"Thanks for coming with me, Xander - I really appreciate it."
"Don't thank me yet, Lucio - I'm not sure what I can do. One thing I don't want is raise false hopes."
Xander Cannon was dressed in a medium gray, single-breasted suit, which draped around his wide, muscular shoulders and tapered down to hug his narrow waist. A white shirt with burgundy stripes and a deep burgundy tie complemented the suit, and the matching vest highlighted his strong pectorals.
Lucio Giambi wore a slim-cut black suit. A pale lavender shirt stretched across his torso and a silk foulard tie of deep purple, gold, black and white was knotted elegantly about his neck.
The two men had been ushered into the study of Domenic Franqui and were waiting for the crime lord to arrive.
"Lucio! How nice to see you! Your call came somewhat of a surprise. Is something wrong? Did that jackass Emilio cause some ruckus again?"
Dominic Franqui was the eldest of the three crime bosses in the city, and often acted as the elder statesman when disputes arose between Lucio Giambi and Emilio Leone.
Lucio was somber. "No, nothing like that Dom. I'm not here for anything about myself or my operations. I'm here about Bobby. I want to help."
Don Franqui seemed to crumble before his eyes. "I've been to the best doctors, Lucio. Everyone has told me nothing that can be done. I'm going to lose my boy and I don't know how I'm going to live without him." The elder man's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Dom, this is Xander Cannon. He's a specialist. I've asked him to come with me today and see what he can do."
Xander spoke up. "I don't want to give either you or Robert any false hopes, Mr. Franqui - but I'd like to at least examine him. I have had successes when everyone else has written off the patient as hopeless."
"You're British?"
"No, Australian. I'd like to help, too - if I can. Please let me try."
Franqui gazed into Xander's earnest face, bisected as it was by the black leather eyepatch. He saw in the other man's eye both a deep sadness and a fierce determination that seemed at odds with his apparent youth. He stood up.
"Come with me."
* * *
Roberto Franqui had been a frail and sickly child, and that condition persisted into his adulthood. What he lacked in physical strength, however, he made up in a brilliant mind. In addition, he had inherited his father's diplomatic skills and was - in a large part - responsible for the continuing success of his family's syndicate.
An unknown, degenerative condition was slowly consuming the young Franqui and the pace of its onslaught seem to be accelerating. With a knock, the three entered his room. Roberto was in a hospital bed. Several machines bleeped quietly in the background. He turned to face his visitors as they entered. One of the oxygen tubes slipped from his nose with the movement; the nurse carefully rearranged the tubing and reinserted it. He turned back to her and gave her a gentle smile.
"Hi Lucio. Sorry if I don't get up -- I seem to be tied down at the moment." He gave a weak laugh that turned into an equally weak cough.
Damn, he looks terrible.
"I ...." he stopped in midsentence as a crushing wave of pain swept over him. His thin body arched.
".... I didn't have a very good night. It doesn't appear I'm having exactly a very good day, either."
The nurse had filled a syringe with a clear liquid and was preparing to inject it into the intravenous tube going into his left arm.
"No Lisa. No morphine. It makes me dopey. I'll be okay." She looked at the elder Franqui, who gave a small nod. She put the syringe down.
"Bobby, this is Xander Cannon. I asked him to come take a look at you."
"What's your specialty, Doc? I've been through all of them, except Egyptologists."
"I'm a geneticist. As I said to your dad, I don't know if there's anything I can do. But I'm willing to try. That is, if you're willing to let me."
"Sure, go ahead."
Xander took a small box out of his pocket and opened it to remove a swab.
"Can you open your mouth for me? I want to get a DNA sample." Cannon swabbed the inside of the young man's cheek and replaced the swab within the sterile container. He turned to the nurse.
"Can you also draw me about 20cc's of blood please?" She nodded.
"I'll need to research the samples before I can make any determination." He took Roberto's hand in his own. "Believe me, I'll work as fast as I can."
Roberto winced as the nurse began to withdraw the blood. "Thanks Doc. But don't expect any miracles. I'm not."
Dominic brought the two men out of the room and returned soon after. He sat down on the side of the bed, next to his son.
"Papa, I know you don't want to talk about it, but we need a plan in place when I'm gone."
Dominic grabbed his son's hand. "This new doctor will find a cure, Robby. I know it. Lucio has always come through. He's never not delivered on a promise."
"Papa ...." The younger Franqui stifled a scream as another wave of pain coursed through him. Tears erupted from eyes clenched shut and ran down his cheeks as he waited for the agony to pass.
"... I'm not going to live through Easter. We both know that."
He turned to the nurse. "Lisa, just give me a little bit. Just to take the edge off of the pain." In a few moments, Roberto's breathing eased.
"Lucio can take care of our businesses and our people, Papa. I trust him. You trust him. You can't give anything to that asshole Leone."
Dominic nodded his head. "Before we go down that route, let's see what this new doctor has to say, okay?"
Roberto nodded his head. Soon after, the young man fell into an exhausted sleep. Dominic brushed damp hair off his son's sweaty brow as silent tears poured down the crime lord's face.
* * *
"Oh bloody FUCK!" Xander yelled as he rubbed his eye and stared at the slowly rotating DNA models.
The doctor had been at the Franqui problem for over sixteen hours. Cannon looked haggard and drawn as another simulation failed to achieve a cure for the young mobster. He smashed a fist into the desktop. The sudden pain distracted him for a moment and he noticed he had dented the surface of the metal. Sometimes he forgot his own strength.
A steaming mug of jasmine tea appeared on the desk. David Bateman wrapped his arms around Xander and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.
"Sweetheart, take a little break. You're concentrating too hard. Nothing is going to change if you spend a few minutes away from this." He sat down next to his lover.
Xander sighed and picked up the mug of tea. He held the mug in both hands and inhaled the wafting steam.
"Mmmmm." he sipped the liquid. "Thanks, love. You're right. But I've got to find some way around his genetic condition. Everything I'm trying is introducing more problems or more co-morbidities."
"You know what? I'll give Javier a call and have him give you a massage. That'll relax you. He's so happy his hair is finally growing back in - his grandma was telling him that he's lucky he didn't stay bald."
Xander stared hard at David. Cannon's eye widened as comprehension dawned and a giant grin split his face. He grabbed his lover's head in both hands and gave him a brutal kiss. When they broke apart, both were gasping for air.
Bateman laughed. "What was that for?"
"David, you are a bloody genius! Bald! Why didn't I think of that? Alopecia totalis!" His fingers flew over the keyboard, entering new sets of parameters. Like an invading emerald army, the blinking red DNA strands were replaced by green.
He gave his lover a wicked grin and slid his hands down past the waistband of David's jeans.
"You deserve a reward for that suggestion, love. A nice, BIG reward..."
* * *
"I have good news and bad news."
Roberto coughed. He looked more drawn since the first visit by the geneticist four days ago. "I figured as much. Let's hear it, doc."
Xander ran a hand through his thick, black hair. "I can completely reverse the degenerative condition. That's the good news. However, I can't guarantee more than a one-in-three chance of success. That's the bad news."
"What happens in the other two cases?"
"Death."
"Let's do it."
"Robby!"
"Papa, one way or another, there will be an end to this. I hurt. I hurt all the time. And I'm so tired ..." he turned to Cannon.
"What do I need to do?"
"Well, I want to put you on a weight gaining diet. At least 12,000 calories a day. High protein, high carbs. Can you eat solid food?"
"Yeah, but I'm usually not hungry. Not with this stuff..." he gestured to the tubes and other machinery in the room.
"You'll need to force yourself. If not, we're going to have to use a feeding tube. I want to see at least another twenty pounds on you before we start."
"I've also developed this." Xander withdrew a vial from his pocket.
"This will at least hold the progression of the disease at bay until we can get the elixir into you."
"The what?"
"The cure."
The younger Franqui turned to his father. "I guess we're going to be having a lot of beef and pasta, from now on, huh?"
* * *
"Well you look positively chubby!" Xander laughed.
"I feel like a goddamn blimp!" the younger Franqui complained. "At least that stuff you've given me has made me feel a helluva lot better. I don't see myself getting up and playing football, but I haven't felt this well in months!"
The doctor grew somber. "The effects of that particular compound are not going to last, Roberto. Do you still want to go through with the final step?"
The young mobster looked at his father and then returned his gaze to the doctor. He nodded. "I don't really have a choice, now, do I?"
"You always have a choice. Are you sure?"
"Yes. Yes, I'm sure."
Xander removed a flask from his bag and held it up to the light. The elixir glinted softly in the light of the room. The blood-red fluid moved lazily in it's container and seemed to emit a lambent glow of its own.
"Is that it?"
Cannon nodded. He sat down on the bed next to the young Franqui and unstoppered the flask. He snaked his arm around the still-frail shoulders and held the young mobster to him. He held the flask to Roberto's lips.
"Drink it down, Robbie."
He watched the other's man's adam's apple move as he swallowed the elixir. He gently extricated himself and helped Franqui into a reclining position in the bed. In a few moments, the elixir began to have an effect on the young mobster.
"I ... I don't feel so good ... I can't ... I can't breathe ..." his eyes rolled back in his head. Dominic rushed over to him and began to shake him.
"Robby! Robby!" he began to scream.
"Dominic!" Xander gave him an open handed slap across his face. "Calm down! That's normal! The first thirty minutes are the most important."
The elder Franqui held his son's hand. Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty. Cannon lifted his lids and examined his eyes. "He's doing fine. He's going to make it."
Dominic sighed in relief. "He looks a little different."
"There's going to be some physical changes going on with him over the next few days. He's past the danger point now. You need a rest too, Dominic. C'mon." He steered the older mobster out of the room.
* * *
The changes, as Xander well knew, were dramatic. Roberto had filled out both in terms of bone structure and musculature. He also appeared to have grown four inches. All of his hair on his head had fallen out. He no longer looked like Roberto Franqui, but a younger, far more striking man with high cheekbones and chiseled features.
After four days, the young mobster stirred.
Deep sapphire blue eyes - nearly purple in their intensity - peered blearily around the room and came to focus on a smiling Xander Cannon.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Bobby!"
"Wh-what happened?" he seemed surprised at the deeper timbre of his voice.
"You're cured, first of all ... but there have been some physical ... changes as a result."
The young man looked panicked.
"No, no ... nothing to fret about ... it just that you don't quite look like yourself any longer..." Xander stroked his chin and grinned. "...Better, I think. Much, much better."
"I feel great. I don't think I've ever felt this well in my life!"
At that point, Dominic entered the room and stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the transformed young man in the bed.
"Robby? Is that really YOU?"
The young mobster grinned. "Papa, I must really be a sight for you to look that shocked." He reached over to grab a hand mirror off the bedside stand and stopped himself. He looked at his strongly muscled arm and turned it over and over. "Holy shit ..."
He looked at his transformed face in the mirror. He turned side to side, admiring the new visage. "You weren't kidding, were you, doc? This is incredible!"
"Well, I had to do something to handle all the terribly recessive genes that were causing the condition. I had to settle for permanent baldness, blue-purple eyes and perfect pitch."
Dominic approached his son and wrapped him in a massive hug. Roberto returned the gesture. Dominic winced.
"Damn! You're strong!"
He turned to Xander. "Doctor, what can I do to thank you? I can't believe what I'm seeing!"
"You really have Lucio to thank, Dominic. The elixir is not exactly public knowledge and the mortality rate is very high. We were quite fortunate that it worked this time."
* * *
The first thing Xander insisted on was a regimen of physical therapy for the newly regenerated Roberto. The best - and most available - was the regimen for new soldieri in Lucio's organization. After several weeks, the young Franqui had filled out further, sporting a rippling, but lithe physique, a deep bronze tan and a poised attitude of confidence and capability. During this time, Roberto discovered the other effects of the elixir's transformation and had had several intimate encounters with a number of Lucio's men. After an initial confusion, Roberto accepted the change with gusto. As did his partners. Particularly Cristano Asgeir, a Giambi soldieri in the Asiatown district.
Roberto continued to manage the daily activities of his father's criminal empire, but maintained an extremely low profile. The conversation about his transformation and his future role was yet to be discussed. Don Franqui invited Lucio again to his home to settle the details.
Roberto answered the door and gave the young crime lord an ear-to-ear grin and a crushing hug. He was dressed in a pair of white compression shorts which made an obscene bulge of his basket and a red Adidas tank top. A pair of soccer shoes complemented his well-developed calves and brutal thighs.
"Lucio! C'mon in! Papa's waiting for you in the sunroom. How's everything going? How's Dash?" Roberto's voice was a low, sexy tenor that made Lucio's groin tingle.
Giambi grinned back at the young mobster and gave him a lascivious once-over, starting at his blue eyes and ending at his bulging crotch. He licked his lips. He put his arm around Roberto's waist as they walked towards the solarium.
"Everything's going fine. YOU look great. I see the physical training agreed with you." He laughed. "Dash is a little jealous - now I have two drop-dead handsome bald studs to deal with!"
Dominic stood up and gave Lucio a warm smile. He held the young crime lord in a strong hug. Roberto filled a mug of coffee and sat down at the table.
"Lucio, there's nothing I can do or say to thank you enough. You and Dr. Cannon. Sit. Have some coffee."
"We've got a proposal for you, Lucio."
There was something darkly sensual in Roberto's voice, a whisper of sin, erotic and seductive, that made his cock painfully hard and his breath catch in his throat.
Damn, that voice sends shivers down my spine...
He looked at the young Franqui.
"After Xander left for the first time, I told Papa that we had to make plans for when I was gone. I wasn't expecting to live past Easter. You and Xander changed that. I said that we should turn our operations over to you. All of them. There's no one else that could be trusted to handle our businesses. And, the fact is, I am gone. Roberto Franqui doesn't exist any more."
Roberto took another sip of coffee from his mug. "Papa and I are willing to give you everything Lucio. You deserve it. You didn't ask for anything and you offered everything you had to save my life. What do you say?"
Giambi looked thoughtful. He turned to the older man. "I want to say 'yes' Dominic, but I feel a little catch somewhere ... what is it?"
The older Franqui laughed. "You know me too well, Lucio. Robby wants to work for you. In any capacity you see fit."
"That's it?"
"That's it. And I'll do anything I can with the other syndicates to smooth the way for you."
"I owe you my life, Lucio. Believe me, I'd do anything for you. Anything."
The young crime lord grinned. He put out his hand. "Well, Dominic, you've got yourself a deal!"
* * *
The offices of Thor Entertainment comprised a large studio and an attached office building. Overnight, the small firm became one of the top producers of gay porn in the world. Their offerings were different in that the actors could actually act; and in addition to the spectacularly erotic scenes, an attention-grabbing plot actually existed in each of their productions. Xander had his arm around Roberto's waist and was giving him a tour of the facilities.
"I'm still quite pleasantly surprised you chose to work here, Bobby. I can tell you're going to be a great addition to the lineup."
The young mobster smiled at the doctor. "Thanks, Xander ... that's quite a compliment coming from the top star of the studio!" He was wearing a blue Italia tee-shirt over a pair of tight jeans and leather treads.
"Like I said, being a porn star is a great cover. People never suspect the fact that you were someone else. Oh, by the way did you get all your new ID from Giaan?"
"Sure did. I like the new name. 'Bobby Cromwell' - driver's license, Social Security card, college transcripts, birth certificates, credit card and credit history ... he's really thorough!"
"That he is. Hey, we're here." Xander opened the door to Studio 15. "Miles! You around?"
"In the back!" came the muffled reply. In a few moments, Miles Lennier came out of the storeroom and looked at the two men.
"Hey Xander! Is this the new guy?"
Xander nodded. "Bobby Cromwell, meet Miles Lennier. The best erotic photographer since Robert Mapplethorpe."
The photographer blushed. "Jeez, Xander ... I only work with what I'm given." He grinned. "Thank God in His Infinite Wisdom that He often gives me a LOT."
He looked critically at Bobby. "Damn, you're as fucking handsome as Xander here. Different though. Hell, I can see straight men getting a hardon for you too! Let's take some test shots."
The photographer came over to Bobby, gently grabbed his chin and turned his head side to side. Miles was strong. "Y'know, I want to stipple a little stubble on your head and jaw. I think it'll look better. Okay you guys, strip and get ready."
The two porn stars did not need any urging. Within moments, both Xander and Bobby were stark naked, and both sported raging erections.
Miles taped a gauze veil over Cromwell's face and lightly sprayed some material into the air. Bobby felt it settle lightly on his scalp and the exposed areas of his face. After a few minutes, Lennier removed the veil and nodded appreciatively.
"Good."
"Xander, if you could lay on the couch? Move a little to your right. Little more... Perfect! Bobby, climb on top of him and give him a blowjob, please?"
"Huh?"
"A blowjob. Suck him off."
He looked at Xander. "What about David?"
Cannon smiled. "It's okay, Bobby. David understands. No matter what goes on here, I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with him. Nothing is ever going to change that. Just enjoy yourself and go with the flow."
Bobby slowly lowered himself onto the huge shaft in front of him and begin to lick it.
"Nice!" The camera whirred as it took in the tableau in front of it. "Let's see some more!"
* * *
"Okay, next thing I want to do is some individual shots. Let's try the leather cop outfit." He measured Cromwell's chest, arms, thighs and waist. "Bobby, what size shoe do you take?"
"Eleven and a half."
Lennier got on the phone. "Gladys, it's Miles. Could you please bring up a pair of Dehner's in eleven and a half?" He also rattled off the measurements for the rest of the outfit. "Thanks, sweetie!"
Within fifteen minutes, there was a knock on the door and an older woman entered carrying a pair of boots, a leather shirt and breeches and a plastic bag looped around the hanger.
"Here you go, darling." She turned to face Xander and Cromwell, who were still naked and lying on the couch.
"Hi, gorgeous! Who's the new kid?"
"Hi, Gladys. This is Bobby Cromwell. Bobby, Gladys is one of our seamstresses here. I dare say the best seamstress here. An absolute enchantress with a needle." Xander gave the older woman a warm smile.
She chuckled. "Flattery will get you everywhere, stud. Nice to meet you, Bobby. See you later." She looked at the massive package between his legs. "Oh, sweetheart, you're gonna be a BIG success around here!" She gave Xander a wink and bustled out of the room.
Miles helped Bobby into the leather uniform. He held open the shirt as Cromwell slipped his muscular arms into the garment. Lennier folded the short sleeves up a bit to highlight more of the young mobster's rock-solid biceps and triceps.
"Sit down when you put on the breeches. Put both legs in. Pull them up. Nice. Pull up slowly. You may need to shimmy into them." Finally, the breeches were on. Miles added a Sam Browne belt to the outfit and helped steady Cromwell as he slipped into the tall police boots. He stood back and whistled.
"Wow! You're definitely a leather stud, Bobby! What do you think, Xander?"
Cannon stretched out on the couch and chuckled. "Mmmm ... he could arrest me and do a full body search anytime ..."
Bobby grinned at the naked doctor. What a goddamn handsome fucker he is...
"Oh, almost forgot ..." the photographer pulled a thin, black latex mask out of the bag. It had pindot eyes and an open mouth. He squirted a bit of lube on the inside of the mask and rubbed it around. "Put this on."
Bobby took the mask in his hands and slipped it over his head. The latex had a heady aroma, which combined with the musky scent of the leathers made him grow large and rock-hard once more.
"Holy Shit! This is perfect! Bobby, move over there and start posing for me." He tossed him a pair of short, black leather gloves. "Put these on."
"Great! Keep going!"
"Keep it up! More!"
Bobby sauntered over and draped himself onto the wooden bench. He stretched out and stared into the camera. He grinned at both Xander and Miles.
"Like this?"
"Shit, YES!"He stretched out some more and played with the baton at his side.
After a few more reclining shots, Cromwell got up and stretched.
"More, Bobby! MORE!" Caldwell leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. Then he crooked two fingers and motioned Xander to come over to him.
"Perfect! Goddamn perfect!"
The porn star padded over to Bobby. The young mobster wrapped his arms around the naked geneticist and pulled him close.
"How am I doing, handsome?"Xander kissed him and ran his hands down the slick blackness of the latex hood.
"Welcome to Thor Entertainment, mate..."
* * *So ... did you like it? I had more than a few emails asking me, "Why did Don Franqui decide to turn everything over to Lucio?"
As it usually happens, a very simple explanation turned into quite an interesting yarn. As I said to my friend Mike, I'm beginning to feel a bit like Scheherezade spinning these tales.
The latex mask I used here was from Tomas at www.eurocatsuits.com - in my humble opinion, Tomas makes the absolute best masks - thin, comfortable and undeniably sexy! The leather uniform was made by David Menkes, another artisan extraordinaire.
Dehner boots. Ahh ... what more can I say about them? Just find your size on line and buy 'em.
Up until a year ago, I thought nothing of going into a department store and picking up a 3-pack of Hanes or Calvin Klein plain white briefs. For many years, the suit, the shirt and the tie were the most important things to wear and as long as it was clean, who really cared about underwear?
"Holy crap! Your crotch always looked great, but you look so damn BIG now, it's amazing!"
First, Clever. Clever underwear is made and designed in Medellin, Colombia. Yes, that Medellin. Amazing what industries pop up once the drug cartels are out of the way. Clevers tend to run on the small side, but the cotton/lycra combination is stretchy enough to feel snug without feeling strangled. Their website is www.clevermoda.com. I have several pairs of Clevers and intend to get some more. My collection includes:
/Baskit/ is another brand I've come to enjoy. Here's a great quote from their website:
C-In2 is another brand I like. 2xist decided to discontinue their "regular" no-show trunks, so my C-In2's are a great alternative. The pouch here is a bit more "pointy" than the Clevers or Baskits, but nevertheless, they fit great and feel great too. C-In2s come "with" a strap or "without" - the strap is basically a fabric cockring that pulls your equipment up and into the pouch. I buy without - hell, if you're supposed to wear a cockring with these, I'll wear the real thing!
UDY is a less well-known firm. UDY began its activity in 1951, under the name Confecciones udi in Navarre, Spain. Always up on the latest trends Udy made a classical cotton underpant called 120A, that was a new model in those early years. In 1985, the company ownership and name were changed to the current name UDY, but it maintained the company team. Since then, UDY is located in Madrid and the owners belong to the foundation family. I only found these once in an Undergear catalog, and since then, the brand has seemed to fade from regular sellers.
Of course, I've also tried out Andrew Christian. They make extremely well-made items, but their fulfillment operations suck. If I'm buying underwear, I don't really feel like waiting 6-8 weeks (yes, weeks) for the order to arrive. I did purchase an "Espana" trunk which is right up on the comfort scale with the Clevers, but I'm going to hold off on any more purchases until they clean up their act.
