Freddy and Michael had spent half an hour going back and forth with their recollections of the events in Ralph Scavolini’s bedroom that day.
“It was a mistake to ever go in there” Michael insisted. “I knew it was a bad idea and you really should have listened to me on that.”
“I don’t think it was such a big mistake” Freddy replied. “Your father seemed like he was into it and we patched things up later on. He didn’t hold any negative feelings about it when we last spoke.”
“It really ruined my relationship with my father for years afterwards. That conversation about Harvard the next day was one of the toughest in my whole life. He was so angry about what you did to him, and when I later learned about him getting sexually assaulted in college, it made all the sense in the world why he was so angry with you at the time. He allowed his dick to cloud his critical thinking skills, as did you. We should not have done that and you most certainly shouldn’t have touched him while he was jacking off.”
“It was just something that came over me in the heat of the moment. I realize, in hindsight, that it was a big mistake.”
“Well, that’s why I’m having such a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of Chris sharing the bed with us. Are you going to make another ‘big mistake’ in petting Chris’ body hair because you’re turned on?”
“Look, Michael, this is totally different.”
“How so?”
“For starters, I was 18 at the time I did that, not 39. I’m a full grown man now, not a barely legal adult. I’ve developed impulse control and can keep my hands to myself. Your father and I had a long talk about that and I’ve gotten much better at controlling my staring over the years.”
“Chris doesn’t seem to think so”
“That’s only because it was so shocking to see a man with that much hair on his chest. Evan did too, by the way.”
"Evan is 12 and you’re a 39 year old man.”
“Even when Chris was in high school, he was never that hairy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man with that amount of body hair before. It’s almost like he’s a dog or something.”
“Well, if Chris is going to sleep with us, then you’re going to have to keep that staring under control.”
“I will, Michael. I promise.”
Freddy leaned in to kiss Michael on the lips.
“At the end of the day, you’re the love of my life and nothing and no one will ever come between that. Even your father knew that.”
“He certainly did his best to drive us apart, though.”
“But our love was strong enough to handle being away from each other for four years. I never cheated and you didn’t either. We’ve stayed faithful and we’ve been lucky to have such a wonderful marriage for the last fourteen years.”
Freddy gave Michael another kiss.
“My vows are my word” he continued “and I have no intention to break them. Not even for Chris, who is admittedly very sexy.”
“Can I really trust you, though?” Michael asked, with a strong uncertainty in his voice.
Freddy nodded and held Michael’s hands in his own.
“You can trust me.”
Michael nodded, before he came to a decision.
“Chris can sleep with us. We should tell him now. If Evan asks, just say that he’s protecting us in case someone tries to kill you again.”
“Alright. Let’s go downstairs.”
Freddy and Michael got up from their bed and made their way back downstairs. When they entered the living room, they saw Chris projecting a documentary onto the wall with his communication device. Evan was watching it with intense interest.
“On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the union army after the Battle of Appomattox Court House” the narrator said in a voiceover to a civil war documentary.
“Whatcha guys watching?” Freddy asked curiously.
“Hey Freddy” Chris replied. “I was just showing Evan, my buddy here, this documentary I was telling Mr. Scavollini about.”
“It was really good” Evan admitted. “I really engaged with the material more than just reading it from a book.”
“I’m glad to hear that” Freddy replied with a smile.
“Chris” Michael complained. “I still never got to see if the school district was going to approve of it. I wish you would have waited first.”
Chris shrugged his shoulders.
“Well” he replied “if they don’t approve it, then just see it as Evan watching it on his own free time, outside of school hours. He certainly enjoyed it enough, right kid?”
Evan nodded, before Chris ruffled his hair. Evan let out a loud laugh at the affection he was receiving.
“Evan” Michael said. “It’s time for bed now.”
“Oh come on” he replied. “I want to stay up and spend more time with Chris. After tonight, I’m never going to see him ever again.”
“That’s not true” Chris replied earnestly. “I’m sure our paths will cross again very soon. Now come on, Evan. Listen to your dad. It’s time to go to bed.”
“Argh. No.”
“Evan” Michael hissed.
“Come on, Evan” Chris said, trying to mediate the situation.
Chris stood up and extended out his hand to Evan sitting on the couch.
“Time to get up and go to bed.”
Evan folded his arms and shook his head.
“Evan, don’t disobey your dad” Chris said, with an annoyed tone in his voice.
Chris thought for a moment, before he had an idea.
“Well you can’t stop me from dragging you up the stairs.”
“Ack!” Evan screamed playfully, as Chris grabbed onto him and slung him over his shoulders. “Let me go, Chris! Come on, man! Let me go!”
Evan slapped Chris’s back, as the body guard brought him up to his room. Freddy sighed, as he sat down the couch.
“Maybe you shouldn’t do that” Michael suggested. “Perhaps you should tuck Evan into bed tonight.”
“You sure?” Freddy asked, looking uncertain.
“Yes.”
Sighing, Freddy got up, as Chris left Evan’s bedroom.
“Hope you guys don’t mind” Chris said, as he walked down the stairs “but I gave him a little kiss on the forehead to say goodnight. It helped calm him down. I know you don’t like me overstepping my boundaries on intimacy, Mr. Scavolini, but since this might be the last time I see your kid for a while, I figured you’d be ok with it.”
Michael sighed, as Freddy looked up at Chris happily.
“Thanks for the help, Chris” Freddy said appreciably. "We really appreciate it."
“My pleasure boss” Chris replied. “You two are so lucky to have Evan as a son. I’m not trying to be his parent or anything. I just wish I could have spent more time with him, that’s all. I felt like I was really getting the kid to let his guard down and trust me. Maybe if I had had more time with him, I could have helped him deal with whatever issues he was dealing with that’s making him do so poorly in school.”
“It’s not really your place to do that” Michael noted with a bitterness in his tone. “That’s our job and that of a therapist.”
“Still, Mr. Scavolini, Evan trusts me. I just don’t know if he’d be as eager to open himself up to somebody else. I’m not his dad, so I think he feels he can talk to me about things that he feels he can’t discuss with you. The fact that I can’t discipline or punish him or won’t judge him gives him a sense of freedom to let his guard down with me. If only I had more time with the kid. I really think I could get to the bottom of his issues.”
“Well, we’re happy to take it from here, Chris. Freddy, would you mind talking to Evan for a few minutes?”
“Uh, sure” Freddy replied, as he walked upstairs to enter Evan’s bedroom.
Sighing, Michael sat down on the couch, as Chris looked at him with a sad expression on his face. Michael was confused by this at first, but then thought to comment.
“You can sit” he said “if you want.”
Chris nodded, as he went to sit next to Michael on the couch.
“So, Mr. Scavolini” Chris spoke up. “Did you and your husband come to an agreement about our sleeping arrangements?”
“I did” Michael replied with a sigh. “We worked out our issues and you can sleep in the bed with us.”
“Look Michael…”
Chris sought to put his hand on Michael’s shoulder, but restrained himself.
“I mean, Mr. Scavolini, sorry” he corrected himself. “Here’s the deal. I get it. I get that having any man, especially one that your husband has the hots for, is a really big stress inducer in a marriage as good as your own. I want to let you know that under no circumstances will anything come between you and Freddy from my end.
“I will respect my space on your bed and let you and Freddy do what you feel comfortable with in the comfort of your own home. Don’t even think about me being in the bed with you guys. For all intents and purposes, you should pretend I’m not even there. I won’t take up too much room and you can resume your nightly routine as you always do.”
“I have to ask you about…you know.”
Chris raised his eyebrows, not understanding the insinuation.
“I mean” Michael tried again “about sex and self pleasure.”
“Gotcha” Chris replied. “Go on.”
“So…”
Michael gulped, as he tried to gather the courage to ask what he needed to ask.
“So Freddy and I still have a sex life” he continued. “What do we do when we want to…you know?”
“Have sex?” Chris asked.
“Yes Chris.”
“Well, Mr. Scavolini, you just let me know and I’ll step out of your hair for a bit.”
“That’s an uncomfortable conversation to have with you, though. I don’t know if I want to just come right out and say ‘Chris, I want my husband to fuck me now. Please leave.’ You know?”
“Totally understandable. Just give me some sort of signal or code word and I’ll immediately be out of your hair.”
“Ok….so what should it be?”
“You tell me.”
Michael thought for a moment, before he came up with an idea.
“Blonde twink twins” Michael suggested.
Chris raised his eyebrow at the suggestion.
“Any particular reason for that one?” Chris asked, letting out a light chuckle.
Michael felt slightly embarrassed and then began to blush.
“It’s a long story.”
Chris shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to make things awkward.
“You don’t have to elaborate on it. I was just curious, that’s all.”
“And what if you want to…you know?”
“Get off on my own?”
“Yes, Chris.”
“Well, for the last few days, I’ve been doing my business on the sofa bed while you guys are asleep. However, since that’s no longer possible, I can always do it in the shower. I get up early enough where I can take care of it while I’m getting ready in the morning. You don’t have to worry too much about me. I can take care of myself, if you catch my drift.”
Michael nodded, before he brought up another difficult subject matter.
“I notice you take off your shirt at night. If you are to share the bed with us, then you have to keep your clothes on.”
Chris sighed, before he nodded his head.
“I understand, Mr. Scavolini. I respect your desire for me to do that. I just want to let you know something real quick.”
Chris sighed again, as he looked at Michael with a serious expression on his face. He was not angry, but he wanted to try to put Michael’s mind at ease over something he knew was bothering him.
“I just want you to know that, even if your husband tries to do something, you should know that I’m not going to allow it to happen. I also know you might be afraid that if he tries something, that I’ll just up and quit on you guys. Well, you should know that I’m not going to leave you if it comes to that. As uncomfortable as it might be for me, your husband’s mission and safety is of paramount importance to me. I’ll just try to work it out amicably and we’ll go on from there.”
“I hope it doesn’t get to that point, though” Michael replied. “Freddy promised me he wouldn’t try anything, so I’m taking his word on this here.”
“It’s just in case, that’s all. I don’t want you to have that extra worry on your mind. It’ll be bad enough dealing with whatever fallout comes from your marriage. I don’t want to add to it by leaving you out on a limb when you need me most.”
Michael nodded, feeling very somber in that moment.
“I have to be honest with you, Mr. Scavolini. Normally, I’d want to try to pat on you the shoulder and give you a hug to cheer you up. It’s not about me being gay or guys being gay. I'm straight. It’s about trying to connect with someone on a personal, human level. This is what I was talking about when I said I wanted to be able to be more intimate with you. Not in a sexual sort of way, but in a man to man bond sort of way. Like brothers. This situation we’re dealing with is so tough and I’d just like to be able to give you some comfort. Platonic comfort, mind you, but a comfort beyond what a formal handshake can give. Speaking of which…"
Chris paused for a moment, before he continued.
“Did you get a chance to think about the other thing I proposed?”
“I did” Michael replied.
“And?”
Michael sighed, before he gave his answer.
“I’d like to see how tonight goes first, before I give you my answer on that.”
Chris nodded, before he got up from the couch.
“Want to get ready for bed now?” he asked.
“Sure” Michael replied, as Chris extend out his hand.
Michael grabbed it and lifted himself off of the couch. On the way up, they decided to pay Evan a visit to his bedroom. When they were given the approval by Freddy to do so, the two of them opened the door to see Evan in his pajamas, lying in bed, with Freddy sitting on the edge.
“Dad” Evan said.
“Hi Evan” Michael replied.
“Why is Chris sleeping in the bed with you guys?”
Michael blushed, before Chris sought to interject with an answer.
“Well Evan” Chris replied “you see, the last time a bad man tried to hurt your papa, I was barely able to get to him in time. Sleeping on the sofa bed means I’m too far away from your papa in the event that I need to save his life. By sleeping in the bed with your dad and papa, I can fend someone off immediately and save your parents lives.”
“But papa and dad said that only people who love each other share the same bed. Does this mean you love my parents, Chris?”
Freddy, Michael and Chris blushed, feeling a mix of emotions between them. Evan looked up at them curiously, confused as to why they were having a hard time answering his question.
“Uh” Freddy stuttered out.
“Well” Chris tried to say.
“That’s not always true” Michael finally answered. “It is most of the time, but there are exceptions.”
“Such as?” Evan asked.
“Such as if you’re sharing a hotel room with someone and there’s only one bed.”
“Or if you’re poor and don’t have enough beds for everyone to have their own” Freddy chimed in.
“Or if you need to be right there when someone tries to hurt someone you’re hired to protect” Chris added.
“So it’s not such a black and white rule” Michael continued. “However, that is the rule most of the time and it’s why we don’t like you being in the bed with us.”
“But Chris is going to be” Evan replied.
“To protect your parents” Chris reminded “not because I ‘love’ your parents.”
Chris paused for a moment, before he continued speaking.
“Not that I don’t like your parents and all, but we’re not in love with each other. Just as I like spending time with you and I’m glad you can trust me enough to talk to me, I’m not your parent and I’m not here to replace them. You see?”
Evan thought for a moment, before he nodded his head.
“I see.”
“Good.”
Chris went to rub Evan’s head, before he took a step back.
“It’s time for bed now, Evan” Freddy said, as he gave his son a kiss on the forehead.
“Night papa” Evan replied.
“Good night my sweet Evan” Michael said, as he went in for his own kiss.
“Night dad. Chris?”
Chris looked at Evan, with a confused expression on his face.
“Would you give me another kiss good night?”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Evan” Chris replied.
“Come on, Chris. It’ll really make me feel better.”
“Maybe in the morning” Michael suggested, before he grabbed Freddy and Chris’ hands and led them out the door. “Before I drop you off at your grandmother’s, maybe Chris will give you one last goodbye kiss.”
“You promise?”
Michael turned around, as Freddy and Chris went into the other bedroom.
“I will do my best to honor your request. Now go to bed. We need to get you ready to move to your grandma’s house bright and early.”
Michael shut off the lights and went back into his own bedroom. When he got there, he saw Freddy and Chris sitting on the edge of the bed, fidgeting nervously.
“What’s the hold up?” Michael asked. “Why are you two not laying back on the bed now?”
“Uh” Freddy replied, unsure of how to answer.
“We weren’t show how you wanted to arrange the sleeping positions” Chris replied honestly.
Michael thought for a moment, before he gave a suggestion.
“So since space is going to be more limited now” Michael suggested “we should try to divide the bed in half. Freddy usually spoons me on my side. We lean to the right, so we’ll take the right side of the bed. That means you can have the left side, Chris.”
“Sounds good” Chris said, as he got up from the bed. “Let me take a quick shower first and then I’ll join you guys in a second.”
“Sure thing” Michael replied, before noticing something. “Remember to take your pajamas with you, Chris.”
“Huh?” Chris replied, confused for a second, before getting what Michael was saying. “Oh, right. Of course.”
Chris grabbed some pajamas and head into the bathroom. While he was showering, Freddy and Michael got into their respective pajamas and settled into their side of the bed. A few minutes later, Chris came out from the bathroom wearing snug, tight fitting pajamas.
“Those seem a little tight on you” Michael commented, as Chris walked over to his side of the bed.
“I’m kind of overdue for some new ones” Chris replied, as he settled into his side of the bed. “I just haven’t had the time. After your husband’s campaign, I need to go order some stuff. I like to try them on before I buy them.”
Michael nodded, as he shut the lights off in his room. Freddy spooned Michael as he normally did, while Chris laid on his back. Despite his big size, he was not a snorer. However, an hour or so after they doused the lights, Chris began to toss and turn. He was finding the temperature to be suffocating and was having a hard time sleeping. Finally, Chris couldn’t take it anymore and turned to gently tap Michael on the shoulder.
“Pstt” Chris whispered. “Mr. Scavolini?”
Michael ignored Chris’ tapping.
“Psst” he stressed again. “Mr. Scavolini.”
“What?” Michael murmured.
“Mr. Scavolini, I have to talk to you.”
“Hmm” Freddy murmured. “What’s going on?”
“Go back to sleep, Chris” Michael replied, getting increasingly irritated.
“Mr. Scavolini” Chris stressed again. “We need to talk. It’s urgent.”
Michael turned to face Freddy and Chris.
“What is it Chris?” Michael asked, sounding groggy, with an annoyed tone in his voice. “Can’t you see I’m trying to sleep here?”
“We have to talk” Chris stressed yet again.
“Chris, man” Freddy replied, as he turned to face him. “You really need to do me and my husband a favor and go back to sleep.”
“Guys, I’m suffocating here. This room is way too hot and I can’t take it anymore.”
“I run a bit cold” Michael replied “so I tend to keep the heat on.”
“But here’s the thing. I can’t take it being so hot in here. I’m sweating profusely and my pajamas are already drenched.”
Chris turned the overhead light on and showed his sweat soaked pajama shirt and bottoms.
“I can’t sleep like this, guys” he continued. “I had to wake you because we need to address this situation. Either you have to turn the heat down or I have to take off my shirt.”
“Oh, come on” Michael whined.
“I can’t take this anymore” Chris grumbled, as he felt his shirt stick to his stomach.
In a quick motion, Chris stripped off his sweat stained shirt and threw it onto the bedroom floor. Settling back into the bed, he exposed the carpet of black fur that blanketed his chest and stomach.
“Hubba hubby” Freddy commented, licking his lips.
“Oh for Christ’s sake” Michael groaned. “I told you that you had to keep your clothes on if we were going to share the bed together.”
“I couldn’t take it anymore, Mr. Scavolini. If you’re going to expect me to wear clothes in your bed, then you have to turn the heat down.”
“I refuse to change the temperature in my room. It’s what I’ve been comfortable with for the entire time I’ve lived here.”
“Then I have to have my shirt off.”
“But what about—“
“I’ll tell you what. Normally, I’m a back sleeper. However…”
Chris turned to lie on his side, facing away from Freddy and Michael.
“If you don’t want your husband to get any temptation to touch me, then I will sleep on my side so he can’t see my hairy chest.”
Freddy whined, as Michael smacked his thigh.
“Ouch” Freddy said.
“You really don’t have another suggestion?” Michael asked with an annoyed tone in his voice.
“Not that I can think of at the moment” Chris replied. “Unless you’re willing to turn the temperature down, I can’t really think of anything else. You could always put more blankets on if you get too cold. I can’t take more clothes off than this. Not unless you want me to sleep naked on your bed.”
Michael groaned loudly, before he shut off the overhead light and settled back into his sleeping position.
“Night Chris” Michael called out.
“Night Mr. Scavolini” Chris replied.
Freddy groaned, as he spooned Michael and whispered in his ear.
“If you’re concerned about my being tempted by Chris, then why wouldn’t you just turn the heat down? We can always get a blanket if you get too cold.”
“I’ll think about it for tomorrow night” Michael whispered back. “For now, let’s go back to sleep.”
Sighing, Freddy tried to settle into his usual sleeping position, but found he was having a hard time doing so. The sight of Chris’ hairy chest had really turned him on. That, plus his bodyguard's strong, masculine musk and the feel of Michael in his arms, caused his loins to react. His penis grew erect and poked at Michael’s ass. Gulping, Freddy did his best to ignore this, as he closed his eyes.
“I’m fighting like hell to resist this temptation” Freddy thought to himself. “I promised Michael that I wouldn’t do anything with Chris. I just hope I can actually keep that promise.”
The next morning….