Friends and Family Series

Pip

By: Ron Robbins
(© 2012 by the author)
Editor: Frank Perry

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 1 

Philip Francisco Pizarro

Pip parked his car and ran through the pouring rain to the door of his basement apartment. The wind driven rain was almost too much for his umbrella. Some inconsiderate driver had parked in the restricted parking area once again, blocking the entrance to the building. The car's bumper was so close to the door that Pip had barely enough room to squeeze through. It really annoyed Pip that some people could be so inconsiderate. The police were pretty faithful about issuing parking tickets, but people kept parking there anyway.

Pip was soaked to the skin by the time he got inside. He unlocked his door and checked with his roommate to make sure that the parked car was not one of Joel's friends. When he found out it was not, he dashed out again and let the air out of two of the tires on the offending vehicle. When he returned to the apartment, he called the police.

The apartment was in a fashionable neighborhood off Peachtree Road near Phipps Plaza. Pip chose the area because it was close to the restaurant where he worked as a part-time waiter. The local residents were tolerant toward Latin Americans and of people of mixed ethnic backgrounds.

Pip received his doctorate in medicine from Cornell University and had interned at New York Hospital, in Manhattan. At present, he was completing his postgraduate degree in plastic surgery at Emory Medical School.

His salary as a resident at Emory was not enough to cover all his expenses, so he supplemented his income by waiting tables at La Grotto Ristorrante. La Grotto was one of the posh gourmet restaurants in Atlanta. He liked working there because of the good tips, and for the clientele that frequented the restaurant.

His father was punishing Pip for not attending a medical school in South America by giving him just enough to subsist, and no more. Pip, a native of Lima, Peru, has been a resident in the United States for over eight years. His decision to study medicine in the States did not sit well with his parents. His father was not happy that he attended Medical School in the first place, let alone the United States. If his Uncle Juan, an eminent physician in Lima, had not championed his cause, he would never have made it to medical school in the United States.

In the beginning, he missed his family and friends in Lima. He didn’t realize how unfriendly New Yorker’s were to Latinos. His classmates and teachers were friendly enough, but once he left Ithaca and moved to New York City for his internship, he learned how dangerous New York City could be. He learned this after he was mugged twice. Ironically, both times it was by Latino's. Pip could never understand this, because he was a Latino himself. He became cautious, particularly after dark. He would only leave the hospital in the company of other people after his second attack.

When the opportunity opened up at Emory University in Atlanta, he pounced on it. He was in the top ten percent of his class at Cornell and was highly praised by his teachers at the New York Hospital. Emory welcomed him warmly. He liked New York as a city, but could not cope with the people, or the high cost of living. He spent a week surveying Atlanta before making his final decision. Atlanta, as it turned out, was a cosmopolitan and charming city. He found the people to be friendly and the weather to his liking. He fell in love with the city. It turned out that Joel Cohen, a fellow intern at Cornell, was also accepted at Emory. Since Joel and Pip were friends, they decided to share an apartment together.

After Pip returned to the apartment from doing his little number on the car, he was dripping wet. Joel smiled at him, “Boy, are you cheap! Can't you spend fifty-cents and use the Laundromat like everyone else?”

“I'm short this month,” Pip said. “All kidding aside, I'm getting tired of these inconsiderate jerks. This driver left less than ten inches to squeeze through that door. Let's see how he likes the idea of changing a tire in the rain, unless the police decide to tow the car away before he returns.”

“Why do I get the impression that you're not a happy camper tonight?” Joel asked. “It's not just the car thing that has you so upset, is it?”

“This has not been my night,” Pip said. “Tonight I served this customer that gave me a hard time. He made me feel extremely uncomfortable. The guy was coming on to me big time. I've never experienced that kind of behavior before at La Grotto. Sure, I run into the usual complainers, but that goes with the territory.”

“What did he say, or do, that got you so upset?”

“Things like, 'You've got nice buns,' and 'How's about a date tomorrow night', or 'I want to see that beautiful body naked.' He kept it up the entire time he was there.”

“So what's the problem,” Joel asked. “You do have a nice body and nice buns.” Joel laughed, “So, what time is he picking you up tomorrow?”

“Very funny, everything is a joke with you,” Pip said. “I can't make it tomorrow anyway, I'm on duty.”

“Did you tell Emile, that jerk you work for, about what happened?”

“I sure did. He said that the guy was Grant Westerville, and I should forget about the incident. As it so happens, the Westerville's are regular customers and spend a lot of money every year at the restaurant. Emile said Grant Junior was a little hung over and that an experienced waiter could handle him. In other words, get with the program; waiters are a dime a dozen, good customers aren't.”

“What finally happened?”

“Emile helped me serve the spoiled brat and I got through the ordeal.”

“He left me a fifty-dollar tip with his card attached. He scribbled a little note on the back that sounded threatening. Here, take a look.” He handed Joel the card. “I also showed Emile the card and told him to have someone else wait on him, or I would press charges, good customer or not.”

“Did you have any witnesses?” Joel asked.

“No one overheard him as he spoke very softly,” Pip said. “Hell, I could barely hear him myself. There is something about that guy that I find disturbing. You know Emile will fire me if I make waves, he's not going to lose a customer because of me.”

“What does the guy look like?”

“He's a good-looking all-American type, clean cut, well built, green eyes with blond curly hair. I would say he is in his mid-to-late twenties. For sure, he's not going to make it into his thirties. Grant is heavy into drugs. I've treated enough junkies to spot the signs.”

“Look, don't let pretty boy scare you off, you keep his card in a safe place, and try to get a copy of that bill he signed. Ask the other waiters if they had any trouble with the guy and let them know what happened to you in case he tries it again. At least they'll know the score. Are there any other attractive waiters working there besides you?”

Pip smiled, “It's hard to tell with gringos, they all look alike,” Pip said. “I guess you could say that Brad and Tim are not bad looking.”

“You tell them what a big tipper this Grant Westerville is and that you don't like waiting on spoiled brats no matter how much they tip. These guys will fall over each other to serve him. If he hits on them, you'll have the evidence you need.”

“Cover yourself on this guy, Pip. This Grant sounds like he usually gets what he wants, you on the other hand are a poor struggling waiter. If he pulls the same stunt again go to the cops and file a complaint.”

“You know how powerful the Westervilles are in this town? They own Peachtree Industries, and Grant Senior donates big bucks to Emory,” Joel said. “The old man seems like a square shooter. I've met him at one of the fund-raising benefits.”

Pip saw Grant at La Grotto several more time after that incident. Emile kept his word and assigned other waiters to serve him and he was never bothered again.

♦      ♦      ♦      ♦      ♦      ♦

Brad and Pip were in the dining room setting the tables for dinner. “Have you ever gone out on the town with Grant Westerville,” Brad asked?

“No, why do you ask?”

“Level with me, Pip. Did he ever come on to you?”

“Yea, that why I refuse to wait on him.”

“He has taken me with him a few times, bar hopping,” Brad said. “After the evening wears on, he gets high and the subject always comes around to you. Grant has the hots for you in a big way. The only reason he wines and dines me is to learn everything he can about you. I thought you swung both ways and had a good time with him?”

“The only time I've ever met him was at La Grotto and he came on strong,” Pip said. “I don't like the guy and I'll have nothing to do with him. My advice to you is to give him a wide berth.”

“I think he is bisexual,” Brad said. “I know he is into kinky sex and wants me to go to bed with him. We've been out on the town several times. He's not a bad guy at all and he pays for everything. He's harmless enough, into threesomes, and he'll pay big for the ride.”

“You mean you would go to bed with him?”

“Only in a threesome,” Brad said. “I told him I'd do it for a thousand bucks if he supplies the girl and the motel.”

“What about Tom, has Grant made a pass at him,” Pip asked.

“Grant is not interested in anyone else,” Brad said. “I told you, he only has eyes for you, old buddy.”

“God, I hope you didn't tell him anything about me, this guy could cause me problems.”

“Cool it, I told him you were a struggling Latino who was saving every penny to bring your family to the United States,” Brad said. “I also told him you live in a dumpy rooming house on Pounce de Leon Avenue.”

“Thanks, Brad, I owe you one; watch yourself with Grant, he'll try to get you hooked on drugs if he can, I know the type.”

The next day at lunch, Pip told Joel what he had learned from Brad. “That guy is bad news, Pip. I hope Brad takes your advice,” Joel said. “But somehow I feel your advice has fallen on deaf ears, as far as Brad is concerned. He's looking for a good time with a big spender. You've warned him and there's not much else you can do.”

“I don't understand why Grant Senior doesn't try to save his son,” Joel said. “Jesus, he's got to know how these drugs are ruining his son's life.”

“It would take a lot to cure him at this point,” Pip said. “I wonder if the old man is up to tough love, to straighten out his son.”

“You’re probably right, you would need complete control over Grant, and that guy has the bucks to buy his way out of anything.”

One Month Later

The telephone awoke Pip at two o'clock in the morning. The call was from the doctor at the trauma center at Grady Memorial Hospital to let him know that there was a Brad Baker in the emergency room asking for him. The doctor said they brought Brad into the emergency room an hour ago in bad shape. He gave Pip a run down on his condition and told him he notified the on-call surgeon of the emergency.

“What was that all about?” Joel asked.

“Now that you're awake, would you come with me to the Trauma Center at Grady? They brought in Brad an hour ago and he's in bad shape.”

“Sure, let’s go; you can tell me about it on the way.”

The ER doctor took them over to see Brad. “We're prepping him for surgery now. As soon as we can reach the specialists on call, we'll be ready to move on him. All of a sudden they can't be found.”

“The chief of the surgical staff said to give this case to you two, so, doctors, he is all yours.”

Pip and Joel examined Brad and studied the x-rays. “What a mess,” Joel said. “Someone did a number on him, would you like me to assist you on this one, Pip?”

“God, that would be great,” Pip said. “I'll owe you big for this one, Joel.”

The facial reconstruction surgery took Pip four hours to complete. Joel did a beautiful job repairing the bones in Brad's right hand.

“Lucky for him he's young,” Joel said. “He'll knit fine; it's fortunate that he had the two best resident surgeons on the job to patch him up. I'll send you a nice fat bill, doctor. Do you want to sleep in the doctor's lounge, or would you prefer the Hilton?”

“I think I skip the Hilton for tonight,” Pip said. “Thanks for your help, Joel. I'll stick around until he is out of recovery. You go on home and get some sleep.”

Pip was in the recovery room when Brad came around. Pip sat on the edge of the bed going over his chart.

Brad opened his eyes and tried to smile, but winced from the pain. “You were right,” Brad said, “Grant is a crazy bastard.”

“Was Grant responsible for this?”

“More or less,” Brad said. “His two goons took care of me, after he had raped me. We were all doing drugs, but Grant went wild when I wouldn’t give him your address and telephone number. He going to get you, Pip, he kept saying that over, and over. I told you he has this thing about your rejection of him, and he is bound and determined to find you.”

“Did you fill out a police report?”

“You bet, I told them everything except the money part. I don't know what good it's going to do. The Westerville's have high-priced lawyers on their side. It really comes down to his word against mine. Who do you think they will believe?”

Pip discussed the whole situation later that afternoon with Joel and explained his plan.

“Are you out of your mind?” Joel asked. “You'd be throwing away your certification for this guy. Don't you think you're overreacting? Why would you throw everything aside, on the possibility that this guy might track you down. What makes you think this jerk is going to break your hands, or throw acid in your eyes now?”

Joel could see that Pip was annoyed with his comments. “Okay, I'm sorry, it’s easy for me to say, right? Look, Pip, I hate to see you waste your time on this guy, that's all.”

“That's all right,” Pip said. “I happen to take Grant seriously. So I'll lose another year, but look at it this way, not only will I be well compensated for my efforts, I will have removed any possible threat to my life. I really don't have a choice. How do we know at this point that Grant has not put a contract out on me? I'm calling Grant's father, now.”

When Grant senior arrived, Pip took him into one of the small conference rooms where they would not be disturbed.

“Will you kindly tell me what all this nonsense is about my son?”

Pip explained his story from the beginning up to his meeting with Brad earlier. “I can assure you, Mister Westerville, I'm not making this up. I can verify everything I have told you.”

Grant's dad let out his breath, “I believe you. How much will it cost to hush this up?”

“Two million dollars,” Pip said. “I will need a million dollars deposited in my account if you accept my offer and another million dollars when Grant is cured.”

“You don't beat around the bush, do you, Dr. Pizarro?”

Pip smiled, “That's a small price to pay for the life of your son. If Grant was my son, I wouldn't hesitate to spend whatever it took to save him, but we see things differently.”

“I'm giving up a year of my career to treat Grant. Your son had threatened to destroy my career and I'm not going to allow that to happen. If you give me Grant for one year, I'll cure him of his substance abuse and return him to you whole. At that point, we can both get on with our lives.”

“You have yourself a deal,” Senior said. “You're the first doctor that has told me that he can help my son, and I believe you. I've tried everything I could to help Grant. I'm the first to admit that I've failed so far. You are my only hope. If the police get involved in this, or the news media get a smell of this, I won't be able to keep him out of jail.”

“Doctor, what guarantee do I have that you will do as you say? How do I know that your treatment plan won't harm my son even more?”

“I am a doctor, Mr. Westerville. It's my job to save lives, not to destroy them. I've anticipated your concerns and have prepared my biography, together with a list of references that you are welcome to check. I don't feel that the drugs have destroyed his brain yet; of course, I'll know more after I've reviewed his test results. He must be examined by my own team of doctors.”

“I suggest you don't waste any time to locate him and admit him to a sanatorium under your control and keep him under sedation until you decide what to do. I believe your son is determined to harm me and will succeed unless he is stopped. In the meantime, I will be leaving Atlanta until Grant is securely in a sanatorium, or in police custody. If I don't hear from you within seven days, I will take my case to the District Attorney and file charges against Grant for harassment. Perhaps, sir, you would be kind enough to drive me to the airport, my plane leaves in less than an hour.”

“No problem, and please call me GW.”

Pip handed GW a large envelope as they walked out the front entrance where GW's limo was parked.

As they were heading to Hartsfield International, GW said, “You don't have to leave, Grant will be in the sanatorium within the hour.”

“A smart move, but I have no way of knowing whether Grant has already put a contact out on me,” Pip said. “I suggest that you freeze all of Grant's assets until you have resolved this problem. Your son is no fool and he'll blow his top if he learns about our plan.”

GW smiled, “You're a clever man, doctor; you're right, of course, I've already checked you out with the Dean of the Medical School and he vouches for you. You'll have your money within two days. Go ahead with your plans and call me when you're ready.”

“You've made the right decision, GW, Grant should be fine. It will take me at least two weeks to arrange to move Grant. When you admit Grant to the sanatorium, use my name as his personal physician. I'll be sending in my team of specialists to do a complete work-up on him. In addition, I will need your son's medical records and the names of all the doctors that have treated him in the past. Please arrange to have that forwarded to me next week.”

“Finally, I will need a letter of authorization from you stating that Grant is under my care, and finally, I'll need his passport.”

“Make arrangements to have Brad Baker moved into a private room at Grady. Brad is the man your son had beaten-up. If you agree to pay his hospital bills and reimburse him for the salary he will be losing due to his injuries, I think I can talk him into dropping all charges against Grant. Brad is a nice guy, GW. His mistake was in getting involved with a junky like your son. His right hand was so badly mangled that he will not be able to work for some time.”

Pip smiled, “Of course, I did an excellent job putting his face back together again. I must confess, I'm a damn good plastic surgeon.”

Pip called Brad from Hartsfield and told him of the deal he made with Mr. Westerville. In return for his cooperation, he had to drop all charges against Grant. He warned Brad not to play any games with GW if he comes through with the deal. If he did, he would bill him twenty grand for the operation. Brad assured him he had learned his lesson the hard way and planned to be a good boy.

The next two days in Miami were hectic. Pip developed a detailed plan for the transport and care of his patient. He called his Uncle Juan in Peru to outline his plan. Pip explained the treatment plan and his need for an isolated location close enough to a medium-sized village to set up a fully equipped clinic to treat the locals. He still wanted to practice medicine and to hone his skills in plastic surgery.

He asked his uncle's help in implanting three electronic devices in Grant when he arrived in Lima. The devices are ordered and should be ready in two weeks. Two specialists at Emory developed Grant’s treatment plan. It was their suggestion to implant the devices to control his aggressive nature. His immediate need was to hire a staff and the services of a security agency to provide him with the guards he would need to protect Grant and secure the complex he would be using. He also needed to hire a reliable company to supply his facility with provisions and a staff.

Pip questioned his uncle about the possibility of renting one of the small facilities that the CIA had turned over to the Peruvian government several years ago. He recalled a visit he and his father had made to one of those facilities several years ago. Each facility was a self-sufficient unit, complete with its own electric power and water supply. It had all the creature comforts that you would expect in your own living quarters.

His uncle said he would contact one of his friends at the Defense Ministry to see what he could work out.

Pip asked his uncle to meet him in Lima at the end of the week to work out the details. He had already arranged for a private jet to transport Grant from Atlanta to Lima.

“Why are you doing all this, Pip?” Juan asked. "This man is a total stranger.”

“I've already told you, Tio,” Pip said. “I was afraid he would get to me and do harm to me, and besides, I will be paid handsomely for curing him.”

“There's more to it than that,” Juan said. “This man is not a threat to you now. Why not treat him in the hospital in Atlanta and let your specialists take care of him?”

“I want to cure him of his drug problem because I'm attracted to him, if you must know the truth,” Pip said. “Is that what you wanted to know?”

“Not really, Pip. I cannot understand why you would want to waste your time on this drug addict. You could have found a nice clean-cut male in Atlanta. Do you realize the problems you're facing with this patient, he is a confirmed drug addict, and there are no guarantees with drug addicts? He could fall right back into drugs after his treatment. Or, is Grant your penance because you are a homosexual?”

“I make no excuse for what I am doing and I have no crosses to bear,” Pip said. “Grant is the only man I've felt this way about. Even though he has a drug addiction, I still want him. I realized he could be trouble. That is why I gave him a wide berth. However, this did not mitigate my feelings for him.”

“I seized on this opportunity as a way to find out about myself and to get him out of my system. I don't feel I will be wasting two years of my life. I will still continue practicing medicine and at the same time help my own people in the process.”

“All right, Pip, I'll do what you ask,” Juan said. “But I warn you, be careful; I don't want to see you get hurt.”

“Thanks, Tio, I knew I could count on you.”

Four days later, Pip had worked a few minor miracles. He had received and reviewed Grant's medical records, and also had the letters of authorization that he had requested from GW. The specialists that examined Grant were evaluating their tests. Pip prepared the necessary transfer documents and releases to get Grant to Lima. He used his family's connections to smooth the way when they arrived in Peru.

GW lived up to his part of the agreement. He had wired the million dollars to Pip's bank in Nassau. In their last telephone conversation, GW told Pip he was taking Brad under his wing and he would be moving him into his home until he was well enough to work again. He also is insisting that Brad go back to Georgia Tech and finish his degree.

In the meantime, Tio Juan had found two sites for Pip to evaluate. One was in the mountains; the other was close to a large village. He could decide which one he wanted on Friday. They were also scheduled to meet with the security agency and with the company that was to handle the provisions and maintenance of the complex.

Lima, Peru 

Pip and his uncle made the tour of both sites, and Pip selected the complex in the mountains. The buildings at that site were all above ground and the complex resembled a typical farm in the area. The entire complex was built to U.S. standards with modern bathrooms, running hot water, modern kitchen and laundry facilities, a generating plant and a fresh water supply. The main building was a large, spacious residence including several guest bedrooms.

In addition, it had a completely equipped surgery with private bedrooms for patients and staff alike. The complex sat atop a mountain with a service road that was cut into the side of the mountain. The site was only thirty minutes, by helicopter, from Lima. It was completely isolated from the rest of the area, and could be reached by the road, or helicopter.

“This is an ideal location, Tio. Will you have the papers drawn up for a one year lease with an option for a second year? One thing, does this area still have those severe thunder storms every year?”

“It sure does, nature never changes,” Juan said. “If you have decided on this place, I have something to show you; come with me.” Tio Juan led him back into the library and locked the door behind them. He pressed a hidden button next to the bookshelf frame, whereupon a section of the bookcases swung open, revealing a concrete staircase. They descended the stairs and faced a large steel door. He pulled the second door open. This was a soundproofed steel door that locked from the inside with a mechanism like a bank vault. Beyond the door was a large combination bedroom and sitting room with doors that led to a small kitchen area and a bathroom. The other door led into a large walk-in dressing room. At the back of the closet was a smaller steel door. Juan inserted the key in the lock and opened the door. This was a room as large as the dressing room, packed with racks of communications equipment. One wall contained racks of color TV monitors.

“This was used as the command center,” Juan said. “From here you can monitor the entire facility, including the main road. The site is equipped with infrared and video cameras. This equipment is operational and very sophisticated. You have your own satellite communication system to connect you to anyplace in the world.”

“The main security building has the same equipment, but you can control that location from here. They don't have the sat-com equipment. You can shut that equipment off from here. I suggest you keep this bunker closed and locked at all times. Don't let anyone know this room exists. You can also monitor and control the implanted devices from here as well, once they are in place in your boyfriend.”

“He is not my boyfriend, Tio, and for God's sake don't breathe a word of this to my father. I'm sure Dad would shoot me on the spot if he knew.”

“Your sex life is your own business, and I never discuss our private conversations. Now, let’s move on to our next meeting; we don't have much time left.”

“I'll handle this deal with the Minister, he will send you an invoice for the rental,” Juan said. “You can reimburse me for the cash I will give him as his finder's fee. The same applies to the security people. Is that a problem for you?”

“That's fine, Tio, just let me know how much I owe you and I'll wire the funds directly to your account,” Pip said. “I really appreciate your help.”

They met with the other two contractors and closed the deal on the security people and the staff. Pip had them draw the contracts while he was there and asked them to start their operations the next day.

Pip told the contractors he wanted everything operational by the following week. The staffing organization began ordering provisions and supplies. The team’s staff director said he would assign a full time manager to the facility that would supervise the staff and keep track of the supplies. They would purchase all supplies and provisions at the most favorable price and add their handling fee to the overall invoice. The staff was to be paid semi-monthly and the vehicle would be leased on a monthly basis. “Gentlemen, the arrangements are fine with me,” Pip said. “I will be ordering my medical equipment and supplies from the United States and would like you to handle the shipments through customs. That equipment should be arriving in two days.”

Pip moved into the complex two days later. His uncle hired an experienced male nurse and two male orderlies experienced in working with mental patients. They had the surgery set up and the medication cataloged in a matter of days. Pip worked out his treatment plan and contingency plan with his new staff. They also prepared the special room that they would need for Grant.

“You know, physically, Grant could be a handful,” Gregory, the nurse, said. “From his records I can see that this guy is not that tall, but he has a powerful build. Sometimes these druggies have the strength of three men.”

“I'll be able control him,” Pip said. “For the record, the guy does not have a penny to his name, so he cannot buy his way out of this one. All his assets are frozen. He is going to have to do things my way from now on and he is not used to taking orders.”

“Always bear in mind that he is our patient,” Pip said. “Not only are we treating a long term drug problem, but we are treating an attitude problem as well. I'm going to reach this guy and turn him around. According to my experts, we can cure him of the drug dependence. I have two years to make a human being out of him and make sure he does not go back on drugs.”

“The real problem is his attitude,” Pip said. “I can't start on that until the drugs are out of his system. I figure three to six months to detox him. Then we can start on a physical exercise program to get him back into shape. That is the time he will be difficult to handle. We won't know his game plan until he gives us the script. The physical therapist will devise a workout plan for him. I want him to spend as much time as possible in the fresh air. He cannot escape from this facility, anyway where would he go without money, or passport.”

Pip explained the special devices that are to be implanted in their patient and how the electrodes worked. The staff was relieved by this news.

Pip told them that he would not come into direct contact with the patient until after the detox phase of the program was over. He felt that Grant would resent him in the beginning. Let him think what he wants; always refer to me as Doctor Pizarro.

“Well, gentlemen, I think that about covers everything. Your patient will arrive tomorrow afternoon and I have decided to have my Uncle Juan fly in with the patient tomorrow. He will be given a complete physical and have the implants inserted at the same time. While he's under, I want his head completely shaved. He is to stick to the regular routine I've designed until I change it.”

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

Chapter 2 

Four Months Later

Dear GW:

Grant is showing steady improvement in his treatment program, but has not fully recovered from the effects of the drugs yet. He is still suffering from tremors and is unable to sleep through the entire night. He remains in an agitated state, but that is a result of his addiction. He exercises every day, and like the rest of us, he sticks to a daily routine devised by our physical therapist.

Grant has recovered enough to begin a more vigorous physical exercise program. Every day he is becoming less dependent on the nursing staff.

Tomorrow should be a traumatic day for Grant as it will be our first face-to-face meeting. Up to this point, he has only interacted with the professional staff.

I am happy to report, that as of last week his body is completely free of drugs. Now comes the most difficult phase of his treatment and that is changing his rebellious nature and attitude. We have healed his body, and now we are approaching the uncharted area of his mind.

You must understand that Grant is not ready to accept the fact that he is here for his own good, one day he will realize that. He is still in denial and that is to be expected. That is the reason I have been reluctant to have him respond to your letters. When he feels better about himself, he will begin to respond to you on his own.

I'm pleased that you and Brad have hit it off so well. It's obvious that his attitude has improved under your sponsorship. I think what he really needed was a person that cared about him and one he could respect. You are filling that need for him.

It is important that you continue to write to Grant even though he does not respond.

I will keep you posted on Grant's progress.

Sincerely,

Pip

Pip grew a little apprehensive about his meeting with Grant; he didn't know how he would react to their face-to-face meeting. He tested the radio-controlled implants on Grant a week ago, with favorable results. Therefore, if he became violent, he could control him. At precisely seven o'clock, Julio and Palo escorted Grant into his office. Pip was standing behind his desk when they walked in. "Good morning, Grant. It's good to see you again. Please take a seat."

Grant's reaction was one of surprise when he saw Pip standing behind his desk. So much so that he could not move, he just stared. "Is this some kind of a joke?" Grant asked. "You're the waiter from La Grotto. Where is Dr. Pizarro?"

"Ah, you remember me then? Please sit down and I will explain everything, it's time we had a talk."

They both sat, "Julio, you and Palo may leave us now," Pip said. After they closed the door, Pip stared at Grant a long time before speaking.

"I'm Dr. Philip Pizarro, your physician, and also your former waiter at La Grotto," Pip said.

"You have completed phase one of your treatment program with flying colors. We are about to begin phase two of the program.

"The reason I was waiting tables at La Grotto, was to earn my expenses for graduate school. I was enrolled in the postgraduate program at Emory to become board certified as a plastic surgeon until you forced me to leave Atlanta," Pip said. "I can assure you that I am a licensed physician. I know you have gone through a difficult time up to this point, but you will be feeling much better as the weeks go by," Pip said. "You told me once that you wanted me, well, lucky you, you have me."

"How did I get into your clutches?" Grant asked. "The last thing I remember is being moved to a new medical facility in Atlanta. How much money do you want to let me out of here? I'm not without resources you know. How much would it take to buy you off?"

"Look, Grant, you are under my care for the next two years, whether you like it or not," Pip said.

"Furthermore, if you had any money, it would cost you four-million dollars to buy me off, if I were for sale, which I am not."

"What do you mean by that crack? If I had any money'," Grant asked. "I can buy and sell you, doctor. Guys like you are a dime a dozen. Four million is a lot, but I'm willing to pay you that to get out of here."

"You may have a trust fund sitting in the bank, Grant, but you can't touch a nickel of that money until I release you from under my care," Pip said. "For all practical purposes, you are penniless."

Grant's blood pressure was rising; he snarled at Pip, "What the hell are you talking about? Are you crazy?" Grant said loudly, "My trust is worth millions."

"Let's get something straight," Pip said. "You will not raise your voice to me again. While you are here, you will act like a gentleman. I will not tolerate your bad manners. You will learn to control that temper of yours, do you understand?"

Grant didn't say a word. Pip could see he was seething with anger at being reprimanded.

"That's better, breathe deeply and count to twenty slowly," Pip said. "All your assets have been frozen and you cannot touch them until I say so. You're in Peru, and I happen to have a great deal of influence in this country, so again, your wish has come true. You're stuck with me, Grant.

"Do you happen to know the telephone number of your trust fund administrator off hand?" Pip asked.

Grant nodded in the affirmative.

Pip handed Grant the telephone, "Here; try to reach him," Pip said. Grant spoke to his administrator for a few minutes then hung up the telephone.

"Would you like to call your bank and talk to them also?" Pip asked.

"That's not necessary. I believe you."

"Let me lay it out for you," Pip said. "If by some miracle you were able to escape to the United States, I will have you thrown in jail. There are still criminal assault charges pending against you. If that doesn't work, I will fabricate charges against you, that you committed a crime while trying to escape these facilities. We have an extradition treaty with the United States and they will return you to me to face charges.

"You have two choices: you can cooperate with me and speed up your recovery, or you can fight me and remain here for a long period of time. It's up to you," Pip said. "Rest assured that in the long run I will win, you will change and become a decent, well-adjusted person. I will not let you lapse back into the animal you were before. Now, do I have to do it the hard way, or are you willing to cooperate?"

"I really don't have much of a choice, do I?" Grant said. "What do you expect of me?"

"I've worked out a schedule for you to follow for the next three months," Pip said. "Do you speak Spanish?"

"No, only English."

"Starting today you will begin to learn Spanish," Pip said. "Your lessons will begin this morning. I will provide you with all the books and tapes you will need to learn the language. At the same time, you can teach me how to improve my pronunciation in English. Come with me. I want to take you on a tour of the facility. You will learn soon enough why it would be difficult for you to escape.

"Would you like to join me for breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you." Grant agreed.

Pip led him into the dining room for their breakfast. "I'm planning to open a small clinic to treat the local community while you are healing," Pip said, "Would you like to help me with that project?"

"Sure, but I don't know the first thing about medicine and I've never worked in a clinic," Grant said, "Most of my experience is in business development and management."

"I don't expect you to be involved in the actual treatment of the patients, but you could be very helpful in the operation of the clinic and act as our administrator. Taking patient information and scheduling them for follow-up visits, that sort of thing, we'll teach you everything you need to know.

"What's wrong, Grant?" Pip asked. "You look confused."

"This is not easy for me to accept," Grant said. "I have never been in a situation like this before. I feel like I'm in prison and you are the warden. I've never been forced to take orders from a complete stranger and I quite frankly don't like the idea at all."

"Let me ask you a question," Pip said. "How long do you think you would have survived if you continued your reckless way of living?"

"I don't know," Grant said. "All I know is I was having a good time."

"Is raping and beating another man senseless your idea of having a good time?" Pip asked. "You surprise me, Grant; I thought you were a better person than that. It took me more than five hours to put Brad's face back together again after your goons beat him up. His hand was badly smashed, and it will take a year of painful therapy for him to regain the use of that hand. Even then, he won't have the strength to hold anything heavy for some time."

"What are you talking about?" Grant asked. "I never hurt Brad. We partied together, and he was my buddy."

"Then why did you rape him in a motel room and then have your two goons take care of him so he couldn't work again?"

"Oh God, I don't remember that. Please believe me."

"Do you remember telling Brad that you were going to get me too and teach me a lesson? The reason for the beating was to find out where I lived."

"Are you crazy? Why the hell would I do that?" Grant said. "Sure I made a pass at you at the restaurant, I made passes at a lot of good-looking guys, but that doesn't mean I have them beat up because they turn me down."

"If you could do that to Brad, I was convinced you would track me down and give me the same treatment," Pip said, "that was the reason I left Atlanta," Pip said. "I was afraid that you would break my hands, or even worse, throw acid in my face. My life's dream of becoming a surgeon would have ended."

Grant stared at Pip for a long time before speaking. "I'm so sorry. I was wrong. I had no right to ruin your career," Grant said. "It's true that I wanted to meet you, but I honestly don't remember doing any of those things you are accusing me of. Will you believe me about that?"

"I do believe you. Drugs can do that to people," Pip said. "If you are truly sorry for what you did and want to make something of your life, you will make a sincere effort in helping me to make this treatment work. It's not over yet, you still have a ways to go."

"I'll do whatever it takes. I may not like it, but I'll do it, I promise."

"Good, I think it's time for you to move into the bedroom suite next to mine. I think we'll get along just fine."

Three Months Later 

Pip was pleased with the progress Grant had made. Pip had opened the Clinic in the village and Grant proved to be an able administrator. He worked smart and efficiently. Pip had dismissed most of the security crews and had cut back the household staff to manservant and a cook.

Grant had turned into the perfect houseguest and followed Pip's schedule without complaint. Pip trusted him so much that he removed the two shock electrode devices he had implanted to control his behavior, leaving only the homing beacon device in the off chance he would get lost in the surrounding area. If Grant was annoyed, he never showed it. They grandly developed a friendly relationship and found they were compatible.

Grant had fully recovered from his dependence on drugs. The physical training program had rebuilt his muscles back to the strong healthy body of a twenty-five-year-old. Pip felt it was time to get back into shape himself, so he followed the same exercise program as Grant. Now, after four months they both looked and felt great.

It was during Grant's routine physical examination that Pip discovered a small lump under Grant's right armpit.

"Have you had any pain from this growth," Pip asked?

"A little, but I thought it was another boil starting again," Grant said. "I'm prone to warts and boils, so I learned to live with them."

"From now on, you come to me immediately," Pip said. "It may seem trivial to you, but I don't want anything to happen to while you're under my care. How would that look to your father? I'm going to give you an injection directly into that lump to see if I can dissolve it." Pip smiled, "You can relax and take the frown of your face, I'll deaden the area before I give you the injection, you should realize by now that I would never hurt you."

"I'll take a look at that again in two days," Pip said, "let me know immediately if it starts to hurt. You must be careful of any growth at all, particularly with your family history of cancer."

They were in the living room reading that evening, when a thunderstorm passed over. Pip could not help but notice how nervous Grant became.

"Are you afraid of thunderstorms?"

"I'm absolutely terrified of them," Grant said. "I always have been."

"Sometimes they can get bad around here, so don't be a martyr, you come find me and we'll sit them out together," Pip said. "I become a little anxious myself when they get really intense, so we'll console each other, all right?"

"Thanks, I just might take you up on that offer."

Later that night, Pip woke up out of a deep sleep to the sound of the raging thunderstorm overhead. The vibration from a loud thunderclap sent a painting crashing to the floor. Pip could feel the nonstop vibrations throughout the house. The lightning was incessant and the sound was deafening. He immediately thought of Grant, jumped out of bed and ran across the hall to Grant's bedroom. The draperies were closed and all the lights were on, but no Grant. He noticed the blanket was missing off his bed as well.

Pip thought to himself, 'where did he disappear to?' He hollered Grants name several times, but no response. He quickly searched the rest of the house and he could not find him. Now he was starting to get worried. He returned to his bedroom to grab a robe from his closet when he saw Grant's huddled figure trembling in the corner of the closet with the blanket wrapped around his head to close out the noise of the storm.

Pip pulled him up to his feet and led him into the library bolting the door behind them. He also locked the hidden passage door behind them as he helped Grant down the stairs and locked the soundproof steel door behind them. Once inside the bedroom with the second soundproofed door closed they could no longer hear the thunderclaps, or feel the vibrations of the raging storm outside.

Grant stood there in the middle of the room still shaking. Pip dimmed the lights, removed the blanket from Grant, took him in his arms and held him close. After Grant stopped shaking, "Why didn't you wake me?" Pip asked.

"Because I was embarrassed to let you see me like this."

Pip kissed him tenderly. "I'm in love with you. I would never be ashamed of anything you did," Pip said. "Don't you know that?"

Grant began to cry and could not stop. He wrapped his arms around Pip and held him tightly. They stayed that way until Grant stopped sobbing. "I'm sorry I lost control," Grant said. "I've been following you around like a love sick kid for months; you must have known how I felt about you by this time. I fell for you the night I laid eyes on you at La Grotto," Grant said.

"Contrary, to what you thought, I would never have laid a hand on you. It is true I wanted to find you, but that was because I wanted you as my lover. I never realized how much I was out of control, until you told me about Brad. I've been living with that nightmare now for three months. I'm absolutely ashamed of what happened to Brad and especially the mess I made of your life."

"Look, baby, you have me turned on," Pip said. "Will you let me make love to you?"

"Of course, that's all I've been dreaming about for months," Grant said. "Remember what you said that first day, I'm yours until I'm cured." He kissed Pip very passionately until he was moaning with pleasure. Pip slipped off their shorts and led Grant over to the king size bed where they made love.

Grant was lying in Pip arms. "I have never experienced an overwhelming sexual orgasm like that in my life before," Pip said. "I'm still tingling from that one, it was absolutely wonderful."

"I'll admit that was fantastic," Grant said. "You were worth the wait. It was tender and beautiful, and you were wonderful."

"God, you took my breath away," Pip said. "I never knew anal intercourse could be so enjoyable, but having sex with you was everything I ever thought it would be, my beautiful one."

"You're the first man I've ever had anal intercourse with, my handsome baby, so I'm no longer a virgin."

"I guess neither of us are virgins after tonight, my love, you are the first person I've ever made love to."

"You're kidding," Grant said. "Are you saying that you have never had sex with anyone before," Grant said, "I'm your first?"

"That's right," Pip said. "I've never been to bed with anyone before, male or female, you are my first."

"God, I would never have known it," Grant said. "You're fantastic in bed. Will you let me sleep with you tonight and let me hold you all night?"

"Try and get away from me now, I want you tonight and forever, if you will have me," Pip said. "God, I love you, now I can examine you every night, you handsome hunk." He kissed Grant tenderly and said, "Now go to sleep. Tomorrow is Sunday and I want to make love to you all day without stopping, so we need our rest."

"Yes, my love, we have to make up for all those wasted years," Grant said. "Thanks for saving my life, Pip."

They fell asleep and did not awaken until eight o'clock the next morning. The room was sound-proofed and dark so they were not awakened by the usual morning sounds. Pip was the first to wake. He turned up the dimmer on the bed lamp until he could see his lover's face. Pip knew every inch of Grant's body. He had always admired his well-proportioned features. The workouts in the gym twice a day and daily jogging, almost naked every day, had developed his muscles and tanned every part of his body. His golden skin glistened and was like silk to the touch. Grant had shaved all the hair from his body including the genital area. He managed to develop a great suntan all over. Pip sighed as he stroked that gorgeous body.

Pip gently kissed him on the forehead and softly stroked Grant's muscular back. His skin felt moist and cool to the touch. He rolled Grant on his back and kissed him gently all over his entire body. Grant awoke sporting a huge erection.

Grant pulled Pip on top of him, wrapped his arms around him and kissed him, forcing his tongue deep into Pip's mouth.

Pip pulled away, "I want you to have anal intercourse, I want to know how it feels to have you inside me."

Grand turned Pip on his side and lubricated him with the KY. He massaged his rectum to prepare him to accept him. Then he entered him gently until Pip was moaning with pleasure. Grant was slow and deliberate. He wanted to make the orgasm last. He had Pip in an absolute ecstasy. They were both soaked in perspiration and panting with joy, when they could sustain the high no longer, they both climaxed at the same time. When finally their breathing returned to normal, they fell asleep again, wrapped in each other's arms.

Grant woke up with Pip still locked in his arms. His penis was buried inside Pip and his hand still holding Pip's half-erect penis. He began massaging the penis, which was causing him to stiffen inside Pip. He slowly began oscillating his hips, becoming more turned on by the action. Pip's penis was hard and they had sex for the second time that morning.

"You are one hot lover," Pip said. "I've never before in my life experienced such joy and pleasure. You're something else, baby. Let's shower and have breakfast; I'm absolutely starving after that lovemaking. After breakfast we'll pack a lunch and picnic at my secret place in the mountains where we can run around naked all day and make out like lovers under the shade trees all afternoon. What do you say, my love?"

"I'm getting an erection from just thinking about it, let's get started."

They were sitting in the dining room having breakfast. "What's wrong, baby?" Pip asked. "Are you having second thoughts about lunch? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?"

"It's not that, it's you," Grant said. "I can't believe my good fortune, that's all. I've sat here across from you for the past five months, madly in love with you and today, for the first time I can tell you how much I love you. This is so unbelievable and exciting at the same time."

Pip stood and walked over to Grant and kissed him, "You are a very affectionate guy and I love you. I will never tire of your warm feelings for me. I'm happy we found each other at long last."

"Would you mind if I called my Dad?" Grant asked. "I've never thanked him for everything he has done for me."

"I think your Dad would like that. In case you didn't already know it, Grant, your Dad loves you."

Pip prepared their lunch and packed everything for their picnic in the Land Rover. He told his manservant, Pac, where he would be heading. He grabbed his medical bag, just in case. He sat in the library and read until Grant was ready to leave.

Grant walked in and closed the door behind him. He walked over, sat on Pip's lap, and kissed him tenderly. Pip put his arms around him and said, "You are really a pussy cat, sweetheart. I've never been treated with such loving affection before in my life. It's a totally new and delightful experience for me. You are so open with your affection."

"Let's go, before I drag you downstairs again," Grant said.

"Save yourself, baby. You must learn to pace yourself," Pip said. "You realize you're giving me an erection don't you?"

"Oh, is that what I'm sitting on?" Grant asked. "You are one hot-blooded Latino, baby. You are driving me crazy."

"You drive," Pip said. "I want you to remember the way. Take the main road up the mountain. Our property is only about twenty minutes away."

"How did it go with your Dad? Was he surprised to hear from you?"

"Shocked would be a more accurate reaction," Grant said. "He was overjoyed with my call. I'm learning more about you from other people, baby. It easy to see why I fell in love with you. Besides being a wonderful lover, you are also a good person. My Dad told me all about you, and your background. He had you checked out. He was surprised when he learned how powerful your family is in South America. You never told me you could trace your ancestors back to the Spanish throne. Dad told me you shamed him into taking responsibility for me. He is ashamed now that he didn't have the balls to straighten me out himself. He told me about your letters and how you forced him to take care of Brad. How can I ever thank you, Pip? You have given up so much for me."

"You have already started to pay me back," Pip said. "Hold on now, this is where we turn off; it's not really the old dirt farm road that was used years ago when this was a working farm. This used to be a wonderful place years ago. All this land still belongs to my family. Father still holds onto it for sentimental reasons. The sharecroppers that worked the farm couldn't make a living from this land anymore so they moved on. I suppose one day it will be farmed again. Maybe by that time the soil will be useful once again. I used to come here camping with my friends when I was a teenager. We used to run around naked and have boy sex in those days; it was all part of growing up."

"Later on, I would come here on summer vacations when I was in the university to get away from everything."

Pip pointed out the best place to park. They carried the picnic gear down to the lake's edge. Pip pumped up the queen-size air mattress and laid the beach towels over it. They stripped and lay down together. Pip took the sun block and rubbed the lotion on Grant's naked body.

"You may have been high at La Grotto that night, but you stirred something deep within me," Pip said. "A wave came over me when I looked into your eyes. I was frightened of my feelings for you more than anything else. I also was afraid of you, because of the way you came on so strong. More importantly, I was anxious to date you. I thought you were very attractive and sexy. That's why I had to brush you off. My roommate, Joel, helped me devise a scheme to get you off my back. It was a good plan; I could monitor you and keep a safe distance. You latched onto Brad and we both know the rest of the story.

"I knew if you stuck to the same reckless path, you would end up in prison, or much worse. I didn't want that to happen to you. That's when I decided to speak to your father and try to help you to beat the drugs.

"Don't laugh at what I'm about to say," Pip continued. "I believe in omens and I knew I had to save you because I wanted you for myself. I prayed to God to help me find the way. I prayed for you every day.

"I love the feel your body," Pip said. "I remember the first time I had you to myself. It happened the first night after you arrived at the site. I knew from that point on that I was going to cure you if it took forever. You were mine and I was not going let drugs have you. I read every book written on the subject and consulted every expert on your case, until I had the treatment plan that would cure you.

"I agonized over that first day we met in my office. I had fully expected you to react in a defiant, abusive way," Pip said. "I was pleasantly surprised when I looked into your eyes and saw love instead of the loathing I expected. Sure you registered shock and disbelief, but I could see love, and I will always remember that look until the day I die."

He stared passionately into Grant's eyes and said, "I will always love you, and I don't care where we live as long as we live together. I could never bear the thought of losing you ever again," Pip said. "I promise to take good care of you and to make you happy. Will you be my spouse, Grant?"

Tears welled up in Grant's eyes, "You have made me so happy, Pip. I'll be happy to be your spouse," Grant said. "I have never known a man like you before. I feel safe and content with you and I promise to be faithful to you for the rest of my life. You will be my drug of choice from now on into eternity."

He kissed Pip on the eyes and mouth. "Now you lie on your back next to me and let me work that lotion into that hot beautiful body of yours.

"You took my breath that night in the restaurant," Grant said, "with that classic profile and those expressive brown eyes, you made me feel warm all over. I thought you were the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life.

"I knew I'd never see you again after a friend of the family high up in the police department called to warn me that Brad had been beaten up and that a complaint was registered against me," Grant said. "I called my lawyer and told him the guy was crazy. I never touched Brad. My lawyer suggested that I have my shrink commit me for observation, while my Dad looked into this mess.

"Honest to God, I had no idea that those two so-called bodyguards I hired to protect me injured Brad like that. We were all high on drugs that night, Brad included. I told them to slap him around a little to scare him into revealing your home address and telephone number. You are the one I wanted all along. Brad was an expensive date and certainly not worth the thousand bucks."

"The next thing I remember was my Dad dropping by the hospital to tell me that he had taken care of everything. I was being moved to another location for my own good. Dad said this thing with Brad could be serious and I had to lay low until it all blew over. I really started to worry when my Dad hugged me with tears in his eyes; he had not done that since I was a kid."

"Then two new shrinks appeared and spent several days examining me. They gave me a thorough examination, with tests I never knew existed. Then nothing happened for several days. That's all I remember until I woke up here.

"I never want to go through a hell like that again," Grant went on, "Then out of the blue, Palo told me I was on the other side of hell and I was about to meet my doctor. That's when they ushered me into your office. I could not believe my eyes. I thought I was dreaming. You were the only person that kept me going when I was in the grips of those awful nightmares. I swore I heard your voice on some bad nights, encouraging me to tough it out, and that everything would be fine. Sometimes I would feel your cool hand on my forehead. Your soft soothing voice helped me. I was in love with you from then on; you will never know how much I wanted you.

"Being here is like a wonderful dream come true," Grant said. "My feet have not touched the ground since you held me in your arms last night."

"It's not a dream my love," Pip said. "Put that bottle down and make love to me." After they climaxed, they lie in that position and fell asleep.

"Wake up, Grant," Pip said. "You've been lying on your front too long. Turn over or else those cute little buns of yours are going to burn. We wouldn't want that to spoil our lovemaking, would we?"

"I hate to move, you feel so wonderful under me."

Pip smiled, "Let's have a nice little swim to cool us off. We can move the mattress in the shade and you can lie on top of me again if that makes you happy."

They both got up and dove into the lake. Grant let out a scream when he surfaced. "Jesus! This water is ice cold. You should have warned me. Grant Junior has shriveled up to nothing."

Pip roared with laughter, "Don't worry, baby, this is probably the first time your dick has been its normal size since last night. It's about time you cooled down," Pip said. "I've read about cases like yours, where the guy was so oversexed he walked around with a constant erection, but this is the first time I've ever experienced it firsthand. Mind you, I'm not complaining, I'll take all I can get. I'm having the best time of my life."

Grant smiled, "Oh, you've noticed that, too? You're not going to believe this, but you turn me on so much I can't keep the sucker down, and at this point, I don't give a rat's ass if it stands at attention all day. Let's do a few laps before I freeze solid."

They climbed back on the bank after their brisk swim. "It's actually warmer on land. Look at what that ice water has done to my manly parts! They're all shriveled and puny," Grant said.

"I'm a genteel southern boy, doctor; I can't take the cold like you mountain people. I'm beginning to believe its true, what historians say about you Spanish noblemen, you're all a sadistic lot."

Pip smiled and took Grant's hand, leading him over to the mattress. "Lay down, my little blue baby. I'll warm you up again and get that organ to play a new tune."

"Did I tell you that you are the most exciting man I have ever known, and that you have a gorgeous body, and that you turn me on?" Grant said. "Other than that, you're really kind of square."

"It nice to know that I have some redeeming features," Pip said. "For a well developed handsome stud, you're really quite gentle and cuddly. I happen to love everything about you: the way you smile, your gentle nature, and your sophistication, but most of all my love, your wonderful sense of humor.

"You should know we Spaniards take marriage very seriously, and marry for life," Pip said, "make very sure that I'm the one you want. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly. Once you make the commitment to become my spouse, it's for life. I'll destroy anyone that puts a hand on you. God has found it in his mercy to entrust your life into my hands and I plan to see that nothing ever happens to you. I'm giving you the opportunity to change your mind before we get into this any deeper."

"I'm in your hands, my handsome prince," Grant said. "You have cured me and made me whole again. I love you, Pip, and I'll never leave you. It's nice to know that you are my champion.

You've made me realize that there's more to life than fun and games. I've found satisfaction working in your clinic, helping those poor villagers.

"I saw how those people responded to a little kindness," Grant said. "I've made the decision, once you release me, to study medicine as a doctor. I would like to apply at Emory. You can complete your studies at the same time. Maybe you can start your practice while I start my studies in medical school."

"This is wonderful," Pip said. "I'm so proud of you. Let's fly to Atlanta next week and talk it over with your Dad. I want to tell him the truth about us and return his money, unless you want to keep our marriage a secret."

"Dad knows I'm gay, he will be delighted to have a wonderful son-in-law like you to keep me out of trouble. What about your folks, have you told them yet?"

"That would be a disastrous," Pip said. "My family would never understand, nor would they forgive me if they learned I was a homosexual. You do not know my father; he would shoot me on the spot if I told him I'm gay. He takes his role of the keeper of the family reputation very seriously, even to the point of committing me to a mental institution to try to cure me of my homosexuality. Believe me he has powerful friends that agree with his views. I'm the last of the line and heir to the family fortune.

"I'm completely dependent on my family, until I start working. My grandfather left me five million dollars in his will, but my father is the trustee. He will not turn over control until I reach my thirtieth birthday. I know he would freeze the funds if he found out. You see, I really needed your father's money to help you. If I had control of my own trust fund, I would not have needed your father's money. That is why I deposited the money in Nassau."

"Why were you waiting tables at La Grotto, if you have five million in the bank?"

"Because, my father didn't want me to attend college in the United States. Since he controlled my trust fund, he was going to make it difficult for me. I was on a tight budget. My father said it was because I needed to learn the value of money. However that was just the excuse he used. If I wanted to do anything other than stick around campus, I needed to earn extra money on my own. I wanted to see more of the United States. I made good tips as a waiter at La Grotto. I was able to save enough money to visit the cities I always read about, like New York, and New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco."

"How did he feel about your leaving school and coming here to take care of me?"

"I told him the truth, my plan was to cure you and return to school. He thought it was a good trade off. You see, your father is paying me two million dollars to cure you. The first million dollars were to pay for all expenses for your treatment, and the second million was to reimburse me for my time."

"My father gave you a million dollars up front for my treatment? That doesn't sound like Dad."

"I convinced him that I could cure you, and that your life was worth more to me than a couple of million dollars, my love. Are you annoyed because I didn't ask for more?"

Grant smiled, "You amaze me sometimes, that's all."

"If I didn't love you, I would have collected four million from you and made a handsome profit."

"Yes, you could have made a killing," Grant agreed.

"I'm guilty of falling in love with you, and it was unprofessional of me to treat a patient that I was emotionally involved with. Nevertheless, I was convinced I could cure you. The million dollars was to cover my expenses for the two years I thought it would take to make you well again. The second million was to build a clinic to treat the poor. I deposited the million dollars in a numbered account, in Nassau. You are welcome to review the general ledger anytime you wish.

"It was my intention from the very beginning, to let you know of my arrangements with your father. I will always be up front with you, and I will make it a point to share everything with you. Mutual trust and understanding of each other can form a bond that no outsider can break. We come from two different worlds when it comes to how we were raised. Americans tend to be much more skeptical of everyone's motives on the one hand, yet very open and friendly about themselves once they like you. My people are very cordial and gracious, but would never show their true feelings and never completely trust you until you have proven yourself by their standards.

"There are devious people that we must suffer, but there should never be any mistrust between you and me. We are married now, and our decisions should be based on how it will affect each other. We must protect each other now that we are taking that long walk through life together."

"We must never become complacent or be lulled into any false sense of security by thinking that homosexuals are accepted in main stream society, because they are not. We are different and will remain as outsiders; of course, I include my parents in that group. I swear to you, Grant, that no matter what peril we may face, I will always love you and protect you until the day I die."

"You must understand, my handsome prince, which I’m not used to a pure soul like you," Grant said. "I marvel at the depth of your feelings and hope that you will teach me how to love you even more than I do now. But you have accomplished a lot in a short time and I'm a willing student."

Pip opened the picnic basket and prepared a plate for each of them. He opened a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass and said, "To us, for a long and happy life together."

"It feels strange sitting here completely naked enjoying a delightful picnic lunch. It has a 'Tom Jones' ring to it, wouldn't you say?"

"I find it delightful," Pip said. "Would you mind if I invited my uncle to dinner this week? I would like to tell him about us."

"I don't mind at all," replied Grant, "but I thought you said your family would not approve of our relationship?"

"My uncle knows how I feel about you; naturally he was opposed to me getting involved with you because of your previous drug history. Tio Juan is closer to me than my father is. He has been and is simpatico to me and does not reject me because I am a homosexual. I will need his help in finding someone to fill in for me while we are in Atlanta next week."

"Look, baby, that's fine with me. I would like you to teach me the basics in your clinic to see if I'm really cut out to be a doctor. I'm sure I can be more useful in the clinic from now on."

"That's a good idea. I'll be glad to map out a study program for you as well. There is a heck of a lot of reading you must do also. My uncle should be able to help with the text books, he teaches at the University. Now how about a little nap, it's time to felt that wonderful body next to me."

They fell asleep in each other's arms. They awoke to the sound of an approaching thunderstorm. They dressed quickly, loaded the Land Rover, and headed back home.

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

 Chapter 3 

On Wednesday evening, Pip's Tio Juan arrived early for dinner. Palo showed him into the living room where Grant greeted him.

"Good evening, Dr. Pizarro, how kind of you to come. Pip told me so much about you. Please sit down, Pip has been detained with some last minute emergencies. May I offer you something to drink, a cocktail or a glass of wine?"

"Wine would be fine, thank you."

Grant poured two glasses and handed one to Juan. Grant lifted his glass and said, "To your good health."

"I cannot believe the transformation in you," Juan said. "I would never have recognized you on the street, you look like a new man."

"I feel wonderful; of course Pip is responsible for my remarkable recovery. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me, Doctor. I would imagine this meeting must be uncomfortable for you. I appreciate your taking the time out of your busy schedule to dine with us tonight. Pip has told me a great deal about you. He respects you so much and loves you more than his own father. Pip is a kind and compassionate human being that any father would be proud of. I know my father will be crazy about him."

"Pip is, as you say, a fine person, and I will never understand my brother," Juan said. "Did Pip happen to mention that his older brother committed suicide because he could not take the pressure his father placed on him? He was a tender soul; he was not as strong as Pip.

"My brother became even more overbearing with Pip after that tragedy. He was not very happy when Pip decided to study medicine. He is so wrapped up in that family business that he is unaware that he has lost his son. Pip would never be any good at running the family business, he is a doctor and that is all he cares about.

"It would be a big mistake for you and Pip to live in Peru," Juan said. "My advice to you is to return to the United States and take Pip with you, if you want any kind of life at all. Homosexuals are not welcome in this country. There is too much hate here against your kind."

"Even if you're right, Doctor, I cannot ask Pip to give up everything he loves."

"Why can't you?" Juan asked. "Your country is more tolerant toward gay people. Besides which, you will not meet many gay people to socialize with in this country."

"Look, Doctor, Pip saved my life and I owe him big time. If he wants to live here, then I will stay with him. My place is with him. If Pip loves me and sees that we are suffering, I will not have to tell him, Doctor. I happen to believe he will do the right thing. Anyway, we really don't need people to be happy and content.

"I have decided to become a doctor and join Pip at Emory University. He has agreed to remain at Emory until I finish my degree. We will have plenty of time to decide by then where the best location for me to intern might be, and for him to establish his practice. The time will pass quickly and we will always be together, that's all that really matters to us now. God has ordained that we be together and he will protect us."

"I warned Pip about the dangers he faced getting involved in a relationship with you; naturally he refused to listen. You must be discreet in your relationship as long as you remain in this country. Homosexuals are outcasts and will not be tolerated. Oddly enough, the Indians in the more remote areas of Peru are more tolerant, but again I warn you to be discrete. I hope that everything goes well for you and Pip. I feel that you each have the desire to make this work. Be particularly careful around Pip's family."

Pip joined them for a glass of wine before dinner. Their conversation was light and Pip was able to arrange to have his uncle cover for him while they were in Atlanta. After Tio Juan left, Grant called his father to let him know that he and Pip were returning to Atlanta and would stop by for a visit with him.

The Westerville Mansion, Atlanta

The limo dropped them off at the family mansion on West Paces Ferry Road. The butler welcomed Grant back home and told him that his father was waiting for him in the library. GW stood and walked over to Grant and Pip as they walked in. Grant hugged his father, "It's good to be home again Dad, I missed you."

"I missed you too, son." GW shook hands with Pip. "Thank you for curing my son. Grant, I haven't seen you look this healthy in a long time. I'm so pleased."

"All right now, what's the story, Dr. Pizarro, are you releasing my son as cured, or is this just a temporary visit?"

"Your son is cured, Mr. Westerville, and this is only a visit. If you will excuse me, I'll leave you two alone to talk in private."

"I would like you to stay, Pip," Grant said. "Dad, let's sit, there is something you should know."

"Dad, Pip has cured me of my dependence on drugs. Pip and I are lovers and we will be returning to Atlanta as soon as we close up the operation in Peru. When we do return, I plan to apply to Emory Medical School to study medicine. Pip and I will be living together as a couple from now on."

"Well, this is quite a surprise," GW said, "I don't know you that well, Doctor, but it is obvious that you have cured Grant and given him a new outlook on life. I wish you both all the best."

"I want you to take the million dollars out of my trust fund that you advanced to Pip. I also plan to give him the other million to continue his clinic."

"I'll do no such thing," GW said. "I made my deal with Dr. Pizarro. He kept his part of the deal, and I plan to keep mine. He will get his second check for a million dollars when you two return to Atlanta. If you want to give him more money that is between you two. I will release the hold on your assets tomorrow. I hope you plan to move back into your old rooms when you return."

"What do you say, Pip, it's free room and board?"

"Thank you, Mr. Westerville, I would like that."

"Good, I'm glad that's settled," GW, said. "It will be nice to have a live-in doctor on call. Your old friend Brad is living here until he graduates college. I did not tell him you were coming home, because I was not sure myself. Will that present a problem for you, Grant?"

"Not for me, Dad, I need to apologize to Brad for what happened to him. It was good of you to take him in, Dad, how is he doing?"

"Quite well, and he is really a fine young man. I like having him around; he's someone to talk to and he keeps me current on what is going on at Tech. He stays out of trouble and is working part time for me and is doing a good job. You were right about the plastic surgery, Doctor, he looks normal and he has the strength back in his hand. He associates with a more career focused group of friends and has matured a lot."

"Mr. Westerville, would you mind calling me Pip?"

"Not at all, why don't you call me GW like everyone else?"

GW saw Brad pass by the door and said, "Brad, would you step in a minute? There are some old friends here that would like to say hello."

Brad walked in and froze for a second when he saw Grant. Grant walked over to him, extended his hand, and said, "It's good to see you again, Brad. I've been told that I behaved very badly the last time we were together. I hope you have forgiven me for what happened to you. I was so out of it then, I don't remember anything that happened. We can talk about it later. I want to hear the whole story."

Brad extended his hand, "I was stupid for being there in the first place, considering your reputation. I would like to talk to you about that night. Maybe we can compare notes and piece together what really happened."

"It's good to see you again, Pip," Brad said. "Thanks again for everything you did for me. Not only did I get a new face, I also ended up with a new way of life as well."

"GW has told us what a good citizen you've turn into these days," Pip said.

"GW has been terrific; he has treated me better than my own family ever did. He cares about what happens to me. We get along just fine, as long as I obey the rules; be in by nine o'clock on school nights and no drugs."

GW chuckled, "He's been a model young man and is home every day after school cracking the books. Are you men ready for a cocktail before dinner?"

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

Armed with Grant's medical release from Drs. Juan and Philip Pizarro, GW and Grant visited his banker and trust fund administrator and released the flag on Grant's accounts. While Grant was busy with his financial people, Pip visited his old friend, Joel Cohen. Pip told him of the remarkable success he had with Grant's recovery, and of the treatment plan he followed. He discussed his plans to resuming his studies to become Board Certified as a plastic surgeon. Pip also met with his former Chief of Staff at Emory to see if he would he would be allowed to join the next group of doctors scheduled for the next class. He also met with the administrator to learn the steps necessary for Grant to enroll in medical school. He received the enrollment applications to be completed, and scheduled a meeting for Grant to meet with the administrator the following day.

The meeting with the Chief of Staff turned out well. The Chief said he could join the next class in the program. He could join the fall class, but that would mean that he would be required to start over again from the beginning.

After lunch, GW decided to return to his office, since Grant and Pip would be busy the rest of the day. Grant returned home to wait for Pip's return.

He went into the library to grab his notebook computer and found Brad reading.

"Did you get everything squared away to your satisfaction?"

"Everything went great, I hope Emory will be that easy," Grant said. "It's been four years since I graduated from Princeton. It's going to take a lot to get back into the routine again. Do you have a minute to talk about what happened that last night we were together? I think it's time to clear the air, don't you?"

"The only reason for our little party that night was to find Pip. The thousand dollars meant nothing to me. I hired those two guys to scare you into giving me the information I wanted," Grant said. "Anyway, you do have a nice body and you did consent to have sex. I didn't realize until later that things got out of hand. You know as well as I do, we were doing heavy drugs in addition to the booze we were drinking. You took the money and seemed content when I left."

"I left the motel and took a cab home," Grant said. "I swear to God I knew nothing about them hurting you. I only learned about the incident four months later in Peru. I never wanted to hurt you, or Pip, but I was so out of control then I was not thinking clearly. I should have had a private detective track Pip down, but I enjoyed your company."

"I believe you," Brad said. "It's funny how things work themselves out in the long run. I'll admit that it was fun traveling around with you. You know how to wine and dine people, and quite honestly you were good company until you drank too much and started with the drugs. That's when you lost control and became a wild man. I knew you really didn't give a damn about me. You were using me to get to Pip. I should have stopped before I got in too deep. I admit it was easy to blame you for everything. I was along for the ride and knew in the back of my mind that I would eventually have to pay the piper."

"It been great living here with your Dad, he is a great guy and he has more than made up for anything that happened between us. You look great. You're nothing like the Grant I knew. You know if I was into guys I would make a play for you myself. I hope you will not let what happened ruin our friendship?"

Grant smiled, "Thanks for the compliment, but you are not my type, not that you are not attractive and all, it just that I'm married now and I'm very happy with the way my life has turned out."

"Don't tell me; let me guess," Brad said, "You fell in love with your doctor. That happens a lot, I'm told."

"Your right about Pip," Grant said. "Since you're now one of the family, I thought you should know, but let's keep it in the family."

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

GW found Grant in the library filling out his application when he returned from the office. "Where is everyone?"

"Brad and Pip are out buying medical books and tapes at the campus book store. They'll be gone a couple of hours, if I know Pip."

"What's on your mind, son? Something is bothering you."

Grant got up from the desk and closed the library door and sat down again. "I want to tell you about a conversation I had with Pip's Uncle Juan." He related the conversation he had about his safety in Peru. "What do you think, Dad?"

"I think you should both stay right here and forget about returning to Peru. Pip's father is obsessed with his own importance. He is more concerned about the family's past glories then he is with his own son. A man like that could become a serious threat to you and Pip, if you believe the uncle. I don't think you should return to Peru. Let Pip handle everything there and then return to Atlanta. Why take any chances? Pip will understand."

"I love you Dad, but I'm in love with Pip and he would feel hurt if I left him now, and to be honest, I cannot leave him now. I'm going to take a leaf out of your book and be prepared for the worst case scenario, on the off chance that Pip's father does decide to play dirty. We'll keep this between us. Pip's uncle could be overreacting; he strikes me as being overprotective where Pip is concerned. I will continue to play the ideal patient while I'm in Peru. The economy in Peru is a disaster and the inflation rate is around 70-percent."

"I wonder if the Pizarro's are worth as much as they say they are. Maybe their assets are worthless in today's market. I'm willing to bet they are mortgaged up to their eyeballs. A couple of things Pip mentioned made me suspicious. First, I don't buy his father's explanation as to why he would not raise Pip's allowance. I saw thousands of acres of farmland sitting idle. How many of their other holdings are experiencing the same problems? Taken all together, it leads me to speculate that their backs are against the wall. I'm willing to bet that Pip's inheritance is gone. The old man was delighted when Pip told him about the money he was going to receive from you. I found that very strange, in view of his father's feelings about the tuition he was losing. Do you follow me so far, Dad?"

"Absolutely, if anything happens to you or Pip, I'll investigate Don Pizarro's financial status to see if he is in debt. But how will I know if you are okay? The old man is not stupid enough to harm you. I think he just wants you out of Peru and as far away from Pip as possible. My guess is that he will use you to keep Pip in line. He is shrewd enough to blackmail both you and Pip. I strongly urge you not to show any display of affection in public and be absolutely sure you are not being secretly photographed or recorded in private."

"Pip could have a hard time reentering the United States, if evidence like that appeared," GW said.

"I never thought about that, Dad. I think he will allow my letters through so we will devise our own little code. Before we leave, you have your old girlfriend, Lucy Harding invite us over for dinner. Let Pip think you have serious plans for her in the future. Now, if I write and ask you anything about Lucy, you will know I'm in trouble. If I write and suggest that you take her on a trip to the North Carolina Mountains, you will know the general location in Peru where he is holding me. The reference to any mountain in the US will indicate the geographic relationship to the areas in Peru. If I mention Savannah, you will know I'm close to Lima. Once you interchange Savannah as Lima, you will be able to figure out the coordinates by using Atlanta as North, Florida as South, NC, east, or any city in Alabama as west. Pip has never removed the homing device that is implanted in me. You can have one of your CIA friends check the frequencies and zero in on my exact location."

GW Okayed this plan and advised, "Don't say anything about this to Pip, because they could use drugs on him. Again, let Don Pizarro think you are trying to take steps to contact me. Act indignant and disappointed by his actions. He will expect that kind of reaction from you. If there are any interruptions in your communications, I will respond based on our plan. Have Pip apply for citizenship papers tomorrow. I will set it up with the Regional Director today. He can always cancel later if he changes his mind before the five-year residency is up. My corporation will hire him as a consultant, so he has a good reason to fly back and forth. If for some reason his father tries to pull some strings in Lima, we can fly him out on his work visa. He should also apply for a student visa to allay his father's suspicions."

"This may all be unnecessary," Grant said, "but as you said, prepare for the worst case scenario and hope for the best."

"Look, son, don't worry about Pip, I'll see that no harm comes to him. We owe him big for what he did for you. Besides that, I happen to think he's a great guy. I will rest easy when you both are back in Atlanta for good. I'll have my CIA friend do a voice print on you and Pip; he will also give you a telephone number and a code name to use if you ever need it. Once you make that contact, you're home free."

"Thanks, Dad, I know I haven't been the best son in the world up to this point, but I promise to make it up to you in the future."

"We had some good times together before you started on drugs," GW said. "Always remember, Grant, good or bad, you're my son and I will always love you, no matter what."

Grant got up, kissed his father on the forehead, and said, "I love you, Dad, I couldn't have picked a better Dad if I tried."

After dinner, GW and Brad had dates, and took off. Pip and Grant retired to their suite. They were sitting on the sofa holding hands. "What's on your mind, baby?" Pip asked. "Something is bothering you. Do you feel like talking about it?"

"I love you so much, Pip, but I'm afraid about what your uncle said about us. Tio Juan was very serious about his warning. When we return to Peru, we must be discreet. We can only show our affection to each other in our private bedroom behind locked doors."

"Look my love, I think my uncle was overreacting," Pip said. "It's true, my father is to the right of the Pope when it comes to proper Christian behavior, but he would never do anything to hurt us, even if he did discover our secret." 

"Dad and I have discussed this in detail," Grant said. "Dad has checked this with some people in the know regarding your father, and they advised me not to return to Peru."

"Baby, I would be lost without you for three months, but there's no way I'll let you join me if you feel threatened."

Grant kissed him, "Don't worry about me. You're my spouse and I plan to be with you. I love you and I don't intend to be separated from you because of your father's prejudices. Dad has made an appointment for you to see the U.S. Regional Director of the State Department at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. We want you to apply for U.S. citizenship. That way you will be protected by our laws. My dad is hiring you as his consultant for South America." He went on to explain the arrangements he made with the CIA operative about making the voice prints and emergency procedures in case anything goes wrong in Peru.

"I'll do anything you want, baby," Pip said. "I want to be sure that you are comfortable about returning to Peru. I would be devastated if anything happened to you."

"I feel the same way," Grant said. "You have cured my dependence on drugs, but now, I have transferred that dependency to you. Your love saved me from a wasted life. Now I realize how much time I've wasted and how imperative it is that I work hard to catch up. My objectives for the future have become clear. First, is our marriage; I plan to do everything to hold on to you and make our marriage last. Never doubt my love, or fidelity. I have given you my solemn word to forsake all others for you. We must protect each other above all else. I would be very unhappy if they kicked me out of Peru without you. I refuse to let anyone, or anything, keep us apart."

"I agree, baby," Pip said. He kissed Grant tenderly, "Now my beautiful one, it's time for your examination."

"Is this going to hurt, Doctor?"

"Only if you want it to." Pip removed Grant's slacks and briefs first and finally his silk shirt. They embraced and kissed. Pip slowly traced Grant's spinal column with his fingers until he was complete relaxed. He ran his fingers down to his buttocks, lightly massaging his anus. Grant had reached down, grabbed their erect penises, held them tightly together. He began slowly moving his body and softly moaning with ecstasy. After several minutes of this, they were both hot with desire.

"God, you are so exciting," Grant said, "if you don't slow down I'm going to erupt at any second."

"I think it's time to fill you with my love, my beautiful lover," Pip said. "I'm going to drive you out of your mind with joy and pleasure. God, I love you so much."

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

The next five days were busy for the honeymooners. They really didn't have much time to be alone. They did get to play a few rounds of golf in addition to their morning game of tennis. They were evenly matched and didn't hold back. They were competitive players and took their game seriously. Grant had the edge, however, since he was a champion in college. They cooled down and showered after their game.

Grant put the top down on his new red Porsche convertible on the way to the restaurant. It was a beautiful, clear afternoon. Grant was dressed in his white tennis outfit, sun visor, short sleeved shirt and shorts that showed off his good-looking physique and tanned body.

Grant noticed Pip staring at him and said, "Is anything wrong?"

"Everything is perfect from my point of view," Pip said. He reached over and took Grant's hand. "I was admiring the beautiful creature I married. I've been thinking about what you said about returning to Peru. I like the United States and have found the majority of the Americans to be attractive people, much more so than most South Americans. I guess it's because the United States is considered the melting pot of the world, where so many nationalities have intermarried for generations. There is so much of everything in this country it's hard to pinpoint what is the contributing factor that makes this country so great. I've found most Americans to be generous and warm hearted people. You, my love, are of course above average, and the epitome of the good-looking, All-American male.

"When I return to Peru, I feel I'm walking back into time. My country is poor and is still controlled by aristocracy. The people in power continue to squeeze the last peso out of their people robbing them of their vitality. The vibrancy and sense of life that you feel in the United States cannot be found in Peru. I'm torn between my sense of duty to my family on the one hand, and my desire for the quality of life I enjoy in the United States. I honestly don't feel that we would be happy living in Peru and I don't expect you to give up everything to live in Lima. So, my lover, my plan is to wash my hands of Peru and to build a new life in this country with you. My uncle was right; I should not expose you to the hostile social environment in my country. After we turn over the clinic, we'll return to the United States.

"Will you fly with me to Hawaii and get married?" Pip asked.

"Yes, baby, I will be delighted to legalize our marriage," Grant said. "Before we make the travel arrangements, I'll call GW with the news."

Grant called his dad and told him their decision. GW insisted that he make reservations for four because he and Brad would like to attend the ceremony.

"You, my little kitten, are turning out to be a tiger," Pip said. "Now I've become your cub. I've noticed that you have been organizing our future without skipping a beat."

"I'm guilty as charged! I promise to discuss everything in advance before charging ahead. So far, every decision has been made with your best interests at heart. It's in the genes; I guess, I'm a chip off the old block. Dad and I are alike when it comes to organizing things and making decisions. We both are take-charge individuals. I want our marriage to last, Pip, and I'm willing to make any changes to avoid friction between us. We are compatible in so many ways, but there are bound to be adjustments in our marriage. I want your love, my hot-blooded Latino, so please don't brood over anything that I do that may upset you. If you don't agree with the way I'm handling something, come and tell me; we'll find the solutions together."

"Wow, you're very sensitive today," Pip said. "I wasn't complaining, baby. I was just making an observation. How could I ever be cross with the only person who really cares about me? You can pamper me as much as you like, my love."

Hawaii

The ceremony was an emotional one for Grant. He could not control the tears of joy. Pip's voice broke only once when he took his final vows. They had agreed to keep the ceremony subdued with no display of affection except for an embrace at the end of the ceremony. They wanted to keep the ceremony dignified and comfortable for the many guests his father had invited to the wedding. GW loved his son and spared no expense to make a dignified and memorable experience for the newlyweds. The guest list was impressive; a veritable who's-who of the jet set. It was another GW triumph and he was enjoying every minute of it. He flew the guests in from all over the world for the three-day event.

Later that evening at the reception, GW took Pip and Grant into a private room. "Pip, you are officially my son-in-law, and I can never thank you enough for what you have done for Grant. Love and protect each other and make your marriage work. I wish you both a long and wonderful life together. I'm sorry your wedding present will not be delivered until tomorrow morning," GW said, "That will give you something to look forward to in the morning. I love you both; now go before I get mushy."

"Thank you, Dad," Pip said. "Grant is my spouse and I will take good care of him." He hugged GW and patted him on the back.

"I love you, Dad," Grant said. "You have given me so much; I'm too overwhelmed to say any more without bawling." He embraced his father and kissed him on the cheek. There were tears in GW's eyes as he turned and walked away.

They retired to their room and undressed. They walked arm-in-arm to the terrace, each with a glass of champagne. They toasted each other again and looked out over the spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. Pip stood behind Grant and embraced him and said, "Now you are mine forever, are you happy?"

"Absolutely, I never dreamed life could be this wonderful," Grant said. "Dad made this a memorable night for us. So many good friends turned out for our wedding. I had no idea he was inviting so many people. This was truly a beautiful night." He turned Pip and kissed him tenderly. He opened their robes and felt Pip's naked body against his, "But being married to you has meant the world to me, I will love you forever."

"I want you to fill me with your love tonight," Pip said, "I want to devour every inch of your beautiful body, and I never want this night to end, my love."

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

The next morning a number of the guests caught early flights back to the mainland while the others, who arrived in their own jets, remained for the brunch since they could take off whenever the spirit moved them. GW left a message for Grant that he would be waiting for them at the pool when they were ready to collect their gift.

They met him at eight o'clock where they all had a light breakfast by the pool. "What a beautiful morning! You both look like you are ready to take on the world. Some of our guests are a little hung over after last night's party, including our Brad. He is not going to soar with the eagles this morning. He is in great pain and will not be joining us to pick up your gift."

"He is a good kid and I'm glad he's having a good time," GW said, "This is the first time I've seen him let go since he's been living with me. I guess he couldn't resist those lovely young women he was dancing with last night. He's turning out to be a fine young man and I would like him to continue to be part of our family."

After breakfast, they all piled into a limo and took off for the airport. GW had the driver take them to the general aviation terminal. GW went up to the terminal desk and asked for Jim Ryder. A few minutes later Jim appeared and talked to GW for a few minutes, then they both walked over to where Grant and Pip were waiting. Jim said, "If you will follow me gentlemen." Jim led them out of the terminal to the aircraft parking area and up to a twin engine Queen Air jet aircraft. Jim handed GW the keys and walked back to the terminal.

GW said, "Well, boys, this is your wedding present."

"Dad, I'm speechless," Grant said, he hugged GW, "She is a beauty, thank you so much."

GW smiled, "You can close your mouth now, Pip. I wish I had a camera to snap a picture of you two, your expressions are priceless."

"My God, Dad, I don't believe my eyes. This is ours?" and he hugged GW and said, "You are too generous."

"I was wracking my brains to figure out what to get you two, and then I remembered that Pip was a licensed pilot, and that you, Grant, always wanted to learn how to fly, so I decided a jet would be the ideal gift. Now you have no excuse not to visit me in Atlanta for long weekends, while you're living in Peru." He handed them each a set of gold keys. "Now let's get Jim Ryder out here to give us his sales pitch on this baby, and get you checked out on this aircraft."

Jim checked Pip out on the aircraft and let him take the controls to fly the aircraft. Jim told him they had a licensed instructor in Lima that he had contacted to teach Grant how to fly, and to help Pip, too, with his twin-engine rating. Jim said he would fly to Lima with them next week and would have all the paperwork ready for them.

"Is there any reason we can't all fly back to Atlanta in this jet then?" GW asked."

"No sir, I'll have her topped with fuel and ready to go within a half hour's notice," Jim replied. "She will be a lot more comfortable than any airline flight. The after section makes up into two individual staterooms so if you want to take a nap you can. The lounge chairs are also recliners. If you don't need to make it in a single hop, we can refuel and pick up a pilot in San Francisco for the last leg of the flight to Atlanta."

"Well, men, what do you think?"

They all agreed to the arrangements and decided to leave after brunch. 

Atlanta, Monday Afternoon 

Jim assured them that they he would have everything ready for them to leave on Wednesday morning and would have the company make sure the instructor pilot was on hand to meet them at the Lima International airport.

After returning to the mansion, Pip called Emory Medical and found that they had both been accepted into the medical school. Their classes were to start in three months.

"This is wonderful news," Pip said. "I knew they would accept you, Grant. Would you like to take a ride over to pick up the book I ordered?"

"Sure, let's go." They took the passage to the garage. Grant stopped Pip before he opened the door into the garage. "I'm sorry it took them so long, baby," Grant said. He handed Pip a gold key chain with three keys and a small plastic microchip disk attached. Your wedding present is parked inside; I hope it's what you want?

Pip opened the door and saw the full sized Mercedes coup parked next to Grant's Porsche. Pip stared without saying a word, and then he hugged Grant and said, "It's beautiful! I don't believe it, you and your father are too generous. I don't know what to say. I feel terrible that I have not given you something as luxurious in return."

"You have given me more than you will ever know. Did you think I would allow my lover to drive around in a beat up old car?" Grant said. "You need a dependable car. If you would rather have something else let me know. You can have anything your little heart desires."

"Come with me," Pip said. "He took Grant's hand and led him to the storage room where he took him in his arms and kissed him.”You are the most wonderful spouse in the world." Pip kissed him again.

"We better leave now, or you'll answer for the consequences," Grant said. "You're turning me on, baby."

Pip smiled, "You must learn to control yourself, my pet."

Grant chuckled as he grabbed Pip's stiff penis, "You mean, ‘do as I say, not as I do’?"

"You bet! Let's face it, baby, we're a couple of hot studs, in love," Pip said. "I beg you not to keep that up, or I will have to make love to you right here and now."

"In that case, we'd better get a move on," Grant said, "I expect you to continue this session when we return later. What do you say, lover?"

"You're on, baby. God! You do turn me on. You have me so excited that I get an erection every time I touch you. I wish we could spend two weeks in our little place in the mountains where we could walk around naked and make love as the spirit moves us."

"Sounds inviting, I've heard of islands like that in the Caribbean, we should look into that."

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦   ♦
 

Chapter 4 

Lima, Peru

Before leaving the Lima airport, they both made an appointment for flying lessons. They scheduled the helicopter to pick them up three times a week for their flight instructions, then they flew directly to Pip's medical clinic in the hills.

Pip's uncle was on hand to greet them when they arrived. He gave Pip a rundown on the activities of the clinic and of the increasing number of new patients that were arriving every day. He had petitioned the Bureau of Health to keep the place open after Pip returned to the United States.

"I appreciate your help, Tio," Pip said. "I wanted you to know that Grant and I were married in Hawaii last weekend. We will be returning to the United States to live as soon as we set up a staff to take over and run this clinic. Grant and I will be funding the clinic until the government can take it over. We are both enrolled in Emory Medical School."

"I wish you both well," Juan said. "I warn you once again, nephew, never mention this to your father. He will not accept the fact that you will be living in the United States."

"It's a shame that it has to be this way, Grant," Juan said. "I'm going to miss you and Pip. In the short time, I've known you, Grant, I've found you to be an intelligent and sophisticated young man. Under the circumstances, I think my nephew married well. Your wealth and influence are important to help to keep your marriage lasting. If Pip's father would only realize that he cannot control your lives, things would be much better for us all."

"Now I must be running along; if you need anything at all, please call. Oh, before I forget, Pip, your father would like you to call him."

Pip walked his uncle to the awaiting helicopter, hugged him and waved as he took off. He returned to the clinic and had a brief staff meeting, then called his father.

Pip joined Grant in the living room. "My father wants to meet with me this Friday. There are some financial problems he wants to discuss, would you like to tag along?"

"No, but thanks for asking," Grant answered. "You saw the pile of books I have to read in the next three months; I'd rather spend Friday reading. You run along and give the Don my love."

The next four days were hectic as usual for Grant and Pip. It was as Dr. Pizarro had said; the news of the free clinic had spread. More and more patients were showing up every day. They fell into bed exhausted every night. By Thursday afternoon, Pip had ordered the guard to close the gates at five so that they could take care of the crowd already waiting inside the compound. They had a leisurely dinner and turned in early.

Pizarro Office Building

"I'm sorry I had to pull you away from your clinic, Pip, but it's important that we talk today," Don Pizarro said. "You've missed several board meetings and are unaware of the desperate financial situation we are facing. For the past three years our exports have been declining, due mainly to our high export costs to the United States and the fierce competition we're experiencing from Mexico. The more technically developed nations are killing us with their more efficient farming methods. Peru can no longer depend on its abundance of cheap labor to survive. We can buy produce abroad cheaper than we can grow it in our own country. We are so far behind in the new technology that we are going to have to spend millions of dollars to improve our technology and develop new and better products to sell abroad."

"For generations the Pizarro family has earned their income from the land and we are still dependent on that as our major source of income. We are land-poor, Pip. We own millions of acres of land that is lying fallow because we don't have the money to invest in modern farming methods. We have poured in millions of dollars over the last several years to support our agriculture business. Unfortunately, we have used up our cash reserves and are close to financial ruin."

"I don't understand, Father, don't we still have the banking, shipping and overseas business," Pip asked. "The last time I saw a P&L statement we were financially stable in those areas."

"That was true two years ago," Don Pizarro said. "Since that time we had to sell off many of those investments to pay for the farming equipment. Agricultural chemicals and skilled labor are expensive these days. Not to mention the devastating crop losses due to the weather the last two seasons."

"The only businesses keeping us afloat are our shipping and banking businesses, and that my boy, is one of the reasons for this meeting. We cannot afford to lose those, or we will be bankrupt."

The telephone rang and Don Pizarro answered and nodded his head and said, "No problems, then? Good, sorry I can't talk now, I will speak to you later."

"I am sorry to hear this disturbing news, Father, I wish there were some way I can help."

Don Pizarro gave his son a very severe look. His expression turned to one of anger and his voice became cold when he began spoke again. "Well, that's the first inkling of concern you've shown for our business in some time. There may be hope for you yet. As a matter of fact, there is something you can do to help. The first thing is to get rid of your boyfriend and move back home."

Pip was shocked by his father's words. He tried to speak but the words could not come out. He could only stare at his father.

"You thought I didn't know about your disgusting relationship with that drug addict?" his father said. "How could a son of mine act in such an abnormal manner? I became sick after looking at the videos. I don't understand that kind of sexual conduct and never will. At first I thought you were mentally disturbed, but I understand from my liberal thinking brother that psychological help will not change your orientation, so there is nothing I can do to your brain, other than destroy your mind all together."

"I want you to write a letter to Grant and tell him that you're finished with him and the reason why. You will close up that clinic, move back to Lima, and work with your uncle. Resign yourself to the fact that you will never leave Peru. Your passport has been revoked. You could help the family by investing the millions you received from the Westerville's into our business."

"You have no right to treat Grant and me this way", Pip said. "You're thinking process is right out of the eighteenth century and I will not allow you to dictate how we should live our lives. Grant and I are married and that, father, won't change. I have no intention of writing a letter to Grant, he wouldn't believe it anyway. I don't understand you. If you knew I was gay, why didn't you tell me the way you felt?"

"I thought your affair would be a passing thing and you would come to your senses. Secondly, I could not allow any hint of scandal to tarnish our family name. And finally, I need you here to show continuity in the family business. My plan is to let it be known in the community that you will be joining the family business in the near future. This will make our major investors feel comfortable knowing they are dealing with a family owned business. Can you imagine how our ultraconservative customers would react if they learned that you were a homosexual?"

"In any event, we have just made several large loans using our businesses and land as security. If any scandal got out, we would lose everything. That is why I want you here under my thumb. Anyway, I don't have the money to support you for another two years in medical school."

"You don't have to support me. Grant has already agreed to support me."

"What in the name of God are you talking about? Are you living in some kind of a fairytale dream world?"

"Not at all Father. I told you, Grant and I were married in Hawaii last week and GW said I would never have to worry about money again. He wants to adopt me legally as his son. You will never understand this, father, but GW respects me and is genuinely concerned for my well-being. Forget about the money," Pip said. "I gave it back to GW two weeks ago. Naturally, he refused to take it back so we did the next best thing. I set up a foundation to help treat needy children in Peru. My generous spouse matched the two million his Dad gave me."

"Don't ever call Grant your spouse in my presence again. It is obvious that I neglected teaching you the value of money. If I did, you would never give away two million dollars. 'A fool and their money are soon parted', they say."

"Again, you probably won't understand this, Father, but I could not accept GW's money for curing my spouse. To me Grant is priceless and I will love him 'til my dying day. So your lesson in the value of money would have been lost on me."

"In case you're interested, that call was from one of my security people letting me know that you’re precious Grant has been removed from the clinic and is being held in a remote area of the country where you can't reach him. You are free to return to the clinic and supervise the removal of the equipment and your personal effects. I've taken this precaution to guarantee your cooperation. Grant will be detained until you agree to my terms. I want your letter to Grant before you leave."

"I cannot believe that you could be this cruel to separate us this way, because of money. It's a high price for me pay, but if it will keep Grant safe, I will pay the price. You don't have to hold Grant as a hostage to keep me in line. You have my word that I will stay with my uncle until I know that Grant is safe. I will never write any letter for you, now or in the future. I also have no intention of returning to the clinic. Tio Juan can do what he wants with it. I will never forgive you for what you have done to Grant and me. From this moment on you cease to be my father. I will never speak to you, or your wife, ever again. Oddly enough, I don't hate you, I can only pity you. The day will come when you will regret the contempt you have felt for your sons. Be assured, Don Pizarro, I will not hang myself, as my brother did. It was really too bad he took that way out, because he was the only one in our family that showed any real affection to me, with the exception of Tio Juan. Tio Juan was more of a father to me than you ever were, at least he loves me.

"Have no fear of me ever giving your family a bad name, because the first thing I plan is to legally change my name. So you see Don Pizarro, the family name will die with you. The proper epitaph on your tombstone should read: 'He loved his family history more than his own flesh and blood'.

"I warn you, Don Pizarro, if any harm comes to Grant, you will live to regret it for the rest of your miserable life. In parting, let me say I never want to see or talk to you again, and I will deny you are, or ever were my father. Furthermore, I intend to pay you back every peso you ever spent on me from the day I was born, including the maternity cost. It sickens me to think that you were my father. Goodbye and enjoy your life." Pip stood and left.

Don Pizarro was speechless. He was so angry he could not speak. How dare Pip threaten him like that! Yet, for the first time in his life, he genuinely feared his son. He had never seen Pip like this before; he was calm and was composed when he spoke. He realized that his son meant every word he said and that made him feel very uncomfortable. He never expected this cold-blooded reaction from Pip. He picked up the phone and placed a call to his brother.

Pip called his uncle to ask him if he could live with him for a while. Juan thought that sounded strange, naturally he agreed without hesitation. Pip said they would talk about it later. Pip took a cab to his uncle's house and made a telephone call to his pilot. He instructed Jim to take off and take the plane to Miami immediately and warned the pilot about the problems he might run into. He warned him to be careful.

"Jim, call GW and tell him that Don Pizarro has kidnapped his son, and that my hands are tied. I will be living with my uncle; they must not try to contact me directly. Take your orders from GW until further notice. Make sure you tell GW, quote, 'His sons want to come home', unquote."

Jim told Pip that he planned to go about his normal routine of flight checking the aircraft. Once he was out of Peru's airspace, he would head for Miami.

Pip called the local emergency number Grant had given him and went through their little code procedure, and then the voice on the other end said, "What's the message?"

Pip said, "It's a bad play."

"Right," the operator said, "Give me your telephone number and address. Okay, what time did the play start?"

"This morning between eight and eleven," Pip answered.

"If I need you again, I'll contact you at the hospital, what is that number?

Pip gave him the number and told him he would probably be working at the hospital emergency room in the future.

Tio Juan walked in just as Pip finished his call. "I could not stand the suspense, what the hell is going on?"

"My world has just been blown apart and I'm going crazy. I'm going to have to stay with you until it's righted again. Do you think you can get me a job at the hospital? I'll need the money."

"Of course. You know we are always short of doctors," Juan said. "Why don't you tell me what's going on? Your father left a frantic message on my answering machine just after we talked, does this have anything to do with it? I wanted to know before I return his call."

"Tio Juan, I have no father, my parents ceased to exist this morning. I don't want this to be a burden on you, but you should know that as far as I'm concerned my mother and father are dead. I told Don Pizarro that this morning. I will never speak to them again. I just wanted you to know that. My family consists of Grant, my father-in-law and you. I have been sworn to secrecy and cannot discuss what happened at that meeting."

"My God, Pip! What has happened? Is Grant all right?"

Pip's eyes filled with tears and he said, "I don't know, Tio Juan, that's what is so difficult to accept"

"Your brother has made me realize how little I mean to him. I've tried to be a good son to him, but all I've gotten in return is grief. He drove my brother to take his own life and I cannot ever forgive him for that. I can never forgive him for what he has done and this is the last time I will ever speak of him again."

"All right, Pip, I won't press you. There are some hospital greens hanging in your room. Why don't you change and we can leave?"

Juan returned his brother's call and agreed to see him after he dropped Pip off at the hospital.

Juan was ushered into his brother's office. "What the hell did you do to Pip?"

"What did I do to Pip?" Don Pizarro asked. "You mean that ungrateful little queer? After what he said to me this morning, I should disinherit him. He is so thick; he cannot see that what I'm doing is for his own good. Did Pip contact you?"

"Yes, I spoke to him very briefly, but he refuses to tell me anything about his meeting with you. Now, exactly what happened?"

Don Pizarro told him the whole story. When he finished, he said, "You can see my position, I have the family business and name to uphold, and you of all people must realize that."

"I thought it might be something like that. That poor kid, when are you going to wake up to the reality that Pip was your last chance to make amends for what you did to your dead son? Did it ever occur to you to sit down and talk to Pip? For God's sake, he is your own flesh and blood, yet you treat him like dirt. Pip is a wonderful, caring young man. Grant is just as nice. They are two of the finest young men you would ever want to know. No matter what you think, I found them to be decent and caring young men, and yes, they are very much in love. Pip had a difficult time accepting the fact that he is a homosexual. He was more upset at how the news would hurt you than he was about himself. He felt he could never tell you the truth about himself. I was very happy for him when he told me about Grant. For the first time in his life, he found someone that loved him. I've never seen a happier person. He was a new man and was truly excited about his future. Grant's father, GW, welcomed him into the family. GW is treating him like a son, because he saved Grant's life. Pip has finally found a warm caring family and he was happy for the first time in his life. I have lost any respect I ever had for you as a father. You were always more concerned about your position in society than you were for your children.

"What you did today is wrong, and I'm glad I took my money out of the bank you control. I don't care to have anything to do with you again. I cannot believe you would stoop to kidnapping. It's too bad we are not in the United States, because they would give you the punishment you deserve. They would execute you. If anything happens to Grant, I will use my power to help Pip destroy you. I suggest you tread very lightly and make sure no harm comes to Grant. If you think you can control Pip by holding Grant, you are dead wrong. Those are two strong individuals and they will survive. I strongly urge you to rethink what you have done. You should concern yourself about what GW Westerville will do when he learns about his son. GW, unlike you, loves his son, and he will use every means at his disposal to get him back. GW and Grant communicate regularly, so he is going to be concerned when he does not hear from him. I suggest you give that some thought as well.

"He is a very wealthy and powerful man with a lot of clout in Washington. The papers would have a field day with this. I tell you one thing, dear brother, if the United States government gets involved with this, our government will not only find Grant, but they will serve up your head on a silver platter without batting an eye. What you have done is good for me; at least I now have a wonderful young man for my son. Don't worry about Pip, I will take care of him from now on. Thank you, brother, for giving me your son, you never deserved him in the first place. It's funny in a way; I always envied you, you were blessed with two fine boys and my beloved wife died trying to give me a child. I don't think it would be a good idea to call my home again. I don't want you to upset Pip. If you have to speak to me, call me at the hospital. Good day."

Clinic Compound, Peru

Grant was shocked when a small military detachment arrived at the compound after Pip left Friday morning. They locked the gates, herded the staff together, and locked them into one of the large isolation rooms.

Major Diego was the group leader. "You are under my protection and you will be moved to a new location."

Naturally, Grant was angry at these Gestapo type actions and demanded an explanation for them. He also wanted to know who was responsible for this. The Major ignored his protests and refused to answer his questions.

The only response he got was, "I am acting under orders from my superiors and have no choice in this matter but to obey. You could cooperate and make this job easier, or you could be difficult and be treated as a hostile prisoner. In either case, we will be leaving as soon as your personal effects are loaded on the aircraft."

At this point, Grant decided the wisest course of action was to cooperate, mainly because he wanted to be sure that all his personal effects were included, and he could just imagine the type of tranquilizer they would use.

After everything was loaded into the large military helicopter, they took off and headed in an easterly direction. Once they left the region near Lima, they flew over sparsely settled mountainous terrain, which apparently was not on the pilot's map. He noticed that the pilot was following a main road for his bearings. They were only airborne a little over an hour.

Grant could see that they were in an isolated area; at least it appeared that way from the air. There were no roads, dirt or otherwise, leading into the area, unless the local residents consider a well-traveled donkey trail a major artery. It was obvious that the helicopter was the principal mode of transportation for this remote area. The Major was friendly enough and well educated. He spoke of his college days in the United States. He told of his desire to return to the United States to live after his military obligation was over.

The helicopter descended and landed in a large field that appeared to have been a working farm at one time. Mountains surrounded the area. The section they were headed for was the only flat area for miles around, and that too was hilly. Grant observed several buildings clustered together. You could not mistake the sturdy farmhouse. It was a large two story stone building surrounded with a split rail fence with a path leading from the back of the building to the barn. The place appeared to be the only farm for miles around.

The men unloaded the luggage and cartons of supplies from the aircraft while the Major and one of his men walked over to the farmhouse several hundred yards away.

They all returned in a horse drawn wagon with the farmer. The men loaded the wagon and walked next to the wagon up to the house. The farmer supervised the unloading of the wagon and told the men where to store the cartons.

"Señor Grant, this is Carlo, he will be responsible for you from now on." The major saluted and left with his men.

Grant and Carlo shook hands, "Welcome to paradise, Señor."

"Thank God, you speak English," Grant said. "I've always been a firm believer in getting the unpleasantness over with first. I know you're my jailer, so please explain the rules."

"You are not my prisoner, Señor Grant, you are Don Pizarro's guest. My wife and I have been hired to serve you and to keep track of your movements. You are free to go wherever you wish in this area. If you wish to leave the farm, I must accompany you. You are not allowed to leave the village and you are not allowed to wear shoes, or boots. This is an isolated area and the only way out of here is over the mountain, or over a bridge in the village. The bridge is guarded twenty-four hours a day. The Don also has lookouts and special surveillance equipment to track you.

"Unfortunately, you will be fitted with an ankle band that you must wear at all times. I am sorry Señor but those are the rules. If you do try to escape, we will be forced to keep you locked up in one of the buildings designed as a jail from that point on."

"Don't worry, Carlo, I will not try to escape. As much as I would like to return to Lima, I do not intend to kill myself in the process. I have a lot of studying to do to keep myself busy for the next six months. I won't be here that long, anyway. In the meantime, would you show me around the place?"

"Yes Señor."

The farmhouse was much larger than it appeared. Off the spacious foyer were a large and tastefully furnished living room on one side, and a library on the opposite side. There was also a good-sized dining room, morning room, music room and large kitchen. Half of the second floor was taken up by a huge master bedroom suite and two smaller bedrooms. The master bedroom had its own bath and the two other bedrooms shared the second bath. The furnishings were good quality and well cared for. The facility had it own generating plant and fresh water supply. Carlo introduced his wife Maria, who was the housekeeper and cook.

"Señor Grant, lunch will be ready in thirty minutes if that is convenient for you, sir." Maria said. "We did not know what time you would be arriving so I prepared the noon meal on schedule. We usually have our main meal at noon and a light supper for the evening meal. Is that agreeable to you, Señor?"

"That's fine, Maria, I'm an early riser, so don't worry about fixing my breakfast. You show me where you keep everything and I'll fix my own breakfast. Oh, one more thing, I don't care for coffee, I like tea with my meals and wine with dinner if we have any. Unless we have unexpected guests, I would like to have you and Carlo join me for lunch and dinner, I don't like dining alone."

"Carlo, I think you should put that leg collar on now, I don't want you to lose your job over me."

"Si, Señor."

Grant stuck around the house for the first week to get his bearings. He also needed to exercise. He missed his daily jogging. It was impossible to jog without shoes, so he made a deal with Carlo to let him use his jogging shoes for a daily run around the field. After the second week, Grant thought it was time to explore the local village. Carlo let him jog to the local village and the surrounding area to break up the monotony. So Grant expanded his running. They became regulars after a while, Carlo on horseback, with Grant jogging ahead of him. The townspeople waved at them as they passed after a while.

Grant had enlisted the couples' aid in helping to learn Spanish. He had picked up a lot in the three months he was with Pip. They agreed to converse in Spanish only and to correct his pronunciation when it was incorrect. It was not long before he had the language perfected. Having majored in Spanish Language in High School helped him.

A month had passed before Carlo delivered him a letter from his father. "Don Pizarro has no objections if you wish to respond to your father's letter, Señor," Carlo said. "Of course, he will read every letter before it is posted. He will reject any letter that would indicate your present location, or your confinement. The Don also wants you to make some plausible excuse for not reaching him by telephone. The communications to the United States are a problem in the best of times. Your father will understand that."

"I understand, Carlo," Grant said. "I want you to ask the Don why he is detaining me here. I came back to this country to help his son, Pip, in his clinic and now he has me under house arrest. I also want to speak to his brother, Dr. Pizarro. I would like some answers."

"I will convey your request, Señor."

The next morning they did their usual jog through the village. On the way back, a crowd had gathered around a man lying on the porch of one of the houses. As they approached the crowd, Grant could see the man was bleeding. He ran over to see if he could help. The farmer had a long deep cut down the side of his leg. One of the men said he had slipped and fell on a sickle. Grant immediately went into action. He instructed the man applying it to release the tourniquet. He observed the blood flow and realized he had severed a major blood vessel.

"Carlo, run back to the house and bring my two medical bags. Don't waste any time, or this man will bleed to death."

Grant had them help carry the man into the nearest house. He had them lay him on the kitchen table, after his wife had wiped the table with bleach. He could see the wound was clean. He instructed the man's wife to cover the man with blankets and boil a pot of water.

Carlo returned with the two bags. Grant immediately boiled the instruments he would be using. He asked for a volunteer to assist him. Carlo said he would assist him. They both scrubbed and donned a pair of surgical gloves. Grant removed the instruments from the boiling water, and sterilized a syringe. He numbed the leg with Novocain injections. He sutured the severed blood vessels first and released the tourniquet. Satisfied that the stitches were holding, he closed the wound. He applied a loose bandage and instructed the men that were there to take the man to the doctor, an hour's ride from the village. Before they left, he gave the man a tetanus shot and antibiotics and some painkiller tablets. He asked everyone to leave while he and Carlo changed the man's under clothes, bathed him and changed his underwear. Grant wrapped him in blankets and had the men carry him to a pickup truck for his ride to the next town.

"Carlo, I need to replace the medical supplies I used today plus a few more things I need. Will you see that Don Pizarro takes care of that?"

"I'll see that you get the supplies you need." Carlo said. "That was a very nice bit of work you did back there, Señor. That man would have died on the way to the doctor's if you had not helped him. One day you will make a good doctor."

"Thank you. As one amateur to another, you did a fine job yourself as my assistant."

"Ah, but I'm not an amateur. I was a medical corpsman in the military. You did a professional job of stitching up that man's leg."

"Well, Carlo, my man, at least we didn't kill the guy," Grant said. "Why didn't you tell me about your background? You could have sewn the guy up with your experience."

"I was afraid to tackle that serious a job," Carlo said, "It's been a while since I was in the service. You knew what you were doing; Dr. Pizarro taught you well."

"You're a good man, Señor," Carlo said. "I don't understand why you are being held here."

"I've a pretty good idea, Carlo," Grant said. "Believe me; I've done nothing to deserve this. However, my absence is not going to go unnoticed. I know I will not be harmed, or anything like that, it's the heartache of being separated from the person I love. I think you can understand what I'm going through, since you were in the military."

Carlo nodded and left. He was back later that afternoon with two envelopes, one from his father, and the other from the Don.

Dear Grant,

Thank you for your informative letter. Glad to hear you and Pip are making progress finding someone to run the clinic. I'm looking forward to your return. It will be nice to have you and Pip home again. Thanks for your suggestion of taking Lucy to North Carolina; I know she will enjoy the trip.

Your option for that South American buy out has been completed. You are now the chief stockholder. The principals are awaiting your reorganization plans. I suggest you not waste any time in submitting your business plan. I'll will stall them until you are ready.

Tell Pip the plane back is still in the shop. I hope you didn't have any pressing needs for the plane. I understand it has to do with some defective wiring in the primary electric circuit. At present, everything is being ripped out and is being replaced. The job will take another three weeks, unless they find something else is wrong. Some gift, huh? Tell Pip the company is sending him a loaner to use. Let me know if that is okay.

I'm sorry that you have not had the time to take your flying lessons, Grant. Sounds like you're both working too hard, back off and take a rest.

Sorry the communications are still down at the clinic. Hope to hear from you soon. Give my love to Pip.

All my love, Dad

Grant opened the letter from Don Pizarro.

Dear Grant,

Your confinement at the farm depends on Pip's cooperation. He has refused to speak to me, and refuses to write to you as well.

I was appalled by the video tapes taken at the clinic site of the sexual relations between you and Pip. I feel your relationship is perverted and abnormal and I want it to end. I have told Pip not to have any further contact with you now or in the future. However, Pip has other thoughts about that and continues to defy me on this matter.

I've nothing against you personally, but I feel that you are responsible for leading my son down the wicked path you have chosen. As I have said, your fate is in Pip's hands at this point and he can be very pig-headed. This could take some time to resolve.

Don Pizarro

Grant wrote another letter to his father. He dismissed the Don's letter as self serving and childish and was not about to give him the courtesy of a response.

He did learn a lot from the Don's letter that made him feel better. He was glad Pip was defying his father. If nothing else, his father knows the score. His dad's letter gave him the biggest lift. The wheels were in motion and now all he had to do was to wait, time was on his side now. Grant could not figure out the meaning of his father remarks about the Queen Air. The only conclusion he could think of, was that Pip ordered the pilot to take the plane to Miami to warn his father.

The next time Grant jogged through town, after the incident with the farmer, the townspeople became friendlier. They approached him with all kinds of questions about their aches and pains. He explained to them that he was not a doctor and was not allowed to practice medicine. He did not want to get in trouble with the authorities. He couldn't help noticing a jeep parked outside of the home of the injured farmer, it was the first time he had seen a vehicle of any kind in the town since his arrival.

Later that afternoon the jeep stopped in front of the house. Carlo walked into the living room with a man he introduced as a Dr. Alvarez.

"I wanted to shake the hand of the young man that saved my patient's life and to thank you for your help. You did a beautiful job of stitching him up. I must compliment you, Mr. Westerville, on your fine job."

"Thank you, Doctor, but I'm not an intern yet. I'm enrolled at Emory Medical School and will be beginning classes in a few months. My experience has come from my volunteer work at Doctor Pizarro's clinic in Lima."

"Would that be Dr. Juan Pizarro?"

"No, I worked with his nephew, Philip."

"I see, well you should make a fine doctor one day. Good luck at Emory; it's a fine Medical School."

Grant walked the doctor to his jeep and waved as he drove away. He turned and walked into the house where Carlo was waiting for him.

"I didn't know if I should have introduced you, or not. It's annoying not to know how to respond in such a situation, so I played it by ear. I assumed it was the right thing to do, or you wouldn't have let him in the house."

"You handled it the right way," Carlo said. "I suggest we keep this to ourselves. This is not something you should mention to Papa, or anyone else."

"Do you have a reply for Don Pizarro?"

"His letter did not require a response. I want you and Maria to know that I appreciate everything you have done to make my stay pleasant. I know it has not been an easy job for you. Some day, when this is all over, I want you to come and visit with me in Atlanta. This confinement could have been a lot worse; I appreciate you bending the rules for me."

"We will be happy to visit you in Atlanta, Señor."

"I want you to deliver a message to the Don," Grant said. "It's essential that you stress the importance of the message. You are to tell the Don that I expect to be leaving here Friday afternoon. If he does not have a plane here Friday noon, I will destroy him financially." Carlo raised his eyebrows at this remark.

"I assure you, Carlo, this is not an idle threat," Grant continued. "If he does not believe you, tell him to call the Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Lima. He will learn the true extent of my control over him. The aircraft should be large enough to transport me and my personal effects to Lima."

Carlo smiled, "This should be very interesting, Señor. Why do I have the feeling that you were in control of this situation for some time?"

Grant smiled, "Only since the first week, Carlo. I was more concerned about what the Don would do to his son. I was never in danger."

"I will make sure the Don understands the brevity of your message, Senor.”

Since his initial confinement, Grant had stuck to his routine of exercise and study. He even had time to study the piano again. He devoted four hours to practicing. Two hours of practice in the morning, and another two-hour session in the afternoon. It took time to retrain the unused muscles in his arms and back, but he noticed the improvement and he realized the pleasure he got when he could play a classical selection through without a mistake.

Grant was in the middle of his morning practice when Carlo interrupted him. "Don Pizarro has arrived and requests your presence in the living room."

"Tell Mr. Pizarro to make himself comfortable," Grant said. "I will join him in thirty minutes when my practice session is over."

Grant finished his session and joined the Don in the living room.

"Good morning Mr. Pizarro, how nice of you to drop by."

"I thought it was time to meet you face to face," the Don said. "You failed to respond to my letter to you."

"You can't be serious about the statements you made in that letter," Grant said. "I had credited you with a little more intelligence than the nonsense you wrote. Your letter was arrogant and self-serving. I had no intention of answering.

"Did you honestly think I would swallow that nonsense about Pip keeping me here?" Grant asked. "I'm here because you had me kidnapped. You are using me to control your son. I still cannot understand why you hate me so much. I've never done anything to harm you. Do you hate me because I'm gay, or because I'm an American? I can't quite figure that out. I never denied the fact that I'm a homosexual, but do try to keep that knowledge under wraps. I consider myself lucky in finding Pip. I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him. That feeling for him has never changed, drunk, or sober. Pip is a homosexual and I had nothing to do with that. That is what we are and we have no control over it. We are not given a choice, you're either a homosexual, or you're not, and it's as simple as that. And that, sir, is why I couldn't force your son down the wrong path.

"Pip happens to be a decent, wonderful and caring man. We are married and I love him very much. Fortunately, he feels the same way about me. He has turned my life around and set me on the right path. He also made me realize what a jerk I was before I met him. I feel I owe my life to Pip and that is the only reason I was willing to stay here.

"I have not quite figured you out yet. I don't know if you're deliberately trying to destroy Pip, because he is gay, or you are jealous of him because he is well liked by so many people.

"When I first met Pip, he was waiting tables at La Grotto Restaurant. Later I learned that he is a doctor and the son of a wealthy family. After we fell in love, Pip told me of his family background and his family's wealth. I questioned him once about him waiting tables and struggling to make ends meet. Frankly, I thought it made no sense at all for the son of a wealthy family. Of course, Pip, being the trusting soul he is, seriously believed your story about teaching him the value of a dollar. My investigators had no trouble in learning the true story behind your lie. I also learned enough from his friends to know that you were not a caring father and treated Pip shabbily. Things just didn't add up. Since I knew Pip was the man I would be marrying, I wanted to make sure that his family checked out as well. My investigation revealed that you are in bad financial shape. I don't think I have to tell you what you already know."

Don Pizarro said, "Why don't you tell me, since you seem to know so damn much?"

"Ah, getting a little testy are we? What I learned, was that you are at the end of your rope. I wondered how much it would take to push you over the edge. Have you bothered to check my family out, Mr. Pizarro?"

"Why should I? I could care less about you, or your family."

"Perhaps, if you had, you would have learned something about us."

"What would I have learned? Are your ancestor's descendants of royalty, like my family?"

"I can't say for sure," Grant said. "I know my forefathers were from Virginia and migrated to Georgia after the War Between the States. One thing I do know, they loved the land, because they sure owned a lot of it, kind of like your family in a way. Unlike your family, my folks held onto the best parcels of land and sold off the rest. I'm happy to report that they were smart enough to make some serious dollars in the process. Today we are into everything imaginable. Even I cannot keep track of it at times. I only mention this to keep everything in perspective. The majority of Americans could care less how far back your bloodlines go. We judge a person by his own merits, not by what his family did. The qualities we admire are hard work, honesty, and money.

"Pip told me that you're more concerned about your family bloodlines than anything else, including him. Too bad you feel that way about your son, because in the end he is the only thing that will be around when your empire crumbles to ashes, just like your ancestors."

"My beliefs and ancestors are really no business of yours. If you have a point to make, I wish you would make it and stop boring me with your presumptions and theories. Let us stop playing cat and mouse games, Grant, shall we? I would like to know why you threatened me."

"Before I answer you, I want to know how Pip is."

"I have no idea; he refuses to speak to me."

"Is he still working at the private clinic?"

"No, he refused to return after you left."

"That's not like Pip at all." Grant became very angry and raised his voice. "If you've done anything to hurt him in any way, I will destroy you! Do I make myself clear?"

"There is no need to shout? May I remind you that you are in no position to make demands?"

"That's what you think," Grant said. "Let me tell you something, I can leave this place any time I want and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You really are a stupid man. Didn't the fact that the American Embassy knows my whereabouts make you suspicious at all? The only reason I've remained here was to make sure that Pip was safe. Did the Cultural Attaché give you a message for me?"

"Yes, he told me to tell you that, 'Paradise is yours for the taking'."

"Thank you, now we can get down to business, Mr. Pizarro. Have you ever heard of International Development Corp. or IDC?"

"Of course, they happen to be the major stockholder in two of my corporations. Of what concern is that of yours?"

"I'm very concerned because I own IDC. Excuse me for a moment, I must speak to Carlo." Grant returned a few minutes later and continued the conversation.

"You are still in shock I see," Grant said.

"I find this hard to believe. Why didn't you make yourself known before this and when did you decide to buy into my company?"

"That should have been obvious to you. I did it to protect Pip. Your brother was concerned about us and warned me about you. That is when I had you investigated and when I decided to take control of your companies. I've neutralized your power in the government. That message you delivered informed me that my beloved is safe and that the people in power in your country know who I am. The United States Ambassador has also informed your government that they should cooperate with me now, and in the future."

Carlo entered the living room with the Major and his detail.

"Mr. Westerville, my commander extends his regards and hopes your stay was relaxing," the Major said. "If Carlo will show my men what you wish to take with you, I will see it is loaded on the aircraft. We will be ready to take off when you are ready, sir."

"Thank you, Major. I will be ready to leave as soon as everything is loaded on the aircraft. Carlo, please show the Major to my baggage."

"Yes sir, I will let you know when they are ready."

Don Pizarro looked like a beaten man, "What is to become of my company now?"

"Pip and I will discuss that later," Grant said. "I plan to build a new company on the existing foundation. The whole operation needs to be restructured and streamlined in order to compete in today's market. My plan is to make a profit, not to lose it."

"It may be better if I resign now," Don Pizarro said. "Pip hates me for what I did to you and said he will never to speak to his mother or me again. I know enough about Pip to know that he will not change his mind."

"I don't blame him," Grant said. "You hurt him deeply. Pip was a dutiful son and did not deserve to be treated that way. I know you have no use for me, but how could you be so cruel to him? You've stripped him of everything; his home, his inheritance, and you even tried to force me out of his life."

"You must hate me, too. Now it's within your power to punish me for what I have done"

"I will never forgive you for keeping us apart, Don Pizarro. But I don't hate you and I'm not a vengeful man. It's too bad that you did not try to understand men like Pip and me. Unfortunately, you are not alone in your hatred for gay men. Too many people are too quick to hate without even trying to understand us. But that is the way life is. I know you don't like hearing this, but like it or not, Pip is my spouse and I love him very deeply. He is my life and I will do anything to protect him. I don't believe our families should be at odds. Life is too short to be estranged for the short time we have on this planet. I'll try to do everything in my power to persuade Pip to reconsider, but there are no guarantees. If you still have feelings for Pip, I think you should take the time to re-examine your relationship with your son. Don't let his being a homosexual cloud the issue. He is all you have now, so don't waste this chance of getting to know a super person.

"I plan to use our wedding present from my Dad to jet around the civilized world for the next few months. This will give us time to think and let some of the wounds heal. My strategic business planners will be working with you during our absence and I will be kept informed on a daily basis as to their recommendations. We will sit down on my return and discuss the future of the corporation. No matter how everything turns out, Pip and I will be returning to Atlanta to live. The United States is more tolerant toward men like us."

"You have been more understanding than I expected, Grant. You are wrong about my real feelings toward Pip. I do love him. I was overwhelmed by the hate he felt towards me on our last meeting. I have never seen him like this before and I have not recovered from that shock. That was the first time I saw my son stand up to me. He woke me up to the consequences of my actions. When my brother berated me for what I had done to you and Pip, I knew I had failed my family and my sons. But the die was cast and I was too ashamed and too proud to beg Pip for forgiveness. I went berserk when I learned he was having a homosexual relationship with you. At first I thought it was a stage he was going through. I thought he could seek professional help that could cure him of this. Naturally I blamed you for leading him astray. It is not unheard of for doctors to become involved with their patients. You must try to understand how I felt when I saw those pictures. I could not accept the thought that my son would not be continuing our line by producing an heir. I had to try to do anything to reverse this nightmare. You were raised in a different environment, Grant. My parents demanded and trained me to take over the family affairs. I was taught how I must act and how to instill this same duty in my heirs. It followed that one day my sons would pass this on to the next generation. Remember this has been instilled in me from childhood and was constantly reinforced. It fell upon me to see that my sons did the same. I did not feel that I was being any harder on my sons than my parents had been with me. Every generation has gone through the same discipline and training. It's true, Pip's older brother took his own life because he felt he could not live his life as a homosexual. I will always regret his loss, I live with that grief. Pip remained the only hope to continue our family name. It is obvious I became obsessed with my duty, as I saw it then.

"What good is all that now, maybe it's just as well that you are taking over the family business? Your assessment was right. Of what use is it to the family now? Pip will have nothing to do with me, or the business. Do you know he plans to change his name? I've really made a mess of everything all around. I'm glad in a way things turned out the way they did. I had planned to let you leave before this, but I just could not bring myself to face you. I still can't bring myself to accept your life style. Maybe in time, I will. It's strange, but I feel very comfortable talking to you. We understand each other, Grant. Pip could have done a lot worse in choosing a partner. You're right about him; he is a kind and gentle young man who would like nothing better than to cure the world. He needs a realistic person like you to take care of him.

"Since we are being honest with each other, I think you would be making a big mistake wasting your talents in the medical field," Don Pizarro said. "I know you have the brains to become a doctor, but I feel you are cut out for the business world. Of course I have been known to make bad judgments."

"Thanks for your honesty, Don Pizarro. You may be right this time around. I've been having second thoughts about becoming a doctor. But, that will remain our little secret for the present.

"I understand your misgivings in accepting me as Pip's spouse, but that does not change the fact that we are married. He is my partner and owns half of IDC and everything I have, for that matter. If you had checked me out, you would have learned that I'm a very wealthy man. Pip can have anything he wants, but, I've cut him down to twenty-five million a year on his free health clinics. You're right, he is a very compassionate person and tends to be a bit too generous to the poor.

"Well, Don Pizarro, I'm for heading back to Lima, I have a lot of phone calls to make this afternoon. Are you ready to leave?"

"I can see no reason to stay here any longer."

"Just one more thing, forget what your business partners think about gay men, they kiss my gay ass just as quickly as yours," Grant said. "To them, business is business and money crosses all boundaries."

Don Pizarro chuckled, "You know, you're right, I guess I've got a lot to learn."

Lima, Peru

Grant called Juan from the airport and filled him in on everything that had happened.

"I would like to surprise Pip tonight. I've reserved the Presidential suite at the International Hotel and would like you to tell Pip that the Chairman of IDC is in town and would like to meet him at his hotel as soon as possible. Explain to him who IDC is and that it's important that he knows."

"I would like you and Pip to be my guests as long as you are in Lima," Juan said.

"Thank you, Tio Juan. We will take you up on that after we return from our vacation. I'm planning to take Pip on a nice long vacation starting tomorrow. We both need one at this point. Our pilot is already flying our Queen Air into Lima. As soon as Pip can break away we're gone."

"Thank God everything turned out this way, and that you are both safe. I know Pip will go crazy when he sees you. He's been walking around like a zombie since you left. Pip's shift will be over in two hours. I'll make sure he gets to the hotel. I'll also take him off the duty roster until further notice. Ask him to call me before you both leave. What about clothes, won't he need to pack?"

"Hell no, I'll buy him a new wardrobe," Grant said. He needs to get with the times, have you taken a good look at his clothes? He looks like the nuns dressed him. I can't let my spouse dress like that; I have standards to uphold, Doctor."

Juan laughed, "You're right, Pip is more conservative that his father in manner of dress."

Grant made a few purchases at the hotel drug store. He called the manager from the house phone and told him to have Pip taken up to the suite when he arrives, that he was running a little late. Grant took the elevator to the top floor and let himself in.

He called his dad and arranged for his team of experts to start their evaluation on the Pizarro enterprises. He unpacked, showered and spent a relaxing half-hour in the whirlpool. He carefully dressed in one of the one of the new outfits he purchased. He also hung the new clothes he bought for Pip in the closet. He selected a lightweight white cashmere, open-neck sweater, a pair of light linen slacks with matching linen espadrille shoes. His hair was longer now, turned into a head full of massive blond curls due to the humid weather. The white clothes showed off his muscles and his tanned golden-bronze skin. The workouts he did every day paid off. Grant was pleased at his reflection in the mirror.

The phone rang, but Grant did not answer. It should be the front desk to announce Pip's arrival. Grant walked to the bedroom and adjusted the door so that he could see the entire room, yet not be seen. The bell captain let Pip in and showed him the location of the bar. Pip tipped the bell captain as he left. Grant watched as Pip walked over to the sliding glass windows that overlooked downtown Lima. While his back was turned, Grant walked into the center of the room and waited for Pip to turn.

Pip turned and saw Grant standing there. He froze momentarily as if he could not believe his eyes. He rushed over to Grant, pulled him into his arms, and held him tightly without saying a word. Then he smothered Grant's face and neck with kisses. He kissed him again, but this time very gently and then passionately moved his tongue deep within Grant's mouth and ran his hands gently up and down Grant's back. "Thank God, you're safe, my beautiful baby," Pip finally said.

He slipped his hand under Grant's sweater and lifted it off over his head. He kissed his neck and ran his fingers all over Grant's bare chest and back. He unbuttoned his slacks and let them fall. He caressed Grant's erect penis and gently massaged his testicles.

Grant helped Pip out of his clothes until he was naked. Pip put his arm around Grant's waist and led him into the bedroom. He helped Grant into bed and straddled him. He kissed every part of Grant's beautiful body until Grant was moaning and writhing with pleasure.

Pip took two condoms from the bedside stand and put one on each of them. He worked the KY Gel into Grant's anus, lifted Grant's legs and entered his lover. He leaned down and forced his tongue into Grant's mouth.

They were so turned on by each other that it was not long before they climaxed. Pip pulled out of Grant and laid next to him with their heads together and holding hands.

"God, it's been so long, I forgot how wonderful you are," Grant said.

"I missed you, baby, it was maddening not to feel your strong body, or to hear your voice. You have made life so meaningful to me, my love." Pip kissed Grant on the cheek.

"I felt the same way about you, my beautiful one. I'm not going to let you go." They stayed that way and fell asleep in each other's arms. Pip awoke an hour later and kissed Grant on the neck and chest. He stroked his penis until he was fully aroused. He turned him on his back and applied the KY gel on Grant's penis and on his own anus. He then straddled Grant and guided the tip of Grant's penis into his rectum. After a few seconds he began a wild ride.

Grant sat up, wrapped his arms around Pip, and kissed him, forcing his tongue deep into his mouth. He reached down, took hold of Pip's penis, and began masturbating him. Grant said, "I never get enough of you, my love. I'm going to lay you on your back now and do this right."

It didn't take long before they were both so turned on they came together in a matter of minutes. Grant lay on top of Pip, burying his head into his neck.

"That was wonderful. Let's stay like this forever; I don't want to move again."

"I love you so much," Pip said. "I've been dreaming of holding you like this every night since they stole you from me. I feel so happy and alive again." He tightened his grip on Grant even more. "The pain and sadness vanished the instant I held you in my arms, my beloved. We must take steps in the future to make sure this never happens to us again, your life is too precious to me."

"Are you dozing off again, baby," Pip asked.

"No, it's your sexy voice," Grant said. "You make me tingle all over. You better not use this bedside voice on any other patient but me, Doctor."

Pip nibbled on Grant's ear, "Do you think for one second that I would ever be unfaithful to you? Why would I want to, you are the most beautiful creature on this planet? You've spoiled me for anyone else."

Grant kissed him tenderly. "I'd destroy anyone that lays a finger on you again," Grant said. "Let's hit the shower and then have a bite to eat. I've had the chef prepare a special dinner for us in celebration of my return from the wars."

Grant called room service to order their dinner to be prepared. They were having a glass of wine in the sitting room when two waiters wheeled in the food service cart and set the dining table in front of the large windows that overlooked the city. They had transformed the table into an elegant dining table set with flowers, silver candlesticks, fine china and crystal stemware. They poured the wine and set the bottle in the wine chiller, "Mr. Westerville, your dinner is ready to be served."

They walked over and sat down to eat. After dinner, they returned to the sofa to sip their brandy. The waiters returned to clear the table and left.

"Thank you for making this a wonderful evening, baby," Pip said. "You do know how to make an evening delightful."

"Sit closer and hold me," Grant said. Pip kicked off his shoes and took Grant into his arms. "First thing tomorrow morning we'll stop by Tio Juan's to grab your medical bag and pack a few things. We are taking off for that belated honeymoon you never had. You, my handsome lover, are going to take me to all those wonderful places you visited as a young man. I in turn, will show you my world. We will stop off at an island where we can hold hands and stay naked all day if you like. We can make love whenever the spirit moves us and lay in each other's arms as long and as often as we wish. What do you say, sweetheart?"

"It sounds too good to be true, but I won't be able to leave right away, I have to wait until Tio Juan finds a doctor to take over my duties."

"That's already been taken care of, my love. Tio Juan took care of that this afternoon. You are mine, baby, until we return in two months. You're as free as a bird. Our jet will be here in a matter of hours and we're taking off tomorrow after you pack your bags. I've taken the liberty of buying you some new clothes, and some new luggage. Some of the clothes are hanging in the closet and the rest will be delivered in the morning. Forget about packing any of those unflattering clothes you've been wearing. I'm going to dress your beautiful body in the latest fashion, my sexy Latino."

Epilogue

Pip and Grant returned to Atlanta. Grant went back to college for his MBA while Pip received his certification to become a Plastic Surgeon. Pip opened his own office and became a successful plastic surgeon. Grant continued to build their business and expand in the South American market. They continued to donate money every year to the foundation that they began in Peru and made Tio Juan the President of that foundation. Pip and Grant found the time to produce four children, three boys and a girl. After the reconciliation with his family, Pip did not change his family name. He did take Grant's family name so that his children were named Pizarro-Westerville. GW was beyond ecstatic with his grandchildren and he made them his priority. He completely renovated the mansion to accommodate the children and their staff and drastically cut back on his travel and business activity to be with his grandchildren. He purchased a large farm for the grandkids so they could raise animals and their own fresh vegetables and fruit. This suited Pip and Grant, as they felt secure in the knowledge that GW was watching over the children while they were occupied with their jobs and charity operations.

Pip and Grant will make appearances in other stories in the Family & Friends Series.

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The End

Posted: 11/02/12