Chapter 1
It All Begins

The phone rang and woke me up, so I rolled over and glanced at the clock. It wasn't even 6:00 yet, but I reached over and grabbed the phone off the nightstand because I concluded it must be some sort of emergency. I lifted it to my ear, said "Hello," and then I heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Eric, its Paul, and I've got a situation here that I need your help with."

My mind went into panic mode. Every time I heard from my friend, Paul Marshall, it always seemed to spell trouble for me. Well, maybe not trouble, but it meant I was going to be asked to do something that would create a great deal of extra work, cost me money, or both.

"I'm sorry about the time, but I think this is right up your alley. I know what you're probably thinking," Paul continued, interpreting my lack of a response as doubt as to whether or not I wanted to get involved in whatever he was pedaling this time, "but I could use your help. A kid was brought into the station last night after being busted for lewd conduct and offering sex for money. I've got a hunch on this one and suspect the kid was just doing what he had to survive on the streets."

"You've had a lot of hunches over the years, and they haven't all worked out as you thought."

"I know, but I don't think this is a bad kid. I'm just afraid that if he goes into the system, he'll come out a lot less redeemable than when he went in. If past experience is any indication, I'm afraid he'll come out hardened and cynical after he spends time inside. Not only that, but he'll learn a lot worse ways to make a living on the streets after being caged up with a bunch of hardcore street kids and gang-bangers that are in there already. I need a certified professional to step in and sign him out for treatment, and of course that's where you come in."

"Yes, of course, that would be me. Who else would you get involved in one of your hair-brained schemes?"

"Eric, I know I've gotten you mixed up in some things in the past that I probably shouldn't have…"

"ABSOLUTELY shouldn't have," I cut him off.

"Ok, I agree with that, but this one is different. I think this time you could actually save a life." He paused to give me time to think about what he'd just said. "I truly mean it. This kid's future is in our hands, but mostly yours. If you do what I hope you can do for him, he'll have a chance to grow up fairly normal, and he'll be able to lead a healthy and productive life. However, if you don't help, well then he might end up dead before he's twenty-one, possibly by committing suicide, getting killed by some whacko client, or getting shot by a cop. At best he'd end up living a life of crime or spending it locked up in some secure facility."

He paused and waited for me to say something, but when I didn't, he continued. "You've got to trust me on this one. I haven't been a cop for over ten years without being able to read people, and seeing you're a psychologist; you'd be able to tell this too if you would take the time to talk to the boy. How about it? Will you come down here and at least speak with the kid before you turn me down. It's for him you'd be doing this, not me."

I had a feeling he'd added the last comment because he knew I was a sucker for kids, and I'd be more likely to do it for that reason, rather than because he was asking me to get involved. After all, it's why I became a psychologist, got my Ph.D., and sought out a job in a school system. Damn, he had me hooked again, and now he was reeling me in. I took a few seconds to digest all the points he had made first, and then I gave him my answer.

"Ok, I'll meet with this boy before I make a decision. What if I come down to the station in about three hours? Seeing you woke me up, I haven't showered, brushed my teeth, or eaten yet, so it will take a little while to get ready, and you know I have a bit of a drive ahead of me to get there."

"Yeah, I understand, that will be fine. Thanks, Eric, and I know you won't regret this."

"I certainly hope not, or you can erase my phone number from your memory permanently."

I heard him chuckle on the other end. "Ok, I promise."

***

After he hung up, I laid back to think about what I had just gotten myself in. Paul was a great guy, although there were times when he tended to act before he thought things through, and that's not a good trait for a police officer. However, he only seemed to do this with people who were unable to take care of themselves, such as the mentally disabled, infirmed, destitute, disenfranchised, and children. Otherwise, he was a great cop, and that's probably how he got promoted to sergeant.

We'd gone through elementary and high school together and had always been good friends, if not best friends, although there were times when we couldn't stand one another. The thing was that no matter how mad we got at each other, or the rotten things we did or said when we were upset, we were always able to put it behind us and work things out in the end. We would apologize and promise not to let anything like that happen again, and then things would go back to normal for a while. It was pretty much how our friendship went throughout our entire school careers.

There was something else as well, something that no one else knew about at the time. Paul also understood that I liked boys, not girls, and he let me do things with him a few times when we were teens. From seventh grade and until we graduated from high school, I'd suck him off, and he would jack me off in return, but he'd never do more than that. Paul was also one of the few cops I knew who didn't vehemently hate gays. Paul remained sort of an enigma, although I never doubted his heart was in the right place, now I wondered what he was getting me involved in.

Seeing I lived nearly two hours from the city because I preferred the peace and quiet of the country over the noise and bustle of urban life, I raced around to get ready so that I could talk to Paul and the boy. Damn it; I'd just started summer vacation and didn't think I would be rushing around like this so soon, at least not until school started again in the fall. Leave it to Paul to screw up my vacation.

After getting showered and dressed, I hopped in the driver's seat and took off for the police station while wondering what was in store for me there. Paul had called me to help him out with other situations before, but most of them had ended up being more of a hassle than anything else. I was never convinced of the value of my contribution in any of those cases, and once it almost got me killed.

It occurred while I was helping him deal with an over-stimulated career criminal and drug addict. Paul hadn't revealed the extent of the guy's problems to me, and during the initial interview, I must have said something that touched a nerve. Before I realized what was happening, the guy jumped up, leaned across the interview table, grabbed me around the throat, and was squeezing it with every ounce of strength he had. Fortunately, Paul and another officer were observing the interview and were able to get inside to pull the guy away before he finished strangling me. I nearly refused to help Paul after that incident, but he's managed to con me into assisting him again and again.

There was another time when I was nearly incarcerated with the person Paul had asked me to help. This time the guy had already been arraigned and given an appearance ticket before I got there, so I met with him outside of the courthouse. In an attempt to interview him in a neutral setting, I took him to a diner where we could sit, talk, and have a cup of coffee.

While we were there, another man came up to our table and began to hassle the guy that was with me. I'm not sure if they knew each other before that, but the situation quickly escalated. The guy I was with suddenly lost his cool, leaped up and gave the instigator a shove to get him to back off. Infuriated, the other man came charging back, and a fight ensued. I got up and did my best to break it up, but I was no match for the other two, and they took turns tossing me aside.

One of the employees at the diner panicked, called the cops and requested their help, and when they showed up I was nearly hauled off and booked with the brawling pair. Needless to say, after those episodes I was more than a little leery whenever Paul called to ask for my assistance. The thing was that Paul always knew just the right buttons to push so that I would give in, and what he told me this time had intrigued me enough to make me stick my neck out once again.

When I finally arrived at the police station, Paul spotted me as soon as I walked through the door. I wondered why he was still there since I was certain there had been a shift change since he first called. It must be a very special case if Paul was still hanging around because Paul didn't like to give up what little free time he had so easily. He took me over to check in with the officer manning the front desk, and then he guided me back to meet the kid.

"Eric, thanks for coming down," he told me as we walked down the corridor. "Let me fill you in a little before we go in to see this boy." I looked into Paul's eyes and could tell he was very sincere and even a little emotional at this point, so I nodded my consent. "Let's go into this room so we can talk privately."

As soon as we were inside, he began telling me what he knew. "This kid was brought in last night, just before I came on duty. They'd just finished taking his fingerprints, mug shots, and things like that, but it was left to me to get some information out of him. Up to that point he hadn't told the other officers anything, so all we knew was that he'd solicited a plainclothes security guard in the men's room at the mall."

Paul must have noticed something about the look on my face, so he clarified. "Don't make too much about that fact, because I don't think he's really a bad kid, Eric. I've got a feeling he's either a runaway or a throwaway, and I think he was just trying to get enough money to survive. When I asked him about his family and why he was doing this, he showed some signs of panic before he got his reactions back under control. I'd obviously struck a nerve when I asked him about his parents."

"That may be, but why am I here?"

"If he goes into the system, then he'll most likely end up in juvy, and I'm not sure anything good will come of that. However, if I sign him over to your custody and say it's for treatment at a residential center, then you can help him work through his problems and see why he was making that offer in the first place."

"Whoa, hang on there. First of all, this is my summer vacation, and more importantly, I don't work at or run a residential center."

"Come on, Eric," he shot back while his eyes were pleading with me. "We both know you don't need to work, and you could start your own center if you wanted to."

"That may be true. If I wanted to do something like that, I certainly could, because I have the means to pull it off, but have you ever heard me say I want to do anything like that?"

"You like helping kids, and you have that huge place all to yourself, so this could actually help you too. It must get really lonely living so far away from everything and not having anyone else there with you, so take this boy and help him work through his problems. You might even wind up saving his life by doing this, if not physically, then emotionally, but at least you'd be helping him turn things around and getting him going in the right direction."

Damn, he was doing it again, and he'd managed to strike a nerve with what he said. Even if I still thought it was a bad idea, he'd made some good points. First of all, he was right, and I often felt lonely living all by myself. I liked the peace and quiet of living in the country, but there were times when I wished I had someone to share my good fortune, but I wasn't sure if this was the way to end the loneliness. There were times when I wished I had someone in my life, but not a patient or a foster child. I wasn't keen about taking in strays, so to speak, but my strong desire to help youngsters deal with the lousy hand life dealt them made me actually consider his suggestion. I even began to think this might not be such a bad idea after all, but before I agreed to do anything, I had to make sure this was the right kid to start with.

"I said I'd talk to the boy, but I'm not going to commit to anything until after I've done that. How old is he anyway?"

"He wouldn't say, but I would guess that he's in the twelve to fourteen-year-old age range."

"Holy shit, that young? I was thinking he'd be somewhere between fifteen to eighteen-years-old, considering what he was brought in for. I'm not a babysitter and I'm not sure I'd be willing to take in anyone that young. I mean, kids that age need a lot of attention and can require an excessive amount of supervision."

"I know, but I think this might be one of those exceptions where it will be worth the effort. Just talk to him, please?"

Ok, ok. I'll talk to him, but possibly nothing more. However, before I go in there, you need to fill me in about the details of what he did."

"Fair enough, so let me show you the security guard's report."

He took me out to his desk and dug through the paperwork stacked upon it. After a few seconds, he pulled out a sheet of paper, so I took it from him and read it.

'I went to the men's room at the mall to relieve myself, and as soon as I went inside, I noticed a boy standing at one of the urinals. I walked up to one of the empty urinals to do my business, but I could tell the boy was watching me. After I finished emptying my bladder, I looked over to see why the kid was still there, and that's when he flashed me a big smile and turned so I could get a good look at his penis. I guess because I didn't immediately turn away from him or say anything, he began to manipulate it until it became erect, and then he began to whack off with me watching him.

'He then asked if I was interested in having some fun and directed me to follow him to the back stall. He immediately headed back there without even putting his dick away, so I followed him to see how far he was planning to go with this. When I reached the cubicle, he told me the things he was willing to do and for how much. That's when I informed him I was mall security and took him into custody. He tried to run at that point, but his privates were still hanging out of his jeans, so I stopped him easily. After I had him make himself decent, I took him to the security office and called the local police department to pick him up.'

The security guard had signed the statement to make it official, and two more officers had signed it as witnesses, but it was much more than I was expecting. I looked up to say something to Paul, but he beat me to the punch.

"I really think the kid was only doing it to survive and get some money. I don't think he is really a street hustler, and I believe you'd be doing him a big favor by taking him for rehab treatment at your place."

"Nice sentiment, but I don't run a rehab."

"We can cover that."

"And what am I supposed to do once he's there and what kind of rehab do you expect me to provide?"

"Hey, you're the professional, doc, so you'll have to figure that part out. Besides, you know more about this than I do." He released a little chuckle after saying this, knowing he was the one who started this whole affair in the first place.

"Ok, even if I figure out what to do with him, I don't have a secure facility and he could take off at any time. How can I possibly prevent something like that from happening? I can't lock him in a room or spend every single minute with him, so what would you suggest?"

"Don't worry. I'll take the heat if he bolts, but I don't think he will. I just ask that you work with him and do whatever you can."

"But that's going to take a lot of effort," I protested.

"Let's face it, Eric, you have the time. You're not working over the summer, so you're more than able to do this, and Lord knows why you're still working anyway. It's not like you need the money or anything. If you're willing to give up some of your vacation to help out, I believe he'll stay put once he has a safe place to live. While he's with you, maybe you can find out enough about him so we can locate his family or at least discover why he's on his own."

"I don't know how I let you talk me into doing shit like this, but ok. I'll do it for a month, and then we'll reevaluate the situation, but I won't take the heat if this kid runs off."

"That's ok because I told you I'd take the blame if that happens."

"And if he's not working out," I added, "then you'll have to take him back and do whatever you need to do with him. Ok?"

"Fair enough, so follow me."

He led me down another corridor and made a couple of turns along the way before we reached a small room. Another officer was standing in the hallway beside the door when we arrived, so Paul told him he could leave before we entered. The only objects inside were a small table, a few chairs, and a young boy sitting on the far side of the table. He had brown, shaggy, unkempt hair and soulful brown eyes, and he glanced up as we entered. He not only looked scared, but he also appeared sad and confused at the same time. On top of that, he didn't seem able to sit still and was fidgeting in his chair. It almost appeared as if he was sitting on a hill of fire ants, but his restlessness was more than likely due to his being scared about what was going to happen next.

I took a good look to see what I might be able to ascertain about him. He was a little on the slender side, but he wasn't emaciated, although it did appear as if he could use a few good meals. He was more than a little uncomfortable in this setting, but that was to be expected under the circumstances. I was surprised to find myself thinking he was cute, in a helpless puppy dog sort of way, and I began thinking to myself that I'd more than likely do whatever it took to help him out of this predicament. I walked over to the table that stood between us, and sat down on one of the chairs on the near side of the table, while Paul remained standing just inside the door. The boy merely stared at me and didn't say a word.

"I'm not a cop, so you can relax," I began, trying to reassure him. "My name is Eric, and I'm just here to see if I can help you out of this mess. I'm a psychologist, and I've been asked to take temporary custody of you, in sort of a halfway house setting. That way, you won't have to spend any time in jail or a juvenile facility, but I'm only willing to do this if it's what you want and if you promise to cooperate with me. I'm on vacation at the moment and have no desire to burden myself with a huge problem, so it's entirely up to you. What do you say? Would you prefer to be released into my custody, or would you rather be locked up here or in the juvenile detention center?"

I thought I'd made a choice obvious for him, but he didn't respond right away. Instead, he merely stared at Paul, knowing he was the officer in charge. After a minute of this standoff, I looked back at Paul and spoke.

"Would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes, officer? I think we might make more progress if we were alone."

"Sure," he hesitantly offered, "but I'll be right outside if you need me."

I nodded and he left, so I turned to the boy and spoke again. "Does that help?"

Once again, he didn't immediately respond, so I continued talking. "Look, kid, I'm only trying to help. That's all."

This time he eyed me suspiciously, and then he finally spoke. "Why would you want to help me?"

"As a favor to a friend," I told him honestly.

"I'm not your friend. We've never even met before now." He looked puzzled.

"The friend I'm helping is the officer who just stepped out of the room. He seems to think that you don't belong locked up in a jail cell or a juvenile center, and he thought maybe I could help. He knows I'm a psychologist, and I have a big place in the country, and he also knows that I enjoy working with young people. He took a chance that maybe you'd prefer to go with me instead of being locked up behind bars, but that choice is yours to make, not ours."

He studied me for a while longer as he tried to decide if he should trust me. "And what happens if I go with you?"

"Well, you'll live in my house and spend some of the time talking to me about yourself and how you happened to wind up in this situation. That will help me get to know you better because eventually I'll have to make a recommendation to the court about what should be done with you. It's only fair that you know my recommendation will depend on what I learn from you and how well you cooperate. If you don't seem to be a threat to society, then you probably won't be sent to a juvenile facility and can possibly be sent home. If that's not an option then the court can direct social services to find you a nice family to live with."

He didn't respond to my comment, but he displayed some very interesting body language when I mentioned his home, so I gathered I might have hit upon another sore spot. After waiting a couple of minutes for him to say something, I finally broke the deadlock.

"Look, that's in the future, so maybe we should concentrate on the present for now. What do you say? Would you be willing to stay with me for the time being, or would you rather be locked up?"

He eyed me some more before he responded. "Ok, I'll go with you, cuz it sounds better than the other choices you gave me. So what do I have to do?"

"First, you have to promise that you won't run away or try to steal from me. I don't have any guards to stop you from taking off or keep you from loading up your pockets or a pillowcase with valuables, so you'll have to be on your honor. Will you promise me that?"

"Ok. I promise I won't try to run away or steal nothin'."

"Or steal anything," I corrected him instinctively, but then I thought possibly I shouldn't have done that. He didn't seem to overreact or become offended by my impromptu grammar lesson, but he did respond to it.

"Ok, I promise I won't try to run away or steal ANYTHING," he reiterated, so I smiled at him to let him know I appreciated his cooperation.

"Ok, great. Let me go back outside and set everything up with my friend, and then I'll come back to get you. Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah…" and then he stopped. It seemed as if he was about to say something else, but he didn't, so I turned toward the door to leave. "Thanks, mister, cuz I know you didn't have to do this for me."

His words stopped me dead in my tracks, and I turned back toward him. "You're welcome, and we all need a break every now and then. Just remember to make the most of it when you get one,"

He nodded, and I left the room to formalize the arrangements with Paul. I'm not exactly sure how Paul cleared it with his superiors, but I suspect he had somehow managed to avoid actually booking the boy on any charges, so there was no record of him. They may have fingerprinted him and taken his mug shot, but I imagine they'd done that to scare the boy and make him realize the severity of the charges. I guess Paul had kept those items and was planning to use them so he could learn more about the boy's identity. I believe he wants to help this kid, and now it's my turn to see what I can do. It's up to me to find out what was going on in this boy's life.

"Hey, kiddo, I think you'd better hit the toilet before we leave," I said as I reentered the room. "I don't live just down the street, so it's going to be a long drive to get to my place."

He flashed me a wicked little grin before he responded. "Ok, where's the restroom?"

"First, we need to go out in the hallway," I began as I walked out of the room and waited for him to follow. "It's right over here," I said as I pointed at the door, "and no messing around in there. Understand?"

His grin faded when he realized I wasn't going with him, but then he nodded that he understood my meaning. He went in and relieved himself, and when he walked by me, I judged him to be about five feet, four inches [1.6 m] tall. When he finished and rejoined me in the hallway, I led him out to my car. Well, it isn't really a car, although it was built for comfort. Out where I lived, I needed something rugged, yet I wanted something luxurious, so I bought a Cadillac Escalade ESV. It might be a bit pretentious, but it was what I wanted and met all of my needs.

***

While we'd been walking, I made a few more observations about him. He looked small for his age, although I still wasn't sure how old he was, and he seemed to walk with a bounce in his step. This let me know he wasn't down or depressed at this point, or he would have been shuffling or slinking along. He had a somewhat blank expression on his face most of the time, but he would flash me a little smile every once in a while, possibly as a thank you for getting him out of the police station.

He was quite excited and impressed when he saw what he'd be riding in, but he didn't say much during the trip home. It might have been because he was busy checking out the interior of my SUV instead, but I managed to ask him a few questions about himself and his family background along the way. He gave me a little more information, although most of it was vague, and I assumed that was intentional. He didn't want to say too much until he was sure he could trust me, but I still managed to discover that he wasn't a local. He said he left home because of some problems, but he wouldn't elaborate on what the issues were. Now that I knew he was a runaway, I also got the impression that there was probably no one looking for him. From what little he told me, there didn't appear to be much love on either side.

When we came to a diner along the way, I decided to stop so we could grab a bite to eat. I was hungry, and from the looks of the kid, I was sure he was too, especially if he'd been at the police station since before midnight when Paul's shift began.

"Are you ready to eat?" I asked as I pulled into the parking area and came to a stop.

"I don't got no money."

"Well, I do, and I'm buying, so are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I was stuck in that place for hours, and all they gave me was some soda to drink."

"Then let's go inside and take care of that problem for you, Ok?"

His grin and the nod of his head told me all that I needed to know, so we went inside and sat in a booth. "Order whatever you want."

"Really?"

"Of course. Everything seems reasonably priced, so this isn't going to break the bank."

"Thanks."

I shouldn't have been surprised that he ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake, so I did the same. When we finished, I talked him into having a slice of Boston cream pie with me as well. He didn't know what it was, so I explained it to him before he agreed, and then he wolfed it down when the waitress delivered it to the table.

When we were done, I paid for our meals and left the waitress a good tip for being so nice, and then we got back in my SUV and continued the journey home.

Chapter 2
Getting Acquainted

When we eventually reached our destination, I stopped to check if there was anything in my mailbox first before starting up the long driveway to the house. The kid's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he started looking around.

"This is where you live?" he gasped in amazement. He had barely seen anything by this point, just the long driveway, an open field in front of us, a rather large pond on the right, and a vast wooded area on the left.

"Yes, this is the place I like to call home."

"Is it a ranch or something?"

"Not really, although I do own quite a bit of land, but other than the house, there are only a couple of other buildings. There's no barn, and I don't have any animals, because I didn't feel I'd have the time to take care of them properly."

I'd been glancing in his direction while I was speaking to him, but I wasn't sure if he'd even heard what I said. Hell, I wasn't even sure if any of the information was of interest to him, even though he had asked the question.

"How big is this place? It looks enormous."

His head was pivoting on his neck like a radar scanner gone berserk as he attempted to examine everything we passed. It almost seemed as if he was afraid he might miss even one minute detail of what was there.

"I own about 960 acres, but the best part is that it's abutted against nearly 10,000 acres of government land, so it looks far larger than it actually is. We can go on the government land as well, as long as we don't do anything illegal."

He suddenly looked down at his lap, and a sheepish expression crossed his face when I said this. Belatedly, it made me realize that I'd inadvertently made him think about what he'd been picked up for and why he was currently with me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that. I merely meant you couldn't hunt illegally, do any logging, or things of that nature."

He looked a bit relieved after I'd clarified my statement, and eventually, he spoke again. "Are you rich or something?"

"Let's just say that I'm comfortable. Ok?"

He nodded in response, but as we drew closer to the house, he began to ask even more questions. "Wow, that's neat. I've never been in a log cabin before."

"Well, it's not exactly the old frontier type of log cabin. It was built specifically for me, and I had more than a few extras included."

"That's cool, and it's way better than what I expected."

I hit the button on the remote garage door opener and pulled inside as soon as there was enough of a gap to enter. He was suddenly excited again.

"I can't believe it. You have a four-wheeler too?" His eyes were nearly popping from their sockets as he visually inspected the ATV in the other bay of the garage.

"Yes, I use it to get around the place, because it takes too long to walk to most areas. Some of the terrains are pretty rugged, but the ATV can take me most places I need to go."

"Can you take me out on it sometime?"

"Well, if you continue to fill me in about yourself, then I'll take you out either later today or tomorrow. Would that be agreeable with you?"

"Yeah, I can live with that." He appeared slightly dejected that he would have to wait, but he seemed resigned to his fate as I led him into the house.

"Oh, man. This place is awesome," he commented as he looked around. "It's huge."

"Thank you for your vote of approval." I enjoyed watching his reaction as he checked out the great room, kitchen, and dining area.

"I didn't know log cabins could be this nice inside, but except for seeing the logs for walls, it looks just like a regular house. It's one of the nicest homes I've ever seen, even on TV or in the movies."

"Well, thank you again, and I'm glad you approve."

"Approve? This is unbelievable. It makes my old house look like it wouldn't even be good enough to be the servants' quarters here." Hmmm, he just gave me a little more insight into his private life.

"Would you like to tell me about that?" I asked, hoping he'd let his guard down even more and share a few more details about his home life. He stared at me for a few seconds, but then he finally nodded.

"It's the house my mother and step-father live in, but it's nothing like this place. It's not my home anymore, so I don't really care about it any longer. It was old, small, and not very nice, and I hope I never see it again."

"Why's that?" I countered, trying to get a little more information.

"I'll tell you later, but now I want to see your whole house. Ok?"

"Sure, kiddo. You've done your job, so now I'll do mine. By the way, what's your name? I can't continue calling you kiddo all the time, now can I?"

"Kota," he whispered.

"Yoda?" I asked puzzled. "You mean like the character in the Star Wars movies?"

He began to giggle. "Not Yoda, silly. I said, Kota."

He enunciated more clearly this time and said it much louder, so I was able to understand him. "That's an unusual name. Is it short for something?"

He eyed me suspiciously again before responding. "Yeah, my real name is Dakota, but I only use it when I have to."

"Why? I think Dakota is a wonderful name. Unique, strong, and it gives you a feeling of raw, native strength."

"Even after seeing me?" he countered, giving me a disbelieving look. I assumed he was referring to his slight build. "And you haven't had to listen to the jokes that I've heard about my name."

"Jokes? Such as?" It didn't seem as if he wanted to tell me, but I think he remembered that he'd promised to cooperate so I'd give him a ride on the four-wheeler.

"Like is that North or South Dakota? Or is it top…" he stopped short and clamped his hands over his mouth. His eyes nearly jettisoned from their sockets when he realized that he'd nearly shared more than he wanted. Now, I just had to figure out what he'd almost said and why he thought it would have been so damning.

***

I decided to ignore it for now and took him on a tour of the house instead. I didn't want to interrogate him and make him feel as if he was dangling from a hook and needed to explain what he'd nearly said. I thought it would be better to give him a chance to relax and feel more at ease first, and then possibly he'd share that information with me on his own. If it didn't happen, then I'd merely pursue his last comment at an appropriate time, but for now I thought it would be best if he became acquainted with his new home.

I showed him the downstairs first, which consisted of the great room (or living room), the dining area, and the large kitchen, along with the family room. It was divided from the rest of the living area by another wall, and there was a large fireplace directly across from the entrance. I then took him to see the laundry room and half bath, and once he'd seen everything on the lower level, I took him upstairs and showed him the bedrooms next.

I don't know why I'd chosen to have such a large house constructed when I first purchased the land and decided to live here. I knew I'd be living alone, but I guess subconsciously I might have thought that I'd invite friends from college or high school to come to spend time with me, possibly even spend their vacations here.

I also planned on having parties at the house and inviting lots of friends and people I worked with, and there was always the chance that some of them might become inebriated and have to spend the night. Who knows, I might have also thought that one day I would find a nice guy to marry and then we'd adopt and have a family of our own.

There were four other bedrooms, in addition to the master bedroom, they were all quite large and fully furnished, and I showed Dakota each of them. I explained which one was my bedroom and allowed him to look around a bit. The master bedroom was above the family room, and it had a fireplace as well, which immediately drew Dakota's attention. After he had time to check it out, I let him do the same with the other bedrooms, along with the two bathrooms that they shared before I gave him the choice of any of them.

He seemed a bit overwhelmed by this simple gesture and said he'd never had a room as nice as any of them, so he'd be happy no matter which room I let him use. Even though he seemed to be asking me to make the choice for him, I insisted that he pick the one he'd prefer. Eventually he resigned himself to do as I asked and kept walking in and out of the remaining bedrooms as he attempted to decide which one he liked best. Finally, he looked at me and announced his decision.

"Ok, I'll take this one next to yours. I love the bed, and there's a great view from the window." I grinned at his reasoning.

"Ok, then that's your room for now, and if the door is closed, then I'll knock and wait for permission before I enter. Does that sound fair?"

"But it's your house," he protested mildly, "so you should be able to go in there anytime you want."

"That's true when the door is open, or I know you're not inside, but I will respect your privacy and knock when you're inside."

"Ok, and I'll let you pick which bathroom you want to use, and then I'll use the other one," he offered as sort of a compromise.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but my room has its own bathroom so you can use either one. You'll merely have to share them with any guests who might stay over."

He looked puzzled. "I didn't see a bathroom in your bedroom."

"That's probably because you were spending so much time looking at the fireplace. The bathroom is behind the door in the far corner. Come on and I'll show you."

I led him back to my bedroom, but this time I opened the bathroom door and gave him a quick look inside. Once he'd seen it, I opened another door to show him my large, walk-in closet. When I turned around, his mouth was hanging open.

"Damn, your closet is as big as my bedroom was at my old house," he gasped, still not believing how large it was.

"Yes, I know. Others have had similar reactions when they first saw it. Did you check out the closet in your room, because that's pretty big too?"

He shook his head and I signaled him to follow me so I could show him the closet. When I opened the door to it, his mouth dropped open. His closet was only about a third the size of mine, and on one wall, there were a series of drawers that would take the place of a dresser and chest of drawers. There were also shelves that he could place his shoes or other items, and on the other side were bars he could use to hang his clothes.

"But I don't got hardly anything to put in there. It's too much wasted space, so I'd better take one of the other bedrooms."

"I'm afraid it won't make a difference because the other bedrooms have closets about the same size." He just stood there and gawked at me, as if he didn't believe what I just told him. "I can show you if you'd like, but I'm telling you the truth. Besides, you may end up with more things over time, so why don't you just stay put in this room."

He didn't respond, so I guess he'd silently resigned himself to stay there, but his comment made me do some thinking. "You know, it didn't dawn on me before, but you didn't bring anything with you. Where are all your clothes and other things?"

"What little I have is hidden back in the city, near where I slept the last night I was there. I always had to hide my stuff so other people wouldn't steal it."

"Hmmm, maybe you should have told me this before I brought you here. Now you have nothing else to wear."

My comment caused him to look both sad and scared at the same time, as if he had done something wrong or that he'd disappointed me. He might have even been worried that I was going to punish him for it, so I decided to let him know that wasn't going to happen.

"Ok, this is what we'll do then. Tonight after you get ready for bed I'll take all your clothes and wash them, and then they'll be clean for you to wear again tomorrow. After breakfast, we'll drive back into the city and pick up your things, and then we'll drive over to the mall and pick up whatever else you might need. Does that sound all right to you?"

"Uh, you don't have to go to the mall for me. I can just use the stuff I have."

"You let me be the judge of that. When we pick up your things, I'll check out what you have first, and then I'll decide what else you still need. We'll purchase those items before we return, and then you should be all set."

"I'm tellin' you that ya don't have to spend any money on me. It's more than enough that you're lettin' me stay here with you in this awesome house." He was being very sincere, so I could tell he'd been taught not to impose on other people's kindness, as well as always being polite.

"Look, I have no problem doing these things for you, and I'm glad I'm able to. There are often times in our lives when we depend on the kindness and generosity of friends and even strangers, and I'm just offering you that chance now. It's not charity, but merely a chance to overcome the obstacles that put you here in the first place. You don't owe me anything for it, because I'm doing it as a personal favor so you can get a fresh start."

"But why do you want to do all of this for me? You don't even know me. Well, at least you didn't before this mornin'."

"That's true, and it started out as a favor for my friend, the cop who was with us at the police station."

"But I didn't know him either."

"I also understand that, but he's seen a lot of kids who have come through his station, and he thought you were a boy who didn't belong there. He's usually pretty good at reading people, so I trusted his judgment and agreed to help you out."

"But why did he think that about me? I wouldn't even talk to him."

"As I said, he's pretty good at reading people, and not just from the things they tell him. He reads other clues too, and he saw something in you that he felt was worth helping. That's why he called me and asked if I'd be willing to help you as well."

"And you said yes even before you met me?"

"No, not exactly. I told him I'd come down and meet you first, and then I'd let him know if I thought I could help. After meeting you, I also felt you were worth taking a chance on, so here we are." He looked down at his feet as I was speaking.

"Thank you for doing that, but I probably don't deserve it."

"Why would you say a thing like that?"

I was floored that he'd just said this, and he remained with his eyes glued to the floor and didn't respond. I knew he felt he must have done something terrible, and I guessed it was the reason he'd been offering to sell himself to stay alive.

"Well, that doesn't matter now. Why don't we go outside and I'll give you a quick ride around some of this place? It will take too long for you to see it all, but I can give you a quick ride around some of it on the four-wheeler, so that might be fun."

He smiled at me, and I took it to mean he was accepting my offer. I walked out to the garage where the SUV and four-wheeler were parked, and Dakota followed right behind me. I grabbed a helmet and handed it to him while urging him to put it on, and I put on my helmet too. I then got on the four-wheeler and started it before instructing him to get on behind me. Once he was in place, I told him to wrap his arms around my chest, so he didn't slide off, and then I took him out for a quick tour of the immediate surroundings.

***

When we started out, I took him over to the trail that wound through the wooded area between the government land and my property first. We followed it for a couple of miles until we came to the top of a hill, and then I chose to follow the crystal clear creek that ran down the hillside and meandered through my property. I couldn't see how Dakota was reacting to any of this, but I tried to point out a few things along the way. However, I could feel his helmet as it brushed across my back multiple times whenever he turned his head to look from one side to the other along the way. I stopped at one point and asked how he liked it so far, and he could barely gasp out his comment.

"It's… it's great! And all of this land is yours?"

"No, the land on the left side of the trail was government land before we turned along the creek, but you seldom find any people out here at all. Most of the time, all you'll ever see is the wildlife that makes this place its home, mostly deer, rabbits, squirrels, and some birds, but you never see them when you're on the four-wheeler. It makes too much noise and scares them off long before you get close enough to spot them. Sometime we'll walk out here and see what we can discover. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, it sounds cool." He paused, and I could tell something was bothering him. Finally, he let me know what it was. "But how long will I be staying here?"

"Well, that would probably be up to you. If you get to the point where you think you're ready to go back home, then I'll make sure we do it before you leave, but you're welcome to stay as long as you need."

"But what about school? And you have to work, don't you?"

"Well, the school might be a problem, but I work at the school, so we might be able to get around any potential problems if you're still here in the fall."

"Oh, you work at a school. What do you do there?"

"I'm the school psychologist. Don't you remember I told you that before?"

"I guess not. There's been so much going on that I musta forget some of it."

"That's ok. There's no rush to remember everything."

Now that we'd finished chatting, I started following the creek again, and since we were going downhill, Dakota's body was pressed even more tightly against mine. I could feel his body heat against my own as his slender frame pressed against my back, and his arms wrapped tightly about my chest. It was almost as if we were now just one body sitting astride a recreational machine.

When we reached the spot where I'd partially diverted the creek so it would fill the pond we'd passed when we first arrived, I followed that fork until we were near the pond. At that point, I sped across the field to reach the driveway and then I followed it back to the house. I was mildly disappointed when we had to separate and I could no longer feel his body pressed firmly against mine. It made me wonder if this was anything like what the mother of a newborn went through when suffering from postpartum depression.

It was starting to get late by the time I drove the ATV into the garage, and we headed into the house, so I was sure Dakota was probably getting hungry again. As soon as we were inside, I mentally thought about what I could fix for dinner, and then I explained the options to Dakota. He liked the idea of having pizza the best, so I took a frozen deep-dish pizza out of the freezer and popped it into the oven. I also fixed each of us a salad to go along with it, and then I asked if he wanted water or lemon-aide to drink. He said water would be fine, so that's what we both had. I also keep several different kinds of salad dressing in the fridge, since I had a salad with nearly every meal and liked to use different dressings depending on what I was having with it. He chose the Thousand Island dressing, so I went along and had the same thing.

As we sat down at the table, I was hoping that I'd be able to find out a little more about him before we went to bed. During dinner, he began to open up a little more, told me he was thirteen and would turn fourteen in the fall. He also advised me that his last name was Frost, so I jokingly asked if his father's first name was Jack. He didn't catch the joke and merely said no, but he continued to open up further and filled me in about more of his background.

He said his father's first name was Harold, but his parents divorced when he was three, and he'd only seen his father a few times since then. He explained that his father used to show up once a year for an hour or two, but after his mother remarried those visits had grown further apart until his dad stopped showing up at all.

He then told me his mother's name was Ann Marie Loftus, and his stepfather was the reason he ran away. He wouldn't tell me the details just yet, and I wasn't about to pressure him because I knew he'd fill me in when he thought the time was right. In fact, I was surprised he had given me this much information already. Young people tend to be more trusting and less cynical than those of us who have had the benefit of years of betrayal and disappointment, and even though he'd had some rough times, he remained open. I had a feeling the ride on the ATV might have made him trust me a little more, which was one of the reasons I took him out on it.

After we finished eating, he helped me clear off the table and even offered to do the dishes, but I told him we only had to rinse them off before putting them in the dishwasher. He hadn't noticed that before either, but I think he was happy it was there.

Once we finished taking care of everything, I asked what he wanted to do next. I didn't have anything special for someone his age, but he said he didn't care. He merely said it was nice just to be able to sit inside and not have to worry about what he was going to eat or where he would find a safe place to sleep. I knew this meant he'd been on his own for a while then, and it must have been really hard for someone his age to manage. Unfortunately, I suspected something really bad must have happened to make him take off on his own, and I couldn't wait to discover what had prompted him to run away.

"Would you like to watch television? I don't usually turn it on very often, but I have a satellite connection with a zillion channels. Don't ask me why I pay to have them, since I seldom even turn the dang thing on, except when I'm stuck inside for long periods of time, like during the winter. I prefer to be outdoors whenever I can."

"Yeah, TV is fine, and I like the outdoors too, just as long as I don't have to sleep there every night."

I nodded in understanding, knowing how relieved he must feel since he now had a place to stay where he felt safe. We ended up watching some sitcom, his choice, and when it ended, he came over and handed me the remote, telling me it was my turn to choose. I tried to explain that I didn't really care to watch anything, and I was merely keeping him company, but he wouldn't let me get out of having a turn of my own. He sat down beside me on the sofa as I browsed the programming lineup, and after reading through it for a couple of minutes, I finally decided to watch the movie 'Gladiator'. I'd heard many good things about it, but had never seen it before, so I thought this might be the perfect opportunity.

By the time I realized it might be a little too gory for my houseguest, we were both hooked on it. I pushed the pause button so that I could question him about it and he assured me he was okay with watching it, but he snuggled up against me during some of the gorier scenes. Possibly, he did this to make himself feel a little safer, and he even buried his face in my chest a couple of times when it got really bloody. By the time the movie ended, I had my arm wrapped around his slender shoulders as I attempted to let him know he was safe and nothing bad would happen to him here.

As the final credits began to scroll up the screen, I turned it off and suggested to Dakota that it was time for him to get cleaned up and ready for bed. I informed him there were towels in the linen closet that was located behind the bathroom door, and he could just drop his clothes outside on the floor while he was showering. I said I would come up to get them while he was washing up, and then I'd run them through the washer and dryer so he'd have clean clothes to put on in the morning.

I even gave him one of my tee-shirts to wear, one with the logo of my favorite college football team on it, even though I knew it would be much too large for him. I also informed him that he could grab a second towel and wrap it around his waist once he was dry, and then he could put the shirt on over it to cover up everything else. That way he wouldn't have to remain naked.

When he finished his shower and came downstairs again, he looked much better than he had earlier, and he also didn't look quite as lost and forlorn as when I'd first met him. I could immediately tell that he didn't have a towel wrapped around his waist, but my shirt hung down to his thighs and covered everything anyway, but I could see the bulge from his dick resting against it.

He came in and sat in a chair so he could talk to me, and he followed me out to the laundry room when I went out to switch his clothes from the washer to the dryer. I told him we could go to bed and get those things in the morning, or he could stay up until they were dry. He said he'd be all right in my shirt for the night, so we went up to our bedrooms, with him going into his room as I went into mine.

I wasn't sleepy, but I got ready for bed anyway, and then I propped up the pillows against the headboard so I could read for a while first. This was something I usually did before going to bed, and I'd been reading for about ten minutes when I heard a light knock on the door.

"You can come in."

When Dakota walked into my room, he was stark naked. I wasn't sure what to say or how to react, so I just remained quiet, although my mouth was more than likely hanging slightly open.

"I'm here to pay you back for being so nice to me," he announced, breaking the silence.

Chapter 3
Getting Settled In

"Dakota, you don't have to pay me back for anything." I knew what he meant, but I wasn't about to act on it.

"Sure I do. Nobody does nothin' for free and I've had to pay others like this when they did something nice for me. You can do whatever you want to me, or I can do it to you instead. It's up to you."

He looked at me as if he was waiting for instructions about what he should do next. I sat frozen on my bed, gawking at his slender, naked body. Even though I could count every rib beneath the pale skin on his chest, I was most impressed with the piece of meat dangling between his legs. It was a couple of inches [5cm] soft, cut, and had a band of brown, curly hair growing above it. It was absolutely gorgeous and almost made me fail to notice his narrow waist, his cute innie belly button, and his small, pink nipples. At this point, he started moving toward my bed.

"Dakota, I'm telling you that you don't have to do anything for me. I didn't help you just to make you pay me back with sex." He looked confused.

"I know you want to. I can see it on your face and in your eyes. I saw how you looked at my body and how you almost drooled when you saw my cock. I don't mind. I'll do whatever you want."

"Dakota, you're not listening. I told you there is nothing you have to do for me."

"Don't you like me?" He looked very sad and seemed to think I was rejecting him as a person.

"Oh yes, I like you very much, but this isn't necessary."

"But I don't mind. You can do whatever you want to me. I owe you big time for helping me like this."

"You don't owe me anything. I'm doing this because I want to, not because I have to or because I want something from you."

"So you don't want to have any kind of sex with me?" He looked shocked.

"I didn't say that. All I said is that you don't owe me anything, so you don't have to do it for that reason."

He still looked confused. "I don't understand."

"Look, I know you're too young to consent to having sex legally, and I certainly won't force you to do anything."

"But you're not forcing me; I'm offering."

"I also don't want to have sex merely because you feel you owe it to me. If we ever do anything, and I'm not saying we will, but if we do, it will be because you WANT to do it, not because you feel you HAVE to do it."

I'm not sure if he understood what I was telling him, because he still looked hurt and sad at this point.

"Can I just stay in here for a while with you then? I'd really like some company. I've been all alone a lot more than I wanted to be."

"Sure, you can stay here if you wish…" I hadn't even finished my response before he bolted over to my bed and jumped beside me on the mattress. "Don't you think you'd better put that shirt on before you do this?"

"Nah, I'm fine like this." He then threw back the covers and slipped into bed beside me. I wasn't sure if I should make him get the shirt or allow him to be in bed with me like this, but he looked so happy that I didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Whatcha reading?"

"It's just a mystery I picked up a few weeks ago."

"Would you read it to me too?" When I looked at him, I could tell his eyes were pleading with me to do this.

"Well, I suppose I could," I stated as I marked my place, "but I think you'll enjoy it more if we start at the beginning."

I turned back to the first page and began to read, and soon I felt his body leaning against mine. After I had read the first two chapters, I could see he was yawning, so I suggested we get some sleep.

"We'll head into town after breakfast and get what we need, so we should be back here before dinnertime. Why don't you head over to your room now and we can both get some rest."

"Do I have to? Can't I just stay in here with you?"

"But you don't have any clothes on,"

"I know, but I like sleepin' this way, 'cept when I had to sleep outside. I didn't want anyone sneaking up on me while I was naked, so I slept with my clothes on all the time. Can't I just sleep in here with you like this?"

His face was giving me one of those sad, puppy dog-pleading expressions that always seemed to get to me. I quickly considered what he was asking and made a decision.

"Ok, if it's what you want to do, but we're here to sleep and nothing else." He flashed me a quick smile and nodded to let me know he understood.

I then removed the pillows from behind my back and put them where they belonged, so we each had one, and then we slid into position to sleep. I reached over to turn off the lamp, and since I prefer to sleep on my side, I remained lying with my back toward Dakota as I began to drift off to sleep. Just before I slipped into dreamland, I felt a small body sidle up behind me as a small arm draped over my side and rested across my chest. I pretended that I didn't notice and allowed myself to doze off.

***

Sometime later, I woke up because I needed to use the toilet, so I gently removed his arm and slipped away to the bathroom. I don't usually turn on the lights at night, seeing I have a night light in the bathroom so I can see well enough to use it. However, I hadn't even begun to relieve myself yet when I heard Dakota cry out.

"Where are you? Where'd you go?"

"It's ok, Dakota, I'm in the bathroom. I needed to pee, but I'll be back in a minute."

"Oh, ok, and maybe I should go too."

I then recognized the patter of his footsteps as he ran to join me. My stream had just started when he entered and walked up to the bowl beside me. He glanced at my dick first and gave a little grin, and then he began to pee into the bowl as well. We actually finished up about the same time, so we washed our hands and went back to get into bed.

"Thank you for being so nice to me," he said as he snuggled against me again. "I like you, mister…"

"I like you too and my name is Eric. You can call me that if you wish."

"Ok, but what's your last name?"

"It's Schultz."

"I see. Eric Schultz. I like your name, and thank you for letting me stay here with you."

"You're welcome, Dakota, now get some sleep." He took the hint and before long, I heard the gentle, even breathing that let me know he'd fallen back to sleep.

When I awoke the next morning, Dakota was still cuddled up against me, and I could feel his morning wood pressed between our bodies. I gently slid out of bed, threw on some sweats, and went downstairs to make breakfast. It was only a few minutes later before I heard someone running around upstairs, and then he came tearing down the staircase, his morning wood bouncing in front of him. He came to a screeching halt when he saw me in the kitchen.

"I couldn't find you," he told me, almost breathless. "I checked in your bathroom and then the other ones, but you weren't there. I thought you might have forgotten and left without me."

"No, I'd never forget about you. I just thought I'd have breakfast ready when you woke up. However, now that you're down here, I can ask you a question. Would you prefer pancakes or French toast? I can fix either."

A smile spread across his face. "I really like pancakes if you have syrup for them."

"Oh, yes. I have plenty of syrup. Pancakes and French toast don't taste as good without it." I winked to let him know that I agreed with his assessment. "Would you like eggs and bacon too?"

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"Ok, so why don't you run to the toilet, cuz it looks like you have to pee." I saw him glance down at his erection and grin. "When you're finished doing that, you can take your clothes out of the dryer and get dressed before you come to the table. We'll leave right after we finish eating."

He nodded before racing to grab his things out of the dryer, and then he headed upstairs to pee and get dressed. I guess he must have forgotten about the half bath on the first floor, which was right next to the laundry room.

He wasn't gone for very long before he came bounding down the stairs again and raced over to the dining room table. I had the pancakes stacked on a platter; there was another one covered with fried eggs, and yet another one with very crispy bacon strips.

"Dig in and take as much as you like. The only rule I have is that you eat whatever you take, so don't overdo it on the first helping. If you want more, you can take it later, but I prefer that food isn't wasted."

"Ok, and it all looks really good."

He quickly helped himself to three pancakes, two eggs, and four strips of bacon. After buttering the pancakes and adding syrup, he began to eat, but it looked more as if he was stoking the fire of a steam engine in order to build enough pressure to get the train going full tilt. The knife and fork were almost a blur as they cut the food, and I swear I could see sparks as they brushed against one another, along with the plate, and then he crammed the food into his mouth. In the end, it all disappeared, and he merely sat back and grinned at me.

"Would you like some more?"

"Nah, I'm full. It was really good, though. Thanks."

Now, he merely sat and watched me as I finished my breakfast at less than warp speed. We chatted while I ate, and he told me where he had his things stashed, and then he explained that he'd run away from home about three weeks before, just after school had ended for the year. I didn't ask any questions but chose instead to listen to what he had to offer. I was afraid he might withdraw into a shell if he thought I was pressing him or getting too nosy.

As soon as I finished eating, I carried the dishes out to the kitchen and began rinsing them off before placing them in the dishwasher. Dakota hurriedly grabbed the remaining items and did the same, and when we finished, I went up to my room to get dressed so we could leave. I also made a quick phone call to make an appointment for him with my doctor, because I wanted him to have a physical to be certain he hadn't contracted anything while he had been on his own. I also remembered to grab the slip of paper from my dresser that I wanted to take with me before we headed out to the garage and slid into the SUV.

***

As we drove into the city, a trip I didn't take very often but one I found necessary to make both yesterday and today, I passed the time watching and enjoying the young man seated next to me. Dakota was spending most of his time making mental notes of the route and the things we passed along the way, and he also commented about the areas he found interesting. After a while, I decided to take a chance and ask him a question.

"Dakota, how were your grades in school?"

"They were ok, but will you stop calling me that. Just call me Kota instead."

"If you insist, but I really like your first name. Did you know that it was the name of a tribe of Native Americans that were part of the Sioux Nation?"

"Yeah, I know, but most people think of the states instead."

"That's because the Dakota tribe lived in that area, so the states were named in their honor."

"Yeah, that's nice an all, but I got tired of people making fun of my name?"

"I know, and that's one part of your story I didn't really understand. I don't see why it would bother you so badly if they just compared you to the states."

"It wasn't that as much as the other stuff they would say?"

"Like what?"

"Just other stuff."

"Like what you almost told me yesterday, before you put your hands over your mouth?"

He blushed. "Maybe."

"Look, I'm not going to make fun of you if you tell me, but I really need to know these things if I'm going to be able to help you out."

"But, it's embarrassing."

"I promise I won't laugh or use it against you."

He appeared to be considering my request, so we sat in total silence until he reached a decision. "Ok, but I hope you don't stop helpin' me when you find out what it is."

"I promise that I'll help you just the same."

"K, the other kids would ask if it was top Dakota or bottom Dakota."

"I don't understand. That doesn't make any sense at all."

"It does if you figure out that I'm gay."

Why hadn't I figured that out for myself, especially since I knew about his trying to have sex with the mall guard for money and then what he'd offered to do for me? "Ok, I get it now, but you should know something about me too. I'm also gay."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, it's the truth, although I'm glad if it also makes you feel better."

His eyes suddenly lit up, and his mouth dropped open. "I knew it! I thought you might be because of the way you were starin' at me when I was naked, but then I thought maybe I was wrong."

"You weren't."

"Wait. Don't you work at a school and the people there like and trust you? Do they know you're gay?"

"Some of them do, but not everyone."

"How 'bout the cop? Does he know you're gay?"

"Yes, he does. I think that's why he asked me to help you out because he knew what you did when you got arrested."

"Is he gay too?"

"No, not at all, but he's one of the few cops I know who's willing to accept people for who they are."

He had no response to my comment this time, so I let him sit and think about all he had just heard. "But if you're gay, then how come you didn't want to do nothin' with me last night?"

"Oh, I wanted to do something with you. I just didn't want you to offer because you felt you had to."

"So we can do stuff when we get back to your house?"

"We can talk about it later, but we're just about to the city now, so I need you to tell me exactly where I have to go to pick up your belongings."

"Ok, but I want to talk about this more on the ride back."

"Ok, we can do that as long as you're willing to answer a few of my questions first."

His smile seemed to dim slightly after I said this, but then he began to perk up again as he gave me directions on how to get to the place he'd stashed everything. When we got there, he jumped out of the SUV and raced over to see if they were still there, and he seemed relieved to discover they were exactly where he'd left them. He grabbed the backpack with everything he owned stuffed inside and headed back to join me. When he jumped in the SUV again, he said he wanted to get away from there as soon as possible, so I assumed there must have been some bad memories associated with being here.

***

Now that he had everything, I drove directly to the mall, but I had him show me what was in the backpack before we got out. Once I'd made a mental list of the things he owned, I then made a quick determination about what he still needed. He obviously either hadn't been able to take very much with him before he left or he didn't have a lot in the first place, and the things he had weren't in great shape, so he needed just about everything. After I noted the labels on each item to determine the sizes, I had him pack it all into the backpack again.

Once that had been taken care of, I took him inside to one of the better clothing stores and began to help him pick out the items he needed, but I asked him what his preferences were as I did so. We began with the basics first, starting with the underwear, and I asked if he preferred boxers, briefs, or boxer briefs. He merely looked at me and didn't say a word, and I wasn't sure why, but eventually he mumbled something.

"I'm not sure," I thought I'd heard him say, but just barely.

"Well, what do you normally wear?"

"I don't usually wear underwear. My stepdad said it was a waste of money to buy clothes that you wear under other clothes, so I haven't worn any since I was a little kid."

I suddenly realized why I hadn't seen a pair of underwear when I put his clothes in the washing machine. At first, I thought maybe he'd kept them out to use again after his shower, or possibly he had an accident and didn't want me to know about it, but there hadn't been any in his backpack either. I don't know why it hadn't dawned on me before this, but at least now I knew.

"Ok then, why don't we buy you a few pairs of each? That way, you can try them on when we get to the house and decide which you prefer before we have to buy you more."

Before I did that, however, I pulled out the slip of paper on which I'd jotted down the sizes of the various items when I was doing his laundry. I started out by selecting a couple of pairs of boxers for him, a package of colored briefs, and a package of boxer briefs. Once we had those items, I helped him pick out some undershirts, and then we grabbed a few pairs of socks. We were just about finished in that area when I heard a voice.

"Dammit kid, what the hell are you doing back in the mall? I thought they locked you up because I can't have you running around this place picking up more Johns."

He then reached out to grab ahold of Dakota, but I stepped in between them. This was obviously the security guard whose report I had read previously.

"If it's any of your business, he's with me."

"And who the fuck are you?" he demands as he pulled up short.

"I'm a psychologist who runs a treatment center. Sergeant Marshall released this boy into my custody, and we stopped here to pick up a few things for him, seeing he didn't have much when I met him at the police station."

"Ok, but don't let that little cocksucker out of your sight. I don't want him trying to pick up any customers while he's here."

"You don't have to worry about that, and I would appreciate it if you'd watch your language around him, as well as keeping your voice down when addressing us. I'd hate to have to make a formal complaint to your superiors about your actions toward us."

He seemed to be taken aback by my comment. "Don't worry; I won't continue bothering you. He's all yours, but don't let him out of your sight."

"I know my responsibilities, so I hope I don't have to notify the store manager that we had to go somewhere else to shop because you wouldn't stop harassing us."

"You don't have to do that. I'm going back to making my rounds."

Once he'd disappeared, I looked over at Dakota and he was white as a ghost. "Don't worry; he won't bother us again."

"Thanks for sticking up for me, but everyone else could hear what he was sayin' 'bout me."

"You don't have to worry about that, because you probably won't ever see any of these people again once we leave here. I'm sure they'll forget about it in a little while as well, so let's just finish our shopping."

As soon as he agreed and had calmed down a bit, we went over to pick out some pants next. We started by selecting a few pairs of jeans, but I also had him choose a couple pairs of dress slacks for when we went somewhere nice. As soon as I felt we had a sufficient quantity of those items, I helped him choose some shirts, including some pullovers for everyday use to go with his jeans and a few dress shirts. We followed that up with having him fitted for a pair of dress shoes and a pair of athletic shoes, but we weren't done yet. I also bought him some shorts and tee-shirts, a few sweatpants and sweatshirts, and a light jacket, because sometimes it gets chilly at night, even during the summer.

Once we had everything I thought he needed, I told him we should head to the checkout. He looked at everything we had and started to object, saying I was buying way too much for him, but I told him this was only what I thought he needed for now. It was possible that we might have to come back and purchase more items later, but for now, this should do. He still seemed uneasy about me spending so much money on him, but I didn't listen to his protests, and before long, we were taking our packages out to the SUV.

Once we'd stored everything inside, I told him to follow me, and we headed into the mall again. I decided to take him to another store, one that sold electronic devices.

"What are we doin' here?"

"I'm going to buy you a computer, so you'll have something to occupy your time. I don't have very much at the house that someone your age would enjoy, except for the television, so this will give you something else to do. You can pick out some games for it as well, along with some educational software to make sure you're ready for school in the fall."

"Are you sure you aren't a teacher?" I knew he was only teasing and being a little devilish, but then he continued. "You don't need to buy a computer for me. If you have one at home, then I can just use that one when you aren't on it, and then you won't hafta buy another one."

"I'm not going to argue about this. Just come inside with me, and we'll pick something out together, and then you can choose the games you want while I select some other software for you."

"This will cost you way too much," he protested.

***

"Let me be the judge of that, and I wouldn't be doing this if I couldn't afford it. Besides, it will be good for you to have your own computer for multiple reasons. This way, we can both be doing something on the computer at the same time, and you can also be brushing up on your studies so you won't be behind this fall. I suspect the other problems you had previously might have interfered with how much you were actually able to absorb, so this should help to fill in the gaps."

He sighed and gave in, although I really didn't have to twist his arm very hard, and we started looking at computers. It wasn't very long before a young salesperson came over to assist us.

"May I help you select the best computer for your son?" he asked, and this caused Dakota to giggle and the other young man to blush. "Was I mistaken in my assumption?"

"No," Dakota answered before I could. "It's just that I wasn't sure if this was gonna be my computer or if it would be for my dad, and then I'd just get his old computer."

"Oh, I see," the young man responded, and I just stared at Dakota, wondering why he'd done that. "Well, sir, will this computer be for you or your son then?"

"It will be for him," I responded, still a little dazed, "and he'll be playing games on it so it will need a good graphics card and sufficient GPU and RAM."

"I understand," he responded, and then he went about showing us several choices and explained the advantages of each one as we went along. We finally agreed on the model we were going to purchase, and then I let Dakota pick out some games while the salesperson helped me select the educational software. When we had everything, I put it all on my debit card, and we prepared to leave the store. The salesperson also helped us load the various items on a heavy-duty cart to take it out to the SUV since the items were bulky.

"Wow, nice wheels," the salesperson commented as I unlocked it so we could load everything inside.

"Thanks. It comes in handy with the various things I have to do."

After he left, we hopped into our seats, and I couldn't wait to ask Dakota what the hell he thought he was doing with his little interaction with the salesperson earlier.

Chapter 4
Dakota Opens Up

Now that we were alone, I started the SUV before I confronted him about what had happened in the store. "Do you mind telling me what that was all about with your comments to the salesperson?"

"What?" Although he seemed to be claiming ignorance, he looked either shocked or scared by my question. I just wasn't sure which.

"When you let that sales guy think I was your dad."

"Oh, I was just foolin' with him. You aren't mad at me about that, are you?" He looked very concerned now.

"No, I'm not mad. In fact, I was slightly flattered that you were letting the guy think I was your dad."

"Really? You didn't mind when I did that?" he blurted out, seemingly looking for my approval.

"Why would I mind if you made him believe I was your dad? You're a handsome young man, polite, a great kid, and I'm becoming quite fond of you. So why would it bother me?"

"Never mind," he shot back, and then he turned and sat quietly in his seat. Again his actions confused me, but I thought it best to let it drop for now, so I decided to change the subject.

"Why don't we grab something to eat before we head back? What do you think about that idea?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Dakota, what's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?"

"No, but as soon as you find out more about me, then you won't like me anymore."

"Impossible. Nothing you can say or do would cause that to happen."

"Yeah, that's what you say now, but I know better. I won't be fooled like that again."

"Dakota, I don't know what you're talking about, but the last thing on my mind is tricking you. I only want to help and give you a fresh start. I don't know what has happened in your past, but it won't happen with me. I promise. However, if it ever seems to you that it has, then you just remind me of my promise and I'll do better."

He looked me up and down like he was trying to figure out if he could trust me. After doing this for a few minutes, he started to speak, but it happened about the same time that I pulled into the parking lot of a diner, so he stopped talking again.

"Go ahead. I'm listening," I told him.

"No, it can wait until after we eat, and that way, I'm sure you won't send me away hungry."

"I'm not going to send you away at all, but you're right. It can wait until after we've eaten."

We went in, ordered, and had a nice lunch. We talked about my place while we ate, and I told him about some of the different areas of my property that I wanted to show him. He asked a few questions, but most of the time he merely sat and listened to what I had to say. After we'd finished our dessert, I paid the bill and we got back in the SUV. I was going to ask him if he wanted to tell me now, but I chose to wait instead, and we headed home.

Is it strange, or maybe even funny, that I just said WE headed home? He's only been with me for one night, and already I'm considering it is his home as well as mine. Was I already forming an emotional attachment to this little rascal? I know I'm a sucker for a kid in need but in this short a time?

He opened up on the ride home and informed me about a little more of his past, but not about his family or why he ran away. He merely told me about some of his friends, his teachers, what his school was like, and some of the things he liked to do. I even asked him some questions.

"How did the other kids find out that you were gay?"

He blushed before he answered. "Ummm, cuz I used to do stuff with some of them."

"So if they did it too, then why did they turn around and tease you about it?"

"Cuz I was the one doin' all the gay stuff."

"I think you need to explain this a little better because I'm not sure what you mean."

"Can we talk about this later?"

"I was hoping to do this now, but I'll wait if that's what you want to do."

"Yeah, it is."

***

I was glad he'd finally started to open up to me about this, and it wasn't very long after that before I was turning into the driveway and pulling into the garage.

"Ok, Dakota, I want you to take your new clothes to the laundry room, and I'll wash them quickly, and then you can take the bags with the games and other things up to your room. I'll carry in the boxes with the computer components, but we'll set it up later because I want to unwind a bit first. I'm a little stiff from sitting behind the wheel for such a long time, Ok?"

"Sure, and thanks Eric. You've been really nice to me and you spent more on me today than my stepdad did in the five years he's been married to my mom. I had a great time and I'm sorry for being kinda miserable just before we ate."

"Don't worry about it– let's get everything inside."

He grabbed a bunch of the bags with his clothes in them, and then he held the door open for me so I could carry the monitor, speakers, and keyboard up to his room. On the next trip, he grabbed the bags with his shoes, the computer games, and the educational software, while I toted the CPU up to his room. I left him to unpack the bags and put his things away while I went back to the garage. I wanted to make sure we'd brought everything inside and hadn't left anything in the SUV.

While I was doing that, I noticed he'd left his backpack on the floor in the back, so I grabbed it, but as I picked it up, some of his clothes fell out. I quickly picked them up and stuffed them back inside, and that's when I noticed the zipper on the backpack was broken and that he'd been keeping it closed with a safety pin, but it had come unfastened. I didn't bother refastening it and carefully carried it inside so nothing would fall out, and then I took it up to his room and set it down on his bed.

Dakota was sitting on the chair at the desk and staring at the boxes containing his new computer, and this made me realize he was eager to get it set up. I know I'd told him that I wanted to rest up after making the trip to the city, but after noticing what Dakota was doing, I changed my mind. I didn't want to make him wait.

As I was opening the first box, I noticed that the salesperson had attached his business card to it, so I pulled it off and put it into my pocket. Then, I pulled out the CPU so I could set it beside the desk that was in the room. After that I opened the boxes with the monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse and placed them on the desk, and then I began sorting through the wires so I could connect it all.

"I thought you were gonna wait before doing that," Dakota said when he saw what I was up to.

"I changed my mind and decided to get it out of the way."

When I went back to doing this, I realized how fortuitous it was that I'd chosen to place a desk in every bedroom, along with the typical bedroom furniture. I suppose it really hadn't made any sense when I first did it, seeing those bedrooms would probably only be used by overnight guests, but possibly I was thinking of this being like a hotel. Those rooms always had a desk or a similar writing surface on which the visitors could write their letters, but then again, how many people still send those types of messages via snail mail? Hey, they could always use them to set their laptops on.

While I was busy putting those things on his desk and unwrapping the various wires and cables, Dakota grabbed his backpack off of the bed. He merely grabbed the bottom of it and pulled toward him, but he failed to realize the safety pin was no longer attached. As soon as he'd pulled it off the mattress, everything came spilling out of it and scattered about on the floor.

As soon as that happened, Dakota panicked and frantically tried to stuff all of the items into the backpack again, but he wasn't totally successful. A few condom packets and a tube of lube were still lying on the floor, and that's when he looked up at me with terror etched upon his face. He stayed that way for a couple of seconds, paralyzed from indecision, but then he stood up and flew into the hallway before racing into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

I followed him, and fortunately, he hadn't taken the time to lock the door, so I went inside. He was sitting on the toilet lid with his head in his hands, and his body was wracked with gut-wrenching sobs. I tried to comfort him, but he pushed me away. After taking a couple of minutes to calm down a bit, he looked at me and began to speak, but his response came out in segments because he was still sobbing.

"I know you want me to leave now… but can I wait 'til morning? You live a long way from the city… and it's gonna get dark soon… and I don't know this area very well… so I'm a little scared about being out there at night."

"Look, for the last time, I'm not going to ask you to leave. You're staying here." I said this as forcefully as I could to emphasize that I meant it. He looked up at me as an astonished expression appeared on his face.

"But you saw those things, so now you know what I did to make money."

"I kind of knew that already. My friend told me why you'd been brought to the police station, but now I feel better knowing you were smart enough to be safe while doing those things."

He looked shocked that I said this and hadn't turned on him or thrown him out. "But now you know that I sold myself to make money, so isn't that enough to make you hate me and want me to leave?"

"No, it isn't." I waited to see his reaction, but he still didn't seem as if he believed me. Finally, he decided to push it a little further.

"But I'm not just gay, I'm a boy whore," he stated dryly.

"I don't think of you that way. I just see a young boy who was willing to do what he had to in order to survive."

"Then why didn't you want to do anything with me when I offered?"

"Because I knew you were only doing it to pay me back for what I'd done for you, and if I did it for that reason, then it would cheapen what we were doing. I only have sex with guys I care about, not to collect debts."

"But those other guys let me do stuff with them cuz of what they did for me, like for giving me money or buying me food."

"That's exactly what I mean. I'm not like them, and I'm not really into casual sex. I've only had sex with a very few people, and every one of them was a long term relationship of sorts, not just a one night, one week, or even a one month stand."

"But if I like you and you like me, and if I'm gonna stay here for a long time, then why doncha wanna have sex with me?"

"It's because much more has to be factored into this first. For me, it has more to do with how I relate to someone and how we really feel about each other. I asked you here to help you get back on your feet, not to be my lover."

"Then you aren't interested in me?" He looked hurt and confused, and I didn't want to crush his spirit or give him a reason to run away.

"I didn't say that, Dakota. From what I know about you, you're a pretty likable kid, but we've only known each other for a very short time. I don't think anyone could tell anything about another person that quickly."

"I can," he blurted out, and then he paused. After a few seconds, he continued. "I mean… I know already that I like you a lot and wouldn't mind havin' sex with you."

"I appreciate that, but once again, I think most of your desire is due to the fact that you're grateful I rescued you, brought you here to live in this nice house, and bought you a few things. I still think that all you'd be doing is trying to pay me back for all of those things."

"So why would that be bad?"

"It wouldn't be bad; it's just not a reason for me to have sex."

"But none of those other guys turned me down. Most of them said that they'd do stuff for me IF I had sex with them, so why can't I do those things with you if I want to?"

"Look, if you just want sex, then I suppose we could do it if we were both so inclined, but do you just want to have sex, or do you want to make love?"

"What's the difference? Aren't they the same thing?"

"No. Sex is the physical act of sticking your dick in another person's body or having it done to you, but making love is a combination of the physical and emotional aspects of having sex."

"So you mean makin' love is not only doing it but also caring about the person you're doin' it with. Like you're only doin' it to make them feel good?"

"It's to make both of you feel good. Do you see the difference now?"

He thought about this for a second before he answered. "Yeah, I get it, but we could both feel good about it now."

"That's possible, but would you be doing it to make us both feel good or just to pay me back for the things I've done for you. You make love because you care about the other person and are attempting to please each other. It should be important to both of you that you're able to show your love through physical contact. Do you understand now?"

"I think so, but can't I do it for one reason one time and another reason some other time?"

"Yes, I suppose you could, but do you think it would mean the same thing to you when you do those things?"

"I know this might gross you out or something, but I enjoyed it most of the time with those other guys, even when I was just doing it for the money. Maybe it's not the same thing, but it still felt good, except that one guy who did it to hurt me."

I was ready to jump on that comment and explore the issue further, but I felt it best to let it drop for now. We could pursue it some other time when I wasn't trying to make a point.

"Did this have anything to do with why you ran away?" I asked, changing the subject. He looked scared when I mentioned his running away,

"I guess I should prolly tell you about that too, huh?"

"Yes, because it will help me understand how you got here and what I can do to help."

"Ok, but I hope you don't hate me after I tell ya."

"Don't worry; I won't."

"K, at first, I started having sex with other boys as a way to get some money to get shit. My stepdad didn't give me an allowance and wouldn't buy me anything unless my mom said I absolutely needed it. They bought all my clothes, but they got them from the thrift store, and I never had any money to buy the stuff I wanted. That's why I told a couple of guys I knew that I'd blow them for a few dollars each."

He stopped after saying this and looked down at his lap, and after more than a minute, I decided to see if I could get him to continue.

"So you made a few dollars by blowing a couple of guys you knew? That doesn't sound so bad."

"It was only a couple of guys at first, but they told other guys, and before long, there were a bunch of guys who wanted me to do it to them too."

"Yes, guys tend to brag to others about getting a good blow job."

"Yeah, but then one of the guys wanted to fuck me. I'd never done that before, but his cock wasn't much bigger than mine, so I told him I'd let him do it for ten bucks."

"Did that discourage him from wanting to do it?"

"Nah, but he couldn't do it then cuz he didn't have that much money with him. A couple of days later, he came back with the cash, but he also stole a rubber out of his dad's dresser, cuz he said he was afraid I had AIDS."

"Well, at least that protected you too."

"Yeah, it did, cuz the rubber had some slippery stuff on it."

"So it was a lubricated condom."

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't know that usin' that stuff would make it easier, but it helped and doin' it wasn't bad at all. In fact, I kind of liked it."

"Yes, many gay guys do, so what happened after that?"

"The boy who fucked me told some of the other guys that he'd done that too, and then they also wanted to fuck me. Before I agreed to let them do it, I took a bottle of baby oil from our house so I could use it on my butt and their cocks, and then I was able to use the money they gave me to buy some other stuff I wanted. That's how I got my backpack, but I told my mom and stepdad that it was given to me at school."

"So if the other boys enjoyed doing this with you, then why did they start teasing you about it?"

"They didn't, but they told some other guys who thought it was sick and disgustin'. That's when they started asking if I was top Dakota or bottom Dakota. They were doin' it as a joke about whether I wanted to get fucked or to fuck other guys."

"Did they do this where your teachers could hear what they were saying?"

"Yeah, but if the teachers said anything, they just said it was a way of joking about my name and the states. They said if ya looked at a map, you'd see that North Dakota was on top, and South Dakota was on the bottom, so they just called them top Dakota and bottom Dakota instead."

"And your teachers bought that?"

"I guess they did, but I think it was cuz they couldn't prove it wasn't what they were doin'."

"Ok, this is beginning to make a little more sense to me now, but you still haven't told me anything that would change my opinion of you."

"That's cuz I haven't told you everything yet."

"So, they were teasing you about more than just that?"

"Yeah, and then my stepdad found out 'bout what I was doin' too. One of the guys he worked with heard stories 'bout what I was doin' with the other boys and told my stepdad about it. When he came home that night, he started screamin' at me and callin' me all kinds of awful names. He also said I was sick, disgustin', and a pervert, and then he told me he wasn't gonna have somebody like that living in his house."

"I think I'm starting to get the picture now. So what did he do next?"

"After he told my mom everything, he started treating me like shit and wouldn't let me out of the house 'cept to go to school, and then I had to come home right after my last class." He hesitated at that point, so I filled the void.

"That must have been very hard on you and made you feel like you were in jail."

"Yeah, it did, and then a little over a month before school ended, he and my mom told me they was gonna send me to a Christian summer camp when vacation started. I thought them tellin' me this was really strange cuz I'd been in trouble, so why were they suddenly doin' somethin' nice for me? My stepdad never liked spendin' any money on me, so I knew somethin' wasn't right. I started listenin' in when he and my mom was talkin'. That's when I heard him admit what he was really doin'."

He didn't immediately continue, so I had to prompt him. "And what was that?"

"It wasn't a summer camp at all, at least not the kind where you play games, go swimmin', and do stuff like that. It was a place they send gays to – until they wasn't gay no more. I heard my mom sayin' somethin' about prayin' away the gay."

"Ah, so it was a camp where they do conversion therapy."

"Yeah, I guess. I wasn't sure what she meant by that, so I looked it up online at school and found out they do some really terrible stuff to gays at those camps. I wasn't 'bout to let them send me there to be tortured, so one Friday after school when nobody was home, I packed some of my clothes in my school backpack and took off before they could send me there."

"Now, this is all starting to make sense."

"And you don't hate me for bein' so disgustin' and doin' that stuff with those other boys, or for runnin' away?"

"Hell no! I already knew you were gay, so why would any of this make me hate you?"

"Cuz I wasn't just doin' it with a boyfriend. I was doin' it for money."

"Well, I already knew that, too, since I was told why you were at the police station in the first place."

"Yeah, but I was still worried."

"Well, you shouldn't have been. I'm more disgusted with your mom and stepdad for how they treated you, and for considering sending you to a place like that."

"I don't think my mom wanted to, but my stepdad wasn't givin' her a choice. One time I heard him tell her that I was either gonna go to the camp or he'd see that I was arrested and locked up for being a fuckin' pervert."

"I think if I ever met your stepfather, then I'd be tempted to beat the crap out of him."

Dakota chuckled. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yes! I'd do that to any asshole that would treat you or any other kid like that. What's his first name, in case I ever run across him?"

"It's Edgar, but I doubt if you'd ever run into him."

"He'd better hope I don't ever see him because then he'd find out what I think of him."

"Man, I thought you were gonna hate me cuz I was doin' all that stuff, but you're mad at him instead."

"No, I'm not mad at you, but I am really pissed at him for how he treated you."

"Even knowin' 'bout all the stuff I did after I ran away?"

"Like I said before, you were only doing it to survive. So would you mind telling me about that too?"

He looked me in the eye, took a deep breath, and then exhaled. "Ok, but I hope you still don't hate me afterward."

"Relax, because I've heard most of it already."

"K, so here it goes. After I ran away, I sucked off one guy to get a ride, and then I let another guy fuck me for another ride. It was the first time I'd ever done it with a grown-up, but I made him get a rubber and some of that slippery stuff first, cuz of what I'd learned when doin' it with the boys."

"I'm glad you did that."

"Yeah, and he was pretty gentle with me, but it still hurt like hell at first cuz his cock was a lot bigger than the boys I'd done it with. I was thinking I was never going to do it again, not ever, when he started hitting a place inside me that made all kinds of wonderful feelings start shooting through my body. By the time he finished, I wanted him to do it again, but he said he couldn't. After that, I was willing to do it with whoever wanted to, as long as they wore a rubber."

When he finished telling me this, he kept glancing between my face and the floor as he attempted to gauge my reaction. Since I wanted him to relax, I wrapped my arm around his body and gave him a little squeeze as I tousled his hair. After a minute or two of just letting me do this, he finally spoke again.

"Does that make me a bad person?"

"No, I don't think it does, but you'll find there are other people who will disagree. I think you should know that there are people who think like that and you'd be better off either ignoring or avoiding them, but at least be very careful when you're around them. Being gay isn't easy because there are still plenty of people who get a kick out of physically harming or harassing gays."

"I know, because that's what my stepdad and some kids at my school did. Thank you for helpin' me and not gettin' mad."

"You're welcome, kiddo, and it's my pleasure. Are you getting hungry?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Ok, then let me go down and fix something for us to eat first, and then I'll come back here and finish hooking up your computer after we're done. Does that sound agreeable to you?"

"Yep, it does."

I then went over the different things I could fix, and we agreed on having chicken breasts, a baked potato, candied carrots, and a salad. I went downstairs to get started, but I headed out to the laundry room first to wash his new clothes, and then I went to the kitchen to fix dinner. It was fairly easy to throw it all together, and it would be filling as well, and then after we ate I'd be able to return to his room so I could finish hooking up his computer and making him happy.

Chapter 5
Unexpected Circumstances.

As soon as we finished eating, I went to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer before putting more of his new clothes in the washing machine. I then went up to Dakota's room so I could finish hooking up his computer, and it didn't take very long because I'd unpacked everything earlier. I just had to connect all of the wires and hook him up to my WiFi, and once that had been taken care of, I had him sit down at the desk and check it out. I stuck around a little longer and watched him play a game, and then I asked what he thought of it.

"It's great and way better than the 'puters at school, and it's awesome that I have it all to myself."

"Good, then I'll let you enjoy it while I go take care of some other things."

He seemed fine with this, so I went downstairs. Now that I knew he couldn't hear me, I took out my phone and called Paul.

"Hey, it's Eric, and I've found out some information that I think you should know."

"So, he hasn't run away?"

"No, and we're actually getting along fairly well. I drove him back to the city earlier today so he could get his things because he hadn't mentioned that he had other clothes before we left the police station. After we retrieved those items, I took him to the mall so I could buy him a few more things, because he didn't have very much and what he had wasn't in great shape."

"Yeah, I knew you'd probably end up doing something like that."

"Anyway, I found out some information that you should know. His name is Dakota Frost, and he lived with his mother and stepfather. Their names are Edgar and Ann Marie Loftus, and the stepdad sounds like a real asshole."

"That's usually the case. Did you find out where they live?"

"No. I know it wasn't in the city, but I don't think it was very far away either. If you run a check on his stepfather's name, you should be able to find him, because I don't think there are too many other guys named Edgar Loftus."

"You're probably right, although we might be surprised. I'll do that and get back to you, and thanks for the information. Do you know why he ran away?"

"Yeah, they were gonna send him to a conversion therapy camp."

"Damn, I've heard those places are worse than being sent to prison."

"Yes, I understand they pretty much torture the kids, both physically and mentally, so I don't blame him for taking off. Your instincts were right on the money this time because he isn't a bad kid. He was just caught in a bad situation."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"So now I'm wondering what I should do to protect myself legally. I don't know how I'm going to get away with having him live with me, especially when school starts."

"I'm glad to hear that you're already thinking about this in the long term. I'll ask some people I know about what they think you should do to protect yourself, and then I'll get back to you."

"Ok, but don't take too long. I can only bluff my way through this for so long. Oh, and speaking of bluffing my way through shit, I ran into the mall cop when I was shopping with Dakota. He was coming at Dakota, and I had to threaten him to back off."

"He was a fairly big dude, so I know you probably didn't threaten to punch him out."

"No, I threatened to report him to his supervisors for harassing us, as well as informing the store manager that I wouldn't be able to shop there because he wouldn't leave us alone."

"Yeah, threatening his job usually works too."

"He left us alone after that, but he said some pretty awful things about Dakota before I had a chance to explain that you'd released him into my custody."

"That doesn't surprise me, because I heard he was like that with the kid when the other officers went to pick him up. They put it in their report, not the report the security guard filed."

"I see, and I just wanted to let you know that information in case you might be able to do something about it, or maybe you'll just need it to cover yourself legally."

"Thanks, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I'm really glad you took the boy with you."

"I think I am too, and you were right this time. He's not a bad kid, and juvy could have destroyed him."

"And I didn't want to see that happen. Take care and thanks."

***

This might actually turn out to be one of those rare times when helping Paul didn't turn out badly for me. Once this had been taken care of, I went to take the first load of clothes out of the dryer and folded them before moving the next load to the dryer and putting the next set in the washing machine. I then decided to make a grocery list so I could refill my supplies, but I also wanted to make sure I had items that Dakota liked. After I'd taken care of jotting down the basics, I went to take the clothes I'd washed to Dakota's room.

"I've washed some of your new clothes, and I'll leave them on your bed, and when that game ends I want to talk to you briefly." I then waited until he finished playing.

"K, what do you wanna talk about?"

"I'm making a grocery list and want to know the types of foods you like."

"I've liked everything we've had so far, so I'll just eat whatever you're havin'."

"I appreciate that, but I'd like to know what types of things you like to eat and drink too. You might also want some snacks for between meals, so I want to know what types of snacks to buy. I usually make lemonade and ice tea, but is there something you'd rather have to drink besides water?"

"I used to drink water and Kool-Aid at home."

"Ok, then I'll buy some Kool-Aid and make it with Splenda like I do with the lemonade and ice tea."

We also had a long chat about the types of foods he liked, along with the snacks he wanted. I'd been busy adding those things to my list before putting it away, and then I filled him in about what I was going to do next.

"I'm going to shower and then read for a while before I turn in, so make sure you turn everything off before you get in bed."

"Wait, I want you to read to me again, so I'll take my shower and then come over to your room. Don't start without me."

"Ok, but don't take too long. I need to get some sleep."

"Don't worry; I'll be quick."

I then went to my bathroom to take a shower while he was doing the same thing in the other bathroom. When I was done, I slipped on a clean pair of underwear and propped the pillows up against the headboard so I could read. Before long, Dakota came trotting into my room, once again totally naked.

"I didn't know you were a nudist," I teased.

"Hey, it's just us, and you've seen it all before."

"But it wouldn't be against the rules if you wore clothes once in a while."

"I do most of the time, like when we go someplace."

"I'm surprised you even do that."

"Very funny."

He hopped on the bed beside me, and as soon as I began reading, he leaned his head against my shoulder. He also draped an arm across my lap, just under my arms, so he didn't interfere with me holding the book. I was only a few pages into the chapter when I felt him groping me, but I didn't immediately react. I thought he'd stop after a while, so I tried to ignore him and remained calm, but then I thought he was trying to get me aroused. I finally decided to comment on what he was doing.

"I hope this is going to last you because I don't plan on letting it become a habit."

He blushed slightly and then looked up at me. "Didn't you like it?"

"I wouldn't say that, but I'm not going to let you do it whenever you want, either."

He pouted for a couple of seconds, and then he chuckled. "I know you liked it cuz you were startin' to get hard."

"That generally happens when someone is manipulating my penis."

"Then let's do something after you finish readin'. I haven't done nothin' for a couple of days and need to get off."

"Then you can go to your room and masturbate."

"That's no fun. I want to do something with you. Let's blow each other."

"Dakota, that's not going to happen."

"Come on. I need to get off, and it's not as good when I hafta do it to myself."

"That may be true, but I'm not going to blow you. Let's just get back to the story."

I finished reading that chapter and the one that followed, and as I closed the book, I made a comment. "Ok, head over to your room and go to sleep."

"How about you just jerk me off if you don't want to blow me?"

"Dakota!"

"Come on. I'm not gonna sleep very well if I don't get off."

"Just do it yourself then."

"Please, just this once." He gave me that same look that caused me to give in to him before. "Come on, I'm already hard, so it won't take very long," he added as he looked down at his erection.

For some reason, that simple action caused me to look down at his penis as well, and when he saw I was staring at his erection he looked up with those sad puppy dog eyes.

"Please, I can tell you want to do this for me."

"I suppose I might be able to masturbate you because it's not as risky as having oral or anal sex with you." I saw his eyes light up when I said this, so I felt I'd better add a disclaimer. "Don't get your hopes up, because I'm not going to agree to do anything like that with you until you've been checked out by a doctor."

"But I told you I was careful and made the guys use rubbers."

"That may be true, but condoms aren't 100% safe. A rubber might have broken or leaked, and that would be enough to expose you."

"Nah, that didn't happen cuz there was never any cum in my butt."

"It could be that you just didn't notice it. Besides, the guy could have also used his spit as lube, and you could have picked something up that way. You could have also picked something up when you were blowing him, or when he was blowing or rimming you."

"Then wouldn't I have known it by now if I had something? I mean, wouldn't it hurt when I peed, or stuff would be leaking from my dick, or I'd itch a lot, or I'd have other problems?"

"You might display some of those symptoms with certain diseases, but not all sexually transmitted diseases have obvious symptoms. You can't be absolutely sure you weren't exposed to any diseases unless you get checked out by a doctor."

"Ok, we can do that sometimes, but will you just jerk me off for now?"

"Ok, I'll do it if it will shut you up so we can get some sleep."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he squealed while kissing my shoulder and cheek as he bounced on the bed beside me.

When he calmed down a little, he laid back and waited for me to begin. I could see his penis twitch with every beat of his heart, so I knew he was really excited about this. For a kid who has done a lot more than this, I didn't think it would be such a turn-on for him.

Slowly, I reached over and used my hand to fondle his grape-size nuggets first, and then I wrapped my fingers around his straining erection. It felt hot, almost as if it had a fever, and it was already starting to leak. I used the liquid to lubricate the head and then slowly began to stroke his penis using a nice, steady rhythm.

Dakota began to sigh as soon as my hand came into contact with his flesh, and now he was starting to moan as his body gyrated under my grip. A few seconds later, he started to pant as his hips bounced up and down on the mattress. He was doing his best to mirror my actions in order to increase the intensity of his pleasure. He definitely knew what he wanted and sought relief with the same enthusiasm as he did nearly everything else. He was a hot little number, and I stared at his face as my hand continued to manipulate his boyhood.

I originally had no intention of giving in to him like this, but he sounded so needy and looked so desperate that it tugged at my heart. He was pretty good at manipulating me and certainly knew how to get what he wanted.

My thoughts were interrupted when he began to grunt, and I could sense his stomach muscles were starting to tighten. I realized this meant he was just about to spew, so I looked down at his waist just as the first strand of whitish fluid jettisoned from his rosy helmet. A couple more outbursts followed it, and then his body began to relax slightly as I coaxed the final few drops from the tiny slit. When he appeared drained, I released his softening penis and allowed him to enjoy the lingering feelings from his orgasm while I merely watched as he slowly recovered.

His steady, gentle breathing almost made it sound as if he was purring as he relished the afterglow now that he'd attained the relief he'd been seeking. I turned toward my nightstand and grabbed a handful of tissues from the box I kept there, and then I used them to clean the semen off his abdomen and pubic patch. I know as well as anyone that I shouldn't have done it because it was taking a risk, but I allowed some of it to get on my fingers, and then I licked it off to see what it tasted like. I found it to be the same sweet nectar of youth that I remembered from when I was younger, not the bitter ambrosia of adulthood. It almost made me wish that I'd given in and taken care of him orally instead.

I grabbed a couple more tissues to finish up and wiped the ooze from the tip of his penis, and then I got up to toss them away. As soon as he felt me get out of bed, his eyes popped open and he spoke.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm just getting rid of these, but I'm also going to take a leak."

"Then hurry back here cuz I want to do the same thing to you."

"That's not necessary," I said just before I entered the bathroom, and then after I'd finished relieving myself, I returned to the bed.

I had just slid under the covers when Dakota ripped them out of my hand and tossed them off my body. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna do the same thing to you, so take off your underwear."

"I said you don't have to do this."

"I know, but I want to, so don't argue with me."

"You're getting a little bossy, aren't you?"

"Maybe, but I really want to do this. It's only fair since you did it to me."

"Not everything has to be tit for tat."

"I didn't give you my tit, but I want tat," he replied and then he giggled at his own joke. "Just do it for me. Ok?"

He then gave me that same puppy dog look that had a way of melting my heart, but before I reacted, he was already pawing at my boxer briefs and trying to pull them down. "Stop, you're going to rip them. Just give me a second and I'll do it for you."

He didn't say anything, but he was grinning broadly because he knew he had won. How the hell had he managed to wrap me around his little finger like this so quickly and easily?

As soon as my boxer briefs were at my knees, he reached over and began to rub his palm over my scrotum and penis. My body reacted on its own volition, and the blood immediately began to flow to that area, so it didn't take long before I had a raging erection. He looked at me and smirked.

I closed my eyes and tried to forget that it was a thirteen-year-old boy masturbating me, but then I felt something wet on my dick. I quickly opened my eyes, and my suspicions were confirmed. He had his mouth wrapped around my penis, and his head was bouncing up and down on it.

"Hey, I thought you were only going to jerk me off."

He didn't say anything and just kept going. When I started to say something else, he waved his hand in my direction as if he was telling me just to shut up and enjoy it, so I did. I have to admit that he was doing a great job and certainly knew his business, and to my surprise he was bringing me off far more quickly and easily than I thought possible. Sure, some of it might have had to do with the fact that I haven't had sexual contact with anyone else in quite a while and had been merely taking care of myself, but the feeling was incredible. I'd almost forgotten how good it could feel to have someone else doing this to me – someone whom I cared about and who cared for me.

***

Wait! What was I thinking? I guess this little bugger has wormed his way into my heart already. I thought it might happen eventually, but certainly not this soon. I was trying to be the adult and maintain some boundaries, but he was breaking them down just as quickly as I put them up. Was I in jeopardy of totally losing control?

I wasn't able to continue thinking about it, because I realized he nearly had me to the point of no return. I could feel my testicles pulling closer to my body and the juices rising in my loins, and a few seconds later, I was painting his tonsils with my manly seed. He never slowed down or hesitated before drinking it down as if it was his mother's milk. He continued until he'd drained me completely, and then I reached down to tousle his hair as my way of saying thanks. He pulled off of my penis and looked up at me with a big, toothy grin.

"I wish ya would have done this to me too," he said as he crawled up beside me.

"Maybe in time. I suppose there's not much use in fighting it any longer."

"Yay, I'm glad you agree," he said as he drew closer, and then bent over to kiss me on the lips.

I was hoping it was just going to be a quick peck and knew this could be a problem as well, but he was very aggressive, and his tongue began fighting to get past my lips. After a couple of seconds, I parted them slightly and his tongue darted inside. He definitely knew how to kiss too, and before long I was panting in youthful delight. He had me feeling as if we were the same age and I was enjoying this for the very first time.

As our tongues dueled for dominance, I started to feel his erection poking into my side. Oh, to be a teenager again and having such a short recovery time. Now he was not only kissing me, but he was humping against my side as well. I don't know what made me do it, or if I'd put any conscious thought into it at all, but I flipped him over on his back and dove down to take his penis into my mouth.

I realized I was taking an unnecessary risk, but if we discovered later that he'd contracted a sexually transmitted disease, then I'd go in to be tested too. I knew that might also raise suspicions that I was having sex with a minor, but I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. For now, I just focused on pleasing him, and he immediately began to relax and his body melted into the bedding as I attempted to give him his second orgasm within an hour.

Although his penis was firm, the skin was soft, and his dickhead was extremely sensitive. His body reacted to every move of my tongue, and he moaned when my lips closed around his shaft. He also cooed when I began bobbing up and down on it. The boy just oozed sex.

It had been quite a while since I'd last done this because I hadn't found anyone I truly cared about, but it all came back to me quickly, and I did my best to please him. He was bucking into me and trying to match my effort, the same as he'd done when I jerked him off. He was also panting and constantly moaning as my lips caressed every delicate centimeter of his boyish gland, and then a little squeal escaped his throat when his penis erupted for the second time. Just as when I tasted it earlier, his semen was honey-sweet and slid easily down my throat. I suddenly regretted it was over so quickly, and I'd soon have to release this throbbing piece of young flesh.

As soon as he'd emptied his nuts into my gullet, I crawled up beside him and this time I was the one who initiated another round of kisses. He responded immediately and wrapped his arms around my neck, and then we kissed for several minutes before we separated.

"That was fuckin' awesome and I'm glad you did it. I love you, Eric. I really, really do."

"Whoa, don't you think it's a little too early to be saying something like that? We've only known each other for a couple of days, not nearly long enough to know if you're in love."

"You're wrong, and I DO love you."

"It's probably just a crush or a youthful case of puppy love. I'd be willing to bet that you've felt the same way about every guy who's ever helped you get off."

"Unt uh. I liked having sex with them, but I never loved any of them. I love you, though."

"Is it because I gave in and had sex with you, or maybe because of all the things I bought you. It could be just gratitude, not love."

"No, I love you. I appreciate that other stuff, too, but I love everything about you. You listen to me, you care about me, and I think you're handsome. See, I love everything about you, and I want to stay with you forever."

"Wow, I can't believe you feel this strongly already."

"I didn't at first. I wasn't sure what to think of you, but the more time we've been together, the more I realize you're exactly what I've been lookin' for."

"Possibly, it's what you've been looking for in a father figure. That could be why you let the salesperson think I was your dad."

"Maybe some of it, but I was just jokin' with that guy cuz he thought you were my dad. I like it cuz you care about me and look after me like you were my dad, but I like you a lot more than that. I don't like being away from you, and I think it's why I panicked last night when you weren't in bed with me and this mornin' when I couldn't find you. I wouldn't feel that way about my stepdad, or even my real dad, cuz I'd prolly be happy if they left me alone sometimes."

"But I'm nearly three times as old as you."

"I don't care. I still love you, and not as a dad either."

"Ok, let's just slow down a bit and not rush things. I want to wait and see how you feel in a week or in a month."

"It won't be any different, cuz I know I love you. You may not believe me, but I'm gonna show you."

"Let's just get some sleep for now, and maybe you'll change your mind in the morning."

"I won't, and can I sleep in here with you again?"

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yeah, I want to feel you beside me all night, cuz I don't think I'll sleep very well if I'm not in here with you. I really liked sleepin' with you last night and it felt really good havin' you beside me."

"Well, I guess after what we've already done it won't be a problem if you sleep in here as well."

"Yay, can I sleep with my head on your shoulder?"

"I sleep on my side, so that won't be possible."

"Oh, I thought you only did that last night, so I couldn't get at your cock."

"No, I've always slept on my side. I sleep better that way."

"I liked sleepin' with my arm over you, but I'd like it better if you held me like that instead."

"Sure, I can do that if you want, but I think we need to shower again first. I worked up quite a sweat earlier, and you're belly's probably a little sticky, even though I wiped everything off it."

"Yeah, you're prolly right, so can we shower together?"

"After everything else we've done tonight, why not. Come on, we'll use my bathroom."

He followed me in there and I opened the door to the shower stall to adjust the water. "Whoa, you've got a big shower in here and not a tub like in the other bathrooms."

"Yes, I had this put in the master bathroom because I seldom take baths. I guess I chose a larger one because I was hoping that someday I might be able to share it with someone and we'd have plenty of room to mess around."

"Yeah, you can do that with me."

"That wasn't my original thought, but I guess it won't hurt if we shower together."

After we got in the shower, I washed Dakota first and made sure he was squeaky clean. When I was washing his penis and scrotum, he started to firm up again. Oh, to be young and so resilient.

As soon as he was clean, he let me know that he wanted to wash me next, so I let him do what he wanted. He was extremely gentle, but he had a very erotic way of getting me clean. He would wash the area first, and then he would kiss it or do something sexual to it afterward. He kissed all around my face, nuzzled into my neck, and suckled on my nipples. He also took my penis into his mouth again, but only briefly, and he fingered my hole. Those were things I hadn't done to him, although now I wished I had. As soon as we were both clean, I turned off the water, and we got out and dried off. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a shower more.

We went back out to my bed and crawled under the sheets, and then I turned off the lamp and rolled over, so I was facing him this time. I gave him a goodnight kiss first, and then I placed my arm across his waist as I gave him a little squeeze. Then I remained in that position as we drifted off to sleep. Just before I lost consciousness, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I was falling in love with him too.

Chapter 6
New Possibilities

When I woke up the next morning, I still had my arm wrapped around Dakota's waist, and my face was buried in his hair. The steady rhythm of his breathing made it sound as if he was purring and I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed being here with him like this. He was adorable, fun to be around, and a sexual equal. He knew as well as I did what he needed to do to make me feel good, and he was quite talented at pulling it off as well. It made me hesitantly acknowledge that he might be correct – maybe we could fall in love after just a couple of days.

I didn't move for fear of waking him, but it was also because I was enjoying being so close to his sleeping form and holding him. If I'd merely judged him based on my first impression, I'd have thought he was a fragile and weak individual, but he was far stronger and much more resilient than he first appeared. He'd also had the courage to run away from an impossible situation at home and had survived on his own, but now he appeared to be just as content to let me take care of him, although I had to play by his rules. I was reluctant about doing that at first, but now I was glad that he'd forced me to relinquish some of my outdated ideas about him merely because of his age.

We must have remained like that for another twenty minutes, and then he began to stir. When he opened his eyes and looked up at me, a big smile formed on his lips before he spoke.

"Whacha lookin' at?"

"My beautiful boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Do ya really mean that?" He was already bouncing up and down in childish excitement.

"Yes, I believe I do. I would never have guessed I'd be willing to admit it, seeing the difference in our ages, but I think you're right. I enjoy being with you too, and you consume my every thought, so maybe it is possible to fall in love in just a few days."

"See, I told ya."

"Yes, you did."

"So now we can start doin' other stuff too, cuz I really want you to fuck me."

"Let's not rush things. I'm sure it will happen, but let's not force it. I want to wait for the right moment, one when we both feel its right."

"K, as long as you keep doin' the other things with me."

"I promise, but I think it's time to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry, so what would you like for breakfast this morning?"

"Pancakes and the other stuff we had yesterday."

"Two days in a row?"

"Yeah, cuz I really liked it."

"Ok, but I want you to start thinking about something different to have tomorrow. Oh, and before you come downstairs, pack all of your old clothes into your backpack, and we'll throw it into the trash because there's nothing worth saving."

"Oh, ok. I can do that, now that you bought me the other stuff."

I threw on a pair of sweats and got ready to go downstairs to fix our meal, and I told Dakota to put something on before he packed up his old clothes and came down to join me. He started to protest about having to get dressed by saying he liked having me look at him while he was walking around without anything on, but I wasn't buying it. I told him if he wanted to eat, then he'd have to be wearing something, and not just his underwear. He finally gave in and went over to his room to slip into a pair of sweats as well, and then he came bounding down the stairs as I was getting things ready.

"What do you want me to do with this?" he said as he held up his backpack.

"There's a large trash can in the garage, so you can just throw it in there."

After he had done that, I had him wash up, and then we sat down to eat. When we finished, we went up to our bedrooms, but not for the same reason. I was preparing to get dressed, while Dakota sat down at his computer to play games. When I was ready, I stopped by his room to let him know what I was going to do next.

"I'm heading outside to sit in the fresh air for a while."

"Ok, I'll join you when I'm done."

He went back to playing his game, and I left to go outdoors. I've never liked being cooped up in the house for very long, so I sat on the lawn swing and glided back and forth as I tried to put the past forty-eight hours into perspective. Usually, I would have read my book while I was sitting out here like this, but not today. There were more pressing issues to consider.

***

I don't know how long I'd been out there lost in my thoughts, but before long, I felt someone sit down beside me. I hadn't seen or heard him approach, but I knew when he sat down on the swing because it slightly changed the rhythm of my back and forth motion.

"Did you finish playing your games?" I asked to break the silence.

"Yeah, I did." His answer was short and to the point.

"I'm glad to hear that."

Neither of us said anything else for a few minutes and merely sat side by side as we swung back and forth. Finally, he spoke.

"I figured I could play the games again after dark, cuz I'd rather be here with you right now."

I smiled inwardly, knowing it was a huge concession for a teen to give up playing games so he could hang out with someone much older. "I'm glad you made that choice."

We sat there swinging back and forth some more without saying anything to each other until Dakota mentioned something else. "You know there are other boys out there like me."

"Like you, how?"

"They're having sex with men too, so they won't have to go back home, or someplace even worse."

"Yes, I realize that, but it's not easy being able to find or help them. You were lucky because you came to the attention of a very compassionate cop."

"I know, and I want to thank him for getting you to help me."

"We can call him when we go inside so you can do that."

"I'd rather do it when we see him again if that's ok?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

He glanced up at my face and smiled. "You know, I might be able to find some of those other boys, and I could tell them what you've done for me. Do you think you might want to help them too?"

"Does that mean you wouldn't mind sharing me?"

"I still want you to be my boyfriend so we can do stuff, but I hate thinkin' 'bout them havin' to live like that. I was always scared that some guy was gonna hurt me, or maybe even kill me, cuz I've seen stuff like that on the news. I don't want anything like that to happen to any of those boys either, cuz they're kind of like me. I just didn't think I should try to find them, unless I knew you were gonna let them come here, or that you'd be able to find someplace just as good."

"Well, I could help a few more, depending on how many there are in this situation." I looked at Dakota's face to see his reaction.

"I met five other boys like me, but I don't think two of them would want to do anything like this. They're a little older and more suspicious of people who tell them they want to help. I think both of them have been in a group home, foster care, or jail before because they don't trust grown-ups, 'specially cops."

"Yes, I'm sure some of those boys have been treated just as badly by the system as they were at home."

"I figured you'd do this if you could."

"I would, but I'm not even sure how I'm going to be able to pull it off with you. Legally, I could get into trouble for harboring a runaway, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to enroll you in school, seeing I'm not your parent or guardian. Hell, if you get hurt, I won't even be able to sign my name to have you treated at the hospital."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"I've talked to Paul about this, and he's going to check with some of his friends to see if they have any suggestions."

"That's your cop friend, right?"

"Yes, and he's going to try to help me make this work."

"And if he does, do you think we could help those other boys too? I know it's gonna be expensive, and I don't want you going broke just cuz you're tryin' to help a bunch of other boys like me."

"Oh, I doubt I'll go broke. I have plenty of resources."

"But prob'ly not that much." He eyed me suspiciously now, to judge my reaction.

"Well, I might not do quite as much for them as I've done for you, so do you think they'd still want to come?"

His face broke into a grin. "I think some of them will, but I'm not sure about all of 'em."

"Ok, then let's wait until I hear from Paul. If he comes up with some ideas about how I might pull this off legally, then I just might give it a try."

"Do you think we should have a name for it?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know, like the army does when it goes to war or the FBI for one of its operations. Shouldn't we have like a code name for this too?"

I thought about it for a second before responding. "You know, I think you're absolutely correct. We should have a name for it. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Not really," he said, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. "How 'bout you? Can you think of a good name to use?"

"Why don't we take some time to think about this while I start fixing lunch? Maybe we'll come up with something before bedtime."

Dakota agreed and I went to find something for us to eat. When we finally sat down at the table, Dakota began telling me about the other boys he knew.

"Jamie is younger than me. I think he's twelve, but he's been on his own longer than I was. I think he said he left home in April. Glen is thirteen like me, but he wouldn't tell any of us how long he's been livin' on his own. I heard a rumor that he ran away a year ago, but I don't know how he made it through the winter. That was somethin' I was startin' to worry about too."

"Yes, being homeless during the winter can be rough."

"Yeah, that's why I was worried. Laine's already fourteen, and I think he's been hustlin' since March. That's what he calls having sex with guys for money. He told me that on nights when it got cold out, he'd tell a guy he'd have sex with him, but only if he could stay at his place all night or he would hafta rent a motel room. He told me he would end up having sex with the guy more than once to pay for staying there, but he figured it was the price he had to pay for keeping warm. I thought I'd have to do the same thing, but now that I'm living here I won't have to worry about it anymore." He gave me a small grin and a quick hug to let me know how grateful he was.

"Isaac is fifteen, maybe even sixteen now, and Chuck is a little older than Isaac. I don't think either of them would want to come here to live, cuz they both told me they're straight and are only doin' this stuff for the money. They don't trust no one either and just have sex to get by. I think they mostly steal to get what they need, though, and sometimes they sell what they steal for money, and that's what they live on."

"Did you boys all stay together? Is that how you know so much about them?"

"I stayed with them for a while, but I left when Isaac and Chuck started getting' bossy. They were getting' like my stepdad, and they wanted me to give them some of the money I made if I wanted to stay there. They was livin' in an old buildin' that nobody used any more."

"So did the other boys live with them too?"

"I met Laine there, cuz he showed up when I was stayin' with them, but he left when I did cuz he didn't want to give them any of his money either. I met Glen later when we was both lookin' for a place to sleep, and then he took me to meet Jamie, but they were livin' in different places. They told me they keep movin' around, so nobody will complain about them hangin' out in one spot too long, but I know where they like to go. I can prob'ly find them, if you want me to."

"Maybe in time, but I need to hear from Paul first."

I continued asking Dakota a few more questions about each of the boys so I would know whom I'd be willing to help. I already had a feeling that I couldn't trust the older pair to live with us because they might end up robbing me blind. Dakota swore the younger boys were more like him and wouldn't do anything like steal from me, but I still wanted to meet them first so I could judge that for myself.

Since it might be a while before I heard from Paul and we'd be able to do this, I moved it all to the back of my mind for future reference. For now, I'd just focus on Dakota and see if I could get him straightened out first.

In the meantime, I decided we'd go grocery shopping and get the items I'd put on the list earlier. Of course, Dakota wanted to go with me because he didn't want to leave my side, but I wouldn't have wanted to leave him alone at the house anyway. It's not that I didn't trust him, but if he got hurt while I was gone and I wasn't there to help him, then I'd feel awful.

***

The grocery store I went to was about a half-hour away, so we got in the SUV, and I drove there. Seeing I lived in the country nothing was close by, but I didn't mind. I liked the peace and quiet and being able to go outside to do whatever I wanted. Hell, I could even run around naked if that's what I desired, but I wouldn't tell Dakota this because he'd probably do it. I could also understand why some of the earliest settlers complained that they needed 'elbow room' whenever others started moving too close to them, or the population grew too large.

By the time we'd pushed the grocery cart up and down every aisle and had selected each of the items on the list, we had a cartful. I always bought more than I needed, so I wouldn't have to do this again in a few days, and now we checked out and loaded it all into the SUV. Dakota helped me carry everything inside when we got to the house and even helped me to unpack it and put the perishables away.

"It's a good thing you got such a large refrigerator," he announced.

"I bought it intentionally so I wouldn't have to go shopping very often. The two doors at the top are for the refrigerator, and the bottom two doors are for the freezer. I wanted a large freezer section because that would help to keep the meats and vegetables longer."

When we finished, I told him he could play games again or watch TV while I was putting the canned and boxed goods away. I could tell he didn't want to leave me, but eventually he gave in and headed to the family room to see what was on TV.

When I finished putting away those items, I went to join Dakota in the family room. I quickly discovered that he was watching an old episode of The Brady Bunch, and shortly after I sat down, he turned to me and spoke.

"We could be like them too if the other boys came here to live."

"But unlike Mike Brady, I wouldn't have a wife with three daughters, and we wouldn't have a maid."

"Yeah, but you'd still be like Mike Brady with a bunch of sons."

"Yes, like he was before, he met Carol and hired Alice."

"And I think it would be fun havin' a bunch of brothers."

"Brothers can fight a lot too."

"Yeah, but I really liked it when I was with 'em, cuz I never had a brother before."

"And I've never had a son before, and now you want me to have four or more sons in just a few weeks."

He giggled. "Yeah, but you'll like it too, cuz I'll bet they'll run around the house naked just like me."

"And what if they want to have sex with me as well, seeing they're used to having sex with men?"

Suddenly his entire demeanor changed. I guess he hadn't thought about that. He toyed with the idea for a while before he answered.

"I only want you to do that stuff with me."

"But if they've been having sex with men too, and if they like it as much as you do, then they might want to do it with me as well."

"Dang, I don't wanna share you."

"But you're the one who brought up the idea that I should take them in."

"Yeah, but just to help them out, not to blow or fuck 'em."

"I didn't plan on doing that with you either, but you kept at me until I gave in, so maybe they'll do the same thing."

"Why does this have to be so complicated?"

"Life is complicated."

"Yeah, but I just want to help them, not share you."

"But you have to consider that as well."

"Did you think about that kinda stuff before you let me come here to live?"

"I did, but I thought I would be able to say 'no' and then stick by it, but then you found a way to make me change my mind."

"Then just don't do that with them."

"I tried not doing it with you, too, but I obviously failed."

"I'm glad you did, but can't you be stronger with them?"

"I can try, but I can't make any promises. You've already proven to me that I'm not as strong as I thought I was and that I don't have a great deal of willpower."

"Man, maybe I'm gonna have to change my mind then, cuz I really like havin' you all to myself."

"I've noticed that, so you'd better think about this some more."

"Yeah, I guess I will."

He went back to watching the program, and I sat with him, but I spent the time thinking about the things we'd just talked about. Did I really want to take in more boys? And what would I do if they wanted to have sex with me, and how would Dakota react? Hell, I didn't think I'd even have sex with him, but now that I've broken that barrier and developed feelings for him, as well as realizing he has the same feelings for me, maybe it would happen again. I can no longer rule out that possibility, since it had already happened to me once. I've always liked helping kids, but I'd never had sex with one until I met Dakota, so now who says it won't happen again.

I didn't realize it but not only had that episode finished, but he had watched another one after that. When it ended, Dakota looked at me and spoke. "Was you even watchin' the TV, cuz you didn't look like you was?"

"Actually, I was thinking about something else."

"Yeah, I figured you was."

"I guess maybe I should go out and start fixing something for dinner. I didn't realize how late it was already."

"K, I'll just stay here until it's ready."

"That's fine and I'll call you when it's time to eat. Is there anything you'd like to have this evening?"

"We haven't had spaghetti yet."

"No, we haven't, so I'll whip up some spaghetti and meatballs. Do you like garlic bread?"

"Don't know. I don't think I've ever had it before."

"Ok, I'll fix that so you can try it, and I'll fix a salad for each of us as well. How does that sound?"

"Great!"

"I'll probably be calling you in about a half-hour," I added just before heading out to the kitchen.

I was glad I had a bag of frozen meatballs in the freezer. After I set the temperature on the oven, I retrieved the bag with the meatballs, placed them on a cookie sheet, and put them in the oven. I grabbed a loaf of garlic bread too and placed it on a pizza pan before putting it in the oven. I then boiled a pot of water, dumped a jar of spaghetti sauce into another pan and started to heat that up too, and then I got out the box of spaghetti. While the water and sauce were heating up, I fixed two bowls of salad, and when the water came to a boil, I stuck the uncooked spaghetti in it.

It was an easy meal to prepare and came together fairly quickly, so before long, I was calling Dakota to the table. I added four meatballs to each plate of spaghetti, but he ended up taking a couple more before he was done. He also devoured half a loaf of the garlic bread and the salad, along with the spaghetti.

"What was that dressing you put on my salad this time? It was really good."

"It was just olive oil and vinegar, but I'm glad you liked it."

"Yeah, I wanna have it again sometime, but I never saw that on one of the bottles of dressin'."

"That's because I mixed it myself. I had a bottle of olive oil and another with apple cider and I just mixed them together. I'm glad you liked it and I'll be happy to fix it for you again."

"Thanks."

After we finished eating, we cleaned up the mess, and Dakota went up to his room to play games on the computer. While he was doing that, I wondered how long it would be before Paul called and if he'd have any ideas to help me protect myself. I'd been trying to come up with a few possibilities on my own, but I didn't know if they'd be any more legal than what I was doing now. I certainly didn't want to break any laws because then the chances of me keeping Dakota would be almost nil, and I certainly didn't want that to happen.

I also toyed with the idea of calling Paul, but I knew he would have called me if he'd found anything out. Therefore, I just bided my time and waited for him to call me. Unlike Paul, I didn't want to call him and become a pest.

A couple of hours later, I went upstairs and stopped by Dakota's room before heading to my own. "I'm going to shower and then read for a while before going to sleep."

"Then I'll shower too, cuz I want you to read to me."

"Ok, then I'll wait until you join me."

"I meant I was gonna shower with you, silly."

"Oh, so now you're totally taking over my room and moving in?"

"Not totally, just at night when I shower and sleep with ya."

"Oh, that's definitely better," I joked as he walked toward me and I reached out to tousle his hair.

"Why do you keep doin' that?"

"Probably because I like the feel of your hair, but it's also my way of letting you know that I care about you."

"You do that when we're having sex too."

"But this is something I can also do in public."

"Oh, ok."

He then followed me over to my bedroom and we both got undressed before heading into the bathroom. After I'd adjusted the water, we stepped into the stall and he washed me first this time. When he got down to my privates, he took my penis into his mouth again, but this time he didn't stop. He played with my balls and nodded back and forth in rapid succession on my dick until I knew I was getting close. I didn't want it to end in here, so I pulled away from him.

"Hey, whacha doin'?" he demanded while frowning.

"I'd rather do this in bed."

Suddenly his face brightened. "Ok, then I'll finish washin' ya."

Once he had washed both of my legs, I started cleaning him quickly, and although he sprouted wood the second I touched his penis, I didn't do anything more to that area. I'd take care of it after we got in bed. As soon as I had washed every inch of his body, I turned off the water, and we got out to dry off, and then we headed into the bedroom. After I pulled back the bedding, I asked a question.

"How do you want to do this?"

"Let's sixty-nine."

"Ok, that's fine with me."

We got into position with him on top, and then we greedily attacked each other's penis like two dogs jumping on a pair of bones. In a way, it was an appropriate analogy, except we were jumping on a pair of boners. We bobbed up and down on those throbbing pieces of flesh and did our best to bring each other pleasure, and Dakota dumped his load well before I was ready. I eagerly drank it down and enjoyed every drop, and to his credit he went back to working on me just as soon as the final pleasurable spasms had finished wracking his body. He kept it up until I ejaculated into his mouth as well, and then he continued sucking on it until he had drained every ounce of fluid from my wilting organ.

As soon as he finished, he crawled up beside me and started kissing me again. It was even more passionate than the night before, and we eagerly attacked each other's mouth as our tongues dueled. He was an incredible kisser, and I couldn't get enough of him as my hands stroked his naked body. At one point I realized that I'd managed to reach down far enough so I could slip a finger into his butt hole, and he moaned in pleasure when I did it.

"Fuck me. Please?"

"I can't do it tonight because I've already cum."

"But I can do it more than once."

"Yes, that's because you're still young, but it won't always be like that. I can't do it more than once any longer, at least not without taking some time in between to recharge my batteries."

"Then we'll do it tomorrow night."

"We'll see."

He then rested his head on my shoulder, and even though I don't usually sleep this way, we both dozed off and spent the night in that position. Maybe I will be changing my sleeping habits after all.

Chapter 7
We Come Up With a Plan

It was a couple more days before I heard back from Paul, but he finally called. In the interim, things had pretty much been going the same as before, and I'd been growing closer to Dakota, although I had to keep putting him off about actually fucking him. I'm not sure why, since I knew he'd done it before and we were already having oral sex, but I think it's partially a mental block because of his age. It's similar to why I didn't do anything with him at first, although my resistance didn't last very long, but I'm trying to hold off on anal intercourse with him for as long as I can.

Anyway, Paul called to give me some updates. He had a lot to say, and I was surprised that I was able to get away from Dakota long enough to do this in private. Fortunately, he was playing games on the computer when my phone rang, so I was able to do it without him clinging to me and constantly asking questions.

"It's about time," I said when I realized who was calling.

"Hey, none of this has been easy, but I have some information for you. I found out where Edgar and Ann Marie lived, so I contacted a guy I knew who worked in the Sheriff's Department that covers the area where they live. I then went to meet him on my day off, and together we visited them. I read them the riot act while we were there."

"My God, what did you do?"

"I started by telling them that we knew they'd been planning to send Dakota to conversion therapy camp, which is outlawed in this state. They responded that it was why they were sending him to the camp in another state, and I explained it would still be considered child abuse since he lived in this state. Then, I told them that Dakota had gotten into a great deal of trouble since he left and caused a lot of damage, and they were responsible for paying for all of it since they were his legal guardians."

"Oh, I bet that scared the crap out of them."

"At first they just claimed they couldn't afford to pay for anything, but we told them the state would garnish their paychecks and intercept their income tax refunds until it was paid off, no matter how long it took."

"Damn, they must have been shitting bricks by then."

"Yeah, but we were just softening them up for the final blow."

"And what was that?"

"We told them that if they wanted to avoid being locked up and having to pay for everything then they'd have to plead guilty to child neglect and be placed on probation. This way, they'd both have a record and wouldn't be able to get back at us later, and we also told them they'd have to sign over custody of Dakota. His mother didn't want to do it, but eventually, the stepfather talked her into it, and they agreed to both stipulations. The Sheriff's Department is going to handle that part of the case, but I had to pay a lawyer friend of mine to draw up the legal document where they signed over custody of Dakota to you. Now you don't have to worry any longer because everything is legal."

"I can't believe you pulled it off, but thank you. I'll pay you back for whatever you paid the lawyer, but now I have something else to run by you."

"Oh, crap. What am I getting into now?"

"Trust me, it's not nearly as bad as the crap you've dragged me into, but Dakota told me about some other boys that he'd met who were living on the street as well. He was asking if maybe I could also help them out."

"If you find out their names, I might be able to do something similar for them, but no promises. It will be easier if you run a rehab center like we first talked about because then we could transfer custody of them over to you after we picked them up."

"And how the hell would you pull that off?"

"We could say you were treating them for sex addiction and solicitation habits."

"But how would I be able to do it legally?"

"Let me give you the information about my lawyer friend, and you can work it out with him. You've got to see him anyway to pick up the document giving you custody of Dakota so that you can do this at the same time."

I quickly jotted down the information. "Thank you for doing this for us, and I'm sure Dakota is going to want to thank you as well because he's already said he wants to do that in person."

"Just give me a call when you go to see the lawyer, and we'll work something out."

"Ok, and thanks again. I'll talk to you later."

I just sat there for a few minutes after the call ended so I could absorb everything he'd just told me. It blew my mind that he'd been able to work this all out for us, and now I wanted to tell Dakota the good news. I raced up the stairs to his bedroom, and the door was open, so I walked into the room.

"When you get a chance to stop, there are a few things I want to tell you."

"K, I'm just about done."

When the game ended, he turned around in the chair and looked at me. "K, what's up?"

"I just got off the phone with Paul, and he gave me some good news. He and a Sheriff's Deputy he knew went over to your parents' house and confronted them. They told your mom and stepdad that they knew what they had been trying to do and it would be considered child abuse in this state, and then they lied a bit and told them you'd caused a whole lot of damage and they would have to pay for all of it."

"Ohhh, I bet my stepdad didn't like hearin' that."

"No, he didn't, and they tried to say they couldn't pay. Paul explained that they'd have to, no matter how long it took, and the only way they could get out of it was if they pleaded guilty to child neglect and were placed on probation."

"And they agreed?"

"Damn straight, they did, but there was also one other stipulation."

"What was that?"

"They were told that they'd have to sign away legal custody of you."

"My mother prolly didn't want to do that, but I'll bet my stepdad did."

"You're right about that, and it's what Paul told me, but they both ended up signing it anyway, so now I'm legally responsible for you."

"Really? Does that mean you're my dad now?"

"Not exactly your dad, but I'm your guardian, and it's all legal, so I can sign for anything you might need, whether it's medical treatment or for you to enter school."

"That's fuckin' awesome. Can we do that with the other boys too?"

"That will be more complicated. I've got to go into the city to pick up the legal document from the lawyer that gives me custody of you, and I'll talk to him about that at the same time. We'll also go to see Paul while we're there so we can thank him in person for making all of this happen."

"Yeah, I owe him big time, almost as much as I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, except for staying out of trouble and doing your best in school. That will be more than enough."

"Unt uh. I'll pay you back with sex too."

"That isn't payment, because we'll be doing it because we love one another."

"Yeah, we do, but can't it be for both?"

"I suppose if it will make you feel better."

"Yeah, it will."

"Then let's plan on driving into the city tomorrow to take care of this. Ok?"

"Yeah, and is that when we'll go to find the other boys?"

"No, that will have to wait a little longer because I need to work it out with the lawyer first so I can do it legally. Now that you're taken care of, I don't want to do anything that will get me into trouble with the law, because then I might end up losing you as well."

"Yeah, I don't want that to happen."

"Ok, you can go back to playing your game now, and I'll go downstairs and figure out what else we might do tomorrow, so we don't have to go into the city again right away."

"K," he said, and then he jumped up and hugged me.

I went down to the living room and made a couple of quick calls first before I called Paul back. I wanted to let him know that we'd be coming to the city the following day and arranged a time when we could thank him in person. He answered right away.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know that we are coming to the city tomorrow, so I thought maybe we could get together so Dakota and I can thank you."

"It depends on what time you'll be here. Seeing I'm still on the late shift, I usually go to sleep around 2:00 in the afternoon."

"Ok, then I'll plan on leaving the house by 8:00 tomorrow morning, so we'll be there by 10:00. We'll come to see you first."

"Ok, you can come to the house and I'll meet you there."

"Would you mind if I left Dakota with you when I go to see the lawyer? There are some things I'd rather do in private."

"Sure, that will be fine. I'd like to see how he's doing, and I hope he's more talkative than he was the last time we were together."

"That's right, he wouldn't tell you anything then, but I'm sure he'll be more talkative now because he knows what you've done for him."

"It will be neat to see what he looks like now that he's cleaned up and smiling. He wasn't pleased the last time we were together."

"No, but it worked out for the best. We'll see you in the morning, and thanks again for everything."

As soon as I got off the phone, I went to fix lunch for us. When it was ready, I called Dakota to come down to eat. It also gave us a chance to talk.

"I want to leave the house no later than 8:00 am tomorrow because Paul goes to sleep in the afternoon since he's working overnight."

"K, we'll just go to bed early then, so we'll have time to fool around first."

"Do you ever think about anything other than sex?"

"Yeah, but sex is the best part of the day."

"Damn, you're going to kill me just trying to keep up with you."

"Unt uh, I just want to have fun doin' that stuff with you."

"But you're younger than I am, so it's easier for you."

"Maybe, but you enjoy it too. Uhhh, can I ask you a question 'bout somethin' else?"

"You mean, after all we've done already, that there's something else you want to ask me?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Go ahead and ask away."

"K, and thanks. I know you've told me you don't hafta worry about money, but where did you get it from? I just want to know cuz I worry that you're gonna spend it all on the other boys and me."

"Oh, that will never happen, and to prove it, I'll answer your question. Shortly after I received my doctorate, I discovered the Power Ball jackpot was really high, so I decided to invest $20.00 to play it. I was hoping I'd win enough to pay off my college loans so I could start out debt-free, but I ended up doing even better than that. I was totally shocked when I saw that I had the winning ticket, and even after I paid the taxes on it, I still had more than enough to last a lifetime – more than several lifetimes. Buying this property and building this custom house hardly put a dent in my bank account, so there's no way I'll ever use it all up. That's why Paul is always telling me that I have no reason to work, but since I spent so much time getting my doctorate, it seemed as if it would be a waste if I didn't use it."

"Wow, I thought you was only jokin' and tryin' to make me feel better about all the stuff you was buyin' me when you said you didn't have to worry about money."

"No, I was telling you the truth, but please don't share this information with anyone else. I don't want others trying to do something to get the money from me."

"What would they do?"

"For starters, they might kidnap you and hold you for ransom. If not, then they might try holding us at gunpoint until I gave them what they wanted. Not everyone can be trusted, so we have to be very careful about what we say and do. We don't want to make it seem to others that we're filthy rich, because someone will surely try to find a way to take it from us."

"K, I promise I won't tell nobody."

***

When we finished eating, I decided to take him out for another ride on the four-wheeler so I could show him the extent of my property. It would take us about four or five hours to get around all of it, but I really wanted him to see the extent of my holdings.

Dakota was eager to go out on the four-wheeler again, and this time I didn't have to explain everything to him first. He immediately put on the helmet and waited until I started it before he got on behind me, and then he wrapped his arms around my chest before we took off. We began by following the same trail that we'd taken when we did this before, but this time when we reached the top of the hill, I merely crossed the stream and kept going. We followed the trail between the government land and my property until we reached the boundary of the land I owned, and then I turned and followed along the property line on that side.

As we went along, I had been pointing out various features to Dakota and explaining what I found so interesting about them. He seemed fascinated by every bit of information I shared with him, and when we reached the road that formed another property boundary line, we followed it back toward the house. I drove past the driveway when we reached there and continued until I arrived at the lower boundary between my land and the government property. I turned onto the trail that ran between them and followed it until we reached the trail that I'd taken from the house when we first started out. I turned onto it and followed it back to the garage, and then I parked the ATV inside. As soon as I turned off the engine, Dakota and I got off the four-wheeler and removed our helmets.

"That was wicked. I know you said you owned a lot of land, but that was way more than I thought you meant."

"Yes, it's a lot of land for just me living here, and it's still a lot with you living here as well."

"Then, we should take in those other boys."

"Maybe someday, but there's a great deal I have to work out before that can happen."

"K, but I still think you should do it."

"I know you do–I'll keep it in mind."

I went inside and began to fix dinner, and Dakota decided to watch TV while I was doing that. Since Dakota seemed to like spaghetti sauce and Italian food, I decided to prepare chicken parmesan, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a salad for each of us. Seeing he liked the oil and vinegar dressing, I thought I'd do that again, and then we will go to bed early. I just hope he'll let me get some sleep.

It took a little longer to fix everything tonight because I had to peel and boil the potatoes first before I mashed them, but it was worth it. Dakota said the mashed potatoes were better than the ones his mom used to make, so she probably served instant potatoes. He also told me he'd never had chicken parmesan before and really liked it, so now I knew something else I could prepare in the future. After we enjoyed a nice leisurely meal together, he helped me clean up the mess afterward, and then we relaxed for about an hour before we went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Dakota wanted us to shower together again, and I felt he was turning this into a nighttime ritual now. I'd probably made a mistake by allowing him to do it with me, and now I'd have to live with it. It's wasn't that it was a painful or disastrous mistake because I quite enjoyed doing these things with him, but it was something I now had very little control over.

We washed each other the same way we'd done the other nights, and then we headed back to the bedroom for a little fun. Dakota wanted to suck me off first, so I agreed and laid back on the bed before closing my eyes. He had me hard in a matter of seconds, and I was really enjoying it when he suddenly stopped. I thought he was just taking a breather, and by the time I'd opened my eyes, he was straddling my waist and preparing to lower himself onto my erection.

"I don't want to do it this way," I got out just as he sat down on my firm member.

He appeared to be a kid on a mission and wasn't about to stop. Now that I was already inside him, I didn't see a reason to force him to stop, and besides, he was already bouncing up and down on it and relishing in the fact that he'd finally got his way. Maybe it wasn't exactly like he wanted it to happen, and it wasn't the way I wanted to do it either, but it was too late to worry about that now.

I decided I might as well enjoy what he was doing, so I started thrusting my hips up to meet his downward movements. Dakota's mouth was hanging slightly open, his head was thrown back, his eyes were closed, and he seemed to be lost in the action. Other than our obvious connection, Dakota appeared somewhat detached and appeared to be concentrating on his own pleasure, as well as mine.

I was shocked that a boy this young knew how to flex his anal muscles to bring me the maximum amount of enjoyment. He was already a better lover than any of the other partners I'd had, and I was totally lost in the wonderful sensations radiating throughout my body. Even though I had tried to stop him at first, I now wanted it to last for as long as possible. I believe he did as well, and I wondered how long he would be able to do this in that position.

I finally decided to take matters into my own hands, so I pulled him toward me to kiss him, and then I rolled him over onto his back. As soon as he was in that position, I straightened up on my knees, placed his legs on my shoulders, and started pistoning into him. Now, I was doing all of the work, and he was merely mirroring my actions. It was the typical missionary position for a gay couple, notwithstanding the pun.

I was lost in my own pleasure and momentarily forgot who was beneath me. When I opened my eyes a few seconds later, I was reminded that it was Dakota and decided to be gentler so he would enjoy it more. Up to that moment, I was only thinking about my own pleasure, but now I was focusing on making it more enjoyable for him too. Dakota was the one who'd initially wanted this, so I was doing everything I could to ensure that he'd be satisfied with the results. I used slow, deep strokes and attempted to angle my penis so it would brush against his prostate because he'd previously told me that he enjoyed it when that happened with one of the other men that had fucked him.

Dakota was moaning below me, and little squeals began to rise from his throat every now and then, which led me to believe that I was occasionally hitting his prostate. I was really getting into it when I suddenly heard Dakota squeal more loudly than before, and then he grunted as his anal muscles clamped around my penis. At the same moment, his penis erupted, and his semen flew from the tip in several powerful spurts that were soon covering his chest and abdomen. His anal contractions also sent me over the edge and caused my penis to unload into his bowels.

As soon as I was completely drained, I leaned forward and began to kiss him. He didn't respond at first, probably because he was still lost in the afterglow of his own powerful release, but then he started to attack my mouth with all the passion he could muster. Our mouths locked, our lips parted, and our tongues began an erotic dance as they stimulated each other and prolonged our enjoyment. It was totally overwhelming and more satisfying than any other time I'd ever done this before.

We made out for quite a few more minutes before we separated, and since I had lowered myself to kiss him, our chests had been touching, and his semen had formed a seal between our bodies. Since we were both a mess, I suggested that we needed to take another shower, so I pulled out of him and got off the bed.

"That was fuckin' awesome, and you made me cum without touchin' my dick."

"Yes, that's true, but I told you earlier that I wasn't ready to do this with you yet."

"I'm sorry I did that without asking you first, but I knew you'd say no," he began as I waited for him to get out of bed. "But I'm not sorry that we did it, cuz that was the best fuck I've ever had."

"That's because I wasn't fucking you, I was making love. I was trying to make it as good for you as possible, not just for me."

"It worked cuz that was the best ever."

"And even though I enjoyed it, I had some specific reasons for why I wanted to wait, such as having you checked out by a doctor first. I hope it doesn't mean we'll eventually come to regret your being so impulsive, but I'll admit that I enjoyed doing this more tonight than ever before."

"Me too."

I then headed into the bathroom with Dakota following close behind because we needed to clean up so we could get some sleep. We had a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and we both needed to be well-rested for it. I allowed Dakota to wash me again, but only after he'd promised that was all he would do, and then I washed him.

After we dried off, we headed back to the bedroom and got into bed, and as soon as I was lying on my back Dakota laid his head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around him. We eventually drifted off to sleep, and I made it through the entire night sleeping on my back again. In the morning, I came to the conclusion that I'd been able to do this because I had my human teddy bear wrapped up in my arms, and it was a great feeling, one that I hoped wouldn't end any time soon.

Chapter 8
Tying Up Loose Ends

I woke up at 7:00 and headed downstairs to fix us something to eat before we hit the road, and Dakota came down a few minutes later after he'd noticed I wasn't in bed with him. As soon as we finished eating, we got dressed and headed into the city because I had a lot to do and needed to get there as early as possible.

We went to Paul's house first, and he came to the door in his uniform. He'd been home for less than two hours after working all night, and after we greeted him, Dakota and I thanked him for everything he'd done for us. After asking him how much he'd paid the lawyer to draw up the document that transferred custody of Dakota to me, I handed him some money.

We talked for a little while longer, but then I had to leave because I had an appointment with the lawyer he'd recommended. I drove directly to his office and checked in with his secretary first. She told me to take a seat, and then I was led into his office a few minutes later.

"Hi, I'm Murray Dann," the lawyer stated as he offered me his hand. "I hear you're a friend of Paul Marshall."

"Yes, we've been friends since grade school," I answered as we shook hands.

"He's a good guy and I was happy to help him with this. I understand you're the person we assisted in gaining custody of the minor."

"Yes, I'm a psychologist, and Paul felt I'd be able to deal with the issues the young man was struggling with."

"Well, Paul spoke very highly of you and asked me to do whatever I could to assist you."

"I appreciate that because there is something else I would like to run by you. This boy told me there are other boys he knows who are in similar circumstances, and he wants me to help them as well. Paul thought it would be a good idea if I talked to you about this before I got involved with it because he felt you could suggest something that would protect me legally. Do you have any suggestions?"

"First, you need to tell me exactly what you have in mind?"

"Paul suggested that I should open a residential treatment center to deal with these other boys because that way, he would be able to get them assigned there."

"Yes, I could help you with something like that, but I may have to contact someone else to assist me since it isn't my primary area of the law. From what I remember from law school, after you choose a name for your business, you'll have to file Articles of Organization, create an LLC Operating Agreement, and then get the appropriate licenses and permits next. That would shield you from individual responsibility for any debts incurred by the business. Once you're established, Paul and the other police officers will be able to have the various youths assigned to the center for treatment."

"Great! Will you need a retainer?"

"Yes," and he told me the amount, so I immediately wrote him a check.

"So, what do I have to do now?"

"I'll have my secretary print out some forms for you to sign, and then I'll fill them out and submit them for you."

"That's terrific, and I don't care what it costs. I'll even pay extra for you to expedite the process because I want to get those boys off the street as soon as possible."

"I'll do the best I can."

He then called his secretary and told her what he needed, and as soon as she brought the forms into Murray's office, I signed them. Murray said he would get started on this and submit the forms just as soon as I let him know what I was going to name the business. I told him I'd have to get back to him about that, and then I shook his hand again, and we parted ways. As soon as I left there, I drove back to Paul's house.

***

"How did you make out?"

"He gave me the paperwork, so I'll be able to prove I have custody of Dakota, and he also talked about a way I'd be able to take in the other boys as well. He said I'd need to organize the residential center as an LLC, and then he had me sign some papers to get it started."

"What's an LLC?" Dakota demanded.

"It stands for Limited Liability Corporation, and it will prevent me from being held personally liable for any debts arising from the business. It will also allow me to help the other boys legally."

"Great. Do you need me to go with you to find them now?"

"Not yet. It will take a while for the lawyer to set this up, and I'll need to decide on a name for the residential center first before he can do anything."

"Oh," he sounded and looked disappointed.

We stayed and chatted with Paul for a little while longer, but I kept my eye on the time because there was another appointment we had to get to. When it neared the scheduled time, we said goodbye to Paul and then Dakota, and I thanked him again before we got back in the SUV.

"Where are we goin' now?"

"I'm taking you to see a doctor that I go to, and he's going to give you a physical and test you for sexually transmitted diseases."

"Why's he gonna do that. I was careful when I had sex."

"That may be, but accidents can still happen, and I want to make sure you're safe. In fact, I had wanted you to have this done before we had intercourse."

"So does that mean you're mad at me cuz of what I did last night?"

"Not exactly mad, but I am disappointed. I told you that I wanted to wait, but you went ahead and did it anyway, even knowing how I felt. Basically, what you did is the same thing as raping me."

"Nah, it wasn't, cuz you were in me. I wasn't fuckin' you."

"No, you weren't, but you still forced me into having sex after I told you 'no', and that's the same thing as rape."

He suddenly looked shocked and totally panicked. "You're not gonna have me arrested, are you?"

"No, but I still want the doctor to check you out."

"K, just don't be mad at me. I'm sorry I did that, but I just wanted to feel you inside me, and it was terrific."

"I'll agree with you about that because it was great, but you still did it against my will."

"I won't ever do that again."

"I certainly hope not."

***

When we got to the doctor's office, we checked in and filled out some paperwork first, and then we waited to be called. Eventually, a nurse came out to the waiting room and called Dakota's name, so he got up, but then he stopped.

"Aren't you comin' with me?"

"I can if you want, but I thought you might like to do this alone. The doctor is going to ask you a lot of very personal questions, and I wasn't sure if you'd want me in there when he did that."

"Yeah, I still want you to come with me, cuz you already know about all of that stuff."

"Ok, as long as it's what you want."

We followed the nurse back to the examination area, and she weighed and measured Dakota first, before taking his blood pressure. We were then led to an individual room, where we waited for the doctor. When Dr. Arpante entered, he walked over to me and extended his hand.

"Eric, it's nice to see you again."

"Thanks, Doc, and it's nice to see you as well."

"What do we have here?"

"I have custody of this young man, and I wanted you to give him a complete physical and run a full battery of STD tests on him."

"Ah, I see," he said before turning to face Dakota. "I take it you've been having sex…" he paused until he looked at the information sheet in the folder "…Dakota?"

"Yeah, I was livin' on the street and had to do it for money, but I was always careful. I made the guys wear rubbers if they wanted to fuck me."

"I see, so how many times are you talking about?"

"I had sex with a bunch of boys when I was livin' at home, and then I started havin' sex with men after I ran away. I guess maybe there were twenty or thirty guys after I started doin' that."

"I see," the doctor said as he glanced over at me. "Why don't you strip down to your underwear while Eric and I step into the corridor to talk? I'll examine you when I come back in."

As soon as we had left the room and shut the door behind us, Dr. Arpante turned and looked at me again. "I take it, you knew about this, and it's why you brought him to see me?"

"Yes, and he's not a bad kid and only did it to survive. He had a terrible home situation and ended up running away."

"Ok, do you want to be in there when I examine him?"

"He asked me to come back here with him, so I think he wants me in there when you do this."

"Ok, then let's go back inside."

When we went into the room, Dakota was sitting on the examination table in just a pair of boxer briefs. He seemed to like them the best, since I wore them too, and I believe it made him feel as if we had another connection. Dr. Arpante began the examination and listened to Dakota's heart and lungs first, before checking his eyes, ears, and nose. He also tested his reflexes and examined his skin, and then he asked Dakota to stand up and drop his briefs.

"I hope you don't mind doing this in front of Eric too?"

"Nah, it's ok. I'm cool with him."

The doctor then checked him for a hernia and examined his penis and pubic area for the usual signs of problems, and then he had him bend over the examination table so he could check his rectum next.
The doctor put on a rubber glove first and added some lube to it, and then he fingered his hole after examining it for tears and bruising. When he was done, he told Dakota he could get dressed again.

"Everything looks fine, but I'll send a nurse back here in a couple of minutes to draw some blood. We'll test it for everything, and someone will get in touch with you just as soon as we know the results."

"Thanks, Doc. I appreciate your help."

I shook his hand again before he left, and then we waited for the nurse to show up. She knocked on the door before entering, and then she drew several vials of blood for testing purposes. When she finished, we walked out to the front desk so I could pay the office visit. Even though I'd called to add Dakota to my insurance policy as soon as Paul told me I had custody, it would take time for the change to go into effect, so I had to pay the bill.

When we left the doctor's office, I headed home, and during the ride, Dakota filled me in about the time he spent with Paul. "He was askin' me how I was doin', and then he asked me if we 'was havin' sex."

"What did you tell him?"

"I think he already knew we were, so I just told him we'd blown each other."

"Ok, that works."

"I was shocked when he said I must have enjoyed it cuz you give great blow jobs. When he saw that I was shocked by what he said, he told me he knew it cuz you used to give him blow jobs when he was younger. I thought you said he was straight?"

"He is, but when he was in high school, the girls wanted to get to know him first before they let him into their panties, so I took care of him when they wouldn't."

"So he didn't do nothin' to you?"

"Let me put it this way. I would suck him off when he was desperate, and then he'd jack me off. So what else did you two talk about?"

"I told him about the other boys I was hopin' you'd let come live with us."

"And what did he say about that?"

"He said to let him know if we needed his help to do that."

"Yeah, he's a good guy."

Now that he'd finished telling me this, Dakota turned on the radio and listened to it while I was lost in thought. About ten minutes later, I had an idea and wanted to tell Dakota about it.

"I've got it," I announced. I guess I'd said this so loudly that it momentarily scared the poor kid.

"Damn it, you almost made me crap my pants," he informed me while trying to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry about that, but I just thought of something. You said we needed a name for what we were going to do to help the other boys, so what if we call it 'Operation Angel Rescue'?"

"It sounds ok, but none of us are exactly angels."

"I understand, but it's the term some people use to refer to young people who are living on the street and end up having sex to make enough money to survive."

"Well, I guess it would fit us then, so let's use that name. I kind of like the way it sounds."

"And I like the way my angel looks." My comment made him blush a bit, and then we went on to discuss more of the details about what we were going to do. "I'll call the business 'Angel House Rehabilitation Center'. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good and I like that too."

"Great, then I'll call the lawyer back to let him know how to fill out the forms."

***

When we reached the house, we had a late lunch, and while we were eating, Dakota told me everything he knew about the three younger boys. "I'm glad you don't want Isaac and Chuck to come live with us, cuz I think they'd give you problems."

"That's what I thought, too, and having three more boys will be plenty. We'll also have enough bedrooms for everyone that way."

"But I don't need mine."

"I still want you to have one because I'm not sure you should be sleeping with me until after they've been with us for a while."

"Why not? They won't care. They've slept with guys too."

"But I'm going to be a surrogate father to all of you, so maybe it's not a good idea to continue doing that."

"Then maybe we shouldn't bring the other guys here."

"So you no longer want to help your friends because it might be inconvenient for you? That's kind of selfish."

"But I like it the way it is."

"I know, and we might be able to go back to doing it again later, but I think we should hold off until they get settled in. If they see that you are sleeping with me, they might think they have to do it as well."

"So you mean if they think I'm sleepin' with you that it will make them feel like they gotta have sex with you too?"

"Yes, I do, and I'm sure that's not what you want. I also don't think you'd be able to live with yourself if you leave them out on the street struggling to survive–especially if something were to happen to one of them. You were lucky and got out of having to do that, and I believe you'd like to see them being able to stop doing it as well."

"Yeah, it's why I told you 'bout them, but I didn't know it would change everything for me."

"Aren't you willing to make a little sacrifice to help them? It will only be temporary."

He looked down at the floor for a few seconds before he answered. "Yeah, ok, I guess we should still do it, cuz I don't want them havin' to live like that anymore."

"Ok, then I'll call the lawyer and tell him the name we've chosen, and as soon as he lets us know that everything is set up, we'll go looking for the three younger boys."

"K, that will be good, and we'll have time to do stuff still before they get here."

When we finished our discussion, Dakota went to see what was on TV, and I called the lawyer to tell him what we'd decided to call the rehabilitation center. He was amused with the name and said he'd use it on the paperwork, and then he'd call me back as soon as everything was finalized. I felt we'd made a good start and hoped I was doing the right thing–especially after the way Dakota had reacted when we arrived home earlier.

After dinner, I offered to watch a movie with him and wrapped my arm around his body to reassure him that nothing had changed. Even if we took the other boys in, I wanted him to realize that I'd still feel the same way about him. We might have to change our habits for a brief time until the others became more comfortable living here, and he seemed to know why I was doing this instinctively. We had a very enjoyable and pleasant evening together.

***

When we went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed, Dakota asked me a question. "Can I shower with you again?"

"Wow, you're asking me now? You generally just barge your way in."

"I didn't really barge in, but after what I did last night, I thought I'd better start askin' you 'bout things first."

"I appreciate that, and yes, you may shower with me."

He hugged me around the waist as we walked to my bedroom, and then we both stripped before heading into the bathroom. As soon as I'd adjusted the water, we stepped inside, and I washed him with as much love and tenderness that I felt in my heart for him. When I finished, he did the same to me, and then we dried off and headed to the bedroom.

"Will you make love to me again?"

"Normally, I would say no to teach you a lesson about what you did last night, but you seem to have learned from it, so I'm willing to put it behind us for now."

"So you'll do it then?"

"Yes, but tonight I'll do more than just having sex with you. You're already naked, so I won't be able to undress you, but I can still do everything else."

I picked him up, carried him to the bed, and laid him upon the mattress. I then began to kiss him, not only on the mouth but all over his face, and I even nibbled on his ears briefly. As soon as I finished doing that, I moved down to his neck and kissed, nibbled, and sucked on every inch of flesh from one side of his head to the other before I moved even lower. I kissed my way to the center of his chest and teased one of his nipples with my tongue, and then I suckled on it briefly before moving over to the other one. Dakota was squirming and sighing as I was doing this, and then I began to slide lower as I worked my way down to his navel.

It was a cute innie bellybutton, and I explored it with my tongue, and this caused him to squirm even more and giggle. Once he got himself under control again, I worked my way down to the piece de resistance, his boyish penis. It was already fully erect, most likely due to my other ministrations, but I attacked his scrotum next. I ran my tongue over the delicate skin, and then I took one of his testicles into my mouth and manipulated gently and playfully with my tongue. After I did that for a brief time, I released it and repeated the same actions with the other one, before taking them both into my mouth. He was moaning the entire time, and I glanced up to see his head lolling from side to side in pure delight.

When I released his delicate pouch from between my lips, I began to lick my way up to his throbbing erection. It was leaking by the time I reached the glans, and I gave it a quick swipe with my tongue so I'd be able to enjoy the sweet nectar of his youth. His body jerked, spasmed, and trembled when I did it, and after I'd run my tongue around the crown a couple of times, I lowered my head and enveloped his penis down to the root. I heard him groan when I had it entirely in my mouth, and then I bobbed up and down on it for a couple of minutes.

I didn't want him to cum just yet, because the previous night he proved to me that he could orgasm when my penis was sliding in and out of his backside and stroking his prostate. I wanted to see if it would happen again, so when I pulled off of his boyhood, I lifted his legs and pushed them back to his chest so I could attack his winking portal of love next. I licked all around it first, and then gently nudged it with my tongue until I'd gained entrance. As I flicked my tongue in and out of the resilient ring, Dakota was cooing in pleasure.

After doing this for a few minutes, I crawled into position behind him and quickly coated his opening and my erection with some lube. When we were sufficiently primed, I tenderly pushed my way inside while kissing him at the same time. I felt little resistance as I slid into him, and he was aggressively and passionately, attacking my mouth at the same time. As our tongues did a delicate ballet with one another, I fell into a nice, steady rhythm and attempted to angle my erection so it would graze his prostate as often as possible.

Dakota was really getting into this and thrusting his butt to meet my every inward thrust. He had his arms around my neck and was nearly pulling my face into his mouth as he kissed me. Eventually, we broke the kiss, because he was becoming hot and bothered by the action, and had begun to moan as his face glowed with pure erotic enjoyment. I gradually increased my pace but kept the strokes long and steady, and I could tell he was getting close. His body was squirming below me as the sensations coursed through his slender frame, and then I saw his stomach muscles tighten just before his anal muscles clamped down on my penis. A few seconds later, his dick began jettisoning multiple ribbons of his alabaster cream.

As the strands of cum landed on his body, from his chest down to pubic patch, his anal contractions also brought me to the brink, and I began flooding his intestines with my seed. My body shuddered in extreme sexual satisfaction with each pulse that released my semen, and after firing off several volleys, I fell exhausted upon his chest. I made sure my full weight didn't land on his body and used my arms to keep from crushing him, and then I began to kiss his mouth again.

We did that for a few more minutes before we pulled apart, and once again, we were both covered in his ejaculate since our bodies had been pressed together while we were making out.

"I guess we need to take another shower," I stated, but then I noticed that Dakota was still lost in a post-orgasmic fog. I waited until he had recovered and then told him again.

"Yeah, ok, and that was even better than yesterday," he responded somewhat breathlessly. "Now, I know what you meant when you told me there was a difference between havin' sex and makin' love."

"Good, and I hope you liked this better."

"Fuckin' A I did."

After we showered for the second time, we hopped into bed, and I held my baby in my arms as we fell asleep. Before I dozed off, I had an unusual thought. This was almost like our honeymoon night, because it was the first time I'd actually made love to him without being hoodwinked into doing it, and it was absolutely incredible.

Chapter 9
Everything Comes Together

It was a few days before I heard back from the lawyer, Murray Dann, but when we spoke again, he had some good news for me.

"Congratulations, you are now the owner and operator of Angel House Rehabilitation Center LLC."

"Thank you, and do I need to know anything else?"

"Yes, I used your current address on the paperwork, since you said you'd be operating the rehab center there, so your property is now listed as a business location. I also completed the appropriate forms for the necessary zoning change and the occupancy permit. You'll have to stop by sometime to pick up the permit because you are required to display it inside the building where it can be seen. You won't have to file separate tax forms for the business, because any money you receive will be taxed as personal income. After you've done those things, I merely want to wish you the very best of luck with this venture."

"Thank you, and I'll stop by to retrieve the occupancy permit the next time I'm in the city. Thank you again for your help."

After I ended the call, I told Dakota the good news. "Does that mean we can go get the other boys now?"

"Are you sure you still want to do it?"

"Yeah, I really want the three boys closest to my age to come here to live with us."

"And what if one or more of them want to have sex with me?"

"I want you to try to say no first, but if that doesn't work, then I guess you can have sex with them, just don't make love to them as you do with me. I want you to save that for just us."

"Wow, that's a complete change for you, so do you really mean it?"

"Yeah, cuz I don't want to hafta worry about them livin' on the streets when it's winter. When can we go to get them?"

"I suppose we could do it tomorrow, because I also have to stop by the lawyer's office to pick up the permit, and then we could go looking for them afterward if you really mean it?"

"Yeah, I do, and I'll show you where I think we can find them."

***

Now that he'd made his decision, we began making plans about how we were going to find the boys. He told me about some of the places we should go to look for them, and I said that when we located one or more, I would stay back and let him approached them first because I didn't want to scare them off. We also discussed what he should and shouldn't say to them, and if they agreed with what he told them, he should bring them back to speak with me. After I had an opportunity to chat with them, I felt I would be able to tell if we should take them with us.

Dakota was really getting excited now, and I think he was creating his own list of things he hoped to do with the other boys, once we brought them here. I wasn't sure how much of it might include me as well, but if it didn't, then that would be ok too. They would be able to keep one another occupied so that they wouldn't always be clinging to me. I've enjoyed the time I have spent with Dakota, but I'm used to living alone and was concerned that this might become a problem in time, but I figured we could work something out if that happened. If the other boys are living here, they might be able to entertain each other and won't need me, thus allowing me some time alone.

***

Dakota had gone up to his room to play video games, and I was puttering around downstairs when my phone rang. I answered it and was greeted by a female voice.

"Hello, my name Janet Friedenberg and I'm the physician assistant in Dr. Arpante's office. He asked me to call you with the results of the blood tests. They all came back negative for STDs."

"That's fantastic news. Thank you very much for calling to share this with me."

That was not only good news for Dakota, but it meant he hadn't exposed me to anything after ignoring my wishes. I was still upset that he'd done that, but at least there were no serious repercussions from his actions. I waited and told Dakota the good news when he came downstairs to eat.

"See, I told you I was careful and didn't have none of that crap."

"You may have been careful, but you were also very lucky. You can pick up those diseases through oral sex too, not just having intercourse, so I'm glad it worked out that you didn't pick up a sexually transmitted disease while you were trying to survive."

Once we finished our dinner, Dakota seemed to be clinging to me even more than usual. He asked if I would watch a movie with him, and when I agreed, he sat so tightly against my side that it felt as if he was trying to merge his body into mine. Partway through the movie, I got up to use the toilet, and when I returned, I had him stand up. Even though he wasn't sure what I was doing, he did as I asked, and when I sat down again I pulled him onto my lap. He immediately melted against my body and placed his head on my shoulder, and before long, it sounded as if he was purring in delight.

"I really like doin' this," he finally admitted.

"I do, too, and it's less painful than having you trying to bore into my side."

"What do you mean? I didn't do nothin' like that?"

"Maybe not literally, but you seemed to be trying to get even closer to me, and your elbow was stabbing me in the rib cage."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was doin' that."

"I didn't say anything because I knew it was important to you to be so close to me, but I was trying to figure out how to fix the situation, and this is what I came up with."

"I'm glad you did, cuz this is much better."

We watched the rest of the movie like that, and when it ended, we headed upstairs to get ready for bed. "I want you to make love to me again, cuz we won't be able to do it after the other boys are here."

"I know, so I'm willing to do it for you. Let's shower first, and then we can do as you wish, but you have to promise something first. Under no circumstances are you to have sex with the other boys until they have seen the doctor and been tested for STDs as you were. Do you promise?"

"Yeah, I swear I won't do nothin' with them until you say it's ok."

"Good, then let's take our shower."

After we undressed and had finished washing each other, I made love to him again, just as I'd done on previous nights. It was just as enjoyable for both of us, and once again, Dakota ejaculated without either of us stimulating his penis, at least not externally. He certainly has a sensitive prostate and was very responsive when it came to that, but he insisted it had never happened when anyone else was fucking him. I wasn't convinced that was true, but he kept insisting that what we'd done was far better than anything he had ever done with anyone else.

He slept in my arms again, and I was amazed that I still wasn't having trouble sleeping on my back, but I guess holding my baby made all the difference in the world. When we awoke, I not only felt refreshed, but I was also looking forward to the new day.

***

After I fixed both of us something to eat, we got dressed and headed into the city one more time. The route was becoming more familiar to him, and when we made this trip, he would comment about things we passed along the way. As soon as we reached the city limits, he suggested where I should go first, but I reminded him that I had to stop at the lawyer's office before we could go look for the boys.

After I'd parked the car, he walked with me to the office. I thought I would merely pick up the permit from Murray's secretary, but she told me that he wanted to speak with me. We only had to wait a couple of minutes before we were instructed that we could go into his office.

"Nice to see you again, Eric," he said as he reached out to shake my hand. "Is this the young man I helped you gain custody of?"

"Yes, it is," I confirmed, and then I introduced him to Dakota.

"You're fortunate that Mr. Schultz did this for you."

I think Dakota was slightly taken aback by his comment, because he'd never heard my surname spoken aloud like that before, except when I first told him what it was, but he handled himself admirably.

"Yeah, Eric's a great guy."

Murray gave him a slight nod, and then he turned to me. "The reason I wanted to speak with you is so I could explain the permit. You were already a licensed professional, so I didn't have to do anything about that, and I was able to get a copy of the blueprints for your house from the Planning and Zoning office. After carefully studying the number of bedrooms you have, and the square footage of living space, I applied for the permit. They have permitted you to house and treat up to a maximum of sixteen patients at any time, and I'll explain how this was determined. Excluding the master bedroom, the other four bedrooms were determined to be large enough to accommodate two sets of bunk beds each, and the rooms also had sufficient closet space for that number of occupants' belongings."

"Yes, I suppose I got a little carried away when working with the architect because I helped to design my home personally. I made sure it had everything I wanted, but seeing I was living alone at the time, I think the architect I was working with wondered why I wanted so many bedrooms."

"It worked to your advantage because now you'll be able to handle multiple youngsters at the same time."

He then filled me in about a couple of other matters before we left and gave me copies of the paperwork he'd submitted on my behalf. He also explained that I needed to get a frame for it and prominently display the permit somewhere near the front entrance. He also told me there would probably be unannounced inspections to make sure I was in compliance, so this would have to be in place. As soon as he finished telling me this, I thanked him for his help, and then Dakota thanked him as well. He told the lawyer he was happy that I'd now be able to help the other boys that he'd met when he was living on the street. I think it impressed Murray because after he shook Dakota's hand, he also patted him on the back as he walked us the door.

***

From there, we stopped at a store so I could purchase a frame, and then Dakota directed me to a park on the city's south side. The place was relatively deserted when we first arrived, but then Dakota spotted a boy standing near a clump of trees in the distance off to his left.

"That's Glen," he told me as he pointed toward the boy. "I'll go talk to him for ya."

He took off and started shouting at the boy when he was about halfway there. "Glen, Glen. It's me, Kota."

The boy turned around to look in his direction, and then he started running toward Dakota as well. I couldn't hear what they were saying because they were too far away, but both boys were smiling. Shortly after they'd greeted each other, I saw Dakota pointing in my direction while he was saying something else to Glen. They talked for about fifteen minutes before both of them began walking toward me. The boy was roughly the same height as Dakota, and he had light brown or dirty blond hair that was long and shaggy. He also had brown eyes and a bigger, more muscular build than Dakota. He probably wouldn't be bad-looking once he was cleaned up.

"Glen, this is Eric," Dakota announced when they reached me. "He's a really great guy and I've been livin' with him for a couple of weeks now."

I reached out to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Glen."

It took a second before he accepted my hand, but when he did, we shook. "Same here," he stated curtly. "Dakota's told me a little about you, and he says you've done a lot to help him too."

"I'm glad to hear that, and I hope you might come to think that about me as well. Did he tell you why we came looking for you?"

"Yeah, he said you got custody of him and took him to live with ya, and now you want me to come live with you too."

"Not just you, but Jamie and Laine too," Dakota chimed in.

"Yes, Dakota told me about the three of you, and I thought maybe I could help you the same way I've helped him."

"He lives in a really nice log cabin in the country, and he owns a lot of land too. I really love it out there, and I feel really safe. I know you're gonna like it there too."

"I guess, cuz it's got to be better than this," Glen replied.

"So Glen, I'd like you to tell me a little bit about yourself. Dakota explained about how he came to be living on the street, and that helped me figure out a way I could help him. If you'd be willing to tell me what happened to you, then maybe I'll be able to help you as well."

He didn't seem eager to do this, so Dakota prodded him a little. "He needs to know that stuff so he can figure out a way to do this legally. If you don't tell him, then he prolly won't take you with us." That seemed to be enough to convince Glen that he needed to cooperate because he began telling me his story.

"It all started when my dad got busted for drugs and was sent to prison. We didn't have much money after that, cuz my mom had a really shitty job that didn't pay very much, so she started having sex with guys to make more money. She made a mistake and offered to let a plainclothes cop fuck her, and after she told him how much it would cost, he busted her. That's when I got sent to live in a foster home. I hated it there and didn't get along with the other kids, especially after they found out about what my parents did. They started teasing me about it, and I got into a few fights with them cuz of that, and when the people I was livin' with punished me for fightin', but not the other kids, I took off. I've been livin' like this ever since."

"How long ago was that?"

"I'm not sure. It was prolly a little over a year ago, cuz I was only twelve when I took off, but Kota and I are the same age now."

"I see, and I believe I'll be able to help you if you're interested in joining us. I just need you to promise me two things. The first is that you'll be honest with me because giving me bad information will make it harder for me to assist and protect you legally. The second is that you promise you won't steal from me. If you can agree to those two stipulations, then you can go with us now."

Once again, Glen seemed to be hesitating, so Dakota spoke up. "It's really great there, and I don't have to have sex with all those other guys now. He even bought me some new clothes and a 'puter, and he fixes some great meals."

That must have convinced Glen because he looked up at me and smiled. "K, I promise to do both of those things then."

"Great, do you have to get anything to bring with you?"

"Yeah, I've hidden some stuff over there in the bushes under those trees, cuz that's where I slept last night."

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Nah, I don't got very much."

"Ok, then go get your things and then we'll see if we can find the other two boys.

"I know where Jamie is, cuz I saw him a couple of days ago, and he told me where he was goin'."

"Great, then go get your things, and we'll go find him."

***

Even though he said he didn't need any help, Dakota still went with him, and they seemed to be talking and joking around as they walked back to the clump of trees. When they returned, Glen was carrying a dirty and tattered brownish colored gym bag, but that might just have been from the dirt and not its original color. I was waiting for them beside the SUV, and when Glen saw it, his eyes nearly popped from their sockets.

"This is yours?"

"Yes, and I'm glad I have it now. I bought it so I'd have a vehicle to haul things around my place, but now it will come in handy for hauling around a small army of boys."

They both laughed, and then Dakota responded. "Yeah, especially after we get Jamie and Laine."

"Glen, I thought maybe you boys would all be hanging out together, for protection," I stated.

"We sometimes do, but we attract too much attention when we hang out together. It makes people nervous, and they call the cops to get rid of us. And the guys we have sex with get scared off if we aren't alone too, cuz they think we're gonna gang up on them and steal their money."

"That's something I'd never considered."

Since Dakota didn't want Glen to sit alone in the back seat, he rode beside him, and then Glen directed me on how to get where he thought we'd locate Jamie. He was the youngest boy that Dakota had told me about, and I assumed he would be more excited than the other two about not having to live like this any longer. Glen then directed me to an overgrown lot in a rundown part of the city.

"Jamie told me he'd built a lean-to at the back of this lot, and he used it whenever he came back here. He said he'd learned how to make it when he was in the Boy Scouts."

"Ok, why don't you and Dakota go see if you can find him, and if you do, then bring him back here so we can chat?"

They took off and were gone for about twenty minutes, and when they returned, they had another boy with them. He was carrying what appeared to be a filthy, beige-colored canvas shopping bag, so I assumed he'd already decided to join us. He was shorter than Glen and Dakota, he had unkempt black hair and deep blue eyes, and he exuded a waifish appearance.

"Jamie, this is Eric. He's the guy we've been tellin' you about."

"Nice to meet you, Jamie," I stated as I offered him my hand, the same as I'd done with Glen. After we shook, I asked him how he came to be living out here on his own.

"It was always just my mom and me, but one day when I was headin' home I saw a cop car in front of our place. I was scared about what it was doin' there, so I didn't go home right away, and then one of the neighbors told me that my mom had been killed in an accident. She was on her way to work when some guy ran a red light and crashed into her car and killed her, so I was alone and didn't have no place to go."

"Couldn't you have gone to live with your dad?"

"I didn't know who he was, cuz my mom never told me 'bout him or nobody else."

"So why didn't you just hang around to see what happened next?"

"Cuz I knew some kids at school that lived in a big group home, and they'd told me how bad it was there, so I didn't want to end up in the same place. I just snuck back into the house later that night, grabbed what I needed, and took off. I've been livin' on my own for a few months now."

I then told him the same things that I'd told Glen and asked him to make the same promises.

"Yeah, they told me you was gonna say that and I promise to do those things."

"Since you've already got everything you need, then we'll just get in the SUV and go look for the other boy."

"That's Laine," Dakota reminded me.

***

Jamie had a similar reaction as what Glen had done when he first saw my ride, and this time Dakota sat in the front passenger seat while Jamie and Glen sat behind us. Before I started the engine, I turned around and spoke to them.

"Does anyone have a clue about where we need to go to find Laine?"

"Not really. I just know some of the places where he likes to hang out," Glen offered.

"He prolly won't be with Isaac and Chuck," Jamie added. "The last time I saw him he was really pissed at them."

"When was that?" Dakota asked.

"It was after he saw you in the police car at the mall. He said he was hangin' out there and saw one of the guards nab ya, and then he saw the police takin' you away."

"Yeah, that was terrible, but it's how I came to live with Eric, and that's been really great."

"So why did that make him mad at Isaac and Chuck?" I followed.

"Cuz he went to tell them what happened to Kota, and they gave him a whole lot of shit for even bein' there. Laine said they was being assholes about it cuz he wouldn't give them some of his money when he was stayin' with them before, so they told him he wasn't welcome to visit either."

"Damn, that was cold," Glen commented.

"They were always assholes, even when they let us stay with them for a couple of days, and that was before they asked us for money," Dakota stated with a touch of bitterness in his voice.

"Ok, so where should I go first?" I asked so we could get moving.

Glen directed me to another park, but this one was on the east side, and then the three of them got out to look for Laine. They finally gave up after about thirty minutes and told me he wasn't there.

"Where to next?" I asked.

"He sometimes stays in the hills behind where they dug out an area to build a new storage shed at the high school. Hardly anyone will be around there now since its summer vacation so that he might be stayin' there."

I drove to that location next, and the boys got out to look for him again. They came back about fifteen minutes later without having any success.

"Maybe he's at the mall," Jamie suggested. "He might be there lookin' to hook up so he can make some money."

I drove there next, but I wouldn't allow Dakota to go with the other two this time. "The guard already knows Dakota, and I'm afraid he'll grab him if he sees him walking around in there."

Jamie and Glen understood and went off together, and they didn't return until nearly forty minutes later, and again, they were alone.

"We looked all over, and he wasn't anywhere in there," Glen informed us.

"Ok, then where to now?"

"We can try the cemetery. He sometimes sleeps there when it's nice out, cuz there are never many people hangin' around, and he can easily avoid them if someone shows up."

"Ok, then let's try there," I agreed. When we got to the cemetery, I asked a question. "Should I just drive around so we can look for him?"

"Nah, cuz he'll hide if he sees or hears a vehicle," Glen pointed out. "We'll have to walk around and see if we can spot him."

"Aren't you afraid someone might ask what you're doing there?"

"Nah, if anyone says anything, we'll just tell them that we're helpin' you find one of the graves."

I wasn't sure if that was a good strategy, but it was all we had, so the three boys split up so they could cover more ground. A short time later, I heard someone shout and was tempted to go see if they were in trouble, but then I felt I'd know soon enough if that was the case. They said they were going to use me as an excuse if anyone confronted them, so I figured if that were the case then someone would be showing up pretty soon to check out their story.

The thing was, I didn't hear or see anything for another twenty minutes, and then I spotted four boys walking back in my direction. Unless they'd just found someone else, I felt the new boy must be Laine. I got out of the SUV to greet them, and they appeared to be joking around and happy to be together again. The new boy had long blond hair, brown eyes, a swimmer's build, and he was a couple of inches (5 to 7 cm) taller than Dakota. He was carrying some sort of dark-colored duffle, and when they got closer Dakota nudged the boy and then pointed in my direction. The new kid looked up and seemed to be studying me for a few seconds before they reached my location.

"Laine, this is Eric. He's a really nice guy, and you're gonna love his house."

"I'm very glad to meet you, Laine," I stated as I offered him my hand.

He looked at me first, and then he glanced over at the other three boys next, and since they were all smiling, he finally reached out and offered me his hand in return. Dakota then told him a few more things about me and where I lived as we were shaking hands, and the other two boys told him what they had agreed to and what they thought about me. When they finished, I asked him a question.

"The other boys have all told me why they were living on the street, so will you tell me what happened to put you here as well?"

He definitely didn't seem as if he wanted to do this, but the other boys kept encouraging him to tell me so he could come with them and stay at my place. After a few minutes, Laine finally gave in and began his tale.

"My dad lost his job at the factory, and we were barely getting by with my mom's paycheck and him getting money from unemployment. When the unemployment ran out, things got really bad, and we could barely buy enough food to feed all of us. My little brother was always crying and saying he was hungry, so I thought if I left then he could have my share too. I snuck out my bedroom window one night after everyone else was in bed, but I left them a note telling them what I was doin'. That's all I can tell you."

It seemed he had left home due to hardship, and he'd done it for a noble reason since it was to help his younger brother. That alone impressed me, and then I asked him to make the same promises like the other boys, which he did. As soon as that was taken care of, we all got into the SUV.

Chapter 10
Our First Night Together

Now that we had everyone, Dakota sat in the front passenger seat, and the other three sat in the row behind us. I was tempted to take them over to the mall so I could pick up a few things for them, but they and their clothes weren't exactly clean, and I didn't know any of their sizes yet. I decided to return home instead so they'd have a chance to clean up first, and I'd have an opportunity to wash their clothes, note the sizes they wore, and assess what other things they might need. I would bring them back to the mall the next day, so I could buy each of them whatever they required at that time, even though it would mean I'd have to make another trip to the city. I hated the idea of another trip, but what else could I do?

Knowing we had a long drive ahead of us and that teen boys are bottomless pits when it came to food, I stopped at a local sub shop before leaving the city. Given the three in the backseat were a bit aromatic from living on the street, I decided the drive-thru was the best option for this situation. As soon as each boy had something to eat and drink, I merely asked them to be careful while devouring it in the SUV.

During the ride, Dakota kept telling them things about the house and property, and when we got to the driveway, I watched the three boys in the rearview mirror to see their reactions. It was muted from how Dakota had reacted when he first saw my place, but then they had the advantage of Dakota telling them all about it before we arrived. They still seemed impressed, so I was pleased.

I carried the picture frame with me as we went inside, as well as the items from the lawyer's office, and after I showed them around, I fixed all of us something to eat for dinner. It was already after 5:00 by the time we got there, and I figured they were probably hungry again, so I made hamburgers, french fries, and mac and cheese. I felt they'd like those things, since most boys do, and I watched in awe as they quickly wolfed everything down.

As soon as we finished eating, I took everyone upstairs so they could decide which bedroom they wanted. I showed them my room and Dakota's room first, and once they had seen those, I let them look around the three remaining bedrooms on their own. After they had a chance to do that, I explained how this was going to work.

"It just happens that there are enough bedrooms, so each of you will be able to have your own room, so this is what I'm going to have you do. I want you boys to play rock, paper, scissors to see who gets to choose his room first and who gets the second choice. Ok?"

They were all okay with this idea, and Glen was eliminated first, so he'd be going last. Jamie then ended up beating Laine, so he got the first pick. After he chose the room he wanted, I let Laine select next, and then Glen got the final bedroom.

"I hope you're not disappointed," I told Glen after the other two had gone into their rooms."

"Hell no. They're all really nice, and this is way better than my room at home."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that."

***

While they were getting settled in, I pulled Dakota aside. "Would you mind letting Glen and Jamie borrow some of your clothes to wear after the shower?"

"Yeah, I can do that, and I'll find something for Laine too."

"I believe he's too big to fit into any of your stuff, so I'll let him use one of my tee-shirts and a pair of old gym shorts that I think might fit him."

"Ok, that works for me."

I then told each of the new boys that I wanted them to put all of their clothes in whatever they had been using to carry them in, and Dakota would bring them down to me so I could wash everything. I then explained that they could use both bathrooms to shower, so two of them would have to take turns or share, and they seemed fine with this. Then, I added something else.

"Dakota will loan Glen and Jamie something to wear once they're clean, and I'll leave something in Laine's room that he can wear. When you're done, you can put those things on before you come downstairs, and then we'll talk about what you want to do next."

Once they understood, I headed downstairs to give them some privacy, and a short time later, Dakota brought down the three bags filled with their clothes so I could wash them.

***

As soon as Dakota gave me the other boys' belongings, I decided to do one boy's laundry at a time, so I didn't give the items back to the wrong person. I chose to wash the bags they had their clothes in at the same time, because those were also filthy, and I set the wash cycle to 'hot' and the rinse cycle to 'warm' because of the way they looked. I also felt it would kill any 'critters' that might also be in with them. When the first load was going, I went out to take care of a couple of other issues while I waited, because I felt I'd be able to hear when the washing machine finished going through its cycles.

First, I placed the permit I'd picked up from the lawyer's office into the frame I'd purchased, and then I hung it near the front door. When that had been taken care of, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a drink before I sat down at the table with my back to the stairs so I could think about what I'd gotten myself into, along with what I still had to do. Besides taking the three boys to buy clothes and then stopping at the electronics store to get a few other items, I thought I should take each of them to get a haircut. It certainly didn't appear as if any of them had a decent one since they'd been living on their own, and I felt it was time to make that happen. I'd also have to pick up some more groceries after we got back, seeing I had a lot more mouths to feed.

I was still deep in thought when I heard a noise behind me and realized the boys were coming downstairs, so I took a quick swig of my drink before turning around. I was sorry I'd done that because I nearly spit it out when I saw them. The four boys were just about to the bottom of the staircase, and they were all totally naked.

"What the hell is going on?" I practically shouted.

"We wanted to come down to thank you," Laine answered, unfazed by my reaction.

"And you couldn't bother to put some clothes on first?"

"We talked it over and decided this way we could show you that we didn't have nothin' to hide from you," he followed.

"Obviously not," I scoffed as I looked at each naked body.

I tried not to stare, but I couldn't resist checking out each of them. They were all circumcised, and the size of their dicks was appropriate for their age. Each boy also had a pubic bush over his penis, even though Jamie's was only a sparse scattering of curly hairs. Laine had the largest penis, which was longer than Dakota's yet shorter than mine, while Glen's was about the same size as Dakota's. Jamie's penis was the smallest because he was the youngest, but it was still a little over half as long as Glen and Dakota's penises. That's when I realized Dakota was naked too.

"I suppose this was your idea?" I said as I looked at him.

"Nope, I had nothin' to do with it."

"Then why are you naked too?"

"Cuz when I saw what they was gonna do, I thought it would be rude if they did this, and I was still wearin' clothes, so I took mine off too."

"Yeah, me and Jamie talked about doin' it with Laine, and we all agreed we should do this, but we didn't tell Kota," Glen added to support Dakota's statement.

"Ok, that was very funny, so now you can go upstairs and put some clothes on."

"We also did it so we could show you how much we 'preciate what you're doin' for us," Jamie followed, and then they all moved toward me.

I wasn't sure what they were going to do and began to worry about what they might be up too, but then they merely gave me a group hug. I thought that was nice and began to breathe a sigh of relief when I felt someone undoing my pants. When I looked down, Jamie had them unfastened and was lowering the zipper.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

"I told ya we was gonna show you how much we 'preciate what you're doin' for us."

"Yeah, we wanna pay you back like we did the other guys who helped us out," Glen added.

"You don't have to do anything like that for me," I responded.

"Yes, we do," Laine stated adamantly. "You're doin' somethin' nice for us, so we're gonna do somethin' nice for you too."

"Look, I appreciate your intentions, but it's not necessary. I'm doing this because I want to help you, not so you'll have sex with me."

"Ya mean you don't like sex?" Jamie asked, totally shocked.

"Oh, I do, but not like this, and you don't have to do anything to thank me or pay me back. Just keep your promises and stay out of trouble, and that will be more than enough."

At that moment, I heard the washing machine finish, so I grabbed ahold of my trousers and headed toward the laundry room. "I've got to go put in another load, so go upstairs and put something on. We'll talk more later."

I left them standing there as I rushed off, but I didn't look back to see how they were reacting. After I'd moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer, I put another load into the washing machine before going out to the other room. The four boys were still standing there, totally naked.

"Why haven't you done what I asked yet?"

"Cuz we're confused," Laine answered. "We thought you brought us here so you could have sex with us."

"No, that's not why I did this. A cop friend called me after Dakota got picked up by the security guard at the mall and was brought to the police station, and he asked if I'd help out. I was happy to do that, and when Dakota told me about you boys, I offered to help you as well."

"Then why didn't you do that for Isaac and Chuck too?" Laine followed.

"I'm surprised you're the one asking this question because from what Dakota and the other boys have told me I thought you weren't very fond of them."

"I'm not."

"And that's exactly why I didn't do the same thing for them. I felt they would only cause problems here, and from the other things I'd heard about them, I felt they would also be far more likely to steal from me."

"Oh, we thought it was cuz you only liked havin' sex with younger boys," Glen responded.

"No, that's not it at all. I'm a psychologist, and I work in a school district because I want to help kids. That's why my friend asked if I would help Dakota after he got picked up."

"So you're not havin' sex with him either?" Jamie followed.

I just stared at him with my mouth hanging slightly open, so Dakota answered for me. "I tried doin' the same thing with him, and he turned me down too. He told me that if I did well in school and stayed out of trouble then that would be payment enough."

"Damn, I didn't expect you to say somethin' like that," Laine mumbled.

"I didn't expect him to say that either, but it's the way he is," Dakota replied.

"Ummm, we're used to havin' sex," Glen stated next, "so do you mind if we do it with each other if you don't want to do it with us?"

"No, that will be fine, but you can't have sex with Dakota or me until I've had you checked out by a doctor. Dakota's already been tested, and he doesn't have anything, so I want to make sure it stays that way. I'll call the doctor's office and make appointments for you boys so we can take care of this as soon as possible."

"And what's he gonna do?" Glen asked.

"He'll give you a complete physical and run some tests to be certain that you haven't picked up any sexually transmitted diseases. I just want to make sure you haven't picked up anything from the men you've been with."

"We took precautions," Laine replied.

"Yeah, we made the guys use rubbers if they wanted to fuck us," Glen confirmed. "We learned that in our health classes at school."

"I'm glad to hear that, but as I told Dakota, there are still some risks involved even if you're using condoms."

"Damn, we didn't know that," Laine replied.

"So, can we still have sex with each other?" Glen pressed.

"Yes, as long as you don't force anyone into doing anything. You both have to agree to whatever you're going to do, and as long as you abide by that simple rule, then you may have sex with each other."

"So, does this mean you aren't gay?" Laine followed.

"No, I'm gay, but I haven't had sex with someone your age since I was also your age." I know I'd left out what I'd done with Dakota, but I didn't think they needed to know about that yet.

"I hope you change your mind then, cuz I'd like to do somethin' with you," he added.

"Yeah," Glen agreed.

"Let's talk about something else. You might have noticed that Dakota has a computer in his bedroom, and I bought it for him so he'd have something else to do. I have a TV, and it's hooked up to a satellite, but I didn't think he'd want to spend all of his time watching TV, so I decided to buy the computer for him. When I take you boys shopping tomorrow, I'm going to buy another one and put it in one of the other bedrooms, and then you boys can share them. I also bought some games for Dakota, and you can share those as well, and I'll buy a few other things tomorrow. I'll also let each of you pick out one game that you'd like to play."

"Really? You're gonna do all that for us?" Jamie followed.

"Yes, I will."

"How can you afford it?" Glen asked.

"This place is technically a rehabilitation center, as you can see from the permit that I've hung by the front door. Due to that I'd applied for and received a grant that gives me money so I can do things like this, and I've decided to use the money so I can get these things for you boys to use."

"So you're getting paid for havin' us here?" Laine followed.

"No. I'm doing this on my own, and no one is paying me, but I'm using the money from the grant to purchase the things I think you'll need, along with a few other items so you won't get bored. You'll also need something to wear because I can't have you running around naked all of the time, so I'll buy you some clothes as well."

"So, you don't like seeing us like this?" Glen challenged.

"Oh, I do, but eventually, the weather is going to get colder, and it's cheaper to buy you clothes than to turn up the heat in this big place."

"Oh, ok, and thanks," he agreed. "That's really nice of you."

"I told you he was a great guy," Dakota chimed in.

"Yeah, but I guess we just didn't realize how great until now," Laine confessed.

"Now that I've cleared things up, I want you boys to head upstairs and get dressed."

This time they did as I asked, but I stood and watched their cute butts jiggle as they walked up the stairs. Damn, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to resist tapping into those, especially if they keep running around like that, because the temptation is going to be unbearable.

***

A short time after that, I heard the buzzer go off on the dryer, so I went to fold the first load, and I also jotted down the sizes on those items as I took care of them. When I finished, I placed the second load in the dryer and put the final items into the washing machine. I would give them back to their owners one at a time and let them put them away.

I know I hadn't separated the clothes into white and colored loads, but if you'd seen the whites, you would have realized they weren't actually white and were kind of yellow instead. I might have been able to bleach those, but I was afraid they might fall apart if I did that, so I left them as they were. Seeing the boys didn't have very much, I did each boy's clothes in a single load, so now Laine's things were clean since I did his laundry first. Seeing that had been taken care of, I carried his clothes upstairs to give to him. The boys had all gone to Dakota's room after getting dressed and were taking turns on his computer, so I stopped in there and handed Laine his things, seeing he was only watching at the moment.

"Thanks. They look a lot better now," he admitted after peeking inside the duffle.

"You're welcome, and Jamie, your clothes will be done soon. I'll bring them up when I finish folding them."

"K," Jamie acknowledged simply.

"If any of you want to watch TV, just come downstairs, and I'll show you how it works. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok," they all chimed in response.

"I'll be right back because I need to go get something before I ask you some other questions." I then went to my bedroom and grabbed a pad and pen from the dresser, and then I returned to Dakota's room so I could take care of another issue while we had the time.

"As long as I've got you all here, I want to find out some more information about you. I know each of your first names, but you haven't told me your last names yet. Would you mind sharing that information with me now?"

They looked at each other before anyone responded, and then Laine spoke up first. "Mine is Mueller."

"Are you related to the former F.B.I. director?"

"Nah, I don't think so."

"Ok, I was just checking, and thank you for the information," I replied.

"Mine's Wittes," Glen offered.

"Is that spelled W-h-i-t-s?"

"No, it is spelled W-i-t-t-e-s."

"Ok, I would never have guessed it was spelled that way, so thanks for clearing it up."

"And mine is Palmer," Jamie added.

"That's easy enough," I replied.

"And you know mine is Frost," Dakota chimed in.

"Yes, I do, and I want to thank each of you for sharing this information with me. Now I'd like to ask each of you another question. I know you boys were having sex with men, so does that mean you're all gay?"

"No, I like girls, too," Laine quickly replied. "I'd messed around with some boys too, and that's how I knew I would be able to make money havin' sex with men after I left home. I didn't mind doin' that stuff with them, as long as they didn't hurt me."

"Then it would seem you're bisexual. I'm glad you cleared that up."

"I'm gay," Glen admitted. "Those other kids weren't just picking on me 'bout my mom and dad, cuz they also figured out I was gay. They said they'd caught me starin' at cute boys a bunch of different times, and then I started hangin' out with one of them, and they figured it was so I could have sex with him. We didn't do nothin' with each other, but the other kids didn't believe me, and that's what the worst fight was about. They started callin' me all kinds of nasty names because they said we was fuckin' each other."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I will promise you that won't happen here," I responded. "How about you, Jamie? Are you gay?"

"I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" Dakota countered while glaring at him. "I know you was doin' stuff with a bunch of different guys, too, so you gotta be gay."

"I did that stuff cuz I had to, but most of the guys just liked to play with my cock and sucked me off. I did it to them once in a while, too, but only if I had to. I also let a couple of 'em fuck me, but just the guys with small cocks."

"What if one of the other guys wanted to fuck you?" Laine followed.

"I would tell them no, and if they kept tryin' to get me to do it, then I'd offer to suck them off for free if they didn't make me do it. I had to run away from one guy, though, cuz he said he was gonna force me to do it anyway. I grabbed my clothes and ran away from him naked, and cuz he was naked too, he didn't follow me."

"Damn, that was taking a really big chance," I mumbled.

"Yeah, and it's why I only went with the guys I'd been with before or the guys the other boys told me was ok."

"I see, but it was still risky," I reiterated.

"Yeah, I know, but I hadda do it."

"Thank you for telling me this, because it will help me figure out how I'm going to find a way to keep you here. I think I have an idea about how I might be able to do it legally for each of you now, but I don't want to share that information with you just yet, because I need to get downstairs to finish doing the laundry. I'll tell you what I'm planning to do when we have more time."

I went back to the laundry room to see if I could take the next load out of the dryer, and Jamie came down a couple of minutes later and said he wanted to watch TV. I led him to the family room so I could explain the setup to him, and then I helped him find something to watch.

"Will you stay in here with me?"

"I left your clothes in the dryer, and I need to go fold them so I can put Glen's things in the dryer next. As soon as I'm done folding your clothes, I'll bring them in here, and then I'll watch TV with you until Glen's clothes are dry."

"Ok, I'd like that."

After I finished folding his clothes, I placed them in the now clean canvas bag and took it to the family room. I sat down on the sofa to watch TV with him, and I sat close enough so I could put my arm around his shoulders. When I did that, it caused him to look up at me and smile.

"I hope you don't mind me doing this," I said, giving him a chance to ask me to stop.

"Nah, it's kinda nice. I never lived with my dad, and this feels good."

"I'm glad you agree."

He then leaned his head against my chest as we watched the show together. We sat like that until I heard the buzzer on the dryer go off again, and then I waited until the commercial came on before I spoke to him.

"I've got to go fold Glen's clothes now, but I'll be back when I'm done."

"K," he said, so I got up and left.

When I came back, I had Glen's gym bag with his clothes inside, but the gym bag was in even rougher shape than before after going through the washer and dryer. It was still good enough to take Glen's things up to his room, but it would probably have to be thrown away after that. I sat down with Jamie again, and we watched the rest of the show, and then I spoke to him again.

"It's getting late, so it's time for you boys to go to bed. I'll be getting you up fairly early tomorrow so we can go back into the city."

"K," he answered simply and then I turned off the TV.

***

We walked upstairs together, with him carrying the bag with his clothes while I was carrying Glen's things, and he went into his room as I went into Dakota's room to give Glen his belongings. I waited until the game they were playing had ended before I spoke.

"It's time to turn off the computer and for all of you to go to sleep for the night because I'll be getting you up early so we can drive into the city. Glen, here are your things to take care of before you get in bed, and I think you should probably throw the gym bag in the trash once it's empty. It's about ready to fall apart."

"Then what will I use?"

"You won't need one right away, but we can pick up something else for you to use when we go shopping tomorrow. However, I just thought of something else, so will you boys follow me over to Jamie's room quickly, because I need to check with each of you about another issue?"

They did as I asked, and when we got there, I asked them a question. "Do all of you like French toast?" They all agreed they did. "Then what if I fix that with bacon strips and sausage links for breakfast in the morning. Do any of you have a problem with that?"

None of them did and agreed it would be fine, so I sent them to their rooms to get some sleep. Since Dakota wouldn't be showering with me this evening, I decided to wait until morning to do it so I could turn in as well. I went to my room, crawled under the covers, and got comfortable, but that wasn't as easy as it sounds. This was the first time since I'd brought Dakota here that I would be sleeping alone, and I missed him, so I was having trouble falling to sleep. Go figure.

I don't know how long I'd been asleep, but at one point I felt someone get into bed with me. I assumed it was Dakota, so rather than argue with him, I pretended to be still asleep. He settled in beside me, and I never opened my eyes, but then I felt him moving around under the covers. A few seconds later, I felt him tugging at the front of my boxer briefs, and he pulled them under my scrotum, and then he grabbed my penis and put it in his mouth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I said in a gruff voice.

He froze momentarily, but then he continued bobbing back and forth on my penis. Since he wasn't going to answer me, I tossed back the covers to confront him. To my complete surprise, it wasn't Dakota; it was Laine. He finally stopped and looked up at me sheepishly.

Chapter 11
Many Surprises

He stopped what he was doing under the covers momentarily, but then he continued to bob up and down on my penis. Since he wasn't going to answer me, I tossed back the covers to confront him. To my complete surprise, it wasn't Dakota; it was Laine. He finally stopped and looked up at me with a sheepish grin on his face.

"I couldn't sleep cuz I couldn't stop thinking 'bout you, so I thought I'd come over to see if you'd enjoy this."

"That's beside the point. I already told you that Dakota and I couldn't have sex with you until a doctor has examined you."

"But you're not having sex with me. I'm only blowin' ya."

"That's still having sex."

"Oh, I thought it was different than havin' you fuck me or me doin' that to you."

"You can still get diseases from a blowjob. And by the way, don't you usually ask first before you do this with someone?"

"You was asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"Well, it seems that you've awakened me anyway."

"And you were actin' like you were enjoyin' it, so can I finish?"

"Didn't I tell you that you didn't have to do this?"

"Yeah, but I WANT to do it. I like doin' it, and I really want to do it with you, so is it ok?" I didn't immediately answer, so he spoke again. "Come on; I really want to do this."

"Well, since you've already started and have my soldier standing at attention, I guess you might as well finish, but don't do it again unless you ask me first."

"Uh, would you rather fuck me?"

"I'm not even sure if I want you to do this."

"Ok, I'll just suck your dick then," he relented.

He was fairly good at it, too, and before long I was emptying my nuts into his throat. After he drank it all down, he looked up at me and grinned.

"Thanks, did you like it?"

"Yes, I did, but I wish you hadn't started doing it without asking me first."

"K, I won't do that again." He hesitated briefly before he continued speaking. "Would you mind doin' it to me, cuz I don't think I'll be able to get to sleep until I cum too?"

This sounded familiar, so I wondered if he'd talked to Dakota about this. "And it looks as if I'm not going to get any sleep until you cum as well," I replied sarcastically. "Can't you just masturbate?"

"I'd rather have you suck my dick."

I didn't want to end up arguing about this, because I needed my rest. Besides, as I rationalized with Dakota, if he had something, I could always get tested and treated later, so I gave in.

"Ok, I'll do it, but just this one time."

He quickly lowered his briefs and he was already hard. I merely took his penis into my mouth and started sucking on it without any preliminaries. He was very horny because it didn't take very long for him to bust a nut and I drank it all down. It was only slightly bitter, a sign that he was maturing, but it also had the sweet flavor of youth, so I enjoyed it. After giving him a short time to revel in the feelings, I prodded him to return to his room.

"Can't I just stay here with you?"

"NO! I don't want the other boys to know we did this."

"Why not? They won't care."

"Maybe not, but I don't want to encourage anyone else to try this, so go back to your room."

"Ok, but I hope we can do it again, and maybe next time, you might even want to fuck me."

"That's not going to happen, so goodnight. Go back to your room and I'll see you in the morning."

Reluctantly, he left, but I remained awake for a few more minutes as I thought about what had just happened. I knew they'd all been having sex with guys already, but I didn't expect any of them to try this, at least not so soon after moving in. To his credit, Dakota had merely conned me into giving in and having oral sex with him. He hadn't snuck into my room to do it when I was asleep, but Laine came in and did it without checking with me first. Don't get me wrong, because I know Dakota had done something similar when he sat on my penis without permission, but I couldn't let those types of things continue. I'm just glad that none of the other boys had tried doing this as well. I'm also glad they weren't able to discover what Laine had done, and I continued thinking about this until I eventually fell asleep again.

The next morning I made a large breakfast, and then I went to wake up the boys. I asked them to put on the nicest clothes they had so they would look good, and then I made sure they'd stuffed their bellies before we hopped into the SUV to head into the city. I decided to use the drive to tell them about the ideas I had about how I'm going to make sure they are living with me legally.

"Listen up, because I'm going to use this time to fill you in about a few things. As I told you yesterday, I think I've figured out a way each of you will be able to remain with me, at least for now, and I just thought I should discuss it with you."

"How are you gonna do that with me?" Laine challenged. "I just left my family, so won't the cops or the court just make me go back home?"

"I considered that, but I felt maybe we could convince your parents to sign off on you staying with me until your father gets a new job, and the family situation gets back to normal. Once that happens, I thought you might want to return home to be with your family."

"Yeah, I'd like to do that, as long as my brother isn't going to bed hungry."

"Then I think your parents might be willing to agree to this as well, at least until they're able to get back on their feet. We'll just ask them to sign temporary custody over to me until that happens."

"Yeah, they'll probably do that then, cuz that way they'll know I'm someplace safe."

"Glen, since you were already in the foster care system, I think my friend, the cop, will be able to get your case transferred over to me. He might have to fill out some paperwork claiming you were picked up after getting into trouble, because that way he'll be able to get you placed here, seeing this is a rehabilitation center."

"Ok, I don't have a problem with that."

"Jamie, you've probably already been made a ward of the state as well, since you'd be considered an orphan now that your mom is dead. Unless your father has suddenly jumped back into the picture, I think we can get you assigned here as well. I also plan to do the same thing with you that I'm doing with Glen, so my friend may have to fill out some paperwork claiming you got into trouble so that we can do this. I hope you don't have a problem with that."

"Nah, as long as I can stay here with the rest of you."

"Ok, then it seems as if we have a plan. In the meantime, I'm going to ask each of you to give me your parents' names and address, or in Jamie's case, the address where he was living before his mother died. We will do this as soon as we get to the mall, and then after we get back to the house I'll call my friend and give him the information. He will be able to use it to take care of everything for us, and then he'll call me back later to let me know how things are working out. Is that ok with each of you?"

"Yeah, it sounds great," Glen answered. "Livin' with you is a lot better than what I was doin' before."

"And we'll all be together and I won't have to worry about where I'm gonna sleep or how I'm gonna eat," Laine added.

"And I won't have to do stuff with those men and it will be like havin' a real family," Jamie agreed.

"Yeah, we'll all be brothers and Eric will be our dad," Dakota added.

His comment caused the boys to look at each other and smile, and then Jamie asked a question. "Are we 'sposed to call you Dad now?"

"You don't have to, because I'll merely have custody of you if this all works out. I guess you could call me dad if you really wanted to, or you can just call me Eric like you're doing now."

"I never had a dad, so I want to call you that," Jamie confirmed.

"And my dad is in prison, so I'll do it too," Glen stated next. "That way, nobody will ask me why I'm livin' here with ya either."

"Good point and I hadn't considered that," I concurred.

"Yeah, I might as well do it too," Dakota added, much to my surprise. How was he going to justify that I was his dad and boyfriend too?

I could tell Laine was conflicted about this, so I felt I should take him off the hook. "Laine, I know you have a dad and you feel close to him, so you can just continue calling me Eric."

"But if the rest of them are gonna call you dad, then I probably should do it too. Like Glen said, it would probably stop other people from asking us why we're livin' with you, and I kinda like the idea of us bein' brothers, cuz I miss my little brother."

"I guess you could always have two dads then, and you don't have to tell your father you were calling me dad when you return home if it would make you feel better."

"Yeah, it would."

"Does it mean we're gonna have to change our last names too?" Glen asked.

"No, that would only happen if I adopted you and you chose to do that. Besides, you won't have to tell anyone your last name unless you're still here when school starts."

"Ok, I guess that would be alright then,"

"Would you adopt me?" Jamie followed. "I don't got a mom or dad now, so I'll change my last name if you adopt me."

"I'll have to check into that for you, to see if it might be possible for me to adopt you."

"Yeah, do that."

"I doubt that I'm ever gonna see my parents again," Glen added, "cuz my dad is gonna be in prison for a really long time and my mom was declared an unfit parent cuz of what she did, so you might as well do that for me too."

"And since you already have custody of me, I might as well have you adopt me too," Dakota chimed in, and then he gave me a wink. I think it meant that he figured he would be changing his name at some point if we got married. "And if you adopt the three of us, then Laine can just be our brother from another mother."

"Yes, I'm sure that would work as well," I agreed, and it made Laine smile.

"Yeah, and I'm ok with that too," he concurred.

After we finished our discussion, the boys merely listened to the radio until we reached the mall. Before we got out, I quickly jotted down their information, and then I left it in the SUV as we headed into the mall.

The first place I took them was to the unisex hairstyling salon to get a haircut. I knew the place took walk-ins, and since it was early, I felt they wouldn't be very busy. I let the first couple of boys explain what they wanted and watched as mounds of their locks piled up on the floor.

While they were getting their haircuts, I grabbed my phone, stepped out of the salon, and called the doctor's office to make appointments for them. I had to do some fancy talking and emphasized that I'd been a long-time patient of Dr. Arpante to get them to squeeze the boys in quickly, but they finally did as I asked. Once I had a date and time, I made a note on my calendar so I wouldn't forget.

When I went inside again, I watched the other two boys get their haircut and decided that I might as well take advantage of being there as well, so I also got a haircut. When we were all looking good, I led them up to the same clothing store where I'd purchased everything for Dakota.

As we were walking there, I started to become a little paranoid and began looking around for the security guard. I was afraid he'd spot Dakota and then come over to hassle him again, but when I glanced over at Dakota, I realized something. Now that the boys all had a haircut, they looked completely different, so I doubted any of them would be recognized. Except for the clothes the other three were wearing, there was nothing else to give them away.

When we reached the store, I led them to the boys' department first. Before we got started, though, Laine asked a question. "What am I gonna do with this stuff if I end up going back home?"

"You'll just take it with you. Once I buy these things for you, they will be yours, so pick things you like."

"Ok, thanks."

I allowed them to choose the type of underwear they wanted first, and Laine picked out multiple pairs of boxer briefs, while Glen selected several pairs of standard boxers, and Jamie grabbed some multi-packs of briefs. I then took them to the other areas and allowed them to pick out socks, pants, shirts, tee-shirts, shorts, sweats, and a light jacket before I took them over to select a pair of dress shoes and a pair of athletic shoes. I merely guided their selections and only made them change it based on the appropriateness for their age or what it was going to be used for, but for the most part I let them get whatever they wanted. Once they had everything, and I had them try the items on to make sure they fit, we went to the checkout so I could pay for it. Once that was taken care of, I had them carry the bags containing those items out to the SUV.

"Thank you for buyin' me all this stuff," Jamie said when he was loading it into the SUV.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Glen offered.

"And thank you for telling me I can take everything with me when I go back home," Laine added.

After I locked the SUV, I led them to the electronics store next. I still had the card the salesperson had attached to one of the boxes when he helped us load them into the SUV the last time, so I looked around for him. He spotted us before I saw him and came over to speak with me.

"You're back. Is something wrong with the computer?"

"No, not at all. It's just that I've taken in some other boys, so we'll need another computer. We'll only need one, though, because two of the boys can share each computer."

"Did you want one like the other one or something different?"

"The first one is working out well, so we'll take another just like it. I also need two controllers for each computer so that the boys can play games against each other."

"Certainly, I can help you with that too."

"Dakota, while I'm doing this, will you please take the other boys over to where the games are, and then each of you can pick out one game that you like?"

"Yeah, ok. Come on, guys, and I'll show you where they are."

Once they were gone, I turned back to the salesperson. "I'll also need your help selecting more educational software, seeing they're not all at the same level."

"Not a problem, but may I ask why you have so many other boys this time?"

"Of course. They're all friends of my son, and each one has suffered some sort of family problem, so I've taken them in to live with us."

"Wow, that's really nice of you."

"They're good kids and just need a break, so I was happy to give it to them."

"They're definitely lucky kids."

Once we had everything, he helped me check out, and then he used a cart to take it all out to the SUV. Once we'd loaded each of the packages inside, I thanked him again and handed him a tip.

"Thanks, but you don't have to do this," he said.

"Maybe not, but I want to. You've been very helpful."

"Thank you and I'll be happy to help out again if you end up coming back."

"I've kept your card, so I'll ask for you if we need anything else."

After everyone had hopped into the SUV and buckled in, I next drove over to the Home Depot. "What are we doing here?" Dakota asked.

"Seeing I've got to buy more groceries to feed you boys and I don't like to do that very often, I'm going to buy a separate freezer to put things in."

"But your refrigerator has a big freezer already," he pointed out.

"Yes, and it's big enough for just me, and even for the two of us, but that's not the case any longer. Let's go inside, so I can find the one that will work best."

They got out and followed me inside, and after I looked at several models, I found the one I liked. I then arranged with the sales clerk to have it delivered the following day, and then I paid for it and we left.

We made one more stop before we left the city, and that was at a sporting goods store. I did it so I could pick up something to replace the gym bag that I had Glen throw away, but my plans changed once we got inside. I decided to buy each of the boys a backpack instead, seeing I had Dakota throw his old backpack away. They could use them to pack things in if we went on a hike, and they could also use them for school. I let each boy pick out the backpack he liked best.

After we were all back in the SUV, I started the engine and set out for home. As I was driving along, Glen commented.

"Damn, you spent a shit load of money on us this mornin'. I'm sure the stuff you bought us cost you more than my dad used to make in a month, maybe even two months, and that doesn't even include you buyin' the freezer."

"Yes, it was quite expensive, so I'm glad I had that grant money to cover everything. I'll have to make sure that I apply for it again next year."

"Dakota kept tellin' us you were awesome, but you're even better and more awesome than he told us," Laine said next. "I can't imagine anybody else doin' this much for us, least not without makin' us do stuff for them."

"I'm glad I'm able to do it and I hope you boys take advantage of it and keep yourselves moving in a positive direction. It's just like I told Dakota, all I'm asking is that you do well in school and keep out of trouble."

"I will," Jamie piped up.

"Me too," Glen added.

"And you don't hafta worry about me," Laine confirmed, "cuz I'd like to be just like you."

"That's what I said too," Dakota confessed.

"I'm glad you're all putting such a positive spin on this."

The boys then settled back to listen to the radio again, and they did that until we reached the house. I asked them to carry their clothes and backpacks up to their rooms and put them away. While they were doing that, Dakota carried in his backpack, the educational software, games, and controllers while I carried in the boxes containing the new computer components.

"The first computer is in Dakota's room, because he was the first one here, and I'm going to put this computer in Laine's bedroom, seeing he's the oldest." I also thought that if he eventually went back to live with his family, then the computer would be in the vacant room and the boys could use it whenever they wanted.

No one had a problem with this, and after we'd brought everything inside, I made an announcement. "I think it's time for lunch, so will sandwiches be ok?"

"Yeah, that will be fine," they all agreed.

I told them what I had for sandwiches and they told me what they wanted, so I got everything out and made a sandwich for each of us. I also opened up a couple of cans of baked beans to go with it, and then I called them down to eat.

"Oh no, we're all gonna be fartin' now," Dakota teased when he saw the beans.

"Yep, beans, beans the musical fruit, they make your pants go rooty toot toot," Jamie sang in his childish voice.

"That's different from the way I heard it," Glen responded. "The way I learned it was 'Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot, the more you toot, the better you feel, so eat beans at every meal'."

"Yes, there are several versions of that old song. I just want each of you to stay upstairs, so I don't have to smell it," I joked.

"Oh yeah, you give us the ammunition and don't want to be part of the war," Laine shot back.

"I'm just staying out of the line of fire," I responded.

"I think we should all hang out with him for the rest of the day so he can suffer with us," Glen added before laughing.

"I'd put a cork in your assholes, but you'd probably like that," I teased.

"Very funny," Dakota replied, "but you're prob'ly right."

***

After we ate, I went upstairs to hook up the new computer. I was glad that each room had a desk in it, and I set this computer up identically to how I'd done in Dakota's room. I then added the controllers to both computers so the boys could challenge one another, and then I asked them to divide the games, so there were some with each computer. I also loaded the new educational software on the new computer as well.

I heard several boys fart while I was doing this, followed by reactions from the others, so I began to question whether I should buy more beans in the future. What the hell, beans are good for them and it helps to clean out their plumbing.

After all of this had been taken care of, I left the boys to entertain each other and I went downstairs. I was going to call Paul, but then I noticed the time and decided against it because he would either be getting ready to go to sleep or already be sleeping. I'd just call him tomorrow, and then I thought of something else I should do. I grabbed my laptop and logged on to Amazon because I decided to order some books for the boys to read. I selected a few titles for each of them, along with a few additional books for all of them to read, and then I chose the faster delivery option and paid for it with my debit card.

Once that was taken care of, I decided to make a new grocery list. At various times I had to go upstairs so I could ask the boys questions about what types of foods they liked, and eventually, I had my list. When I looked at the clock, I noticed it was nearly dinnertime, but I didn't really feel like fixing anything. I was exhausted, so I decided to take them out to eat instead, so I went upstairs to tell the boys what we were going to do.

"I want each of you to wash up and change into something nice because I'm going to take you out to eat."

"Let's just eat here," Glen replied. "You've already spent too much money on us today."

"I appreciate your concern, but that's beside the point. I'm tired and don't feel like cooking, so I think this will be the easiest thing to do."

They finally gave in and went to wash up quickly before going to their rooms to change. When they came downstairs afterward, I asked a question.

"What kind of place would you like to go? There's an Italian restaurant, a Chinese place, and a steakhouse not too far away, as well as a diner if you want something simpler to eat, so where would you like to go?"

After giving them some time to talk it over, they chose the Italian restaurant, so we went out and hopped into the SUV again. It took a while to get there, and this caused Jamie to make an observation.

"Man, there's nothin' near your house. It's all far away."

"Yes, and I like it that way. It's very quiet at night and you can go outside and look up at the stars because no other light sources are blocking them out."

"That sounds neat, so I want to do that when we get back," Glen responded. "You can never really see the stars when you're in the city."

"That's very true, and if there aren't too many clouds tonight, then I think you'll be surprised at how many stars you can actually see."

When we got to the restaurant, I told the boys to order whatever they wanted, and then I added that if they couldn't finish their meal, I'd ask the server to box it up so we could take the rest of it home. They understood and soon found something they wanted. Jamie ordered spaghetti and meatballs, Glen had ravioli, and Dakota chose the lasagna. Laine wanted pizza, so I offered to share it with him and we quickly decided what we wanted on it. We both ordered a salad to go with it, along with our drinks, and then we waited for our food to be served.

While we were waiting for the food to arrive, we chatted. They told me about the games they liked best, and who beat whom when playing them, but once their meals were set down in front of them, they all shut up and dug in. Each boy finished eating well before I did, so they talked with each other while they waited for me to finish. It has always amazed me at how quickly kids devour their food, and Dakota told me it was because they didn't have very much time to eat at school after waiting in the lunch line, so they had to eat fast. I wasn't sure if that was the only or primary reason for them wolfing down their food, but it made sense.

There wasn't anything left over to take home with us, so I merely paid the tab and left a tip, and then we headed back to the house. When we got there, I told the boys I had some ice cream in the freezer if they wanted dessert, and they did, so I had Dakota grab some bowls and asked Laine to get out some spoons, and then I went to retrieve the ice cream. After I'd dished it out, we began to eat, and then Glen asked a question.

"Will you go outside with us after it gets dark, cuz we want to check out the stars?"

"You probably don't need me to do that, because you'll be able to see everything from the front yard, but I'll go with you if you want."

"Yeah, cuz we don't know if there are wolves, bears, tigers, or other animals out there that might come to eat us," Jamie explained.

"There are, but I don't think they'd be likely to come this close to the house, at least I've never seen any of them around the house before, and there are no tigers around here, at least not that I know of."

"We'd still like it better if you're out there with us," Glen added.

"That's fine and I'll be happy to do it, but we probably still have an hour left before it is dark enough to do that. In the meantime, what would you like to do?"

They opted to watch TV in the meantime, so I went to the family room and helped them find something to watch. I stayed in there with them and sat on the sofa, and Dakota quickly sat down on my left, while Jamie hopped beside me on the right. The other two sat in chairs and we watched an episode of N.C.I.S.

When that ended, I determined it was now dark enough for us to go outside and observe the stars, so we all got up and left the house. We decided to lay down on the lawn, to make it easier to stare at the sky, and then I started to point out a few of the constellations that I was familiar with. The boys seemed to find this interesting, although I'm not sure if they always saw the same things I did–it didn't stop them from trying.

After spending more than an hour outside doing that, I decided we should probably go to bed. They argued with me briefly and said they wanted to continue doing this, so I told them they could, but I was going inside. Jamie was right behind me as I walked through the front door, and Glen wasn't far behind us. Dakota and Laine came inside shortly after that, so it made me do a little thinking. These boys had all lived on the street, and most of the time, they were totally alone and that didn't seem to bother them, so what was different now? I decided that the mention of wild animals earlier must have been the thing that spooked them, but obviously they hadn't been as concerned about the wildlife in the city. Go figure.

Chapter 12
Settling In

Once we were all inside, after staring at the nighttime sky, we headed upstairs and Dakota asked a question. "Can we use your bathroom so we can shower together?"

"That depends. Who are you talking about?"

They began whispering with each other before they answered. "Me, Laine, and Glen want to shower together tonight."

"Ok, just don't make a mess in there."

Once they'd undressed and went into my bathroom, I thought Jamie would use one of the other bathrooms to shower, but he merely stayed with me in the bedroom. "Aren't you going to shower too?"

"Yeah, but can I do it with you?"

I thought about this for a few seconds before I answered. "I suppose, but why didn't you just go in with the other boys?"

"Cuz they're gonna have sex. I didn't want to do that and wanted to shower with you instead."

"I see, and I'll be right back." I hurried into the bathroom and caught them before they entered the shower. "Dakota, if they're planning to have sex, then you can't get involved because they haven't been tested yet."

"Oh, that's right, so I'll shower with Jamie instead."

"Ok, and that will be better, but you can't have sex with him either."

"I know, so why don't you shower with Jamie and me?"

"Jamie asked me to do that already, so I guess I will."

When Dakota and I returned to my bedroom, I explained that Dakota would also be showering with Jamie and us, quickly undressed and then he watched as I did the same.

"Hey, I thought you said you weren't gay," I challenged when I noticed him staring at my package.

"I said, I don't know if I am. I didn't like doin' some of that stuff with those other guys, but I liked doin' it with some of them, and I like you a lot."

"I think your attraction to me might have something to do with my letting you live here and buying you all of those things today."

"Maybe a little, but I'd still think you're really nice even if you didn't buy us those things."

"Thank you and I think you're a sweet kid too."

"Thanks."

We ended up sitting around naked for quite a while as we waited for the other two to come out, and when they did, I overheard some of the things they were saying. After listening to their comments, I was fairly certain they had sex in there before showering, which confirmed what Jamie had told me. I guess it also explained what took them so long.

Once Laine and Glen had gone to their bedrooms, the three of us went into the master bath next. After I'd adjusted the water, we stepped inside the shower stall.

"Man, this is really big," Jamie stated as he looked around.

"Yes, it's why the other boys were able to shower in here together. Do you want me to wash you?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

I carefully washed him from his head to his feet, and he sprouted wood when I washed his privates. He giggled and then looked at me. "I think it likes you."

"I like it too, but let's finish up."

After I finished washing him, I washed Dakota next, and he also got an erection when I washed his genitals.

"Kota's cock likes you too," Jamie giggled.

"So I noticed, and I like it as well."

"Can we wash you now?" Jamie followed.

"I suppose, but you can only wash me. Nothing else."

"K," he agreed. "Kota, you can wash the top half and I'll wash the bottom."

"That's not fair. You get the best parts."

"I know," Jamie agreed, "but you're taller than me, so it's easier for you to wash his shoulders and head."

Dakota ended up shampooing my hair and washing my back and chest, while Jamie washed both of my legs, but he left the best part for last. I think he was trying to masturbate me as he washed my penis, and I did my best to think of something else to keep from getting hard. When he finished, he looked at me and frowned.

"Yours must not like me."

I didn't expect him to react like this and was now regretting that I'd tried so hard to keep from having an erection, so I thought I should say something to make him feel better.

"It just doesn't react as quickly as yours did." This seemed to do the trick because he looked up at me and smiled.

"Can I sleep with you too?"

What was I going to do? If I gave in, then I'd probably end up having a revolving door as the others took turns sleeping with me, but if I said no, I'd probably make him feel bad and possibly even break his heart.

"Ok, but just to sleep."

"Then I want to sleep with you too," Dakota quickly chimed in.

I merely nodded, and after they crawled into bed beside me, Dakota placed his head on my chest as he'd done before. As soon as Jamie saw Dakota do that, he did the same thing on the other side. I wrapped an arm around each one and we got comfortable. A few seconds later, Jamie spoke.

"I can hear your heartbeat."

"I hope you can because if you couldn't, it would mean I was dead," I teased in response.

"Don't say things like that," Dakota chided.

"Hey, it was just a joke, so chill out."

Seeing that had been settled, the three of us slowly drifted off to sleep. I felt like a little kid again and cuddling a teddy bear in each arm, but these were human teddy bears, not stuffed ones, which made it even better.

***

When I woke up, I tried to slip out of bed without waking either boy, but I wasn't totally successful.

"Where ya goin'?" Dakota mumbled, not totally awake.

"I'm going to use the toilet, and then I'm heading downstairs to get things ready to make breakfast, Just move over onto the pillow and go back to sleep, and when you wake up, you can come down to eat."

To my surprise, he did as I asked, and then I moved Jamie's head off my chest and placed it on the other pillow. When I got out of bed, I slipped on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt before heading downstairs. When I looked at the clock, I felt it would be safe to call Paul, so I grabbed my phone and selected his number.

"Paul, it's Eric, and I have some more information for you."

"Great, so how are things going?"

"Fairly well so far, and the boys seem to be settling in quite nicely, but that's not the reason I called. I wanted to let you know that I think I've figured out a way you can help me get legal custody of the other boys as well."

I then took a picture of the list with each boy's name, along with his parents' names and the address where their parents lived or where they used to live and texted him the list to save time. I then told him my ideas about how he might be able to get the boys placed in my custody.

"Ok, I'll get right on it and then I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thanks, I really appreciate your help."

"Hey, you only got involved because I asked for your help, so it's only fair that I do what I can."

"Thanks, and I look forward to hearing how you make out."

"Oh, I make out great on dates, but I'll let you know how successful I am with helping you with this too."

"I should have expected that you'd have a smartass response to my comment."

"Of course you should have, seeing we've known each other forever and you know I can't resist a chance to do something like that."

"Yes, and even though you like to do those things, I still cherish every moment of our friendship."

"Me too."

After we ended the call, I headed out to the kitchen so I could get things ready to make breakfast for the boys as soon as they woke up. I used a large bowl to mix the scrambled eggs, and then I chopped up a few cans of sliced potatoes and onion so that I could make home fries. Once that had been taken care of, I got out the bacon and sausage links so we could have those with it as well.

I even had time to make a pot of coffee and was able to enjoy a cup before the boys started coming downstairs. Before I began to fixing them something to eat, I asked Glen and Laine to make some toast and butter it while I had Dakota set the table and asked Jamie to take the milk, juice, and jelly out of the refrigerator. I then watched as they inhaled the food as soon as I set it down in front of them, and after watching the feeding frenzy, I was glad that I had been able to take my share before this happened.

Once they were all full, and we'd taken care of the dishes, I sat down with the boys to let them know what was going to happen today.

"The freezer is going to be delivered sometime in the next couple of hours, and after lunch, I'm going to do some grocery shopping. Do you boys want to go with me when I do that?"

"I will," Dakota quickly agreed.

"Grocery shoppin' is kinda boring," Glen stated next. "Can I just stay here and play games on the 'puter?"

"Yeah, I'd rather do that too," Laine quickly added.

"I'd rather watch TV," Jamie chimed in.

"I don't have a problem with you doing any of those things, but if I leave you here, then you have to promise to stay inside and only play on the computer or watch TV until we get back. Ok?"

"Yeah, we promise," they agreed.

"Ok, then go ahead and do whatever you want, and I'll wait down here for the delivery truck."

"We can do that for you if you want to go shoppin' now," Laine suggested.

"I appreciate your offer, but I'll need to sign for it, and I also want to make sure it's plugged in and getting cold before I leave because I'll be loading it up when we get back. I plan on buying a lot of groceries, so I won't have to do this again in a few days."

"Oh, ok," Laine conceded.

It was over an hour before the delivery truck arrived, and I watched the men use a dolly to unload the freezer from the truck and wheel it inside. I showed them where I wanted it put and made sure it was plugged in first, and then I signed the paperwork and thanked the two men for their effort.

"You've got a nice place here," the driver stated, "but it would be a lot nicer if it wasn't out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Maybe for you, but I like my peace and quiet."

"That's a strange comment for someone with so many sons," the other guy pointed out after Dakota, Laine, Glen, and Jamie came out to see what was going on.

"They can get rowdy at times, but it's still very quiet and quite relaxing living out here."

"If you say so," he added as they were leaving.

Once they had driven off, I checked to make sure the freezer was starting to get cold and that it was in the correct setting. While I was doing that, Jamie made a comment.

"They thought we was your sons."

"Yes, I assume they must have concluded you must be my sons since you boys were all running around half-naked," I quipped, which caused the boys to glance at each other. I'd said it that way because each boy was only wearing a pair of shorts at the time.

"Yeah, but I bet they see boys dressed like this at the other places they stop at," Glen challenged.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it, just that it might be why they thought you were my sons."

"Oh, I see now," he relented.

"Ok, Dakota, I'm ready to leave, so go put on a shirt and something on your feet if you're going to go with me."

While he was doing that, I addressed the other boys. "Don't forget what I told you and don't get into any trouble."

"We won't," they all promised.

"I also left my cell phone number written down on a pad that I left on the kitchen counter. If you have an emergency or have any problems, I want you to call me, and please be careful."

"We will," they promised again.

"And thanks for leavin' your number," Laine added.

***

When Dakota returned, we hopped into the SUV, and as we were going down the driveway, Dakota looked over at me and spoke. "I thought it was pretty neat how you came up with the grant thingy yesterday, so the other boys wouldn't know you were rich."

"Well, sometimes you just have to be creative to deflect suspicion."

"So, you're not gonna tell them?"

"I'm not sure. I may do it eventually, but not until I'm sure I can trust them, and they won't try to take advantage of me."

"Wow, you didn't do that with me."

"No, I didn't, and I hope I can trust you now that I've shared this particular confidence with you."

"Yeah, you can."

When we arrived at the grocery store, we each grabbed a shopping cart because I planned on picking up a large number of supplies. We were going to load up Dakota's wagon with the non-perishable items first, and then I'd use my cart for the meat, vegetables, dairy, frozen items, and bread.

We went up and down the grocery aisles first and filled Dakota's cart, and then we hit the dairy section before going to pick out the meat. I selected the produce next before we added the frozen food, and then I added the bread last, once we had everything else. As soon as I had each of the items on my list, we headed to the checkout.

"You must have a very large family," the cashier observed when she saw us putting everything on the belt.

"I've got four boys, and I'm sure you probably know how teenagers can pack the food away at mealtimes."

"I've only got two and can barely afford them, but I know what you mean."

I helped to bag the items after she rang them up to make the process go a little faster. I also had a large collection of canvas and insulated bags to pack the various items in, and after I paid the bill with my debit card, Dakota and I wheeled both carts out to the SUV. I got inside and had Dakota hand me the bags so I could arrange them in the back, and once we loaded everything we drove home.

When we reached the house, Dakota and I carried the first few bags into the house and then I yelled out to the other boys. "I want each of you to come down and help us bring the food inside if you hope to eat later."

They obviously did, because they all showed up to help carry the bags into the house. As they were doing that, Dakota was helping me put the various items into the refrigerator and freezer. Since it was summer, we had to take care of those items first and then we put the canned and boxed items in the pantry. As soon as it was all taken care of, I was ready to take a break.

"I'll fix lunch in a little while, but I want to relax for a bit first," I told them.

"Will you come to watch TV with me then?" Jamie asked sweetly.

"Sure, I can do that," I agreed.

I thought Dakota might join us, but he, Glen, and Laine headed upstairs to play games on the computers. I think Jaime liked the idea of having me all to himself as he sat next to me on the sofa. When I didn't immediately place my arm around him, he looked at me and spoke.

"Can you do what you did the last time we watched TV together?"

"Do you mean this?" I asked as I lifted my arm and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Yeah, I like it when you do that."

"I do too."

He then leaned against me and rested his head on my chest as we watched the program he'd chosen. During the commercial, I tousled his hair, which caused him to look up at me and grin.

"My mom used to do that to me too," he said with a little giggle.

"Yes, it's sort of a grown-up thing to do with our boys."

I finished watching the show with him, and when it ended, I made a comment. "I guess I'd better go fix you boys something to eat before you start nibbling on me."

"Hey, we ain't cannibals," Jamie said before giggling again.

"Maybe not normally, but I'm afraid of what you might do if you all get really hungry."

"We might attack part of you, but we wouldn't eat it. We'd just lick and suck on it."

"Man, you boys all have one-track minds."

"I didn't before my mom got killed."

"Yes, I'm sure that living on the street changed a lot for you and cost you some of your childhood. I just hope I can give part of it back to you."

"You already have cuz now I don't have to do stuff with those other men no more."

"I'm glad I could do that for you, and now I need to go out and make lunch."

***

I went to the kitchen and whipped up a quick meal consisting of hot dogs, tater tots, and corn for lunch. Even though it was very simple fare, the boys seemed to enjoy it, and when they finished and we'd taken care of the dishes, I asked them what they wanted to do next.

"Can you take us out and show the other boys how much land you own like you did with me?" Dakota asked.

"Not unless I do it one at a time, because you must realize I can't do it with more than one boy at a time on the four-wheeler. And seeing it took four to five hours for us to do that, I could only do it with one boy per day."

"So, you don't have another way to do it so we could all go?"

"No, I'm afraid not. The SUV is too wide for the trails and it isn't built for that type of terrain."

"Then how about we just walk around some of it, as you did with me when I first got here?"

"Yes, we could do that if everyone agrees to it."

They did, so I sent them upstairs to dress appropriately and then we started out on a quick walk. I led them out on the same trail that I'd used with Dakota and explained that if they were very quiet, we might be able to see some animals.

"Not bears, wolves, or other animals that might try to eat us, right?" Jamie quickly asked.

"No, I was referring to deer, rabbits, squirrels, and maybe some different kinds of birds."

"Oh, ok."

When we got to the trail that wound between my property and the government land, I took a left rather than going to the right as I had with Dakota. Along the way, I spotted an owl sleeping on one of the upper branches of a tree and pointed it out to the boys. They began chatting about it as they pointed to where it was, and obviously they were making enough noise to wake it up because it opened its eyes and was looking down at us. That's when I encouraged the boys it was time to move on.

A little while later, a rabbit darted across the trail in front of us, and we also saw a chipmunk and a couple of squirrels. When we got to the end of the trail where it connected to the road, I led them back toward the driveway, and when we reached it, we started walking toward the house. Rather than following it all the way back, I took a detour and led them to the pond instead.

"Can we swim in there sometime?" Glen wanted to know.

"I swim in it on occasion, and that's why I built a small dock when I first had the pond constructed because I wanted to be able to dive in it safely. Can all of you swim?"

"I can," Laine quickly answered.

"Me too," Glen agreed.

"I've done it a few times," Dakota added, "but my stepdad never took us very often, so I'm not very good."

"That's ok because I can work with you and help you get better." Jamie hadn't answered, so I confronted him. "How about you, Jamie?"

"Nobody ever taught me how to swim," he answered, looking slightly embarrassed.

"That's ok. I can teach you as well."

He suddenly perked up and flashed me a weak smile. "K, I'd like that."

"I know none of you have swimsuits, so you can just wear a pair of shorts for now, and then the next time we go into the city, I'll buy each of you a swimsuit."

"Or we can just swim with nothin' on," Glen offered.

"You probably could get away with doing that, seeing there isn't a lot of traffic on this road, but a few vehicles still go by every day. They'd probably be able to see what you've got, unless you were in the water at the time, seeing the pond is fairly close to the road."

"They wouldn't be able to look for very long if they was goin' fast," he countered.

"Maybe not, and they might not see very much anyway, since you boys aren't that well hung," I teased.

"Hey, watch it," Laine challenged. "Our dicks might not be as big as yours, but we're all doin' ok if you compare us with other boys our age. None of us had a problem when we was havin' sex, and we weren't embarrassed lettin' you, or those other guys see our dicks."

"Yes, of course, you're right and I was only joking," I relented.

After we left the pond and were walking back to the house, Glen asked a question. "How the heck do you mow this huge lawn?"

"I have a sub-compact John Deere tractor that I use to take care of it."

"What do ya mean when you say sub-compact?" he followed.

"It means it's smaller than a tractor you would see on a farm but larger than a riding lawnmower."

"Oh, but where is it, cuz I've never seen it."

"It's in the storage shed that's behind the house."

"You mean that buildin' that's in the backyard?"

"Yes, that's where I keep the tractor and my other tools."

"Did you use it to make the pond?" Jamie followed.

"No, it was way too small for that, but it has a front end loader and a backhoe, along with the drive-over mower deck and a plow I can use when it snows. I had to hire a construction company with heavy equipment to prepare the pond. I used the backhoe to divert part of the stream to fill the pond, and I also used the front end loader to move the dirt I'd dug out to fill in some low spots in the yard."

"Does the pond ever flood the road?" Laine asked.

"No, I diverted the overflow from the pond into the drainage ditch that runs along the road, and the worst it ever gets is in the winter when the snow melts. Sometimes the roads can get a little icy, but it never really floods."

"Can we see you use the tractor sometime?" Jamie asked.

"Of course, you can do that the next time I have to work in the yard. You'll also be able to watch when I mow the lawn too, and once I think you are responsible enough, I might even teach you how to do that as well."

"You'd let us drive the tractor?" Laine asked, stunned.

"Yes, if I think you're responsible enough to do it without wrecking the tractor or hurting yourself or anyone else."

"Neat," he responded.

We then went into the house to get a drink and cool off a bit, and after we did that, they wanted me to tell them more about the rest of my property. I tried to inform them about as much as I could, and Dakota added a few comments about the things he remembered from when he went out with me. When they were all satisfied, they went off to do other things while I fixed dinner.

Chapter 13
Complex Interactions

After we finished eating dinner, I agreed to watch a movie with the boys and I let them choose what they wanted to see. They found Jaws on one of the channels, so we sat down to watch it. Once again, I sat on the sofa and Jamie sat on my right, but this time Laine beat Dakota to take the seat on my left.

"Hey, I was gonna sit there," Dakota whined.

"You sat next to him last time. You snooze you lose," Laine added mockingly.

I thought Dakota was going to argue with Laine, but he only pouted for a few seconds before going over to sit in one of the chairs just as the movie was starting. Once everyone was focused on the screen, Jamie lifted my arm and placed it around his shoulders because I didn't do it as quickly as he wanted, and then he leaned against me as he watched the movie.

To my surprise, Laine leaned against me as well, and I noticed that Dakota glanced over a couple of times and made a face when he saw what Laine was doing. Unfortunately, I felt he spent most of his time watching us, rather than the movie, but nothing more was said. Instead, the other boys and I spent the time watching how the main characters (police chief Martin Brody, oceanographer Matt Hooper, and shark hunter Quint) were going to beat the monstrous shark.

When the movie ended, I sent the boys upstairs to shower, and after I listened to their protests, I explained that they didn't have to go to sleep, but I wanted them to shower before they got too tired. They finally agreed and headed upstairs. I didn't follow them because I had a feeling one of the boys might try to talk me into showering with him and I wanted to avoid having to deal with that. Instead, I waited for about fifteen minutes before I turned off the lights on the first floor and headed upstairs, seeing I felt it was now safe since none of the boys had come downstairs and asked me to do that.

I could tell that someone was using my shower again, but I'd also heard one of the other showers going as well. I wasn't sure what that meant, unless two or more of them were showering together, so I hoped Dakota had remembered that he couldn't have sex with the other boys. My concerns later proved to be unfounded, because when my bathroom door opened Dakota and Jamie emerged.

"I hope you don't mind that we used your shower," Dakota stated when he saw me. "We were gonna wait for you, but we didn't know how long you were gonna stay downstairs."

"That's fine and I don't mind that you used my bathroom again," I replied, however seeing them emerging from my bathroom left me slightly confused.

"Don't worry, we just washed each other," Jamie added. He must have noticed the slightly concerned look on my face.

"That's nice and I hope you enjoyed it."

"We did, and we showered together cuz Laine and Glen were gonna have sex in the other bathroom," Jamie added.

"I see," I stated, but that partially answered my question. I felt Dakota might have felt left out when he learned the other two were going to have sex again and chose to shower with Jamie so he wouldn't have to shower alone.

"Can we sleep with you again?" Jamie asked.

"No, I don't want you to get into the habit of doing it every night. You can sleep in your own rooms tonight, or you can sleep together. I'll leave that up to you."

After whispering for a few seconds, it appeared they were going to sleep together and Jamie followed Dakota to his room. I watched as they walked down the hallway, and then I shut the door, undressed, and went into my bathroom to take my shower. Once I finished and had dried off, I put on a clean pair of underwear, slipped into bed, and got comfortable. Almost immediately, I realized I missed having the boys in bed with me because I'd become accustomed to sleeping with them and now I was lonely. I was still thinking about that when there was a light knock on my door.

***

"Come in," I responded, and then Laine came into my bedroom to speak with me.

"Uhhh, I came here to see if you will fuck me."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, but didn't you just have sex with Glen?"

"Yeah, we fucked each other, so now I'm loose enough for you to do it to me."

"Wasn't doing it with Glen enough for you?"

"It was ok, but it was better when we did it in your shower than in that other bathroom. We kept slippin' in the tub and it made it hard to fuck each other. We didn't have that trouble when we used your shower, so it wasn't as good this time."

"I put appliqués in each tub to make them less slippery, and there's a shower mat you could have used as well. Didn't you see it in the linen closet when you went to get a towel?"

"Yeah, we saw it there, but we thought those other things would be good enough. We wanted to do it in your shower again, like the last time, but Kota and Jamie were already in there showerin' and we didn't wanna wait. Since what me and Glen did this time wasn't very good, I thought I'd come over and ask you to do it to me. I'm asking this time so you won't get mad at me again, but I really wanna see what it's like doin' it with you."

"But you've done it with other men before, and I suspect it was about the same as it would be doing it with me."

"But I wanna see if it's different when I'm doin' it with someone who cares about me."

I hesitated a moment before I responded. "Look, I care about you, but I'm not in love with you."

"Yeah, I know that too, but I've never done it with someone who really cares about me and wasn't just lookin' to get off. Those other guys never cared if I enjoyed it, just that they did, but I know you would be different."

"I'm sure you do, but I've already explained that I don't want to have sex with you boys until you'd been tested."

"But we already did some stuff, so can't you just wear a rubber when you do it to me?" He had a point.

"I could, but I don't want the other boys to know or even suspect that I might be doing this with you."

"Since I already did it with Glen, I don't think the other guys would think I'd wanna do it again. No one saw me come here, cuz their bedroom doors were shut, so will you fuck me?"

"Laine, I don't want this to become a habit, so I'm going to turn you down. I'm not sure you'd be satisfied only doing this once."

"I promise I'll only ask you this one time, cuz I wanna see what it's like. I want to see if it's any different than what I was doin' before with those other guys."

"You might find out that it's basically the same, because it usually only feels different when you're actually in love with the other person, and we aren't in love."

"I know, but just let me try this once and then I won't ever ask you to do it again."

I remained silent for a couple of minutes before I responded. "Just once, and you've got to make sure the other boys don't find out what we did."

"I won't ever say anything about doin' it with you. I'm really excited that you're gonna do this with me, though, and I know it's gonna be really special."

"Ok, I just hope I don't end up regretting this."

"You won't."

I made sure he locked my bedroom door first, and then I had him lay across the mattress, so his butt was at the side of the bed. I then played with his nipples for a while first, teasing the tiny nubs with my tongue, tweaking them with my fingers, and sucking on them. After that, I had him suck on my penis until it was erect and then I grabbed a condom out of my nightstand and slipped it on, and then I lubed up Laine and my condom-covered penis.

I stood on the floor beside the bed and lifted Laine's legs so I could place them on my shoulders. I then lined up with his opening, put my penis against his resilient ring, and slowly added some pressure. The head of my penis popped in fairly easily and I slowly slid into his tunnel of love. He only seemed to experience mild discomfort as I slid inch by inch into him, and then I reached down and started to masturbate him as I began the back and forth motion in his intestines. I was using long and steady strokes to match the rhythm I was using as I masturbated him because I wanted him to enjoy this as well.

Similar to what Dakota did when I'd done this with him, Laine was thrusting back into me and using his anal muscles at the same time, although he wasn't nearly as good at doing it as Dakota had been. It was still good enough to edge me closer, so I picked up the pace on his penis because I wanted him to cum first. This might have been a little easier to accomplish if he hadn't had sex earlier, but before long, I noticed the signs that he was nearly ready to ejaculate, so I did my best to bring him off.

When the first strand of his semen erupted from the tip, his anal muscles clamped down on my penis and a few strokes later, I was filling the condom with my own load. I kept pumping into him even after my orgasm had subsided and the last of his semen had drained from his cock. He was breathing heavily, and without thinking, I bent over and gave him a simple kiss. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"I knew it. That was way better than when I did it with those other guys. You did stuff that made me feel good too, and now I wish I hadn't promised that I'd only ask you to do this one time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I'm going to hold you to your promise."

"I know, but thanks for doin' this for me. Nobody ever made me feel this good when they was fuckin' me before."

After I pulled out of him, I went over to the nightstand and grabbed the box of tissues to help him clean off. Then, I told him to slip back to his room while I discarded the tissues and took off the condom. I went into my bathroom to take care of those items, and then I washed up quickly, but I wasn't going to shower again until morning.

Once I was ready, I slipped into bed and thought about what I'd just done. I'd been careful not to break my promise to Dakota, as well as to take precautions about possibly catching something from him, but I was actually glad that Laine had wanted to do this. I was starting to have feelings for him as well, even though I knew I'd eventually be sending him back to his parents, but he's a good kid and a capable lover. I continued thinking about him until I finally dozed off.

***

The next morning after I woke up, I took a quick shower before I headed downstairs to start getting ready for breakfast. While I was doing that, something suddenly dawned on me. I hope that neither Laine nor I slip up and make a comment that would let the boys figure out what we'd done. I also hoped he wouldn't start acting differently when we were around each other because I wasn't ready to deal with a jealous Dakota. I did my best to put those concerns out of my mind, while at the same time trying to act as normal as possible, especially after the boys started coming downstairs.

I was glad that Laine didn't act any differently this morning and wasn't paying me any undue attention, and I did the same. In fact, we were having a typical breakfast together and the boys were chatting about their plans for the day. They intended to play video games again, but they were debating on what else they were going to do. This continued even after we finished eating and they headed upstairs again, and that's when I finally began to breathe a sigh of relief that nothing unusual had occurred.

I was busy cleaning up the kitchen when the boys came rushing back to the top of the stairs and Glen yelled down to me. "There's a truck comin' up the driveway."

I went over and glanced out the window to see who it was. "It's just a UPS truck. He's probably just here to make a delivery."

"Why? Did you order something?" Dakota pressed.

"Yes, and if it's what I think it is, the items will concern all of you as well."

"Why? What did you get?"

I was about to respond when the doorbell rang, so I went to answer it. The UPS driver then handed me the package and I thanked him, and as I was turning around, the boys were racing down the stairs to see what I'd just received.

"What's in the box?" they all screamed in unison.

"If you'll just calm down and exhibit a little patience, I'll show you," I said as I started to open the box. "I ordered some books for you to read, so after I check to make sure they're all here, I'll give each of you the books I ordered for you. You can share them with the others after you've read them because I've ordered books that I thought you'd all appreciate and enjoy."

"So, what are they?" Laine pressed, once I'd checked out the contents of the package.

"There are some classics that you may be required to read in schools, such as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Lord of the Flies, and The Outsiders. I thought that if you read them, it would give you a head start over your classmates when you returned to school. I ordered some other books I thought you'd merely enjoy, and that includes The Bridge to Terabithia, A Wrinkle in Time, The Phantom Tollbooth, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H."

"Yeah, I read parts of some of those stories when I was in Middle School," Laine confessed. "Our reading books had parts of them in with the other stories, cuz they thought it would get us interested in reading those books. I thought they were all pretty good, but I kept forgetting to look for them when I went to the library."

"I'm glad you liked the parts that you read, and I think you will all enjoy these books. I'd also like to discuss each one with you when you've finished reading it because I've read each of them as well."

"I'm willing to do that," Laine confirmed.

"Yeah, me too," the other three followed.

"I want you to read them critically and think about what the author is saying because I'll be asking you those types of questions later."

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked next.

"For example, in Oliver Twist, the author is talking about many issues, such as being an orphan, child labor laws, and how the boys survived to live on the streets. Those topics may be more relevant to some of you than the others, but I want to know what you think the author is saying about those issues. I want to know if you agree or disagree with what the author's saying, along with the reasons you came to those conclusions."

"It sounds complicated, but I'll try to do that," Jamie confirmed.

"Do the rest of you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Dakota hesitantly offered.

"Don't worry; it will become clearer and easier the more we do it. I also think it will help you when you return to school in the fall."

"So, you want us to read every day?" Glen followed.

"That would be best. I got in the habit of reading at night before I went to sleep. It helps to calm me down after a long day, and then I find it easier to go to sleep. I think it would be a good habit for you to get into as well, and you could read a chapter or two each night before you fall asleep."

"Yeah, ok, I guess I can do that," Glen relented.

"Me too," the others quickly agreed.

I quickly passed out the books I'd ordered specifically for them, and then I let all of the boys know where I was going to leave the rest of the books. They then spent some time looking at their books and reading the brief blurb on each book's cover to see what it was about. After they finished doing that, they started talking to each other about the books they'd been given, and then they prepared to go upstairs.

"I'm gonna get on the 'puter and look these books up," Dakota stated before taking off. "I wanna see if I can find out more about 'em before I decide which one I want to read first."

"That's a great idea," I confirmed. "Maybe you should all do that."

"Yeah, I'm gonna do it too," the others quickly concurred.

I had given each of them four books to start, but I was hoping they'd share them and would read the other books I'd purchased in due time. I felt it would benefit each of them greatly if they eventually did that.

***

After they headed upstairs, I got busy doing a few other chores, and I'd been doing that for quite a while when my phone rang. It was Paul and I was curious about what he might have to say.

"I think I've got some good news for you," Paul stated after we'd exchanged greetings. "First of all, I met with Laine's parents and we had quite a lengthy chat. They admitted that they'd been surprised their son had run off, at least until they read the note he left them and realized why he'd done it. They were mostly worried about whether he was safe and how he was going to survive, so they were pleased to hear that you had taken him in to stay with you."

"I'm glad to hear that because it will probably mean they're not going to be hostile and start making threats."

"You're right and they're not going to do anything like that, but there's something else you should know. While I was there, they informed me that Laine's father has just started a new job, but it's going to take a while before things get back to normal for them. For that reason, they have agreed to give you temporary custody of Laine until school starts, so it looks like you're going to have him for the summer."

"That's great. Do I have to call the lawyer to make it legal?"

"No, I've already spoken to Murray and taken care of that. He's going to send me the paperwork so I can have them sign it. I'll let you know when that is taken care of and I've passed the signed paperwork back to Murray."

"Fantastic. How about the other two, have you found out anything about them?"

"Yes, I have, and their cases were easier to deal with. I went to Social Services and spoke with the Director, and she was glad to hear that both boys were safe. She also felt those two had the potential of becoming a problem for her department, seeing they had both proven to be runners, so she was happy to agree to grant you custody of them."

"And she did this without meeting me or checking into my background first?"

"Yes, because I vouched for you personally and told her the boys felt comfortable living with you. I told her that I've known you for a long time and that you're a psychologist who works for a school district. I also told her that you were financially well off and probably wouldn't need any monetary assistance from them, and I think that fact helped to clinch the deal for you. Social Services is always looking for ways to trim spending from their budget, so not having to pay you a stipend to take care of those boys was a definite advantage to get them to agree to this."

"So, you just volunteered this information without checking with me first?" I wasn't serious or upset, but I wanted to see how he was going to respond.

"Hey, I know you've got more than enough money to do this and I thought you'd be happy to forgo any reimbursement to get custody of those two."

"Yes, you're right, and I was only pulling your leg."

"I liked it better when you were sucking on it."

"Oh, another smartass comment from my old friend, Paul, but I really appreciate your help with this. I also have some more information for you – Jamie and Glen have both asked if I'd adopt them. Jamie's mother is dead and he doesn't know who his father is, so I felt it might be possible. Glen's dad is going to be in prison for a long time, and Glen told me that not only was his mom in jail, but she was also judged to be an unfit parent, so I thought it might be a possibility for him as well. I assume that if she's been declared an unfit parent that he won't be returned to her even after she's released from jail."

"Yes, the Director told me a little about their situations when I spoke with her. She explained that Glen's mother had been arrested for prostitution, and was also charged with child neglect for leaving Glen alone while she was out turning tricks. She said the court had given her department custody of Glen, so that probably means he's eligible to be adopted. As far as Jamie is concerned, the Director mentioned that one of her caseworkers requested Jamie's birth certificate, and discovered there was no father listed on the form. They were also unable to find any other relatives, so he's definitely an orphan. I'll ask Murray to check into the possibility of you adopting them as well."

"And I also want to adopt Dakota, and that should be fairly easy since I already have custody of him."

"Ok, I'll pass that message along as well."

"And tell Murray to add all of this to my bill and he can have his secretary call if he needs me to send him another check."

"Will do, and it looks like you're going to become a daddy soon."

"Yes, it certainly does, although I feel I'm a dad to these boys already, especially since that's what they're all calling me. It's been both a challenge and a pleasure at the same time."

"I know what the pleasure is because I had a little chat with Dakota when he was here."

"Yes, he told me about your conversation, but that's not the only thing I find pleasurable and advantageous about this situation. I also enjoy their company and the knowledge that I'm doing some good by helping them."

"Yes, I'm sure that is a very rewarding feeling."

Paul and I ended the call shortly after that, and then I called the boys together so we could discuss what I'd just found out.

"What's up?" they wanted to know when we were all together.

"I just spoke with Paul, my cop friend, and he's given me some good news," I began, and I could see the excitement and anticipation on the boys' faces. "Laine, your dad just started a new job, but it will be a while before things are back to normal for them. In the meantime, your parents have agreed to give me temporary custody so you can stay here for now, but they want you to return home before school starts in the fall. They have been very worried about you and were glad to hear that you are safe and doing well."

"That's great! I get to spend the summer here with you guys and then I'll go home and be with my family when I go back to school."

"Yes, and they should be back on their feet financially by the time you return. After Paul told me about your situation, he said he'd also spoken with the Director of Social Services and she's agreed to grant me custody of Glen and Jamie as well. This means I now have legal custody of all of you, although I don't have the paperwork to prove it for you three yet."

"Are you gonna be able to adopt us too?" Jamie quickly followed.

"Paul is going to ask the lawyer to look into that for me as well. I asked him to see if I'd be able to adopt you two and Dakota, and either Paul or my lawyer will contact me when they find out any information as to whether that will be possible."

Those three were bouncing in their seats after hearing this news. "Yay, we're gonna be brothers and Eric will be our dad!" Jamie squealed. "I'm gonna start callin' you that."

"Me too," Dakota and Glen quickly agreed

"And I'll get to see my brother and parents again," Laine followed.

"Yes, things are working out for all of us," I concurred.

Chapter 14
Good News and Touchy Times

When the boys came down to join me for lunch, I decided to share a little more information with them. "I want each of you to start spending a minimum of an hour a day working with the educational software."

"Why do we gotta do that?" Glen challenged.

"I'm asking each of you to do this, so I'll be certain you're ready to keep up with your studies when school starts again in the fall. Even though I have no way of knowing this for sure, I'm guessing that each of you had other things on your mind before you took off, and didn't do as well as you should have in your classwork. You might have also missed multiple days of classes after you ran away, so I suspect you're all a little behind the other students in your grade. Doing this will help you catch up before school starts again, and then you won't fall even further behind later because you don't understand things."

"So, we gotta do this every day?" Glen challenged.

"No, just on the weekdays. You don't have to do it on the weekends unless you want to. The things Laine and Jamie will need are on the computer in Laine's room, and the things Glen and Dakota need are on the computer in Dakota's room. I'll give each of you a list of the topics I want you to work on, and I'll have you focus on one subject per day."

"So this stuff is all on the 'puter?" Glen asked.

"Yes, there are programs for science, math, history, and English in the software, and you'll start by taking a sort of test for each subject so it can determine where you need to begin."

"So you want us to do this AND read the books?" Dakota followed.

"Yes, I want you to do both."

"Damn, I liked it better when we could just play games and have fun on the 'puters," Dakota whined.

"You'll still be able to do that as well because I'm only asking you to do this for at least an hour a day and only during the week. You can read the books before bedtime because that's when I like to read. It helps me to relax before turning in, so I sleep better. The rest of the day and all weekend will be yours to do whatever you want, so I don't think I'm asking too much from you."

"Yeah, ok. I guess we can do that then," he relented.

"I'm glad you agree."

When the boys finished eating, they went upstairs to check out the education software and play games, so I used the time to make a couple more phone calls. Now that I knew the boys were going to be here on a fairly permanent basis, I called another guy that I'd done business with in the past and discussed a few things with him. He was very helpful and I thanked him before I hung up.

A little while later, Dakota came downstairs, and it was apparent that he wanted to talk to me about something. Since I wasn't sure what it might be about, I gave him a chance to bring it up on his own and I remained silent. I merely waited for him to speak first, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, he finally spoke.

"Now that we know the other boys are gonna be stayin' here with us, can we finally tell 'em that you're my boyfriend and then I can start sleepin' with you again?"

"You realize that if we do this, it might mean they'll want to start doing things like that with me as well?"

"So you haven't done nothin' with any of them yet, 'cept showerin' with Jamie and me and lettin' us sleep with you?"

I didn't want to lie to him, so I swallowed hard before I replied. "I'll admit that I've done something with Laine."

"What?" he screamed, visibly upset.

"Calm down and let me explain. One night when I was sleeping, I felt someone get into bed with me. I thought it was you and didn't react at first, but then he crawled under the covers, pulled down the front of my underwear, and started sucking on my penis. When I realized it was him and not you, it was too late to do anything about it."

"So, you only let him suck you off?"

"Not exactly. He also asked me to do the same thing to him."

"And did you do it?"

"Yes, but only after I chewed him out for doing it to me without asking first, and then I made him promise it would be the only time this would happen. When he agreed, I sucked him off too."

"And that's all you did with him?" Dakota pressed.

"At the time, but a few nights later, he came to my room and asked if I'd fuck him. He said he wanted to see if there was a difference with what he did with the other men and doing it with someone he knew cared about him."

I saw Dakota was about to say something, so I quickly raised my hand and placed it over his mouth before he could speak. It didn't stop him entirely because he attempted to speak that way, but all I heard were muffled sounds and I waited for him to give up. When he did, I continued my explanation.

"Since he'd said that he wanted to do this with someone who cared about him, I thought I should clear something up. I agreed that I cared about him, but then I explained that I wasn't in love with him. He said he knew that and wasn't in love with me either, but he still wanted me to do it with him. After he promised it would only happen one time, I agreed to fuck him, but I used a condom since he hasn't been tested yet. I also kept my promise to you because I only fucked him and we didn't make love."

I could tell he wasn't exactly happy when he heard about what I'd done, but he was glad that I hadn't made love to Laine. This was important to Dakota because he wanted me to reserve that for just him, now that he understood there was a difference between having sex and making love.

"Good," he barked out. "So, that's it?"

"Yes, I haven't done anything else sexually related with either of the other boys."

"Good."

"Look, you knew this might happen because we'd talked about it before, and I managed to keep my promise to you in the process, so I hope you're not going to make a big deal out of it. Are you still upset?"

"Maybe a little, but I'm glad you didn't make love to him. I'm not mad that you have let Jamie shower with you and that you have washed each other's cocks, but now I want to start sleepin' with you every night again."

"Let me figure out how it will be best to tell the others about this, and then we'll work something out, depending on how they react."

"K."

He then went upstairs again and left me to work out the details on my own. I could tell he wasn't exactly happy when he first heard about what I'd done with Laine, but at least he was glad that I hadn't made love to him. It was definitely important to Dakota that I reserved that pleasure just for him.

***

As I continued to think about this situation, I realized there was something else I needed to do. The grass had grown considerably since the last time the lawn had been mowed and it needed to be cut again, so I headed outside to the storage shed where I kept the tractor. After I'd unlocked the double doors, I picked up one of the 5-gallon diesel containers to fill the tank, and then I checked the oil before starting the engine, and then I drove the tractor out of the shed. Just as I was getting ready to start mowing, Laine and Glen came out of the house and signaled that they wanted to speak with me, so I stopped the tractor and turned off the engine to see what they wanted.

"We heard you start the tractor, so do you mind if we watch how you mow the lawn?" Glen asked. "We're both hoping you might let us do it sometime."

"You can watch if you want, but let me explain what I'm going to be doing first. Since the lawn isn't flat and slopes down from the house to the pond, rather than mowing across it, I mow up and down the slope. I turn around when I get to the bottom, where the ground is flatter before it gets to the pond, and then I start up the hill again. As soon as I get to the top where I had the bulldozer level the ground before the house was built, I turn the tractor around so I can go back down the slope again. Doing this eliminates the risk of having the tractor tip over if the driver is going too quickly when he's trying to turn the tractor around while mowing across the slope."

"Ok, but we still wanna watch you do it," Laine responded. "We also wanna see how you start the tractor, hook it up to the mower, and what each of those pedals is for, along with any other stuff you think we should know."

"I've filled the tank with diesel fuel already because the tractor uses diesel, not gasoline, and you can't ever forget that. It will ruin the engine if you put gasoline in the tractor by accident. I've also hooked up the mower deck already and I leave it attached unless I have to work on another project. I have also checked the oil, which you must always do before using it, so you'll have to wait to see how that's done at another time. You can stand beside the tractor and watch how I start it, and then you can watch how I mow up and down the slope and use the pedals so you'll know how to do it if I ever let you drive the tractor. I'll explain about the pedals later after you've watched me do everything else."

"Ok," they both agreed.

After they saw me start the engine, I began driving up and down the slope and I wasn't even halfway done when I noticed Glen was no longer with Laine. When I got to a spot where I could stop and speak with him, I motioned him over to see where Glen went.

"Did Glen go to the toilet or run to get a drink?"

"Nah, he just got bored and went inside. He was hopin' you'd let us try drivin' the tractor today, so he got bored when he saw that wasn't gonna happen."

"No, I can't let either of you drive it yet, but I will explain how it works. This is the range lever and right now, it's in neutral. It also has two-speed settings, with one being faster than the other." I then showed him how to select each setting. "There are also three foot pedals. The one on the left side of the tractor is the brake, and the two on the right side are used to determine the direction the tractor will travel. The inner pedal will make the tractor go forward, and the outer pedal will move it in reverse, and then you use the steering wheel the same way you would use one on a car."

I then demonstrated how everything worked and he walked beside me part of the time to watch what I did when operating the tractor. I was impressed with his curiosity and patience, and I made a mental note that he would be the first of the boys I would eventually let drive the tractor.

When I finished mowing the yard, I backed the tractor into the storage shed and shut it off. After closing and locking the doors on the shed again, Laine walked with me as we entered the house through the back door. Shortly after we were inside, he went upstairs to join the other boys while I washed up and started fixing dinner.

***

Later, after we'd finished eating, I asked the boys to stick around so we could talk again. "Sure, what's up?" Glen asked.

"I have a couple of things I want to discuss with you. First of all, now that we know that each of you boys is going to be here for a while, three of you permanently and Laine until school starts, I thought I should fill you in about something else. You obviously realize that Dakota was with me for a few weeks before we were able to get the rest of you, and during that time we became close." I stopped there and scanned each of their faces to see how they were reacting.

"How close did you guys get? Kota said you hadn't ever done nothin' with each other, so what do you mean?" Glen followed.

"We weren't exactly honest about that, because we didn't want to tell you the truth until we knew that you'd be joining us for the long term. I was afraid that one of you might get upset if you had to leave and then tell others about what we were doing to get even for having to go. That would have certainly messed things up for Dakota and it could have possibly landed me in jail or prison, so that's why we kept it a secret."

"So, you guys were having sex then?" Laine asked next.

"Not at first, and I put him off the same way I did with you boys. I also made him get checked out by the doctor first, but then he finally wore me down and we started having oral sex. Eventually, he talked me into fucking him too, and it wasn't long before we developed a very close relationship."

"How close?" Jamie wondered.

"He's my boyfriend," Dakota replied, which immediately caused shocked expressions to appear on each of the other boys' faces.

"Boyfriend? But I thought you wanted him to be your dad?" Jamie blurted out.

"I want him to be both," Dakota answered. "I really love him, even though he's a lot older than me, and I've never felt this way about anybody else, so I know I want to be with him forever."

"So if you guys have been doin' stuff, does that mean we can start doin' stuff with you too?" Glen asked.

"I'd rather not do that until you've been checked out by the doctor, but I also don't want to do anything that's going to upset Dakota."

After I said that, I looked over at Dakota to see how he was reacting. He merely looked at me for a few seconds and then he spoke.

"I guess you could do some stuff with him during the day after the doctor has tested you, but I'm gonna start sleepin' with him at night from now on. We was doin' that before you guys moved in."

"I never really believed you guys weren't doin' anything," Laine responded, "cuz I knew Dakota liked havin' sex, and now this all makes sense. I'm glad you finally told us."

"Yes, I cleared the air with him today too," I added while looking directly at Laine. From the look on his face, I knew he got the meaning of my comment.

"Oh, ok," he said, and then he gave me a little nod to confirm he'd received the message.

"Seeing that's been cleared up, I also wanted to let you know that I'll be taking you to the city tomorrow. If you didn't realize it, tomorrow is the Fourth of July and there will be a bunch of activities going on in the city that I think you'll enjoy. I suggest you wear a nice pair of shorts and a polo shirt for the trip, and I want you to pack another pair of shorts, a polo shirt, underwear, and a toothbrush in your backpack because I've reserved a hotel room so we can spend the night there."

"How come you did that?" Dakota asked.

"I did it so we won't have to drive into the city again the next day. I've made doctor's appointments for Laine, Glen, and Jamie the following day so they can be checked out, and then we can be certain they're perfectly healthy."

"You mean to make sure we don't have no sex diseases, doncha?" Glen followed.

"That was my main concern, but at the same time, I want to make certain you don't have any other problems as well."

"Is the doctor some old guy?" Laine followed.

"No, he's only a little older than Dad and he's good lookin' too," Dakota answered.

"Then he can check me over and I hope he likes what he sees," Laine responded.

"Don't get your hopes up, because I know he's not gay," I countered. "I've met his wife and children before."

"Hey, at least it won't be some old dude fingerin' my hole and handlin' my cock," Glen quipped.

"He's not old and he's really nice," Dakota added.

Now that we had finished our discussion, Laine, Glen, and Dakota headed upstairs again, but Jamie stayed behind. After a few seconds, he looked at me and spoke.

"I want to watch TV instead, so will you do it with me?" he asked sweetly.

"Sure, I guess I can do it for a little while."

As soon as we sat down on the sofa and he'd selected the program he wanted to watch, he reached over and lifted my arm so he could place it around his shoulder.

"I like sittin' with you like this," he said to explain his actions.

"I know and I like it as well."

I watched a couple of shows with him before I announced it was time for us to get ready for bed. After I turned off the TV and the lights downstairs, Jamie walked beside me as we headed upstairs. After he went into his bedroom, I decided to see what the other boys were up to. Glen and Dakota were playing games on the computer in Dakota's room, and Laine was checking out the educational software on the computer in his room.

"This stuff looks pretty cool," he told me when I entered. "I've been checking out some of this stuff and it looks like it's gonna be more fun than learnin' the same crap at school."

"I'm glad you approve, and you can probably get through a lot of it before you return home."

"Yeah, I think I might do it every day, not just during the week cuz it looks like it's gonna be fun."

"That's fine, and you can do as much on it as you want. I'm glad to see you're taking such an interest in it."

"Thanks, and I kinda wish I could stay here with you guys, but I want to see my mom, dad, and brother again too. Do you think maybe I could come back here and spend some time with you next summer if my mom and dad say it's ok?"

"That would be fine with me, and I'm sure the other boys would love to see you again as well."

"Good, then I'll ask them just as soon as I get back."

"Maybe you should wait a while before you do that. Please wait until after Christmas before you plan on asking them, at least if you don't want your parents to think you don't want to be there."

"Yeah, you're prob'ly right, so I'll wait until then."

When I finished chatting with Laine, I told the boys it was time to shower, and I let Laine and Glen use my bathroom first, and then Jamie asked if he and Dakota could shower with me.

"Ok, I don't have a problem with that, as long as it's ok with both of you." I looked at Dakota because it would have to be his choice.

"Yeah, he can shower with us, but I wanna sleep with you alone."

"Is that ok with you, Jamie?"

"Yeah, and I want you to wash me again," Jamie squealed in delight.

"Me too," Dakota concurred.

"And then we'll wash you," Jamie added. "Kota can wash the top and I'll wash the bottom."

"Hey, you did that the last time too," Dakota growled.

"Yeah, cuz I'm not tall enough to wash the rest of him," Jamie replied with a giggle.

I realized Dakota was slightly annoyed and upset by this, so I made him another offer. "What if I kiss you to make it worth your while?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," he agreed, and this seemed to put him in a much better mood.

I washed both of them first, starting with Jamie. He got a boner again when I washed his privates, which caused him to giggle.

"See, I told ya it likes you."

"Yes, I guess it does."

After I finished washing Jamie, I washed Dakota next, and he also sprouted wood when I washed his genitals.

"And Kota's cock likes you too," Jamie giggled.

"Yes, it seems they both do," I agreed.

When I finished washing both of them, they began to wash me. Dakota shampooed my hair while Jamie was lathering up my legs, and after Dakota washed my face, back, and chest, I pulled him close and gave him a very passionate kiss. Jamie was washing my penis at the time, and when I looked down his mouth was hanging open and he was staring at my erection. When he eventually glanced up at me, he spoke.

"I'm not sure if it likes me or if it likes you kissin' Kota," he stated.

"I think it's both of those things."

"Ok, but I wasn't sure, cuz nobody's ever kissed me like you were kissin' him," he mumbled.

"Really? I could kiss you like that if you'd like to try it." I didn't think it would upset Dakota if I did this, so I offered without looking at Dakota for approval.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

I bent down and gave him a similar kiss, but when I parted my lips slightly, he was still puckered up like he was giving a childish kiss.

"You've got to relax and you shouldn't pucker up like that except when you're kissing a girl in your class, your mom, or another female relative."

I realized too late that I shouldn't have mentioned his mom, because his demeanor quickly changed, so I pulled him toward me and started kissing him again. This time he didn't pucker up, so I ran my tongue across his lips and they parted slightly, and then I attempted to push my tongue inside. After he relaxed and I'd finally gained entrance, I nudge his tongue with mine and it reacted slightly, but eventually, he got the idea. We kissed for a little while longer before I stopped, and he appeared to be dazed somewhat when it ended.

"That was nice," he whispered.

"I agree and I enjoyed it too."

I was glad that Dakota hadn't reacted when I was kissing Jamie, but I believe he understood that I was merely teaching Jamie, and not doing it because I was in love with him. At least that's what I hoped he was thinking.

After we had all dried off, I sent Jamie off to his room. I then decided to check on the other two boys and see what they were doing. I was pleased to see that after they had taken their showers, each boy had selected a book to read first and they were spending some time doing that before they dozed off. I felt this was something else they could tell the advocate if we ever got visited that might make a favorable impression.

After doing that, I returned to my room and I crawled into bed next to Dakota. I had barely crawled under the sheets when he turned to me and spoke.

"I want you to make love to me tonight."

"If I do that, then I'm going to have to wear a condom because I took a chance when I sucked off Laine. I know I can get treated if I picked something up from him, but I don't want to expose you since you've already been tested."

"I guess that's better than doin' nothin'," he responded.

After slipping on a condom and then lubing it and Dakota's backside, I made love to him, just as he wanted. He didn't ejaculate while we were doing it this time, and I wasn't sure if the condom might have had something to do with that, so I sucked him off afterward. He seemed satisfied, and then he cuddled with me as we fell asleep.

Chapter 15
Celebrating With the Nation

The next morning after the boys and I woke up, I fed them quickly and then sent them upstairs to get ready for another trip into the city. I reminded them to bring their backpacks, seeing they'd need a change of clothes for tomorrow, and I grabbed my overnight bag. Once we were all in the SUV, I set out on another drive to the city.

Dakota immediately turned on the radio and cranked up the volume, so the boys behind us could enjoy it as well, and even though it was louder than I might have preferred, I didn't say anything. I wanted this to be a fun and relaxing day, so I chose not to battle over such a minor issue.

When I was first planning this trip, I asked Paul to join us, but he was working the day shift now and would be on duty, so he wouldn't be able to do this with us. It was nearly lunchtime when we reached the city, so I took the boys to eat first, and then we went to watch the big Fourth of July parade. It was set to start at 1:00, and we went to find a good spot where we could see everything that was going on. It was a fairly typical parade, with marching bands from the local high schools, as well as fife and drum corps dressed as Revolutionary soldiers. There were also military groups mixed into the parade as well, along with cars filled with dignitaries, and there was even a guy dressed as Uncle Sam.

It was fun as we watched everyone pass by and listened to the music, and that was followed by some unique events at the local parks. Since I knew which parks the boys had hung out at while they were on their own, I felt it would be more comfortable for them if we went somewhere else, so I took them to the park on the north side of the city.

"Is this the only park where they're doing this stuff?" Glen asked while I was finding a parking space.

"No, they're doing something similar at all of the parks."

"Then I'm glad you brought us here," he responded.

"Yeah, if you took us to one of those other parks, we might have been recognized by one of the guys who used to pay us to do stuff with them," Laine added.

"Or that stupid mall cop, if he's not working today," Dakota spat out next.

"And I don't want those guys comin' up to us and askin' if we'll do stuff with them again," Laine followed.

"And if we're here, I don't think I'll see that guy who tried to fuck me with his big cock," Jamie continued. "I think he's prolly still mad cuz he'd already paid me before I ran away."

"Was that the guy you ran away from when you were naked?" Dakota asked.

"Yeah, and I didn't care who saw me like that, cuz I was more afraid of the guy tryin' to fuck me with his big cock."

"Although I didn't know for certain this was the way you were going to react, I decided to bring you to this park to avoid situations like that," I confirmed. "I thought you might be more comfortable here than at one of those other parks."

"Yeah, we are," they all concurred.

There were a large number of families there when we arrived, and the park was filled with children of all ages, and I soon discovered there were multiple activities set up for the kids to compete in. The games ranged from tossing Frisbees through holes cut into sheets of plywood, to knocking over wooden bottles with baseballs and throwing footballs at moving targets. There was also a three-legged race, a human wheelbarrow race, and a piggyback race open to all ages. There was also a water balloon toss between partners, a dunking booth where you could take aim at dunking someone dressed up as King George III, and another booth where you could throw a whip cream pie in the face of a British Redcoat soldier. The kids were also offered a chance to sing patriotic songs, karaoke-style, in front of the crowd, and there was a dance contest for those brave enough to participate.

These were all simple activities that were easy to put together and oversee, but the kids were having a blast. I wasn't sure if my boys would want to participate in any of them, but over time they tried their hands at everything. They paired up in the races where they needed a partner, and they made me join in and partner with them once in a while as well, but then they competed alone in the other activities. I was surprised when they decided to participate in the singing and dancing events, and I was amazed that they did a fairly good job in each one and no one embarrassed himself.

After we spent an enjoyable afternoon doing those things, I took them out to dinner, because there was one more event that I wanted us all to attend. They did their best to pry it out of me and find out what we were going to do next, but I resisted telling them and maintained the surprise. When we finished our meal, we loaded into the SUV again, but I stopped along the way at a store so we could pick up some cold drinks to take with us. As soon as we all had what we wanted, I drove over to the high school next.

"What are we doing here?" Laine asked as soon as I pulled into the parking lot.

"The next activity is going to be held at the football stadium and I wanted to get here early enough to get good seats."

We were given programs as we made our way to the bleachers, so the boys finally discovered what we were doing next.

"So, we're attending a concert?" Dakota asked.

"Yes, but there will be no really big name bands playing. The groups we'll be listening to are all local bands that are trying to make it big, and from what I've heard, they're all quite good and just haven't gotten the break they are looking for yet."

"I hope you're right, cuz there's nothin' worse than a lousy concert," Glen responded.

Once we found decent seats, we sat down and got comfortable. It was a hot night, so I was glad that I'd stopped to pick up the cold drinks for everyone before we came here. Mine was half gone by the time the first band took the stage, and that's when the crowd began to settle down and stopped talking amongst themselves.

The article I'd read online about this concert had gotten it right. The bands were all more than decent and the boys were happily rocking out with the rest of the audience. I heard the boys singing along at various points because these bands were playing fairly popular songs, along with some of their own material. They also tossed a few patriotic songs into their sets, in recognition of the holiday, and the boys sang along on those.

Just as the last band was leaving the stage, the first of the aerial rockets burst in the air above us. "They're havin' fireworks too?" Jamie asked in his excited little boy voice.

"Yes, they're bringing the day to an end with a bang," I replied just before the second rocket exploded.

For the next twenty minutes, an assortment of aerial rockets burst in the air overhead and lit up the area with a variety of colorful lights. The sounds of the explosions varied as well and ranged from loud booms to medium pops, and a series of crackling noises. It was an enjoyable ending to a wonderful day, and as soon as the fireworks ended we all got back into the SUV and I drove over to the hotel.

***

After I parked the car in the hotel lot, I reminded the boys to grab their backpacks and I retrieved my overnight bag from the back, and then we went to the front desk to check-in. Once we were assigned to our room and had collected the two card keys, we went to shower and get a decent night's rest.

"Man, today was a blast," Dakota said after we entered the room.

"Yeah, that was lots of fun," Jamie agreed.

"I didn't know what we were gonna do and was worried that it was gonna be lame, but they're right, cuz today was a lot of fun," Glen concurred.

"I haven't done anything like that in quite a while and I really enjoyed it," Laine added. "It was really simple, kinda like what people might have done in the old days, but I still had a good time."

"And it didn't even cost you very much," Dakota pointed out.

"No, it didn't. The tickets I purchased for the games at the park were fairly inexpensive and the money was going to a good cause. The entrance fee for the concert was also reasonable, and the money collected was to be split amongst the bands. Overall, I think the day was worth every penny I spent."

"Hey, there are only two beds in here!" Glen pointed out. "So, how are we gonna do this?"

"We'll have to share, but that shouldn't be a big deal," I replied. "You can also double up when taking your showers."

"I want to shower and sleep with you," Dakota quickly announced.

"Me too," Jamie chimed in.

"Sleeping with me won't be a problem, but we won't all be able to shower together. You and Jamie can do that, but I'll shower alone. Glen and Laine can also shower together, and then they'll share the other bed. I think we'll all survive for one night."

After a little more discussion, they all agreed, and then they began taking their showers. Glen and Laine went first, so I chatted with Jamie and Dakota while we were waiting for them to finish.

"So, what's gonna happen at the doctor's office tomorrow?" Jamie wanted to know. I could tell he was a little nervous about having to do this.

"It's just like gettin' a regular physical," Dakota began, "'cept the doctor will stick his finger up your butt to check it out, and then the nurse will take some blood from your arm for the other tests."

"I don't like needles," Jamie suddenly shouted and I could see he was visibly scared and trembling slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be right there with you, and I'll even hold you while they do that if you want."

"Yeah, that will help, but do they really need to take my blood?"

"Yes, they do. It's the only way they can determine if you have some of those diseases."

"Then I guess I'll have to do it, but I want you to go in with me," Jamie relented. "Kota, did the nurse see you naked when she came in to do that?"

"No, she didn't come in until after I was dressed again."

"Good," he responded, breathing a sigh of relief.

When Glen and Laine emerged from the bathroom, Jamie and Dakota went in to take their shower next, so I chatted with the other pair for a while. They were merely interested in talking about what we'd done earlier and didn't ask about the doctor's appointments, so I felt Jamie was the only one concerned about doing that. When Jamie and Dakota finished taking their shower, I went in to wash up next, and then after I'd dried off, we all climbed into bed.

I noticed that Glen and Laine stayed on their side of the bed, which I thought was strange, seeing they often had sex with one another. I figured they might have even had sex in the shower earlier because they'd taken quite a bit longer to wash up than the rest of us, but I guess their intimacy didn't include cuddling in bed. That was entirely up to them, though, and I didn't say anything about it.

Jamie and Dakota wanted me to sleep in the middle so they could both be close to me, and I didn't have a problem with that. Once we were all in bed, I had Dakota turn off the lamp and then we all settled in to sleep. Dakota immediately moved closer to me and put his head on my shoulder, the same as he'd done when he slept with me before the other boys arrived, and I instinctively wrapped my arm around his body when he did this. Jamie, on the other hand, merely laid tightly against my side, but sometime during the night, he must have noticed what Dakota was doing because he also had his head on my chest when I woke up the next morning.

Of course, I was up first, but when I tried to get out of bed, I had to move both boys and that woke them up as well. "Where are you going?" Dakota demanded groggily.

"I need to use the toilet and then I'm going to sit up for a while. You can go back to sleep."

"I'll get up with you and then you can let me sit on your lap," Jamie responded, but he spoke loud enough to wake up the other pair.

"Is it time to get up?" Laine wanted to know.

"No, you boys can sleep a little longer and then we'll go out to have breakfast."

"Let's do that now, cuz I'm hungry," Glen followed, and as soon as he said this, the other boys agreed that they wanted to go eat as well.

Since the boys were all in agreement, I told them to get dressed, and then I grabbed my shaving kit and went into the bathroom to shave and brush my teeth. When I came out, they were all dressed, so I told them to go in and brush their teeth next, while I was getting dressed. As soon as they finished, I had them pack the clothes they wore the previous day into their backpacks, and then I looked around the room to make sure we didn't forget anything. Once I was satisfied that we weren't leaving anything behind, I led them down to the lobby so I could check out.

As soon as that was taken care of, I used my cell phone to look up the location of the nearest Denny's Restaurant and then I took the boys there to eat. I told each of them to order whatever he wanted, and each one ordered something different. Dakota had the Grand Slam Slugger because he wanted pancakes, while Jamie ordered the Belgian Waffle Slam. Glen opted for the All-American Slam that closely resembled some of the breakfasts that I had fixed for them before, and Laine went with the Moons Over My Hammy. That's a breakfast sandwich with ham, scrambled eggs, Swiss and American cheese, served on toast along with a side of hash browns, and I ordered the Supreme Sizzlin' Skillet. That is a combination of sausage, spinach, onions, fire-roasted bell peppers, mushrooms, seasoned red-skinned potatoes, and grape tomatoes, all topped with Cheddar cheese and served with any style eggs, so I chose scrambled.

When the meals were delivered, we all dug in, but Jamie couldn't eat everything that came with his slam. He ended up giving some of the extra to Laine, and I took some of it as well, but Glen and Dakota had more than enough to fill them up. Once we finished eating, I paid the bill and we hopped into the SUV. We had a little time to kill before the doctor's appointments, so I asked them what they wanted to do next.

"Can you just drive around the other parks so we can see if there's anyone there that we recognize?" Laine asked.

"So, you want to look for your former customers?" I asked confused.

"No, I wanna see if there are any other boys there that we might know. Maybe you could help them too."

"I'll drive you around those places if that's what you want to do, but I'm not sure if I'm ready or prepared to help any other boys."

"Maybe you'll change your mind if you see them," he challenged.

We drove around and did that for a while, but we didn't spot anyone that they recognized. There were plenty of other kids in the park, but they didn't appear to be homeless or looking for business, but that all changed when we spotted an older boy walking out of the public men's room.

"Fuck, there's Isaac," Glen spat out as if he'd just tasted his own shit. "Let's get out of here before he sees us."

"Yeah, I don't think any of us want anything to do with him," Laine concurred.

They all turned away from the windows on that side of the vehicle and made it appear as if they were chatting with the others, and when I was away from there, Dakota asked a question.

"Do you think he saw us?"

"No, I was watching him in the mirrors as I drove away and he only glanced in our direction once, so I think we're safe."

"Good, cuz he's the type that would try to ruin everything for us."

***

By this point, it was getting close to the time we needed to arrive at the doctor's office, so I drove to the professional building where his office was located. As soon as we went inside, I led the boys up to the counter to check in.

"I was a little surprised when I noticed your name beside each of these appointments," the woman stated when I reached the window. She knew me because of all the times I'd been there before.

"Yes, I wanted the boys to get a check-up before school started."

"I didn't know you had children," she responded.

"I don't, but I've recently taken custody of these boys to help them out."

"Oh, that's very admirable of you."

"They needed help and I was able to give it to them, so it seemed like the right thing to do."

I was then given forms to fill out for each boy, so we sat down in the waiting area and I asked them questions whenever I didn't know the answer to the question on the form. I'd just finished filling out the last one when the nurse stepped into the waiting area and called Jamie's name.

"Come on, Dad," he said while taking my hand and pulling on it to get me out of my chair.

"Ok, I told you I'd go with you."

I dropped the forms off at the counter on the way by, and then we followed the nurse as she led Jamie out to the area in the back. She weighed and measured him first before taking his blood pressure, and then she led us to an examination room. We had only been there for a few minutes before Dr. Arpante knocked and entered.

"Eric, it's nice to see you again, but you have a different boy with you this time."

"In fact, I've got three different boys with me, and I want you to check each of them out the same way you did with Dakota. And it's nice to see you too, Doc."

"Young man, why don't you strip down to your underwear while Eric and I step into the hallway for a little chat," Dr. Arpante informed Jamie.

Jamie looked momentarily stunned that I was leaving, so I thought I'd better reassure him. "Don't worry; I'll be right back. Just do what the doctor asked."

We then stepped out into the hallway and Dr. Arpante looked at me before he spoke. "So, this youngster has been having sex as well?"

"Yes. His mother was killed in a car crash and he never knew his dad. When he realized he was on his own, he took off because he'd heard horror stories about the group home where he might be sent. Unfortunately, he was forced into doing those things to survive, but he's not a bad kid."

"I suppose I'll be doing the same thing with the other two boys as well?"

"Yes, they each have similar stories, so I'd like you to check them out the same way."

"I didn't realize there were so many youngsters that had to do things like this just to survive."

"Yes, and these boys are merely the ones that I've found out about and offered to help, but they're only the tip of the iceberg."

"I see, so let's get back inside so I can take care of him first, and then I'll do the same with the other two."

When we reentered the examination room, Jamie was sitting in the same chair, but now he was clad only in his briefs. He looked relieved when he saw me again, and then the doctor asked him to sit on the examination table for him. Dr. Arpante then began the check-up by listening to his heart and lungs first, and then he examined his eyes, ears, nose, and throat next, as well as checking his reflexes. He then asked Jamie to stand up and lower his briefs.

"Do you mind if Eric is in here when you do this for me?"

"Nah, it's ok, cuz I want Dad to stay in here." Dr. Arpante turned and gave me an inquisitive glance, so I thought I should respond.

"The boys have all been living with me for a few weeks now and he and the other boys asked if they could start calling me dad since they didn't have a father figure in their lives. I felt that if it would help them to adjust easier than it was fine with me, so you might hear the other boys calling me that as well."

He had been examining Jamie while he listened to my response, and after checking him for a hernia and examining his penis and skin, and then he slipped on a latex glove and added lube to one of the fingers. He asked Jamie to stand up and bend over the examination table so he could examine his rectum, and after visually inspecting the area, he inserted his finger into Jamie's butt. Jamie was prepared for him to do this since Dakota had explained what had happened to him, and Jamie was very good about the intrusive nature of this procedure. When Dr. Arpante finished the examination, he told Jamie he could get dressed again and advised us that the nurse would be in to draw his blood shortly. This caused Jamie's face to go instantly pale.

"Is there a problem?" Dr. Arpante asked when he noticed his reaction.

"It's nothing major. He's just afraid of needles, so I told him I would stay in here and hold him while it was being done."

"Ahhh, I understand and I'll inform the nurse about it as well."

Dr. Arpante then left the room, and as soon as he was gone, Jamie started getting dressed. As soon as he finished putting on his clothes, he dashed over to me and spoke.

"Hold me," he said, as he was sliding into position on my lap.

"Ok, and I'll continue holding you when the nurse is drawing your blood."

He let out a little whimper when I said this, and then we sat and waited until the nurse knocked on the door. When she entered, she saw Jamie sitting on my lap and directed us on how we would do this.

"If you'll move the chair next to the examination table, then he can sit on your lap while I'm doing this. I'll need him to place his arm on the examination table where I can reach it."

We did as she requested, and after Jamie got back on my lap, he placed his arm on the examination table and I helped to hold it steady in case he flinched. I used my other hand to turn his head and block his eyes, so he wasn't looking at what she was doing, and then I kept both hands in the same positions while she was drawing his blood. I heard him gasp when she wrapped the plastic strap around his bicep and then he began to whimper when she cleaned his skin with an alcohol wipe. He began to sob lightly when she inserted the needle, so I kissed his forehead and did what I could to reassure him. A couple of minutes later she removed the plastic strap and needle as she finished up.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it honey?" she asked as she put an adhesive bandage over the cotton swab that she'd placed over the puncture mark.

Jamie didn't answer, so I did it for him. "Thank you for being so patient and gentle with him."

After she left, I led Jamie out to the waiting area. Neither Glen nor Laine were there, so I assumed they were in two of the other examination rooms.

"Are you ok?" I asked Jamie as I held him on my lap again.

He merely nodded in response, so I continued holding him against my chest until the other two returned to join us. When they came out, I spoke to Jamie again.

"I've got to go up to the counter to pay for everything, so you'll have to sit on the chair until I get back. Will you do that for me?"

He merely nodded and then he got off my lap. When I got up, he sat down on the chair so I could go up to take care of the charges. I had to pay for everything again since I didn't have time to add the three boys to my insurance policy and have it take effect yet. That wasn't a problem for me, though, and once I took care of the bill we headed out to the SUV.

"Are all of you ok?" I asked as soon as we were in the SUV.

As I turned toward them, I noticed that Jamie was sitting between Laine and Glen and that Laine had an arm wrapped around Jamie's shoulders like a protective big brother.

"Yeah, we're all good," Laine said, as he gave me a wink.

"Jamie?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"Good, then let's go home."

The boys opted to listen to the radio again and I was getting used to the beat of the music pounding against my chest. The same thing had happened at the concert the night before, and I realized it's how the kids like listening to music, but I'm amazed they aren't all going deaf. Putting that thought aside, I drove home and did my best to tune out the noise.

***

When we got to the house, the rest of the day was fairly low-key and the boys entertained themselves and each other. They went upstairs to work with the educational software first since they had to make up for not doing it the previous day, and then they either played video games or came down to watch TV. The next time I saw them was when I called them down for a late lunch, and after we finished Jamie and Dakota wanted me to watch TV with them since they had been the first to work with the educational software.

"I'll do it until I have to start fixing dinner," I agreed, and they were happy with that.

I thought they'd just sit beside me, but Jamie wanted to sit on my lap again. Dakota didn't have a problem with this, as long as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, and I noticed there was a definite bond forming between these two. Dakota was treating Jamie like a little brother and allowing him to get away with things he wouldn't allow the others to get away with, so that was good. I watched a couple of shows with them until I felt it was time to start fixing dinner because I wanted to get that done before the cannibals got hungry and revolted.

After dinner, the boys asked if we could watch another on-demand movie and quickly agreed on Alien vs. Predator. I should have known better than to allow them to watch a scary movie just before bedtime, but it never dawned on me it might cause a problem.

After the movie ended, we went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed. Jamie and Dakota wanted to shower with me again, so we took turns washing each other again. Of course, both of the boys boned up when I washed their genitals, which caused Jamie to giggle each time it happened. After we finished and dried off, Jamie went off to his bedroom to sleep, while Dakota hopped into bed with me.

Sometime during the night, I felt someone shaking me, and when I opened my eyes I found Jamie standing beside the bed. "Is there a problem?" I asked when I saw him.

"Yeah, I had a bad dream and can't get back to sleep, so can I sleep with you?"

"Is it because of the movie?"

"Yeah, I dreamed they was comin' after me."

I should have been able to anticipate this might happen, so now I'd have to deal with it since it was partially my fault. I was able to get Dakota to move over a little, and then Jamie crawled in beside me after I moved over to give him some room. Both boys placed their heads on my shoulders, and I wrapped an arm around their backs, and that's the way we fell asleep. Fortunately, it was enough to prevent Jamie from having another nightmare, so we were able to sleep through the rest of the night.

Chapter 16
Happy but Trying Times

After I woke up, I managed to convince Jamie and Dakota that I needed to go downstairs to fix their breakfast. I told them they could sleep a little longer, but they said they were going to get up and get dressed first, and then they'd come down to join me. I merely put on a pair of shorts and tee-shirt before heading downstairs, and then I got busy taking out the various items I would need to fix breakfast for all of us. Dakota came down while I was doing that and began to help out, and I was nearly ready to start cooking when I heard Jamie yell.

"Dad, come 'ere quick."

I wasn't sure what he wanted and feared something was wrong, so I raced up the stairs as fast as I could. I found him in his bedroom, so he must have gone over there to get something to put on, but he didn't seem to be in distress. He was merely looking out the window as I entered.

"What's the matter?" I asked, still slightly worried about what he was going to say.

"Look down at the pond. There's a buncha deer down there drinkin' outta it."

I was suddenly relieved and irritated at the same time, but I glanced out the window to see what he was referring to. I was glad that he wasn't hurt, and it was obvious he was excited about seeing the deer. That's what caused him to shout for me to join him, so I chose to only react to what he was looking at, and not the fact that I was slightly annoyed.

"Yes, and I'm surprised to see them down there. I've never seen them drinking out of the pond before. They usually drink out of the stream instead, so I'm amazed to see them doing this."

"And there are a bunch of Bambi's with 'em too," he squealed excitedly. "They're so cute." It made me laugh at his childish reference to the baby deer.

"Yes, they are, and they're called fawns and are probably only a couple of months old."

"Man, I wish I could go down there and pet 'em."

"I'm afraid the second you walked outside; they would panic and run off."

"Yeah, I know."

Now that I'd finished discussing this with him, I went downstairs to finish making breakfast.

"What did Jamie want?" Dakota asked when I returned.

"He just wanted me to see there was a herd of deer drinking out of the pond."

He seemed intrigued by that and walked over to one of the windows so he could peer out at the deer as well.

"I'm about to start cooking breakfast, so why don't you run upstairs and tell the others to come down to eat."

He did as I asked, and before long, they were all coming down the stairs. Shortly after, I set the food on the table, and we sat down to eat–I suddenly felt as if I was caught in a time warp. It was either that, or the boys were magicians because the food disappeared in the blink of an eye. They even began clearing off the table while I was still eating, and when they finished doing that, most of them headed upstairs again. Dakota stayed behind to help me clean up the rest of the kitchen, and while we were doing it, he suddenly pointed out something else.

"Dad, there's a truck comin' up the driveway."

"It's probably bringing the things I ordered."

"What did ya order?"

"You'll see," I answered, and then I heard a commotion at the top of the stairs as the other boys raced to tell me the same thing.

"Dad, did you know there's a truck outside?" Glen shouted down a few seconds later.

"Yes, it's just delivering a few things that I ordered."

I then turned and headed toward the door, so I could go outside and greet the men delivering the items. That's when I heard the boys come charging down the staircase, so I was apparently going to have a crowd behind me when I did this.

As I approached the truck, I noticed the friend that I'd called when I ordered these items was sitting in the passenger seat. "Brad, I didn't expect to see you making the delivery."

"Eric, you're not only a good customer, but you're also a close friend, so of course I came out to make this delivery. Besides, I was happy to get out of the office for a little while. I was also slightly confused about why you wanted these particular items, but it looks as if the answer is standing behind you."

"Yes, I suppose it is. I've taken in a few boys who needed a place to live, and I felt these things would come in handy."

"I'm sure they will, and they're a good looking group. I have no doubt they'll enjoy your recent purchases."

"Guys, this is Brad Simmons, and we've known each other for quite a few years now." I then introduced each of the boys to Brad.

As the introductions were made, the driver was busy tilting the bed of the truck so he could offload the merchandise. I saw the boys staring at the items on the truck because there was a lot more there than just what I'd ordered, so I assumed they were trying to figure out what he was going to leave for us. I'd purchased a couple of ATVs with automatic transmissions that they could learn to drive, and then I would be able to take them out to see the rest of my property.

"Are those for us?" Jamie asked when he saw the ATVs. He was barely able to get the words out of his mouth and was partially tongue-tied when he realized what the men were leaving behind.

"Yes, I'm going to teach you boys how to drive them so I can take you out and show you the rest of my property."

"But there's only two of them, and there are four of us," Glen pointed out.

"Yes, two of you will ride on each one and take turns driving, but I'll explain everything after I take care of things with Brad."

"It looks like you have your hands full now," Brad teased when I turned back to him.

"Yes, but they're a good group and haven't caused any problems so far, but they are a little nosy," I added as I glanced back at the boys.

"They remind me of my kids," he said with a chuckle.

When both four-wheelers were in the driveway, Brad called the boys over so he could explain how to start them. He was going to do that anyway to make sure they were working before he left to make the next delivery, so he felt he might as well teach them at the same time. He also emphasized the importance of always wearing a helmet when riding on them, and then he informed the boys that I would be showing them everything else they would need to know.

The driver had also unloaded a fairly large box that he sat next to the ATVs, and when Brad finished speaking with the boys, I signed the delivery paperwork, and he gave me a copy. Once that had been taken care of, Brad said goodbye to the boys before he got back in the truck, and then the driver turned the truck around so that they could make their next delivery.

"Man, I can't believe you did this," Dakota said while looking at the ATVs.

"Did you use the grant for this too?" Laine followed.

"No, I put these on my credit card. I chose to pay for them myself because I felt there would be times when you would need them to get around this big place."

"Couldn't we have just used yours?" Glen asked.

"No, my four-wheeler has a manual transmission, which means I have to do the shifting, but both of these are automatic, which means they'll do the shifting for you. I felt you would have enough to do just learning how to drive and keeping your eyes on where you were going, without having to worry about when you had to shift."

"So when do we get to drive them?" Laine pressed.

"You'll have to change first because you're not dressed properly. If you remember when I took you boys shopping, I had each of you get a couple of pairs of Dockers and a couple of long sleeve tee-shirts, and this is the reason why. You'll need to put on one of each, along with your socks and athletic shoes. Once you've changed, I want you to come back here, and I'll give you a lesson and let you practice."

"But it's gonna be hot out, so why can't we just wear shorts and a regular tee-shirt?" Glen challenged.

"For a couple of reasons, and one is that if you have an accident, or you fall off, then you won't end up getting road rash."

"What's that?" he demanded.

"It's the cuts, scrapes, and other injuries that happen to your skin when you slide on the dirt or the surface of the road when you fall off a vehicle. The other reason is that there are bushes that will be fairly close to the trail that we'll be driving over, and they can scratch you up pretty badly as well, so dressing like this is for your protection."

"Oh, ok."

They all raced up to their rooms to change, and I did too. When we came back outside, I opened the box with the other items I'd ordered and handed those out as well. I'd ordered a helmet for each of them because I wanted to keep the helmet Dakota had worn the last time he rode with me as a spare, in case we ever had a visitor, or I ended up adding another boy in the future. I also ordered some other items to keep them safe.

"There are goggles, a helmet, and a pair of gloves for each of you, and I'm going to have you put those things on first."

I then handed each boy a pair of goggles. "Put these on, and then I'll make sure they're adjusted correctly on your head, so they'll stay in place."

When that had been taken care of, I handed each of them a helmet. "Put these on next, but make sure they don't interfere with your goggles or loosen the strap."

Finally, I handed each boy a pair of racing gloves. "These will protect your hands the same way your pants and shirt protect the rest of you."

Once that was taken care of, I reminded the boys about how to start the ATV, and then I let Laine and Dakota do it first. When I saw they were able to start them, I then explained the other things they needed to know, such as how to give the ATV gas and how to stop it, and then I let them drive them around in front of the garage. When they appeared to have that down pat, I let them go halfway down the driveway, one at a time, to get used to driving the ATV. After they had done it a couple of times, I let Glen and Jamie do the same thing next, but I trotted or ran beside Jamie just in case he had any problems. Being younger and smaller than the rest of the boys, I was more concerned with his ability to do this, and he also seemed to be the least comfortable, once it was his turn.

When Glen and Jamie finished taking their turns, I let the first two boys do it again, but this time I allowed them to drive nearly to the end of the driveway before turning around and coming back. Once they felt good about doing that, I let the next pair go again. After they had gained a little more confidence, I thought I might be able to take them out for a short ride but only on the trails. They weren't ready to go on the rougher terrain just yet.

"Ok, I'm ready to lead you out on a short ride on the trails. I'm going to let Laine and Dakota drive first, and Jaime, you'll ride behind Laine, and Glen will ride behind Dakota. Wrap your arms around their chests and try not to lean to either side, because that might throw them off balance. You'll follow behind my four-wheeler, but stay at least two lengths of the ATV behind the one you're following, in case that driver stops quickly. We'll turn around when we get to the stream, and then Laine and Dakota will stop and shut down the four-wheelers so that you can change drivers. This will also allow Jamie and Glen to start the ATVs, and then Laine and Dakota will ride behind them on the way back. Any questions so far?"

They had a few simple queries that I answered, and then I continued my briefing. "I won't be going very fast, because you don't have enough experience yet, so watch your speed and make sure you don't close the gap between the different vehicles. If you have a problem, just pull over and stop, because I'll be glancing back every now and then to make sure you're not having difficulty. Before we do this, however, I'm going to make sure all of the gas tanks are full, because I doubt Brad did it before he delivered them. I'm sure he only put a couple of gallons in each one, so pull over next to the tank at the beginning of the trail."

"Oh, I thought that was for heating the house," Glen blurted out.

"No, there are two other tanks for that purpose along the far side of the garage." He nodded in understanding.

Since I live out in the country and away from most gas stations, I had a 100-gallon storage transfer tank installed that I could use for the SUV, ATV, and any other gas-operated tools that I use. A tanker stops by twice a month to top it off as it makes its rounds to all of the farms in the area, and that way, I'm confident that I'll never run out. They even do it when I'm not at home, because the driver and I both have keys to the locking device on the tank, and then the company sends me the bill later. The tractor uses diesel, so I have two yellow 5-galloon containers for that purpose, and I take them with me in the SUV whenever they're empty so that I can fill them again.

Once all of the ATVs' gas tanks were full, I asked the boys a final question. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Yes," they all shouted.

I had Laine and Dakota start the ATVs again before Glen and Jamie got on behind them, and then I hopped on my ATV and started it as well. When they were ready, I led them out on the trail we'd walked over previously, but this time when we reached the trail that ran along with the government property, I turned to the right. We had turned left when we were walking, so this way, they'd get to see a little more of my land.

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure they were doing ok, and then I continued moving along the trail. When we reached the stream, I made a wide turn for the others to follow, and then I stopped and turned off my ATV so they would do the same thing before changing drivers. I also took the opportunity to ask them a question.

"Did anyone have a problem?"

"No, that was a fuckin' blast!" Laine answered.

"Yeah, it was really fun," Dakota agreed.

"Ok, switch drivers and we'll head back."

"Is this all we're gonna do?" Dakota asked.

"For today, but tomorrow we'll cross over the stream, and I'll take you farther out. However, I think this is enough for today."

"Oh, ok," he relented, but I could see he was slightly disappointed. That was unfortunate, but he'd have to get over it.

I then led them back to the garage. I had them stop and turn off the engines in front of the second bay, and then I parked each of the vehicles inside. It was a tight squeeze with all of them in there now, especially with the SUV in the other bay, and I wanted to avoid any accidents or to damage any of the vehicles. The boys seemed to understand why I was doing this, and when I finished putting them in the garage, I had the boys put their gloves and goggles inside their helmets before carrying them into the house.

"Bring your helmets over here, because I'm going to put a sticker on each one, so you know which one is yours."

I had a sheet of stickers in a drawer that I'd used to put the house number on the mailbox, but there were far more numbers than I needed to do that. I then stuck a number from one to four on the back of each helmet so the boys would know which one was theirs.

"Neat, I was wonderin' how you was gonna do this," Laine observed.

"This is the easiest way, so now you can take the helmets out and place them on the workbench along the back wall of the garage."

They did as I'd asked while I was fixing lunch. They were chatting with me as I did it.

"Are we gonna be able to drive all around your property sometime?" Dakota pressed.

"Eventually, but we're going to work up to that because it will require going over some pretty rugged terrain. I want to make sure you can handle the ATVs first before we do that."

"Drivin' the four-wheeler was neat," Jamie said next. "I only rode on a bike before, but this was a lot more fun."

"It's not very different from riding a bike, except you have an engine and don't have to pedal, but steering it is about the same, along with using the hand brake."

"Yeah, and I loved drivin' it too," Glen confirmed.

"I'm glad you all had a good time."

"Yeah, we did, but I still can't believe you bought them for us to use," Laine stated. "You've spent lots of money on us already, so I didn't expect you to spend any more, especially on stuff like this."

"I've only bought things I felt you needed, and except for your clothes, it can all be used by other boys if I end up taking in more."

"Are you gonna do that?" Glen asked.

"I don't plan on doing it right away, but who knows what will happen if Paul or I find someone else who would benefit from living here. It might not happen until you boys are grown and aren't living here any longer, but who knows?"

We eventually sat down to eat, but the boys continued asking me questions. "So, if you take in another boy will he ride with you?" Dakota asked.

"At first, but he should have a chance to drive one of the ATVs as well, so you'll all have to take turns driving and switch riding with me as well."

"Then, will you teach us how to work your ATV?" Laine wanted to know.

"Possibly, but that's a long way off. Let's just focus on what we're doing now with those of you who are living here. When you finish eating, I want you boys to make sure you spend an hour on the computer working with the educational software, not just playing games."

"I did that last night before I went to sleep," Laine replied.

"Great. I'm glad to see you're on top of things."

"I'll do it just as soon as I'm done here," Dakota added.

"I will too," Jamie concurred.

"And I'll do it when Kota is done usin' the 'puter," Glen followed.

"Make sure you do it each day of the week, except on the weekend. I want you to get in the habit of doing it on your own without me having to remind you."

"Yeah, we know," they basically all confirmed.

***

When they finished eating, they went upstairs to do as I'd asked, and I puttered around downstairs doing some cleaning and a few other chores. I'd been doing that for about an hour when my phone rang.

"Eric, it's Murray Dann. How are you today?"

"I'm doing well, and you?"

"I'm doing well too, and I have some information for you. I also have a couple of questions I need you to answer."

"Ok, fire away."

"First of all, I have the signed custody papers you can pick up concerning the other three boys."

"Thank you. I'll be relieved when I have them in my possession."

"It's all legal even if you don't have the documents, but I know there will be times when you'll have to show them to others to support your claims of custody."

"Yes, such as if they need medical attention or when I enroll them in the school I work at."

"Yes, that's very true. I'd also like to talk to you about the adoptions. We're all set as far as James Palmer is concerned because no one needs to sign off on his adoption."

There was a slight pause before I responded, while I digested what he'd just said. "I'm sorry for the delay, but you momentarily confused me. I didn't recognize who you were referring to, because we call him Jamie."

"Ah, I understand, but I needed to use his formal name on the paperwork, and I've just gotten used to saying that. I also don't feel we'll have any trouble convincing Glen Wittes' parents to sign off on allowing him to be adopted either because they are both currently incarcerated. I'm told they will probably be locked up for quite a while, especially the father, and we also have some leverage over them as well. The mother has been declared an unfit parent, so I doubt they'll present a problem with the adoption. The situation with Dakota Frost, however, concerns me. We will need his parents to sign off on the adoption, but I'm not sure his mother will be willing to do that."

"But she and his stepfather have already signed over custody."

"Yes, they've signed off on the custody issue, but we'll still need them to sign off on the adoption as well. From what Paul told me, I don't think the stepfather will cause any problems doing it, but the mother will be a different story. Paul said she was reluctant to even sign off on custody."

"I understand, but I think Paul will be able to take care of that."

"Possibly, but I think she'll need to hear from her son before she'll agree. I believe he'll have to convince her that this is what he wants and that he's not being pressured into doing it."

"Then I'll use my phone to have Dakota record a message to his mother, and then I'll send it to Paul so he can show it to her, and that way she can hear from her son directly. I think Paul can also use the same arguments he used to get her to sign off on custody."

"It's possible that might work, so I'll send the paperwork to Paul for her and her husband to sign, but now I have another question. Are the boys going to keep their current names, or will they be using your surname after the adoption?"

"Each of them has already told me he wants to use my last name."

"In that case I'll need to request new birth certificates for each of them, as well as to notify the Social Security Administration about their name changes. I'm certain they must already have a social security number because of IRS rules. I'll also need to know their middle names, and that reminds me of something else. You'll need to check and see if they're going to use their current middle names, or if they want to drop that name and use their former surname as their middle name? Sometimes children choose to do that so they won't feel as if they're breaking all ties with their biological parents."

"Ok, I'll find that out and call you back."

"That will be fine."

"Do you need more money from me?"

"Not just yet, but possibly by the time you pick up the other paperwork. I'll send you a bill for the rest of it when I'm done because Paul has assured me that you're good for it."

"I'm sure he has, and I'm certainly good for it. I also appreciate all of your help with these matters."

As soon as we ended the call, I went upstairs to get the information from the boys and asked Jamie, Glen, and Dakota to go to my room so we could talk.

"Do I need to go too?" Laine asked.

"No, this is concerning the adoptions, so you're not included in what I need to ask them."

"Oh, ok," he replied, sloughing it off easily.

***

When I got together with the other three, I explained the situation. "I just got off the phone with my lawyer, and he had some questions concerning the adoptions. First of all, he wanted to know if you were changing your last names, and I told him you were. Do you still want to do that?" They all confirmed they did.

"Next, he wanted to know if you were going to keep your current middle names or use your current last name as your new middle name. I'll ask you one at a time. Dakota?"

"I'll use my middle name."

"That's fine, but you've never told me what it is."

"Oh yeah, it's Andrew."

"Glen?"

"I'll use my middle name too. It's Oliver."

"Oliver, Oliver, never before has a boy wanted more," I teased as I sang the lyrics from the musical, Oliver.

"It was my mom's last name before she got married," he clarified.

"Ok, that makes sense. Jamie?"

"Ummm…. my middle name is Jeffrey, but could I change it to Eric now."

"You want to use my name as your middle name?" I asked, because it was a total shocker.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be your son, so I want to have your name as my middle name."

"Ok, then I'll tell the lawyer this information, and I want to thank each of you for sharing this with me. Glen and Jamie you can go now, but Dakota there's something else I need to discuss with you."

As soon as the other two had gone, I explained why I'd asked him to stay behind. "The lawyer says we'll need your mom to sign off on this if I'm going to be able to adopt you."

"Didn't she already do that, Dad?"

"No, she only signed over custody, but I don't have permission to adopt you. The lawyer feels it might be difficult for him to convince her that she should allow me to adopt you too, so he suggested that you'll need to let her know it's what you want."

"So, you'll have to take me back there to do this?"

"No, I can use my phone to record your message, and then I'll send it to Paul and let him show it to her."

"Damn, this is gonna be tough. I still love her, but I want you to adopt me."

"Then that's exactly what you should tell her. Are you ready to do this?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but what if I don't do a good job or make a mistake?"

"Then we'll just delete it and do it again."

"Oh, ok. Then let's get it over with."

Chapter 17
With a Little Bit of Luck

Now that Dakota was prepared to make the video for his mom, I got out my phone to record him. It appeared as if he was a man being led to his execution, so I knew this must be extremely difficult for him as he looked up and began to speak.

"Mom, it's me, Kota, and I need to ask you a favor. You know that I'm living with Eric now, cuz you gave him custody, but I want him to adopt me too. I still love you, but I can't live with your husband. I hate him, and he's mean to me, so I'm begging you to sign the papers to let Eric adopt me. I'm really happy here, and he's taking good care of me, and he has three other boys around my age, and we all get along great. I really love you, Mom, but I need you to do this for me. Please, just sign the papers so Eric can adopt me. I want him to be my dad."

He stopped speaking, and I sensed he was finished, so I ended the recording. I played it back for him so he could see if he was happy with it. "Should I send this to Paul so he can show it to your mom, or do you want to try again?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect, except I was surprised when you told your mom that you couldn't live with her husband, rather than saying you couldn't live with your stepdad."

"Yeah, I know. It's cuz I don't think of him as my stepdad, cuz of the way he treats me. I never felt like we was related. He was just my mom's husband, that's all."

"Ok, I just wanted to be sure it wasn't a slip of the tongue. So do you want me to send this?"

"Yeah, it was really hard sayin' that to my mom, and I don't think I can do any better, so just send that one."

"Ok, I will."

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and squeezed him, and then I kissed him on the forehead before tousling his hair. That got a reaction.

"You keep doin' that," he said with a scowl.

"It's just another way of showing that I love you."

That made him smile, and I stayed there for a couple more minutes before I left him alone in the bedroom. I felt he had some issues he needed to work out on his own and I wanted to give him a chance to do it in private. I went downstairs and forwarded the recording to Paul, along with a message asking him to show it to Dakota's mom as a way of encouraging her to let me adopt him. I also urged him to use whatever other leverage he had to entice her to sign off on this because it was important to Dakota. Now, I just had to wait and see how he made out.

I made a couple more quick phone calls next, and when those calls ended, I thought of something else and went to speak with Laine. I pulled him aside so we could talk in private, and then I handed him my phone.

"I think you should call your parents. I think they'd like to hear from you, now that they know you're living here and you're safe."

"Yeah, that's a good idea, and thanks for lettin' me use your phone."

While he went to do that, I started fixing dinner, and he returned about twenty minutes later and handed me the phone.

"So, how did it go?"

"My mom started cryin' when she heard my voice, but once she calmed down, it went fine. I talked to my dad and brother too, and they said they're all lookin' forward to me comin' home."

"I'm glad that worked out for you."

Later, while we were eating, the boys told me that they'd all worked with the educational software, and I thanked them for doing that. Then, they wanted to know how long it would be before the adoptions were completed.

"That depends on several things. The lawyer has to get new birth certificates for each of you, and he also needs to notify the Social Security Administration about your name changes. There are also a few other items he needs to clear up as well, and he has to work with the Family Court judge to set a date."

"What other stuff does he have to clear up?" Glen demanded.

"He needs to get both of your parents and Dakota's parents to sign off on adopting you."

"Didn't they already do that?"

"No, they merely gave me custody of you, but now they have to sign off on the adoption before it can proceed."

"So how long do you think that's gonna take?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. It could happen in a few days, or it might take a few weeks."

"Damn, do you think it will happen before school starts?" Dakota followed.

"Yes, we have plenty of time before that happens, so the lawyer should be able to get everything done before then."

"Can't they do it faster for me, cuz my mom's dead and I don't have another dad?" Jamie asked next.

"You have a dad; it's just that no one knows who he is, but the lawyer wants to do all of this at the same time. That way he only needs to set up one time with the court to take care of everything, and we'll only be required to make one trip into the city."

"Oh, ok."

"Dad, will we be goin' out on the four-wheelers tomorrow?" Glen asked next

"Yes, and we'll do it right after breakfast."

"So should we put on those same clothes before we come down to eat?" Dakota followed.

"You can, or you can just change after you finish eating."

"K."

"So, what do you boys want to do after dinner?"

"Let's watch a movie," Laine suggested.

"Is everyone ok with that?" I asked, and they all agreed it would be fine. "Then go check out the listings and let me know what you decide on."

They headed to the family room to do that while I wiped down the kitchen. A minute later, they came out to ask me a question.

"Hey, Dad, do you mind if we watch 'It' ?" Laine wanted to know.

"I don't think it's wise for you guys to be watching another scary movie just before bedtime. We can record that and watch it during the day instead, so please choose something else."

"Yeah, Jamie had a nightmare afterward when we watched Alien vs. Predator, and then he had to sleep with Dad," Dakota chimed in, much to Jamie's dismay.

"Just find something else," I urged.

They weren't happy with my answer, but they went back to see what else was on. They came back a couple of minutes later with a new suggestion. "How about S.W.A.T. then?" Glen asked this time.

"Yes, I suppose that will be all right, as long as the other boys want to see it too."

"Yeah, we do," they all agreed.

"Dad, are you gonna watch it with us?" Jamie asked next.

"Yes, I'll be right there."

When I got to the family room, Jamie and Dakota were sitting on the sofa, so I sat down between them, and then Laine came over to sit on the floor between my legs. It was a couple more minutes before the movie started, and then we settled in to watch it. During one of the more exciting scenes near the end of the movie, Jamie crawled onto my lap so I could hold him, which I was glad to do. Overall, however, it was one of the most realistic cop films I'd ever seen, and I totally enjoyed it.

***

When the movie ended, we all went upstairs to shower. I was a little surprised when I saw Laine and Glen enter the other bathrooms separately to clean up, although Jamie and Dakota followed me.

"Do we really need to do this every night?" I asked when I saw them behind me.

"Yeah, we like showerin' with you," Dakota answered.

"I like it when you wash me, and I like washin' you too," Jamie added.

"That's cuz you get to wash his cock," Dakota shot back.

"I can't help it cuz I'm not tall enough to wash the rest of him," Jamie challenged, although I thought it was tongue-in-cheek.

"If you two are going to fight and argue about it, then you can shower alone," I warned.

"Ok, then we'll do it as we did before," Dakota hesitantly agreed.

"Yeah, let's do that," Jamie concurred while grinning broadly.

Now that they'd worked out their differences, I allowed them to join me in the shower. They both wanted me to wash them first, and each one boned up when I was washing their genitals–which caused Jamie to react.

"Our cocks really like it when you wash them, cuz they always get hard," he said before giggling.

"Yes, I've noticed that."

"Maybe you should play with them then," he continued, and I looked at him as I attempted to figure out exactly what he was getting at. "You should jerk us off, cuz you can do that before we find out about the tests we took at the doctor's office, can't ya?"

I glanced over at Dakota to see how he was reacting and was mildly surprised when he spoke. "Yeah, let's do that then," he confirmed.

Jamie was thrilled that Dakota agreed with him, and it took away any argument I might make to get out of doing it. Rather than spending the next few minutes arguing the point, I knelt and reached over to grab Jamie's penis before I slowly began to masturbate him. He quickly moved over so he could lean against me while I did this, and it almost sounded as if he was purring. I had no idea when he'd last done this to himself, but it didn't take very long before I heard him grunt as the first string of semen erupted from the tiny slit. It was followed by a couple more, and then I held him up because I was afraid he might fall. It seemed his legs had turned to Jell-O and started to give out as soon as he'd ejaculated. I held onto him until he'd recovered, and then I stood up so I could take care of Dakota next.

I was still slightly puzzled about his reasoning for agreeing to this, but he had no problem with me standing behind him and reaching around his body to manipulate his penis. I did the same thing to him that I'd just done to Jamie, but it took quite a bit longer for him to ejaculate.

"Wow, it's takin' Kota a lot longer than it did me," Jamie stated when he also noticed this fact.

"Yes, and as you get older, it will take you longer too."

"But isn't it better to get that feeling fast?"

"I think you'll discover that it's more enjoyable to make it last as long as you can."

"Oh," he said, as he continued to watch me masturbate Dakota.

A short time later, Dakota ejaculated as well, and that elicited another observation from Jamie. "He shoots more stuff too, and it's whiter than mine."

"Yes, and as your body matures, your semen will no longer be clear and start taking on an off-white color as well."

"Oh, I thought that only happened when you become a man," he said in response.

"It happens when you're on your way to becoming a man," I replied.

Jamie had obviously been thinking about this as he was washing me and decided that he wanted to masturbate me as well. "Can we jerk you off too?"

"I take a lot longer than either of you, and we'll start looking like prunes if we stay under the water for that much longer. Maybe we'll do it some other time."

He wasn't happy that I wasn't going to let him masturbate me, but I felt Dakota might have other plans, seeing he had given into Jamie about me jacking them off. They merely teamed up and washed me again, and I didn't try to stop from firming up this time when Jamie washed and manipulated my genitals.

"I guess your cock likes me too," he said, as he stared at my erection.

"Yes, it seems it does," I agreed.

Now that we were all clean, I turned off the water, and we got out of the shower to dry off. After we did that, Jamie went to his room, and Dakota stayed with me in my bedroom. After I closed the door, I looked at him and spoke.

"I was surprised when you agreed with Jamie about having me masturbate both of you."

"I wasn't worried, cuz I can cum more than once, but I'm glad you didn't let him do it to you. I want you to make love to me again."

"I'll still have to use a condom."

"I know, but I need to feel you inside me."

As soon as I got ready, I made love to Dakota, but just like the previous night, he didn't ejaculate when we did this. I wasn't sure if it was because I'd already masturbated him, or I was wearing a condom again, but he didn't seem disappointed. He was totally focused on the fact that we'd just made love.

As soon as I took off the condom, I discarded it and washed up, and then I got back in bed with Dakota. He immediately placed his head on my chest and draped an arm across my midsection, and then he spoke.

"I love you, Dad," he said with a sigh.

"I love you too, and I'm glad you agreed to let me do that with Jamie earlier."

"Yeah, I could tell that he really wanted you to do it."

"And you have a special connection with him, don't you?"

"Yeah, maybe. I liked him before, but now he's kinda like a little brother to me."

"I've noticed, and you don't react the same way when he does things, as you do with the others."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't really complain when he wanted to sit on my lap, and you've let him shower and sleep with us several times. You also didn't put up much of a fight when he got to wash my genitals."

"Yeah, I guess I let him do those things cuz he's younger than the rest of us. I also wish I could have done stuff like that when I was younger too, but my stepdad would never allow it."

"I had a feeling it might be something like that, but now it's time for us to get some sleep."

He put his head on my chest again, and I wrapped an arm around him, and eventually we both fell asleep.

***

When we woke up in the morning, Dakota said he wanted to go downstairs with me while I made breakfast. He talked me into making pancakes, and I finished mixing the batter before the other boys came downstairs. Although the boys have never complained, my pancakes weren't nearly as good as the ones my grandmother used to make whenever I stayed with her. I used Bisquick and didn't have to let the batter sit overnight while she used buckwheat flour and yeast to make the pancake batter, so she had to let it sit overnight for the yeast to rise. Although her pancakes were way better tasting than the ones I made, this was much simpler and something I didn't have to plan out in advance.

Dakota had taken out the bacon and sausage links, and he'd also filled several glasses with juice while I was making the pancake batter. As I was frying up the meat, I asked him to go upstairs and wake the other boys, and then they all came rushing down the staircase to eat.

"Take it easy. I don't want you falling down the stairs and breaking your necks," I warned.

"Don't worry, we do this all the time on the stairs at school," Dakota assured me.

I had just finished making the first batch of pancakes, along with the bacon strips and sausage links, so I put those on platters and took them out to the table. I then went back to the kitchen to fix more of everything, but this time I sat down to eat with them. The boys were considerate and allowed me to get what I wanted first before they began grabbing seconds, and once we were full, I sent them upstairs to change so we could go out on the ATVs.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot we were goin' to do that," Dakota stated. "I wondered why you were dressed like that."

"Yeah, I forgot too," the others followed in rapid succession.

"As soon as you're ready, we'll go out to do this."

***

While they were changing, I took the four-wheelers out of the garage, so everything was set by the time they returned. When they got back I told them what we were going to do before I had them put their goggles, helmets, and gloves on.

"We're only going to go out on the trails today, but I need to tell you a couple of things before we do it. We're going to start out following the same trail as yesterday, but this time we're going to cross over the stream. I want you to know that there are rocks in the streams that are slippery from being wet, and the bottom is also muddy. This means you'll have to give the ATV a little extra gas to get across it without getting stuck, but not so much that you hit the far bank too hard and then lose control. If you do that, then not only could you lose your grip on the handlebars and crash, but you could also fall off, or the ATV could flip over. Just watch what I do first, and then do the same thing. Do you understand?"

They assured me they did, so I had them start the same way we had the day before, with Dakota and Laine driving first. Once they were ready, I led them out on an extended ride.

We followed the same trail as before and took a right when it joined the trail between my property and the government land. However, when we came to the stream, we kept going instead of turning around, and I hoped the boys were paying attention as I led the way. Once I got across the stream, I pulled over and looked back to see how they were doing, but I was also ready to race back to help them out if they got into trouble. To my amazement, Dakota and Laine both made it across fairly easily, so I started out again with them following behind.

We rode for over an hour, and occasionally I would stop to tell them about the area we were passing before we continued on. When we reached the end of my property along that trail, I turned around in a big loop again, and the other two followed suit. I then turned off the engine, and they did the same, and then we chatted briefly before they changed drivers.

"Wow, you really own a lot of land," Glen said, and I could tell he was truly impressed.

"Yes, and this is only part of it. I'll show you the rest after I teach you how to handle the ATVs on the hilly and rugged terrain."

"I can't wait," Laine stated next. "I hope I get to see all of it before I hafta go back home."

"You definitely will," I confirmed.

"Dad, do you ever go on the government land?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, but only when I'm walking. There's definitely not enough room to ride a four-wheeler in there, at least not consistently unless you're a very experienced driver. It's mostly left wild for hunters and nature lovers."

"So will you take us for a walk in there sometime, so we can see what it's like too?" Dakota followed.

"Sure, if that's what you boys want to do."

"Yeah, we want to see what it's like too," Laine concurred.

When we finished this discussion, I let the other two boys drive this time, and we started back. Things were going fairly smoothly until we reached the stream, and after Glen and I crossed, Jamie had a slight problem. He gave the ATV a little too much gas, so when he hit the opposite bank, the hand that controlled the brake slipped off the handlebar. Fortunately, Laine was able to react in time, and after he let go of Jamie's chest with his left arm, he reached out and grabbed the brake handle and was able to stop the ATV before anything bad occurred. I quickly stopped my ATV and then we all went back to see how Jamie and Laine were doing.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I just couldn't hold on. The ATV jerked really bad when I hit the bank, and that caused one of my hands to slip off."

"I understand, and it's not a problem. Just learn from it, so it doesn't happen again."

"Ok, I promise."

"And thank you for paying attention," I told Laine.

"It was just lucky that I saw what was happening and was able to catch it in time."

"Yes, and I'm glad you did. Jamie, are you ok to drive the rest of the way to the house?"

"Yeah, I can do it, Dad."

"Ok, then let's get going."

When we reached the house, we parked the ATVs in front of the garage, and then I had the boys put their goggles and gloves inside their helmets before placing them on the workbench. While they were doing that, I was arranging the ATVs in the bays.

"Thanks, Dad. That was fun," Dakota told me before going inside to change.

"Yeah, thanks, Dad. That was awesome," Laine added.

"And thanks for not getting mad at me when I almost wrecked up back there, Dad," Jamie stated. He still appeared embarrassed that it had happened to him.

"Anyone who has ever learned how to drive anything has dealt with situations similar to that. It's part of the learning process, so now you know how to keep it from happening again."

"I really want to thank you for doin' this for us, Dad," Glen stated next. "Driving the four-wheelers is a fuckin' blast."

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it, so let's go inside, and I'll fix lunch for all of us."

"Nah, we can make our own sandwiches today," Laine quickly replied. "You've done enough, and we'll take care of ourselves."

"Yeah, and we'll fix a samich for you too," Jamie offered. "Just tell me what kind you want."

"What are you going to have with it?" I asked.

"How about apple sauce and cookies," Glen quickly answered. "You bought that stuff when you went shoppin, so we can have those with it."

"Ok, I can live with that," I agreed, and then I told Jamie what kind of sandwich I wanted.

"Ok, Dad, go sit down at the table, and me and Jamie will bring your lunch out to you," Dakota practically commanded.

"Ok, and thanks for doing this."

"This is nothin' cuz we all owe you," Jamie responded.

I was impressed that they'd offered to do this, so I was ready to take full advantage of it. I sat down at the table, and when they brought out my lunch, we all ate together.

***

After we finished our meal, the boys rinsed off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, so I didn't have anything to do. I merely sat at the table and sipped the rest of my drink, and then they went upstairs to get on the computers.

While they were doing that, I decided to wash the clothes that we'd worn on our ride and got the first load started. Once that load was done, I put the second load in the washer after moving the first load to the dryer, and once that was going, I went out to see what I was going to fix for dinner tonight.

When the second load finished, I opted to do a toad of towels next, and by the time those were done, it was time to fix dinner. When that was ready, I called the boys down to eat, and after we were all sitting at the table, I asked a question.

"What would you like to do this evening?"

"Watcha got to do besides watchin' TV?" Glen asked with a mouthful of food.

I had to think about that for a minute before I answered. "I've got a UNO deck that I've used when I had friends over before, so would you like to do that?"

"Yeah, it's somethin' different, so let's do that," Laine confirmed.

"Would you all like to play UNO?" I asked, just to be sure.

They all responded positively, so after we finished eating, I went to get the cards out of the drawers in the kitchen where I kept them, while the boys rinsed off the dishes. After setting the deck on the counter, I helped them load the dishwasher first, and then I wiped off the table so we could sit down to play. I have to admit that the older three were more cutthroat than either Jamie or me, so we had to change our approach or be destroyed. The game soon evolved into a contest and dumping on the person on either side of you before they could dump on you, and when the dust settled, Laine emerged the victor.

"Do you want to play again, or was that enough?" I asked before they left the table.

"Yeah, let's do it again," Dakota urged.

This time Jamie and I were ready for the other three, and even though we weren't sitting next to one another, we teamed up to destroy the person sitting between us. This time we had a new winner, and it was Jamie.

"I don't know how you did that, but I don't think you was playin' fair," Glen told Jamie when the game ended.

"You've got a lot of nerve saying something like that," I countered, "since you, Laine, and Dakota piled on him in the first game."

"Hey, we was just playin' to win," he replied.

"And so was Jamie, and that's how he won."

This time we decided to call it a night, so I put the UNO deck back in the drawer before we headed upstairs to shower. Dakota followed me into the master bathroom, while Glen and Laine used one of the other bathrooms. Before long, Jamie came in with Dakota and me, and he had a forlorn look on his face.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Laine and Glen are showerin' together again, so can I shower with you guys?"

"Sure, get undressed and then come join us," I replied.

"And can I sleep with you too?"

I glanced at Dakota to gauge his reaction first, and he looked as if he'd just bitten into a lemon. Since I didn't answer right away, Jamie kept asking, "Can I? Can I?", so Dakota relented.

"Yeah, we can all sleep together too," he agreed.

I washed both of them first, and when Jamie boned up, he asked if I'd masturbate him again. I looked over at Dakota to see how he was reacting again, and he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Yeah, you might as well do it to both of us then," he confirmed.

I knew he felt this would be better than not doing anything, and once I'd taken care of each of them, they washed me. When they finished, I declined their offer to reciprocate sexually, and we merely dried off before going out to the bedroom. They had me get in bed first, and then a boy got into bed on either side and cuddled with me until morning.

When we awoke, we headed downstairs so I could fix breakfast, and after we ate, the boys helped to rinse off the dishes before they went upstairs. After they had gone, I sat down at the table to think about what I was going to do with them later when my phone rang, so I answered it.

"Mr. Schultz, my name is Janet Friedenberg and we spoke before. If you remember, I'm the physician's assistant in Dr. Arpante's office, and he asked me to call you with the lab results for the three young men you recently brought into the office."

Chapter 18
The Next Level

I held my breath as I waited to hear what Dr. Arpante's PA had to say. "He told me to let you know that all of the tests came back negative."

"Really? That's great news, and thank you for calling to let me know this."

As soon as I got off the phone, I went upstairs to share the news with the boys. I asked to speak with them after they got to a point where they could stop what they were doing, and then I had them meet in Dakota's room when they were done.

"What's up, Dad?" Dakota asked once we were all together.

"I just got a call from the doctor's office about the test results for Glen, Laine, and Jamie. I'm happy to tell you that the tests all came back negative, so somehow you managed to avoid picking up any sexually transmitted diseases, although I'm not sure how that was possible."

"It's cuz we made sure the guys always used rubbers when they fucked us," Laine replied. "We told you that we learned about doin' it in health class."

"Yes, and it's great you did that, but there are some diseases you can get from having oral sex too, so I'm not sure how you avoided those as well."

"I guess it's cuz we only did stuff with guys we thought looked like they took care of themselves," Glen added.

"Do you mean those who were athletically fit and wore suits?" I asked, not quite understanding how they made this determination.

"Kinda, but we just made sure they looked clean, shaved, their hair was cut, and their clothes were clean," Glen explained. "We didn't go with any guys that smelled or looked like they'd just been digging ditches or cleanin' toilets, or the ones that looked like they'd just been in a fight and stuff like that."

"Ok, then I guess it makes sense."

"I took a few chances when I first ran away, so I guess I was lucky," Dakota stated.

"And I mostly just let those men play with my cock," Jamie added. "I didn't do much with them unless I had to."

"But you still could have picked something up from them doing things to you as well," I pointed out.

"Then I guess I was lucky too," Jamie conceded.

"I'd say it's a miracle that any of you managed to make it through this without picking up something, but all of you? That's unbelievable."

"I guess we didn't really think about it before," Laine admitted.

"And that's what makes it even more unbelievable. Sure, you boys did some good things, like making sure the guys used condoms, and you tried to only select guys that appeared to be healthy, but it's still a miracle that you all made it through this time unscathed. I thought it was fortunate when Dakota's test results came back negative, but I was shocked when I was told the same thing for each of you as well. I hope we all continue to have such good luck because we're going to need it."

"You mean about adoptin' us, doncha?" Dakota asked.

"Yes, we'll need a little luck for that too and possibly a few other things. Maybe I chose the right name for this place when I named it Angel House Rehabilitation Center because right now I feel as if I've got an angel sitting on my shoulder. Not only did I find all of you boys and bring you here, but we also get along well, and you're all disease-free. I've never felt very religious before, but this is starting to make me wonder if someone or something is watching over us."

"You really think so?" Glen asked.

"I don't know how else to explain our good fortune unless one of you is turning out to be my lucky charm."

"Then I hope it's not Laine," Dakota challenged, "cuz he's gonna be leavin'."

"Yeah, I hope it's one of the others too," Laine concurred.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I certainly hope our run of good luck continues. You can go back to what you were doing because I just wanted to let you know what I'd found out."

The boys happily returned to their rooms, and I headed downstairs. I think we were all breathing a little easier now that the test results had come back negative, but I was wondering how long it would be before they'd start pressing me to do things with them.

I had just put a load of laundry in the washing machine when Jamie came downstairs, and he walked over to speak with me as I was heading into the kitchen.

"I'm gonna watch TV and was wonderin' if you'd do it with me?"

"I suppose I can spare some time to do that since there's nothing urgent I need to take care of."

"Good, cuz I like it when you sit with me."

I put my arm around his shoulders as we walked to the family room, and then we sat down on the sofa together. After he selected the show he wanted to watch, I put my arm around his shoulders, and he looked up at me and spoke.

"I'm glad you told us that our tests came back and we don't got nothin', cuz now you can do other stuff with us."

"Yes, such as watch TV with you," I teased.

"No, I meant other stuff like suckin' our cocks."

I knew this would probably come up sooner or later, but within the first hour after I gave them the good news? "Let's just watch this program now, and we can talk about that other stuff later."

He gave in, and we focused on the TV, but he kept glancing up at my face during every commercial break. When the show ended, he looked up at me again, but this time he spoke.

"Can we talk about it now, cuz I really want you to suck my cock? Please," he stated as he stared into my eyes. "I liked havin' those other men do it to me, but I'd like it even more if you was the one doin' it to me."

I could tell he wasn't about to take no for an answer, so I thought I'd try stalling for time. "I suppose I could do it for you sometime."

"Not sometime. Will you do it to me now? Please?"

"You mean here in the family room?"

"Yeah, we're alone."

"But the other boys might come downstairs."

"I don't care. We've all seen each other naked before."

"So, it wouldn't bother you if they walked in while I was doing that to you?"

"Nope."

His answer was short, and to the point, so I had to make a decision. "Ok, I guess I could do it now."

***

He immediately jumped up and lowered his shorts and underwear in one quick move before sitting on the sofa again. He was looking at me with great anticipation on his face, so I knelt between his legs and leaned forward. He sprouted wood before I even had a chance to take his penis into my mouth.

After internally chuckling at his eagerness, I spent a few seconds using my tongue to work on his glans before running it up and down his shaft. As soon as I took his penis into my mouth, his little butt started bouncing up and down on the sofa as my head began to nod up and down on his erection. It didn't take long before I heard him emit a little squeal, just before he filled my mouth with his sweet, boy nectar. As soon as I'd savored its exquisite flavor, I swallowed all of it before I let his penis slide from between my lips. I could tell by the look on his face that he was pleased with what I'd done.

"Man, that was the best anybody ever did that to me."

"That might be because you seemed a little hornier than usual. When was the last time you cummed before this?"

"Last night. Remember, you jerked me off in the shower."

"Ah, that's right, so maybe you shouldn't have been this horny, but you're a teenager, and teenage boys are always horny."

"Nuht, uh. I'm not a teenager yet."

"Well, you're close enough and almost a teenager, so it's about the same thing."

"K, but you still did it better than anybody else. That was really good."

"I'm glad you liked it and approve of my effort, but I want you to pull up your shorts and underwear after you clean off your penis." I took a tissue from my pocket and handed it to him.

He squeezed the ooze from his cock and quickly wiped it off before pulling up his underwear and shorts. He then sat down beside me on the sofa, and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders again.

"I'm glad I'm gonna be livin' here and that you're gonna adopt me too, cuz I really want you to be my dad, and I'll have your last name."

"And you'll have my first name too, but you'll have it as your middle name."

I stayed and watched the next show that came on with him as well, and then I got up to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer before loading up the washing machine again. I then went out to the kitchen to decide what I was going to fix the boys for lunch, and while I was working on that, Dakota came downstairs.

"Dad, do you know where Jamie is?"

"Yes, he's in the family room watching TV."

"Oh, and he's doin' it alone?"

"Right now he is, but I was in there with him for a while."

"And all you did was watch TV with him?"

"Why in the world would you ask that?"

"Cuz before he left my room he, Glen, and Laine was sayin' that cuz you know they don't got any diseases now, that you could start havin' sex with them. So did you do anything with Jamie?"

I wasn't sure how he was going to take this, but I knew he sometimes let Jamie get away with more than the other boys, so I just came right out and told him. "He asked me to suck him off, and I did, but don't go getting all upset about it. You knew something like that might happen."

"Yeah, and I'm not mad. I figured he was prob'ly gonna want you to do it to him, and he prob'ly would have asked you to do it last night, if you had found out about the tests sooner."

"I'm pleased to see you're acting so mature about this."

"Yeah, cuz you only sucked his cock."

I wasn't sure if that was meant as a warning or merely recognition that he didn't think oral sex was a serious offense, but I brushed it off and was pleased that he wasn't upset. I went back to making lunch for them, and then I called the boys downstairs to eat.

"So, are we gonna go out on the four-wheelers after we're done eatin'?" Glen asked.

"Yes, I'll take you out on the same trail as yesterday, so you'll get a little more experience with crossing the stream. Other areas on my property will be even trickier for you to navigate than the stream, so I want to make sure you have that down pat before we try something more difficult."

"So, you're not gonna show us more of your property this time?" Laine asked.

"Not yet, but I will eventually, so do you guys want to do this or not?"

"Yeah, we do," they all screamed in response.

"Ok, then after you finish eating, I want you to take care of your dishes and then go upstairs to change. While you're doing that, I'll take the ATVs out of the garage before I go upstairs to change."

The boys then chatted amongst themselves as we ate, and since they were spending so much time doing that, I was able to finish my meal at roughly the same moment they did. While they were rinsing off the dishes, wiping down the table, and putting the dishes in the dishwasher, I left to take the ATVs out of the garage. Once that had been taken care of, I went upstairs to change.

When we were ready, we all met up by the ATVs, and I announced that Jamie and Glen would be driving first today. They were both excited and eagerly got on one of the four-wheelers to start them, and then Laine and Dakota got on behind them. Once we filled the tanks with gasoline and they were all set, they followed me as I took them out on the same trail as I'd done the day before.

I wasn't too worried until we got to the stream, and as soon as I crossed it, I slowed slightly and glanced back to see how the other two were doing. Just as I was looking over my shoulder, I saw Jamie's ATV climbing up the bank behind me, and then Glen did the same thing. Feeling relieved, I continued on, knowing they were both safely behind me.

We followed the trail until we reached the end of my property, and then I made a large turn for the others to follow. Once we'd all made the turn, I stopped my ATV and turned off the engine, and then both boys did the same thing. After changing drivers, we started the return leg of this little adventure.

When we reached the stream, I did the same as before and glanced over my shoulder to make sure the other pair made it safely across. Neither Laine nor Dakota seemed to have any problems and climbed up the near bank behind me, and then we made our way back to the house.

To my surprise, there were a couple of squirrels on the trail during the ride back, so I was glad I was in front because I wasn't sure how the boys might have reacted to them being there. For some unknown reason the squirrels stopped briefly in front of me, so I slowed slightly before they scampered onto the government land. I was pleased the other two had been paying attention and slowed down at nearly the same time that I did, so no one rear-ended anyone else. Once the squirrels were safely out of the way, we continued on and were soon pulling up in front of the garage.

"That was fun, but I hope we can do something different next time," Dakota stated, as soon as he hopped off his ATV.

"You're all just about ready to take the next step, but we have a little more to work on before we'll do that."

"So when do you think we'll be ready?" Laine followed.

"I'm not sure, but we'll try something different tomorrow, and it will depend on how well you do at that before I decide if you're ready for more."

"I hope it will be soon then, cuz I want to do something different too," Glen chimed in.

"You can always stay at the house until we're ready to do more then because I wouldn't want to bore you with doing the same things all the time," I replied sarcastically.

"No, I'll still do the other stuff with you too, but I'd also like to try somethin' different."

"Be patient, grasshopper. All in good time."

"What the heck are you talkin' about?" he shot back.

"I'm going to have you boys watch the old TV show Kung Fu with me sometime, and then you'll understand."

"Can't you just tell us?"

"I'll tell you this much. The main character's teacher called him grasshopper when he was first learning to become a kung fu master, but you'll understand it better if you watch a few of the episodes with me."

"Whatever," was all he said as he walked away.

I was putting the ATVs in the garage as the boys headed inside, and when I went upstairs to join them, the boys had changed out of their riding clothes and were just wearing shorts. Three of them were on the computers playing games or working on the education software, while the other was reading one of his books.

While they were doing that, I changed into a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt, and then I grabbed my laptop. I quickly got online and ordered season one of the Kung Fu series on DVD so the boys and I could watch some of the episodes when it arrived. With that accomplished, I went downstairs to decide what I was going to feed them.

As we were eating, Glen asked a question, "Have you heard if Kota's and my parents have signed off on you adoptin' us?"

"No, not yet."

"How long do you think it will be until you know that?" Dakota asked.

"It's hard to say. It could happen tomorrow or in a week. It depends on how soon Paul can meet with your parents and if they'll agree to our request."

"Why wouldn't they agree?" Glen demanded.

"There could be lots of reasons."

"Like what?"

"In your case, your parents might try to use it as a bargaining tool to attempt to get their sentences reduced, or possibly they might try to extort money from me to get them to sign off."

"Figures, that's all they care about is gettin' somethin' for them. I was just someone who got in the way and another mouth to feed."

"I'm sure they loved you."

"Maybe my mom did, but I don't think my dad ever did."

"You might be wrong about that."

"I doubt it."

"Let's just wait and see, because they might prove you wrong."

"I know my mom loves me, and my dad did before he died," Kota added, "but my stepdad has never loved me. I know he'll sign off, and I just hope my mom loves me enough to do it too."

"I hope they all do, and then I can give you boys a fresh start."

After we finished eating, the boys wanted me to watch TV with them, and I agreed. I let them chose the program while I sat down on the sofa, and Dakota quickly sat on my left and Jamie on my right, but then Jamie asked a question.

"Can I sit on your lap, and then Glen can sit here too?"

"Ok, that's fine with me."

"Do you want to sit beside Dad, Glen?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Laine wasn't about to be left out, because he sat down on the floor between my legs as we all got comfortable.

We watched a couple of shows together, and when I announced it was time to get ready for bed, Glen had something he wanted to ask me.

"Dad, I haven't showered with you yet, so can I do that tonight?"

"I suppose so since I've let the others do it before."

"Wait, I haven't showered with you either," Laine protested.

"I thought you had."

"No, I've never done it with you."

"Ok, I guess the three of us can shower together, so Jamie and Dakota, what are you going to do?"

"We'll shower together in one of the other bathrooms," Dakota replied, after checking with Jamie first.

"Ok, then I guess we're all set," I responded. I was surprised that Dakota had agreed to this so quickly, but I wasn't about to question his motives.

After we stripped, Glen and Laine followed me into the bathroom, and I adjusted the water. As soon as we were in the shower, we started washing each other, and then Glen asked another question.

"Will you fuck us tonight, cuz you know we don't got nothin' now?"

"There's no way I can do it twice. I'm not as young as you two."

"Then you can fuck one of us, while that person fucks the other one," Laine suggested.

"Then I want Dad to fuck me," Glen stated.

Suddenly, I wished the boys hadn't started calling me Dad, because it made doing this sound even worse than it already was. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew they had been doing this with men before, I might have declined.

"Ok, he can fuck you, and you can fuck me," Laine conceded.

"And I'll jerk you off while I'm doing it," Glen offered.

"I'm willing to do this with you tonight, but I don't want it to become a habit."

"You'll have to do it once more with us," Laine countered, "so you can fuck me while I'm fuckin' Glen."

"Ok, but that won't be for a few days."

"Why not?" Glen demanded.

"Cuz Kota will want Dad to fuck him in between," Laine responded, "and Jamie might wanna do somethin' with him too."

"Oh."

The boys then helped to arouse me by taking turns sucking on my penis, and once I had an erection, they suggested we could use the conditioner as lube, and then we lined up to do this. I waited until Glen had penetrated Laine first, and then I slowly entered him. Now that we were all in position, we synchronized our movements until it became one fluid motion, like Newton's cradle. That's the device with metal balls suspended on strings, and when you pull one back and let it go, the ball on the other end bounces out. When that one hits the next ball again, the process keeps going in perpetual motion.

Glen was masturbating Laine at the same time he was sliding in and out of his backside, and I would thrust into Glen when he was pulling out of Laine. We continued that way until Glen and Laine ejaculated, although I wasn't sure who it happened to first. It could have been Glen, who also sped up masturbating Laine, to bring him off at nearly the same time. It could also have been Laine who ejaculated, and then his anal contractions sent Glen over the edge because that's what happened to me. When Glen was spewing his juices into Laine, his muscular contractions helped to hasten my orgasm as well, and a minute later, I was filling him with my seed.

As soon as we'd all recovered from the intensity of our releases, we withdrew from our partners, and then we finished washing off. When that had been completed, we got out of the shower, dried off, and the boys got ready to go to their bedrooms.

"Thanks for doin' this with us, Dad," Glen said before taking off.

"Yeah, thanks, Dad," Laine concurred, and then they both headed down the hallway.

Dakota left his bedroom and came over to join me a couple of minutes later, but I could tell something was bothering him. I had a good idea of what it was, but I didn't say anything. I was going to let him decide if he wanted to bring it up.

"I s'pose you did something with them when you was in there, didn't you?" he asked a short time later.

"Yes, and I think we all knew that might happen, but I didn't make love to either one."

"So, who did you fuck?"

"Glen."

"And what did you do to Laine?"

"Nothing. Glen fucked Laine and jerked him off at the same time."

"Oh."

"Dakota, we can't go through this every time I do something with one of the other boys. You knew this might happen and agreed it was ok, as long as I didn't make love to them and just had sex."

"Yeah, but it's still hard for me to know that you had sex with them instead of making love to me."

"Then what if I promise to do that with you tomorrow night?"

"Ok, I s'pose that will be alright."

"Either that, or I can just stop having sex with all of you."

"Why can't you just stop doing it with the rest of them?"

"It's because I don't want to play favorites since you all want to be my sons. Either that or I can just adopt Jamie and Glen and then make love to you as my boyfriend."

"No, I want you to adopt me too."

"Then, it looks as if I'll need to stop having sex with all of you."

"No, I don't want you to do that either."

"Look, I'm afraid this is not all going to go the way you want, so you'll have to make a choice. Do I stop having sex with all of you, not adopt you, or will you be able to accept that sometimes I'll be doing things with the other boys as well?"

He didn't respond right away, so I waited until he answered. After a couple of minutes of uneasy silence, he finally spoke.

"Ok, I'll do my best to accept that you're gonna do stuff with them too, as long as you only make love to me."

"Are you sure this time?"

"Yeah, cuz I want you to adopt me and still make love to me, too."

"Ok, then you'll have to learn to control your jealous tendencies."

"I know, and I'm gonna try."

Now that we'd reached an agreement, we climbed into bed. "Would you like for me to suck you off, seeing I don't think I can do more than that now?"

"Yeah, that would help."

I did that for him, and once he'd ejaculated, I crawled up beside him and let him enjoy the lingering effect of his orgasm. A couple of minutes later, he moved over and placed his head on my chest, and I wrapped an arm around him as I covered both of us with the sheet. I had a feeling he was no longer upset about what I'd done with Laine and Glen, and we fell asleep a few minutes later.

Chapter 19
Much Going On

It rained the next day, so we stayed the entire time indoors. The boys spent most of the morning on either the computers or reading, but after lunch, I asked them to help me clean the house. They didn't give me too much grief about doing it, and when they finished, they went up to their rooms.

I didn't see them again until I called them down for dinner, and then they stayed downstairs afterward and asked me to watch TV with them. Once I agreed, they chose to watch the movie I, Robot, an older Sci-Fi movie that serves as a warning about robots or artificial intelligence. When it ended, Dakota made sure that I knew he wanted me to shower with him–alone. As soon as we'd washed each other and dried off, he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the bedroom so that I could make love to him.

I have to admit that doing this with him was much more rewarding, emotionally, than what I'd done with Laine and Glen a couple of nights before. With Dakota, it was more than just the physical act of having sex because I could feel the love in his touch, in his kisses, and his caress. The fact that I had a physical release was merely the whipped cream and cherry on top of the sundae. I understood why Dakota didn't want to lose this connection because I didn't want to lose it either, but I would still share my love with the other boys as well, just not quite as deeply. I imagine the boys will soon find others to replace me, possibly as early as when they start school in the fall– that is everyone except Dakota. I truly believe he wants our relationship to last.

The next morning, I took the boys out on the four-wheelers right after breakfast, but this time we didn't go out on the trails. I started out by leading them behind the house and storage shed where it was fairly level, so I could take them just past the edge of the lawn where it was slightly overgrown. Once we were there, I signaled the boys to stop, so I could tell them what we were going to do next.

"I'm going to drive up and down the hill, and I want you to follow me. This area is not only covered in weeds and shrubs, but the ground is uneven, much like other areas on my property. I need you to learn how to handle the ATVs on terrain like this before I agree to take you on a drive around all of the land I own."

"So, you want us to drive through the weeds and all that other stuff?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, because we'll be going through other areas like this if you want me to show you around. Just follow in the tracks of my ATV, and I'll knock down the worst of it by going first."

"So, we're just goin' to ride up and down the hill?" Glen asked next.

"Yes, that's exactly what we're going to do, but don't get too cocky or you're liable to have an accident. There are holes and ruts in the field, so keep a good grip on the handlebars, or they might get ripped out of your hands when you hit one of those areas. It's also when your ATV could roll over, or when hitting one of those, it might cause you to fall off or crash. Do all of you understand what I'm telling you?"

They all affirmed they did, so we started out. Laine and Dakota were driving first, with Jamie and Glen riding behind them. They followed me down the hill, and then we made a big turn before starting back up the hill in a different area. We did this four times before stopping to change drivers, and then I got ready to repeat the same drill with the next pair. However, before I did that, we spent a few minutes chatting about the experience first.

"Did either of you have a problem?"

"No, but I saw why you warned us about holdin' onto the handlebars," Laine replied. "There were a few times when I hit some kinda hole, and the handlebars almost got jerked outta my hands."

"Yeah, that happened to me too," Dakota confirmed. "And Glen was pushin' me forward on the seat when we was goin' downhill."

"Yes, that will happen as well, although I'm sure Laine didn't notice it as much with Jamie behind him, because Jamie is so much smaller and lighter than Laine. However, Jamie has to be aware of it when Laine is riding behind him, and both of them will have to try to keep from sliding forward."

"How can I do that?" Laine asked.

"Try keeping one arm around Jamie's chest and use your other hand to hold onto the back of the seat. That way, you can pull back on the seat to keep from sliding forward if it starts to happen. Dakota and Glen can do the same thing when they're riding behind each other."

"Ok, I can do that," Laine confirmed.

"Yeah, me too," the other pair agreed.

After Jamie and Glen had a chance to drive up and down the hill four times in each direction, we called it a day and went back to the house. I had the boys take their clothes off again before entering, and I did as well because our clothes were covered in all sorts of vegetation and pollen. I also asked each of the boys to shake those items off outside, before taking them to the laundry room, and then we washed up before my fixing lunch.

After we ate, the boys went upstairs to get on the computers, while I cleaned up the kitchen. I was in the middle of doing that when my phone rang. I answered it immediately when I saw who was calling, but I also made my way to the half bath and shut the door to maintain a little privacy.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked as soon as I answered since I knew it was Paul.

"I'm just calling to fill you in about how things are going. Murray asked if I'd be willing to visit Glen's parents and get them to agree to let you adopt him, and that went fairly smooth. His dad signed off on it immediately, because Glen will be fully grown before he gets out of prison if he ever gets out. The mother, however, was a little more difficult. I had to remind her that she'd already been declared unfit to raise her son, so he'd be placed in foster care and would stay there even after she was released. I also explained it would be better if Glen was adopted, rather than languishing in foster care for several years, so she finally agreed to sign the paperwork."

"Thanks for doing that, but how about Dakota's parents.

"Since I had to visit them after they got home from work, I went to see them on my day off. The stepdad didn't have a problem with signing off on the adoption; he seemed eager to do it. The thing is, I'm not sure it would have mattered even if he hadn't signed since he isn't the biological father. However, Dakota's mother struggled even more with doing this than she had with giving up custody."

"I was afraid of that."

"I tried to explain it would be best for her son, since he had told me he would never return home as long as she was still married to Edgar, and she didn't appear ready to leave him. Since she still wouldn't sign, I reminded her that if she were still legally his parent, then they would be responsible for everything he'd already done, including paying for the damage he had caused. She said she thought that had been taken care of when she gave up custody, so I explained it had only kept them from going to jail for attempted child abuse. I then explained we'd agreed to wave the payment for damages too, as long as they were doing what was in Dakota's best interest, and then I showed her the recording Dakota had made. She broke down in tears after seeing it, and after she calmed down, she agreed to sign the paperwork. I gave the papers back to Murray earlier today, so I'm sure he's been working on whatever he still has to do since then."

"I'll never be able to repay you fully for doing this for us, so a simple thank you will have to do."

"Just remember this the next time I ask for your help."

"Ok, I promise. No more giving you grief about what's happened in the past."

"Damn, it's about time you did that."

I ignored his retort and decided to change the subject. "Do you think I need to call Murray to see if he requires anything else from me?"

"No, I'm sure he'll get in touch with you if he does. He just requires a little time to do his legal crap to make it happen."

"Ok, and thanks again for your help."

"You're welcome, and I felt I owed you for all the times you've helped me."

"I still appreciate it, and I'm sure the boys will too."

After we ended the call, I debated as to whether I should tell the boys about what I'd just found out, but eventually, I decided to hold off. If I told them now, then they'd keep pestering me about how long it was going to be before the adoption would happen, and I didn't want them bugging me about it multiple times every day. I'd wait until I heard back from Murray about when the adoptions would take place before I'd say anything to the boys.

It had only been about a half-hour since I finished speaking with Paul when my phone rang again, but this time it was Murray. "Eric, I have some news to share with you concerning the adoptions. I spoke with Paul earlier, and he was able to convince Glen Wittes' parents to sign off on the adoption, and he was also able to convince Dakota Frost's mother and stepfather to sign off on it as well. I've filled out the forms to request new birth certificates for all three boys, and I've also filled out the paperwork to send to the Social Security Administration as soon as the adoptions are finalized."

"That sounds great. Thank you."

"However, there's one more thing I need you and the boys to do. The four of you have to meet with a child advocate who will question you about the adoption. The advocate's job is to make sure the adoption is voluntary, and the reasons for it are legal, honorable, and above board."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They want to make sure you aren't adopting the boys to use as child labor, sex slaves, or things of that nature. Meeting with an advocate is a common practice, and I'm certain you and the boys won't have a problem doing this. I just need to arrange a time when the four of you can meet with the advocate."

"Will we meet individually or as a group?"

"Individually."

"Ok, then we'll come in whenever it is convenient for the advocate."

"Is any particular time better for you, since I know you have a bit of a drive to get here?"

"Any day will be fine, as long the meeting is scheduled for 10:00 or later."

"Excellent. I'll call you again once I've made the arrangements."

"Ok, and thanks. I look forward to hearing from you."

This was something else I decided to delay telling the boys, and I'd wait until Murray called back. That happened a few hours later.

"Eric, I have good news for you. The advocate will be able to meet with you tomorrow at 10:00. Each of you will spend approximately a half-hour with the advocate, so you should be done by noon."

"That will be fine, but where will it take place?"

"You will meet the advocate at the courthouse in room 202. That's a conference area where lawyers can meet with their clients in private."

"Ok, it sounds good, and thank you for taking care of this for us."

"You're welcome, but it's another task you're paying me to handle."

As soon as I finished speaking with Murray, I called the boys together for a group meeting. "What's up, Dad?" Dakota asked when we were all in the family room.

"I have some things I need to talk to you boys about. I've recently spoken with Paul and my lawyer about the adoptions, and I wanted to fill you in about what I've learned. First of all, I want to let Glen and Dakota know that their parents have signed off on allowing me to adopt them."

"I'm glad they did that," Glen said casually, while Dakota catapulted out of his seat like it was spring-loaded.

"That's awesome. I was worried that my mom wasn't gonna do it."

"Paul said it was the recording you made that convinced her. He said she began to cry after she watched it, and then she agreed to sign the papers since it was what you wanted."

"Damn, I didn't want to make her cry or feel bad. I just wanted her to let you adopt me." I could tell this news bothered him deeply, so I attempted to soften the blow.

"I know, but that sort of information isn't easy for a parent to accept, knowing that their child would rather be raised by someone else."

"But only because of my stupid stepdad."

"I know that's the reason, and so does she, but it's still a bitter pill for her to swallow."

"Yeah, but I'm glad she's gonna let me do it."

"The other thing I need to tell you is that we have to make another trip to the city tomorrow because the three of you and I have to meet with a child advocate. I'm told that's a legal representative whose job it is to make sure the adoption is being done in the best interest of the adoptee, which in this case is each of you. The three of you and I will be interviewed separately, and it will take about a half-hour each, and then that person will recommend to the judge whether he should allow the adoption to proceed."

"Damn, you mean there's still a chance we won't be able to do this?" Glen asked.

"Yes, but it's only a tiny chance of that happening. The advocate's primary duty is to make sure the adoption is in your best interest, and I'm not going to work you as slaves, or sell you to others."

"Hell, we can convince the advocate that we want to do this, and you won't do anything like that to us."

"I don't want you to bring it up, or anything else for that matter, and simply answer the questions you are asked. We don't want the advocate to think you've been coached, because that would work against us."

"Ok, Dad, we won't do that then," Jamie agreed.

"Yeah, Dad, we'll just answer the questions and let the advocate know we want you to adopt us," Dakota confirmed.

"Don't worry, Dad. We're not gonna screw this up," Glen added.

"Ok, so now you boys know what will be happening with the advocate tomorrow, and then we'll eat lunch in the city. After that, I'm going to drive over to the lawyer's office so I can pick up the custody papers for the three of you. I already have that document for Dakota, but I need them for the rest of you in case I ever have to prove I have legal custody. After I've done that, we'll stop and pick up swimsuits for each of you boys so we can start swimming in the pond."

"Damn, I forgot all about doin' that," Glen groaned. "We coulda changed into shorts and went swimmin' after we was done ridin' the four-wheelers."

"Yes, we could have, but I didn't think of doing that either. After we purchase swimsuits for you, we can go to a movie, if you want, and then we'll have dinner in the city as well. How does that sound?"

"Can we go to the new X-Men movie?" Laine asked.

"Sure, if everyone agrees."

"That sounds good to me, Dad," Dakota followed.

"Yeah, Dad, I like that idea too," Jamie agreed.

"And I'm also good with doin' that, Dad," Glen concurred.

"And if we do those other things, then I won't feel so bad about havin' to sit around while you guys are meetin' with the advocate," Laine pointed out.

As soon as our meeting ended, Dakota asked another question. "Dad, how about we go out and take a walk now?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, because the laundry has been piling up and I've got to take care of it, or we won't have anything to wear the next time you boys want to go out on the ATVs."

"Can we go for a walk without you then?"

"Sure, as long as you stay together."

"Ok, thanks. Come on, guys. Let's go out and do this."

"I'm gonna stay here," Jamie told them.

"You don't want to go with us?"

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here and help Dad."

"Ok, it's your choice," Dakota conceded before the three of them headed outside.

As soon as they left, I went to the laundry room to separate the clothes before putting the first load in the washing machine. When I came out after doing that, Jamie was waiting for me in the great room.

"Will you suck my cock again? I really liked it when you did it before." He then flashed me a toothy grin.

"Is that why you didn't go with the other boys?"

He nodded before looking down at the floor.

"That was pretty sneaky of you." He merely nodded again. "So, do you want to do this in your bedroom?"

"Nah, we can do it down here like the last time."

"Do you mean in the family room?"

"Yep," and then he went racing there ahead of me.

By the time I joined him, he already had his shorts and underwear completely off. "You aren't in a hurry, are you?" I teased.

He grinned broadly this time. "Yep, I really like it when you do this."

He then plopped down on the sofa, so I squatted down between his splayed legs. I attacked his little scrotum first and worked on it with my tongue, and then I took his entire pouch into my mouth and used my tongue to toy with it and the two marble size testicles contained inside. When I finally released his scrotum, I grabbed ahold of his legs, lifted them, and pushed them back to his chest so I could attack his tiny hole.

I ran my tongue around the area first, which caused him to giggle, and then I attempted to penetrate it with my tongue. He resisted the intrusion momentarily, but then he began to relax and eventually, his pucker opened up to my persistent prodding. When I was finally able to work my tongue in the opening, he began to moan in satisfaction. I did that for a couple of minutes, and when I eventually pulled away, I asked a question.

"Did you like that?"

"Yeah, it was like you were fuckin' me, but without usin' your cock. It wasn't as big either, so it didn't hurt. It just tickled and felt good."

"Do you want me to continue?"

"Yeah, do it a little longer, but then I want you to suck my cock."

"Ok, I'll do that too."

I attacked his butt again, but only for a brief time, and then I lowered his legs and took his penis into my mouth. It began to firm up rapidly, and as soon as he was fully erect, I let go of it briefly so I could run my tongue across the head and along the shaft for a few moments. After I felt that area had been sufficiently taken care of, I took his penis into my mouth again and began bobbing up and down on it.

Jamie was moaning, cooing, and really getting into it. His pelvis was bouncing up and down on the sofa cushion as he attempted to mirror my movements, and his hands were on my head like he was guiding my actions, but they were merely resting there instead. He may be the youngest of the boys, but it doesn't mean he enjoys sex any less, and he was proving to me that he has his needs as well.

I only did this for a couple more minutes before his stomach muscles tightened, and he began to grunt as the first string of his immature ejaculate shot into my mouth. I quickly glanced up at his face to see how he was doing, and his eyes had rolled back in their sockets as the wonderful feelings overwhelmed him. I continued nursing on his penis until I was confident that I'd drained it completely, and then I released it, stood up, and sat down on the sofa beside him.

I gave him plenty of time to enjoy his release and the wonderful feelings coursing through his body, and when he seemed to be coming back from soaring above the clouds, I bent over and kissed him. He was momentarily stunned by this move, but he quickly got into it and started kissing me back. We did that for a few minutes before I broke the kiss.

"Man, that was incredible," he gasped.

"Cumming or kissing?"

"All of it. I really enjoyed what you were doin' to my butt too. I was a little grossed out at first, but then it started feelin' really good, and I loved the way you sucked my cock too. I also liked kissing you, so thanks, Dad, that was wicked awesome."

"You're welcome, but now I suggest you get dressed before the other boys come back from their walk."

"Ok, and thanks."

"You're welcome, and I'll do whatever I can to protect you and make you happy."

"I know, and that's why I want you to adopt me and be my dad."

Now that Jamie was satisfied, I went to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and then I put another load into the washing machine. With four boys and myself, the laundry tends to pile up quickly, especially the towels. It's amazing how many of those we go through daily.

During that time, I heard the doorbell ring, and when I went to answer it, I found a deliveryman had left a package on the porch. I picked it up and brought it inside so I could check to see if it contained the item I'd ordered. It did, so I placed it on the counter for later.

It was another half hour before the other boys returned, so I thought I'd ask them about what they'd done while they each got something to drink from the refrigerator. "So, how was your walk?"

"It was good, and we walked a little way onto the government land," Laine responded. "We didn't go too far, cuz we wanted you to be with us when we did that."

"That was a wise move, because that place is huge, mostly wooded, and it's very easy to get confused and become lost."

"Yeah, that's why we didn't go very far," Dakota confirmed.

"But it's really nice in there, and it was like steppin' into a whole other world," Glen added.

"Yes, if you've never spent much time in the woods, then it can seem like you're in another world, maybe even on another planet. Did you see any animals?"

"A few. We saw a couple of deer when we were there. I think it was a doe and her fawn," Dakota answered.

"Yeah, when she saw us, she flipped her tail up in the air, so we got to see the white underside, and then she took off, and the fawn followed her."

"Yes, flipping the tail like that is how they signal danger to the other deer that are with them," I confirmed. "I'm glad you enjoyed your walk, and I'm happy you didn't try to go too far without me."

"So when will you take us in there?" Glen pressed.

"We can do it whenever you want. I just thought you'd rather use the time to ride the four-wheelers first so that I could show you the rest of my property."

"Yeah, we want to do that too," they all agreed.

"Well, doing both of those things will take a considerable amount of time, so which would you rather do first?"

"Uhhh, the four-wheelers," Laine responded.

"Yeah, let's do the four-wheelers first, and then we can go for a walk in the woods after we've done that," Glen concurred.

"Ok, that's fine with me."

The boys headed upstairs at this point, but I wasn't sure if they were doing it to wash up from their walk, play games, or have sex. It didn't matter, though, so I went to the laundry room to fold the load in the dryer, and then I put the next load in before doing another load in the washing machine. When I came out of doing that, I started to think about what I was going to fix for dinner.

When I saw the boys again, I asked them to go to the laundry room and get their clothes from the laundry basket, take them up to their rooms, and put them away. After a little grumbling, they did as I asked, and then they didn't come downstairs again until I called them to eat.

While we were sitting around the table, the boys began to ask more questions about the advocate, and it appeared they were worried that they might say something wrong during the interview. Seeing they were concerned, I attempted to put them at ease.

"Look, all you have to do is tell the person about how you were living on the street and why, as well as how much better things are now that you're living here. Just don't say anything about having sex with men or with me. If the advocate asks how you survived, just say that you found different ways, such as asking for money or you ate at shelters and things of that nature. I'm concerned that if you tell the advocate that you'd been having sex for money, then the advocate might assume you were doing something similar while staying with me. If the person draws that conclusion, then he or she would most likely recommend against the adoption."

"Yeah, that's what we was worried about," Dakota confirmed.

"Then stay focused on the positive. Just say you're happy here, that I'm taking good care of you, and that I'm making you work with the educational software so you'll be ready for school in the fall. And that reminds me of something else. I received a package while you were gone, and it contains the DVDs I ordered with the first season of Kung Fu. If you want, we can watch one or two episodes after we eat.

"Yeah, that sounds good," they agreed.

After we watched a couple of episodes, Glen looked at me and spoke. "Now I know why you called me grasshopper. When Caine was younger, his blind teacher was tryin' to get him to be patient, so he could learn the things he was tryin' to teach him, and that's what you want us to do too."

"You are correct, grasshopper."

After we finished doing that, we went upstairs to shower before going to bed because we'd have to get up early, so I could drive everyone into the city the next morning.

Chapter 20
The Advocate

On Tuesday, I woke the boys fairly early, and after we finished breakfast, I had them put on something nice for our trip into the city. It was going to be a long and busy day, so I suggested they should bring a book with them to read while the others were being interviewed.

During the drive, I heard the boys discussing the types of things they planned on telling the advocate, and after hearing this, I reminded them that they needed to relax and be spontaneous. I didn't want them to sound rehearsed, or the advocate might get suspicious that they had been coached. I also told them that they shouldn't all be saying the same things or in the same way, because that might set off alarm bells for the advocate as well. I told them just to be themselves and answer the questions the same way they might respond to me while also keeping in mind that they should keep their comments positive.

I drove directly to the courthouse and parked in the visitors' lot, and then I led the boys to the second floor as I looked for room 202. It was the first door at the top of the staircase on the right, so I knocked lightly on the door before I opened it. I obviously didn't have to do that because it opened into a waiting area, and off of that were a handful of smaller rooms. Before long, an older woman stepped out of one of the rooms and asked our names. After I told her, she introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Martha O'Donnell, and I'm the advocate assigned to this case. I'll meet with each of you separately, but I'm confused. You seem to have one more boy than what I was told about."

"Yes, the oldest boy, Laine, is not part of the adoption. He's a friend who came with us because we have other things to do after we leave here. I'm taking the boys to see a movie, and we're going to do some shopping."

"Ah, that sounds lovely, so I'm sure they'll enjoy it. I'll meet with the boys first, and then I'll speak to you. I'll start with the youngest boy…" and after saying this, she hesitated briefly as she glanced down at a piece of paper she was carrying, "James Palmer."

"Jamie, she wants to meet with you first," I advised him.

He looked a little uncomfortable as he walked forward to go with her, and then the rest of us settled in to wait our turn. The boys took out their books and began to read while they were waiting, and I did the same. When Mrs. O'Donnell came out with Jamie about thirty minutes later, she looked at the boys and smiled.

"Whenever I have to deal with multiple adoptees, I usually find them playing games on their phones, texting, or listening to music, so it's refreshing to see these boys reading instead."

"Dad bought these books for us, and he also got us educational software for the 'puter so we can work on it to get ready for school," Jamie told her. She looked at him curiously when he called me dad, so I felt I'd better explain.

"I've had custody of these boys, and they've been living with me for a while now, but they only recently started calling me dad," I explained.

"Yeah, it didn't seem right to be calling him Eric or Mr. Schultz, so we all agreed to call him dad," Dakota offered.

"I see, but I didn't realize they'd been living with you for an extended period," she replied.

"Dakota, the boy who just spoke, has been with me a couple of weeks longer than the others, but they've all been with me for a while now."

"And they feel close enough to you to call you dad already?"

"It was their idea. Jamie asked if he could call me dad first because he never knew his dad, and since doing this seemed to be important to him, I agreed. Dakota asked next, seeing his dad was also out of the picture, and he didn't get along with his stepdad. Glen decided to do it as well, and after they were all calling me dad, they also asked if I would adopt them, and I was happy to agree."

She nodded before she spoke again. "That's very interesting, and now I'll meet with Glen Wittes."

Glen got up and went with her, and after they'd disappeared into the office, I asked Jamie a question. "So, how did it go?"

"She seemed nice and just asked me if you were nice. She also wanted to know what it was like livin' with you and if I wanted you to adopt me. I told her yes, cuz my mom was dead and I didn't know my real dad, and she was writtin' all that stuff down while I was tellin' her about it."

"I see, and it sounds as if it went well."

He nodded, and then I handed him his book before he sat down in the chair next to me. About a half-hour later, Glen and Mrs. O'Donnell emerged from the office, and she asked for Dakota to join her next.

"Any problems?" I asked Glen as soon as the office door closed behind them.

"Nah, she just asked me why I wanted you to adopt me, so I told her my dad's in prison and my mom's in jail. I also told her they said my mom was unfit to raise me even after she got outta jail, so they put me in a foster home. She knew I'd run away from there, so I told her why I left and said it was because the other kids were pickin' on me about my parents, and I got sick of it and took off. She asked if I might run away from you too, and I told her no, cuz I liked livin' with you cuz you were nice and took good care of us."

"Then it sounds as if your interview went very well too."

Glen then went back to reading his book, and when Dakota emerged with Mrs. O'Donnell, I knew it was my turn next. It also meant I didn't have a chance to chat with Dakota before I went with her, and I followed her into the office and sat down on the chair she pointed at.

"So how did you first become involved with these boys?" she began.

"My best friend is a sergeant with the police department, and he called me when Dakota was brought to the station. He'd been picked up by mall security and turned over to the police."

"I'm not sure I understand. Why did he call you?"

"I have a doctorate in psychology and work for a school district, and he thought I might be able to help Dakota work through whatever problems he was having. He also knows I'm financially independent and could afford to do this, and I was more than willing to help."

"So, you're a professional."

"I like to think so."

"Are you married?"

"No, I'm afraid not. However, I have a very large house, and each boy has his own bedroom."

"If you aren't married, then why do you live in such a large house?"

"I guess when I had it built, I was hoping that my friends would come by and spend time there when they were on vacation or during the holidays. The thing is, I love the peace and quiet of living in the country, and I own 960 acres, so I guess I felt a small house wouldn't be appropriate for such a large spread."

"Yes, the boys mentioned that you own a lot of land, and you allow them to drive four-wheelers to get around on it."

"Yes, I trained them on the four-wheelers in stages. I have also supervised them every step of the way before I allowed them to follow me around as I drove my four-wheeler, but they aren't allowed to use them when I'm not there. Training them to drive was the best way to gain their trust and for them to see how much land I own."

"Yes, they seemed very impressed by that. So why does a single man want to adopt three boys?"

"I didn't at first, but as I got to know them and heard their stories, I wanted to do whatever I could to make up for the lousy hands that life had dealt them. They're all great kids, and I've really enjoyed having them around."

"They've told me that you cook all of the meals."

"Yes, I cook, clean, do laundry, and whatever else it takes. I also try to supervise their educational endeavors, since I felt they might be behind others their age after what they've been through."

"Yes, I was impressed by the fact that you bought those things for them to use, as well as learning the boys have agreed to work with the software, as you asked."

"Yes, I've used the four-wheelers as an incentive to get them to cooperate. They all knew I wouldn't teach them how to drive or allow them to ride on the trails with me unless they also did those things as well, so they've been fully cooperative."

"It sounds as if you've been using a little positive reinforcement?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I've done. I learned about B. F. Skinner's behavior modification techniques in college and have used them with the students I work with at school, and now with these boys."

"Very impressive, and the boys seem to be responding to it."

"Yes, they are."

"You must be very effective at school as well."

"I like to think so."

We talked for a little while longer, and when we finished, I asked her if I had to worry about the adoptions being approved.

"I will write up my report and forward it to the family court judge. He'll then have a copy forwarded to your attorney, and then your attorney will contact you. I'm sure you'll be satisfied when he informs you about the contents of my report."

I thanked her and left the office, and then the boys followed me out to the SUV. Once we were inside, they asked how my interview went.

"I think it went very well and I don't believe there will be any problems with the adoptions. She seemed to be very impressed with each of you boys."

"I think she was impressed with you too," Dakota responded. "She asked me lots of questions about you, and it looked like she was happy with the things I told her."

"Anything in particular?"

"Just what your house is like and who fixes the meals and stuff like that. She also asked about the books we was readin' and the educational software you bought for us. I also told her 'bout you teachin' us to drive the four-wheelers."

"Yes, she asked me about each of those things as well."

"And she asked me whose idea it was to start callin' you dad," Glen interjected. "I told her Jamie and Dakota started doin' it first, and then I did it too. She asked if you'd told any of us that we had to call you dad, and I said you just told us we could call you Eric when we first got there and never told us anything else."

"Ok, well, I guess you boys must have told her the right things because she seemed satisfied with all of it."

"Yay," they all cheered.

I then drove the boys to a restaurant for lunch, and we were able to take our time eating before going over to the lawyer's office. During that time, the boys continued telling me about the various things they remembered from their chat with Mrs. O'Donnell, and nothing raised any red flags for me. I also used my phone to look up the times the movie they wanted to see was going to be shown, and when we finished, I had them hop in the SUV so I could drive them to Murray's office.

After I parked the car, the boys walked with me to the office, since I didn't want to leave them alone in the car on a hot day. Murray's secretary smiled at the boys when we entered, and then she called her boss to let him know we were there. He came out a few minutes later to greet us.

"Eric, it's nice to see you again, and I take it these are the young men I've been doing all the work for?"

"Yes, they are." I then introduced him to each of the boys.

We then went into his office, and he gave me all of the paperwork, and then he asked how the interviews with the advocate went.

"I thought they went quite well," I answered, and then each of the boys told him a little bit about what they'd discussed with the advocate.

"I'm glad to hear it went well," Murray concurred.

As soon as we left his office, we went back to the SUV, and I drove the boys over to the cinema complex. We went directly to the ticket booth, and I purchased our tickets, and then I bought everyone a drink before we headed to the assigned theater to watch X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The boys were chatting excitedly as we took our seats, and Jamie and Dakota sat on either side of me. Each of the boys was looking forward to seeing it, and we only had to wait about fifteen minutes before the previews began. Once those ended, the lights dimmed completely as the movie started.

In this particular version of the franchise, Jean Grey gets hit by some kind of cosmic force when she's in space, and it has the side effect of increasing her strength and causes her to become mentally unstable. Eventually, she spirals out of control and ends up hurting the ones she cares about the most, including the X-Men. Since she is so powerful, the X-Men have to find a way to save both Jean and the planet at the same time.

The boys seemed to really enjoy the movie, and I enjoyed it as well, although not as much as they did. However, it did what I wanted and pleased the troops, and after we left the theater, I drove them over to a sporting goods store so they could pick out a swimsuit. I let them look through the selection first and then I had each boy pick out a couple of different swimsuits to try on.

Before they went into the changing rooms, I advised them to leave their underwear on while they were doing this, and stated that they could choose the pair they thought looked best. They came out to model them for me after they tried on each pair, and to my surprise, they sought my opinion about which swimsuit I thought looked best on them.

"It's more about which one you think looks best and that you feel comfortable in," I replied.

"Yeah, but which one do you think looks good on me?" Laine countered.

The others basically said the same thing, and once I gave them my opinion, they each selected the swimsuit that I'd pointed out. I guess my input mattered after all.

Once we finished up there, I took the boys out to eat dinner before we headed home. It was a little earlier than we normally ate, but not by much, and I wanted to do this, so I didn't have to cook as soon as we reached the house. It had already been a long and draining day, and I didn't want to have to start fixing a meal after the long drive home.

After we ordered, the boys began chatting with me. "You picked that swimsuit for me cuz you could see my bulge better, didn't you?" Laine asked, although in a hushed voice.

"Actually, I thought it showed off your ass better," I shot back in the same low tone.

"That's ok too," he said with a grin.

"Thanks for doin' that for us," Jamie said next, "and for takin' us to see the movie."

"You're welcome, and I enjoyed it too."

"I know, but I still wanted to thank you."

"So, what do you boys want to do when we get home?"

"I just want to take it easy," Glen suggested.

"Yeah, me too, so maybe we should just watch TV," Dakota added.

"Ok, and how about tomorrow. Would you like to go for a walk in the woods on the government land, or drive the four-wheelers over more of my property?"

The boys spent the next several minutes debating this amongst themselves, and they even continued doing it after our meals were delivered. Finally, Dakota answered for them.

"We wanna ride the four-wheelers around tomorrow, and then we can go on a walk the next day. Ok?"

"It's fine with me, as long as it's what you boys have agreed to."

"Yeah, it is," they all confirmed.

After we finished our meals, we loaded into the SUV again and headed home. As soon as we got there, I had the boys take their swimsuits to the laundry room so I could wash them before we used them for swimming in the pond, and then I waited to see what they wanted to do next. They had all gone to the family room to see what was on TV, and a short time later, I heard someone call me.

"Dad, aren't you comin' in to watch TV with us?" Jamie shouted.

"Yes, I'll be right there."

When I went in to join them, they were arranged the same way as every other time, but as soon as I sat down Jamie crawled onto my lap and leaned back against me. Laine was still sitting on the floor between my legs, and when Glen noticed that Jamie was on my lap again, he came over and took Jamie's place on the sofa.

"I'm glad he decided to do that again, cuz now I can sit next to you," he stated as he sat down beside me.

"Yes, Jamie seems to enjoy sitting on my lap, rather than beside me."

"That's good, cuz now I get to sit with all of you too. I liked doin' that the last time."

"I didn't realize it was important to you to be able to do that."

"It wouldn't have been if I was still livin' with my other dad, cuz he'd never do stuff like this with me. I always wanted him to, but he never would, and I really like being close to you now."

"Then I'll sit on Dad's lap every time we do this so you can sit there," Jamie offered.

"And who says I want your bony butt on my lap?" I quipped.

"You know you like doin' this too," he replied as he wiggled his little ass before he tilted his head so he could kiss me on the cheek.

"You must be taking lessons from Dakota," I teased.

"Hey, I didn't do nothin'," Dakota objected.

"No, not this time, but he's doing the same types of things you always do to get me to give in when you've done something without asking first," I replied.

"Ok, so maybe I've done that a few times."

"Oh, you've done it more than just a few times."

"Shhh, let's just watch TV," he urged with a smirk.

Seeing it was Tuesday night, I knew it meant we'd be watching NCIS, FBI, and NCIS: New Orleans because the boys liked those shows. I enjoyed them as well, so I spent the next three hours watching those programs with them. When the last show ended, we all went upstairs to shower and go to bed, and I was definitely ready for a good night's sleep, but Dakota had something else in mind for me. As soon as we got into bed, he told me what he wanted.

"I need you to make love to me before we go to sleep," he stated emphatically.

"Dakota, I'm beat and don't think I can do that tonight. It's been a long day, and I'm really tired."

"Awww, come on. We gotta do somethin'."

"What if I just suck you off instead?"

"I'd rather you made love to me, but I guess doin' that would be better than nothin'."

Seeing he'd relented, I reached over and slowly fondled his genitals. He immediately reacted and began to firm up, and this caused him to quickly push his boxer briefs down to his knees to give me access. As soon as his penis was exposed, I leaned over and used my tongue to stimulate his glans, and I used my hand to manipulate his scrotum. After doing that for a couple of minutes, I moved between his legs and removed his underwear completely, and then I bent down to work on his scrotum with my lips and tongue as well.

Dakota was moaning and squirming about on the mattress as I did this, and eventually, I used my hands to grab behind his knees so that I could lift his legs, and then I pushed them back to his chest. As soon as he was in this position, I dove down and attacked his twitching hole. Dakota liked it when I rimmed him, and since I knew I was too tired to get it up to make love to him tonight, I felt this might suffice. I attacked his chute with my tongue and did my best to drive him crazy with delight, and then I worked my way up his perineum so I could attack his scrotum. I took his testicles into my mouth, one at a time, and toyed with them briefly, and then I took both of them together. When I released those watery orbs, I moved on to my next target.

I paid attention to every inch of flesh on his quivering penis as I worked my way up the shaft to the glans, which was already leaking profusely. I took a few seconds to enjoy his pre-ejaculate first, and then I opened my mouth and lowered it over his erection. As soon as I'd swallowed it completely, I began to nod up and down on it and maintained a nice, steady rhythm.

His hips began bouncing up and down on the mattress as he mirrored my actions, and a few minutes later, he grabbed the sheets with both hands. As he clutched the fabric between his fingers, he bucked upward and then froze as the first strands of his creamy boy seed filled my mouth. I enjoyed the flavor for as long as I could, but eventually I had to swallow, since he continued firing more strands after that, and then I continued sucking on his penis until I'd drained it completely.

When I realized it was time to pull off his deflating rod, I moved back up beside him and stared into his beautiful face as he enjoyed the wonderful feelings that were still coursing through his body. When his eyes began to flutter open as he returned to the land of the living after enjoying his post-orgasmic haze, I leaned down to kiss him. He still wasn't entirely with it, so he didn't react at first, but then he returned my kiss with as much passion as he felt at the moment.

"Thanks, that was really great, and I feel better now," he said when we eventually pulled apart.

"I'm glad, and I enjoyed it too."

Now that he'd recovered, I settled in next to him, and he immediately placed his head on my chest and cuddled with me. It was apparent that he wasn't about to put his underwear on again, so I pulled the sheet over both of us, kissed him on the forehead, and then we gradually fell asleep.

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