Journey in Love

He slipped his arm around my waist and pressed me to him all the more firmly, "I want you to know, Ken...I never imagined this was going to happen when I invited you here tonight."

"Nor did I."

"Well, I sense we're both seeing unexpected possibilities, so...I have a bit of a confession to make."

I nodded and gave him my undivided attention.

"It was no accident that we both showed up at Jermey's tonight. Once I finally realized that the new face at The Keys he kept telling me about was you...I put him up to inviting you."

I tingled at the news and couldn't stop myself breaking out in a huge grin.

"I hope that doesn't reflect poorly on me," Ray continued, "I assure you, I'm no devious masher. I'm really an old-fashioned guy at heart and...just wanted another chance to be near you."

"It doesn't reflect poorly on you at all. In fact, I'm unbelievably flattered and, coincidentally, 'old-fashioned' is how I was raised, too."

"Good," he said, looking relieved, "Then I hope you'll understand when I say it's getting late for an old codger like me and...having you this close...I don't know how much longer I can remain the gentleman I like to think of myself as."

"I would never want to put you in that position," I assured him while twirling a lock of his plush chest hair around my index finger.

"Thanks. I think you're incredibly handsome and someone I'd like to know much more about...everything, in fact...if I should be so deserving. May I call you sometime? Maybe ask you out on a bona fide date?"

I spied the note materials he kept by his phone on the opposite end table and seated myself again at his side.

"Hand me that pad and pen, please?" I asked.

He quickly fetched them for me and I jotted down my number.

I handed it back to him and said, "Just know, before you call, my answer will be yes...definitely yes!"

He set them down on the coffee table in front of us and quickly leaned in to peck my lips with another dry kiss. We then rose to our feet and he escorted me to his door.

I couldn't leave without one more kiss and reached up to fold my arms around his thick, almost non-existent neck. He bent forward and wrapped his strong arms around me once more to let me take what I needed. I made sure it was respectfully dry to match his.

"Make it soon, please...that call," I encouraged him and slipped out into the cold to navigate the snowy streets.

"I promise!" I heard him say before the door closed behind me.

When I got to my apartment, I stripped naked and piled up under my covers. I skipped brushing my teeth to enjoy the taste of him that lingered on my lips and nimbly toyed with my raging hard-on, being careful to avoid bringing myself off. I wanted the satisfaction of my first romantic encounter with a man who checked off all my triggers to last as long as possible.

I barely slept a wink. It was Saturday morning and, at 10:30, I was roused from my slumber by my cell phone. I didn't get to it in time. The number was unfamiliar but there was a voicemail. I quickly accessed it.

"Hi, Ken. I hope this isn't sooner than you imagined. Please call me when you get this."

I was delighted to hear Ray's manly voice, minus all the hypnotic resonance I remembered from being in the same room with it, of course. I nearly fumbled the phone to the floor in my haste to get his number in my contact list.

Hitting redial almost immediately, it rang exactly once before he picked up.

"Good morning, Ray!" I blurted out before he could even say hello.

"Good morning to you, too, handsome!" he fondly replied, "How did you sleep?"

"Hardly at all!"

"Same here," he confessed with a laugh, "Haven't felt like this since I was a teenager!"

"Last night was the most wonderful evening I've ever enjoyed, Ray!" I assured him.

"I'm so glad to hear that. Since you've already told me the answer to my next question, may I go ahead and point out that the matinee at the State Theatre today is 'Romeo and Juliet' with Nureyev?"

"You're kidding!"

"Not at all."

"What time?"

"At one and three-thirty. If you're game for making a day of it, I thought I could swing by to get you at two and we could hit the Starbucks across the street for coffee and a danish first. Then, afterward, I'd take you to dinner and we can come back to my place to continue getting to know one another...unless Lena has plans for you all. I know she runs a tight ship."

"Just so happens we have shore leave today!"

"Great!" Ray said after a hearty guffaw.

I gave him directions to my apartment and told him I'd be waiting in the parking lot when he arrived. I spent the intervening time waking up and getting ready.

He never indicated how he would be dressed, but I kind of figured he'd be stylishly decked out. I dressed accordingly; not formal wear or anything, but sharply enough that I wouldn't be out of place in a nice restaurant, should that be what he had in mind.

At shortly before two, I headed downstairs to the parking lot. It turned out he was waiting for me.

When he saw me, he got out of the car and opened the front passenger door. I felt like I was living some kind of fairy tale, no pun intended.

I'd been correct in my assumption regarding attire. He was not dressed to the nines like he was at Lena's, but he was wearing a nicely tailored pair of black slacks and a pastel sport shirt that was lightly tinted maroon; no tie, so that the neck was unbuttoned and displaying a shock of that beautiful silver chest hair.

Over that, he wore a perfectly complementary, sleeveless V-neck Argyle sweater vest. On his feet were a gleaming pair of black, patent leather loafers. When we got to our destination, he donned a black calf-length overcoat that finished his outfit with stunningly handsome effect.

He had outdressed me by a little, but not enough that I felt too underdressed by comparison; only by an amount that most folks would likely find appropriate given our thirty year difference in age.

He seemed to regard my choice of apparel just as highly and I think we must have looked proud to be at each other's side to anyone who cared to notice. My only wish was that he would've held my hand as we walked together.

Our daylong outing went exactly according to his plan and, even without that one perk, was so romantic my head spun almost the entire time. I saw him taking stock of the other gay couples we encountered and wondered what was on his mind. I never asked, though, and he never volunteered whatever it was.

The next several weeks found us together on such dates every Saturday or Sunday I had free. Occasionally he would even come to my apartment to let me cook him the authentic Chinese meals I was raised on. He was the most gracious guest imaginable; always bragging on the quality and authenticity of my cooking and never once making me feel like my accommodations were any less comfortable than his.

And, he remained the perfect gentleman. Our petting sessions gradually grew to include tongue kissing and, soon thereafter, opening each other's shirt for a little skin contact while we kissed.

Unlike Coach Baker, who was covered front, back and head-to-toe with body hair, Ray's thick chest hair formed an inverted triangle that fanned out over his naturally dense pectorals to barely crest the tops of his thick, well-rounded shoulders. Running down the middle of his firm, beautiful belly, from the nexus of it and his pecs, was a silky treasure trail that fanned out again from just above his navel and grew just as coarse as his chest hair the lower it went.

Over time I took to straddling his wide hips and grinding our clad hard-ons together while either we kissed or I played with his rugged looking, dark brown nipples. Still, he never forced himself on me beyond anything I was prepared for.

Ray's mind was equally expansive as his substantial body. There seemed to be nothing I was studying in school that he couldn't hold his own discussing. Our connection to each other seemed to deepen with each date.

After winter rounded the corner into spring, I went into intensive rehearsals for Lena's spring production and found myself, with few exceptions, going cold-turkey from the regular comfort of Ray's company. I longed for him to my very soul, but had to maintain my focus just as Coach Baker had taught me.

In our many phone conversations, Ray promised me he understood and assured me he would be at the ready to resume our budding romance once the production wrapped. The night I got home from dress rehearsal my phone rang. It was Ray.

"The guys from The Keys have been asking about you," he playfully told me.

"Oh my god! I haven't been back there since that poker game, have I?"

"No, you haven't. And I've been absent from most of those since we took up, too. So, I took the liberty of buying four front row seats for Madame Butterfly on closing night and invited Jeremy, Steve and Rod to join me - try one last time to broaden their artistic horizons."

Rod was the fellow who'd chastised him about ballet at poker night. I had to laugh out loud.

"That's a mighty tough assignment for an amateur. I'll try not to disappoint them," I played along.

"I'm sure you won't!"

There was an awkward silence before he continued.

"Listen, Ken. I'll be honest. I've missed you more than I ever imagined possible lately."

"Oh, god...Ray...I've missed you too! I'm absolutely aching to be with you!"

"Then maybe you won't find this next thing I have to ask too forward."

"I can't imagine it. Go ahead."

"After this much absence, I know now...without a doubt...I'm ready to take things up a notch with you - if you feel the same about me, that is."

"You know I do, Ray! You're the most wonderful man I've ever met!"

"Then here goes...I thought we might take the guys out for coffee and a dessert after the show..."

"Sounds great!"

"Wait...there's more."

"Oh, sorry. Go on."

He nervously cleared his throat.

"Well, I would be...honored if you would...consent to...spending the night with me?"

I couldn't believe my ears.

"You mean...like...share your bed?"

There was another brief pause followed by a tentative, "That's...pretty much what I, um, had in mind, I guess."

"Oh, Ray! Yes! YES!"

"Whew! You kind scared me for a minute there," he said with a relieved chuckle.

"No...nothing to be scared of at all! You can't imagine how much I've been wanting that very thing!"

"Then it's a date!" he proudly stated, "See you Saturday week! And, break a le...ooh, don't do that...but...well, you know what I mean."

We laughed out loud.

"I do, and thank you. I can hardly wait!"

"Same here. Sleep tight, handsome."

"You, too. Goodnight, Ray."

I was on Cloud Nine and my concentration was difficult to maintain from that moment through the end of the run. I somehow managed to recover my focus once the performances started, but each night my stomach flip-flopped till the curtain finally went up and my instinct took over.

Closing night finally arrived. I packed an overnight bag and caught a ride to the theatre with a cast mate. I checked the crowd from the corner of my eye at my first entrance and there Ray was, with guests in tow. My heart filled with joy and confidence and I danced for all I was worth. We concluded the run to a standing ovation.

After curtain call, I raced back to the changing room and got into my street clothes. I then ran to the green room to wait for Ray and the others. A number of regular patrons filed through to glad-hand the cast and shower us with praise.

Again my instinct took over and I accepted the accolades that came my way with genuine gratitude, but secretly I was constantly scanning the room for Ray and company. Eventually I spied the top of his dashing silver crew cut slowly making its way through the crowd.

Ray led the way for his guests and my cock stirred in my jeans as I witnessed the sea of people obsequiously parting in deference to his commanding bulk. I graciously excused myself from whoever had my attention at that moment to meet him half way.

He greeted me with a bear hug and then I shook hands with the others. We made our escape and headed to a nearby restaurant for coffee and dessert. I confessed to Ray on the way that I felt terribly underdressed compared to them and asked if we were headed someplace that would let me in wearing casual dress.

"I thought of everything," he assured me, "Nobody expects you to be dressed for a night at the ballet after dancing one."

Once there, to Ray's delight, the other guys seemed genuinely impressed with what they'd seen and, in their laymen's terms, commented on some of the moves they'd watched me execute. Rod slapped Ray's shoulder and flashed him a big grin.

"Okay, big guy, I get it now!" he said to him, "If I'd known all these ballet guys were hung like that I'd have come with you a lot sooner! Maybe I'll get me one of them ballet dancers!"

Ray laughed and gave the remark a face-palm, "You want to field that one, Ken?"

I explained the whole 'dance belt' thing to Rod.

"Oh...you couldn't have just left me in my blissful ignorance?" he joked, "I feel like someone just explained a magic trick for me! I'll never see it again with the same sense of awe."

Everyone at the table erupted in uproarious laughter. We finished our desserts and parted company. Ray drove us back to his place. It was just after eleven. Once inside, he took my hands in his and drew me in to peck my lips with a tender kiss.

"I guess the moment of truth is here. You must be exhausted after all that work. Shall we?" he softly asked, extending a hand in the direction of his bedroom.

"We definitely shall!"

Ray kissed me again and then took me by the hand to lead me back to it. Even though I'd seen it before, I still felt like I was entering a shrine.

There were absolutely no feminine appointments. It was more than tidy, but this was most assuredly a man's bedroom. The tension in the air was thick as we set about slowly disrobing each other.

He was dressed almost identically to how I'd first seen him at Lena's. He slipped his suit coat off and hung it up, then turned to face me so I could remove his tie and unbutton his shirt. I was struck by how childlike my hands looked against the backdrop of his enormity.

Once I had his shirt undone, I reached up and peeled it back off his shoulders and he let it drop to the floor behind him. I'd seen him with his shirt open, of course, but never completely shirtless before. It was like what I imagine it must be to see something as majestic as the Colorado Rockies for the first time.

His powerful bulk totally invaded my space and I was awestruck by his masculine presentation. I slipped my hands up onto the snow-capped peaks of his barrel chest and cinched his sexy fur up in my fingers. My cock raged in my pants and, when I looked down, I saw that his trousers were tented as well.

One of my trembling hands instinctively roamed down his belly to get its first uninhibited feel of the prize. It was thick and sturdy and, as I traced my hand over its length and closed it over the knob, I discovered he filled its grasp.

"Oh, Ray! I've never felt anything so..."

Suddenly I couldn't find words to complete the thought. Ray smiled warmly at my obvious reverence.

"I've dreamed this moment so many times in your absence," he thoughtfully added.

My shoulders shivered and he gently took them in his strong hands.

"I want to make you so happy," I nervously confessed.

"My thought exactly," he replied, "But, more than that...I want to make you...mine."

I slid my hand back up over his vast convexity and assessed the natural density of his ample musculature.

"I'm pretty sure you've already done that," I confided.

"My turn," he soothingly announced.

With that, he took my waist in his hands and swiftly yanked my shirt tail free of its confines. He then started at the top button, nimbly undoing them one by one. His huge hands together nearly spanned my chest and I'd never felt so minuscule and vulnerable.

I looked up and saw the anticipation in his eyes. By all rights, I should have felt petrified by the disparity in our physical attributes, yet I felt only security in the way he eclipsed me.

He pushed my shirt off my shoulders and I let it drop, as he had done. He then slipped one hand behind my head, palming it while he ran the other bear-like paw over my torso.

"So beautiful! So smooth...such muscular definition...and the visible striations in your shoulders, they're..."

Ray fell speechless too and completed his thought with a contented sigh.

I was so overwhelmed by him that I found it difficult to imagine the scenario from his perspective. Still, I swelled with pride at his praise.

"Let's finish this," he said as he sat on his king-sized bed and started peeling out of his socks.

I followed suit. Ray finished first and rose to his feet to shuck his pants. I stared, dumbstruck, as he sucked in his belly to undo his belt. His magnificent, shelf-like chest momentarily snapped to attention.

He heard me gasp and quickly looked up. He chuckled at my slack-jawed expression.

"You're going to catch flies, young man," he teased as his trousers dropped around his ankles.

Ray was in boxers, which his raging erection and bulky scrotum strained at with all the more detail. His legs were not just big, they were shapely. His feet were close enough together that the inner heads of his calves barely touched.

"Your legs are beautiful...so strong looking," I marveled.

He noisily slapped his brutish paws to the sides of his firm, nearly hairless belly and hefted it up for my inspection.

"I'm sure they get a workout hauling this thing around," he joked.

"Hear! Hear!" I absentmindedly seconded.

He calmly remained standing and allowed my young eyes to drink him in before sitting once again to free his feet from his trousers. While he did that, I quickly rose to peel my jeans down and expose my red bikini briefs.

"Look at those muscular glutes!" Ray observed as he appreciatively eyed my nearly bared tush.

I sat again to pull my jeans down over my feet.

"Thank you. I certainly hope you have plans to make them yours, too," I confided, never fully taking my eyes off his hulking build.

Ray smiled and slipped an arm around my shoulder, briefly snugging me to his comforting warmth before rising and shucking his boxers at last. He stepped out of them and stood fully naked before my transfixed gaze; his thick, veiny cock proudly sticking straight out from his wiry, silver bush and above his impressively plump and nearly hairless sac.

With his ample pad bearing down on it, it appeared no longer than mine. But, its thickness almost defied comprehension - and I was soon to learn just how inaccurate my initial assessment of its length was.

I was in awe of the virile potency he displayed and, with his close proximity, I could smell his masculine scent. My heart unexpectedly began racing as doubt crept in that a virgin like me was up to the task of sating a man of his rare caliber.

As if reading my mind, he calmly said, "Remember, you're my first, too...my first man, at least. We're on equal footing here. Now, let me see you, please?"

Suddenly, a warm calm washed over me. He took a step back and watched me peel out of my briefs. Stepping out of them, I turned to face Ray and my cock shamelessly lurched into a fitful dance above my tightly drawn scrotum while we beheld each other.

"You're intact. I find that very sexy! You're even more beautiful than I've dreamed," he assured me as he stepped forward and embraced me.

He slipped a hand down onto my buttocks and pressed me to his powerful convexity, our bare cocks making contact for the very first time. I almost exploded in orgasm at their touch.