In the morning, over a breakfast of bacon and eggs that he had cooked, Sam said, "Do you suppose you could take next week off? A week from tomorrow? I've got some things I need to do over in L.A., and it would be a lot more fun if you were along. Maybe we could do some sightseeing or something, too."
Toby thought for a minute. "I guess I could. I'd have to ask my boss, but it's a slow time, and I have quite a bit of time coming. I'll ask."
Sam smiled. "Thanks. We'll have fun."
* * *
On Monday, there was a Prime Timers mixer at a bar called Ground Zero. Toby went directly from work and met Sam there. "Hey, how'd it go today?" Sam asked, giving Toby a hug and handing him a drink.
"Good, Sam, good." He took a sip of his drink and sighed.
"You get to talk to your boss?"
"In fact, I did. No problem with some time off. When do we leave?"
Sam hugged him again, a little awkwardly since they were both holding drinks. "Friday afternoon, soon as you get off work. Oh, and you'd better find your passport."
Toby looked at him sharply. "I need a passport to go to L.A?"
"No," Sam laughed. "But you will need it to get on the plane."
Toby handed Sam his glass. "I think I need another drink. What plane? Where the hell are we going?"
Sam busied himself with the bartender for a moment and handed Toby his new drink. "Fort Lauderdale."
Toby rolled his eyes. "And what's in Fort Lauderdale that isn't in Palm Springs?"
"The ship that we're going to take your birthday cruise on."
"Sam!"
Sam shrugged. "Too late. It's bought, paid for and non-refundable."
"You know, sometimes living with you is not easy," Toby said, touching his glass to Sam's.
"It's the surprise factor. It'll keep you on your toes." He attempted a leer. "Or in my bed."
"I'll take your bed, thank you very much." He looked at his new watch. "And soon, if you don't mind."
They went home and ended up with grilled-cheese sandwiches for dinner around ten o'clock. They were happy men.
* * *
The rest of the week flew by far too fast. Sam went to a Prime Timers lunch at the Rivera Resort on Tuesday, where he was seated at a table that included José Amendi, from Desert Pride. José encouraged Sam to tell him and the rest of the table about finding Martin Shields after his suicide. Sam did and said again how something kept bothering him about the whole thing. The whole table tried to help him figure it out, but to no avail.
* * *
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were spent shopping for clothes to wear on the cruise. Toby said he didn't really need anything, but Sam convinced him that everyone on the ship would be sporting new cruise wear. They also bought tuxedos and all the accessories. Thursday was spent packing.
* * *
Late Friday afternoon they flew to Los Angeles, and on Saturday morning they boarded an American Airlines 757 for Fort Lauderdale.
"No, no, turn left," Sam said as they were boarding. "We're in 2E and 2F."
When they were settled in their seats, Toby touched his champagne glass to Sam's and said, "I've never in my whole life flown first class. Thank you."
Sam sampled the champagne and wrinkled his nose. "Don't bother," he said to Toby. "It isn't very good."
They stayed that night at the Ft. Lauderdale Hyatt Regency, which Toby pronounced adequate but not as nice as the one in Palm Springs. His mention of where he worked did get them a free drink in the bar, though.
They were picked up by the cruise people in the morning and taken to the ship. There they checked in and were led to their stateroom by a very attractive steward in a white uniform, complete with white gloves.
Their cabin was actually three rooms: a living room, a dining room and a bedroom. There were also two bathrooms, both of them larger than the ones in Sam's condo. There were balconies off both the living room and the bedroom, and the one off the bedroom had a Jacuzzi on it.
The steward pressed a button on the phone marked Butler and showed them how to operate the air conditioning and pointed out some of the amenities, including the well-stocked bar. Just as he was finishing his spiel, there was a knock on the door. The steward opened it to a tall man in black pants, a striped coat and a bow tie. "This is your butler Michael," he said, ushering the man in. "I must leave you now, I have others I must escort."
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Michael said. He then described his duties, which included keeping the ice bucket filled (three times a day), the bar stocked (once a day, in the morning), keeping their fruit bowl stocked (as necessary), preparing and serving late-afternoon cocktails (should they require them), and assorted other duties as might occur to him (or them). Looking at the bottle of champagne in the cooler, he asked if he should open and serve it.
Sam and Toby looked at each other. "No, Michael, I think not just yet," Sam said. "We want to have a shower, and then I think we'll have a look around the ship." He picked up Toby's arm and looked at his watch. "About six, I think, would be fine."
"As you wish, sirs," Michael said and took his leave.
"You're kidding!" Toby said with a laugh, when the door had closed. "Is he for real?"
"Oh, very much so," Sam said, pulling off his shirt. "And based on that little wink as he left, I think he would do just about anything we wanted him to do. Now, do you want to rest or shall we get a shower and go exploring?"
"Well, I am exhausted from being waited on hand and foot, but I think I'll vote for exploring."
There was room for both of them in the shower, so cleaning up took slightly longer than it otherwise would have.
Later, as they were standing on deck with the other passengers, watching as the ship left the terminal, Toby said, "All these folks don't have the same kind of room as we do, do they?"
Sam put his hand on Toby's shoulder. "Not really. But some do. There're several of them that even have the same butler as we do."
Toby turned to face him. "Sam, just what the hell did that cabin cost? I mean, I know what we get for the Owner's Suite in the hotel. It's maybe a little bigger than our room, but it doesn't have a butler. And it isn't cheap."
Sam nodded. "Think of it this way, Toby. We're actually saving money."
"What?"
"Well, when Harry and I used to travel, we always had separate rooms, so you see, by bunking in together, we're saving the cost of a whole room. It's a bargain, trust me."
Toby gave up.
* * *
At dinner they were assigned to a table for eight. Their fellow diners consisted of a couple from San Francisco, a couple from Topeka and two older men from Chicago. The couple from San Francisco, John and Peggy, weren't married, but Sam and Toby learned later that they actually were-just not to each other. They were uninhibited, fun and figured Sam and Toby out immediately.
Betty and Nathaniel, the couple from Topeka, were married-to each other-and were fairly bland. Sam tagged them right away as social climbers. They weren't as boring as they might have been, though, because they were on the symphony and civic-theater boards and had lots of stories about various performers they had entertained. At first they assumed Sam and Toby were father and son. Later they decided against this theory, and Betty never did figure out their relationship until the very end of the cruise. Nathaniel was pretty sure he knew, quite a bit before that.
The two men, Doug and Henry, were the mystery. They appeared to be in their early seventies, had the same last name and said they were brothers. They did look alike, enough to easily be brothers. It was the way they acted, though, that made them a mystery. They were more like an old married couple than brothers. They didn't seem to care what sort of relationship Sam and Toby might have.
After dinner, Sam and Toby went to the obligatory welcoming show in the theatre but declared it dreadful and left early. In their cabin they found that Michael had traded the large bottle of champagne in the cooler for two splits. He had also turned on the Jacuzzi on the balcony. They stripped, opened one of the splits and spent a happy hour, relaxing, and then playing, in the hot, bubbling water.
* * *
The next day the ship was "at sea," and they spent much of it lying on lounge chairs by the pool, reading and admiring the other men. They ate lunch in the dining room and decided that the experience was okay, but they'd probably go to the buffet for the rest of the cruise. The dining room was just a bit stuffy for their taste..
At three, Sam said it was time.
"Time for what?"
"Our massages," he said with a grin. "They're even coming to our room to do it."
It was another first for Toby. The masseurs set up their tables on the balcony and invited Sam and Toby to get undressed. When they were ready, towels wrapped around their waists, they were helped up on the tables.
"I am Nicholas," the man said to Toby. "I will be caring for you for the next hour. Are you more comfortable with this on?" he asked, tugging on his towel.
Toby thought, Oh, what the hell, and said that actually he would be more comfortable without it. Nicholas took it away, turned him onto his stomach and began. It was heavenly. Toby gave himself up to Nicholas's very skillful ministrations.
When Nicholas helped him to turn onto his back Toby was aware, but didn't care, that he was erect. Nicholas made no comment, of course, but made no effort to avoid the erection, either. His fingers grazed it several times during the course of the massage. At the end he took hold of Toby's scrotum and lightly worked some oil into the soft skin. Then he ran his oily hand up the length of Toby's hard dick.
"We will leave that for your friend," Michael said, helping Toby off the table and onto a towel-covered lounge chair. "Now rest. We will leave you."
"Sam?" Toby said in a contented voice after the masseurs had left, "Did your guy get you off?"
"No. He said that was for you to do. Did yours?
"No. He said the same thing." Toby got up and went over to Sam's lounge chair. "Look here," he said in a voice laden with lust, "they left the oil."
* * *
When Michael knocked and opened the door, he found the two of them still naked on the balcony.
"I beg your pardon, gentlemen. I am so sorry!" He turned to the door.
"Wait, Michael," Sam called. "We need ice desperately. Well, actually we need it in a couple of glasses with a good measure of gin and some tonic." He twisted around so he could look directly at the butler. "Don't worry, Michael. We may be... as we are, but we won't attack you."
Michael grinned. "That, sir, was the farthest thing from my mind. Two gin and tonics coming up."
* * *
Dinner that night was fun. The table companions all felt less like strangers and had interesting stories to tell. Sam bought wine for the table, which helped loosen things up as well. After dinner they all eight went to one of the lounges where the two couples danced and Sam and Toby talked with Doug and Henry.
* * *
The next day was also one at sea, and they passed the time in pretty much the same way, although they did have lunch at the buffet. At three Sam said, "It's time."
"Time for... Do we get that again?"
Sam chuckled. "Yup, we get that again. And again on Friday." He stood. "Let's trade guys, okay? You take Adam, and I'll take your guy; what was his name?"
"Nicholas. Sounds like a plan."
It was. A good one.
* * *
A couple of hours later Michael knocked and opened the door. Without a word he went to the bar, prepared drinks and served them. Then he brought a small plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries. "For energy," he said. "After strenuous exercise." Then he was gone.
* * *
The next day was St. Maarten. They docked at a quaint Dutch village whose main attraction seemed to be jewelry stores.
"You want to shop?" Sam said, as they disembarked. "Lots of jewelry out there."
"I've already got all the jewelry I need, thank you," Toby replied, holding his arm out for inspection. Then he laughed. "You should have waited. I'll bet you could get this lots cheaper here."
"Sure," Sam said, "and then pay extortion to the customs people. I don't think so. I tell you what: you ever been parasailing?"
"What's that?"
Sam laughed. "You'll see, and I'll bet you'll love it."
They found a cab to take them around to Orient Beach.
"A parachute? Tied to a speedboat? You've got to be kidding?"
Sam nodded. "It's an experience you won't get any other way. Come on."
Sam was right, Toby realized, hanging fifteen-hundred feet in the air tethered to a speedboat. It was an experience all to itself. And he loved it.
Sam was next, and then they each did it again. Later, in the cab on the way back to the ship, Sam said that the only thing that would have made the experience better would have been to do it together."
"Yeah," Toby said, "and if we could do it naked."
"I'll bet we could. We could hire those guys to take us to some out-of-the-way beach and send us up in that thing naked. You want to sit on my lap, or may I sit on yours?"
"One time each way," Toby said, squeezing Sam's hand.
* * *
Dinner that night turned out to be a show-and-tell session. It seemed everyone but Sam and Toby had spent the entire day in the jewelry shops, and everyone had bought way too much. Even Doug and Henry had succumbed to the lure of the shops; they were sporting identical gold bracelets and identical gold studs in their ears, Doug's on the left, Henry's on the right.
It was interesting to see the different styles the women had chosen. Betty had bought large, showy pieces, including a necklace, from which hung a topaz the size of a small lemon. Peggy, on the other hand, had spent her money on an exquisite bracelet made of three different shades of gold with a tiny, faceted ruby on its clasp.
Even the husbands had succumbed. John had purchased a handsome Rolex and Nathaniel a heavy gold chain.
As they were finishing the main course, Peggy turned to Toby and asked what he and Sam had bought.
He smiled. "A wonderful ride," he said. "We went parasailing. You know, the parachute with the little seat, tied to a speedboat?"
"Oh, my god," Peggy said. "That must have been wonderful!"
Betty held one hand to her breast while fanning herself with the other. "Well, my dear," she said to Peggy, "you'd never get me up in one of those things. I'd be far too frightened."
The men held their tongues.
* * *
After dinner Sam and Toby went back to their cabin. They undressed, and Sam opened a bottle of very good-and very cold-champagne. They took the champagne out on the balcony and toasted each other.
"Is this what life with you is going to be like?" Toby asked. "Champagne on the balcony, massages under a tropical sun, and a butler to serve drinks to us when we're naked?"
Sam put his glass down and took Toby into his arms. "If you want. But it's also going to be nights at home holding hands and watching television, entertaining people we like, and quietly loving each other."
Toby kissed him. "I guess... I guess I want it all, as long as it's with you." He kissed Sam again-a long, slow kiss. When Sam's body began to react, Toby got down and took him in his mouth, holding him until his breathing began to change. Then he stood and kissed Sam again. "Oh, God, I love doing that to you," he said.
Sam sighed and held him close. "You know? You're the only man who's ever done that to me-who's had the power to bring me up that fast, just by holding me in his mouth."
Toby smiled. "You're the only man I've ever done it to. All the others, I had to work at it."
Sam drained his glass. "Let's go to bed, and you can work at something else."
* * *
The next day they were docked at the pier in Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas. After breakfast at the buffet, they walked around the town and explored it a little. Then they took the Skyride to Paradise Point where they had lunch and sat on the terrace, admiring the town below.
After lunch, on their way back to the ship, they wandered down a side street called Drake's Passage. There, about halfway down from the High Street, they came upon a small gallery. On a whim they went in to look around. The proprietor, who introduced himself as Derek and said that all of the art work was his own, offered them refreshments. "It's a hot day, and you gentlemen look like you might like a beer. It's Danish beer, one you perhaps haven't tasted before, but I think one you'll enjoy."
The beer was Fuglsang, one they had never even heard of, much less tasted, and it was cold and very good.
Walking around the shop, Toby stopped and studied a couple of the paintings. "These are good, Sam," he said, out of hearing of the artist. "Very good."
Sam looked more critically at them but couldn't really tell that they were any "better" than any of the others. "You want them?" he asked.
Toby looked at the prices, but before he could say anything Derek called out, "For you sir, there's a special sale today. Twenty percent off anything you like."
Toby didn't hesitate. "That's very generous, thank you. We'll have both of these if we may."
Derek came over to where they were standing and looked at the pictures Toby had indicated. Then he grinned. "You have a very good eye," he said to Toby. Turning to Sam he said, "Your man has just picked out the two best pictures in the entire shop." He gave Sam a wink. "Hang on to him."
They worked out the details of shipping and thanked him. Sam also gave him a handful of bills. "For the credit-card charges," he said.
As they were leaving Derek pulled each of them into a hug and gave each of them a kiss. "Thank you for visiting me," he said. "You will join me for a meal the next time you are in Charlotte Amalie."
Outside Toby smiled at Sam and said, "That was good of you, giving him money for the credit-card charges."
Sam laughed. "Well, he did give us a discount, and I really believe it was just for us. Maybe it's something he does all the time, but I don't think so. He liked us."
"That's because we're very likable."
* * *
At dinner that night Peggy and Betty were each wearing what was obviously new jewelry. Betty, showing off a large gold ring set with what looked to be diamonds exclaimed, "It was such a bargain! I mean, it really was cheap."
Nathaniel looked pained.
The Williams brothers, who actually had done some sightseeing, were also wearing matching gold rings but they didn't make a point of them.
"And what did you buy?" Peggy asked Sam.
"Paintings," he said. "They're being shipped."
"Oh," Betty chimed in, "you mean like the ones the ship's gallery is auctioning off? Have you been to see them?"
Toby nodded. "You can hardly miss them if you go through the shopping arcade." What he didn't say is just what both he and Sam had thought of them.
They all went to the lounge after dinner, and Sam asked Toby to dance.
"I don't think so, Sam. I'm not sure I could stand the wagging tongues and shocked eyes." Then he thought about it and smiled. "But I tell you what. I will dance with you, right here in the lounge, on Saturday night, our last night out. Okay? Give them all something to talk about on the plane home."
"Okay then, if you won't dance with me, will you go to bed with me?"
"That I can do!" They said their goodnights and left.
* * *
They slept late the next morning since it was to be a day at sea. Sam, spooned against Toby's back, was in a twilight state, not quite awake, not quite asleep-that state where minds aren't constrained with reality and thoughts seem to roam at will through consciousness. He was idly playing with Toby's dick, sliding the foreskin up and finding the flare of the head with his fingers, then pulling the skin back and gently touching the groove just under the head.
The foreskin is such a wonderful part of a man, he thought. It slides so easily across the head and hides it, like a turtleneck sweater-a long, soft, warm turtleneck.
Son of a bitch, Sam thought. A turtleneck sweater. He suddenly knew what had been bothering him all along about Martin's suicide.
"Hey, don't stop," Toby said in a sleepy voice. "I was halfway there."
Sam rolled him onto his back and took him the rest of the way with his mouth.
* * *
Later, on their balcony, over coffee and rolls, Sam said, "I figured it out. I know what's been bothering me abut Martin's suicide."
Toby looked up. "What?"
"It wasn't him."
There was a moment of silence. "It wasn't Martin? But I thought you said that..."
"I did. I looked at him. I watched them lift him out of that tub. But it wasn't him."
Toby poured more coffee. "How..."
"Whoever they pulled out of that tub was circumcised. Martin wasn't. He had foreskin like yours, one that completely covers the head." He smiled at Toby. "Well, it wasn't as pretty as yours, but it was maybe a bit longer."
"But if it wasn't Martin, then who?"
Sam shook his head. "I don't know, but I do know it wasn't Martin. I need to think."
* * *
They spent the day lounging by the pool, Sam deep in thought and Toby reading a detective story. When they went to lunch, Sam said that it still baffled him. The man in the tub couldn't have been Martin, but if not Martin then who? A look-alike trick?
Towards three o'clock Sam asked Toby which one of the masseurs he wanted. "Now that you've tried both of them, which will it be?"
"I don't care. No, really, I don't."
Sam shook his head. "The rule is, if one of us asks a question like that, the other one has to answer. Look at it this way, if I had a preference, I would have asked if you minded me choosing my preference. Since I didn't, you not only get to choose, you have to choose. So which is it?"
"Where'd that rule come from?"
Sam laughed. "I just made it up. But it makes sense. One of us has to decide. In this case, I asked first, so the decision will be yours. A corollary to the rule, by the way, is that the one who asks has to accept the answer. So. Which?"
Toby thought for a moment. "You know, Sam, that is a great idea. Really. If we stick with it, we should never have an argument."
"Thank you. Now which is it?"
Toby unconsciously ran his hand over his chest. "Nicholas, the one I had the first time."
It was a good choice. For both of them.
* * *
The next day they were docked in Nassau. Toby decided he wanted to play tourist, so they took both the morning and afternoon tours. Afterward, sitting at the pool bar, Toby said, "Well, in my opinion, the tours were kind of short on sightseeing and long on shopping.."
Sam agreed. "Next time we'll hire a tour guide of our own. A guy. That woman on the afternoon tour didn't know anything."
Toby laughed. "A hunky guy. One who knows where the nude beach is."
* * *
After dinner they went back to the lounge for a farewell drink with their tablemates. By the third round, John and Nathaniel were dancing with each other's wives. Sam watched the dancers for a while and then turned to Toby.
"May I have this dance, sir?"
Toby hesitated only a moment before he extended his hand. "Yes," he said. "Thank you."
It took a few moments to sort out who was going to lead, but then they discovered they danced quite well together. The other people on the floor hardly seemed to notice them.
During the second dance Sam whispered in Toby's ear, "Well, I'll be damned."
"What?" Then he saw what. The Williams brothers had also begun to dance. "I told you, Sam. Didn't I?"
Sam nodded and hugged him tighter. "I love you."
When they went back to the bar, Betty and Nathaniel abruptly left without saying goodbye. Peggy turned to Sam and quietly said, "Don't worry about it. Class will always show itself." Then she asked him to dance.
"Well, look at that," John said, turning to Toby. "She's dancing with another man. Well, if she can do it, so can I. Would you like to dance?"
John and Toby didn't do quite as well as Sam and Toby had, but it was fun, and John didn't seem at all bothered by the stares they got from a few other couples on the dance floor. "Thank you," John said when the dance was through. "Don't tell Peggy I said it, but you're a pretty good dancer." He laughed. "I might take up with a man if it weren't that the anatomy's all wrong."
Toby laughed and held his tongue.
At the bar, Henry Williams approached Sam and very quietly said, "Thank you." Sam raised an eyebrow. "For the courage to get out there on the dance floor. If you hadn't done it, we never would have. So thank you."
Early the next morning they docked back at Ft. Lauderdale and were driven to the airport. Seven hours and one plane change later they were back in Palm Springs.