Chapter 26
Stephen broke the embrace and looked down, apparently at Tate’s prosthetic leg. “Oh, you poor baby!” he exclaimed dramatically. “And a wounded warrior, too! That naughty Craig didn’t mention that you were a war hero. Just that you’d been in the Marines! Come in! Come in! Everyone will want to know the whole story. How tragic, how exciting!”
Stephen linked his arm in Tate’s and went into the house, leaving Julian standing in the doorway. Julian took a deep breath and followed. He heard Stephen call out, “Everyone, everyone! Look what I just found! Someone get him a drink!”
As Stephen ushered Tate through the sliding glass doors onto the pool deck, Craig came out of the kitchen. “Julian! So glad you could make it. I take it that it’s Tate that old queen is so excited about?”
“Yes,” Julian said with a sigh, feeling the need to get out to the pool to protect Tate. Craig, who was also dressed in a skimpy bathing suit, which was more a thong than anything else, draped an arm over Julian’s shoulders. They headed for the door as Craig said, “I guess we better get out there and rescue your boyfriend…before it’s too late.” He laughed and Julian grimaced.
Once on the pool deck, Julian looked around. A group of scantily clad men were gathered around a table at the end of the pool. Julian knew Tate was in the middle of them and felt a pang of anxiety.
Julian heard Tate’s voice. “No, really. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“No big deal!” someone retorted. “You were wounded in action. You’re a hero, man!”
Julian knew what Tate would be feeling. He knew the whole story. To Tate’s mind he was anything but a hero. Julian needed to rescue him. He strode over to the group and said, calmly, “Tate, want to go get changed?” He held up the backpack.
Tate gave Julian an appreciative look and replied, “Yeah, that would be good.”
Stephen, who was sitting on the arm of Tate’s chair, rose and said, “Oh yes! You must get more comfortable. Those clothes must be so stifling.”
“Huh,” Craig snorted and whispered in Julian’s ear, “He’s probably been waiting for this moment ever since he laid eyes on your boy toy. Said he couldn’t believe you’d found yourself a hunk of that caliber when I told him about you and Tate.”
Stephen led the way to the cabanas at the far end of the pool. They chose one with maize and blue stripes. For a brief moment Julian thought Stephen was going to follow them inside. However, Julian positioned himself between Stephen and the entry, and said, “Thanks.”
Stephen raised an eyebrow, looked affronted, and turned away.
Inside the cabana Tate turned and looked at Julian. His face was flushed, but he was smiling. “Thanks for saving me out there. I really didn’t want to get into the whole story. But it was kind of nice to have everyone be so accepting of…” He paused and gestured to his leg.
Tate turned away, took off his shirt, and was sliding his shorts down over his prosthesis. “Now that we’re here, do you think we’re going to feel overdressed in these?”
Tate turned back to Julian. He was holding up his baggy, surfer boy trunks. “I mean, they’re all in bikini’s and Speedos and thongs.”
And most of them should be in sweatsuits! Julian thought sarcastically.
Not expecting Tate to take him up on it, Julian suggested, “I suppose Craig could find you something like that to wear.”
Much to Julian’s disappointment, Tate enthused, “That’d be great. And would you be willing to wear one, too? I mean, it would make me feel better if we both were wearing them.”
His heart sinking and his anxiety rising, Julian nodded and left the tent to find Craig. Was it beginning? Was Tate being lured into that which Julian was fleeing?
A few minutes later Julian returned. Craig and Stephen had been only too happy to approach their hosts, Danny and Derick, to procure the requested swimwear. Stephen had chided him for trying to use a baggy swim suit to hide his young man from the appreciative eyes which awaited Tate’s unveiling.
“Here,” Julian said, handing Tate his Speedo. It was lime green, with a small dolphin insignia stitched on the side. He tried to hide the disquiet he was feeling as he watched Tate put it on. It displayed the man’s beauty and endowment all too well.
“And you got one, too?” Tate asked.
“Sure,” Julian said and held up a red and white striped bikini.
They finished dressing. Julian looked at Tate. He was so innocent and so vulnerable. Julian wondered if anyone in this group of horny guys would appreciate those qualities, or just look at him as so much fresh meat for the taking.