Erastes

Throw Away Kid

Chapters 13-16

"You're safe here, little man, and I'll do everything I can to keep you here with me. I'll also do my best to prevent anyone from harming you, ever again."

That turned out to be just what Bryce needed to hear. He felt he'd finally found someone who really wanted him, not just wanted to get something from him, and he ecstatically turned his head upward and kissed me on the lips, at the same time stroking my package through my swim trunks. When he did that, I pulled back.

"You don't have t do that any more," I told him tenderly. "You can put those things behind you now."

"But I WANT to do it this time, not because I have to or because I need more money," he insisted

"I know, but I would never take advantage of you like that," I replied.

"You wouldn't be taking advantage of me, I'd be taking advantage of you," he said, with this innocent, almost angelic expression on his face.

"That's just in your eyes," I countered. "The law doesn't see it the same way you do."

"Why not? I've had sex with enough men to know what I'm doing," he insisted, "and I want to do it with you."

"But you're not old enough to make that decision," I pointed out.

"Well, I should be then," Bryce stated. "I've been forced to do this before, but now I WANT to do it. Why shouldn't I be allowed, if it's what I want this time?"

"Well, it's because of the way the law is written," I explained, "and it's written that way to protect young boys like you from dirty old men."

"Well, it doesn't work!" he exclaimed. "All it does is stop me from doing it with someone I really love."

"Bryce, you can't be sure of that," I corrected. "You haven't known me long enough to be able to say that."

"I can too, and I am saying that," he said, defiantly.

With that he wrapped his arms around my neck, kissed me passionately on the lips and then he pulled back, so he could look me in the eyes.

"See, I really do love you," he reiterated.

"Well, it's something we'll have to discuss later," I informed him, sidestepping the issue for now, "but how about we take another dip in the pool, before I fix us something to eat."

"Sounds good to me," he agreed.

Bryce bounded off of my lap and raced toward the water and I was pleased that he seemed eager to take me up on this offer.

Now that I knew about Bryce's background, I had enough information to contact my new lawyer to see if he could find a way for me to legally take care of him. I wasn't thinking of adoption, at least not yet, but I certainly didn't want to have any problems with the law by hiding him in my home either. I really did want to help this kid, and even take care of him, but I didn't want to put everything I'd worked so hard to get in jeopardy. I felt empathy for the boy and was even attracted to him, so I didn't want to let him slip through my fingers or be abused again.

Actually I was still somewhat surprised that Bryce had opened up to me so soon, but I surmised he'd done this because he saw me as his knight in shining armor. He'd been fantasizing about this imaginary figure coming to rescue him for so long that he now saw me that way. I was also a bit amazed that I'd become so enamored with him and unable to keep him out of both my conscious and unconscious thoughts.

There's no doubt that I think he's a cute kid and he seems to have a good personality, regardless of what he's been through. He's also not ashamed of showing off his body, although I now also know the reason for that too. Even though he's had to use his body to survive, I did not see him as an immoral person. He did what he had to, when he had to, but I'm not convinced he would have done any of those things if his circumstances had been different. He wasn't a bad kid and now I wanted to see if I could give him a fresh start.

After we ate dinner, we watched television for a brief time and then he made me keep my promise of letting him have his 'moonlight' swim. There really wasn't a lot of moonlight tonight, but it was after dark when I agreed to do this with him. I told him to run upstairs and put his swimsuit on and I'd turn on the underwater lights. I thought he might get a kick out of it if we only used those, and not have the glare of the spotlights, which were attached to each corner of his house.

"Do I have to go put on my swimsuit, Uncle Kyle?" Bryce asked me, giving me that little boy, pleading look.

"Why not? What did you have in mind?" I wanted to know.

"Can't we just take our clothes off here and then go out and jump in? There's no one around to see us," he pointed out.

"Well, I suppose we could, if you really want to do it," I agreed, "but you don't have to do things like this to make me like you."

"I know. I've already learned that, but this time I just think it would be a neat thing to do," he reasoned. "I've never gone swimming without anything on before."

He gave me another wicked grin, like he knew this was his chance to do something out of the ordinary.

"If that's your choice, then you can go skinny-dipping," I agreed.

"Is that what it's called, when you swim with no clothes on," he asked.

"I think most people would use that term and know what it means," I concurred.

"And will you do it with me too?" he pressed.

"It's something that people would frown upon if they learned what I was doing, but I don't see any harm of doing it here, in the privacy of our home," I reasoned. "After all, you did see me without any clothes on earlier, so if that's what you want to do, I'll do it with you."

"Thanks, Uncle Kyle. You're the best," he gushed.

With that Bryce jumped up and down for a minute, before he ran over to me, threw his arms around my waist and asked me to bend down. I thought he was going to whisper something in my ear, but instead he gave me a kiss, right on the lips. It wasn't an erotic kiss, just the type a child would give his parent, so that made it even more special to me.

"Hey, sport. You don't have to call me Uncle Kyle when we're alone," I pointed out.

"But I want to. It makes me feel special when I do it," he answered. "It makes me feel like we're related and I really belong here."

"Ok, if it makes you feel good, then you can keep doing it if you want to," I confirmed.

"Yeah, I really do," he shot back.

Having said that, Bryce began to remove his clothing, so I followed suit, and soon we were splashing around in the pool, playfully interacting with each other. Bryce tried to dunk me a few times and even swam below the surface of the water, figuring I wouldn't be able to find him. He was playfully having fun, just like a young boy should, but when he tired of that, he challenged me to a race. We would swim the length of the pool and back, but I insisted that we start and finish in the shallow end, just in case Bryce got tired from the exertion or began cramping up. This way, he would most likely be in the shallow end when it happened and could just stand up to get out of trouble.

I made it look as if I was really trying to beat him, but I let him win the race. You'd have thought he'd just won an Olympic gold medal by his reaction, because he launched his body into the air, shouted joyfully and held his arms up in victory.

"Ha, ha. I whipped your butt, old man," he taunted me.

"You didn't whip me, but you did nose me out, little man," I conceded. "I suppose you think you're pretty hot now, don't you?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed, and he was beaming as he said this. "I'm pretty good, aren't I?"

"You are pretty good, for a pipsqueak," I teased.

"I'm not a pipsqueak!" he objected, but then he hesitated and stared at me. "What's a pipsqueak anyway?"

"A pipsqueak is a small person," I informed him.

"Hey, I'm not small!" he stated loudly, flashing me a hurt expression.

"Well, you're no giant either," I pointed out, "but I didn't mean you were tiny, just young and shorter than me."

"Ok, I'm smaller than you and I'm still young, although I'm almost a teenager you know," he remarked, so I didn't think him a child.

"I know and I can see you're not a baby any longer," I confessed. "Those hairs above your penis prove that."

I quickly realized I shouldn't have made this observation, because Bryce immediately hopped up on the side of the pool and exposed his groin to me. Proudly, he displayed the thin band of coarse, curly hairs, maybe a dozen strands in all, and looked at me playfully,

"You mean these?" he asked, pointing to that area.

I knew he was doing it for another reason too, because he was still hoping to get me aroused sexually, but I didn't take the bait,

"Yes, those," I answered, and then I turned my back to him and swam to the other end of the pool.

I heard a splash, as Bryce jumped back into the water and swam to catch up to me. When we reached the far end, he stopped me.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you by doing that," he explained and apologized at the same time.

I felt badly. I had unintentionally given him the wrong impression.

"Bryce, you didn't upset me," I explained. "It's just that I know what you want from me and I just can't do that."

"Why not?" he screeched, with a puzzled look on his face, which indicated he really didn't understand. "None of those other guys worried about it."

"But I'm not one of those guys, am I?" I countered. "I'll admit I'm attracted to you, but I'm a boy lover, not a boy abuser. I would have trouble doing something like that with a boy who wasn't old enough to understand what he's doing. I'd also need to be sure it's being done because HE wants to and NOT because he feels he owes it to me or needs to do it to pay me back. That's not the case here, is it?"

"Do you think I don't know what I'm doing or don't you think I really want to do it because I love you?" he followed.

"Bryce, I have no question that you understand the mechanics of sex and what it feels like," I confirmed, "it's just that if I did it with a boy, it would be because we loved each other, not as a payment because he was grateful for what I had done for him."

"But I do love you, Uncle Kyle. I love you a lot," he stated, adamantly. "Don't you love me?"

"Bryce, we've hardly had enough time to know each other, let alone time to know if we love each other," I explained. "I'm not sure why you think you can say that already."

"I can, because I do love you. I love you more than anyone else I've ever known, except for maybe Cam and Steve," he offered, "but I know I love you just as much as I love them."

"Bryce, don't you think it's more gratitude than love?" I asked.

"What's gratitude?" he wanted to know.

"That means you're thankful for the things I've done for you," I explained. "That's what I think you feel for me, not love."

"No, you're wrong, Uncle Kyle," he countered. "I do appreciate what you've done for me, but I know what love is and I do love you!"

"Bryce, it's too soon for you to know that," I reiterated. "You don't even know much about me. Maybe I've got a temper and beat people when I get mad at them."

"You could never do that, you're too nice," he insisted, while flashing me a big smile after saying this.

"But you don't know that for sure," I countered. "Maybe I drink a lot and get mean when I get drunk."

"You haven't had any drinks since I've been here," he noted.

"Are you sure about that?" I pressed.

"Yeah, cuz I'd have smelled it on your breath," he replied. "I've been with drunks before too. Didn't I tell you that?"

"You might have, but I don't remember exactly, but that's another thing you can't be sure of," I repeated. "And there's something else. You can't be sure that I love you either."

"Yes, I can. You wouldn't have done all these things for me or been so nice to me if you didn't love me," he reasoned.

"Maybe, but how do you know that I'm not just doing it just because I felt sorry for you?" I challenged.

"Uncle Kyle, why are you making this so tough?" he wanted to know. "I know I love you and that you love me. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"Ok, I can do that for now, but it still doesn't mean I'll have sex with you. Ok?" I asked to get him to agree.

Bryce looked disappointed. It was possible that he thought he had won the argument and convinced me to do it before I said that, especially since I'd agreed to acknowledge that we loved each other for now.

"I guess, but I'm not happy about it and I think you're wrong," he stated, defiantly. "I know more than even older kids do before they have sex with someone, so I should be able to decide that I want to have sex with you too. Since you don't want to do that, I'll drop it for now."

"Good, because I don't want to argue about this any longer," I agreed. "Come here, you little scamp and let me give my nephew a big hug."

Bryce almost leapt into my arms, so I lifted him up and squeezed him as hard as I could. He hugged me back and made it a competition to see who could hug the hardest. After a couple of minutes we stopped and both of us started laughing, and then he threw his arms around my neck, pulled my head toward his and he kissed me hard. I could feel his small tongue licking my lips and trying to push its way inside my mouth, but I kept my lips sealed tightly together and resisted his efforts. I could also feel his erection pushing into my belly. I knew he would keep trying to wear me down with this, but I felt I needed to stick to my guns. Eventually, we went back into the house and dressed, but we didn't put much on, basically just shorts, and then I asked Bryce if he knew how to use a computer.

"I've used them at school and I can do some stuff on them," he explained, "but I'm not as good at doing it as most kids my age, because I never had one of my own and we don't get a lot of time to work on them in class.'

"Well, how would you like to use mine? Then I can help you if you have a problem," I offered. "You can start using it to keep yourself occupied when I'm busy, either when I'm working at home or if I'm at the office, and you can even play some games on it."

"That would be cool. I'd like that," he agreed.

I took him to my office and questioned him about how much he already knew and then filled in a few minor gaps in his knowledge. Then, I showed him how to access the pre-package games that came with the computer, but I also saved some links to some other game sites for him, so he could find them on his own later. I also established his own login and set the parental controls to limit his access. Sure, I knew how much he'd done and seen, but he was still a kid and I thought maybe I should try to protect him as much as I could. Maybe if I kept him from those adult type things, then he might learn to enjoy just being a kid again.

When it was time to go to sleep, we went upstairs to brush our teeth and use the toilet. After we'd done that, Bryce asked me if he could sleep with me tonight, because he said he'd been alone long enough and wanted some company. I told him that would be all right for tonight, although this wasn't to become a regular thing. He flashed me a devilish smile, which gave me the impression that he thought he'd won another minor battle. When we got up to my room, he began to take off his shorts, so he could sleep nude, but I stopped him and explained we'd both leave our shorts on, otherwise he'd have to sleep in his own room. He pouted a bit, to let me know he wasn't exactly thrilled with my rule, but he pulled his shorts back up and then climbed into bed with me.

I always sleep on the same side of the bed, even when I go to a motel, and that's the right side of the bed, as you are lying on it. Before long I felt Bryce sidling against me and trying to get as close as he could. My first reaction was to tell him to move back to his own side of the bed, but when I did that, I could tell he wasn't happy. Once he had moved away, I could hear him sniffling and realized my request had really hurt his feelings, so I reached my arm out, snaked it under his head and shoulders and pulled his body against mine. He was ecstatic when I did this and threw his upper arm across my lower abdomen and I could almost see him smiling in the dark. I kissed him on the forehead and wished him sweet dreams, and that's the way we fell asleep.

During the night I awoke, since I had to use the toilet, and Bryce was still in that same position. I had to try to push him on his back and pull my arm out from under him, so I could get up to pee and while I was in my private bathroom, I heard him call out my name.

"It's ok, Bryce. I'm in the bathroom," I yelled back.

Within seconds, he was standing beside me at the toilet, unashamedly doing the same thing. I didn't say anything and let it slide this time, but after we got back into bed, he automatically got into the same position as before and we fell asleep again.

When I awoke the next morning, I was having a pleasant dream, where I was having sex with a young man, although I couldn't actually make out his face. I may have subconsciously been thinking it was Bryce, but I never could see the boy's face in the dream, but I sure was getting aroused and feeling as if I were actually having sex with the lad. It was a very graphic and realistic dream, which left little to the imagination, but as I approached my climax, literally, I awoke and realized that not all of it had been a dream. At that point, I could make out Bryce's form under the sheets, and from the sensations I was experiencing, I knew he was performing oral sex on me. Before I had time to react, I was blowing my load into his hot, young mouth, and from the feel of it, he was drinking it all down.

Once I recovered from the orgasm and the shock, I threw back the sheets, only to see Bryce lift his head and smile at me, with droplets of cum running down his chin.

"I thought I'd made myself clear," I told him, somewhat annoyed by what he had done.

"Are you mad at me?" he responded, and he looked as if he were about to cry. "I thought you'd like that."

"It has nothing to do with whether I liked it or not," I countered. "It has to do with the fact that you broke a rule I had set for us and one you had agreed to. Not only that, but you did it intentionally."

"You hate me now, don't you?" he stated, while looking as if his heart was about ready to break.

I reached down by my waist and lifted his head up, so he was looking at me. I looked him in the eyes and decided to clear up the situation.

"Bryce, I don't hate you, but I am very disappointed that you've already broken one of the few rules I've asked you to follow," I replied.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Kyle. I really am," he apologized. "Please don't hate me or make me leave."

His lower lip was sticking way out and there were even tears in his eyes now. My heart was breaking seeing him like this.

"Bryce, I told you I don't hate you and I'd never ask you to leave, not over something like this," I clarified, "but I do expect you to follow that rule from now on. If there comes a time when I think the rule should be changed, I'll tell you, but until then I expect you to obey it."

"Ok, Uncle Kyle, I will," he agreed, but he still had this extremely sad expression on his face. "Can I have a hug?"

"Sure, come here, little man," I agreed.

He scrambled up the mattress and into my arms. We hugged each other and let our love flow through that embrace. Maybe Bryce was right. Maybe we did love each other already, but I wanted to make certain that this was actually the case. We stayed in that embrace for a couple of minutes, because I wanted him to make the first move to separate. I waited for this to happen, but when I felt it had gone on long enough and should end, I made a comment to prompt him into action.

"What do you say, sport?" I began. "Do you think we should go down and get some breakfast?"

He pushed away from me now.

"Ok, that sounds like a good idea," he agreed. "I am hungry."

We got out of bed and I readjusted my shorts the way they should have been in the first place, and we walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Are you going to work today, Uncle Kyle?" Bryce asked.

"I was planning to," I replied. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, I guess not. I'm used to being alone," he answered.

"I know and I feel badly that I have to leave you like this," I explained, "but what if I promise to come home as soon as I can later?"

"You don't have to do that. I'll be ok," he confirmed.

"I know, but I want to spend time with you too," I offered. "Then, we'll have the whole weekend together. How does that sound?"

"Great!" he exclaimed, and he was beaming once again.

As we ate, I wrote down my office and cell phone numbers for him, in case he needed anything, and then I went to get ready for work. Bryce, however, didn't leave my side. He followed me to my bedroom and then into my bathroom, where he watched me shave, brush my teeth and shower. Then, he followed me back into my room and watched me get dressed. I began to worry what he'd be like after I left.

"Are you sure you'll be ok, sport?" I asked, to make sure.

He didn't respond right away, but eventually he did.

"Yeah, I told you I'd be fine," he reiterated.

"Are you sure?" I repeated. "I could try to change my schedule, so I can stay home."

"No, that's fine, as long as you try to come home early," he suggested. "I'll be ok until then, but I'll miss you."

"Well, I'll miss you too and I'll call you once in a while, just to see how you're doing," I offered.

This brought a huge smile onto his face, which literally radiated his show of approval to my proposal.

"Thanks, I'd like that," he finally confirmed.

When I got to work, I asked my secretary what was on my schedule and she told me she'd kept it light, just in case my nephew needed more time. I thanked her for doing that and then we went over what was planned. I saw it wasn't too bad, so not only would I have time to go home and join Bryce for lunch, but I'd also be able to quit around 3:00 and be with for him the rest of the day. I thanked her again, and she asked me how my nephew was doing, so I told her he might be staying for a while. She didn't pursue this further, sensing that I'd tell her if I wanted her to know more, and I appreciated that too and told her so.

I called Bryce about an hour later, to see how he was doing, but I didn't tell him I'd be home for lunch. I wanted that to be a surprise. He was happy I called and told me all kinds of things, including stuff he'd done on the computer. He used one of the search engines I told him about to look up things he was interested in and he thanked me for having taught him about that. When we said goodbye and I told him I'd talk to him again later, but even I wasn't sure if it would be another phone call or when I went home to eat. It turned out to be another phone call, about an hour later, and he answered the phone on the first ring.

"Were you waiting by the phone or something?" I joked with him.

"Not quite," he answered. "I've just have been carrying the portable phone with me, so I could answer it quickly when you called."

"Oh, I see. I'm glad I kept that around then," I agreed.

We both had a little chuckle over that and before we hung up this time, Bryce had a special message for me.

"I love you, Uncle Kyle. I really, really do," he offered.

I was moved by this and could hear the love in his voice. I also felt I should respond, so as not to hurt his feelings.

"I love you more," I stated, feeling I had to outdo him.

"I love you mostest," he responded, after a short pause.

I heard him giggled hysterically after he'd said that, thinking I couldn't do better. I didn't even try, since I wanted him to feel that he'd won another small battle, so I teased him instead.

"You're a rascal, aren't you? You got me again," I teased.

"Yep, I did," he said, laughing some more.

"Ok, I'll talk to you later," I told him. "Behave."

"I will," he confirmed.

I didn't call him again during the morning, but I drove home for lunch. When he saw me, he came bolting out of the house and into my arms.

"Are you home for the rest of the day?" he wanted to know.

"No, little man, I just came home for lunch," I explained. "I thought you might like some company."

"You bet," he agreed.

I fixed us both some lunch and we talked while we ate, but then I had to return to the office. I told him I had a meeting I needed to attend and then I explained that I'd come home as soon as I could. He smiled at me, knowing I was doing this just for him.

The meeting was with my realtor and I told him to start negotiating for the building I found Bryce in. Not only would it meet the needs of my business, but it would always give me something to remember the first time we met. I told my realtor what I wanted the first offer to be and then I told him the absolute highest I'd go. I suggested he make incremental adjustments to the initial offer, if it wasn't accepted, and he said he understood and went to handle that matter for me.

After that meeting, I checked back with my secretary, to see if anything else had popped up and she only had a few questions for me about various situations that had arisen. After we took care of those issues, she had me sign a few papers and then told me she'd see me Monday morning. I thanked her for all of her help and emphasized how invaluable she had become to me. Then, I announced that I had decided to give her even more responsibilities, along with a raise to compensate for the increase in her workload. She thanked me for that, but I insisted she had earned it, and then I left to go home to see Bryce again.

Bryce was excited to see me and ran out to greet me nearly as soon as I drove up. He was even more excited when I told him the additional news.

"Well, the rest of the day is ours, little man," I informed him. "Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"How about another swim?" he asked.

"Well, we could do that to start, but isn't there anything else you'd like to do, like maybe go out to eat, see a movie or go shopping?" I pressed.

"You've already bought too much for me, Uncle Kyle," he objected. "You don't need to spend any more money and a swim will be fun."

"Ok, let's go swimming again then," I agreed, "but you think about what you want to do after that. Ok?"

"Ok, Uncle Kyle, but can we swim without our swimsuits again?"

"I don't see why not, as long as you promise to behave," I agreed.

"I do," he confirmed.

Having said that, he quickly took off toward the pool and I did too, but I followed him at a more leisurely pace. He was already removing his clothing and placing them on one of the lounge chairs, so I went over and did the same thing. Bryce stood there trying to urge me to go faster, once he had finished disrobing.

"Go ahead and get in," I told him. "I'll join you in a minute or two."

"But I want us to both run and jump in at the same time," he stated.

"Sure, sport, we can do that. Whatever you want," I agreed.

As soon as I finished undressing, we held hands, ran across the short expanse to the pool and then jumped into the air, landing feet first in the water. When we came back above the surface, Bryce was laughing again and gave me one of those priceless smiles of his.

"That was fun, wasn't it, Uncle Kyle?" He wanted my confirmation.

"Sure was, little man. I'm glad you thought of that," I agreed.

As soon as I finished saying this, Bryce disappeared below the surface of the water and swam past me. I didn't pay much attention to what he was doing, until I felt him trying to swim between my legs. When he did that, he made sure he reached up to cop a feel. When he resurfaced, I had something to say about that.

"I thought you promised to behave?" I challenged.

"I am!" he screeched back.

He actually looked confused and then I saw the light bulb of understanding turn on in his head.

"I was only fooling around and didn't mean anything by it," he added.

"All right. I guess I can let it slide this time, but no more sexual touching," I insisted.

"Man, can't I have ANY fun?" he scoffed.

"Yes, but just not fun of that nature," I replied.

"But I wasn't trying to get you hard or anything, just teasing you by grabbing you there. Was that so bad?" he asked, sincerely confused.

"I guess not, as long as you weren't trying to start something, by doing it, but let's keep our hands off those areas. Deal?" I offered.

"Ok," he said, hesitantly. "Deal."

We spent about an hour in the pool, racing and horsing around, and then we got out and dried off. After we'd done that, I suggested he put on some nice clothes and then I'd take him out to dinner. Even though he argued about me not having to do that, I wasn't about to give in to him this time and insisted that I didn't feel like cooking. Eventually, he relented and I took him out to one of my favorite places to eat.

The staff there knows me well, since I often bring business associates to this establishment to wine and dine them, either as a reward for a fine job or sometimes to make a deal with a supplier or prospective client. I'm always treated well, the food is great and they go out of their way to accommodate me, even on short notice. I think that might have something to do with the amount of money I spend there and the size of the tips I leave. Whatever the reason, we were promptly seated.

"Your business associates are getting younger these days, Mr. Loomis," the manager teased, when he came over to say hello.

"Yes, these wiz-kids are beginning to make me feel old," I joked back.

"So, young man," the manager began, "Do you work for Mr. Loomis or are you one of his suppliers or customers?"

"I'm his nephew," Bryce responded, puffing his chest out with pride.

"Oh, a relative and potential heir to the fortune?" the manager asked, eyeing me.

"Well, you never know," I told him. "He IS my favorite nephew."

This made Bryce's grin get even bigger and I thought the buttons were going to pop right off his shirt.

The manager smiled at him and commented. "You're a very lucky young man, so I hope you're nice to your uncle."

"Oh, I am," he said, smiling up at me.

"Very well, gentlemen," he stated. "Enjoy your meal and I will check back with you later."

We had been seated at a very lovely table for two, off to one side, but still one of their better tables. We took a second to look at the menus, to see what he wanted, but Bryce looked up at me almost immediately, his mouth agape.

"Uncle Kyle," he began, "these prices are way too much."

"Don't worry about the prices, little man. Just order what you'd like," I urged him.

He looked up at me again, this time a little sheepishly.

"But I don't know what some of these things are," he confessed.

"Ok, maybe I can help you with that," I offered. "Do you like steak?"

"I guess, but I've only had it a couple times," he admitted.

"Well, let me order one for you then. I think you'll enjoy it," I stated. "How do you like yours cooked?"

"Aren't they all cooked the same?" he asked, naively.

"Well, not quite," I told him. "Have you ever had your meat cooked so it was still slightly pink inside?"

"Isn't that bad for you?" he wondered.

"No, not if it's done properly," I explained. "Would you be willing to try it that way?"

"I don't know," he stated, skeptically. "Is that how you eat your meat?"

"I do and I'll tell you what," I suggested. "We'll order yours that way too and if you don't like it that way, then we'll send it back to have it cooked some more. Will that meet with your approval?"

"Will they do that?" he wanted to know.

"Of course they will. We're paying them for the service," I explained.

"Ok, I'll try it that way then," he agreed.

"Great! Do you want a baked potato or steak fries to go with it?" I asked next.

"What are steak fries?" he asked next.

"They're French fries, but wider and slightly thicker," I told him.

"I'll have those," he replied.

"And would you like soup or a salad to go with that?" I asked next.

"You don't have to order that too," he stated, thinking it cost extra.

"It comes with the meal," I informed him.

"Are you sure?" I nodded in response. "I'll have the soup then. I'm not very big on salad."

"Ok, soup it is," I agreed. "The waiter can tell you what the choices are for tonight and then you can select the one you want."

Since all of that had been decided, I ordered Filet Mignons for both of us, although I had the baked potato and salad to go with it. Bryce wanted a soda to drink, but I talked him into having a glass of milk instead, telling him he could have the soda afterward, and I had coffee. While we ate, we talked about the meal, and he seemed to enjoy his steak prepared medium-rare, and we talked about the restaurant in general, as well as a bunch of other similar topics.

When the meal was over, I asked Bryce if he wanted dessert, but he said he was full. I did order him the soda I'd promised and I had an after dinner drink. When we finished those, I paid the bill, left the tip and then we departed. I drove from the restaurant over to the local movie complex next, and when we were inside, I asked him to select the movie he'd like to see.

"Uncle Kyle, you've already spent way too much money on me," he insisted. "We don't have to do anything else."

He was being sincere and seemed truly worried about my finances.

"Bryce, I have more than enough money," I tried to reassure him, "so don't worry about the cost. Just pick a movie, one that you want to see, and that's what we'll go to."

"Are you sure?" he asked, to double-check.

"I'm sure," I reiterated.

He made his choice quickly and told me he'd seen it advertised on television and thought it looked neat, so we went in, took our seats and spent the next couple of hours wrapped up in the story. While we watched this horror film, Bryce made sure his knee was touching my leg and then eventually he reached over and held my hand. He hung onto it until the movie ended, but I wasn't sure if he did it because he wanted to be close to me or if he was scared. Either way, I thought it would be best not to ask.

On the way home, Bryce made a comment about our evening together.

"Thanks, Uncle Kyle. That was a lot of fun and really special," he announced. "I had a great time."

"So did I, sport. So did I," I agreed.

Chapter 14
Just Being a Boy

I gave Bryce a quick run down on how to operate one of the vehicles and the guy on duty even let me take him around the track once with me, to let him get the feel of it. The man just happened to have an old cart he used to get around in that had more room and no sides, so we could both fit in it together. By using this cart, I showed Bryce how the pedals worked and I let him steer a bit while I operated them, and then I let him do the last half lap on his own. When we got back to the starting area, I asked him if he thought he could do it alone and he said he could, so I let him go first and I followed him around the track. I did this so I could block off anyone who might try to pass us and cause Bryce to panic.

He did quite well for his first time and thankfully he wasn't too heavy on the gas pedal. As the day wore on, he got better and better, until I felt that he could deal with the other people who might give him problems. Not that they'd harass him on purpose or anything like that, but with more people on the track it would be tougher to move through the traffic, but he handled himself admirably. It was nearly 2:00 p.m. when I finally talked him into leaving, because we hadn't eaten since breakfast. I also wanted to get his take on how he'd enjoyed this.

"Man, that was really awesome, Uncle Kyle. I've never done anything like that before," he gushed. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, little man. I had fun too," I confessed. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat before we try something else?"

"That's a good idea, but I'm only a little hungry," he told me.

"Well, how about something like a small sub then?" I offered.

"As long as it's a small one," he agreed.

"Ok, that's what we'll do then," I confirmed.

We went to Subway and ordered our subs, with Bryce getting a half of a ham sub, while I ordered a whole Italian sub. They were great, we both got full and we washed them down with some lemonade. After we finished, I turned to Bryce and asked him what he wanted to do next.

"Well, sport, we can either go roller-skating or bowling next, your choice," I offered.

He looked pensive, as he made this difficult decision, and then he announced that he wanted to go roller-skating.

"Good choice," I told him, "now let's hop back into the car and head over there."

We went directly to the roller rink and rented skates, and then we went out on the floor to see how we would do. I hadn't roller-skated in ages, so I was very rusty, but this was something else Bryce had never done. When I saw him struggling to maintain his balance, all I could think of was the first time I saw the Disney movie 'Bambi,' when Bambi was learning to walk and when he was on the ice. That's very similar to how Bryce appeared, since he fell several times with his legs going places he wasn't expecting. I tried not to laugh, since he was doing his best to get the hang of it, but I couldn't help it and burst out, hysterically.

"Uncle Kyle, it's not funny," he said, pouting.

"I'm sorry, sport, but it is," I corrected him.

Just as I said that, I took a similar tumble and Bryce burst out laughing at me.

"I guess you're right, Uncle Kyle. That is VERY funny," he commented, as he started to giggle again.

I scrambled to my feet and made it look as if I was going to chase him, so Bryce attempted to take off, but he looked more like a man on a treadmill. His legs were going like crazy, but hardly moved anywhere, so I scooped him up in my arms and carried him around the rink. He was laughing uncontrollably now, like this was the neatest thing he'd ever experienced, until I finally put him on the floor in front of me. At this point I began to push him along, sort of steering him as we went. I had placed my hands on his upper back, with my palms just above his shoulder blades and my fingers curled over his shoulders, as I guided him around the rink and supplied all of the momentum. He was laughing so hard that he was almost crying now and I felt that if I kept going he might even wet his pants. I slowed us both down, while guiding him toward a bench, and we sat down to catch our breath.

"Why did we stop, Uncle Kyle?" he wanted to know.

"Well, I was afraid you might pee yourself, you were laughing so hard," I explained.

He looked at me as if I'd just insulted him.

"I'm not a baby. I don't do that any more," he scoffed.

"I didn't mean it like that!" I informed him. "It's just that sometimes when a person laughs too hard, he just loses control of his bladder. It has nothing to do with age."

"I've never seen that happen," he stated, in disbelief. He looked very serious now.

"Well, I might have to give you a lesson about that later then." I teased.

"What do you mean?" he followed.

"Don't worry, you'll see," I replied, leaving him to wonder.

I don't think he quite got the total implication of this yet, but I knew I would give him a first-hand experience later. Oh, aren't I a devil?

We skated some more after that and Bryce did show improvement, but he was far from being proficient at this point. We did have a great time though and I was thrilled to see Bryce enjoying himself and just being a fun-loving kid. When it was time to leave, he put up a mild protest, but he knew there would be more opportunities and other things to do at other times, so he finally stopped his balking. As we walked back to the car, I asked him what he wanted to do after dinner, and he said he thought we should just rent a video, because he was getting a little tired. I agreed and we stopped at the local video store and picked out a couple of different movies. It was his choice, of course, and then we went home and rested for a while before we did anything else.

Bryce wanted to sit on my lap and just snuggle, as we watched something on the Disney channel, and I didn't think that would be a problem. He sat on my lap, with his head on my chest, and I tipped the recliner back, so we could chill out. A short time later, I asked him a question about the show we were watching and he didn't answer, so I moved slightly, so I could see his face, and he was out like a light. He looked so cute like that, even though he was drooling on my shirt, and I just wrapped my arms around him and let him sleep.

When he finally awoke, he apologized for getting my shirt wet and was embarrassed by how it happened. I told him not to worry about it and explained that many people do the same thing when they're sleeping and it's not something you can control. He seemed to accept that, although he still seemed mortified that he had done it, but he did stop saying he was sorry.

Before we watched one of the videos, Bryce suggested we go for another swim first to wake him up, and of course he wanted to do it naked again. After the last episode in the pool, I wasn't sure I should agree to it and told him maybe it would be best if we wore our trunks this time.

"Aw, Uncle Kyle. I won't touch your dick any more, if that's what you're thinking," he whined. "I promise. Really, I do. Please?"

I looked at him and he seemed to be sincere, but I could also tell it was important for him to know that I still trusted him.

"Ok, you little con-man. Let's go for a swim," I agreed.

This time, Bryce wasn't in a hurry for us to get to the pool, so we took a leisurely stroll on our way there. Bryce had his arm wrapped around my waist and stayed as tight to me as he could get, which told me this was more than just a late night swim for him.

"Thanks, Uncle Kyle. I think this has been the best day of my whoooole life," he said, dramatically.

He'd emphasized the word 'whole,' although I knew that when he talked about his entire life it wasn't, in reality, a very long time. For Bryce, however, it was an eternity. I was just grateful that he'd had so much fun.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, sport, but it won't be the last of the good times," I suggested. "I promise."

"I know, Uncle Kyle, and that's why I love you," he replied. "No matter what you think, I really DO love you."

"I know, pipsqueak, because I think I love you too," I confessed.

Bryce stopped in his tracks and looked up at me.

"You do? You really do?" he asked, in disbelief.

"Yes, Bryce, I don't think I can deny it any longer," I admitted. "I really do love you."

His grin spread from ear-to-ear, as he thought about the implications of what I'd just said.

"Does that mean we can do things now?" he immediately followed.

He looked eager, as well as hopeful, which made me realize I had unintentionally opened a can of worms again.

"Not if you mean sexual things," I offered, correcting his misconception.

His expression seemed to droop, as I robbed him of that illusion.

"Why not?" he demanded.

His eyes were pleading with me to change my mind.

"Because I love you like an uncle or a father, not a lover," I explained.

"Why not? I love you as a nephew and a son," he agreed, "but I want to be your lover too."

"I know you do, and I think I feel the same way at times," I confessed, "but I still think that you'd just be using sex as a way to thank me. It should be more than just that."

"Sure, I do want to give you something special too, for all you've given and done for me," he concurred, "but I also want to do it because I really do love you. No matter what you think, I love you more and more every day and that's why I want to do things with you."

"Well, I appreciate that, but I still think we should wait," I responded.

"Do we have to?" he whined.

"Yes, we do," I confirmed. "Can you accept that?"

"If I have to," he agreed, but it was obvious that he was dejected again.

We undressed in total silence and then got in the pool, but it wasn't the same as before. We didn't jump in the pool or begin splashing around. There wasn't any horseplay this time and we merely swam laps. He didn't even want to race. I could tell that Bryce was sulking over my rejection of his offer, but I knew I had to let him do this and not give in. The problem was, it was getting harder to do with every passing day.

After we swam for a while, we dried off and carried our clothes inside. We just put on shorts and a t-shirt for the rest of the night, and now that we were dressed comfortably, we went to watch one of the videos. Bryce sat with me again, but he was more than a little depressed, and halfway through the movie, he got off my lap and went over to lie down on the couch. Now, I was positive it was because he was upset with my not wanting to have sex with him. I knew it was best not to say anything to him, because it would only aggravate the situation further, so I let him brood on his own. When the movie ended, we went to bed. He went to his room and got into bed, without saying a word to me. This hurt me deeply, but if I gave in at this point then he'd be in charge - not me. Therefore, I ignored him giving me the cold shoulder and went to bed. About an hour later, I heard him knock on my bedroom door.

"Uncle Kyle, are you awake?" he asked, timidly.

"Yes, little man, I am," I answered.

"Can I come in and talk to you again?" he pleaded.

"Sure, come on in," I agreed.

He walked over to the bed and crawled on top of the covers, not under them, and after I turned on my lamp, he was staring at my face.

"Are you sure you still love me?" he wanted to know.

"Of course. I haven't changed my mind about that," I confessed.

"Then how come it didn't bother you when I didn't sit with you during the video or when I went to sleep in my own bed?" he wondered.

I looked at his face and saw the forlorn expression etched upon it.

"Bryce, when you love someone, you have to give them room to make their own decisions and be themselves," I explained. "Love does not mean smothering someone or always doing what they want."

"If you have to give them room to make their own decisions," he began, paraphrasing me, "then why can't I make my own decision about having sex with you?"

I guess he was trying to trap me with my own words again.

"It's because I want to be sure it's for the right reason," I offered. "If we do decide to do anything, I don't want it to happen just because you want to show your gratitude."

"Then you think we might do it sometime?" he followed.

"I'm not saying we won't ever do anything, just not yet," I suggested.

He seemed to perk up a little, after hearing this pronouncement.

"Really. We still might have sex?" he repeated.

"Bryce, why is having sex so important to you?" I wanted to know "Can't you love me without demanding that we have sex?"

"Yes, I can, but it would be even better if we did that," he reasoned.

He was studying my face now, trying to read my reaction, and I knew there was something more he wanted to say. Eventually he did.

"Even though I didn't like doing it with most of those other guys, I admit that it still made me feel good," he confessed. "I know it would feel even better with you and that's cuz we both love each other."

"Well, maybe it would, but just let it happen on its own, if it does," I urged. "Don't try to force it."

"I'll try, but I don't know if I can do that," he replied.

"Well, as long as you try," I offered.

"Can I still sleep with you?" he pleaded, flashing his eyelashes at me.

"Yes, you can, and yes, you may," I agreed.

"Huh?" he responded.

"The question should have been, 'May I?' May I is asking permission. Can I means are you physically able to do it," I explained, giving him a quick grammar lesson. "We both know you are physically able to sleep in the same bed with me, but to ask permission, you should have asked 'May I'."

"Ok. I'll do that next time," he relented.

After that was settled, he pulled back the bedding and crawled in. He then scooted over until his body was pressed tightly against mine again. Soon, I felt his arm sliding across my belly, as he took up his favorite sleeping position. I kissed the top of his head, bid him goodnight and then we both drifted off to sleep.

Before I dozed off, I watched my little friend and considered how much he wanted to be loved, but didn't seem to be able to separate love and sex. Maybe that's because it was the only way he had ever felt loved in the past, but now I had to show him that love was more than just sex. It was two people caring about each other, willing to put the other person first and wanting to be with them whenever possible. I knew he'd learn to enjoy that as much as the sex, even though he was testing my willpower and pushing me to the limit. He's just so damn sweet and loveable though, so I nearly gave in to his demands on each of those previous occasions. I had to force myself to remember that I was the adult and that I had to stand my ground.

Sunday morning, I suggested that we go to church, even though I hadn't been to one in years. I have problems with organized religion and the hypocrisy of the church. Even more, I have trouble with the faux Christians who pretended to be so holy, but they're willing to ignore the scriptures when it's convenient for them. Isn't it funny how so many religious leaders have been caught in scandals recently, including sexual, financial and other criminal activities, yet they are willing to condemn others for doing similar things. I asked Bryce what church he belonged to, but he told me he didn't remember ever going to a church, so I picked one I was most comfortable with and we went. I felt that if he were going to be my responsibility, helping him find a moral compass would be a good thing and something I should do for him. Maybe that would help him protect himself and guide his choices in the future.

We sat through the service and participated in as many aspects of it as we could, although many of the hymns were unfamiliar to even me. It seems the hymnal has changed since I last attended services, so I was unable to join in. Bryce looked confused too, although he remained attentive, so after the service he peppered me with questions. It was obvious that not only hadn't he ever been in a church, but no one had even discussed anything about religion with him. I answered all of his questions and made sure he felt comfortable asking me whatever he wanted. Not only that, but I also let him ask me as many questions as he wished. This question and answer session even continued after we got home and I was impressed by his curiosity. You could tell he absorbed almost everything he had seen and heard, because he asked so many detailed questions about it. Once we were through, I told him to go change his clothes before we ate and then I took him bowling afterward.

This was something else Bryce had never done before, so I rented him a pair of bowling shoes, showed him how to select a ball to fit his hand and then I taught him some of the basics of the game. I explained, and demonstrated, how to time his footwork to his arm swing, how to use the lane arrows to improve his accuracy and how the ball and pins interact with each other when they made contact. His first few attempts weren't very good, although he did manage to knock down a few pins, but then it just seemed to all come together for him and he started to do better.

By the time we finished three games, he'd even had a couple of strikes. Once again, he was thrilled about learning and experiencing something new, and he thanked me over and over again when we finished. After we had turned in our shoes, we went back home and this time Bryce wanted to shoot some hoops in the driveway. The basket had been there the entire time, so I just thought Bryce wasn't interested in basketball. Therefore, I was quite surprised when he suggested this. We shot hoops for an hour or so and played horse, twenty-one and even played a little one-on-one. Bryce was decent, but by no means a standout, but he did put a great deal of effort into everything he did. I felt that with a little coaching, he might even become an above-average player, but not quite a great one.

Once we were done, I suggested that we shower. Bryce agreed and went to his room, so I hopped in my shower and started washing up. I didn't hear the door open or see Bryce come in to join me. I only discovered him when I bumped into his body in my over-sized shower stall. When that happened, I didn't know what to do or say.

"It's ok if I shower with you, isn't it, Uncle Kyle?" he asked, sweetly.

"I suppose so, but you should have asked BEFORE you got in here," I advised him.

"Why? You still would have let me, wouldn't you?" he wondered.

"Probably, but then I would have had a choice in the matter," I stated.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it would be alright," he apologized.

"Ok, but let's not worry about it now and just get cleaned up," I urged.

We both lathered up and then Bryce looked up at me.

"Uncle Kyle, will you wash my back?" he wanted to know.

I didn't want to turn him down, but to be honest, I wasn't sure if I could wash his back without getting an erection. I decided to do it for him, since he couldn't see if that happened with me behind him, but if it did, then I'd turn away from him before he noticed. I soaped up my hands, and then I ran them over his smooth flesh and delicate curves, as I cleaned his back as well as I could. Just as I suspected, my desires soon gave me away. I was ready to tell him to rinse off and then I'd turn away from him, when Bryce made another request.

"Can you do my butt too?" he followed.

"No, Bryce. I think you can't reach that yourself," I told him.

"Please, Uncle Kyle. I want you to do that for me," he pleaded.

As he said this, he backed up slightly and my stiff dick brushed against his ass cheeks.

"What's that?" he asked, as he spun around.

He smiled when he saw my woody and I blushed from embarrassment.

"So you do like me like that," he stated, sort of tongue in cheek.

"Yes, I guess maybe I do," I confessed, "but that doesn't change anything. In fact, maybe it means we shouldn't shower together and I shouldn't wash you any more."

"No, Uncle Kyle, don't do that!" he whined.

Bryce was nearly frantic, as he blurted that out.

"Well, that is what caused this to happen," I explained.

"But it isn't bad, is it?" he asked next. "I knew you liked me like that, but I just needed to get you to see it too."

"I knew it all along, Bryce," I admitted, "but that never figured into my decisions."

"Why not?" he demanded. "If you like me like that and I want to do it, then why can't we?"

"For the same reasons I told you before," I offered. "I'm just not convinced you are capable of making that decision yet, especially not for the right reasons."

"But…" he began, but I cut him off.

"But let's just drop it, ok?" I suggested.

We finally agreed to do that and then we went to watch the other video we had rented. Once again, Bryce came over and asked to sit on my lap, and hesitantly I allowed him to do so. I was trying to keep sex and affection separate, although there were some very fine, and sometime indistinguishable lines between the two. I felt this would not be crossing that boundary, unless Bryce tried something else.

He stayed with me throughout the entire movie and never did anything overt, although he did place his butt squarely over my crotch. He may not have meant anything by doing it, and he might not even have realized it, but he did squirm on it once in a while. At the time, I wrote it off to his basic hyperactivity and tried not to make a big deal out of everything he did, but it did cause me to have another erection. I wasn't sure if I saw him grin when this happened, but I was convinced he must have noticed it.

We were now getting near the end of the weekend and I'd have to go to work tomorrow, so I thought I should discuss that situation with him.

"Do you realize I'll have to go back to work tomorrow," I informed him. "I'll also have to work all week?"

"Yeah, I know, but I sure had fun this weekend," he answered, as he looked at my face and studied my expression. "I'll be ok, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's part of it, and I enjoyed this weekend too, but you'll be alone for long periods of time," I explained. "Do you also realize you won't be able to go out during the day, because the other kids will be in school?"

"I know and I'll be fine alone," he assured me. "I've done it before."

"I know you have, but I needed to make sure," I offered.

"When are you going to talk to that lawyer guy?" he asked next.

"I was planning to call him tomorrow," I answered. "I feel I know enough about you now to get the best advice from him, but I don't want you to get your hopes up yet, just in case he can't find a way to help us."

"I know, but I really hope he can," he stated, blissfully.

"Me too," I concurred. "Do you still have both of those phone numbers I gave you Friday?"

"Yep, I keep them in a safe place," he confirmed.

"Great, and don't hesitate to call me if you need something," I urged.

"I won't," he agreed.

We talked a little longer and then we went to bed. Bryce asked if he could sleep with me again and I told him we needed to discuss it further.

"Bryce, it's not that I don't enjoy having you in with me," I began, "but I don't think it is something we should continue to do."

"I'll behave and I won't suck your cock again," he promised.

He had that same pleading expression on his face when he said this.

"It's not just that, but it's just not an appropriate thing for us to do," I reasoned.

"Uncle Kyle, I didn't argue about the sex, well not that much, but I can't let you make me give this up too," he added, looking hopeful. "I want to be with you, even if there is no sex, so don't take this away from me. It's all I have left."

He looked so sad and so hurt now, so I had to think this over quickly.

"Ok, as long as you remember the no sex part," I relented.

His face lit up when he heard my reply, because he knew he had managed another small victory.

"Ok, Uncle Kyle, as long as we can still be together," he agreed.

I stayed awake until after he fell asleep, but I was almost afraid to let myself give into my tiredness. For some reason, my mind still kept going back to that hummer he'd given me before. I knew he promised not to do that again, but I still wasn't so sure he could keep this promise any better than his last. I finally had to admit to myself that I couldn't stay awake forever, so I finally let myself drift off to sleep. It was not a restful sleep, because many of the things I was worried about plagued my dreams. I was hoping that I might discover a solution to my problems during those dreams, but it didn't happen. When my alarm went off in the morning, I wasn't really in any shape to go in to the office and do my job.

Although Bryce stirred a bit when the alarm went off, he didn't wake up, so I went in and performed my morning ritual, before I dressed for work. After I grabbed a quick bite to eat, I left Bryce a short note and then drove to the office. My secretary greeted me, but said I looked awful, so I thanked her for the compliment. That caused her to ask if something was wrong and I merely told her that I had a restless night, because I was trying to determine how to best handle a situation with my nephew. She was very sympathetic and offered to take over whatever tasks she could, as her way of helping to relieve me of some of my burdens. I thanked her again for her consideration and told her that she was more than earning her new raise. She smiled, before informing me that it wasn't the reason why she was doing it, so I assured her I already knew that and it's what made her offer so special.

I immediately placed a call to the lawyer, to see what he could do to help me with the situation concerning Bryce, but he wasn't in. I left him a message and asked him to call me at the office, as soon as he possibly could. I told my secretary I was waiting for that call and she was to put it through immediately, no matter what else I was doing, and she nodded her understanding. Within the hour, the lawyer called back. I took it in my office and closed the door for privacy. After I explained a little of Bryce's background to him, I told him I merely 'found' the boy in a building I was planning to purchase and had no other ties to him. The lawyer said he'd investigate Bryce's situation further and advised me that he'd get back to me, just as soon as he learned anything relevant, so I thanked him. I was not exactly sure what he planned to do, but he reassured me that he'd use his contacts to gather this information discreetly.

After I hung up from talking to him, I called the house to tell Bryce that I had spoken with the lawyer. I must have awakened him, because he still sounded drowsy, so I told him I'd call him back later, when he was more coherent. He mumbled something unintelligible and then hung up, so I doubted he would even remember this conversation later. I took it to mean that he didn't rest all that well last night either or he would have been more rested and up and moving about.

I couldn't go home to have lunch with Bryce at noon, because I had to meet with my realtor to see what progress he had made since we last talked. I was told our first offer was rejected, as we'd both expected it would be, and then the realtor asked the owner to make a counter-offer. Seeing that was still high, my representative then made his own counter-offer, and the owner wasn't as quick to reject this one. Then, the owner made one final offer, closer to our last one. My agent told the owner he wasn't authorized to accept it on his own, but he'd present it to me, as soon as we could arrange to meet. I told him to accept it and finalize the deal, so now I had something else to tell Bryce the next time I spoke with him.

I didn't get a chance to call him for a couple more hours, but when I did, he seemed glad to hear from me.

"Hey, Uncle Kyle. I thought you'd call sooner," he announced.

"I did, but it seems you don't remember that one," I informed him.

"You called before?" he asked, somewhat doubtfully.

"Yep, and I spoke with you," I confirmed.

"You did? I don't remember that," he replied.

"I knew you wouldn't," I admitted. "It was around 10:00 and I think you were still sleeping, even though you answered the phone."

"Really, what did you tell me?" he wanted to know.

I proceeded to tell him about having spoken to the lawyer again, and this time he questioned me about all of the details. After that, I told him about buying the factory and he wanted to know why I did that, so this is what I told him.

"First of all, I need a new warehouse to store the things we buy and I was checking it out the day I found you. That place will work out fine, but I also wanted to have it so I would remember the first time we met and the place where it happened."

"But it's not all that great," he replied, sounding more nonchalant than I had expected.

"Why do you say that?" I asked. "I thought you'd be thrilled that I bought it. After all, it's where we first met."

"I know, but it's not very, well…" he was having trouble explaining this too me. "It's just… not very nice or romantic."

"Well, becoming my nephew or son doesn't have to be romantic," I reasoned.

"I know, but I'm still hoping I can get you to change your mind about that," he suggested.

"You mean you've changed your mind about wanting to stay with me?" I teased, knowing this would draw a reaction from him.

"No, I didn't mean that!" he objected. "I meant I'd rather be more to you than just your nephew or son."

"I know you do, but that may not happen," I told him, honestly.

Again he sounded disappointed, so I thought I'd change the emphasis of our discussion.

"Concerning the factory though," I continued, "I'm a sentimentalist, so I wanted to own the first place we met, so I could always remember how I found you and how you came into my life."

"Is it so you remember just how I dirty and alone I was and how little I had?" he challenged.

"Not at all," I corrected. "It's so I can remember where and how I found this wonderful young man whom I fell in love with, even if it's not exactly the kind of love you were hoping for."

"Well, I'm still not giving up on that yet," he countered.

"I know. You sure can be stubborn," I observed.

He laughed at my comment, but he agreed with me assessment. I think it was just to let me know that he thought he'd eventually win out. I wouldn't really mind if that happened though, but it would have to be at the right time and for the right reasons.

After I finished talking to Bryce, I went back to doing my job and finished up the remaining details concerning the projects I had left undone. I completed these things about the same time most workers were getting out of work for the day, which was unusual for me. I often kept going until well after dark, but I guess I was unconsciously adapting to the recent changes in my life. I now had someone else to consider, someone who needed my attention, so I got ready to drive home and take care of Bryce. I called him before I left, to tell him to be dressed so we could go out to dinner. He tried to convince me that I didn't have to take him out to eat again, but I told him I usually ate out, even if I wasn't too tired to cook. He finally gave in and permitted me this small victory and I picked him up within the hour.

Tonight we went to a little diner I sometimes frequented. They had good food, but weren't very expensive, and it was a nice change of pace and a good place to go when I wanted to remain somewhat anonymous. Bryce seemed to feel a little more comfortable here, since the menu was simpler and the prices in line with what he thought was reasonable, so he didn't protest as much when I told him to order whatever looked good to him. It took him a couple of minutes to decide what he wanted, because their were several choices he seemed interested in, but he finally ended up getting a cheeseburger and fries, with side order of macaroni and cheese. Tonight, he ordered a glass of chocolate milk with his dinner and I was glad to see him do that, without me having to badger him. Who knows how much Vitamin D and calcium he had been getting in his diet prior to coming to live with me?

I ordered the special, which was meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy, and it came with a side of broccoli and a small salad. I also asked the waitress to bring me coffee and then Bryce and I talked about our day. He wanted to know more about what the lawyer and I had discussed, and then we talked more about my having bought the old factory. I think now he was beginning to feel honored that I had decided to purchase it and realized that part of my decision was due to my having met him there. I think he saw that as a sign that I cared for him a lot, maybe even loved him a lot, and he hoped this meant I would soon give in to his other demands.

Once our meals had been delivered, Bryce kept looking over at my food and I wasn't sure if something was wrong. I asked him, but he merely responded that he just wanted to see what I had, and that's when I decided that possibly he had never tried meatloaf or some of my other selections. When I asked him about it, he hesitantly admitted that he had not, so I offered to let him try some of mine. At first he was reluctant, but I held a forkful of meatloaf toward his mouth, and like a little bird taking a worm from its parent, he opened his mouth and closed his lips around it, taking it off my fork.

"Well, what do you think of it?' I asked.

"It's not bad, almost like a hamburger," he observed.

"Almost, but it does have a few different things in it," I informed him.

Next, I offered him a piece of broccoli, which he tried, but didn't seem to care for. After that, I offered him some of my salad, which I had covered in ranch dressing. He seemed to enjoy that, so I decoded to ask him about it.

"I thought you said you didn't care for salad," I pointed out.

"But this isn't like the other salads I've had," he replied.

"Then I take it you've never tried ranch dressing before," I asked.

"What's that?" he wanted to know.

"It's the white stuff on the lettuce," I explained.

"I like that stuff," he agreed.

"I had guessed as much," I teased.

After that, we both finished our own meals and then headed home. We didn't do very much after that, just spent some time with each other and took a quick swim, but before I locked up for the night, I noticed Bryce had disappeared. I didn't panic, because I knew he wouldn't have gone far, so I checked his room, but he wasn't there either. When I went into my room, he was already in my bed, almost asleep. I quickly got ready for bed myself, and then slid in beside him. This time I threw my arm across his chest, as I kissed him on the cheek, and then I heard him speak, in a sleepy voice,

"Goodnight, Uncle Kyle. I love you."

Chapter 15
Life, How Fickle Are Thy Ways?

"Look what I did," he announced.

"What?" I asked, moving toward him.

I was trying to see if he had cut himself. If not, I wanted to find out what he was talking about. As I gazed down at the area he was pointing to, I noticed a few clear drops of liquid on his skin and understood what he meant.

"Was that your first time?" I asked.

He nodded energetically.

"And I was thinking about you when I did it," he boasted, but I chose to ignore that comment.

"Well, I guess you are definitely a little man now, aren't you?" I teased.

"Does that mean I'm old enough to make my own decisions?" he asked, optimistically.

"For some things, yes," I told him.

I was trying to let him know that a few things had changed, but not everything, without having to say it to him directly. After I made that comment, I got dressed and went off to work, but not before giving Bryce a few more reminders before I left.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. I would try to make it home between 5:00 and 6:00 every evening, and then we'd go somewhere to eat. After that, we'd spend some time together doing different things and then Bryce would go to bed with me. I knew that I probably should make him sleep in his own room, but I too had become addicted to having him lying beside me. If I did what I felt I should be doing, I would also miss the loving embrace we exchanged as we slept. I was, however, fearful that not stopping this behavior would come back to haunt me in the future, but for now the benefits just outweighed the risks.

On Friday, I got a call from the lawyer, telling me he had some news, but he couldn't meet with me that afternoon or over the weekend, because he was going away. I was disappointed when I heard this, but I understood I wasn't his only client and he did have a life outside of the office, so I made an appointment for us to get together on Monday. I certainly didn't want to wait that long, but it appeared I had no option. I also decided not to mention this to Bryce or else he'd pester me about every little thing he could think of concerning the meeting.

I had promised him that I'd come home early on Friday, so we could enjoy another long weekend together, but I wasn't sure what we'd do this time. I kept thinking about it in the back of my mind while I worked, until I came up with what I thought was a marvelous idea. Not only did I think Bryce would like it, but I was even more excited that it would also be another surprise for him. Now, I worked quickly, so I could get everything finished before I left, and I was ready to head home around noontime. I checked in with my secretary to make sure I hadn't missed anything important, but she urged me to run along and told me she could take care of whatever else needed to be done.

Without a second thought, I flew out of there and got in my car. I didn't call and give Bryce any warning that I'd be home this soon, because I knew he'd have a thousand questions to ask me before we got off the phone. I pulled in the driveway, got out of the car and headed into the house, but I was surprised that Bryce hadn't come running out to greet me. I went inside and headed upstairs, but I didn't find him there either. I walked around the first floor again, wondering where he might be, and then I happened to look out a window and saw him in the pool. I made my way to the door, so I could I could tell him to get ready, but he didn't see me walking toward him. He almost leapt out of the water when I said his name, so I assumed he hadn't heard me coming. His eyes were bulging from their sockets as he whirled in my direction, and then I could see him visibly relax when he discovered who was there.

"Uncle Kyle, you scared the crap out of me," he admitted. "I didn't expect you home so early."

"Sorry, sport, I didn't mean to frighten you like that," I apologized.

"That's ok, I'm just glad you're home already," he admitted.

After saying this, he climbed out of the pool and stood there, stark naked and dripping wet. If only he knew the effect that was having on me, seeing him like that, but I sat down at one of the patio sets, before he could notice the bulge forming in my pants.

"Ok, sport. Why don't you get dried off and changed," I suggested, "and then I've got someplace for us to go."

"Really! What should I wear?" he wanted to know.

"Something comfortable," I told him. "Maybe a decent pair of shorts and a polo shirt."

"Ok. I won't be gone long," he stated, as he bolted off.

I watched him race past me, his dick bouncing around as he went, and then I turned to watch his butt cheeks jiggling as he hurried into the house. Man, he was a sight to behold.

It wasn't long before he came running back out to fetch me, excited to learn what I had planned for the day.

"Where are we going, Uncle Kyle?" he begged.

"It's a surprise, so just wait and see," I answered.

"Can't you tell me?" he whined.

"I can, but I'm not going to," I informed him.

"Please?" he pleaded again, showing me that expression which usually made me give in to him.

"Not this time, little man," I replied. "I want this to be a bit of a surprise and it will be."

He looked disappointed that he hadn't succeeded in getting me to give him this information, but I think not knowing also peaked his curiosity, so he didn't know how to act now. Using his momentary confusion, I led him out to the car and made sure he buckled up before we drove off. All the way to our destination, he teased me to tell him what I had planned, but I kept mum. He was beginning to get frustrated by the time I parked the car, but he knew he was going to learn soon anyway. When I led him into a bicycle shop, he began to ask more questions.

"Why are we going here?" he demanded. "What do you have in mind? Are you going to buy me a bike?"

He continued asking questions, one after the other, but I chose not to respond to any of them. Finally, he became totally exasperated and stopped me.

"Uncle Kyle, are you going to buy me a bike or what?" he asked, loudly.

"If you need to know, I'm going to buy a bicycle for me. Is that ok with you?" I responded, trying to shut him up.

He looked disappointed and confused, but he stopped asking questions. When the employee came over to help us, he asked what we needed.

"I'm looking for a bike for recreation," I declared.

I immediately noticed Bryce was beginning to lose interest in what I was doing, when he thought this was my only intent. After selecting a suitable bicycle for myself, I told the employee that I wanted him to do the same for my nephew. Bryce's face lit up when the clerk walked over and asked him what type of bicycle he'd like.

"One like Uncle Kyle's," he announced, proudly.

Once we both had our bikes, I also bought a bicycle rack for the car and asked the guy if he could install it. Since they weren't busy and there was another employee to take care of the others in the shop, he carried the rack outside, hooked it to my vehicle and attached our bikes to it. We drove home, with Bryce playing twenty-one questions with me again.

"Why did you buy us bikes, Uncle Kyle? What are we going to do? Where are we going to go? Are we going riding today or tomorrow?"

His questions were coming fast and furiously, but I avoided answering him, until he began to get very frustrated again.

"Uncle Kyle, answer me! Please?" he demanded.

"All right. What would you LIKE to do?" I offered.

"Can we go for a ride when we get home?" he wondered.

"Sure, that's kind of what I figured in the first place," I agreed. "Any place in particular you'd like to go?"

"I don't really know where to ride bikes around here," he confessed. "Remember, I've only walked the part of the city down by the factory."

"Ah, yes. I forgot," I admitted. "You're not really from here, are you?"

"No, I'm not," he confirmed.

"Well then, how would you like to get the scenic tour of the suburbs?" I offered.

"That sounds nice, Uncle Kyle," he answered, "but I'd go anywhere, as long as it was with you."

After saying that, he flashed me another of his familiar smiles.

"You are so full of it," I told him, while trying to stifle a laugh.

"But I would!" he repeated.

He looked hurt that I didn't believe him.

"I know you would. I was merely teasing," I told him, trying to mend his bruised feelings. "I know you're being serious and I don't doubt you at all. I'm sorry if I led you to believe otherwise."

"I HOPE you believe me, cuz I do love you a lot," he stated, forcefully.

"You know, I'm even beginning to believe you," I teased, but this time my jest brought a smile to his face. "However, I also still believe in the things I've told you before."

That same smile began to fade, slightly.

"Let's just get on our bikes and have some fun," I suggested next, to bring him out of his temporary funk.

I had to run up to my room and change first and get out of my business clothes, and then I told Bryce to follow me. We got on our bikes and I led him around the neighborhood first, to make sure of his bike skills before we went farther. Then, I took him out on a route that led away from the city. When we got to a place where the traffic was thinner, I maneuvered so we could ride side by side, with me taking the position closest to the traffic. We talked, we joked, we laughed and we also discussed things we passed along the way. I knew he was enjoying this, and I was too, so we kept going and made the most of this simple pleasure. As dinnertime approached, we stopped at a small country diner to eat, and then we turned around and headed home.

On the way back Bryce kept thanking me.

"Uncle Kyle, thank you for doing things like this for me," he said, his words dripping with sincerity. "I've never had a bike before, although I did ride a neighbor's bike a few times, and I've never had anyone who wanted to do things for me like you do."

"Well, I'm glad you have your own bike now and I enjoy doing things with you too," I confirmed.

"I know, but I don't think you'd probably do them if I weren't here," he reasoned. "At least not as much."

"Who knows? That's hard to say," I countered.

"Maybe, but I think you do all these things just for me and I love you for it," he added. "Thank you for being so nice."

"Hey, don't say that too loud or you'll ruin me as a businessman," I jested. "I haven't got where I am by being nice, you know."

"I don't believe that," he objected. "I think you do so well because everyone likes and trusts you."

"Well, I've never heard that as one of the keys to success before," I teased.

He looked at me, a little confused, but then I think he eventually caught on to my little joke, because he began to smile. After that we continued to pedal on and finally reached home, tired and sweaty. As soon as we put our bikes away, Bryce asked me if we could take a shower together. I hesitated; so he quickly promised that he wouldn't do anything that would make me mad, which made me feel badly that I had given him this impression. Since I wanted to show him I trusted him, I agreed, and once we were in the shower, he asked a favor of me.

"Uncle Kyle, I know you like to do things for me, and I love having you do that stuff for me too," he began. "So would you do something else for me?"

"Well, I guess that depends on what it is," I told him, thinking he might be trying to con me into having sex with him again.

"Even when I was young, I can't remember anyone ever giving me a bath, so would you mind washing me? Please?" he begged.

He looked very serious about this, and it sounded like a very special request, so I considered it in depth. I knew he had been neglected most of his life, and I could understand how this could mean so much to him, so I was very tempted to do it. My only concern was that he was using this as a ploy to get me aroused. Finally, I made up my mind.

"Ok, sport. I'll do it for you," I agreed, "but not below your waist."

"Can't you wash all of me, Uncle Kyle?" he pleaded. "I promise I won't ask you to do more than that."

"Are you sure?" I pressed, trying to make sure this wasn't some sort of juvenile trick to get what he wanted from me.

"Yes, I promise," he added, his eyes begged me to do his bidding. "This would mean so much to me, Uncle Kyle. So pretty please?"

"Ok, but any stunts and I stop," I warned.

"Don't worry, there won't be," he promised.

Since he wanted a bath, I had to take him to his bathroom. Once the water was drawn, I picked up a washcloth, soaped it up and then I gently washed his face and neck. He closed his eyes and held his lips together tightly, just like a smaller child would do, and he just let me clean his face. After that I washed his chest and arms, I did give a little extra attention to his budding nipples. Then, I had him stand up, so I could wash his back and butt. When I reached his behind, I even ran the washcloth along the crack of his ass and tenderly washed this area too. I thought I even heard him let out a couple of sighs as I did so.

Next, I washed his legs and feet, making sure to get them clean, and Bryce turned back around, so that now his groin was right in front of me. I looked at it and hesitated, which led Bryce to open his eyes and allowed me read the anxiety registered there. I knew he was looking forward to this, but I believed he was also concerned that I might not tend to this area. He was waiting to see what I was going to do.

Slowly, I reached out and began to bathe his groin and Bryce instantly let his head tilt backward, as he enjoyed the feeling of my fingers guiding that small piece of cloth over that sensitive areas. First, I washed his scrotum and then his pubic patch, with the newly sprouted hairs, and then I began to clean his penis. As I was doing that, it suddenly sprang to life, which proved he was truly enjoying this. This made it easier to clean, but it also indicated that he was sexually aroused, so I finished up quickly and left him standing there in that stimulated state.

"Uncle Kyle, would you just make me shoot, please?" he begged. "I really need to do that."

"Well, you can do it for yourself," I answered. "Remember, you promised you wouldn't ask me to do anything else after I washed you."

"I know I did, but it just isn't the same when I do it to myself, Uncle Kyle," he argued. "It would be so much better if you'd do it for me. Please! Then I won't ask you for anything else. I really, really promise this time."

I studied his face and read his expression. I knew what he meant about it not being the same, but it would also mean that I'd be stepping over that invisible line, past the point of no return, and I wasn't sure I was ready to take that step yet.

"Please, Uncle Kyle? I really promise. Please believe me," he pleaded.

He was just was so sweet and innocent looking, plus his expression and eyes were pleading with me to relent, so I soon discovered I just couldn't deny him any longer, especially since it wasn't like I was having anal intercourse with him. Slowly, I began massaging that area with my hand and Bryce smiled down at me, before he closed his eyes, spread his legs a little farther apart and got ready to enjoy this. I knew he was in heaven now.

Tenderly, I began to stroke his penis, which was beginning its growth spurt as he entered puberty, and I made certain to run my thumb around and over his mushroom knob with each upstroke. He moaned each time I did this, which let me know he was really enjoying this. At one point, I thought his knees were going to buckle, so I helped to prop him up and leaned him against my body. As I stroked away at his rigid, young dick, he began to pump his hips, as if some unseen puppeteer's strings began to control his movements. When I looked at his face, I saw that his mouth was hanging open and he was breathing in shallow and raspy breaths, which led me to believe he was about ready to spew those few precious drops he'd just started to produce. Suddenly, he thrust his hips forward, his back arched and his breathing stopped momentarily, as those thin clear strands of immature cum shot from the slit.

I stuck my other hand out in front of him, so those drops of his nectar would land there, and when he'd finished ejaculating his load, I held on to him so he didn't fall. While he was recuperating, I pulled the hand with his cum on it and brought my fingers to my lips, to sample the tasty treat. It was as sweet as he was and as delicious as the nectar of the gods should be, so I greedily devoured it all.

Bryce opened his eyes in time to catch me savoring the last of these sweet droplets and smiled at me, to let me know he approved of what I had done. Not realizing it before, I became aware that I was hard too, so I tried to concentrate on less erotic thoughts, so my little friend would go down before Bryce noticed it. I didn't quite make it, but it wasn't that rigid when Bryce eventually saw the bulge in my pants, so he knew that I had been sexually aroused from playing with his little package. He thanked me sincerely and told me it was the best orgasm he'd ever had, although in more childish terms, and then he hugged me and gave me a big thank you kiss.

Now, I had a sudden attack of conscience, and I told him so.

"I probably shouldn't have done that, Bryce," I advised him, "so please don't ask me again. Ok?"

"Don't say that, Uncle Kyle," he objected. "It was sooooo nice, so don't ruin it for me now."

"But it was wrong and I shouldn't have given in to you," I stated.

"No, don't say that. It wasn't wrong!" he protested. "It was wonderful and lovely."

"Maybe for you, but the law says I should go to jail for doing that," I pointed out.

"So, the law is dumb," he objected. "It puts me into foster care to protect me, but then I'm treated as bad or worse than before. It also put in a place where I had to do sex stuff with men I didn't know and didn't like, and because the law said it was illegal didn't seem to bother them. Then, when someone really loves me, I have to worry about that stupid law that says we can't do anything with each other. I think the law is dumb and doesn't work to protect me. It only hurts me."

"Well, I guess you might see it that way and I understand your position, but I have to follow the law as it is, if I don't want to end up in prison."

I continued to talk to Bryce, as I dried him off, because he had insisted on that too. Once I finished, I went back to my bathroom to shower. Afterward, we both put on robes and went to the living room to watch some TV and relax.

Bryce sat on my lap again, so I watched where I put my hands this time, since he was only wearing a robe, which miraculously flopped open from time to time. I didn't say anything about that, but I knew it was just another of his subtle hints to me. Even though he did that, he was pretty mellow, but very loving during this time. He curled up against my chest and occasionally lifted his head so he could kiss me on the cheek, chin or neck. He would also intersperse those actions with a continual flow of 'thank you' for all the different things we had done.

That night I had to carry him up to my room, because he fell asleep on my lap and I hated to wake him. He did wake up momentarily, when I went to put him in my bed. I think it was a panicked reaction and he merely wanted to make sure where he was. I surmised he was also afraid that I might have put him in his own room. Seeing he was awake, I urged him to quickly use the toilet and brush his teeth, which he did, and then he slipped off his robe and hopped back into bed. I was about to say something to him about that, but then I thought he was too tired to try anything tonight anyway, so I let it slide. Instead, I went to turn off the light, but he must have thought I was leaving him, so he shouted at me.

"Please don't go, Uncle Kyle," he begged.

"I'm not, little man. I'm only turning off the light," I assured him.

Once he understood that, he merely lay back on the bed and waited for me to join him. I did it in quick fashion, taking off my robe too, and we spent the night naked and snuggled up against each other for the first time since he had moved in with me.

The next morning when I awoke, I could see Bryce's form under the bedding again, but I knew he wasn't touching me this time. I waited for a while, to see what he might be up to, but he just stayed like that. Finally, I decided to discover what was going on, so I spoke to him.

"Good morning, sport. What are you up to under there?" I asked.

He scrambled to get out from under the bedding and he had a scared look on his face when he emerged.

"I wasn't doing anything, Uncle Kyle. Really!" he exclaimed.

"Don't worry, sport, I believe you weren't doing anything sexual," I agreed, "but why were you under the covers?"

He blushed before he answered.

"I was just checking you out," he admitted. "You're so handsome that I just wanted to look at your… you know, the parts I don't see very often. You aren't mad at me, are you?"

"No, I guess there is no harm in that," I conceded.

"Uncle Kyle, are you sure we can't do something?" he asked, hopefully. "I've got to do it soon or I'll have to go look up some of the guys who used to pay me for it."

I think he might have been mildly serious about this, but I felt the biggest reason he made his statement was primarily to put pressure on me. Possibly, he thought it might be the additional weight he needed that would tip the balance scale in his favor.

"Bryce, we did do something yesterday, remember?" I pointed out. "And that was more than I intended on doing with you, so you should be happy."

"Oh, I am, but I need more," he insisted. "It was good to get off, but I want you to make love to me. I need to feel that. I need to feel you inside me."

"Believe me, Bryce, I'm sure you think you do, but I'm not ready for that yet," I admitted.

"But I need it," he insisted, more forcefully this time. "It can feel so good, especially with the right person, so if you won't do it for me, I'm going to have to go find one of those other guys to help me."

"Bryce, I certainly can't stop you from doing something like that, but if you do, I'd have to ask you to leave my home," I informed him. "It's not that I'd want you to leave, but I couldn't take the chance of you getting caught and then have the police trace you back to me. It that happened, I'm certain they would try to charge me as your pimp and then lock me away for a very long time."

Having listened to me say this, his eyes were bugging out of his head in total shock.

"Would you really make me leave?" he asked, not believing his ears.

"Only if you start turning tricks again," I answered, trying to convince him it would only be for that reason, while also trying to reassure him at the same time. "Otherwise I want you to stay."

"But, Uncle Kyle, I need that kind of love. Can't you understand that?" he pleaded. "Maybe if I'd never done it and it hadn't been for Maury or being placed at the farm, maybe then I wouldn't feel this way, but now that I have done it, I do feel that I need it now. I just have to do it, to scratch the itch that I feel down there."

"I know what I'm asking you is not easy, but please try to understand," I stated, trying to reason with him. "I do love you, and maybe some day I will feel differently, but just not yet."

"You really think we can someday?" A glimmer of hope ignited in his eyes.

"I'm sure of it, it's just that I'm not sure how soon that will be," I confessed. "I do have to admit that I also love you, and I now accept that you love me too, so we're making some progress."

I gave him a wink this time, hoping that would be enough.

"Yeah, I know, but I need more than that," Bryce continued to insist.

"Well, have patience, little man. Your day will come," I told him.

"I sure hope so," he stated, mildly frustrated.

That's how this conversation ended, but I knew it was only for now. I was positive that we'd revisit this issue many times in the future, although I was silently praying that somehow it would resolve itself, without my participation.

Saturday was a lousy day, at least weather-wise. It rained all day long, and it was also cooler out. I wasn't sure what type of things we could do under these circumstances, or what Bryce might like to do, but I did see that one of the local high schools would be performing a musical later that evening. As it turned out, it was one of my personal favorites, 'Camelot.' This gave me an idea, so I made a plan. I suggested that we could go shopping after lunch and pick up an X-Box and some games for it, to help keep Bryce occupied when I wasn't home, and then we could go out to dinner, before going to see the musical. Bryce thought that sounded good to him, so that's what we did.

When we looked at the games available, I let him pick out several, so he'd have a variety and wouldn't get bored as easily. I also bought some educational software for the computer, to make up for his lack of formal schooling. I would start making up a curriculum for him to follow during the day, so he didn't find himself at a disadvantage when he returned to the classroom in the future. Bryce tried to talk me out of buying so many things for him and complained that it was costing way too much, but I did it over his protestations. I really think his concern was genuine about the expense, and not because he wanted to avoid doing anything resembling schoolwork.

"Uncle Kyle, you can't keep spending so much money on me," he declared.

"Why not? It's my money and I love buying you things," I replied.

"I know, but I don't want you to go broke," he countered.

"Oh, don't worry about that. It won't happen anytime soon," I assured him. "Trust me on that one."

"Are you sure?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Yes, Bryce. I'm positive," I answered.

After we finished doing this, we loaded everything into the trunk and then we went out to dinner. I took him to a restaurant we hadn't been to yet and we had a nice meal. Bryce and I talked nearly the entire time we were dining, as we discussed our bike ride, his new game system, the educational software, about living with me and about his future. After that he wanted to know what the musical was going to be about, so I filled him in a little about Arthurian legend. It just happened to be a fascination of mine and I'd read nearly every book and story written on the topic. He seemed fascinated by it too and was now anxious to see the show, so we left and went to buy our tickets. We got there early enough so we could get decent seats.

The performance was a typical high school production, but the lead actors were quite talented. The show was done fairly well and Bryce had many questions for me when it was over. Most of them were the typical questions that anyone not knowing much about the legend would ask, but others were quite insightful and proved to me that he had an interest in the topic. I indulged his interrogation and did my best to sate his curiosity, and then I told him that we'd rent both the movie version of 'Camelot' and the Disney film 'The Sword in the Stone,' so he could get other perspectives on it. He seemed excited about doing this, so we stopped to pick them up on the way home. I figured we could watch both on Sunday.

Shortly after we returned home, we went to bed. I informed Bryce that we would be going to church in the morning, and if the weather was nice, for a bike ride after that. For that reason, I wanted to make sure Bryce got enough rest. Bryce took everything off again, before he got into bed, and I questioned him about doing that.

"I just like sleeping this way better," he told me.

I thought about it for a minute or so and listened to his unsolicited promises that nothing would happen, before I decided to let him do it. I, however, still wore MY undershorts to bed. True to his word, Bryce was good that night, just like he had promised, so I began to trust him more and more after each of these occurrences. The biggest thing he wanted to do when he slept with me was to cuddle and I had no problem with that. In fact, I probably enjoyed it as much as he did.

Sunday morning, I took him to church again and then we came home and grabbed a quick lunch, before changing our clothes and heading out on another bike ride. This time we went a different route, so he could see another area in the suburbs, and we rode for nearly four hours to complete the round-trip. When we got back, we showered together, and once again he wanted me to wash him. I did, and it was much the same as what happened two days before, except this time we showered and I didn't masturbate him. It's not that he didn't want me to or didn't ask, but I resisted his efforts this time, telling him that it was not something we were going to continue doing. He was visibly disappointed this time, probably because he had his hopes up and was convinced that since he'd talked me into it once, he could do it again, but it didn't work the way he wanted. He didn't put up a fuss when he didn't get his way, but he did make it obvious he wasn't happy about it.

After we dried and dressed, I took him out to eat, and then we came back to watch the two videos we'd rented the night before. He wanted to see the Disney video first, which we did, and we both had a few good laughs watching that interpretation of the legend. We immediately followed it up by watching the movie version of the musical and Bryce commented on all the differences that he noticed. He really was quite observant, but I suppose some of that came from living on the street. If you're not observant there, you can end up dead or in trouble. Fortunately, he'd survived that ordeal.

After the videos ended, I took the education software and the daytime cable listing from the Sunday newspaper and outlined a 'class schedule' for Bryce to follow during the week. I interspersed some educational television programs and his working with the software and made a list of the things I expected from him each day. I had anticipated a protest from Bryce over this, but he seemed excited by the prospect, since it would make his days pass by more quickly while I was gone. I also think he saw this as a way for us to spend more time together, when I went over what he had done when I got home each evening. I told him we'd take care of the Phys\Ed requirements of his educational program on the weekend and he smiled about that, knowing it meant we'd play ball, go bowling, swim or ride our bikes for exercise

When we went to sleep that night, Bryce just did his thing and crawled into bed with me, while I considered how I had survived before he had arrived. The room across the hall might technically be his, especially for appearance sake, but I don't know if I could get used to sleeping without him any longer. By this time, I definitely knew I was head over heels in love with this kid and I had admitted that fact to him as well, but I was glad he stopped being so aggressive about having sex with me. To be honest, I don't know how much longer I could have resisted his efforts.

Monday morning I got ready for work, but I looked at him sleeping so peacefully in my bed and I just wanted to stay there with him. If I hadn't had the meeting scheduled with the lawyer, I just might have done it too. Instead, I lightly kissed his forehead and moved toward the door, only to hear a sleepy little voice.

"Bye, Uncle Kyle. I love you," came his familiar response.

I worked about two hours, before I left to meet with the attorney and then I was in with him for nearly another hour. We discussed many things and he told me what he had learned from his contacts.

"I'm afraid that most of what he told me was not good," he began. "It seems DSS wants to closely supervise all of the boys who were in Bryce's last foster home, not only because they ran away, but because of what went on there. Those boys were already labeled as being sexual predators, but then it was discovered they'd all been prostituting themselves there, so DSS wants these boys placed in group homes or with strong couples, with plenty of supervision."

"Those boys only prostituted themselves because they were forced into it by their 'approved' foster parent!" I pointed out.

"DSS admits that and they recognize they made another error when certifying that individual, but they blame it on the fact that they'd relied on the recommendation of a local judge, who turned out to be one of the best customers there," he stated. "DSS also claims they had no way of knowing he was corrupt before he made that recommendation and went solely on his reputation, so they felt blameless on this point. They also pointed out the boys were sexual predators before that, so they won't back down on their demands concerning their new placement."

"So they are going to punish the boys for their mistakes?" I objected.

"That's not how they see it," he countered. "They claim they are trying to protect others from their sexual proclivities, regardless of who's at fault."

"So the boys still suffer," I pointed out.

"Unfortunately that may be true," he agreed.

"What are the chances I could become his legal guardian and possibly adopt him?" I followed.

"Not good," he advised me. "I've already run that by my friend in the department and he told me they are excluding ALL single people as candidates to look after those boys."

"That can't be constitutional," I argued.

"Possibly not, but that would require a court decision and could take years to settle this legally," he explained. "By the time you got that question resolved, Bryce would be old enough to be on his own."

"So what are my alternatives?" I wondered. "Should I help to hide the kid until he comes of age?"

"No, and DSS is pulling out all the stops in looking for the missing boys too," he added. "They have all law enforcement agencies watching for them, along with a few private investigators."

"So my best choice is to smuggle him to someplace safer?" I challenged. "This sucks and there must be something you can do to help us."

"Well, I won't give up trying to discover another option," he offered, "if you don't want me too, but I'm telling you up front that this could be a long and expensive process."

"I don't care. This kid has been screwed enough and I mean that any way you want to take it," I answered. "He's a good kid who's had more bad breaks than anyone deserves, so I want to make sure that he catches at least one decent break and I don't care how much it costs me to give it to him."

"Well, that's very admirable of you, but it could also turn out to be very foolish and extremely costly proposition."

He looked at me a little longer, to see if I said anything else. When I didn't respond, he asked one additional question.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" he pressed.

"Absolutely," I confirmed.

"Hey, it's your money, so who am I to complain," he replied.

He merely looked at me again, so I thought I'd get in a shot of my own.

"I know, so I want to feel like I'm getting my money's worth too," I stated, and I think he took the comment personally.

"I told you, I'll do my best, but I think we'll need a minor miracle to pull this one out," he advised me.

"Then buy me one," I told him.

I'm not sure what he thought I meant by this, or if he thought I was making a joke, but he didn't say anything else.

By the time we parted, my mind was reeling. What was I going to tell Bryce? I had innocently let it slip that I was meeting with the lawyer today, so I was sure he would have tons of questions for me when I got home, if not before. I knew I couldn't lie to him and be convincing, because there was no way I believed it myself. It would be almost impossible for me to tell him everything was going to be fine, when I knew that it probably wouldn't, and I was sure he'd be able to see through such a ruse. What was I going to do?

Chapter 16
The Boiling Point

With that in mind, I drove to the park and walked around for a while, as I tried to clear my head and come up with a plan of action. I weighed all of the options over in my mind, in an effort to determine not only what I might possibly do to keep him with me, but also how I was going to explain it to him. I had to think this through carefully, if I was going to make this work.

First of all, I needed to determine if there was anything I could do to legally keep him with me. My first thought was to have him use one of my nephews' names, one that was the same age or close to it, and then I could get a duplicate birth certificate and use copies of my nephew's school records to get him enrolled in school. That might work, but then Bryce would have to go by a whole new name. I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing it, as long as he could stay with me, but I was worried it would make things worse for us, if we got caught later.

I even thought of just keeping him hidden here and home schooling him myself, but Bryce needed to be around other kids his own age, so that option wouldn't be fair to him. What if we moved to another city or even another state? That was an option, although I'd still have to figure out how we could hide who he really was again, but at least they wouldn't be actively looking for him there.

Then, I had another idea. Maybe I could talk one of my brothers or sisters into adopting him and then have them make me his guardian and allow him come live with me? But then I'd have to explain to them why I wanted to take in a young boy and why I couldn't just do it legally, so that might cause them to start questioning my intentions, as well as my sexuality. Up until now, everyone has thought the reason I didn't date or hadn't married was just because I was married to my business and dedicated to becoming a success. I think they all still expected me to get married at some point, but my taking in a boy before finding a wife might cause them to question that assumption.

I also considered what might happen to Bryce, if he were to be placed in a group facility or another foster home. He was so set on staying with me that I don't think he'd considered any other options. I felt he'd be crushed if he learned either of those things might happen and I was deeply concerned about how he would then react. Would he decide to run away, rather than go to one of those places? If he did, would that mean he'd have to start turning tricks again, in order to survive? Not only that, but if he did start turning tricks again, then that would result in more concerns about his future safety. Damn, why does life have to be so freaking complex and difficult?

Now, I had to think of what I was going to tell Bryce about my meeting with the lawyer. Should I be honest with him or should I try to spare his feelings for as long as I could? Should I crush his dream now or should I give him false hope? Should I continue to let him be a boy or should I teach him the harsh realities of being a man? I still had no idea what I was going to do when I got home and I only had a few hours left before I would have to face him and tell him something.

I was nervous when I arrived home, but I had decided on what I was going to say to him. I wasn't going to exactly lie to Bryce, but I was going to try to phrase the truth so it wouldn't sound so bad. I hoped I could pull this off, so he wouldn't see through the deception, but I wasn't sure of my acting ability. I guess I was about to find out how good I really was.

As soon as my car stopped in the driveway, I discovered Bryce was standing beside my door. I hadn't seen him come out of the house, but possibly that was a result of my being distracted, but now he was smiling at me through the car window, so I smiled back. I took my time getting out of the car and pretended I was gathering up some of my things, but Bryce had grown impatient and opened the door, so he could attempt to speed me up.

"Hurry up, Uncle Kyle. I want to know what the lawyer said," he urged. "Can I live here with you now?"

Damn, he wasn't wasting any time getting to the point, was he? I tried to gather myself, so I could perform my part of the charade.

"Slow down, little man, and give me a chance to get settled," I replied, in an attempt to distract him. "We'll go over that soon enough."

"Can't you just tell me now?" he wanted to know.

"It's not that easy and I want to do this right," I answered, "so please be patient."

"You're always telling me that," he pointed out, annoyed.

"Well, patience is a virtue and it wouldn't hurt you to develop a little," I suggested.

"But it takes too long!" he whined.

"That's just my point," I agreed. "Not everything can be done in thirty seconds or less."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because some things just take longer, but not all for the same reasons," I explained. "That's just how it is."

He didn't look satisfied with my answer, but he let it drop. As soon as I was ready, he walked with me to the house and carried a few of my things for me. He didn't, however, leave my side and was waiting for me to tell him what happened, so I hurriedly put everything in order and then turned to face him.

"Let's go to the kitchen, get a drink and then I'll fill you in," I offered.

He agreed, and I walked to the kitchen and got us both a can of soda. I then walked over to the breakfast counter and sat on one of the stools, thinking he'd sit on the stool next to me, but he came over and climbed up to sit on my lap. He looked directly into my face, so I sat my soda down on the counter and he followed suit. Then, I took a deep breath, hoping that it would help clear my head before I began.

"Bryce, the lawyer told me that DSS is doing everything it can to locate the boys who ran away," I began.

"Well, we thought they would do that, but can I live here with you?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard my comment.

I merely looked at him and realized the things I told him earlier still hadn't registered.

"No decision has been made about that yet," I told him, stretching the truth a bit, but then again, no official decision HAD been announced.

"When will we know then?" he pressed.

I could see he was extremely anxious about this and wanted an answer now.

"Bryce, the lawyer is working on that and it might take some time before we learn anything," I explained, without going into detail.

"How much time?" he wanted to know.

"We're not sure. That's why you have to be patient," I informed him.

"There's that word again," he observed, looking exasperated.

"Bryce, it will do no good worrying about this or trying to push it along, because it will happen when it happens and not before," I reasoned. "Can you understand that?"

"I guess so, but I still don't like it," he confirmed, and he made a face at me as he said that.

"Well, it's the best we can do for now," I offered, "and I won't let them say 'no' without a fight."

"Do you mean that?" he demanded, looking hopeful. "Would you really fight for me?"

"Of course I would," I confessed. "You know I love you and I certainly don't want to lose you, so I will do whatever it takes to try to keep you here with me."

"Oh, Uncle Kyle. I love you sooooo much!" he exclaimed.

This caused him to swivel on my lap, so he could throw his arms around my neck and plant a sloppy, wet kiss on my lips. He was trying his best to get me to open my mouth and let him inside, but I resisted his efforts. Instead, I gave him a fatherly kiss.

"Can't I give you a good kiss this time? Just this once?" he asked, with a desperate look on his face.

He was pleading with me now and I could tell from his actions that it was important to him. I thought about it for a minute, thinking this might distract him from asking more questions or wondering about his future, so I gave in.

"Ok, but just this one time, and only because I know you're so happy," I conceded.

He flashed me a huge grin, opened his mouth and planted it firmly over mine. I parted my lips slightly and his tongue flicked past those fleshy mounds before I could bat an eye. Then, it snaked around the inside of my mouth and explored this previously uncharted territory for him. He sighed when our tongues touched and made it sound as if he'd reached Nirvana, as his hands and arms began to rub all over my back. As his tongue played with my teeth, I realized what a hot kisser he was for being so young and I could feel my manhood rise beneath him. I knew he could feel it too, because he wiggled his butt over it, trying to stir it to even greater heights.

He was bouncing around on my lap even more now, when he suddenly broke the kiss and got off my lap momentarily, but then climbed right back into position. This time, however, he straddled my lap, with his legs touching both sides of my hips. His current position spread his butt cheeks a bit, so that now they nestled around the length of my cock, and he quickly resumed kissing me again.

His kiss was becoming even more aggressive and he was rubbing his hands over my chest, while sliding his butt along the length of my straining cock, as it tried to break free of the restrictive clothing. At first I was too overwhelmed with the feelings to be able to realize what he was doing, but then I began to feel the fires igniting in my loin. When that happened, I knew I had to stop this before we went over the edge. I pushed back on his shoulders, which caused our lips to separate and his butt to slide backward, closer to my knees. He looked at me with the saddest expression of hurt that I'd ever seen.

"Don't you like that?" he asked, seeking understanding for my actions.

"I can't say that, but you know how I feel about going further," I clarified.

"But I could tell you liked what I was doing, cuz you got hard," he pointed out. "So why did you stop me?"

"You know why, because we've talked about this many times before," I answered.

"Doesn't it feel good to you?" he pressed, as he searched my face for answers.

"It felt great, but that's part of the problem," I replied.

"What is part of the problem?" he asked, confused.

"That I'd be feeling good by taking advantage of you, and that's just not right," I explained.

"Uncle Kyle, I don't care," he whined, in response. "I want you to take advantage of me."

"But I do care, so we have to stop," I replied.

There were tears streaming down his cheeks now and I knew I had hurt his feelings, but I couldn't let my hormones overrule my brain about this.

"I thought you loved me," he sobbed.

"Oh, Bryce, I do. More than life itself," I confirmed, "and that's why I have to stop."

He looked up at me, his eyes peering through the watery accumulation. I could tell that he didn't understand what I'd just told him and was totally confused by my statement. I was trying to think of a better way to explain this to him, when he lifted his arm, wiped the moisture from both of his eyes and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Uncle Kyle, I don't know what you mean by that," he stated. "If we love each other, then why can't we do that?"

A puzzled expression now covered his entire face, so I had to find a way to clear this up for him.

"Let me see if I can explain this to another way," I began. "If I didn't love you, it would be easy for me to do those things and take advantage of you like those other men did, but I'm not like them. It is because I love you so much that I don't want to hurt you and that's why I think we should wait until you're older."

After I said this, he looked even more puzzled.

"I still don't understand," he told me. "You mean that if you didn't love me then you could make love to me, but because you do love me you can't?"

"That's not exactly the correct interpretation of what I just told you," I stated. "It would be more correct to say that if I didn't love you I could fuck you, but not make love to you. Do you see the difference now?"

"I guess, but isn't that the same thing?" he asked, confused.

"The physical act is the same, but it's the emotional attachment that is different. Fucking is just sticking your penis in and jamming it back and forth until you have an orgasm. You can do that without any emotional attachment to the person you are doing it to, but making love is more than that. Making love is where you care about a person and do the physical act to show how much you really love them."

"So, you told me you loved me, so we'd be making love," he reasoned.

"Only if I felt you were capable of consenting," I stipulated. "It's not that you don't understand about sex, it's just that I'm not sure you understand about why you want to do it with me. I think all of those other guys messed up your ability to think things through, at least where sex is concerned. You've been conditioned to just do it and get what enjoyment you can from it, but that's not how it's supposed to work. That's why I can't make love to you, at least not yet."

"Uncle Kyle, I still don't understand what you just said," he reiterated, perplexed.

"And until you do understand that difference, we'll just have to wait," I answered.

Bryce still looked confused, but I think our discussion gave him enough to think about for now, so I told him to get ready and we'd go out to eat. He did that without saying anything else, so I let him choose what type of cuisine he would prefer tonight. He was in the mood for Italian food, so I took him to an Italian restaurant I was quite fond of. He was fairly quiet throughout the entire meal, although I would see him glance up at me occasionally and just stare at my face. I wasn't sure why he was doing this, but I thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie for now, so I didn't question him about it. We ate our meal, mostly in silence, and then I paid the bill and we left.

On the way home he began to open up a little and I let him have his say.

"Uncle Kyle, I'm not always sure about what you mean, but I do know I love you and I also know I want to do things with you," he began. "I think you want to do those same things with me too, cuz I can tell you get excited, so I just don't understand why you keep saying 'no' when I ask you. Sometimes it makes me think you don't love me like you say you do, but then I can tell that you really do love me, so it's really confusing."

"I know it is, sport, and I'm sorry about that, but life is not always easy to understand," I explained. "I think one day we'll both figure this out, but you'll just have to wait until then. In the meantime, I'll hug you, I'll have fun with you and I'll even kiss you, but not the open mouth type of kiss we did earlier. Do you think you can be happy with just that?"

"Yeah, I like all those things too, but…" I knew where he was heading, so I cut him off.

"No buts. If you can be happy with doing those things, then we can both be happy," I suggested. "Otherwise, we may have to cool it for a while."

"No! I'll be happy with just those things," he conceded. "I promise I will, cuz I know I couldn't stand it if I couldn't sit on your lap, kiss you or if I had to sleep in my own room."

"Ok, little man, I'll take your word for that," I concurred, "but we'll make it official when we get home."

"What do you mean by that, Uncle Kyle?" he asked next.

"I mean, I won't consider it a real deal unless we seal it with a great big hug. Ok?" I replied, with a grin.

He smiled at me in return.

"Yeah, that's real ok," he agreed.

After we arrived at the house, we exchanged a huge hug to cement our deal and then I began to ask him about his studies. He seemed quite surprised when I did this, but it was probably only due to my timing, because I had warned him I would be checking up on his progress. After regaining his composure, he told me about each of the educational shows he had watched and the exercises he had completed on the computer earlier in the day.

I then questioned him about most of the things he'd mentioned and my questions weren't merely to give him the impression that I wanted to know what he'd learned. My questioning was an in depth evaluation of the things he had studied and what he'd learned about them. I was pleased that he was able to answer my questions and did just fine. After I finished checking up on his work habits in this manner, he had a comment for me.

"Man, this is harder than real school, cuz I have to answer ALL of the questions here," he complained.

"Yes, and I hope you'll learn more this way," I told him.

"Just my luck. I fall in love with a guy who doesn't want to hurt me, but he doesn't mind torturing me," Bryce whined in jest, at least I hoped it was in jest.

He grinned after he said that, which I think confirmed that suspicion, but I thought his comment had been pretty clever, since he managed to make his point on both issues. Man, I really do love this kid. If only it weren't so complicated.

The next couple of weeks went about the same, and even though I got periodic reports from my lawyer, there were no new developments in our current situation. We were now rapidly approaching summer vacation, when all of the other kids would be out of school and Bryce should be able to move about a bit more freely during the day. I also found out his birth date, which was September 7th, so he was only a few months away from actually turning thirteen.

Since school was nearly out for the summer, Bryce asked if he'd have to keep studying while the other kids were on vacation. I told him I'd only make him do that until noon, to make up for the time he'd missed out on being in school, before he came to live with me. I also told him this meant he'd have to be up before 8:00 each morning, so he'd have time to eat and still get a full four hours of work in by noon. Otherwise, he would have to spend four hours from the time he started his class work. He groaned and called me a slave driver, so I told him that's exactly what my employees say about me. This comment caused him to give me a dirty look and then he walked away.

The next time I heard from my lawyer, it definitely wasn't good news. He called me at my office, so I knew it must be fairly important.

"Kyle, DSS has been trying to get me to divulge what I know about Bryce, but I've resisted up until now, claiming attorney-client privilege," he began. "However, they're trying to turn up the heat."

"How so?" I asked.

I had been worried about this since he first told me about the DSS position concerning the boys from his last foster home.

"They're going to subpoena me and have threatened contempt of court charges, if I don't cooperate," he answered.

"Why do they think you know where he is?" I asked next.

"My source at DSS let Bryce's name slip out, after I asked him to check on Bryce's situation specifically," he answered. "Now that they suspect I'm somehow involved, so they want to get more information out of me."

"So what are you going to tell them?" I wanted to know.

"I'm going to resist their efforts to get anything out of me, even if I have to take it all the way to the Supreme Court," he assured me. "They just can't threaten lawyers in order to get them to break privilege. That violates this basis for one of the most sacred judicial principles."

"Well, I guess I hired the right lawyer then," I replied, as a compliment.

"I'm glad you feel that way, but that's not all," he added. "They also suspect the client I'm working for in this matter is from the local area too, so they are concentrating their search around here for now, to see if they can locate Bryce on their own. That means you'll have to keep him out of sight for a while."

"Do you have any other good news for me?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Well, I hate to break this to you, but since they suspect it's definitely Bryce who is in the area, and not one of the other boys," he replied, "DSS is circulating his picture. They've given it to both local law enforcement and a few private investigators, so the people looking for him are not flying blindly."

"Oh, great! Not only do they know who to look for, but they've also narrowed down the search radius," I exclaimed. "What do you suggest now?"

"Personally, I'd get him out of the local area, if you can somehow manage to do that," he suggested. "Do you know anyone who could watch over him for you?"

"Not really. I have brothers and sisters," I mentioned, "but I'm not sure they'd understand why I'd be asking them to take in a boy to whom we weren't related. Besides, I don't what to get them involved in any legal snafu either."

"What about you just taking him out of the area for a while?" he wondered. "Do you have somewhere you could go and someone who could cover for you at work until then?"

"Not really. My secretary can do some things for me, but there are other aspects of my job she doesn't have a clue about," I told him. "I'm also the one that has to sign any legal documents, including the checks."

"I could arrange for you to give her temporary power of attorney," he suggested, hopefully.

"Even though I trust her, I'd just as soon not tempt her by giving her so much authority and control just yet," I replied. "What if I just keep Bryce hidden at the house for the time being?"

"Well, that might work for the short term, if he is never seen outside your house," he agreed. "The problem is, if they discover whom I'm working for or if they get the courts to uphold their request, then that won't do you any good. If he isn't in the area, we could just tell them that he just took off on his own again. It's not like he hasn't done that before."

"Well, if they're putting in that much of an effort to locate him, then I don't think you should be calling my office any more," I suggested. "I want to keep them from finding him that way. In the meantime, I'll find an untraceable way to call you in the future, so they can't connect us easily."

"Good idea, but keep in touch," he advised me. "When you call, I'll keep you informed about any breaking news or any other information I discover during the intervening period."

"Great!" I exclaimed. "Thanks for all of your help."

I hung up the phone, but now I had to find a way to explain this to Bryce, at least in terms that he'd understand and not cause him to panic. I was afraid that once he learned he'd be under house arrest, so to speak, he'd have a tough time dealing with everything. I had to keep him optimistic and calm for the time being, until this situation was settled. I was hoping that he'd understand and would live with whatever arrangement we worked out, until we could find a solution for dealing with DSS.

When I got home that evening, I waited until after dinner to explain things to him. As we started to clean the table off, I knew I couldn't put this off any longer and I had to tell him what was going on and what he'd have to do in the meantime. After that was done, then I would have to brace myself to answer all of the questions I knew he'd have about why he had to do this, what he would be allowed to do and how long he would have to be like that.

"Uncle Kyle, why are they still looking for me?" he wanted to know, after I broke the news. "Aren't they going to let me live with you?"

"Bryce, as of now you are still a ward of the state and for some reason they really want you back," I informed him. "Once they have you, then they will decide what they will do with you next."

"Does that include coming to live with you?" he pushed, because it was the only option he was interested in.

"It might and that's what we're trying for," I replied, stretching the truth just a tiny bit.

"But until that happens, I won't be able to leave the house at all?" he asked, to be certain. "Will that mean we can't go out to eat or take any more bike rides together?"

"We should continue to lay low until we get things worked out with them, sport," I confirmed.

"Then how will I get any exercise?" he demanded.

I think he felt he had me stumped now.

"You can still swim, can't you?" I offered in reply.

When I mentioned this, he at first looked upset that I had thought of that, but then he gave me a big grin

"I guess, but we'd have to do a lot of swimming and it might become boring," he countered, trying to pin me into the corner.

"If need be, I can also get some weight training and exercise equipment for you to use," I added.

"Nah, don't do that yet. I'll try to live with just the swimming for now," he agreed.

For the next couple of weeks, Bryce didn't leave the house. I bought plenty of groceries, so he'd have plenty to eat for breakfast and lunch, and then I'd pick up dinner on my way home. That would generally consist of take out from one of the local restaurants or diners we had been frequenting. I did this to give him a little variation in what he ate, while at the same time providing him with a sense of our old routine. He was really quite a trooper about all of this, and even though we ate all of our meals together, I knew he missed the other things we used to do together, especially on the weekends.

To make up for this and ensure it more palatable for him, I spent as much time at home as I possibly could. We'd watch television and DVDs together, play games and we spent a great deal of time enjoying ourselves in the pool. Doing these things together seemed to help make this slightly more bearable for him, even though he tried to convince me that he didn't really mind not being able to go out at all. Occasionally, he would slip and admit that he missed some of the things we used to do together, but then he'd try to cover it up by telling me that after having to live and hide out in that old factory, this was much better. I could understand where he was coming from and what he was trying to do, but I still felt badly that he had to have his movements restricted in this manner.

During this temporary confinement, I would call the lawyer every other day, since I had taken a disposable cell phone out of inventory and was using it just for this purpose. Having to make clandestine calls in this manner made me begin to feel as if I were part of some second-rate spy movie or involved in a bad kidnapping plot. I was beginning to think I was doing everything in my power to keep from being accosted by some sleazy looking foreign agents or attempting to remain hidden from the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies. I guess that last part may be partially true, although it wasn't because I'd committed a kidnapping, or had I? Unfortunately, if I were discovered, my eventual arrest would have even more dire consequences for me than what might happen to those movie characters, since they merely faced losing their fictional lives, where in my case a young boy's future, as well as my own freedom, lay in the balance.

During one of these calls, my lawyer told me that he had won a minor victory during the first round in court, since the judge decided that my lawyer was bound by attorney-client privilege and, therefore, was professionally obligated not to divulge his source. However, DSS had filed the appropriate paperwork to appeal this decision, so this meant a higher court would now hear the case.

My lawyer also told me that he thought he was being followed by a private investigator, so there was no way he could meet with me in person. After hearing this, I told him that wouldn't be a problem, at least for now, but he also advised me to be careful and to make sure Bryce remained out of sight until things calmed down. He promised he'd let me know when the heat was off, so I thanked him and hung up, but I continued to wonder just how long this was going to take.

A couple of days later, I called my attorney again, but this time his mood was more somber.

"Kyle, I don't know how to tell you this," he began, "but I think somehow the DSS got copies of my phone records, so they know who called me and whom I've called. I'm not sure how long it will take them to figure anything out, but are you sure you can't get Bryce away from the area, at least for a few weeks?"

"I could, but will that really do any good?" I wondered.

"Well, if they're looking for you, we could just have your secretary tell them you're out of town on a business trip, but then we'd know for sure if they're looking for you specifically," he suggested. "You do take business trips from time to time, don't you?"

"Yes, I do and it would cover my being away," I agreed, "but how would that explain why a single guy is calling a family court lawyer?"

"Maybe we could say that you were gathering information to help one of your brothers or sisters with one of their children," he suggested. "Or you could say that you were considering taking in one of your nephews to live with you for a while, until things settled down for him at home, and you called me because you wanted advice about your legal responsibilities if you did that. You could tell them you wanted to know your standing about enrolling him in school, signing permission slips for him and if you'd legally be able to make medical decision for him, in case he were to get sick or injured while he was with you. I'm sure that would cover our calls."

"And what if they asked to contact my brother or sister, so the could verify the information?" I pressed.

"That is always a possibility," he confirmed. "Do you think you could get one of them to cover for you?"

"And just how would I explain why I needed them to do this for me?" I challenged. "I'm not sure they'd understand why I was trying to help some runaway I hardly knew, especially if it could get me in trouble with the law."

"Well, I'm not so sure I understand that either," he admitted. "Maybe if you explained it to me, then I could help you figure out a way to explain it to them."

"It's because the system has been worse for him than his being on his own," I began, with a vehement and accusatory tinge to my tone. "I merely want to give him a fresh start and provide him with at least a few years of being able to enjoy just being a kid. I haven't taken advantage of him in any way, even he'd tell you that, and we have done nothing illegal, other than possibly my hiding him out. I just feel the kid needs someone to put his best interests first and DSS has proven they aren't the ones who can do that for him."

"I'll take your word on it that you haven't taken advantage or harmed him, and I agree with your logic, so I'll do whatever I can to assist you," he confirmed. "You could also explain it to you siblings that way. Just mentioned that you happened to stumble across the boy, heard his story and wanted to do something to help. Being parents themselves, I'm sure they would probably understand that. In the meantime, just try to get him away from the local area until the dust settles."

"I'll see what I can do and I'll let you know what I'm able to work out," I advised him.

After finishing that call, I went focus on my business. First, I began to discuss a variety of topics with my secretary, to give her the background information she would need to be able to cover for me. I explained I was doing this because I needed to take my nephew away for a while, so I would appreciate it if she could handle things for me during while we were gone. After she agreed to do this, I told her I'd call her once a day to answer any questions she might have and I'd give her a forwarding address from time to time, so she could send any paperwork I needed to sign using UPS or Fed Ex. After I finished going over all of this with her, I advised her that she could also call me on my cell phone if she had any questions or problems that couldn't wait until I called her and she agreed she'd be happy to do these things for me.

Since that was settled, she and I began to look at what was planned for the next few weeks, since I wasn't certain how long we might be gone. As we did this, I filled her in about the things she was unfamiliar with and began by explaining to her about suppliers she would be dealing with and how to determine what we would need to order from them. Then, I told her which store manager she could use for back up and support, seeing he was my most experienced manager and had covered for me in the past. I also told her that he'd be able to help her with any issues that arose concerning any of the other stores or their employees, just in case something came up and it need to be dealt with quickly. While we were going over those last few items, the phone rang and she answered it. A second later, she was telling me my lawyer was on the line.

"My lawyer? For me?" I asked, somewhat puzzled.

She looked at me strangely, but I couldn't very well tell her that he had promised not to call me at the office, just to clear up her confusion. Since he had, I knew I needed to take this call quickly.

"I'll take it in my office," I told her.

I went inside, shut the door and picked up the receiver.

"This is Kyle, but I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me here for now," I began.

"We did, but this is an emergency," he replied. "A contact of mine at family court has just informed me that a search warrant has been issued for your home."

"What? How can they do that?" I demanded.

"They obviously had probable cause to get one," he informed me. "I was told that one of the investigators had staked out your place and took a picture or pictures of Bryce through your windows. The authorities are heading over there as we speak, so I don't know what you'll be able to do now."

"They couldn't get any pictures like that without trespassing on my property," I protested. "There are too many trees and it's too secluded to take photos like that from the road, even with a telephoto lens. Are they allowed to go on my property without permission to do that?"

"Not if it was a DSS employee or even law enforcement, unless they got a warrant first," he answered, "but private investigators tend to blur the lines of what is and isn't legal."

"Well, I'm heading to the house right after I hang up," I agreed. "Will you meet me there?"

"Certainly. I'll be there as soon as I can," he confirmed.

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