Jerry

By: Will B
(© 2009 by the author)
Ably Assisted by Ed

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

Trace and Jerry took care of some legal matters and placed ads in the San Francisco Blade, advertising for a master chef, a hotel manager and two lifeguards.

Chapter 7

For two weeks the four men worked hard to get the hotel ready for guests. The camaraderie, hard work, and common interests had developed a growing friendship among the four men.

The third floor of the hotel contained four suites.  Each of the suites had two bedrooms, a sitting room and a bathroom. Each bedroom was big enough to accommodate  a king-size bed or two twin beds. These suites would be set aside for the staff.  Hopefully it would work. Two men in a bedroom, four guys in a suite!  “Let’s hope we hire some compatible staff members,” Jerry said.

“Don’t worry, things will work out,” Trace reassured him.

A few days earlier, Trace had received an email from Tad Comings saying that gentlemen had applied for the positions of master chef and hotel manager, and two young men had applied for the job of lifeguard. They would be arriving the following Tuesday, the first two at 10:00 o’clock and the second pair at 1:00, subject to Trace’s confirmation.

Trace had replied saying Tuesday would be fine, and he was looking forward to the interviews.

It was the morning of that Tuesday when Trace was awakened to the delightful sensation of something warm and firm pressed against his cheeks and a finger (also warm and firm) tracing circles around his right nipple.

‘Ummmm!’ he thought to himself. “What a way to wake up!’

The finger stopped its circling motion and started to trace letters on Trace’s abdomen. Trace could make out the words: I W-A-N-T Y-O-U-R C-O-C-K I-N M-Y ….

Now fully awake, Trace grabbed the writing finger and said, “You can have whatever you want, my love, but if you don’t let me get up and go pee, you may get something you hadn’t bargained for!”

As Trace got out of bed, he heard a voice say, “Never fear, my pretty. I’ll have you, and your little Tracey, too. Heh heh heh!”

“Oh, yeah, sexy boi? Wait until I get back into bed, and I’ll splash some spunk on you that I’ll guarantee will make you melt. Hah hah hah to you, too, lover.”

Trace did what he had to do, and got back into bed and pulled Jerry into his arms and began nibbling and licking on his ear. “You know, Jerry, we really should get up.”

“Huh! I thought you were already ‘up,’ and as long as you are, and I am, too, why don’t we…?”

No more words were necessary.

Finally the two lovebirds went into the kitchen wearing shorts and flip-flops.  Andy was coming into the kitchen door with Wall-Eye.

“Good morning, Boss, and you too, Jerry. How’s it going?”

“Pretty fine, this morning, Andy. What’s up?”

The kitchen was filled with snickers and guffaws.

“Well, we’ve just about got all the guest lodges ready,” Andy said. “And, Wall-Eye and I have been cleaning out the old caretaker’s cottage. It’s gonna make a nice apartment for Wall-Eye and me.”

Trace had a thought. “Look, today’s the day we start interviewing staff. I’d like you and Wall-Eye to sit in on the interviews. After all, we’re all gonna have to work together, so I’d like your input. You might have some questions to ask, too.”

“Good idea, Trace. Wall-Eye and I’ll go and get ready. Might as well look like we’re professionals.”

Andy and his friend left and Trace looked at Jerry. “I guess we’d better get dressed, too…. Oh, God, suddenly I’m nervous!”

“And just what did you say to me the other day? Don’t worry. Things will work out fine.” Jerry gave him a kiss and a smack on the butt. “Now let’s get ready to meet our first two applicants.”

At 10:00, an old car stopped in front of the Hotel and two men got out. Andy went to the door and invited the two men to come in. They were in their mid-thirties and had frank, open countenances. 

“Greetings,” said Trace. “Welcome to The Souchard Hotel. I’m Trace Mackenzie. This is my partner, Jerry Taylor, and these are our associates, Andy and Wall-Eye.”

As the four men shook hands with the two arrivals, Jerry had the feeling that he had seen the two somewhere else, but he just couldn’t remember where.

“I’m Samuel Knight and this is Peter Garrett,” the first man spoke.

“Let’s go into the office and make ourselves comfortable,” Trace suggested. “Ahh.., Andy, would you….?”

Andy departed and returned wheeling a cart with a coffee pot, cups and saucers, and a plate of coffeecake.

As the group got settled and after Trace offered coffee and coffee cake, he began the interviews. “Mr. Knight, I believe that you are applying for the position of master chef. Could you tell all of us something of your experiences?”

“I’d be happy to,” said Knight. “I’ve trained with Herr Eigenbrodt in Vienna, and M. Lautrec in Paris. I have certificates from them attesting to my skills in the kitchen. In addition, I have served as cook on an ocean-liner, and I am used to supervising a kitchen staff of more than fifty.”

Andy asked,” We plan to open an outdoor lunch counter on the patio leading down to the beach as well as having a dining room in the hotel serving dinner. We may want to have a midnight buffet for our overnight guests. If we had the staff, could you supervise them?”

“I also started out flipping burgers when I was in high school and became an assistant manager of a very busy fast-food restaurant. I can handle it.”

“You do understand that this hotel will be catering to the gay trade. Will that be a problem for you?” Jerry asked.

Samuel turned and looked at Peter and took his hand. “Do you think that will bother us, Pete?”

Pete replied, “Oh, absolutely—NOT!”

Trace and Jerry looked at each other. Trace raised an eyebrow slightly, and Jerry gave a slight nod.

“Mr. Knight, I wonder if you would be willing to give us a sample of your skills. We have a well stocked kitchen and we would like you to fix a light meal—brunch or early lunch, whichever you would prefer...and you and Mr. Garrett will join us, of course.”

“I’d be happy to, if someone will show me where the kitchen is. Does anyone have any particular foods they don’t like, or perhaps have dietary restrictions? If not, let me see what I can do.”

Wall-Eye led him to the kitchen and Trace, Jerry, and Andy sat back to interview Peter Garrett.

All through the interview, Jerry was trying so hard to think why Sam and Pete looked familiar, that he hardly heard the questions and answers that were being asked and answered. ‘Where have I met these guys? Have I ever met them?’ he asked himself.

He was brought back to earth when Sam came into the office and announced, “Luncheon is served, gentlemen.”

Sam had prepared omelets with cheese, onions and a side orders of home fries. Coffee was perking in the pot. Hot biscuits were cooling on a wire tray. Everyone sat down and took the first bite. A look of pure pleasure appeared in five faces.

“What did you put in the eggs, Sam?” Trace asked.

“Aaahhhhh. My secret ingredient, handed down in the family from an ancestor who was a cook on an old sailing vessel. I will never, never tell.”

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and when the plates were stacked in the dishwasher, Trace looked at his three compadres and smiled, and said, “I think I’m unanimous* in saying that we would like to offer Sam the job of master chef, and Pete the position of hotel manager of The Hotel Souchard.”

“Hear, hear!” said everyone else.

“It’s about time for the two candidates for lifeguard to arrive. Perhaps the two newest members of the family would like to be present at the interview. After all, we are all going to have to get along.”

“Of course, Trace. We’d like to, wouldn’t we, Sam?” asked Pete.

“Absolutely.”

While waiting for the two young men to arrive, Jerry found his mind wandering again. The mention of an old sailing vessel brought something to just below the surface of his consciousness. ‘What is it? Why can’t I remember?’ he asked himself.

Promptly at 1:00 another non-descript old car pulled up and two young men got out of the car. Andy opened the door and ushered them into the office.

The five men seated there looked appraisingly at these two new arrivals. Both were approximately six-foot-two with curly blond hair, blue eyes, wide mouths, broad shoulders, long arms, and flat stomachs.  They were wearing red-and-white striped jerseys, blue shorts and white sandals.

“Welcome to The Souchard Hotel,” said Trace. This is my partner Jerry, and these two gentlemen are Samuel Knight, who is going to be our chef, and this is Peter Garrett, who will be managing the hotel.

One of the young men introduced himself. “I’m Ted Long, and this is my brother Hank Long. We’re here to apply for the jobs of life guards. They all shook hands and sat down.

“I see from Mr. Gowings’ email that you have your A.A. degrees from Bay Community College and that you majored in health care,” said Trace.

“That’s right,” said Hank, “And we have life saving certificates from the Red Cross.”

‘No, that’s not right,’ thought Jerry. ‘He should be… ‘Henry’, and the other one should be… ‘Ed’.”

Trace continued, “You do understand that this will be a beach where swim suits are optional…..Is that a problem for you?”

“Oh, no,” laughed Ted. Naked men don’t bother either of us. At home, we often walk around the apartment in the….”

“Altogether,” finished Hank.

“Will we be expected to go buff?” asked Ted.

“That’s up to you, but since you will be out on the beach in your lifeguard stations from 10:00 to 4:00 you might want to wear something to keep from getting too much sun,” smiled Trace.

“Maybe,” interjected Sam, “at 4:00 you could take a dip in the surf as God made you while you get everybody out of the water----oh…, er.. not!”

The questions went on and on and Jerry sat there, his mind…. Where was his mind? It certainly wasn’t on the California coast. ‘If only I could remember…’

After an hour, Trace looked around the table, and  asked, “Are there any other questions?….Jerry?…..Andy?…. Wall-Eye?…., Sam?…. Pete?….”

“Well, Ted and Hank, I’d like to welcome you to the staff of The Souchard Hotel. I think maybe we should go on a tour of the Hotel….I'd like you to see the living quarters we can offer, and then we can sit out on the patio with a cold drink.”

As they were getting up, Sam came over to Trace and said, “While I was checking to see what I could fix for brunch, I noticed you have some nice steaks in the freezer and some potatoes. Would you want me to fix dinner for all of us?”

“Sam, steak is a wonderful idea. You really like to cook, don’t you?  Well, my friend. Go for it!” Sam took the steaks out of the freezer and rejoined the group.

Trace and Jerry led the four others on a tour of the hotel. The dining room, with its crystal chandeliers, gray carpet and deep blue window drapes never looked to better. The second floor rooms, which, hopefully, would soon be filled with paying guests, were pronounced elegant. The suites on the third floor, where staff would be staying, were also “just what we like,” as Sam said to Trace.

“Would you and Pete like to have part of this suite?” Trace asked.

“Yep!” said Sam. “That would be fine,” said Pete.

“Now we just have to find two staff members to use the other bedroom,” mused Trace.

Ted and Hank looked at each other, and Hank said, “Ted and I could use the other bedroom…if Sam and Pete don’t mind.”

“No, we don’t mind,” said Sam. “Does that mean we might get to see you two walking around, er… in a state of nature?”

Ted looked him straight in the eye and said, “Well, big boy, that all depends…heh heh heh!”

On that note of jocularity the group returned to the first floor (i.e., the ground floor, for the benefit of our readers, if any, from the UK). Sam went to put the steaks in the broiler on a medium-low heat, and put the potatoes in the oven. ‘This kitchen is almost state of the art. I’m gonna love working here,’ he mused to himself.

Andy and Wall-Eye set up a table and chairs on the patio, and Trace and Jerry set up a drinks table and then brought out tableware.

The groups sat chatting and sipping, and sipping and chatting. Every so often Sam would get up to look at the steaks. At one point he brought out a salad bowl and a cruet with a dressing. “What kind of dressing is that, Sam?” asked Ted.

“Aaahhhh, Ted, that is a secret recipe. I’ll never tell!”

“Not even if I were to… uh… eat salad in my favorite state of dress?”

“Woo, woo,” said all the others.

Trace cleared his throat, and said, “As the owner of this establishment, it’s up to me…and to Jerry… to set the tone… so,….. I think we should all put all our ‘goodies in the shop window,’ so to speak. Jerry, are you with me?”

“Sure, lover,….oops, I guess our secret is out… oh well…. Yeah, let’s do it!”

So Trace and Jerry calmly and deliberately, stepped out of their shirts and slacks, and edged their boxers down over their hips, and took a bow as the others clapped.

Then Sam and Pete followed suit, and got their own round of applause.

Finally Ted and Hank stood up, and Ted eased Hank’s jersey over his head and Hank did the same for Ted. Ted slowly slid Hank’s shorts down, and wonder of wonders…. Hank had gone commando! And yes, dear readers, as Hank slipped Ted’s shorts down, it was seen that Ted had also gone commando, and he was…. How shall I say it?... He was obviously ‘combat ready!’

These two got the biggest round of applause.

Sam said, “Well, now that ‘cocktail hour, or should I say ‘cock and tail’ hour is over, I think the steaks are ready. He and Pete went into the kitchen washed their hands, and put on aprons to serve the food.

The food was delicious, the air was balmy, and the conversation was excellent, but……

Just as the six were finishing their meal, storm clouds appeared out of nowhere, and lightning flashed. The dinner party broke up as everybody carried food, tableware, tables, and chairs inside.

Just as everything was safely inside, BANG! FLASH! The storm broke, and the rain poured down.

Andy shook his head and said, “I think this is going to keep up for quite a while. I’d hate to have to drive anywhere in this!”

“You’re absolutely right, Andy,” said Trace. “I don’t want my new employees out in this tonight. Since you already know where you’ll be living, why don’t you all get settled in and just stay here tonight.”

“Yes!” “Thanks! “Good idea!” they all agreed. As a matter of fact, both couples had overnight bags in their cars, as they had had no idea of how long a drive it would be between Frisco and the hotel and they had thought they might have to stop at a motel.

Andy lent Pete and Ted some waterproof ponchos so they could go out to their cars to get their things. All four took their suitcases up to their suite on the third floor.

“I think I’m going to make an early night of it. Are you ready to turn in, Jerry?”

“Huh… what… oh, yeah,” said Jerry, who seemed to be lost in a fog again.

“You OK, love?”

“Uh…, I think so,” said Jerry. It’s just that everybody—Sam and Pete and Ted and Hank—seem so familiar. It’s as if I’ve met them before, but I can’t remember where… or when.”

“A good night’s sleep is what you need, Jerry. As she** sang, ‘Put your head on my shoulder, you need someone whose older, a rubdown with a velvet glove.’  Come on, I’ll give you a rub down…or something,” said Trace.

After an excellent rub down (or something!), Jerry and Trace drifted off to sleep.

In his sleep, Jerry dreamed he was being led down a corridor towards a lighted room, but this was an unusual corridor. The floor keep rising and falling as if…. he were on….a ship. As he walked down the corridor, he felt hands, pulling at his… loincloth. What was he doing wearing a loin cloth? He went into the lighted room, and he thought he was in the ‘playroom’ of that hotel in Cairo. There were dozens of men, all naked, all completely uninhibited, all engaged in various sexual activities.  He saw Ted and Hank engaged in ‘69’. He saw other men stroking, kissing, licking, feeling, grabbing, and groping whatever, or whomever, was close.

Sam and Pete appeared at his side, and said, “Come on, Jerry, let’s go to the barrel.” Jerry saw a six-feet high barrel, with a hole in it about three feet from the floor. Men were coming up to the hole and inserting their… their organs into the hole, and moving their bodies backwards and forwards and then moaning in pleasure.

“Come on, Jerry. It’s your turn next,” said Sam.

Jerry went to the barrel and got ready to be pleasured….

To be continued...

Author's notes: As always my deepest thanks to Ed, my ‘alpha reader,’ and to my ‘beta reader.’ Another good job, you two!

Ever diligent Ed has reminded me to point out that some of the characters and incidents in this and forthcoming chapters were foretold in the story “Mates.”

* In memory of Molly Sugden, aka Mrs. Slocombe on “Are You Being Served.”

** Ethel Merman to Donald O’Connor, in ‘Call Me Madam.’  Do you remember? Cause, dearie, you’re much older than I—oops another song another movie.

Posted: 07/17/09