Brian scanned his surroundings. Despite the fact that he was an unabashed city dweller who never once felt the urge to commune with Mother Nature, he had to admit that he was in the presence of something awe-inspiring. He had no idea how his boyfriend had managed to find this place, but then he knew better than to put anything past Justin. As he gazed at the beauty surrounding him, Brian felt amused at what he had just been thinking. Only a few years ago, he couldn't have imagined calling any man his boyfriend, not even the young man that he had been secretly in love with for several years despite all his protestations to the contrary. Now, however, he could think of a number of titles to bestow on Justin Taylor...lover, partner, best friend, boyfriend, and most beloved. Whenever he thought of Justin, which was quite often every day, he couldn't seem to keep those lesbianic thoughts at bay. The old Brian would have been ashamed of such thoughts, but today's Brian knew better. Life was worth living (even past the age of thirty) as long as Justin was a part of it.
Of course, all these thoughts didn't change the fact that Brian had not ended up in this magical place willingly. As a matter of fact, he had fought tooth and nail to keep from being forced to agree to Justin's little adventure. In the end, he had no choice. He had made the mistake of mis-judging Justin's faith in him again. It had all started with a silly bet...another one he lost to Justin...damn him and his hunches! And damn that idiot, Bill Hodges. The man just had to prove the exception to the rule. Bill Hodges was an honest politician! Who would have thought that honesty, even about something you were ashamed of, could make a winner of a politician in this day and age of total cynicism? Well, Justin did. But then he always had faith in people and things he believed in. If he hadn't, he would have given up on Brian a long time ago...a lost cause if ever there was one.
After opening a branch of his advertising agency in New York City so that he and Justin could have homes in both Pittsburgh and New York, one of the first clients to seek Brian out was Bill Hodges. The man was running for State Senator and needed an ad agency that would understand his dilemma. Bill was a gay man who had married his best friend as a cover almost thirty years ago. Unfortunately the normally very honest man had failed to inform his wife as to why he was really marrying her. When Bill decided to run for the Senate seat, his opponent managed to dig up the dirt concerning Bill's extracurricular activities at locations that catered to gay men, especially those on the down-low. Once the news got out, Bill not only lost his marriage, but slid so low in the polls that everyone began to advise him to withdraw from the race. That's when he turned to Brian's agency. Once Justin found out about it, he urged a reluctant Brian to take Bill on as a client.
At first Brian was convinced it was a mistake. Few, if any, politicians survived scandals like the one Bill was embroiled in. Justin, however, had taken the time to study the politician's stand on various issues and had come to believe in the man. Being the kind of man Justin was, he refused to give up on Bill. When Justin saw that his arguments in trying to get Brian to change his mind were falling on deaf ears, he switched to a tactic that had worked in the past. He knew that Brian always found it hard to ignore a challenge. Using that logic, Justin made a bet with Brian. He bet him that he was the only ad man around who could reverse the downward spiral of Bill's popularity. If nothing else, Justin suggested, Brian would make a name for himself just for trying. Even if Bill lost the election, if Brian could improve his image it would raise his esteem with future clients. It was a win-win situation according to Justin. Sure enough, Brian couldn't resist the challenge.
The question then became, what would the couple be willing to bet? After much discussion and a few disagreements as to what the actual bet was and what the reward would be, they settled on whether Bill would win or lose the race. If Bill won, so did Justin. If Bill lost, Brian would be declared the winner. If Brian won, Justin had to agree to go clubbing with Brian whenever he felt like it for a full month. Justin would find this a real task as he enjoyed a night out on the town once in a while, but not nearly as much as Brian. As for Justin's reward, he had always regretted not going along with Brian on the bikeathon charity ride. He had enjoyed his fantasies about camping out and making love to Brian in their tent. After Brian's disastrous accident on the ride, he had refused to even discuss re-living the event. Now was the perfect opportunity to force Brian into accepting such a vacation.
Brian had started out feeling cocky and certain that even his best efforts were not going to be enough to win Bill the Senate seat. He knew, however, that if he could salvage the man's reputation in a big way his ad agency would still come out looking damned good. Brian, who normally felt like he could do anything, had misjudged his own skills badly this time around. They were even better than he had thought possible. Justin had been right. Brian had worked miracles, with the assistance of a man who actually had the goods to be a top-notch politician. By the end of the race, Bill had jumped high up in the polls and won the election with a resounding majority of the votes. Not only did Brian's success bring in a slew of new clients who wanted the man who worked miracles for their own, but it gave Justin his heart's desire. With a kiss that curled Justin's toes and the promise that he would never underestimate Justin's faith in him again, Brian begrudgingly accepted his fate.
That had been nearly eights months ago while they waited for the Summer months. Justin had spent that time researching where they would travel and what they would see. Brian pulled the tent out of storage that they had bought way back when for their original bikeathon trip together. He had hoped he would never see it again after sleeping in it all alone. He should have known better. He reminded himself that Justin always managed to get his way sooner or later. At least this time he would be sharing it with the little rat. In the meantime, Justin had bought two brand-new Trek-520 touring bikes, their helmets, and the equipment they would need for storage. With both bikes carrying front and rear panniers, they would want for nothing. Eventually Justin had their route from Pittsburgh to Toronto and back all mapped out. Brian had paid little attention to their route. He left all arrangements in Justin's hands.
Now, as he stood outside their tent under a darkened sky with thousands of stars seeming to wink their approval at him, Brian again felt a swelling of pride in his choice of lifetime partners. Justin was such a clever man. Even though every muscle in his body seemed to be complaining about their overuse for the day, Brian found himself feeling a kind of contentment he hadn't experienced before. Even the night-time sounds of Nature at her best, filling the air all around him was pleasing to Brian at this moment. Before pushing aside the flaps of their tent and joining Justin, Brian listened once more for the sound of a nearby waterfall. It had been dark before they had finished setting up camp so the couple had decided not to go exploring in the unfamiliar surroundings. They would save that for the morning. This trip wasn't turning out half-bad at all. It was certainly more interesting than the one he had gone on the last time.
Brian bent over and entered the tent. It was actually much roomier inside than it appeared from the outside. Justin sat cross-legged on the canvas flooring next to a small folding table holding his sketch pad. His back was to Brian. The Coleman lantern was turned up to its brightest setting so the entire space was lit up. He looked up at the sound of Brian zipping the tent closed. That trademark Sunshine smile that Brian loved so dearly spread across the young man's face. Brian felt his heart swelling, along with another part of his anatomy. He lowered himself to the floor, spreading his long, lanky legs out on both sides of Justin's thighs. Brian scooted in closer until his hardening cock pressed into the crack between Justin's covered cheeks. Brian's earlier reservations about taking this trip seemed to melt away with the warmth of Justin's sexy body so close to his. He looked over Justin's shoulder at the sketch pad. An unmistakable drawing of Brian on a bike was almost completed.
"I see our nature trip has inspired your creativity...or is it the subject who inspires you?" Brian asked while wrapping his arms around Justin's middle.
Justin's arm, with pencil in hand, came to a halt. He lowered the pencil to the pad and clasped his hands around Brian's arms.
"I would say it was a little bit of both...the subject and the surroundings."
Justin had lowered his hands to Brian's thighs while answering and given them a little squeeze. Brian couldn't stop the tiniest groan from escaping his throat. Justin loosened Brian's hold on him and turned around to face his lover. Concern showed clearly on his face, while Brian tried valiantly to hide the obvious discomfort he was feeling. Justin laid his hands gently back onto Brian's upper thighs.
"Are you in pain,Brian?"
"I wouldn't call it pain, exactly...more like aching muscles. You do know I didn't make much time for training on a bike this time around? The only time these thighs get any exercise is on the dance floor or when I have you pinned to the bed."
"Or the floor, or the wall, or anywhere else you can think of to have your wicked way with me, Brian Kinney," Justin laughed. "But actually that's often enough for you to keep those legs in top-notch form. I'm a little sore myself, you know, and I have a dozen less years on my body."
Brian smacked Justin's leg. "We don't go there, young man. You know the rules."
Justin laughed again. Brian loved the sound.
"If anyone else dared mentioning my age, they would have been drawn and quartered by now."
"Oh, I'm willing to take my punishment like a man, Your Majesty," Justin proclaimed. "But first, why don't you let me use that oil we brought for just such an emergency and give your poor legs a massage. We wouldn't want you to be forced to end our vacation early because of leg cramps."
Brian loved the sound of that offer. No one gave a better massage than Justin. Justin reached over and dimmed the lantern light. A soft glow bounced off their bodies, forming shadows on the sides of the tent. Brian slipped off his biking footwear and body-hugging bike pants, watching with delight as Justin removed his similar clothing. He quickly unzipped and removed the jersey last, leaving him naked. He moved over to the large double-sized sleeping bag they were sharing and spread himself out on top, face down. Justin finished removing his own shoes, setting them next to Brian's. He then crawled over to the sleeping bag with the oil he had retrieved from the nearby bag in his hand.
Justin flipped his leg over Brian's hips with his back to Brian's head. He settled himself down on Brian's body and stretched forward after filling both hands with oil. He started at the top of Brian's thighs and began kneading both legs. His slippery hands traveled all over the place, sometimes slipping down the space between both thighs. Brian spread his legs further apart, giving Justin a welcome view of the back of his cock and balls. It was a sight Justin knew he would never tire of. Justin spread his arms downward, sliding his small frame over Brian's buttocks as he inched his way past the back of his lover's knees and down to the calf area. Justin added a bit more oil and smoothed it into the skin all the way down to the back of Brian's feet.
By this time, Brian was nearly purring like a well-stroked kitten. He had completely forgotten about the aches in his muscles. The ache in his groin, however, had become far more insistent. Brian couldn't wait much longer. With a deep sigh, he took advantage of Justin being so low on his body now that it was easy to move him and flipped himself over, almost dislodging Justin entirely. The young man just managed to hold his position as he felt Brian's legs turning over from back to front. One good turn deserved another, figured Justin, so he turned himself around so that he was now facing the top of Brian. His eyes first traveled to Brian's center. There was no mistaking what was on Brian's mind. His manhood stood as proudly and firmly as the flag being planted at Iwo Jima in WWII. Justin's eyes moved up to Brian's face. The grin he saw there was wickedly handsome and made the blond blush. Brian was the only one who could make his face turn pink like that.
Justin knew what was needed. He added a bit more oil to his hands and began his journey back up Brian's legs, starting with his calves. He rubbed the musky, manly scent into the flesh, kneading the muscles slowly. He knew it was torture for Brian, but a delicious torture that he fully appreciated. The closer Justin got to the top of Brian's thighs, the stiffer Brian's cock became. By the time Justin was massaging his crotch, Brian had managed to grab a condom from the pouch hanging on a low chair next to the sleeping bag and had ripped it open in less than a second.
"Put it on me," Brian barely managed to huff out. He had never wanted to be embedded in Justin's warmth more desperately.
Justin obeyed with no resistance whatsoever. He then reached back and massaged in what little oil was left on his hands around his excited hole. Moving forward, he settled his hands on Brian's chest and maneuvered his ass until it was right in place for what was coming. Brian reached down and steadied himself. It didn't take long for Justin to fully engulf Brian's throbbing cock up to the hilt. They had become a well oiled (no pun intended) machine with every part of them in perfect working order. Brian used his elbows to rise enough for the two lovers to kiss. There was no holding back the passion they felt for one another. Their kisses began softly, with the barest of touch. Those rapidly became driven by a heat that was all-consuming so that the gentleness turned into a fury of longing and need. It was as if sparks ignited between their lips as they devoured the taste they shared between them. Each tongue thrust accompanied a cock thrust. Each capture of a tongue between soft lips accompanied a capture of cock around molten walls. The heat was a physical force that engulfed the lovers beyond a sense of time and place. Neither man wanted it to end, but end it must. They held off their release as long as humanly possible and finally succumbed to the overpowering joy of cumming together as one heart, one soul, one body.
As the lovers fell apart, yet still attached by hands clutched together, they turned their heated faces to each other and smiled with the pleasure that had once again been their mutual gifts. It took some time for the coolness of the evening to force them into needing to cover up. Brian fetched a towel from their supply and cleaned his body off while Justin got the sleeping bag ready for the night. Once Justin finished his task, he took the towel from Brian and wiped off his hands. The couple turned the lantern off and slid inside the warm bag, still naked as the day they were born. Justin turned on his side and spooned inside the comfort of Brian's embrace. Aching muscles meant nothing any longer. The sounds of frogs and crickets filled the night outside their tent. The sounds lulled the couple to sleep. Their first night on this trip had been a success. They were content. They would be in Canada tomorrow.
************************************************************
Morning brought the smell of fresh air and water wafting through the air as Brian parted the flaps to their tent. He had slept like a baby, in spite of all his earlier misgivings about sleeping on the ground for the second time in his life. The first time had been far from pleasant. He had longed for his king-sized bed back at the loft that time. That didn't hold true this time. Brian, who was not really prone to night-time dreams very often, found himself having the most delicious dream starring his favorite camper. Brian had been lost in the forest until a gorgeous blond Mountie had shown up and rescued him. Brian, who always thought of himself as the one in charge...the one on top...the one who would always be the rescuer and not the rescuee, was amused when he woke and realized that Justin had switched places with him even in his dreams. Well, he decided to himself, if there was anyone he was willing to relinquish control to, it could only be Justin.
At the moment, the question was...where was Justin? When Brian had awakened this morning, he could see that the tent was deserted. He had fully expected to find the young man outside starting up a fire for their morning cup of java. It would be the perfect start of another day of physical exertion as they finished up their second day on the road to Toronto. They already had reservations at a hotel that catered to tourists, especially ones who were arriving for Pride Week. Justin's argument that they could combine the bicycling/camping trip with a visit during such an exciting celebration had convinced Brian that at least something good would come from losing the bet. He hadn't expected to enjoy the travelling part of their vacation, but at least he had Pride Week to look forward to. That was why he was truly surprised that he was enjoying himself as much as he was. That didn't mean he wasn't eager to get to Toronto. But first he had to find his better half, or they'd never get on the road again.
"Justin," Brian yelled into the sky. Nothing but the sounds of birds startled from the trees accompanied the sound.
Brian's good mood slipped. Where had that young man gone? That's when Brian remembered the sound of the waterfall. After all these years together, Brian knew his lover. The artist in Justin would have had a hard time ignoring the chance to sketch something he never got to see up close in his everyday life. There was no telling how long Justin had been up before Brian. Brian decided to go exploring, fairly certain he knew where he'd find his wandering boyfriend. The sounds of the waterfall were distinct enough to guide Brian forward. He felt a little grouchy since he hadn't gotten his jolt of caffeine yet, but he had no intention of hanging around a campfire all by himself.
After walking towards a large group of trees for several minutes, Brian could see a clearly marked path cutting through them. As he approached the path, the noise from the waterfall became louder. Brian took the path through the trees and came out the other side into an area that could best be described as enchanted. It reminded Brian of fairytales he had read as a child. His parents had never read to him, but as soon as he was able to read for himself he had indulged in countless books. His creative mind enjoyed the fairytales that always promised a better world than the one he lived in. It was a guilty pleasure he never told anybody about. And just like his old fairytales, Brian saw his Prince Charming sitting on a boulder only a few feet from a narrow river positioned between thick trees.
Not far from where Justin was sitting, his sketchpad and pencil in hand, was a waterfall no taller than the height of half a dozen men. Water poured from the stream above down into the pool of water below. Brian could tell from the way Justin sat that he was totally engrossed in the images he was creating from the scene. He thought about calling out to his lover again, but changed his mind. He quietly walked up behind Justin and peered over his shoulder. The drawing was beautiful. It was obvious that Justin was indeed inspired by his surroundings. Brian reached down, placing his hands on Justin's shoulders. Justin, who hadn't heard Brian approaching, squeaked, his pad and pencil flying into the air. His hand clutched to his chest, Justin jumped up and turned to face the intruder. His heart was beating three times faster than normal.
"Damn, Brian! You scared the shit out of me! Don't ever sneak up on me like that again!" Justin wailed.
Brian tried not to grin, but couldn't quite carry it off.
"I'm sorry," he said, not looking in the least remorseful. "Now we're even. You gave me a scare leaving camp without telling me where you were going. You didn't even have the decency to start a fire and make our morning coffee. For all I knew, some bear came into camp and carried you away."
"Don't be ridiculous. I left you a note. It's on the table in the tent. I woke up a couple of hours ago and you looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you. Then that noise coming from the waterfall kept calling to me so I had to check it out. Isn't it breathtaking? It's so...so natural. You can really get in touch with Mother Nature in a place like this. I feel like I'm the one who discovered it for the first time, although that path leading here tells me it's a popular place already."
Brian stared at the falls in the direction Justin was pointing. He had to admit, it really was an enticing sight. Actually the more he stared, the more enticing it became. Without warning, Brian suddenly tore off his clothing and ran towards the water's edge. He stopped short and flipped around, laughing at the sight of Justin's wide eyes. He turned back to the water and stepped into it, walking quickly to where it dropped off into deeper waters. He dove in and came up sputtering. Despite the warmth of the mid-Summer day, the water felt remarkably cool. It wasn't as deep as it appeared at first, but did reach chest high on Brian. He bounced from foot to foot to get his circulation moving again and then raised his arms skyward. Water glistened on his arms as the sun's rays bounced off the drops.
"Come on in, Sunshine. The water's chilly but I'll warm you up," Brian beckoned.
Justin hesitated. He would have much preferred flipping the page on his sketchpad and drawing an outline of Brian standing there looking like the male version of a siren from Greek mythology calling out to him. But there was one thing Justin never felt, and that was fear of doing anything Brian urged him to do. Without thinking twice, Justin undressed and splashed into the water to join Brian where he stood. The water covered Justin's shoulders up to his neck, and he had to take several deep gulps of air when his body reacted to the water that seemed colder than what Brian had intimated. He hurried into Brian's open arms. As promised, Brian's body offered some warmth and in a few moments, they had both adjusted to the coolness surrounding them.
Brian bent his head and grabbed onto Justin's lips in a hot kiss that raised their body temperature a couple more degrees. Then with an excited laugh, Brian pushed Justin back and swam several yards away from him. He stood in the spot and waited for Justin to stop spluttering from the surprise dunking. Then Justin came after him. For the next half hour, the couple played tag and other various water games with unabandoned enthusiasm. In this beautiful secluded spot, they had become like two young boys enjoying the innocence of no responsibilities or worries. Of course that slowly changed as the 'young boys' found themselves standing under the waterfall itself. The water from above was slightly warmer because of the rising sun hitting it directly before it tumbled over the cliff. It felt so good on the skin. Suddenly the 'young boys' felt more like mature men...men who knew what they wanted.
Brian turned to Justin and there was no mistaking that look in his eyes. Justin knew what it meant. Brian drew Justin into his arms and planted a kiss that tingled the young man's flesh like tiny sparks from a Fourth of July sparkler. Water cascaded over their heads and bodies, but they refused to part. The kiss deepened. It went on and on, building an uncontrollable fire in their loins. A smooth rock stood just to the back of the falling water. Brian lifted Justin up onto it. Justin lay back on his elbows and Brian went to work kissing, licking, and carressing the blond's naked body from his thighs up. Justin tasted so fresh and clean and delicious. Brian couldn't get enough of him. Justin's mouth...his neck...his nipples...his navel...his soft bush of pale pubes all led to the prize Brian longed for most. Every inch he covered tasted like Justin, bringing Brian such a warm feeling of love that he no longer felt the coolness of the water.
Brian was in no hurry. He savored every minute that he spent in bringing Justin to the very top of the mountain of pleasure they were climbing together. By the time Brian was willing to grant Justin escape from the exquisite torture he was in, the young man was unable to hold back his scream of delight as he came over and over again down Brian's willing throat. Justin slid down the rock and straight into Brian's arms. They clung together for a short while as Justin waited for his legs to steady under him and his heart to slow its racing beat. Once he had accomplished that, he pulled back and glanced up at Brian.
"My turn," is all he said.
Brian took the hint. He jumped up onto the low rock and settled back as Justin had done before him. Justin fell to his task with all the enthusiasm of a man who had been lost in a desert and just discovered an oasis filled with fresh water. The sounds of the falling water at his back accompanied the couple's lovemaking noises like a perfectly composed symphony. Brian couldn't help thinking about the time Justin told him what he had said to a therapist Jennifer had hired for her son. He had told the woman that he loved sucking cock and he was good at it too. Brian couldn't have agreed more. Brian felt as though his world had turned into an endless train of pleasure as Justin brought him closer and closer to that feeling that words alone could never fully describe. Finally, he too gave Justin what he had worked so hard for.
By now, the hour had grown much later than they had planned. Reluctantly, they swam back to the shore and redressed themselves. They knew that they would arrive in Toronto several hours later than planned, but after their day at the river they could have cared less. Even Brian was beginning to think that the trip to and from their destination was going to be the part they would always remember...far more than all the exciting events of Pride Week that was coming up. After they had struck their tent and re-packaged all their supplies for the second half of their trip, they took one last long look at their campsite together before mounting their cycles.
"Still want to rent a car and stow the cycles for the trip back home after the Pride Parade is over?"
Brian took a few moments to answer. He thought about the fun he had just shared on the road with just the two of them. Justin's obvious delight in the whole adventure brought such bright smiles to his face so many times. Every time they stopped for a break, Justin would whip out his sketchpad and draw their surroundings in a rough form that Brian knew he'd turn into a master painting somewhere down the line. Seeing how happy Justin was, along with the pleasure the young man provided both last night and this morning had managed to dispel all of Brian's irritation at being forced into the biking/camping trip. If the ride back home was anywhere near as worthwhile, Brian could see no reason for rushing back in a faster car ride. Justin had been right when he stated at the beginning of this whole vacation that getting there should be as much fun as arriving at their destination. Brian wrapped his arm around Justin's shoulders and pulled him around for a tender kiss.
"I think I'm willing to risk another bike ride back home when it's time. After all, I need to keep this body of mine trim and fit. I have this horny young boyfriend who is always keeping me on my toes. I'm always trying to keep up with him."
Justin swatted Brian on the back of his taut butt.
"You don't fool me, Brian Kinney. It will be a cold day in Hell before you ever really believe you can't keep up with me. When there is snow on your roof, there will still be fire in your furnace. We both know that."
Brian laughed out loud. The couple climbed aboard their bikes. They both made a mental note to themselves to return to this exact same spot on the return trip. They had more memories they wished to make. Just as they were about to pedal away, Brian held Justin back when he grabbed his arm. Justin looked at him curiously.
"One last thing," Brian began. "I get to choose our next vacation. I was thinking...maybe a bike ride through Europe?"
The End