich and, with a swift wrestling move, twisted him over onto his back, quickly lifting his legs and pushing them up over his shoulders. He then plunged his head into Rich’s ass crack and began furiously eating ass. The hunter had become the hunted.

 

Rich twisted and moaned on the bed, grinding out the words that he’d been about to fuck Tommy, but Tommy wasn’t letting him up. Truth be told, Rich didn’t actually seem to mind that much. Before long, his ass was sopping wet, the hole loosening up nicely, and Tommy had moved into position, keeping a finger securely anchored in Rich’s hole so Rich couldn’t pull the same trick and turn the tables again. Using the finger as a guide, Tommy slipped his dick inside Rich’s tight ass and sank it all the way to the bottom. Only then did he pull the finger out.

 

After a minute of exchanging passionate kisses with Rich, mouths locked together, Tommy began fucking his husband deep and hard, driving it in on a slightly different angle each time to keep Rich’s entire gut stirred into a ferment of excitement. Rich was moaning all the time, urging Tommy to give it to him, and heaving his hips up into the air to help Tommy get in deeper.

 

After a few minutes of this, Tommy pulled out, rolled Rich onto his side, and plunged in from behind. Playing big spoon always excited Tommy, as he threw his leg across Rich and drove deeply into his ass. As always, fucking Rich this way was too much for Tommy to resist, and he quickly felt his orgasm coming. He spat out the words, “Cumming in your hole!” and then it happened. Tommy jammed his hips up hard against Rich’s firm ass cheeks and let it fly inside him, the sperm jetting deep into Rich’s body and then oozing out around Tommy’s dick as soon as he started moving again.

 

At last, Tommy slipped out and flopped on his back beside Rich, his outstretched arm and hand still stroking the slope of Rich’s back muscles as they tapered towards his waist.

 

After a few minutes, Rich rolled over until he was leaning up over Tommy, bending down to kiss him deeply, with the love light shining out of his eyes… until Rich suddenly grabbed Tommy’s legs, pulled them into the air, and dived into Tommy’s crack, gleefully yelling, “Gotcha!”

 

He swiped a handful of Tommy’s cum out of his ass and pushed it into the tight hole, fingering it with one hand while he kept the legs captive with the other – not that Tommy was actually fighting him. His rigid cock, still glistening with the lube he’d applied earlier, made its way easily into the younger man’s fuck tunnel, and at last they were locked up against each other, hips to butt and tongue to tongue. There Rich held his position, slowly easing his way in and out of Tommy’s tight butt as he kissed his husband, murmuring words of love to him, and smiling at Tommy’s equally loving responses.

 

At last, Rich began moving faster, speeding up his pumping motions while Tommy urged him on. It took only a minute, and Rich punched his cock all the way inside Tommy’s ass while his seed pumped out into his lover. After another minute, he eased out and fell onto the bed beside Tommy, while they kept embracing and kissing each other.

 

This time, it was Tommy who leaped out of bed like a rocket, shrieked “Skinny dip!,” and raced off towards the glass doors in the living room, pulling up sharply just a split second before Rich yelled, “Hold on!”

 

“I know,” Tommy replied, “broad daylight. Okay, speedos first.”

 

Once they were both decently covered (actually a bit indecently, since both their cocks were still at least semi-hard), they plunged into the water, making enough noise to wake the dead – or at least the immediate neighbours. They weren’t too concerned about it, since Mr. and Mrs. DiBiasi, on the one side, were stone deaf, the house on the other side was vacant, and the next neighbour beyond there was out of the country. Beyond that house was Mrs. Ironwood, and both of them were rather hoping they would wake her up.

 

In due time, though, they recovered their normal calm, got out of the pool, got dressed, and organized breakfast, which they ate outside with complete decorum. Good thing that they did get it all out of their systems, because that day was the state funeral and national day of mourning for Desmond Flowers and Rich in particular needed to be on his best behaviour.

 

For the whole of Monday, the casket had lain in state in the rotunda of the Assembly building while a steady line of people moved through to pay their respects. Condolence books had been opened at government offices throughout the three islands, and people were invited to sign these, and to include personal memories of the President as they did so. The Premier and Cabinet had passed through the rotunda as soon as the lying-in-state opened, immediately behind Madelaine Flowers and her daughter, Ariane.

 

The funeral procession began at 10:00 AM on Tuesday at the Memorial Square on the waterfront and wound its way through the tangle of narrow streets to the cathedral of St. Mary, where the funeral would be held. The streets were lined with hundreds of Alcantarans, solemnly bowing their heads as the casket of their elder statesman rolled slowly by.

 

At the cathedral, the eight pallbearers from the Alcantaran Guards stepped into place and, with impressive skill, drew the casket from the gun carriage. Then, in rigid order, they shouldered the casket and proceeded to march slowly into the echoing church while the honorary pallbearers, Benita and Rich among them (and there’s irony for you, Mikael thought as he watched), took station behind them and followed them up the broad steps.

 

Madelaine Flowers sat erect in the front row, presenting an appearance both fragile and formidable at once. The handkerchief clasped firmly in her hand touched her face only once, as the casket was borne out at the end of the service. Both Ariane Flowers Ortega, the President’s daughter, and Benita Caladesa, the Premier, gave eulogies, but both were curiously grand but impersonal – as if to praise the role, rather than the man. The service was not brief, but it was dignified and tasteful, as was the later graveside ceremony before the casket was slowly carried into the family vault. Rich got a glimpse of Madelaine Flowers as she was walking away on her son-in-law’s arm, her face looking notably pale and drawn.

 

The remainder of the day had been decreed as a public day of mourning. Stores and offices were closed, although the airport remained open. The national radio network played solemn music of great beauty in place of the normal upbeat party mix and greatest hits repertoire. On Alcantara24, a panel discussion reviewed the numerous achievements of Desmond Flowers.

 

Watching it all gave Rich a very curious feeling of duality. The public image of Desmond Flowers was being praised to the skies, and that was fair enough, but of the private man there was no sign, no hint. Certainly, the man he had known was impossible to relate to the many tributes he heard. Since Rich was essentially a kind-hearted man, he couldn’t help hoping (for the sake of Madelaine and Ariane especially) that the private man would remain well concealed. That whole sordid story was too distasteful, too hurtful to his relatives, to bear repeating right now.

 

The other part of him, though, felt like leaping up and down and cheering aloud, now that his ordeal was finally over. It was terribly tempting to break into song at top volume with Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead! -- not that he would do such a thing, of course, but the momentary urge to do it cropped up at intervals during that day.

 

By now, Rich had told the entire story of Flowers and his blatantly illegal conspiracy to Tommy in installments, swearing him to secrecy as he did so. What he was doing by sharing the story was strictly forbidden, but it wasn’t precisely illegal. After all, as Tommy so rightly pointed out, the normal penalty would be to get thrown out of Cabinet and Rich had already decided to get out before he could be thrown out – so the issue was moot.

 

“And,” Tommy added in his best mock-serious tone, “just remember that I know how to use terms like ‘moot’ properly the next time you feel like pulling rank over me with your legal knowledge.”

 

“Tommy, that’s a very sarcastic comment and totally deserves a thorough fucking.”

 

“Promises, promises, promises.”

 

Rich expected nothing of any significance to appear on his agenda between then and his press conference on Friday to announce his retirement. He was wrong. On Thursday morning, Miriam informed him that Jonathan Ironwood had requested an appointment that day. “I slotted him in for ten o’clock, since your calendar was clear until after lunch.”

 

Rich sighed, but he nodded and agreed that ten o’clock would be fine. Lucy asked to speak to him privately for a few moments, and that was done. He then proceeded to make one phone call, telling Mikael to come to his office ten minutes before ten o’clock.

 

He had to give Ironwood one thing; the man was punctual and a respecter of the value of time. Miriam showed him into the office at ten o’clock on the dot.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Ironwood. What can I do for you?”

 

“Well, Minister, I’m not exactly sure that there’s anything you can do at this stage.”

 

“That’s rather cryptic. And please, park the protocol, Jonathan. First names are fine.”

 

Ironwood shifted in his seat. “I’ll come straight to the point, Rich. I’m assuming, as everyone else seems to do, that you plan to run for the Social Democratic leadership, to succeed Premier Caladesa.”

 

“That remains to be seen. I’ve made no announcement, as you know, although I have made my decision.”

 

“There’s something you should be aware of before you publicly announce your intentions. To put it bluntly, I’ve been reliably informed that you’ve been running a prostitution racket in your office, forcing candidates for government positions to have sex with you before their applications are approved.”

 

Rich looked at him quizzically.

 

“Just that, or is there more?”

 

“I should think that’s enough. If you successfully contest the leadership and assume the Premier’s position, I plan to use this information in the subsequent election campaign to bring you down and ruin your party in the process.”

 

Rich chuckled. “My, my, you do have big ambitions. But if that’s all you know, Jonathan, you will shortly be grateful to me for saving you from making the worst political blunder in Alcantara’s history.” Ironwood frowned, feeling uncertain, and getting an uneasy sensation that he may have underestimated his opponent. Rich hit the intercom button on his desk phone.

 

“Yes, sir,” Miriam promptly answered.

 

“Please ask Mr. Szymanski to be good enough to step in, will you, Miriam?” A moment later, she opened the door and admitted Mikael. Rich made the introductions. “Jonathan, this is Mikael Szymanski, the late President’s executive assistant. Mikael, Jonathan Ironwood, leader of the Conservadores.”

 

“We’ve met,” they both answered in unison.

 

“Jonathan, did your information extend to the fact that Mikael was also involved in what you’ve defined as a prostitution racket?”

 

“No, it didn’t.” Ironwood’s surprised face confirmed the truth of his answer.

 

“Well, to bring you fully up to speed, the process actually began with Mikael receiving all the applications for positions on the President’s staff and weeding out all female applicants and all male applicants over the age of 30. He then proceeded to interview all remaining applicants, and in the course of those interviews he attempted to seduce each one. The key to this unusual process was the fact that Mikael is one hundred percent what is known in gay life as a bottom – the passive partner, if you’re unaware of the term.

 

“If the applicant was successfully seduced by Mikael, he was then referred to me for the second interview. In this office, I would then seduce the applicant a second time, this time with me taking the top or active role while the candidate was expected to be the bottom. If the applicant successfully completed that phase, then he would be referred onward for a final interview.”

 

Jonathan Ironwood’s eyes were glittering with barely disguised glee and malice as he prepared to deliver what he fondly imagined would be the coup de grace. “To whom?”

 

“President Flowers.”

 

“But what did all of this have to do with the President? I could see why you two would enjoy your fun and games with a string of attractive young men, but why would President Flowers care two hoots about your weird, dirty perversions?”

 

Rich turned to Mikael. “Mikael, would you be good enough to show Jonathan the video you have on your tablet?” He then pressed a switch to dim the lights.

 

Although Rich couldn’t see the video from his seat, he could hear the soundtrack loud and clear – and he knew, from a previous viewing, that the visual image was clear as a bell too. The sound of male voices uttering moans and cries of passion filled the room along with assorted exclamations of “fuck me, daddy” and “take it in your boy pussy.” And then, the unmistakable voice of Desmond Flowers: “Cumming, boy, I’m shooting in you, filling up your hole.” This was followed by the loud groaning of the older man in the throes of orgasm.

 

Jonathan Ironwood’s jaw had just about fallen off his face in shock. And Rich went right on. “Mikael, please explain how and where you got this video clip.”

 

“I succeeded in cracking the password on the President’s private laptop. In it he had stored over a hundred similar videos. Most of them were films of me being fucked by candidates or of the same candidates themselves being fucked by the Minister – there is a hidden camera, by the way, placed in this office by Flowers’ orders, and another in my office. Among them were several such as the one I just showed you, of Flowers himself enjoying the physical pleasures of gay sex with the young, good-looking staffers we procured for him. These were clearly filmed in his bedroom at Hillward Hall.”

 

Ironwood was in such a state of shock that he couldn’t utter a word. And then Rich delivered the kicker.

 

“You are probably wondering, Jonathan, how and why all of this happened. The simple, short answer is that both Mikael and myself were blackmailed into doing it, by Flowers. He’d acquired a video clip of Mikael and me, enjoying ourselves together, which Mikael rashly filmed at his apartment without telling me he was doing it.” Rich coughed meaningly. Both he and Jonathan cast a reproachful gaze on Mikael, and Mikael, on cue, blushed and avoided catching anyone’s eye. “The only part for which I have no corroborating evidence is the conversation Flowers had with me last week, in which he told me that he planned to use his hold over me to make me his cats-paw – once I was chosen as Premier – to substantially alter the Constitution, effectively giving over the actual executive power of the government into his hands.

 

“I finally decided that the only way to roadblock his bid for total power was to launch a pre-emptive strike, retiring from political life and taking him down with me by releasing the videos for public consumption myself. That’s when I enlisted Mikael’s assistance to find them for me. He was equally willing, as I was, to risk the consequences of public exposure and condemnation in order to put a stop to Flowers. I think I speak for him as well in saying that both of us hated Flowers for what he had done to us.”

 

Mikael nodded in confirmation. Jonathan finally regained the power of speech. “This is mind-boggling. How long has this been going on?”

 

Rich replied, “If you look closely at the video clip, you may recognize the young man as Bruno Bergmann. He was the first candidate to make it all the way through this process to the President’s service. He stayed on the Presidential staff for three years and has since become the executive assistant to the President of the University of Alcantara, a position he’s filled for six years.”

 

Jonathan stared at him. “Almost a decade…. This is madness, sheer madness – it’s total dynamite, with a lit fuse. I’m not touching it.”

 

Rich replied, “Wise man. Desmond Flowers followed the not uncommon pattern of the man who publicly condemns gay people and gay sex while privately and guiltily enjoying it. Since many members of your party, not only Flowers, have expressed similar sentiments in public, it would probably put the final nail in the Conservadores’ coffin if this material became public – to say nothing of the fact that it’s only two days since his funeral and public opinion of him is still at an all-time high. The people who loved him would certainly crucify both of us if you forced me to release these videos in my own defence. Since I still plan on making my exit anyway, nobody but a born bloody fool would try to take a swipe at me with this material as I’m on my way out the door. If nothing else, I imagine Madelaine Flowers would sue any such fool within an inch of their lives.”

 

Ironwood nodded agreement.

 

“For the record, I plan on keeping a copy of these videos in a safe and secure place, for my own safeguard and protection only. Mikael and I have both sworn out notarized oaths about our actions and the actions of Flowers; these will be stored safely with the videos, in a sealed envelope, with instructions that it is to be destroyed without being examined upon my death. Much as I hated and despised the man, I have no interest in blackening his reputation now that he’s dead – if only because of my sympathy for Madelaine Flowers. I’m sure she must have known all about his bedroom activities and I have no wish to hurt her any further. I will be announcing my retirement from politics at the press conference which I’ve scheduled tomorrow morning.”

 

Jonathan Ironwood stood. “Thank you for explaining all this to me. I appreciate your doing so. You are quite right, I was on the threshold of doing something that would have finished my political career for good. I’d also like to apologize to both of you personally, even though it wasn’t my fault, for the ordeal that the late President put you through. Neither of you deserved to be manipulated in that way.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Mikael replied.

 

“Thanks, Jonathan. I appreciate your concern. Mikael, could you just stay for a minute longer?” Rich walked Jonathan to the door, and shook hands with him, then closed the door and returned. “So, Mikael, what’s next for you? You no longer have a boss or, for that matter a job.”

 

“I really don’t know. I just needed to get through the funeral and this before I could even think about my future.”

 

“Understood. It’s too bad that I’m just on the point of leaving, I’d have been happy to offer you a position on my staff otherwise. Perhaps, once I settle on a new direction for my life, I may be in a position to hire you.”

 

Mikael, feeling rather daring, decided to ask a more personal question. “How does Tommy feel about all this?”

 

Rich laughed. “I’ve told him the whole story, if that’s what you’re wondering. I know, cabinet secrecy rules, yadda yadda, but since I’m exiting the whole political scene anyway, what the hell.”

 

“You didn’t exactly answer my question – so like a lawyer!”

 

They both laughed. “He’s not blaming me. Dammit, we’re gay men – throw a good-looking, willing guy in our paths and we all know what’s quite likely going to happen. Anyway, Mikael, when you do apply for a position somewhere, I’ll be happy to give you a first-rate recommendation. Also, to thank you for your help, I’d like to invite you for dinner at my home next week – pool party casual style. I think Wednesday would be good. Just meet me here at five o’clock and we’ll walk up together.”

 

“I’d love to. Thank you. It’ll be a pleasure to meet Tommy personally.”

 

Rich gave him a meaning smile and roguish wink. “He’s looking forward to that pleasure too. Until Wednesday.”

 

Mikael grinned and winked back as he left the office. Rich went through the rest of his agenda for the day, sighing at the end as he realized that his time in this job was now very limited indeed. He, too, wondered what the future would hold for him. He was certainly nowhere near ready to lie down and die of old age. At age 55, with nine years’ service in the Assembly, he was entitled to a limited pension from the Alcantaran State Pension Funds, not that he needed it. He was cooking up a plan for one last private members’ bill that he wished to present to the Assembly, and the state pension would make a splendid yearly contribution to the project.

 

Musing thus, he walked home up the hill, feeling very much at peace with himself. As he strolled along the curve of Suncrest Drive, he waved a cheery hello to Mrs. Ironwood who was watering her front garden. Her reply was a muted “’lo” and what sounded like a sniff of disdain. Had she, he wondered, talked to her nephew? As he approached his home, he saw the car in the driveway and knew that Tommy was home ahead of him. Rich opened the door and walked into the house, whistling cheerfully. Tommy heard him, laughed uproariously, and then joined him in whistling a happy, well-known tune. Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead!

 

The following morning, at eleven o’clock, Rich stepped up to the podium in the Press Conference Hall of the Assembly building. The representatives of the main national media outlets were all present. The chair of the press gallery introduced him, and he made his statement.

 

Briefly, he explained that he would not be seeking the leadership of the Social Democratic Party, and that he would not be contesting his seat in the Assembly in the impending general election. This, he said, would mark his final retirement from politics. He closed with a graceful expression of thanks to all his colleagues and fellow Assembly members for their service, and a conventional and bland word of praise for the recently-deceased President. He then called for questions.

 

The Alcantara24 reporter; “Minister, what do you plan to do with all your free time?”

 

Rich chuckled appreciatively, as did the rest of the press corps. “What is this thing you speak of, this ‘free time’? I do not recognize these words.” Laughter followed. “All my life, I’ve scarcely ever been at a loss for some useful project to keep me busy. I’m sure this occasion will be no different. However, I do not have a specific new direction laid out yet.”

 

The RadioAlcantara reporter: “It’s been rumored that your husband, Tommy, has been offered a significant promotion at the University. Is your action today to be construed as support for him?”

 

Rich replied, “Throughout our years together, we have always supported each other in many ways. It’s how we roll. As for Tommy’s career path, that question would have to be directed to him. If there’s any change, I’m sure such change will be clearly announced by the University.”

 

The Daily Sun reporter: “Have you given any thought to contesting the election for President which will have to follow not long after the general election for the Assembly?”

 

Richard gave a theatrical shudder, raising another laugh. “As of today, it is my intention to retire from politics. I think that covers your question as well. Any other questions?”

 

After a pause, the press gallery chair then stepped to the microphone again, and said, “I think this concludes our press conference for today. But I would like to take a moment, Minister, on behalf of all of us in the press gallery, to say a heartfelt thank you for your years of service to the people of this country, and to express our sadness that you are now stepping down.” The entire press corps rose in a standing ovation, and then lined up to shake Rich’s hand and wish him well.

 

The weather that weekend was picture perfect: sunny and warm, not too humid, and gentle breezes. Rich and Tommy spent the entire weekend relaxing in all their favourite ways: sunning and swimming at the pool, a day trip to the beach at Bahía de la Paz, where his grandparents’ home had once stood, taking turns cooking up incredible meals for each other, a glass of wine after dinner in the hot tub, and – inevitably – many hours spent in bed, reaffirming their total love and commitment for each other after the stresses of the last few weeks.

 

Wednesday came around, and it was time for their planned dinner with Mikael. Tommy had a short-schedule day at the campus, so he would come home early to prepare the meal. Rich and Mikael walked up the winding road from downtown, and in the front door, to be greeted by… Bruno???

 

Rich looked his surprise, but quickly recovered. “Hello, Bruno, this is a pleasant surprise. It’s good to see you again. I wasn’t aware that Tommy was inviting anyone. Mikael, of course, you already know.”

 

Tommy emerged from the kitchen, incongruously clad in a long frilly apron over his speedo. “Just putting the final touches on the side dish, and then it’s into the oven and we can head out for a swim.”

 

Rich showed Bruno and Mikael the guest room to change, warning them, “Don’t get stuck in here, now!” That made them both laugh. Rich got changed, too, and a couple of minutes later the four of them were in the pool together, three of them in speedos and Mikael in a tight, vibrantly coloured rainbow thong that had the other three all whistling at him and trying to cop a feel of his beautifully tanned ass. After swimming around for a few minutes, they then climbed out of the pool and into the hot tub, and Tommy brought a pitcher of sangria and glasses. As they toasted each other, Rich asked the question in his mind.

 

“Okay, Tommy, I want to know. Why did you invite Bruno?”

 

“Come on, Rich, you’re not that slow or dense yet.”

 

“You mean Bruno was the one that… that…?”

 

Tommy nodded, with what could only be called a dirty grin on his face. Then Bruno spoke up. “Rich, don’t go pulling that outraged morality thing on us. Remember, you fucked me long before Tommy did.”

 

For a very long moment, Rich and Tommy looked bleakly at each other, not sure how much Bruno might or might not know about the bigger picture. Mikael caught their concern and quickly intervened. “Wow, Bruno, you’ve gotten all of us. I’ve only had you and Rich and tonight’s definitely Tommy’s turn!” The dangerous moment passed.

 

As the light faded, they climbed out of the hot tub, collected their things, and headed inside, getting dried off and dressed before sitting down to eat. Tommy’s dinner of pan-seared scallops, followed by a crown roast of lamb with potato croquettes was really spectacular, and the others all praised the food and the choices of wine. Just as Tommy served the dessert, a fluffy light fruit mousse with an orange liqueur sauce, Mikael suddenly said, “Hey!”

 

Everyone looked at him for a moment. “Don’t everyone turn and look, but I think someone is flying a drone outside the window over there, and smart money says there’s a camera filming us.” Bruno glanced sideways for a moment and agreed.

 

“You’re right. I can see it bobbing up and down a bit and there’s the red light from the phone camera on it.”

 

Rich groaned, and Tommy said, “Dammit, a guy just can’t get any privacy on this island!” Everyone laughed.

 

Bruno then said, “You know, I was a basketball player in school. If I could sneak up on it, I bet I could jump up far enough to grab it out of the air, and then we could find out who’s spying on you. How can I get out there without that thing ‘seeing’ me coming?”

 

Tommy said, “Go out the door at the back of the kitchen, turn right, and go around the edge of the hedge. Just don’t fall in the pool by mistake. And the rest of us will ignore the drone and keep talking.”

 

Bruno departed, and the others resumed their conversation. Mikael asked, “Any idea who might be behind it?”

 

Tommy laughed, and Rich said, “Yes. A very good idea as a matter of fact. I hope that Bruno can….”

 

He was interrupted by a loud cry of triumph from outside: “Got it!!!” The other three raced outside to find Bruno carefully holding the drone, with its rotors still spinning, until he successfully pulled the phone off its mounting. Then he slammed the drone, head down, onto the terrace and the rotors snapped off although the motors kept spinning.

 

“Move that thing over by the wall, and let’s go back in the house,” Rich said. Once they were inside, Rich added, “Just put that phone down and handle it as little as possible. I’m going to call the police.”

 

On the phone, he explained what happened, and the voice at the other end said that an officer was on the way immediately. While they were waiting for the police to arrive, Bruno told them that, just as he grabbed the drone out of the air, he heard a youthful voice saying, “Something’s wrong, grandma, it won’t come back!”

 

“Where did the voice come from?” Tommy and Rich asked in unison.

 

“Somewhere over behind the windscreen on that end,” Bruno indicated with a gesture. Rich and Tommy both smiled and nodded. Suspicions confirmed.

 

When the police arrived, Rich explained what happened. The officer nodded, pulled on gloves, and picked up the phone carefully. Turning it over, he saw the “TelAlcantara” label on the back. “In the morning,” he said, “we’ll take this down to TelAlcantara and get them to unlock it for us so we can trace the owner.”

 

“I’ll give you a hint,” Rich said with a grin, and whispered something in the officer’s ear.

 

The officer chuckled. “That would make sense. We’ll let you know what we find out. Can you also get me the remains of the drone?” Bruno went back out onto the terrace and came back in with the body and the pieces of the rotors. The motors had stopped whining and spinning uselessly while they were inside the house. The officer put the drone body, the phone, and all of the pieces into plastic bags which he took with him as he left.

 

“Well, that was a piece of excitement I wasn’t bargaining on,” Bruno said, laughing.

 

“Nice catch, buddy!” Mikael commented.

 

“Well,” Rich said, “Now that the enemy have made their move and the first assault wave has been beaten back, how about we get on with the real business of the evening? Come on, boys.” And he led the way down the hall to the master bedroom with its super king-size bed – and fully-closed drapes. As he turned around, Bruno came right into his arms and began kissing him, while Mikael predictably went for Tommy. After all, there was a new cock in the room that hadn’t visited his hole yet, and for Mikael this was always a challenge, and a fault to be remedied.

 

Before long, Bruno and Rich had each other undressed, and Bruno was eating fiercely away at Rich’s muscular ass. He’d made up his mind that he owed Rich a good fucking for taking him, a dedicated top who’d never been fucked, and turning him into a fully versatile guy who could take or give, or both at once.

 

Meanwhile, Tommy was savouring the delight of tonguing away at the lovely little hole in the crack between Mikael’s two lush, rounded buns. That hole, so experienced at receiving dick, opened and winked at him almost at once, so eager Mikael was to get a new cock inside him. So it was Tommy who scored first, entering Mikael’s ass while Mikael moaned loudly at him to “fuck me, give me your rock-hard dick.” A few minutes later, Bruno had Rich on all fours as he slowly plowed his way into Rich’s butthole, while Rich leaned over Mikael and frantically kissed him.

 

Tommy was so turned on by the sensation of fucking Mikael, knowing that Rich had been in there before, and it took very little time before he was ready to blow. Mikael was squeezing madly on his cock, demanding Tommy give him his load, and in no time Tommy was pumping his sperm into Mikael’s talented ass. As soon as he pulled out, Mikael moved. As Bruno, still fucking Rich, squatted back on his haunches, Mikael, pulled up Rich’s erect dick and sat down on it, letting Tommy’s hot cum smooth the way. Mikael then rode eagerly up and down on Rich’s dick, while Bruno kept pumping his cock in and out of Rich’s ass. Not to be left out, Tommy knelt by Rich’s head and fed his wet dick into his man’s warm mouth to be sucked clean.

 

But then, Bruno speeded up his fucking motions and let fly with his load inside Rich’s ass. As he pulled out, Mikael moaned and said, “Tommy, get your dick back into me. I want to take you both, DP.” Bruno sat back and watched in awe as Mikael opened up and took Tommy’s tool inside him alongside Rich, not even batting an eye as the two hard cocks opened him up. For both Tommy and Rich it was a first-ever DP experience, and before long they were both ready to cum, Rich for the first time and Tommy for the second. It was Rich who spilled his load inside Mikael first, and the mere feeling of his warm cum flowing over the head of Tommy’s cock was enough to set him off as well, exploding into Mikael’s ass for the second time.

 

Once they both pulled out, they flopped on the bed to catch a breather, but the insatiable Mikael just yelled, “Nooo! I need more cock!”

 

Bruno, who’d been stroking himself all this time while watching the awesome DP unfolding, said, “Okay, Mikael, you asked for it, you’re going to get it.” Bruno was not only the tallest guy in the room, but he had the tallest cock as well, outdoing Rich’s 7-incher (the next biggest) by nearly an inch. He shoved the whole thing in at once. Mikael’s hole was certainly loose enough and wet enough to make this easy. The mere sensation of being so suddenly stretched and filled again triggered Mikael’s orgasm, and he blew his load off all over the two older men, most of it landing across Rich’s back. Bruno started to pull out, but Mikael yelled again, “No! Put it into me. Fuck me, man, fuck me hard and deep. I need it!”

 

Bruno proceeded to pound Mikael every which way, while Tommy and Rich watched in awe at the two young studs and their supercharged sexual energy. The sight was so inspiring that, before Bruno could finish cumming inside Mikael, Rich had again gotten hard, and began pounding Tommy’s ass. Seeing them doing it together turned Bruno on so much that he fired right up, driving into Mikael at express-train speed and dropping his load inside Mikael’s sopping-wet hole. After he pulled out, Tommy told Mikael to turn around and sit on his face, and he proceeded to suck all the cum out of Mikael’s ass while Rich kept fucking him. Once Rich came in Tommy, they all pulled apart and took a breather for a few minutes.

 

Eventually, Rich got up and went for another bottle of wine and the glasses, and they all had a drink and talked for a while before the cocks began to refill again for another round. This time they formed themselves into a fuck chain, with Mikael taking Tommy again, Bruno inside Tommy, and Rich fucking Bruno. It proved a bit awkward, trying to figure out who was supposed to move when. After a few minutes, Rich pulled out, and lay down in front of Mikael, demanding that Mikael suck his cock. While Mikael was doing a first-rate number on Rich’s tool, Tommy in the middle of the chain was moving back and forth steadily, impaling himself on Bruno as he pulled slowly out of Mikael, and then plunging back into Mikael as he pulled off Bruno’s big cock. This time it was Bruno who cried out that he was going to cum first. Within seconds, Tommy was also erupting inside Mikael, and then Mikael blew into Rich’s virtuoso mouth. That left Rich, and he grabbed his dick and began beating it, but Bruno said, “Not a chance!” and sat on Rich’s cock, riding him until he drew another load up and out.

 

At last, Bruno pulled away and everyone flopped down in exhaustion. “I’m done,” Rich gasped, and Tommy felt about the same. Trying to keep up with these youngsters was hard work – in more ways than one. Tommy roused himself, and said, “Come on, boys, let’s get you back to the guest room. We old-timers need our sleep.” After Bruno and Mikael were settled in, he came back, poured the rest of the wine, and shared a nightcap with Rich before they went out like a pair of lights.

 

Rich woke up rather late the next morning, with a first-rate example of the dreaded super hangover – the too-much-to-drink meets not-enough-sleep plus too-much-sex variety. He hadn’t had a hangover like that since his first year in college, way back in 1985. It cost him a lot of effort and several sharp jolts of pain when he screwed up his brows to remember that date.

 

He texted Lucy to let her know he’d be late getting in. Lucy promptly replied, “No you will not! Benita is coming to see you in your office at ten o’clock and you WILL be there.” Rich texted back a gif of a dog saluting.

 

As he sent that message, Tommy joined him, also looking very much the worse for wear.

 

“Goo morn, Rish. Wha happen?”

 

“I remember fucking three guys, cumming three times, and opening a third bottle of wine to celebrate. After that, just a blur. How about you?”

 

“I hurt up here,” and he gestured to his head, “and down here,” and he waved at his crotch, “and especially it hurts back here,” as he rubbed his ass.

 

“You’re lucky. You get a day off. I get a text from Lucy, telling me to haul ass into the office by ten.”
 

“Oh, God – just the thought. Extra-strong coffee for you this morning?”

 

“Please. And thank you,” and he kissed Tommy.

 

Tommy pushed him away. “Ewww! Your morning breath is bad enough most days but this morning… Yuck!!!”

 

Rich chuckled, and immediately groaned, putting his hand to his head again. “I’ll go clean up.”

 

As he walked away, Tommy said, “Scrub extra hard in the shower. There’s dried cum caked all over your ass.”

 

Forty minutes later, clean, dressed, and presentable, Rich sat down to a huge mug of Tommy’s extra-strength coffee, presented thoughtfully on a tray with a sizable glass of water and an egg cup containing two headache pills. Rich downed the pills, then the water, and then took a giant slurp of coffee as a chaser.

 

An hour later, once Rich had managed to eat a slice of toast and a bit of ham and cheese, and was feeling almost as good as he looked, he said, “Tommy, let’s make a deal. Any future three-ways, four-ways, or more-ways in this house will be held only on weekends.”

 

“Deal.”

 

Just then, Rich’s phone rang. He screwed up his eyes and rubbed his aching temples, then answered. “Mr. Dunnatore? This is Inspector Bush at the Alcantara Police Headquarters. We have a report on that phone and drone captured at your home last night.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Officer Roberts told me your suspicion as to the identity of the perpetrator. The phone is registered to that person. We went on a little social call this morning, and as soon as I displayed the phone and the remains of the drone she visibly paled in the face, while her grandson said, “Hey! That’s my drone! It’s wrecked!” We told her that any future action in this incident would depend on the persons who had captured the drone and turned it into the police, but that if any more complaints were received and traced to their household then we would be laying criminal charges for invasion of privacy. I think you’ll have no further problems in that direction.”

 

“You know that you’re not really supposed to be sharing all this information with me.”

 

“Sir, that rule only applies if the call is logged.”

 

“But surely all your… Oh….” Rich’s voice trailed off down a short scale as a knowing smile creased his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t really catch that last remark you made. I trust it wasn’t important.”

 

“Not important at all, sir. Have a nice day.”

 

Rich chuckled heartily as he hung up. Then he checked his watch and realized he had to move. As he got up to go, Tommy said, “Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?”

 

Rich said, “We guessed right about the owner of the drone. I’ll have to tell you the rest later. It’s good enough to be worth waiting for, trust me! Oh, and make sure you get those boys out of the guest room before you leave for work.”

 

“I already tried, while you were in the shower. Bruno was fucking Mikael again. Oh, to be young!”

 

After picking his way slowly and carefully down the twisting hill, squinting painfully at every turn to the east where the sun got into his eyes, Rich walked into his suite of offices with five minutes to spare and was greeted by a stern-faced Lucy with a stopwatch ticking in her hand.

 

“You cut it pretty fine, Minister.”

 

He nodded without saying anything, walked into his office, and had just time to grab a glass of water and down one more pain pill before Miriam opened the door.

 

“The Premier, Minister.”

 

He stood up to greet Benita again, and then sat down after her, a little more slowly than usual.

 

“Big night last night, Rich?”

 

“You could say so.”

 

“Just the usual cast of characters or were there any extras?” she asked in an arch tone of voice.

 

“I refuse to answer that question until I’ve consulted my lawyer.”

 

She laughed heartily, and then said, “Shall we get down to business?” She opened her briefcase and drew out a sheaf of legal-sized paper in a paper clip. Rich automatically became alert. Long sheets of paper meant legal issues, his specialty. She opened the document and began to read.

 

“Portavedra, Alcantara, 23 June 2019.

 

“We, the undersigned citizens of Alcantara, do hereby petition the Premier of Alcantara as follows:

 

• “That you immediately present a priority motion in the Legislative Assembly to appoint to the office of President of Alcantara, pro tempore, the Honourable Richard Dunnatore, Minister of Justice, Deputy Premier, and Member of the Assembly for Greenhills.”

 

On the second page, there followed two lists of signatures, one headed “Members of the Legislative Assembly” and the other “And these Alcantaran Citizens.” The first list contained exactly twenty-nine signatures, neatly arranged in two columns of fourteen, with the final name centred below them. The second added just two more names: “Jonathan Ironwood” and “Madelaine Flowers.”

 

Benita handed the document to Rich, and he studied it, dazed. His first remark was, “Two signatures are missing from the list of Assembly members.”

 

Benita said gently, “Mine and yours, Rich. They brought it to me yesterday afternoon, as you see it.”

 

“Are they serious?”

 

“Yes, Rich, they are. The delegation which brought it consisted of the six opposition members, and Jonathan Ironwood. They had canvassed all the others. Madelaine Flowers got wind of it somehow, and called Ironwood, begging him to let her add her name.”

 

Rich just shook his head, stunned speechless – an extremely rare condition for him.

 

“Rich, I’ll tell you exactly what Jonathan Ironwood said. ‘There’s no more knowledgeable living expert on the constitution, laws, and traditions of the Alcantaran government, and no man I know of higher integrity.’”

 

Rich was beginning to feel slightly dizzy. Benita added, “I was hoping it wouldn’t be out of place for me to ask it of you as a favour, but I hesitated because I knew how relieved you were to be retiring. But when I saw that the entire Assembly had willingly put this forward, I felt that I had to ask you – speaking now, in effect, for the entire government and, by extension, the people of Alcantara.”

 

Rich was still thinking. Benita was content to let him take his time. A clock quietly ticked the next two minutes away. And at last, Rich spoke.

 

“Benita, in theory, I could do this, but of course I have to…”

 

“…ask Tommy. I know, Rich. That’s one of the things I admire most about you, the way that you never take any big personal decisions without consulting your husband. And I know he does the same with you. It’s no wonder so many people see you two as a model couple, regardless of your orientation.”

 

Rich chuckled for a moment, thinking of last night’s orgy, but said nothing more to that. He simply asked, “When do you need an answer?”

 

“Tomorrow, if you can. Time is of the essence here.”

 

“Of course. That won’t be a problem. Can I take this?”

 

“I’ve already sent a copy to your confidential email. It should be there by now.”

 

“But there is one definite condition, Benita. If Tommy agrees, and I accept, I refuse – absolutely refuse – to live in Hillward Hall. I like my own home far better. And we definitely have space enough for any official entertaining that may be required.”

 

“You certainly do, and that feeling is entirely understandable.”

 

“Personally, Benita, I think that Madelaine Flowers should be allowed to remain in Hillward Hall, if she wishes to do so. I don’t know how much more time she may have to live, but whatever that time, the country owes her that much.”

 

“I couldn’t agree more. I will inform her as soon as she can see me.”

 

“I have one more idea, Benita, and it has to do with the future of Hillward Hall later on, but let’s figure out how this step is going to play out first, and then I’ll share it with you.”

 

After Benita had gone, Rich sat there, still in something of a daze. His overwhelming emotion was gratitude for the expressed trust of the country’s legislators, and even of Ironwood and Flowers. Those two were the biggest surprise of the entire document. It occurred to Rich that Madelaine Flowers was considerably more insightful and astute than her late husband had been, for all his reputed political savvy and ingenuity.

 

At home that night, Rich waited until dinner was finished, then he opened his laptop and called Tommy to come over and sit by him. “Benita came to my office this morning and shared a startling document with me. I’m going to show it to you now. Read the whole thing.” As he passed the laptop to Tommy, he noticed that Benita had added to the end a brief description of her meeting with the petitioners, including Jonathan Ironwood’s remarks.

 

Tommy read over the petition and whistled in surprise. “What do you want to do, Rich?”

 

“I told her that I could perhaps do it, but that it would be your decision. Tommy, you have so often deferred to what I wanted to do, what mattered to me, and I now realize that one of the biggest weaknesses of my entire life is how I have too frequently gotten whatever I want. This decision is going to be yours to make. This time, you will choose.”

 

“Am I right in thinking that this is largely a ceremonial position?” Tommy asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And non-partisan?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will we have to do any official entertaining?”

 

“Some.”

 

“How long will this last?”

 

“There isn’t a firm timeline, but about eighteen months would be my guess.”

 

“And will we have to move into that ancient pile, Hillward Hall?”

 

“I already told Benita that was absolutely not in the cards.”

 

“Okay, Rich, you’re doing it. Flowers was trying to warp the position into something it was never meant to be. You’re perfectly placed to pull it back to its intended status as a ceremonial but non-executive head of state.”

 

“On behalf of the government and people of Alcantara, I thank you.”

 

“Hang on a minute, Rich, don’t you go all formal with me. They haven’t appointed you yet!”

 

The following day, the Friday morning session of the Assembly was cut short so that Benita could share the petition and the unanimous vote of the Assembly in announcing the name of the new President pro tempore at an 11:00 AM press conference. She then invited Rich to step forward, and he was greeted by a fusillade of camera flashes, followed by hearty applause from the press gallery.

 

At the same time, Rich’s office issued a statement affirming that he had now resigned his position as a Minister and as a member of the Assembly, effective immediately. A by-election for Greenhills would most likely not be held as the general election was expected to follow within half a year or less.

 

An hour later, a statement was issued by the University of Alcantara: “The President and Board of Trustees of the University of Alcantara are pleased to announce that Professor Tomoyoshi Takahashi, Head of the Department of History and Social Sciences, has been promoted to the position of Dean of Arts and Sciences.”

 

The local media, and many international sources (especially gay-themed magazines and websites) quickly filled up with excited stories about “Alcantara’s Number One Power Couple” – rather ironic, considering how powerless the President’s position actually was. It was a well-known gay news website in Canada which pointed out proudly that both men were actually Canadian by birth, although both now held dual Canadian-Alcantaran citizenship.

 

Rich returned to his office, to be greeted by congratulations from all his staff. He then invited Lucy and Miriam into his private office so he could personally thank them for their years of help throughout his legislative and cabinet career. Lucy had already told him that she was looking for something a bit less high-pressure, as she was on the verge of becoming a grandmother and would welcome more family time. Miriam now told Rich her exciting news, which was that she was pregnant and was leaving to prepare for life as a full-time parent. He knew, and told them, that he would miss both of them as valued colleagues and friends.

 

That afternoon, he fielded a number of calls from various influential Alcantarans wishing to congratulate and thank him. One or two of the callers also thought to ask him to pass on their congratulations to Tommy. Among the callers were several who wanted to angle for favours. His reply to them, courteous but firm, was that the Presidency was ceremonial and non-partisan only, and they that must pursue their requests through the official government channels. He supposed that these were people who’d previously enjoyed an inside track by appealing directly to Desmond Flowers.

 

Finally, at about four o’clock, there came a break in the parade of calls. Rich picked up his private cellphone and called Mikael.

 

“Rich! Wow! I saw you with Benita on the news. I think it’s wonderful, you are absolutely the person to fix up the whole mess that Flowers caused. And to think, less than 48 hours ago I got fucked by the President-in-waiting, not to mention the new Dean of Arts and Sciences, and none of us knew it!”

 

Rich laughed. “Mikael, trust you to go there. But here’s why I’m calling. I wanted to invite you to continue in your position as Executive Assistant to the President.”

 

“Really? But what about Lucy?”

 

Rich explained her situation, and assured Mikael that his connections, knowledge, and experience would make him invaluable in helping Rich to sort out the genuine issues from the dirty, undercover tricks that he needed to weed out. Mikael accepted, immediately and eagerly. Then Rich explained that he and Tommy would not be moving into Hillward Hall, and that Mikael should bring all his work together into the official Presidential Office suite in the Assembly building. And he closed with, “Thank you for agreeing to help me with this, Mikael. I’ll see you there on Monday morning, that’s my official start date.”

 

Item Number One on his Monday agenda was now entered in his calendar on his phone: “Paperwork to formally appoint Mikael.”

 

Making his way home at 5:00 PM that Friday afternoon, Rich was trying to think his thoughts but he kept getting distracted. Pedestrians stepped up to greet him, drivers honked, random voices called out, “Congratulations, Mr. President.” All this sudden recognition and acclamation was a bit overwhelming. Rich hoped it wouldn’t go to his head. Then he stepped into the house, to be greeted by Tommy with, “I just got home a minute ago and didn’t have a free moment all day. Did you remember to pick up the things I asked you for at the store?”

 

No, he didn’t remember. Tommy snorted indignantly, “This is not getting off to a good start! The new President can’t even remember a perfectly simple request from the First Lady!”

 

“And what would the Dean say to that?” Rich batted back. They both laughed.

 

“Aquarius for dinner?” Tommy asked.

 

“If we can get in without a reservation. It’s Friday, remember?” Rich replied gloomily.

 

“Are you kidding, Rich? They’ll probably cancel the next six reservations to give us lots of space!”

 

They laughed again. As it turned out, there was plenty of room at Aquarius and they got their usual favourite table. After dinner, the manager swung by to congratulate Rich. Tommy took the opportunity to ask him if they would consider catering for any future official occasions where food and drink were required. The manager grew flushed with excitement at the request and assured him that it could be arranged. After he left, Rich said, “First Lady on the job!” Tommy pulled a face. Rich patted his hand, then stroked his face. “Okay, First Gentleman. Actually, though, you’re not the First Gentleman. For this President, you are the Only Gentleman.” They leaned together and shared a kiss, and the entire restaurant erupted in applause and cheers.

 

 

[Guest]

I loved this story and its characters. It is so well written that now it's like when you finish a good book or a good movie, feeling a little empty inside! I really hope to read more of your works, and see Rich, Tommy, Bruno, Mikael, pop out somewhere else 😉

[daddybear54]

2 hours ago, ChaserKubby said:

I loved this story and its characters. It is so well written that now it's like when you finish a good book or a good movie, feeling a little empty inside! I really hope to read more of your works, and see Rich, Tommy, Bruno, Mikael, pop out somewhere else 😉

The story's not over yet!

[daddybear54]

Chapter 10  –  The Wind That Fills My Sails

 

Rich’s swearing-in ceremony was conducted, fittingly, by the Chief Justice of the new Supreme Court which he had helped to bring into being. After the ceremony, which was televised, he spoke briefly to the nation, reminding all Alcantarans of the significant ceremonial and non-partisan role which the President played in ensuring continuity of their elected leadership, and pledging his continued support and advice to the Premier.

 

Afterwards, though, Benita rolled her eyes as bit as she said, “Rich, did you really have to sound so much like a damned lawyer?”

 

Rich just laughed, and fired back with, “Hah! You’re a fine one to talk!”

 

As soon as Rich was sworn in as President, he realized that presiding over the final days of his dear friend Benita’s career was going to be a bittersweet privilege. They’d become so close to each other over all the years since doing that first court case together in Canada, and it felt strange indeed to realize that soon he would be going on in public life without her – at least for a few months.

 

He watched the leadership campaign for the Social Democrats with considerable interest but took no active part since his new role demanded that he remain outside of party activity. The candidates were all young, up-and-coming people, all but one in their first terms as Members. Rich was pleased to see that all three had informed themselves about the issues and problems of the country and were able to answer tough questions in a knowledgeable way. The voting was conducted by an online ballot, and the party members selected Darren Alderford as the new leader.

 

It was at this point that Rich decided to make a first break with traditional protocol and hold the ceremonial tendering of Benita’s resignation and consequent swearing-in of Darren as a public event. He wanted the people of Alcantara to see the process for themselves and be assured that everything was done in an orderly way, while also giving himself a chance to publicly thank Benita.

 

The brief ceremony in the Assembly building’s rotunda being concluded, the event devolved into an open reception in which everyone attending had a chance to meet the old and new Premiers, and to thank Benita for her service. She’d always loved keeping personal contact with the voters, so this was a perfect way for her to end her political career. Darren also proved himself very much at ease in this type of informal public event.

 

The next morning, Darren had a first meeting as Premier with Rich. The conversation flowed easily, with no sense of awkwardness, as Rich wanted the new Premier to feel free to approach him with any questions or concerns. At the same time, though, Rich had his own plan for the future, and it was at this meeting that he first described what he had in mind. Darren thought it was a great idea, and Rich subsequently plunged into writing a draft bill. As President, he couldn’t formally present such a bill, but he could pass it to the Premier who would bring it forward in the Assembly as a government bill.

 

But first, Darren had to prepare for his first election as leader. After a short period of preparation and planning, he met formally with Rich to tender his government’s resignation and to advise that the election be held on the second Monday in September. Rich accepted the resignation and the advice of date, according to tradition, and the election campaign got underway. In this, of course, he played no part beyond publicly announcing the date of the election.

 

A little over two months later, though, he was back in the rotunda to present the formal invitation to Darren to form a new government, and to conduct the official swearing-in ceremony of the new Cabinet, consisting of a good mix of familiar and new faces. Darren had found no difficulty in leading the party to its third consecutive majority government, and Rich was pleased to have a familiar face to work with during the months ahead.

 

After the Wednesday morning ceremony, the traditional formal lunch for the cabinet was replaced with an afternoon pool party and barbecue dinner at Rich and Tommy’s house for the ministers and their significant others. The food was catered by Aquarius, the whole gathering was friendly and informal, and the guests gave their best impression of a group of rowdy teenagers on a weekend getaway.

 

During the party, one of the younger cabinet members, Alvaro Ortega Valez, the new Minister of Justice, approached his predecessor. At first, Rich thought he might be seeking advice, which was entirely appropriate, but it turned out that Alvaro was angling for something completely different.

 

“Mr. President.”

 

“Please, Alvaro, call me Rich.”

 

“Rich, then.” He dropped his voice to a lower pitch. “I hope it doesn’t bother you if I say that you and your husband are the hottest couple I’ve ever seen. I’d love to have a chance to get to know you both better. Much better, if you understand me.”

 

Rich chuckled. “Right back at you, Alvaro. You’re certainly brave, to approach a senior officer of the state with that as your introduction.”

 

“I had heard from a… friend… that you and your husband sometimes play around.”

 

“Guessing game, then: name begins with ‘B’ or ‘M’.”

 

Alvaro now laughed. “M.”

 

Rich gave a mock sigh, winking at Alvaro as he did so. “I suppose you heard all the details.”

 

“He gave me a very full description. It was… ‘hard’ to hear.”

 

“I bet! Just go over and talk to Tommy yourself, he’s over there now.”

 

Rich watched as Alvaro walked over to Tommy, enjoying the sight of the younger man’s caramel-coloured skin, so like his own, and the way that his tight ass twitched enticingly in his short swimming shorts. As he watched their conversation, Tommy seemed equally taken with the hot young cabinet minister. When Tommy glanced at Rich for a moment, Rich gave him a solemn wink and then grinned.

 

In time, the guests began saying their thanks and heading off homeward, Darren and his wife being among the first to leave. Somehow, it just happened that Alvaro was the last one remaining, and Tommy was the one who told him to “stick around a bit longer if you like.” They nibbled at some more of the leftovers on the buffet, then poured themselves another glass of wine, and settled in the hot tub. It quickly became apparent that Alvaro was a man on a mission and not interested in wasting time with social niceties.

 

It took him less than half a glass of wine to get a hand fastened onto each of the bulges on either side of him, after first getting Rich’s free hand sliding into the back of his shorts through the leg. As Rich’s hand caressed and squeezed his ass, Alvaro turned more and more attention to Tommy’s speedo, getting Tommy to sit up on the edge of the hot tub while he sucked on the bulging front of his tight suit, which bulged even bigger with each passing minute. By this time, Rich had begun sliding Alvaro’s shorts down off his butt, exposing a tantalizingly round and firm pair of cheeks. He then began sliding his hand into the crevice of Alvaro’s ass, teasing the hole as he kept massaging the firm glutes on either side of it.

 

Alvaro moaned, Tommy followed suit, and Rich withdrew his hand, with a good deal of regret, and said, “It’s time to take this party inside, fellows. Bring the drinks.”

 

Tommy had them all strip off their wet swimsuits in the bathroom, and then they headed into the bedroom with three proudly erect cocks leading the way. Once in bed, Alvaro quickly swallowed down Tommy’s cock while Rich dived deep into that enticing ass, lashing his tongue across Alvaro’s hole and making him moan even louder than he had done out at the hot tub. In a few more minutes, Tommy was up on his knees actively face-fucking Alvaro, while Rich had dug right inside that hole with his tongue and was now adding a couple of fingers for good measure.

 

Alvaro gasped out, “What are you waiting for? Fuck me at both ends, guys!”

 

Rich chuckled. “We’re polite. We were waiting for you to ask.”

 

Alvaro groaned in agony. “Just get that cock into my ass and bang me, hard. I want to get spit-roasted!”

 

Permission granted, Rich worked his way swiftly inside Alvaro’s experienced ass, which certainly knew how to relax and take a cock. Tommy continued his rhythmic driving into Alvaro’s throat. In just a minute or so, Alvaro pulled off Tommy’s cock to gasp out, “Shit! You’re going to fuck the cum out of me.”

 

“Get back on there, and quit complaining,” Tommy barked. Interesting, Rich thought, I’ve never seen him taking such a dominant attitude with me, even when I bottomed. Rich redoubled his assault on Alvaro’s hole and, in a few more seconds, Alvaro cried aloud and exploded all over the bed.

 

Rich said, sternly, “That’s our bed you’re messing up. Get down there and lick all that slime up off the duvet.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Alvaro replied, and that set the tone for the evening. Neither Rich nor Tommy was used to playing these kind of dom-sub games, but they quickly got the drift of what Alvaro liked. Over the next hour or so, he got spanked, cock-slapped, ordered to lick feet and asses, and took a total of three loads in his ass – one from Rich, and two in quick succession from Tommy. Once again, Rich realized that this was turning Tommy on even more than it was for him – and he was definitely turned on.

 

After Tommy pumped his two loads into Alvaro, and Alvaro came again from the frequent stroking of his prostate which was something Tommy specialized in when he was fucking, they all relaxed against the pillows with a final glass of wine. That’s when it occurred to Rich to ask a question.

 

“So, tell me, Alvaro, if you like being a sub so much, how did you get on with Mikael? He’s only been an exclusive bottom every time I’ve been with him.”

 

Alvaro gave a little laugh. “Actually, I ordered him to fuck me, just to torment him, and he was as surprised as I was to find out that he actually enjoyed it. He’s a changed man. Watch out the next time you see him.”

 

“Thanks for the warning!”

 

“Speaking of warnings – I think it’s only fair to tell you that I’m not always sub. I just wanted to play it that way tonight because you two are such a hot pair of daddies. I can be a lot more forceful when it suits me. Gabriel found that out the hard way.”

 

“Daddies! Ugh!” Rich was clearly not amused, and Alvaro apologized.

 

But Tommy was following up a different line of thought. “Gabriel?”

 

“The new lifeguard at the pool. He told me that you two are down there doing laps several times a week. He’s got a definite case of the hots for both of you.”

 

“Tell me about him,” Tommy urged.

 

“Well, you wouldn’t see a lot with those big baggy tees and shorts they wear on the guard stand, but he’s actually pretty short – a couple of inches less than me. Has a great firm round ass and a thick seven-incher with a couple of really low-hanging balls. I’ve seen him once or twice when he was off duty, doing laps and then climbing out of the pool in his wet speedo. The bright orange suits they issue the guards go see-through when wet, and the guy’s a walking wet dream. Beautiful curly black hair, olive skin – looks more Italian than Latin American, and awesome big square shoulders – just the thing to grab onto when you’re fucking him. Age? I’d guess twenty or twenty-one, I know he’s in the university and I think he’s in third year. He thought he wanted to be top only, but I soon changed his mind for him. Look for him the next time you’re down there. Like I said, he’s really got a thing for you two.”

 

“And you don’t?” Rich asked dryly.

 

“Okay, I guess I was a bit forward, but who’d pass on a chance like that, especially after I got a good look at both of you out of your suit-tie-dress shirt business clothes. Say, what time is it?”

 

Rich checked his phone. “Close to 11:30.”

 

“I’d better get going.”

 

“Why bother?” Tommy asked. “You can stay – as long as you promise no middle-of-the-night surprise attacks. I’ve got wall-to-wall meetings and appointments tomorrow and need my sleep.”

 

Alvaro laughed. “I’ll try to control myself. I’ve got a busy morning too. You and I will have to get up quietly in the morning so we don’t disturb Mr. Semi-Retired’s extra-long beauty sleep.”

 

Rich growled, “Oh, great, another smart-ass in the house with a quick tongue. It’s bad enough already with two of us here!”

 

They all laughed and settled down to bed. Alvaro considerately moved over to the outside so Tommy and Rich could cuddle together as usual. But then he did slide in behind Tommy and draped an arm over him. Tommy didn’t protest, Rich rested his hand gently on Alvaro’s arm, and they all drifted off to sleep.

 

In the morning, they were actually all awake early enough for another quick round before breakfast. This time, Alvaro helped himself to Rich’s ass and made his cock right at home there, blasting a huge load inside his host’s butt while Tommy licked and sucked his ass, driving him into that frenzied orgasm.

 

They got up then, and Rich and Tommy waved Alvaro into the shower first. As he went, Alvaro looked meaningly at Tommy and said, “Next time, you’re taking it.”

 

Tommy immediately put on a girlish, squealing voice and said, “Oooh, I’m so scared. Save me, save me from the horrible monster!”

 

“I’ll save you, shweetheart.” Rich was giving an unusually bad Humphrey Bogart imitation and the others both made mock protests, with Tommy pushing his finger into his mouth.

 

After breakfast, Alvaro thanked both of them. “You fellows are so awesome, not just to respond when I came on to you, but even letting me stay the night. And after throwing that wonderful party yesterday for all of us, too.”

 

“Glad you enjoyed it,” Tommy said.

 

“Just don’t think I’m going to be this nice all the time,” Rich threw in.

 

Alvaro laughed. “You don’t fool me for a minute, Mr. President. Everyone around the Assembly and the government offices who knows you has been singing your praises, and they always mention how kind and considerate you are to everyone. Why else do you think so many people were so happy when you accepted the Presidency?”

 

With that, he kissed both of them goodbye and headed out towards his own place to get some fresh clothes on before going to work. Rich looked at Tommy.

 

“Was he serious or just laying it on thick?”

 

Tommy smiled and said gently, “He was completely serious, Rich. I hear it all the time, too. Every day, someone is sure to tell me how lucky I am to be married to such a thoughtful man.”

 

“You mean this, don’t you?”

 

“One hundred and ten percent, Rich. And I always give the same response. ‘Yes, I am – very lucky. Thank you for reminding me.’ Rich, you’re always being so damn critical of yourself, so demanding, coming down so hard on yourself for not meeting some impossibly high standard of moral perfection. But there’s no such thing in life as a perfect person. What you are doing is setting by example a new and higher standard for all the people of this country, who admire you so much, to follow themselves. I’m just in awe at how lucky I am to be married to someone who comes so close to ultimate perfection.”

 

Rich kissed him, with tears in his eyes.

 

“That means so much more to me than I could possibly tell you, Tommy. But you’re wrong when you say there’s no such thing as a perfect person. There is. And I’m looking at him now.”

 

“And you are for me too, Rich.”

 

After a couple of minutes of serious kissing, Tommy suddenly remembered to glance at the time. “Shit, Rich, I’m going to be late. Could you possibly please call my office and let them know I’m on my way but got delayed a few minutes? Hopefully the University President won’t be too pissed off.”

 

“Great. I can see the headlines now: “Interim President Moonlights as Messenger Boy.”

 

They laughed, kissed again, and Tommy got on his way while Rich picked up his phone and speed-dialed the office number. After passing along Tommy’s message to his secretary, who laughed knowingly, Rich headed off at a more leisurely pace to his own office, where he sat down with Mikael to work patiently through a stack of pending files, letters, details of his schedule, and more. All the time, though, another part of his mind was busy with his new plan. After the backlog had been cleared, Rich turned his attention to the draft bill he was writing.

 

After about two more months of intermittent writing, revising, and consultations with various experts whose brains he picked in an informal way (including, no surprise, Tommy), Rich had completed his draft legislation embodying his proposal. He arrived at work in the morning, fully prepared to call Darren’s office and set up a meeting. As he walked in, Mikael intercepted him and showed him a news update which had just come in. Again, the news app was showing the plain black screen.

 

MADELAINE FLOWERS, WIFE OF DECEASED PRESIDENT DESMOND FLOWERS,

HAS PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY AT HILLWARD HALL

AFTER A PROLONGED STRUGGLE WITH CANCER.

 

“Come in, Mikael.”

 

Once in the office, he put the phone on the “do-not-disturb” setting. The two men just looked at each other for a moment. Then Mikael spoke.

 

“End of an era, isn’t it?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but she knew.”

 

Rich thought back to his meeting with her after he assumed the interim Presidency.

 

“Yes. She told me.”

 

“What are you going to do if she left, I don’t know, maybe a memo or letter or some other document where she blew the whistle on him?”

 

“I can see why you’d be worried about that, Mikael. But I don’t think she would. She told me that she didn’t want to trash his reputation -- or see anyone else do it.”

 

It was ironic that his grand plan, which depended first and foremost on the availability of Hillward Hall and the park surrounding it, now had a clear road to go ahead right on the day when he finally felt the draft bill was ready. He hadn’t told Mikael anything about his idea yet, so he kept that thought to himself.

 

That night, for the first time in months, Rich opened up his memoir in his home laptop and resumed writing.

 

********************

 

After the death of Desmond Flowers, I’d had an uncomfortable week or so of wondering whether Mikael had gone beyond what I’d asked of him, and actually figured out an imaginative way of offing the President. Then Mikael told me about the 4:00 am phone call he’d gotten from the latest young recruit we’d “interviewed.” The young guy (Grant, I think, was his name) was so upset that he’d barely been able to explain coherently that the President had died right on top of him while fucking him. He’d slid out from underneath the body, rolled the corpse over onto its back, pulled the sheets up, and then got dressed and got the hell out before phoning Mikael, who then called for the ambulance.

 

During the lying in state, the procession, and the funeral, I’d caught Madelaine Flowers watching me with a considering eye. I figured right away that she knew all about the scheme, and I expected to hear from her – but when I did, a couple of months later, I got another surprise. The phone call asked me when I could come and see her. I told the nurse that I was free right then, if it was suitable, and she said it was.

 

When I arrived, she was propped up in bed, looking wan and pale. I’m no doctor, but I could see death written all over her face.

 

“Mr. President, please forgive me for receiving you in this undignified way.” I made a suitable reply, and then she came right to the point. “Mr. Dunnatore, I have found a few notes in my husband’s handwriting, hinting at his plan to blackmail you, with indications of a timeline which he planned to follow after that. I’d been aware for some time of his proclivities towards younger and younger men, but I had not previously realized that he had managed to get you and Mikael involved in his schemes – or anything of his larger plans.”

 

I was too astonished to make any reply.

 

“First of all, I want to tell you that I personally destroyed the notes by burning them. Our marriage had ended years before he died, in all but name, but I see no good to be achieved by any public disclosure of the less savoury sides of his personality.”

 

I assured her that I agreed with her, and I explained my disposition of the video recordings and sworn depositions. I also told her about how I had informed Jonathan Ironwood of enough detail to keep him from going public, since he had no idea of anyone other than myself or Mikael being involved. She nodded, satisfied. Then she went on, choosing her words very carefully.

 

“Mr. Dunnatore, I owe you a heartfelt apology. Like Desmond, I grew up in an older world where religion ruled and where people like you and your husband were the subject of scorn and derision. In the last few months, I’ve realized that I have been very wrong about you. It’s plain to me now that you and your husband are both fine gentlemen, the kind that in my youth we would have described as being “of good breeding” – by which we meant your manners and upbringing more even than your parentage.

 

“I’m very grateful that you haven’t allowed my late husband’s distasteful activities to drive you out of public service, and even more that you have lent your time, talents, and knowledge to assume his position in the interim until a new election can be held for the position. When that day comes, I hope you will consider running for the position in your own right. I think there is no person in Alcantara today who is better suited to be the guiding elder and advisor that the Presidency requires.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

She paused for a moment, but I could see she had something more to say, and so I waited. “Mr. Dunnatore, I also want to thank you for suggesting that I be allowed to remain in Hillward Hall after you assumed the Presidency. That was a very kind-hearted thing to do. I said as much to Premier Caladesa when she told me that this was your wish, and she assured me that such consideration was very much a central part of the man you are. I greatly appreciate it. But now, I shall have to ask you to go, as I shall need to sleep again. Thank you for coming to see me.”

 

It wasn’t in the official book of protocol, but she was such a courtly lady that it seemed entirely appropriate to take her hand in mine and bow my head over it in respect. When I did, she laughed. She actually laughed.

 

“Aha, a Royalist! Goodbye, King Richard the First!”

 

I’m sure her nurse wondered why she was still chuckling as I left her. A week later, she was gone.

 

I went through the public ceremonials of her funeral in a very mixed state of mind, with one part of me wishing that I’d had more of a chance to get to know her as a person. In another week, I was going through another and much more personal struggle as I dealt with my mother’s passing, just a few weeks shy of her eightieth birthday.

 

My office issued a simple public statement that I would be absent from public life for a week, that the funeral would be a small private one, and asking for respect and consideration from the public and the press.

 

My mother’s support for me throughout my various career moves had been strong and unwavering, always. She had been immensely proud to stand in the forefront of the audience when I was sworn in as President and head of state. She told me that my father would have been proud too, but I had my doubts about that. I had no idea of the man he might have become in another thirty years of life, but he had gone to his premature grave still unable to accept the truth of my sexual orientation, although – to give him credit – he had tried.

 

Tommy kept close to me whenever I asked him that week, and that was often. With my mother gone, he had become the sole anchor in my life.

 

The funeral was an intimate one, held in the small chapel which my mother had attended. Besides Tommy and myself, there were Benita and Grigor, Bruno and Mikael (who were now a couple and would soon marry), a few of my mother’s closest friends, and my sister Chloe, who flew in from Canada with husband Allan and their sons, Chad and Andrew. The boys were now 16 and 14, and the last time I’d seen them had been when they’d been 9 and 7, so it was like meeting a pair of pleasant strangers.

 

Both boys were polite and well-spoken with me, and I suspected that their father (who really was an ardent royalist) had primed them thoroughly on how to behave. It took a bit of time to break through that, but at last I got them used to calling me “Uncle” or “Rich.” When I asked them about future plans, Chad didn’t have any clear ideas as yet. But Andrew did. “Uncle Rich, when I’m ready for university, I want to go to Vancouver, just as you did.” I wondered if his words meant more than they said.

 

After my time off for my mother’s funeral, I was able to set an appointment right away with Darren, to go over the draft legislation. He expressed himself pleased with the project and agreed to bring it to the Assembly shortly as a government bill. “When I do, I would like you to be there. I will move to suspend the rules so that you can be permitted to explain the proposal to the members yourself, in more everyday language.”

 

In another couple of weeks, that was what happened. The Assembly voted unanimously to suspend the rules, and thus I found myself standing once more at the podium in front of the Speaker’s Chair, where I had never thought to stand again.

 

“Madam Speaker, and Members of the Assembly. Thank you for permitting me to address you today. As the Premier has explained, the proposed text of this bill is mine, as is the concept behind it, although of course the right to accept, reject, or amend it remains exclusively yours. This bill contains my proposal for a project which I feel is both necessary and long overdue: the establishment of a National Museum for Alcantara.”

 

In that speech, I outlined the concept of what were actually three separate museums, to be built and opened over a period of 10-12 years. The first, to be relocated in a completely redesigned and refurbished Hillward Hall, would be a Museum of History. The other two would be housed in purpose-built buildings on the Hillward Hall campus, which would still leave ample areas of trees and gardens between and around the museums. The second building would house a Museum of Land and Sea, covering the natural environments of our unique group of islands. The final museum to open would be a Museum of the Alcantaran People, documenting the extraordinary mixture of different cultures and ancestries which made Alcantara such a miniature United Nations of the Caribbean. For financing, the project would be funded one-third from the government, leaving two-thirds to be solicited from private and corporate donations.

 

I was very pleased when the bill passed. Amendments were proposed and considered, some accepted, others rejected, as the proposal was closely studied. Although it seemed logical that I should be asked to sit on the Museums Board as it was constituted, I had to decline since it would create a conflict of interest. That involvement could wait for another day.

 

But I remained excited about the Museum project as it unfolded, stage by stage, and kept in close touch with all the activity of building, renovating, and designing and preparing exhibits. Nobody, as far as I know, complained when Tommy was hired, with the consent of the University, as a consultant on the project. He won the contract on his own merits as a leading historical scholar, with no need for any extra push on my part.

 

********************

 

If there was one constant in Rich’s life, and Tommy’s life too, for that matter, it was the continued interest in and devotion to swimming as recreation and as exercise. As Rich neared sixty, he could still hold his own against almost any younger swimmer who wasn’t a serious elite-level trainee. What was even more important to him was that he could still hold his own (most days, anyway) against Tommy, who was almost ten years younger. He took good care not to say so, since Tommy remained firmly convinced that he was definitely in the lead and that it was no contest now, if indeed it ever had been.

 

One afternoon, down at the big indoor aquatic facility near the waterfront, they were racing each other lap by lap, laughing a great deal at the way they had to take longer breathers after each lap than when they were young. But, as Rich pointed out, they were still showing their heels to many younger swimmers who were less dedicated.

 

At the end of a butterfly lap, Rich noticed the lifeguard climbing down from his stand – and suddenly remembered what Alvaro had told them that night a month earlier. He nudged Tommy, tipped his head sideways towards the lifeguard, and then looked in time to see the whistle coming up to the guard’s mouth. He knew what that meant. Quitting time – the pool was closing. He snapped at Tommy, “One more freestyle,” and they plunged back in just as the lifeguard blew the whistle.

 

Around them, they could see people scrambling out of the pool, but they held on to the end. They touched the wall in a dead heat, came up to breathe, and Rich had just time to snap, “And again!” as the whistle sounded a second time while they launched the return leg. As they came up to the wall this time, the lifeguard was standing right there over them, already blowing on his whistle as they came up for air. This time, they knew their luck had run out, and they hoisted themselves out of the pool. The lifeguard, short, compact, and muscular with curly dark hair and broad shoulders was plainly Gabriel, exactly as Alvaro had described him.

 

He proceeded to chew them out for ignoring the whistle, but Rich innocently pretended that he hadn’t heard it. Gabriel wasn’t fooled for a minute. He knew exactly what game they were playing, and he was secretly thrilled to play along with them. His lecture lasted just long enough to let the other swimmers clear off the deck, while he sandblasted Rich with a spate of “Sir” and “Mr. President,” as he went up one side of the President and down the other, very, very respectfully, of course.

 

By the time he stopped to draw breath, they were alone. He looked at them slyly, and said, “You know, a guy could get the impression that you actually wanted to talk to him.”

 

Tommy replied, “Well, after you sent Alvaro to tell us all about you, what would you expect?”

 

Gabriel chuckled. “Alvaro? I didn’t ask him to do anything. But he was right, I did want to meet you.”

 

Rich came in then. “Well, now that you have, what else do you want?”

 

“I want to grab you two, pull your suits off, and begin sucking and fucking right here and now, but of course I can’t. Have to lock up. So?”

 

Tommy turned to Rich, “I think he’s angling for an invitation to our place.”

 

Gabriel innocently replied, “I wouldn’t object.”

 

Twenty minutes later, the party had reconvened in the hot tub. Gabriel was seated in between Rich and Tommy and had both his hands full while four eager hands were roaming all over his body. This hot young lifeguard wasn’t about to waste any time. Suddenly, he plunged his hands down under the water, bringing them back up with his speedo in hand and tossing it away. Then, he proceeded to pull down Rich’s suit, and right out there in the open, in the hot tub, sat down all the way on Rich’s rigid dick.

 

“Wow!” Tommy said in awe. “You’re a fast operator, to be able to take him that quickly.”

 

“When I saw you guys coming in, I went to the bathroom on my next work break, lubed myself up, and stuffed a butt plug up my ass. I’m more than ready.”

 

With that, he began to ride Rich with great energy, while Rich warned Tommy to “keep an eye open for any drones.” They both laughed, Gabriel looked his question, and Rich just snapped, “I’ll tell you later. Concentrate on what you’re doing right now.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Gabriel began riding him faster and faster, working his ass muscles around Rich’s cock, and soon groaned that he was going to cum. Rich pulled him up out of the tub and had him lean over the edge on his hands while Rich plunged back in. Tommy got under him, mouth open, ready to catch his load when it flew. Another minute, and everything happened at once. Rich slammed back into Gabriel’s ass and exploded, Gabriel’s cock contracted and fired a big wad right into Tommy’s mouth, and all three moaned aloud in near-perfect three-part harmony. Then all three of them flopped back into the hot tub, trying to catch their breaths.

 

At last, Rich said reluctantly, “We’d better head back inside. Sooner or later, our luck is going to run out and someone will spot us.”

 

Once they were in the bedroom, the fun resumed. This time, Gabriel wanted to plow Tommy, but Tommy wanted to do Rich. That sounded like a fuck train, and a fuck train was just what happened. After about five minutes of slow, easy fucking in that order, Tommy said, “Switch!” When the train reassembled. Tommy was now fucking Gabriel while Gabriel was buried inside Rich. After another ten minutes in this position, Gabriel yelled that he was going to cum again. This time, his load spurted inside Rich’s gripping ass while Tommy let it fly inside Gabriel’s cute firm fuckhole. Rich didn’t cum, but he hardly noticed as he was shortly enjoying the post-fuck cuddling with the hot young lifeguard so much. When Tommy dived right in and joined them in the pile of bodies, 1the cuddling suddenly got twenty times better, at least in Rich’s admittedly biased opinion.

 

After a quick shower, Gabriel left with a kiss and a wink at 7:45 PM. Rich and Tommy were faced with the bleak prospect of a late dinner still to be prepared. Rich made an executive decision. “Fish sticks and coleslaw. Spice ‘em up with the sauce of your choice.” Ten minutes later, they sat down to eat, and Tommy suddenly laughed aloud. “A beautiful gourmet kitchen, one better than average amateur cook, one semi-pro chef, and we’re eating fish sticks out of the freezer.”

 

Rich innocently replied, “I’m not a semi-pro chef, where did you get that idea from?”

 

A moment later, a fast but loving hand gave him a sharp smack upside the head.

 

Although it seemed like just a matter of a week here and a week there, it was almost 20 months after Rich had accepted the appointment as Interim President before Darren, the Premier, announced the date for the formal Presidential election. At that announcement, Rich realized that the time had come for him to wind down his activities. Mikael and the rest of his staff began planning final events, including one last pool party for the Assembly members and their families, a monumental event which proved an immense success. That party, again catered by Aquarius, took place a week before the deadline for nominations. By tradition, the names of candidates were formally announced all at once on the morning after the deadline.

 

Early that morning, though, Darren gave Rich a slightly panicky phone call. The two men had long since become good friends as well as a smooth-working team, so there was nothing out of the ordinary about the call. It was the unnerved tone in Darren’s voice that made Rich sit up sharply over his coffee and breakfast.

 

“Darren, what’s wrong?”

 

“As you know, the deadline for the Presidential nominations was at midnight last night. And there are no candidates. None. Zip.”

 

“What the hell is that all about?”

 

Darren chose his words carefully. “I reached out informally this morning to a couple of likely prospects and got the same answer from both of them. They aren’t interested in running against you.”

 

“But, Darren, I’m not running! It’s been clear from the start that this was only temporary for me. Hang on, is it okay if I cut Tommy in on this?”

 

“Sure thing. Nothing especially confidential here.”

 

Rich waved Tommy over and put the phone on speaker. After Darren and Tommy exchanged greetings, Rich said, “Darren, tell Tommy what you just told me.” Darren repeated his previous statements. Tommy whistled in surprise. Then he said to Rich, “So, what happens now?”

 

Rich quickly replied, “Darren, just issue a statement that I am not running. Then push the deadline for nominations back a week and reopen the process. That should take care of it.”

 

For the first time, a note of hesitation crept into Darren’s normally firm, assured voice. “Umm… it might not be quite that simple, Rich.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The two people I talked to told me that there’s a petition going around on the quiet, collecting signatures of people asking you to run for the Presidency and continue the work you’re doing. They both signed it. There are dozens of pages of signatures already.”

 

“You’re not serious. You can’t be.”

 

“Solemn word of honour, Rich.”

 

“Shit.” Rich couldn’t ever remember feeling this trapped since the day of his first meeting as a new Minister with Desmond Flowers. He turned and looked at Tommy, sure that his fear showed on his face. To his total astonishment, he saw in Tommy’s expression nothing but complete serenity and happiness. And it was Tommy who spoke next.

 

“It’s okay, Darren, he’s going to do it.”

 

“Tommy, I did not say that!”

 

“I know, but you will. You’ll see.”

 

Darren cut in. “That will be great. I’ll meet you in your office with the official papers in an hour. Oh, hang on, the other phone just pinged me.” After a momentary pause, he came back on. “The petitions have just been dropped off at my office. The staff are counting the signatures now. I have to get back up there, pronto. I came down to the Cabinet chamber so I wouldn’t be overheard. See you in an hour, Rich!” He clicked off.

 

Rich turned to Tommy. “What the actual hell, Tommy???!!”

 

Tommy sat down facing Rich, took his hands into his own, and patiently explained it. “Dear Rich, can you not see that the people of this country love you? So much. They love you so much, and they aren’t willing to lose you. Rich, for the last 21 months you’ve been going above and beyond the call of duty in so many ways. As you’ve done that, you’ve reshaped the whole government of this country without even trying. You’ve made it more open, more responsive, more accessible to people who need help, and you’ve done it all by setting the example.

 

“You’re so highly respected that the younger Assembly members and their staffs look to you, to see how you handle tricky situations, and then model their behaviour on yours. How do I know that? Because several of them told me so at the big party last week. The admiration in their eyes was impossible to miss. Flowers wanted to remake this country as a dictatorship. You’ve taken it so far in the opposite direction that his kind of future is not only impossible now, but unthinkable.”

 

“But why are you pushing me to continue? Isn’t that enough?”

 

“Rich, it’s never enough. Not for our people and not for you. You’re still finding new ways to tweak your approaches to your job, and that’s a clear sign that your work isn’t done. The petition is another one. The people are telling you that your style, your leadership, is important, and needs to continue. And as long as I’ve known you and loved you, you have never given a job up half done or incomplete. I can’t see you being happy to do it for the first time now. You can certainly walk away if you choose, but that’s not who you are, and in six months you’ll be all miserable and down on yourself for abandoning your work.”

 

“I don’t know, Tommy.”

 

“Think about it while you’re getting dressed. I’ll buzz my office that I’m going to be a bit late, and then I’ll drive you downtown.”

 

Half an hour later, they met at the door, with Tommy jingling the car keys. Rich put a hand out to stop him. “Tommy. I just want you to know that you were, as always, 100% right. And I need to thank you for explaining it all to me, so I could make the right choice myself.” They kissed each other lovingly, and then headed out into the serene, clear morning.

 

At the Assembly building, Tommy stopped the car, and asked. “You’re sure, Rich?”

 

“Yes. I’m sure now – thanks to you.”

 

“Have a good day, Mr. President.” They kissed again, and Rich got out of the car and walked into the building. He wasn’t actually completely sure yet, but he would figure it out.

 

Once into his office, he sat down with another cup of coffee and thought it all through again. Slowly, it dawned on him that Tommy had been right, that he loved the work he was doing, and wasn’t ready to give it up yet. Then why the fear, the hesitation? And then he understood at last. He was afraid to impose any more on Tommy. The man he loved had sacrificed so much of his time and efforts to advance Rich’s political career, and then gave up so much more in time and privacy once he’d been elected.

 

Rich thought of so many things. He thought of days on the beach, evenings on the terrace, and nights of love, of meals at Aquarius and meals at home, of campaign rallies and stressful meetings, of the love given freely to him during that terrible week when he was writing his memoirs, and the complete acceptance of the whole sordid story of the interviews, of that magical night when the bill for civil marriage had passed, with all the love and praise and acceptance lavished on both of them by the people – their people. Last of all, he thought of breakfast that morning, and all the love Tommy had showed by his ready willingness to share Rich with the country.

 

And at last, he had his answer. He would and could go on in this position, not so much because he wanted to go on (although he did), but because Tommy, who loved him so much, wanted him to continue.

 

Just as he reached that conclusion, his secretary came in and announced, “Mr. President, the Premier is here.”

 

“Thank you, Emilie. Good morning, Darren – again. Coffee?”

 

“No thanks, I’ve had enough coffee for three normal mornings already.” He put down the stack of papers he was carrying on Rich’s desk.

 

“Is that what I think it is?”

 

“The petition. Yes. Preliminary count shows well over five thousand signatures.”

 

“May I look?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Rich started browsing through the stack of papers. He noted familiar signatures, and others whose owners he knew but whose writing he had never seen. On the third page, two signatures jumped out at him: “Jonathan Ironwood” and, directly under it, “Marian Ironwood,” with a little smiley face and a heart after it. His neighbour. He shook his head in utter disbelief. This whole thing had become totally surreal.

 

When he looked up, Darren was holding the nomination forms, and smiling at him. “Okay, Rich. Are you ready?”

 

“I’m ready.”

 

He filled in the form, signed and dated it, and handed it back to Darren, who witnessed it. Darren then dryly commented, “We don’t really need to fill in the page with 50 signatures of registered voters, do we?”

 

Both men laughed.

 

“Are you ready to go?”

 

“Go where?” Rich looked puzzled.

 

“Look at the time, Rich. It’s five to eleven. Time for the press conference and official announcement. We’ve moved it to the rotunda; there’s a determined audience of voters waiting to watch this one.”

 

Five minutes later, the Premier stepped to the microphone, with Rich standing in the background. Rich looked over the larger-than-usual throng of journalists, many with cameras raised to record the moment. He scanned the audience, which looked like well over two hundred people. Then, at the back of the crowd, he spotted Tommy. He smiled, and Tommy smiled back, giving him a two thumbs up salute.

 

Darren spoke. “Good morning, and welcome to our press conference. The major news today is, as all of you know, the announcement of the nominees for the Presidential election. May I have the envelope, please?” The wisecrack drew laughs. “There is, in fact, only one nominee. The next President of Alcantara is therefore chosen by acclamation. May I be the first to extend congratulations to… Richard Dunnatore!”

 

A storm of cheering erupted, as Darren first shook Rich’s hand, then hugged him fiercely. Returning to the microphone, Darren gestured for quiet. “As many of you know, there has been a petition circulating, asking Mr. Dunnatore to continue in this position. It was delivered to my office this morning, and I have it here with me. There are over five thousand signatures. Honestly, Rich, it’s enough to make a Premier jealous!” There was another huge laugh as he held the petition papers up, riffling the sheets for the cameras to see. “But that’s enough from me. I know you really want to hear from the man of the hour himself.”

 

He stepped back, gesturing to Rich to take up the microphone.

 

“Thank you, all. I’m sorry to say, I don’t have my acceptance speech prepared. Up until I learned about the petition, just a couple of hours ago, I wasn’t planning on running. I trust you will all forgive the Premier for bending the rules by getting me to sign the official nomination form this morning.”

 

The laughter that followed gave him a chance to catch Tommy’s eye again. “I know that many of you will want to thank me for changing my mind, and I appreciate your gratitude very much. But I want to redirect your thanks, if you will allow me, to the man who really deserves your acclamation for persuading me, for making me see that I could and should continue as President of this wonderful country. He’s hiding in the back of the crowd over there, and I’m sure you all know who I mean.”

 

As the cameras all swivelled around on cue, the audience immediately began chanting, “Tom-my! Tom-my! Tom-my! Tom-my!” while the people closest to him pointed him out. Seeing himself trapped, Tommy shook his head, with a rueful smile, and made his way through the crowd to the podium, where he stepped up and stood beside Rich. Rich put his arm around Tommy’s waist and they both waved to the cheering crowd. Then Rich turned to Tommy and kissed him, while Darren thumped them both on the shoulders, with the sound of the cheering washing over them like the waves on the beach at Bahía de la Paz.

 

 

Epilogue

 

Obituary from The Alcantara Daily Sun

Monday, March 20, 2051

 

Richard Anthony Dunnatore, former President of Alcantara and Founder of the Alcantara National Museums, passed away on Sunday of natural causes. He was 84 years old.

 

Dunnatore was born in Toronto, Canada, on October 17, 1967. His father, Robert Dunnatore, was a noted Canadian businessman and financier. His mother, Lucinda Perez Ortega, was born in Alcantara. From boyhood through his teenage years, he was an elite swimmer, and he maintained his interest in swimming, remaining in practice throughout his life. He was educated in Vancouver and Toronto, in political science and law, and was admitted to the bar in 1995.

 

After practising law in Toronto for a number of years, and after qualifying for Alcantaran citizenship, he relocated to Alcantara and settled in Portavedra with his life partner and husband, Dr. Tomoyoshi “Tommy” Takahashi. Dunnatore was responsible for opening the Alcantaran office of a major Canadian law firm in which he was a senior partner.

 

In 2009, he decided to enter politics, winning election as a member of the Legislative Assembly, and was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Justice in the administration of Premier Benita Caladesa.

 

As a legislator and minister, he was responsible for passage of the laws creating the Supreme Court of Alcantara and the system of small claims courts. His most famous achievement, and the one of which he was proudest, was the passage of his private member’s bill creating the institution of civil marriage open to all.

 

Rich and Tommy, as they were universally known, became the first same-sex couple to wed under this legislation in 2013, marrying in a home ceremony.

 

Upon the death of former President Desmond Flowers, Dunnatore agreed to defer his planned retirement from public service to serve as Interim President. In this role, he won such broad public support and acclaim that he decided against retiring at that time, won election to the position in 2021, and continued to serve as President for a further fifteen years.

 

During his years as President, he advised on the implementation of his idea for the creation of three national museums for the country. After stepping down from the Presidency in 2036, he became the Chairman of the Museums Board and led several fund-raising campaigns, himself making sizable donations to the cost of each of the three museums. In his honour, the new building housing the third museum, the National Museum of Alcantara’s People, was named Dunnatore Hall.

 

Beyond his work on the Museums Board, his vast knowledge, shrewd advice, and sage counsel was sought and valued by a whole generation of Alcantaran leaders and legislators.

 

Mourned by the people of his adopted country as a wise and compassionate statesman and leader, Dunnatore is survived and especially missed by his beloved Tommy, by his sister Chloe (Allan), and nephews Chad (Alicia) and Andrew (Markus).

 

The casket will be available for public viewing and paying of respects in the rotunda of the Legislative Assembly building on Wednesday and Thursday, March 22 and 23, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Dunnatore’s casket will be moved in public procession from the Assembly to Dunnatore Hall on Friday morning at 9:30 AM.

 

The state funeral will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, March 24, in the atrium of Dunnatore Hall. The official tribute to Mr. Dunnatore will be delivered by President Mikael Groening.

 

March 24 has been declared as a National Day of Mourning and a public holiday.

 

 

Afterword by the Author

 

This biographic tale should really be considered a double memoir, since I played such a significant role in Rich’s life, as he did in mine. I chose to cast it as a narrative story, mainly so that my voice wouldn’t unduly dominate the life story of the man I loved so dearly.

 

The passages from Rich’s memoir, written mainly at the time of the Flowers crisis, I have mostly quoted verbatim.

 

For the Flowers crisis, which amazingly has remained largely hidden from public view, I have a small confession to make. After Rich’s death, I opened the sealed envelope (which he had directed should be destroyed) and read the sworn depositions. Some of the material in the depositions I retroactively incorporated into his memoir. I did this because it was important to me that his role in this series of events should not be misconstrued when it finally did come to light, as it surely would at some time in the future. I’m sure Rich would forgive me for ignoring his stated wishes. We always did forgive each other.

 

Although Rich sometimes teased me about writing his life story, and I always said I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it, I was actually planning and working on it at intervals throughout our life together. My contribution is rooted in my memories, in numerous notes and journals which I wrote during our years together, and in a few pieces of creative fiction in which I’ve indulged for certain private moments when I was not present.

 

His death in 2051 left an aching hole in my life and in my heart. I miss him so much. As I always tried to be for him, so he truly was for me – the wind that filled my sails.

 

Tomoyoshi “Tommy” Takahashi, Ph.D.

Portavedra, Alcantara

March 2055

 

 

 

Editor’s Note

 

Professor Takahashi’s manuscript was placed by him in a sealed envelope and given to the Museum, with instructions that it not be opened until fifty years after his death, which occurred on November 17, 2061. The envelope was opened in March of 2112, and the contents are here published for the first time.

 

Due to its historic interest, this uniquely personal portrait of a leading figure in Alcantara’s history is here presented exactly as its author wrote it. Even the slight errors of fact and obvious mistakes in dates and the like have been left uncorrected, as have the explicitly sexual passages, out of respect for the author and for his subject.

[DCWildBtm]

Creative genius!

[daddybear54]

3 hours ago, DCWildBtm said:

Creative genius!

@DCWildBtm thank you!

[BottomBeef]

I  totally agree!! I'm shocked that you haven't received more acclaim. The character development, storyline, and settings are so brilliant, I almost forgot I was reading an erotic tale... until, of course the action starts and then the writing excellence continued!! Ending a story is always a tricky endeavor, but the unique yet resolute ending you gave the story was pure genius. I actually got misty reading the obituary. But, that's because you gave Rich, Tommy, etc... such life within the story that in the end, it was like reading the obituary of a dear friend. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us and I hope you will share more...? 

[daddybear54]

1 hour ago, BottomBeef said:

I  totally agree!! I'm shocked that you haven't received more acclaim. The character development, storyline, and settings are so brilliant, I almost forgot I was reading an erotic tale... until, of course the action starts and then the writing excellence continued!! Ending a story is always a tricky endeavor, but the unique yet resolute ending you gave the story was pure genius. I actually got misty reading the obituary. But, that's because you gave Rich, Tommy, etc... such life within the story that in the end, it was like reading the obituary of a dear friend. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us and I hope you will share more...? 

@BottomBeef Thank you so much! That's a wonderful compliment for a writer to receive! As for writing more, I certainly plan to although I don't have a workable idea yet. Something will come to me. I particularly appreciate that you reacted so strongly to the ending because that was a late inspiration, after I was more than halfway through the last chapter, and I got misty-eyed myself when I was writing it. I have a few earlier stories, if you hunt backwards in the list. "The Demon Lover," "Body Double," "Polo Breeders," "Porn Star Surprise," and "Italian Firecracker." That last one doesn't have any character development to speak of, just BTW.