Chapter 5: The Beach

Thursday morning arrived, I slept in a bit, made myself breakfast, and was just settling down to figure out what I wanted to do with my day when a knock came on my front door. It was Tony.

I opened up and saw a car in our driveway that I didn’t recognize. “Hey,” I said, “I wasn’t expecting to see you today. I thought you were spending the day with your Old Man.”

“I am,” he said. “We’ve already talked some, and he wants to meet you.”

I instantly became suspicious. An angry father, pissed about “That queer dragging my son into sin and degradation” was nothing to play around with. It wouldn’t be my first experience like that. ‘Once burned,’ and all that. “Ooooh-kay,” I said, “do I want to meet Him? Or do I need a weapon in my hand?”

“No. No, sir,” Tony replied. “He wants to take us to the beach!”

‘Hmm ... That’s ... different,’ I thought to myself. After a moment’s thought, I asked, “Which beach?”

“Um,” Tony replied, “Blacks?” Curiouser and curiouser...

“Invite him in,” I said. “He and I obviously need to talk.”

Tony went back out and came back a few minutes later with a man who looked a lot like Tony would in about twenty years. ‘If we last that long,’ I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to be a Very lucky man!’ Tony’s dad was in his late thirties, heavyset but in fine shape, just built big. He was clean shaven with mid-length black hair. Altogether a very sexy package. I didn’t let him know I thought so, though.

I guided them into the living room and sat Tony’s dad on the couch. I took the loveseat. Tony sat down next to me.

“Okay,” I began, “Introductions. I’m Norm, but I suspect you knew that. What should I call you?” I was freaking out a little bit, but doing my best to display an outward calm. What could this guy want? He didn’t seem hostile, but a lot of rage can be covered for a short time pretty easily. Didn’t I know that!

“Phil. Call me Phil,” he said. “I just wanted to meet Tony’s boyfriend.”

Oh, shit! Oh, Shit! I kept up the outward calm, but inside I went to DEFCON four. This could be good, or it could be very, Very bad. Well, might as well get this out of the way first thing.

“Tony,” I said severely, “did I give you permission to sit here?”

“No, Sir,” he said, contritely.

“Get down. Sit on the floor.” I said in a severe, but not excited or cruel tone.

“Should I get naked, Sir?” he asked.

“Not just now,” I replied.

He sat on the floor at my feet and leaned against my legs with his arm around my knees. Tony’s dad, Phil, looked somewhat surprised, but mostly approving.

“So, Phil,” I said, “you obviously think you know something about the relationship between Tony and me. Why don’t you tell me what you think you know, then ask your questions. I say ‘think you know’ because you used the term ‘Boyfriend.’ He and I most definitely don’t use that term, at least not yet.”

Phil looked thoughtful for a moment, nodded, and began. “I know that there’s a developing relationship. That relationship appears to be affectionate, and I definitely know that he’s ... bonding to you. He’s told me that you two have had sex a number of times over the past couple of days. He says that he’s usually the Bottom, and that he likes it that way.”

I looked down at Tony with a question in my eyes.

He said, “We got to talking and I told him about us. I don’t know why he said ‘boyfriend,’ though. I told him all about why we aren’t using that word.”

“I see,” I said. “Before you get to your questions, I’ve got one for you: What do you think about all that?”

“I’m not angry or disappointed, if that’s what you mean,” he said. “You ought to know, I’m no stranger to this side of the fence. I’ve had boyfriends. Yes, by the definition that I understand that you used for the term, and I still play around. I’d hoped to keep Tony out of that world, but that ship has sailed.

“After hearing about what happened in the gym, I was worried about just what kind of guy you were. I didn’t expect Tony to be so ... subby. I was worried about him getting hurt. Just now, you put Tony in his place. You let him know where he stood, but you weren’t an ass about it. When he asked if he should take the next step, you were firm but polite. You observed propriety, but kept the door open for more. Overall, you strike me as a good low-key Dom.”

“That’s the part that surprised me when it came out,” I said. “I wouldn’t ever have called myself a Dom before, but there’s something in me that responds to the need in him.” I stroked the side of Tony’s head and he leaned contentedly into my knees.

“So,” I said, “you said that you wanted to show Tony something today, and now I hear that you want to take us to Blacks Beach. I know of only two reasons to go there, and you don’t seem to be overly worried about tan lines. Which end of the beach are you going to take us to?”

“North end,” Phil said.

Tony looked confused. I nodded in understanding and agreement. “I hadn’t planned on getting quite that ... advanced, just yet, but I suppose he can handle it, take things at his own pace,” I said. “Let me get some stuff together and leave a note, and we can get going.”

I left a note for mom, letting her know that Tony’s dad was taking the two of us out to the beach, (carefully omitting exactly which beach!) and giving Tony’s home phone number, letting her know that we might be back late.

Then I filled a canteen with water and threw it, a beach towel, a pair of ‘slaps’ sandals, and a bottle of dual-purpose tanning oil into a small backpack, and we were off.

Southern California has lots of beautiful beaches, but only one Blacks Beach. It’s most famous for being the only public “Swimsuits Optional” beach on the west coast, where folks could go to get their all-over tan and not worry about the hordes of tourists that crowd the other beaches.

There were two reasons the crowds stayed away. One: the locals kept the existence and location of the beach pretty quiet. it was something of an open secret.

The second reason was that, even if you knew what and roughly where the beach was, it was ... difficult to access. Someone who wanted to go there had to find, then drive out to the Torrey Pines Gliderport. That facility was at the top of a four hundred foot cliff over the ocean. They then had to climb down that cliff on narrow trails that would give a mountain goat vertigo to reach the beach at the base of that cliff. When I say narrow trails, it wasn’t unusual for two parties to meet on those trails, one going each way. The polite way to handle that was for the party coming downhill to turn around and climb back up to a spot on the trail where they could pass each other. That was the easy way to get to there. If you timed it just right, it might be possible to hike the five miles up the beach while the tide was low, if you hustled. You were not, however, getting back out inside of twenty-four hours. On a sunny beach. A hot beach. With no services. None. No shelter, no food, no water, no man-made structures of any kind.

Also remember: at the end of your day at the beach, you had to climb those dangerous trails back Up that 400 foot cliff. It was an effective deterrent for anybody who didn’t have what they thought was a Very Good reason to be there.

Once you arrived at the base of the cliff, most folks turned to the left, towards the South end of the beach where they found a beautiful, unspoiled California beach populated by, well, Just about everybody. People from four years old to well over eighty. All involved in their typical beach activities, most without clothing of any kind. Sure there were usually a selection of local college girls getting their all-over tans and other highly decorative types, but mostly they were just, well, people. People who were considerably less ... decorative.

We were planning to turn right at the base of the cliff. About a hundred yards from the base of the trail the coast took a mild right turn, just where a spur of rock stuck out of the cliff, that kept the north end of the beach out of view of the nice folk at the south end.

Passing that spur of rock, the traveler entered a half-mile stretch of what can only really be described as ‘An it harm none, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law’ gay anarchy. It was often a scene straight out of the most overheated gay porno imaginable. On a truly good day, (and I’d been present for some Very good days!) the beach would compare favorably to one of teh infamous orgies of ancient Rome. Naked men as far as the eye could see, some involved in low-key public sex. Most of the stuff going on on the beach was pretty sedate, though. If you wanted to get up to some shenanigans that would truly ‘freak the mundanes,’ or just ‘scare the straights,’ you needed to tke your proposed partner (or partners) to a manzanita covered blind canyon near the middle of the stretch known locally as “The Bushes.” Back there, anything goes. Groups? The more the merrier! Public BDSM? As long as all parties were agreeable, why not? Watersports or worse? Have a good time! All that and more. Things that would have appalled those Roman orgiasts. (Well, maybe not. Those old Romans could get pretty wild.)

The three of us set up our towels not far from the entrance to The Bushes. We were watched as we came up the beach. The observation was subtle, but I could feel the weight of the eyes on us as we stripped down. I’d been here many times, so it was no problem for me. Phil didn’t seem to have much more problem than I did. Tony looked nervously at us, but I gave him a confirming nod, and he stripped as well.

I laid down on my towel and had Tony apply a layer of suntan oil to me, paying specific and public attention to my cock and balls. Hey, sunburns hurt!

I then oiled Tony up, paying special attention to the crack of his ass and his puckered ring, even penetrating him with my fingers to ensure proper lubrication.

I handed the bottle to Phil, who oiled his own front, but asked me to get his back. “Just like you did for Tony, please.” When I got to lubing his asshole, I found him very loose and clean. I went in in a little deep, stroking his P-spot. He moaned in response.

“Son, I’m so glad you found a good Dom,” Phil said.

“Dad?” Tony asked, querulous.

“Okay,” said Phil, “I’ll answer the obvious question first, then we can talk. Yes, I’m gay. Yes, your mother knows. she’s known since we took up. No, I have no intention of leaving her. She’s my best friend, and we’re great together. She knows that there are no other women in my life and that I will never cheat on her with another woman. None could steal me away from her. Yes, she and I have had sex. Yes, you are my son. Yes, we still do have sex, but it’s rare.

“I’ve known I was this way all my life, but back when I was your age, this was ‘the love that dare not speak its name.’ It was one of the biggest reasons that your mother and I took up together. Back then we’d double-date with another, like-minded couple; no one needed to know that when we went to ‘park,’ that the girls got into the front seat and the boys got into the back. That worked out really well for us, and we decided to formalize our relationship. My bachelor party was amazing, and she still tells stories about what happened at her bridal shower.”

It was like Phil had a faucet of things he had always wanted to tell Tony, and the words just kept flowing out. Tony cuddled up to me for comfort, or possibly protection from the onslaught. I put my arms around him as we listened to Phil go on.

“I’ve always watched. To see if you shared our ... proclivities. I did see some signs, and I knew you were confused, but I didn’t want to initiate you myself. Incest can be an ugly thing, and I wanted us to spare that. I was so glad you found somebody, and so glad he’s so good to and for you!”

“So, Mom...?” Tony began, not really knowing how to ask, or where that question would go.

“ ... likes girls.” Phil answered. “You never wondered about your ‘aunt’ Theresa spending all those nights at our house, sleeping in her room?”

“OOh...” said Tony, the nickel dropping with a resonating ‘Thud!’

“It’s why she and I have separate bedrooms,” Phil continued.

“She always said it was because you snored!” Tony exclaimed.

“Well, one of us does!” Phil replied.

“Okay,” Tony said with a frown, “If that’s all true, and I don’t see any reason to think it isn’t, then how did I come about?”

“Like I said,” Phil replied, “we dated other couples like us, and that worked really well. One time, shortly after graduation, the other couple canceled out on us at the last minute, but your mom and I kept our date. it would have looked odd not to, it was kind of expected. We had a nice time. We really hadn’t paid much attention to each other on our dates before, concentrating on the appropriate side of the other couple. We found that we really liked each other, liked spending time together. When the end of the evening rolled around, we both decided that we should see what all the fuss that the hetero couples raised was about. we both enjoyed it, we both achieved orgasm, but we agreed that the sex was only second-best. Imagine our surprise when she missed her next period!