The Edinburgh Festival

Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens on a Friday in August. It is the hugely popular Edinburgh International Festival and the alternative Fringe Festival where the city tries to accommodate vast numbers of tourists for a month-long festival of music, drama and art.

It was a sunny day, something quite rare in Scotland and I was sitting on a park bench, close to the Scott Monument. I was people watching, trying to guess what kind of lives these people walking by had. I was eating my lunch, a delicious Marks and Spencer sandwich and drinking a bottle of carbonated blood-orange water. I was at peace with the world.

I was listening to the bagpipes being played in the distance. Some Chinese music was also being played by three musicians on the grass at the bottom of the hill. Entertainers were drawing a crowd at the end of the path, near the Mound. I watched a woman draw a henna tattoo on a man's arm. I could see the crowds gathering to listen to a comedienne. The gardens were buzzing with atmosphere and music. It was colourful and exciting and a great place to spend a warm afternoon. I shut my eyes, dreaming and taking in all the sounds.

I was startled from my pleasant thoughts by the shouting on my right. In an instant, I could see a man shouting at another man who was running straight towards me, pushing people out of his way. He had what looked like a bag in his hand. A thief. Without thinking, I leaped off the bench and slammed right into him, knocking him to the ground. He dropped the bag which I immediately picked up. He wriggled about on the ground but I was bigger and used my weight to hold him down. The owner of the bag caught up and held out his hand to thank me. In that instant, the thief pulled out a knife and lunged at me, knocking me off balance. His knife ripped right through my jacket, just missing my chest. I got angry. I twisted his arm, he yelled in pain and dropped the knife. I could see a crowd had formed around us, hoping for a closer look. The crowd separated to allow two police officers through. I released the thief and the police put him in handcuffs.

The crowd had quickly moved on after the entertainment had finished and the police had removed the prisoner, leaving me and the man who had his bag stolen giving our details to the police. The man, who introduced himself as Alec, couldn't stop thanking me. 'What a brave selfless action, you sir, are a hero,' he gushed as he shook my hand again and again.

Now that the action had died down, I just realised that my trousers were wet, my bottle of water must have spilled over my front as I leaped off the bench. Wet trousers and a cut jacket, it could have been a lot worse. I felt myself shaking a little, delayed shock probably.

I looked at Alec. He was maybe a couple of years older than me, mid-forties, handsome, similar height and build to me. He had more hair than me though, he hadn't started to lose any hair yet, unlike me who needs to shave my hair to hide the bald patches. He was smartly dressed in brown trousers, yellow shirt with a cravat and a light brown jacket. He spoke with an American accent.

Once we had finished with the police, he insisted I come back to his hotel to sort myself out. He said he would send out for new clothes and get them delivered to his room. I wasn't looking for any fuss at all. I just acted instinctively. My trousers would be dry soon enough with the sunshine. I politely declined, telling him it didn't matter. He shook my hand again, insisting that it was the least he could do. I warmed to the guy, he seemed genuinely grateful. He was also quite nice looking for someone in their forties, I had noticed that, and his cute smile.

He insisted and I thought, why not? This is one of these incidents that life randomly throws at you, whether you are prepared for it or not. What's the odds of sitting on that bench, at that particular moment in time? Fate had cast her runes and I either went with the flow or against the flow. Much easier going with the flow. I accepted his invitation. 'Come this way,' he said as he walked off.

I would never have guessed he was staying in the Balmoral Hotel. THE Balmoral Hotel. It's THE poshest hotel in Edinburgh, very expensive and very nice indeed. I stood outside the main entrance, wondering if Alec was joking. Was he really staying here? He took my arm and led me up the steps. A man in a kilt nodded as he opened the door for us. I had never been in the Balmoral Hotel before. I had passed it many times on the bus but never had the opportunity to go in. We walked through the fantastic reception area and he picked up his keycard. I looked around, I was awestruck. 'Bit of a walk,' he said as we made for the elaborate staircase. I followed him as he led the way up the stairs to his room. He unlocked it and invited me in.

This wasn't a room; it was a suite. A suite that looked west along Princes Street. My God, it's beautiful. He went to the drinks cabinet and poured me an Islay Malt. Lagavulin, sixteen years old, a fine malt whisky. I needed something to calm my nerves, I was still shaking. I gratefully took the whisky and took a generous sip. I enjoyed the heat from the whisky as I swallowed it.

Alec picked up the telephone and I could hear him giving instructions for new clothes for me. Gosh, he's got the money to stay here and order clothes from his room, as if it's a perfectly normal thing to do. George Street was just up the road a little, there was nothing to stop us walking into a shop and buying clothes properly. He replenished my glass and sat down. 'An hour, they assured me, and your clothes will be delivered here.'

Alec started telling me more about himself. He was from Boston and had a chain of fast food restaurants in many states over the pond. He was in Edinburgh for the Festival and to look up old friends in the city. He was on his own. I looked at him, wondering why he would be here, in this beautiful hotel, on his own. He didn't elaborate further.

I told him more about myself, I'm a Cost Accountant, divorced, consider myself gay and on my own. He replenished my glass again. Alec smiled when I told him I was gay. He leaned forward, 'So am I,' he told me, smiling again at me. 'God, where is this going?' I asked myself.

All of a sudden, he remembered why we were here. He insisted that I should take my wet trousers off. He also insisted that I have a bath and went off to run it. 'A hot bath and a good malt and you'll be fine,' he informed me. I stood there, wondering what to do. Here was I, in one of the top suites in the best hotel in Edinburgh being asked to remove my trousers, by someone who looks and sounds like a millionaire. This was not an ordinary day.

He returned to the lounge and said the bath was ready. Maybe he's right, my hands are still shaking. He led me through to the bathroom, which was simply huge. There was a massive antique bath in the middle of the room. God, the decoration of the bathroom was something to behold. Should I strip off and get in the bath? I could just thank him and take my leave, go home. Home to an empty house and nobody waiting for me.

He walked out as I started to undress. I had my whisky and took another drink as I slipped into the bath. Alec had added a lovely scented oil to the bath. Gosh, this was nice. I lay there, just gazing about the room. Alec walked back in with the bottle of whisky, topping up my glass for the third or fourth time. I had lost count of how many whisky's I had drunk. Yes, I was feeling good.

Alec pulled up a chair and sat beside me. He wanted to know more about me which I was perfectly happy to tell him. I told him how I had a bitter divorce which put me off women completely. It was later I slowly realized I was gay. I told him I'd had five relationships with men and was presently single. He smiled at me, a real cute smile. He told me he had also realised he was gay after his divorce, a very expensive divorce, he added. That was only a year ago and he'd had two relationships with men and, like me, was single at the moment. I had to ask him, 'why is a handsome man like you, single?'

He replied in a quiet voice and looked very serious. Because I haven't met a man who is interested in me rather than my money.'

'Ah, the curse of the wealthy. I see.'

He had a question. 'Why did I help and not any of the many other people who were there? Why did I help him when nobody else did?'

I didn't have an answer. It's just one of these things. Life often throws challenges in front of us. There is no explanation, it just happens, often when you least expect it. One minute I'm sitting with my eyes shut, relaxing and the next moment someone is trying to use a knife on me. It just sometimes happens.

He was lucky he got his bag back. He told me his phone, passport, travel tickets, ipad, camera, keys, all his cards, personal photographs, drivers license and cash and numerous other important things were in the bag. 'It's an irritating inconvenience to get new cards and passport in a different country if you lose them. And my ipad; my business is on that ipad. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you got my bag back, it is so valuable to me,' he told me as he shook my hand again.

I used my hands to wet myself with the hot water. I was relaxing just fine. Alec had developed a shake in his hands. He was the victim, of course he's suffering delayed shock too. He continued to talk to me, watching me as I enjoyed the bath. I had a suggestion I really wanted to make but if it's the wrong suggestion, things could turn out very embarrassing.

I played it safe. 'Looks like you are shaking too, Alec. Maybe you need a hot bath as well,' I calmly suggested. He took another drink, looked at me and hesitated, unsure. The American's are not slow in coming forward. He took a deep breath and suggested, 'as the bath was so large, there might be room for two perhaps?'

I felt a thrill running through me when he said that. God, that is an invitation. I didn't hesitate. He's a good-looking interesting man. I smiled and agreed that was an excellent idea. There was plenty hot water and room for two. He went off to make a phone call and then returned to the bathroom. He lit four large candles and placed them around the bathroom.

I stared at the candlelight flickering through the peaty colour of the malt in my hand. I looked up at Alec who was smiling and taking his clothes off. He was in good shape, he was a very handsome man, he really was. I watched as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a hairy toned chest and firm stomach. I shivered. He undid his belt and took his trousers off. He looked at me as he slipped down his underpants, God, he was lovely. His cock was semi hard and he was cut. I couldn't take my eyes off his cock, it was gorgeous. I've only seen a cut cock once before and I thought it was really sexy. He took his socks off and walked, naked, to the bath. I sat up, watching as he stepped into the bath and sat down opposite me. We had to be careful the water didn't overflow the bath so we lay down slowly and carefully. His legs were either side of mine. This was so intimate.

We lay there, talking casually, enjoying each others company. He thought I had a sexy Scottish accent and a strange sense of humour. I laughed at that. He told me, again, he was grateful for getting his bag back. I told him not to mention it, it was nothing really. The thief just bounced off me and dropped the bag.

The bathroom window was open and we could hear the music being played outside in Princes Street. I could hear the people and the traffic outside. I shut my eyes, listening to all the sounds around me. I could hear Alec breathing. I could hear the seagulls outside. It was the sound of Edinburgh at Festival time. This beats my tiny bathroom back home any day.

Alec and I just lay there, in a deep bath, enjoying each others company and chatting. The candlelight made the room look so romantic. The whisky had certainly relaxed me. I was naked, in a bath with a guy I'm getting on with like a house on fire and having the time of my life. All within an hour of me sitting on that bench dreaming with my eyes shut. Life brings opportunities as well as challenges.

I heard someone knocking on the door. Alec seemed to be expecting someone, I wondered if it was my clothes. He jumped out of the bath and put his robe on. A few moments later, he came back through and informed me that he had arranged for an all-over massage and the therapists were here. Gosh, what a lovely thought. We quickly got dried using the biggest, softest, fluffiest white towels I had ever seen.

We wrapped our towels around us and I followed Alec through to the bedroom where the two women were waiting. They were wearing white uniforms and they were getting their oils prepared for us. They had brought two portable massage tables with them and had them set up at the foot of the bed, close to the window where there was plenty room for them both to work. Alec slapped me on the back, chuckling and lay down on the table. I did the same.

Well these two women were experts. I have never had a massage like it. She pummeled my muscles, squeezed and pulled my limbs and worked on the knots in my back. It was heaven. I just couldn't stop moaning. They worked all over our bodies, the full experience. And the oil, it had a wonderful scent. I felt fantastic.

The door knocked again and Alec asked one of the therapists to open it. It was the delivery of my clothes. She put the packages in the lounge and came back through to finish her massage. A full hour of the therapy, it must have been exhausting for the women. We thanked them kindly, Alec passed over a tip and they left with their belongings, thanking us.

Once they left, we lay on our backs on the bed beside each other. I felt so good, I was buzzing with energy. That was a great experience. I'd never had anything like it before. I felt Alec's hand touch mine, he squeezed it. I turned to face him on the bed. I thanked him for the lovely surprise. He looked at me, I thought he was going to shake my hand again but he didn't, he gave me a kiss. A slow, tender kiss. Wow, not often I meet a man who can kiss like that.

I knew then, that we were going to have sex. Thrills ran through my body at the thought of it. Alec pulled his towel off, facing me naked. I did the same. I put my arm around him, pulling him closer as I kissed him. I could feel his cock nudging against mine. He held me, exploring my lips with his tongue. I was getting hard. I reached down and gripped both our cocks. He moaned as he felt my hand wrap around his cock. I slowly wanked both of our cocks together. God, it's been ages since I've been with a man. I held him tight, feeling his toned body against me.

I stroked his nipples and teased his balls. I moaned as he moved down the bed, taking my cock into his mouth. Oh....it felt so good. He wanked me as he sucked me. Long, slow and firm. I was so turned on that I knew it wouldn't take me long. I tried to stop him but he knew I was going to come, he wanked me quicker, my cock pushing between his lips into his mouth. God, it was one of the best blow jobs I've ever had. He wants me to cum. I relaxed, feeling my orgasm building up. He used his lips to bring me off, God, I just erupted. I heard him swallowing as I filled his mouth. Time and again, I spurted and he took the lot.

I lay there, breathing heavily. God, that was really nice. He lay with his head on my chest, running his fingers through my hair, his fingers brushing lightly against my nipples. Once I had recovered, I turned my attention to Alec. He lay on his back as my fingers and tongue got to work. Like me, he had sensitive nipples and moaned as my tongue ran over them. They were erect and I took each nipple in my mouth, teasing them with my tongue and lips. I reached his cock, God, it looked beautiful. I licked his purple tip, feeling his cock pulse in my hand. I rubbed him, very slowly, building up momentum. My head bobbed up and down on his cock. I tightened my lips as he thrust into my mouth, taking him to the back of my throat. I felt his cock stiffen, my hand cupped his balls. Suddenly, I felt his balls move in my hand, his cock stiffened and he spurted in my mouth. I moaned, pumping his cock, as he spurted again and again into my willing mouth. I swallowed it, savouring the taste.

He lay there, with his eyes closed. I put my head on his chest and he put his arm around me. I could feel his heart beating with my fingers. He kissed me, tasting the spunk on my lips, his spunk. I love being held like this, particularly after I had come. It's like a drug. My orgasm takes me to another time and place. I feel so warm and dreamy after I have come. And it felt good to be in Alec's arms. We listened to the noise coming in the window from the street outside. I didn't want to move. I was happy like this. I laughed. I would never imagine, while I ate my Marks and Spencer sandwich, that a couple of hours later I would be lying in the arms of a very attractive man, having had a wonderful massage and toe curling sex in Edinburgh's finest hotel. Alec laughed with me, it was an interesting turn of events.

We must have fallen asleep. I still had my head on his chest and his arm around me. I squeezed his hand, waking him up. He thanked me for making love to him. I was touched, how polite and charming. He got up, leaving his towel on the bed and walked through to the lounge. I followed him, naked.

He passed the packages over to me, they held the new clothes he had bought me. I took them out of the bag. There was a complete ensemble. Everything including shoes, socks and underpants. He had got them from one of the top gentleman's outfitter in George Street. I looked at them and told him I couldn't possibly accept this. There were several hundred pounds worth of clothes in my hands. He insisted I accept them. I didn't know what to say, so I thanked him warmly, wrapping my arms around him.

We both got dressed. I looked very smart, he was very good at estimating sizes. Even the shoes fitted perfectly. I looked at myself in the mirror. I did look smart and he was a good-looking guy, interesting, tender and single. In addition to his many qualities, he also had a lovely cock.

He said, reluctantly, he was meeting friends for dinner. He apologised and made me promise that I would meet him tomorrow, Saturday for afternoon tea, at three o'clock in the Palm Court restaurant at the Balmoral. 'Yes, I would definitely be there,' I accepted with a smile. I picked up my old clothes and put them in the empty bags. We hugged as we said goodbye, until tomorrow.

I was in a dream as I walked along Princes Street. I was smiling at strangers, I felt happy and I haven't felt this happy for a long time. I waited for my bus to take me home. I couldn't wait for tomorrow. I went home, looking round my small one bedroom flat. It was a million miles away from the luxury of the Balmoral Hotel. I couldn't possibly bring him back here, it's a dump in comparison to what he would be used to back home.

Next morning, I spent a lot of time making myself presentable. I had a wet shave, ironed my clothes and polished my shoes. I looked smart enough as I looked at myself in the mirror. I told myself that I was still handsome, even though I was forty-two. The years had not been unkind to me. Alec is obviously attracted to me. My first lover in months.

I left in plenty time, I didn't want to be late for our afternoon tea date. My bus arrived in good time and dropped me off in the city centre. I walked very slowly along the street, heading for the Balmoral. I was killing time as I was early. I was so excited.

At exactly three o'clock, I thanked the man opening the door for me and asked for directions to the Palm Court. Alec was sitting at a table by the window, waiting for me. I smiled and walked across to him. He stood up and shook my hand, he looked really pleased to see me. Likewise, it was good to see him. I smiled and sat down. The Palm Court was sheer luxury. A large glass dome and chandelier dominated the ornate ceilings. All around the room were palm trees, real ones and beautifully painted ones.