The Apprentice

by and © N Fourbois

Chapter 40

Kieran, panic stricken, started to get out of bed in order to get dressed. William pushed him back.

"Let me deal with this," he whispered. "We were bound to get found out sooner or later. We'll try plan A because there's certainly no Plan B. It might just work." Mrs McLarney was by now halfway up the stairs. She burst into William's room, even though the door was open. She surveyed the scene.

"What on earth are you doing?" she shouted. William remained cool.

"Mum, may I introduce Kieran to you? He won't stand up, if you don't mind."

"I guessed that," she retorted in an irritated tone of voice and repeated "What on earth do you think you're up to?" Kieran was astounded at William's coolness under fire, more so at his reply.

"Mum, we are both queer, we are both naked and we are in bed together. What do you think we are doing? We're not just holding hands."

"But... but..." Mrs McLarney had had the wind taken out of her sails completely. William hadn't finished. He carried on with the demolition of his mother's indignation.

"I suppose that time when I came home early from Dad's because his boyfriend had turned up, and I found you in bed with Uncle Simon, who's not even a proper uncle, doesn't count? No wonder I'm a mess." Check, then checkmate. Mrs McLarney was completely deflated. "So why are you home early, Mum?"

"That's something I need to talk to you about - to both of you, in fact." William and Kieran gave each other a look. "I'll make a cup of tea and you can come down to the kitchen. Perhaps you'd care to get dressed first. And, William, you're not a mess. I love you and I'm proud of you."

"Phew!" the two boys said after Mrs McLarney had left the room and closed the door behind her.

"You were amazing," said Kieran.

"It was nothing. Who dares, wins."

"Has anyone ever told you that you were manipulative?"

"I think you just did."

William just sat on his bed while Kieran dressed, watching every second, fascinated by the way he fitted his equipment into the lycras.

"Your turn to watch now, Kieran." William had quite a little routine. He put his tee shirt on first. It was just the right length to tease. Next he put on his socks which involved bending over and displaying his butt cheeks and crack. It had the inevitable, and desired, effect on Kieran. He stiffened up and could feel the waistband of his lycras chafing against the underside of his glans and against his frenulum. How he wanted to feel the hotness and tightness as he pierced the boy's sphincter, how he wanted to deposit his seed so deep inside that it conquered, as it were, his innermost sanctum, and after withdrawing lick up the excess. This was a moment without love, simply raw sex and lust. Then William pulled on his slip and like Kieran he spent time and effort in arranging the goods, while Kieran was subconsciously licking his lips, another sure sign of interest and arousal. To end with he pulled up his jogpants with a finale of more re-arrangement of his tackle. That boy certainly knew his métier and Kieran doubted whether he could teach him much, but it gave him a great lead in for tomorrow's lesson. But would there be a lesson tomorrow with the mood Mrs McLarney was in?

The boys cautiously went down to the kitchen expecting an icy reception. Mrs McLarney's mood appeared to have thawed. There were smiles and mugs of tea and M&S biscuits. Was this the same woman who ten minutes before had screamed at them? And then a bulb lit in Kieran's head. 'That's something I need to talk to you about - to both of you, in fact.' Wasn't that what she said? 'To both of you, in fact,' when one of those two she had never even met before.

William led the way into the kitchen as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. Manipulative or not?

"Sit down, boys. Hallo, Kieran, I'm William's mother," and she offered him her hand. "Tea for both of you?" William was puzzled by the change of mood, to say the least, but Kieran was completely uncomprehending. Was this the smile on the face of the tiger? The tiger that only smiled when it was about to eat you? "William, Kieran, I need some help. Your Auntie Josie has had a fall and broken her arm, William. She needs someone to look after her until the weekend when cousin Olwen gets back from holiday, or they won't let her out of hospital. It seems I'm the only one available to go and look after her. Kieran, this is asking a big, big favour, I know, and William has told me that your parents are away, too, but would it be possible for William to come and spend a few days with you until the weekend?" All sweetness and light. Kieran could see where William had learnt the art of manipulation. He thought for a few moments.

"I think the answer is probably yes, but I'd have to ask my parents first. And it couldn't happen until tomorrow because I've got to go out this evening with my uncle." He drank some of his tea. "If I go home now, I'll try and catch my parents by phone and get back to you."

"No, drink your tea first. I couldn't do anything until tomorrow anyway." The serious conversation morphed into small talk - how William was enjoying his new school, how much he liked fagging for Kieran and how fond he was of him. It was, obviously, embarrassing for both of them. It did, however, put Kieran at ease and make him realise that their relationship had her blessing even though her motives might be suspect.

Eventually with tea drunk and biscuits eaten Kieran made a move to go. He fetched his cycle from the garage, hitched his pack on his back and cycled off. As he pedalled his mind went over the day's events, not so much the discovery of their misdemeanours in bed, but the acts themselves. He grew hard, most uncomfortable when one is trying to ride a bike, and despite the tea and biscuits he could still savour the electrifying taste of William's glans, his precum and ultimately the flavour of his spunk. He still marvelled not only over how the taste of semen changed from person to person, but altered according to food eaten. He also ran over in his mind the opportunity he had had to finger William's hole and the positive reaction that had received. Everything was on course for later in the week. Kieran suddenly found that he was dribbling and could only wipe it away with his hand before he stopped so that he could search for his handkerchief.

Once home and with his bike safely put away Kieran rang his mother's mobile number.

«Hallo, Kieran, love. Nothing wrong I hope. No emergency?»

"Not really, well not with me." He went on and described the problem Mrs McLarney had and how she had asked if William could stay with him until the end of the week.

«Do you think you're up to coping with all that? It's not as if you can send him home if something goes wrong.»

"No worries there," replied Kieran.

«Well, all right, as long as you think you'll be okay. I know you're sensible enough.»

"Is Dad there?"

«No, he's out on the golf course with our clients. I've just come back from the hairdresser's.»

"Does that mean he has to let them win?" His mother laughed.

«I don't think 'let' comes into it. We're taking them out to dinner tonight and tomorrow is the big decision and signing day. After that we move on to the coast for a little holiday and we'll see you after the weekend.»

"Okay, I've got to go. I've got to call the McLarneys, then I'm due to go over to Eric's before gym tonight."

«I hope he's managed to keep out of trouble.»

"Not entirely. His guest had to leave early and I don't think he'll want to tell you about that. He took me out to lunch yesterday so as not to waste the booking. Must go. Love ya and love to Dad."

Kieran quickly rang Mrs McLarney and could hear a cheer in the background. After brief arrangements were made he rang off and went to get ready for the evening's keep-fit session. He suddenly remembered as he was packing his kit. He took out his mobile and texted William. «Bring your gym kit. XXX K.»

It was already dark outside. Kieran went around the house drawing the curtains and leaving strategic lights on before he locked the front door behind him and started off for Eric's.

Meanwhile in the McLarney household preparations had begun. Mrs McLarney told William that they would go to the supermarket in the evening just to help Kieran's food stocks.

"William, I think we need to have a talk." He gave his mother a sideways glance. "Come and sit down in the living room. I have to say that I was rather shocked to see you in bed naked with someone. I'm saying 'someone' because I would have been just as shocked if it had been a girl."

"Yeuk, no thank you," William said in a tone which showed that he still considered he had the psychological advantage.

"But it was something you said that made me think twice." William thought back over the scene in his bedroom. "When your father and I split, that was a shock as well. The divorce was a hard time for me, but one thing made things easier, or one person, should I say? You mentioned that time when you came home and found Uncle Simon and me in bed. You've always been a self-contained boy and one of your strengths is that you never make a big fuss about things, but just pick yourself up, dust yourself down and carry on. Not many children could have done that. It was only this afternoon that it came home to me that it must have been quite traumatic for you."

"I wouldn't say traumatic. At that age it appears as if it's just the way of the world. At the time it was really no different for me from seeing you and Dad in bed. But I will tell you something... two things. If you hadn't got flustered and made a fuss, I probably wouldn't have thought anything was wrong, and the other is that it became a very good reason, among others, for me to be gay." Mrs McLarney's face turned white at this revelation. She got out of the armchair, walked over to the settee and took her son in a hug.

"I'm sorry, William. I never realised." William was quite impassionate.

"Don't be sorry, Mum. I am what I am and what's more I enjoy being what I am. The only thing I ask is that you let me go on enjoying it."

"I haven't told you everything yet." William raised his eyebrows as he looked his mother in the face. They were now sitting on the sofa together. "I said that there was one person who helped me through that time. It was your Uncle Simon..." William gave her a hard and disapproving look. "Okay, Simon, just Simon. We haven't been honest with you, William, and I think... no, I know you're old enough to understand, especially after this afternoon." Mrs McLarney hesitated. "I've always told you that I have had to work long hours to keep us together. Well, some of those hours are spent with Simon. We felt, now perhaps wrongly, that we would keep our relationship secret, especially from you." She expected some reaction from William, that he might weep, that he might react in a hostile manner at such deceit, but he sat there cogitating. When he finally spoke, he said

"Fine, Mum. It seems quite clear to me. If you need Simon, that's okay by me - and I refuse to call him uncle any more - but remember I need Kieran in the way that I needed Ashley at prep school, but I need Kieran more so. If you are prepared to tolerate me with Kieran, then I'm prepared to tolerate your relationship with Simon."

Mrs McLarney tried to hide the fact that she was taken aback, not taken aback at the idea of her son having a full sexual relationship with a boy three years older, but by the fact that a fourteen year old could present his case and negotiate in such a mature way, but then he had won an academic scholarship to the College and he had received good reports for his debating skills at his prep school. He had in fact stitched her up entirely. She took William into a hug and whispered into his ear

"Okay. You've got yourself a deal. Come to think of it your father's three years older than me."

William sprawled back on the settee. His face was set in a neutral mien, but inside he was rejoicing. After five minutes of silence his mother said

"Come along, William, we've got things to do - shopping, getting you ready, getting me ready and getting a meal. All right if we grab something to eat at the supermarket?"