The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Tony Celorro, the marketing manager, was waiting inside the door for me. He was one of our ‘bright young things’, hired out of college. Late twenties, dark-skinned, smooth jet-black hair, great smile, and a permanent five-o’clock shadow. He kept in shape, too; there was a weight room in the building he lived at, and he was always talking about how great it was to get into the gym first thing in the morning and pump, especially if a pretty secretary happened to be nearby to hear him brag. The girls were all crazy about him, and he knew it. Not a bad guy, for a straight; I wouldn’t kick him out of the sack for eating crackers, as long as I didn’t have to listen to him chatter for too long. A real stud-muffin, but a bit too conceited for my taste. And he wore way too much cologne.

“What the hell happened? We were taking bets on how many pieces they’d find your corpse in!” I just smirked as I sauntered past. “Don’t tell me he took you to lunch! I’ve been here for years, and I’ve never seen Mr. Hardass take anyone to lunch.” I shrugged innocently as I reached my office door.

“Well, maybe you never caught him in a good mood.” I turned and grinned at him. “What are you, jealous?” He laughed, and I turned the key and went in.

“Christ, this place smells like a locker room,” he observed. “What was he using for aftershave, Eau de Jockstrap? Or did he leave his laundry here for you to do?”

“Uh, I guess I forgot to empty the trashcan before I left on Friday. Must be that,” I said, reaching down, pulling the bag from the can and tying it closed. I set the bag next to the door. Tony came into the office behind me and sat down on the worktable.

“So come on, what happened? Enqiring minds want to know!” Better watch it, pretty-boy, I thought as I sat down at my desk. You really want to know what happened? Because I can show you just what happened. My hand hovered over the mouse. There was a knock at the door. Tony stretched over and opened it. Adam Nelson, from Accounts, stuck his head in. Well, so much for my productivity, I thought. Adam and Tony came as a set; they lived in the same building, and Adam usually went along on Tony’s early-morning workouts, had got Tony started on it. He was as well-defined as Tony, but he had more natural mass, a real homegrown, corn-fed, All-American strawberry blond. He had a wholesome, broad face, and a strong, clefted chin. I wasn’t sure about Adam; he’d been divorced twice, and he did cause my gay-dar to blip, faintly. Something about the way he was always tagging along with Tony. They made a handsome pair, neither one had any trouble picking up the choicest ladies at the bar after work, but Adam seemed to do it as protective coloration; Tony usually went home early, with a babe wrapped around him, but I couldn’t remember seeing Adam leaving with one. Maybe he’d just gotten burned too often.

“Damn, Barry, it stinks in here. You keeping old sweat socks in your desk?” He stepped in eagerly. “Did he can you? Tony says he canned you.” He did his ‘Mr. Harman’ impression. “’Clear out your desk, Rodgers. Jump to it! I can find some other chimp to kiss my ass.’” Grinning, he drew his finger slowly across his neck, making a ‘ccchhhhhhtttt’ sound, then slapped Tony on the shoulder. Tony, sniggering, slugged Adam’s arm.

“Come on, guys, I have a lot to do. He was in here all morning.” Adam took the back of my chair, spun me around and stabbed a finger at my chest.

“Uh-uh, we’re not leaving until you tell us what happened.” Okay, Herman and Vermin. You asked for it. I turned back to my desk and clicked the Hypno-Tek shortcut button. The monitor screen went blank, and I shut my eyes. Adam spun my chair again, and this time he clamped his hands down on the arms so I couldn’t turn back. I was facing away now anyhow, so I opened my eyes. Adam was looming over me, his face just above mine. He was wearing a cologne I couldn’t quite place, but he smelled damn good. Over his shoulder, I could see Tony was grinning, leaning anxiously forward from his perch on the table, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, everybody’s...wonder...in’...if...” I saw his eyes stray to the monitor, his face going slack in the middle of his unfinished sentence. Adam was looking at the screen, too, his hands still clasped on the arms of the chair. Both men’s eyes dulled as the whirling colors entranced them. Adam managed to get out a question before he went under.

“What’s...tha’?” His mouth stayed open. He blinked slowly. I reached a hand up, ran my thumb along the cleft in his chin, pushing his jaw shut.

“Listen to my voice. Obey my voice. Hear only my voice.” It couldn’t be this easy. “Close your eyes.” Their eyelids wavered and shut. “Stand up.” Adam released the arms of my chair and straightened. Tony slid off the table and stood. His head was still turned toward me, but his body faced to the right. I reached behind me, found the keyboard with one hand, felt to the upper corner, and pushed the ESC key. I stood up, walked over and stood in front of Tony. “Tony, when you hear me say the word...” what could I use for a trigger word this time? I was going to have to start a list. “...the word ‘jockstrap’, you will instantly fall into a deep trance, deeper and deeper. When I say the word ‘jockstrap,’ do you understand?” His head, still pointed toward my desk, nodded slowly. “Repeat your magic word, Tony.” He inhaled slowly. He still wore a tiny smile.

“Joc’...strap.” My abused cock slowly began to inflate again. Later, I told myself sternly. I didn’t have time now. I walked back to Adam, pushing my chair under my desk.

“Adam, whenever I say the word ‘sweatsocks’ to you, you’ll fall instantly into a deep trance, deeper and deeper. Remember, when I say ‘sweatsocks’. Repeat your magic word, Adam.” His jaw slid upward; he swallowed.

“Sweatsoc’s...” he rumbled lazily. His mouth stayed slightly open.

“Very good. You’re both in a deep trance, deeper and deeper. I’m going to waken you in a moment, and when I do you’ll both go back to your desks and continue your normal day. You can talk to me after work.” I really did need to get back to work, though I would have enjoyed playing with my two new toys. But Dave wasn’t here, so the ‘Quarantine’ sign was gone, too. Somebody else might knock on my door any minute. I sighed. “When I count to three, you’ll both wake up, refreshed and relaxed. You won’t remember being hypnotized, but you will remember your magic word. Whenever I say your magic word, you will fall instantly into a deep trance. Oh, and Tony, take the bag by the door down to the trash room.” I pulled out my chair, seated myself again. “One, two, three.”

“Aw, c’mon, Tony. He’s not gonna tell us.” Adam turned on his heel. “Lunch. Lunch, my ass.” Tony absently picked up the bag by the door as he went by it, without looking at it. Adam opened the door, ushering Tony out with a derisive bow. He gave a creditable imitation of my own voice. “After you, Mister Hardass, sir. Can I get you some more coffee, Mister Hardass, sir?” What a comedian; the Rich Little of the business world.

“Jealousy. Just jealousy. If you ever expect to see another paycheck, you’d better apologize.” I shot a rubber band at Adam as he straightened. He pointed a warning finger at me.

“Five o’clock sharp, we’ll be back here. We’re takin’ your sorry butt to Happy Hour, and there’ll be forced drinking until you tell us everything. Details! We want details!” Behind him, Tony pointed in a ditto of Adam’s gesture. Oh, I thought, you’ll have details, guys. You’ll squeeze everything out of me. But I don’t think any of our sorry butts will make it to Happy Hour. As the door closed behind them, I heard Tony speculating again.

“Hey, it’s a promotion. Maybe he’s gonna get the job at the main branch when Ralph...” The door shut. I took out a pad, and jotted down my trigger words and their attendants. I put the pad in my bottom drawer and locked it. No sense having anyone stumble across my little ‘grocery list’. Another knock came on my door. I rolled across the carpet in my chair and pulled the handle. It was Gloria, the receptionist.

“Mr. Rodgers, I think something’s wrong with your telephone. I keep putting calls through, but they just go to your voicemail. Mr. Woodrich has called back several times, and he just told me.” I rolled back to my desk. I had forgotten to plug the damn thing back in!

“Sorry, Gloria. Mr. Harman was here this morning. I had to move it over to the table. I forgot to reconnect it when I moved it back.” I stuck the jack back into the socket.

“Well, you’ll need to call Mr. Woodrich back. He’s pretty angry.” She sounded peeved; Woodrich had probably reached right down the line and bitch-slapped her, if I knew him.

“Okay, thanks, Gloria. Sorry.” The door closed behind her. I phoned back Woodrich, and smoothed things over. Fortunately, he’d always thought Gloria was kind of an airhead, so he was really angrier at her than at me. That afternoon, I managed to add three more names to my list; first, Vince Barnett, a big, brown-haired longshoreman type who’d come up from Packing to discuss a billing problem. I gave him the code word ‘teddy bear’, he just reminded me of one, standing there asleep in his faded jeans, flannel shirt open to the navel, with his wifebeater undershirt showing. I commanded him to work on getting rid of that beer gut, while I had him disabled. I woke him up and sent him away. Next, Mike MacDonnell showed up, also wanting to know what had happened at lunch. I had just clicked my shortcut button when another knock came on the door. It was Jack, the kid from the mailroom. He went out right in the hall, just as Greg had earlier; I walked him inside before anyone saw him. I triggered Mike with ‘terrific’, a favorite word of his, and Jack I programmed with ‘delivery’. Mike was a big guy with dark hair just going gray, one of those men who had once looked really good, but was letting himself get doughy. He’d been an athlete in college, but got sidelined with a back injury. He had some dusty football trophies on the top shelf in his office, and a picture of him in his uniform. Adam Nelson called him ‘Fred Flintstone’ behind his back. I told Mike he’d quit smoking and start working out again. Jack was an awkward, skinny twenty-year old, and I felt a bit guilty for having put him under. It was an accident, I justified to myself, and he might come in handy sometime. I told him to get interested in weightlifting, just to see what developed. I sent my ‘converts’ away at about four-thirty. If I kept this up, I thought, we’d have the hunkiest office staff around. The girls here were in for some serious eye-candy, and Tony Celorro might be in for some serious competition.

Despite my subconscious orders, Adam and Tony were back before five. Tony got there a few minutes ahead of Adam, pushing the door open when I turned the handle. As he stepped in, one of the prettiest secretaries, Alice, walked past the door. She swatted at his backside playfully with a sheaf of papers she was carrying.

“That’s sexual harassment!” he called after her as she went off down the hall. Crouching slightly and sticking his backside out toward her, he yelled over his shoulder. “Do it again, or else I’ll report you!” I heard Alice’s giggle from down the hall. Tony had exchanged his suit coat for a suede jacket, and carried his briefcase and a brown motorcycle helmet. He was wearing a pair of gold-mirrored aviator sunglasses. He turned back to me. “Come on! Let’s go!”

“Just a minute. I have to finish this. Sit down a minute.” He entered, slid onto the table. He sat quietly for all of ten seconds, drumming his fingers on his helmet.

“Let’s go! Finish up tomorrow!”

“Don’t get your jockstrap in a twist.” His fingers stopped drumming. “Tony, listen to me. Hear only my voice. Obey only my voice. Sit perfectly still. Don’t move. You are a statue.” I turned to see. There he was, seated on the tabletop, one hand on the helmet atop the briefcase beside him. With the sunglasses on, he appeared to simply be looking toward me, waiting for me to finish. There was another flurry of knocks on the door. Tony did not react. I opened the door, and Adam pushed past me into the room. He had on a shiny black leather jacket, and carried a black helmet. He wore silver-mirrored wraparound sunglasses.

“I figured you’d already be here, slacker,” he grinned, giving Tony’s arm a smack. Tony sat reactionless, but swayed slightly at the blow. He look like he was staring intently at my desk. Adam didn’t notice, as he crossed the room and seated himself in my swivel chair, tossing his helmet on my desk. Tony had talked Adam into buying his old motorcycle when Tony had bought a new one, not that Adam had been a hard sell. Anything Tony wanted was okay with Adam. “Aren’t you ready yet, Barry? We’re not taking no for an answer this time. Right Tony?” Tony stared at him, blank-faced. “Tony? TONY! What the hell’s wrong with you?” He stood, walked over to the inert figure. Now Tony appeared to be staring at Adam’s chest. Adam put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, shook him lightly. The helmet slipped out from under Tony’s hand and skidded off the briefcase onto the table. Tony’s hand remained in midair, fingers resting lightly on nothing. Adam stared at the hand, then looked over at me, then back at Tony. He snapped his fingers in Tony’s face, but he remained motionless. “What the fuck’s wrong with him?”

“Everything’s okay, Adam,” I stated. “Keep your sweatsocks on.” Adam stopped shaking Tony, but his hand remained clutched on the shoulder. “Tony, Adam, I want you to listen to me. Hear only my voice. Obey only my voice. You’re deep in a trance, going deeper and deeper. You’re frozen, you’re a statue.” I let them stay, fixed and silent, while I finished at my computer. Then I stood and walked over to them. See, guys, you can be patient, I smiled to myself. “Now, I’m going to clap my hands, and you will both wake up, feeling fine. Adam, you won’t remember anything unusual happening when you came in here just now. There was nothing wrong with Tony. We’re not going to the bar tonight. We’re going to my place to celebrate instead. Open your eyes. Adam, sit down in the chair at the desk. When I clap my hands, you will both awaken, and you won’t remember being asleep.” I brought my hands sharply together. Both men’s heads turned toward me at the sound of the clap.

“Then it is good news, right?” Tony slipped off the table, crossed to me. “You’re getting the spot at main branch when Revell retires next month, right?” I shook my head. Adam stood up and the two men closed in and cornered me.

“Then what? What? You want to celebrate, so it must be big. Don’t tell me Hardass is leaving! I’d sure drink to that.” I put a hand on each of their shoulders.

“I’ll tell you when we get to my place. I’ve got a case of Beck’s and a fifth of Jack Daniels, and we’ll tie one on.” Adam turned, grabbed his helmet, and shoved it on his head. He pointed at Tony.

“Race you there,” he challenged. Tony picked up his own helmet and briefcase.

“You mean you’ll race. I’ll win.” He grabbed the door handle, went out, Adam in hot pursuit. I shook my head slowly. I got Greg’s shirt out of my desk and took my jacket off the back of my chair. I followed the two outside, but they were gone. I drove to my apartment, and found them waiting by their bikes. We went up to my place, and when we got inside they sat down on the couch. Tony was a little annoyed; he’d come here because I’d programmed him to, but I suspected his libido still wanted to show off to some women. Adam was more upbeat, he wanted to be anywhere Tony was, so my place was fine with him, as long as there was something to drink. I handed them each a Beck’s, and put the Jack on the coffee table, along with some shot glasses.

“I’ll be right with you, guys. I have to throw some stuff in the washer. Got my gym stuff. You know, sweatsocks, my jockstrap.” Out like lights, without even opening their beers. I sat down between them on the sofa and took their bottles, setting them on the table next to the liquor. “When I put my hand on the back of your neck like this,” I ordered, sliding a hand under each jacket collar, “you will hear my voice and obey my commands. If I do not have my hand on your neck, you cannot hear me. Raise your right hand straight forward if you understand.” Both men’s right arms slowly floated upward. I took my hands away. “Lower your arm. Lower your arm, Tony.” Tony’s arm stayed aloft. “Adam, lower your arm.” Adam’s arm, too, remained raised. I put my hand on Adam’s neck. “Adam, put your arm down at your side.” His arm dropped. “Tony, lower your arm.” He remained motionless, arm held high; he couldn’t hear me. “Adam, open your eyes.” No preamble this time, just a straightforward question. “Would you like to have sex with Tony?” I had expected some resistance, maybe even enough to jolt him out of his trance, but instead he smiled slowly, his eyes unfocused.

“Mmm, yess...want Tony...so sexy...” So, my gay-dar wasn’t completely useless, after all. I continued my questioning.

“Do you think Tony would like to have sex with you?” I glanced over at Tony, sitting on the opposite side of me, right arm upraised. Adam’s smile faded.

“Tony’s...straight...never do it.” Well, we’d see about that.

“Close your eyes, Adam. You’re in a deep sleep. Going deeper and deeper. Relax. Now raise your left hand straight forward.” Adam’s arm rose, pointing across the room. I took my hand off his neck. “Put your arm back down.” Neither man moved. I turned to Tony, slid my hand under the collar of his jacket. “Tony, put your hands on your lap, palms up.” His hands stirred, wafted down onto his thighs. “You’re in a deep trance, going deeper and deeper with each breath you take. You went to the bar tonight, and you met a terrific girl, hot and sexy. You’ve taken her back to your place, and you’re going to get her in the mood by doing a striptease for her. Stand up, and give her a really sizzling show. She’s sitting on the couch.” As Tony jumped off the couch, and pulled off his leather jacket, I put my hand on the back of Adam’s neck. “Adam, your friend has something to show you. Open your eyes and watch him as he dances just for you.” Swinging erotically, Tony pulled off his clothes article by article, revealing his athletic, hairy figure. He’d probably done this before, maybe even practiced in front of a mirror to get his moves down. When he’d gotten down to his shorts, he did a few poses, showing off his arms, stomach, and chest. Adam watched, blissfully openmouthed at his fantasy, the bulge at his crotch becoming so pronounced that I reached down and undid his pants to let his cock out. Then I stood up and moved across the room to a chair; I didn’t want Tony to mistake me for the ‘girl’ he was dancing for. Tony frisked over to his ‘hot chick’ and took ‘her’ wrists. He moved Adam’s hands up and down the outside of his thighs, then used them to pull his shorts down to his knees. His cock, longer than I’d expected, jumped up. Tony released Adam’s hand, arched his body toward Adam’s face, then he took Adam by either side of his head and guided his pecker into his mouth. Adam hadn’t been given any orders by me, and he simply let Tony do whatever he wanted. As I had guessed, this was a dream of his. Tony moved Adam’s head back and forth slowly, jacking himself gradually. Despite my early-morning session with Dave, I found myself aroused by this live show. I stood again, went over to the two. I placed a hand on both men’s necks, and said, “Freeze.” Tony paused, his head back, his body arched tensely. I removed my hand from Tony’s neck. “Adam, I think Tony would like you to stimulate him more. Kneel down in front of him and let him have the blowjob you’ve always wanted to give him.” Adam slid down to the floor, Tony’s firm pecker still lodged in his mouth. I returned my hand to the back of Tony’s neck. “Tony, you can move again, she’s hotter than ever, and you’re really going to give her everything you’ve got.” Tony didn’t need any extra motivation from me; he was lost in his own fantasy, swaying lewdly and moaning.

“C’mon, baby, take it...take it all!” His voice rose to a yell as he ejaculated. Adam came at the same time, squirting onto Tony’s bare, well-muscled leg, then dribbling on his own pants. I stepped over, put a hand on each neck again. “Great, now I want you both to relax. Close your eyes and go deeper and deeper into a trance. You can hear me now, even when my hand is not on your neck.” I took my hands away. “Tony, I want you to open your eyes. Go into the bathroom and get in the shower.” He submissively shuffled away. “Adam, open your eyes and stand up. You need to clean up. Take off your clothes, so you can shower.” Adam stood, then stripped. He was just as beefy as I had thought he’d be, with smooth, almost hairless skin, freckled at the shoulders. He had a flat, if undefined, stomach, and an enviable upper body, also not well-defined, but meaty. I took the clothes he’d shed, wiped up the pool he’d shot onto the floor, then went over and picked up Tony’s clothes. “Adam, come with me.” He trailed along after me, eyes glazed, jaw slack, his cock swaying back and forth as he walked, his pectorals twitching charmingly. As we went through the kitchen area, I picked up Greg’s shirt from the table. I took the whole load to my utility closet and threw it in the washer. Then I led Adam down the hall to the bathroom. Tony was standing in the shower stall, motionless. “Adam, look at Tony.” As he did, his hardon began to rise again. “Tony, close your eyes. You’re at your doctor’s office, and he has to insert an instrument into you to check your colon. Bend over, and remain absolutely still. There won’t be any pain, the doctor has given you a shot. Relax.” I turned to Adam. “Adam, do you know what to do? Nod if you understand.” I could see the dilation of Adam’s pupils as he pumped his head vigorously up and down. He was all for playing doctor. His ‘instrument’ was now standing almost straight out; it had a slight curve, and a generous tip. “Go ahead, then. I’ll be right behind you.” Truth to tell, I’d been trying to think of a plausible scenario that got my dick into Tony’s mouth without jolting him awake, but I couldn’t come up with anything. I supposed that there would be time for that later. Right then, I was peeling off my own clothes and looking at Adam’s big, hard ass as he stepped into the shower, and wondering if all three of us would fit in the confined space of the stall.

We did, barely. My own manhood rose to the occasion, if a trifle complainingly. Adam’s buns were just as sweet and firm as they looked, I had no trouble sliding in behind him. I wrapped my arms around his broad torso, and let him move slowly back and forth, doing all the work. Tony remained still as a stone, his arms hanging limply downward as he endured his ‘examination’. Adam began to whine as he climaxed, moving faster and faster. Then he rocked forward once, twice, again, his anus clamping around me as he did, pulling me along. The action milked still another load from my already depleted supply. I buried my face into Adam’s big, sweating shoulder blades and groaned ecstatically. Adam draped himself blissfully onto Tony’s back; looking down, I could see Tony’s well-cut leg muscles tense up under the weight. To my surprise, I heard his voice make a sleepy enqiry.

“Doc, ‘m I gonna be okay?” Then I heard Adam answer him,just as drowsily.

“Dunno, we gotta make a few more tests.” Adam knew what to do; he was playing along with the setting I had given Tony, but I didn’t want the two of them getting too creative.

“Stand up. Relax.” Both men rose, Tony’s buttocks pulling away from Adam. I pulled out, too, as Adam straightened up. “Tony, in a moment you’re going to take a shower. You’ll still hear my voice, and still obey me, but you’ll be all alone in the bathroom. You won’t notice if you are touched by someone else.” I went up on tiptoe and whispered to Adam, “Adam, here’s another dream-come-true for you. Tony doesn’t know you’re here, so you can help him get clean.” Then in a normal tone, I spoke to Tony. “Tony, turn on the water and wash up.” Actually, I didn’t know if it was one of Adam’s fantasies; but again, my instinct hadn’t deserted me. Adam began smoothing his hands gently across Tony’s body, then kneeling down, he buried his face in Tony’s backside. Tony did not react, simply continuing to lather himself, lifting his legs one at a time to soap up his feet; in his mind, he was alone. I could see Adam’s tongue darting in and out, his throat muscles clenching and relaxing as he licked. He stood back up again, his mouth traveling up the center of Tony’s back, then, gently taking his shoulders, he turned Tony to face him. Tony still took no notice of either of us there, still rubbing soap onto his stomach and genitals. Adam put one hand on the back of Tony’s head and pressed his open mouth against Tony’s. Still no reaction. While this was going on, I had managed to rinse myself off a bit. I slipped out of the stall, leaving Adam to his flight of fancy, and toweled off. “Freeze.” Both men paused. “Tony, come out of there.” He extricated his body from Adam’s grip and stepped out. Adam stood stolidly, his arms up, the water spraying onto his stomach. “Adam, wash yourself up. Don’t forget to rinse out your mouth.” Adam picked up the soap and began lathering his ample frame. I began to towel off Tony’s molded, inert figure. I could see why Adam was crazy about him; I supposed that if I had ever been with him in the shower room, I might have lost my heart, too. He stood like a Greek statue as I stroked the cloth against his dark, hirsute skin. I draped the towel over his head and rubbed his hair; then, hanging the cloth across his shoulders, I slipped my arms under his and embraced him, rubbing his paralyzed form against mine. I kissed him lightly on the lips, then released him. “Tony, return to the living room and seat yourself on the couch.” His bare feet slid slowly across the tiles, and out through the door. “Adam, shut off the water and step out here.” I took another towel and dried him off.

As I rubbed down one smooth, rounded arm, it suddenly occured to me that I had simply taken Adam’s word that Tony was straight. True, my gay-dar had told me he was hetero, but then again, I’d thought Dave was, too, and I’d been wrong about that. It was possible Tony was latent, or maybe bi. I got on tiptoe again, dried off Adam’s short, coarse hair, then draped the towel over his meaty shoulders. I put my arms around his waist and murmured,

“Adam, Tony’s holding you. Give him a kiss that will convince him to fall for you.” The towel slipped to the floor as Adam’s arms wrapped around me, crushing me to him. I could feel passion flowing through him like electricity as he pressed his mouth against mine, the thrill jumping from him into me until I shivered with delight. I didn’t know if Tony would fall for him with a kiss like that, but I sure might. His hot mouth moved slowly down across my neck, nibbling sensuously. I really hadn’t pegged Adam as much of a kisser, but I’d found myself to be wrong a few times, just lately. We necked slowly, erotically; it seemed to last forever. I knew he wasn’t really kissing me, but the macho, lean young beefcake sitting on my couch. It still felt wonderful. How could anyone resist? But I knew we had to get back out there. I remembered the talk-show hypnotist saying that a subject would wake up if unsupervised for a while. “Adam, relax. Relax and go deeper into a trance, deeper and deeper. Come with me.” I took his hand; it nearly covered mine. I led him down the hall, back to the living room, and seated him on the couch beside his unattainable lover. They really were a handsome pair; even more so, now that I saw them au naturel. Tony was a truly gorgeous specimen, he hadn’t just been bragging to impress the girls at the office. And Adam had some gloating rights, too, if only for his sheer unrefined size and athletic good looks. I put a hand on Tony’s head and smoothed his damp, tousled hair.

“Tony, how do you feel about Adam? Tell me the truth, I promise not to tell anyone.” Tony’s eyes moved, met mine.

“Adam...he’s the greatest. So strong..so handsome. So grateful...believed in me...showed me...how to get in shape. Want him...so much...” I was stunned. Tony? Tony, who got a new girl every night? Tony, the man’s man, the constant flirt? I’d never trust my gay-dar again, I told myself.

“Tony, why haven’t you told Adam how you feel?” Tony shifted uncomfortably, color rising in his face. Beside him, Adam sat still as stone, his eyes shut, his chin on his chest.

“Adam...he’d hate me. Think I’d been...using him. If I told...him. Wouldn’t...want me around. So ashamed...” his voice was breaking, his eyes filling with tears. “I’ll take...friendship. Can’t risk...telling him.” There they were, both thinking the other was straight, both too macho to let the other know how they really felt.

“Tony, what if Adam feels the same way you do?” Tony shook his head slowly, sadly. Tears were running down his face.

“No...no,” he sobbed. “Straight...he’d hate me. He can’t find out...mustn’t...know.” His eyes pleaded to mine.

“Quiet, now. I promised you I wouldn’t tell anyone. Relax. Close your eyes and drift deeper and deeper.” His head drooped to his chest, and I gently wiped the tears from his face. I pondered the two sleeping figures, sitting side by side yet so far apart. Both so lonely. What if...

“Listen to me. Open your eyes and look at me. I want you stand up and follow me, I’m going to put you to bed.” The two stood, turned, and swayed down the hall behind me to my bedroom. “Lie down on the bed and relax. The three of us finished the case of beer, and got through most of the Jack Daniels. Tony, you got so drunk that you let how you feel about Adam slip out. And Adam, you were so drunk that you told Tony how you felt. I wasn’t there when you told each other, so nobody else heard. You don’t have to let anyone else know; it can be your secret. You’ll sleep soundly until I awaken you. Now snuggle up together, kiss goodnight, and go to sleep.” I left them there, Tony draped happily across Adam’s brawn, Adam’s arms wrapped around his fantasy made real. I guessed I could spend one night on my sofa. I went down to the washer, threw the damp clothes into the dryer, and started it up. Then I went down to the kitchen and got myself a beer, and went in to my computer. I started the tape recorder, and made a cassette of instructions for myself. I went back down the hall and checked on my guests. Still sleeping, wrapped blissfully about one another. Ain’t love grand, I thought. I raised my bottle in a toast, downed the rest of the brew, and shut off the light. I went back to the computer, pressed the PLAY button, and clicked the shortcut. Colors rushed across the monitor...