An Italian Boy in Camford

Chapter Twelve: Sandro and the blond stranger

The following week, Sandro turned up at the Fitness Centre at 3 pm, and sure enough the handsome blond was there to meet him. In the changing room, which at that moment was unoccupied, they undressed side-by-side. As he pulled his jeans down, Sandro could feel his tool stiffening. The stranger noticed the bulge in his underpants and grinned. Then Sandro noticed that the stranger's underpants also had a large tent in the front. "By the way, my name is Jack," he said, "What's yours?"

"Sandro," Sandro replied, "It's short for Alessandro." Without saying anything, Sandro rapidly disengaged his underpants from his semi-erect manhood and pulled on his swimming trunks. They were Italian, bright orange in colour, brief and low-cut at the front with a threequarter back. They fitted his slim figure beautifully, and scarcely concealed his erection. Jack's were standard Speedo brand in black and served to conceal his manhood rather better. He momentarily put his arm round Sandro's shoulders as they walked to the showers. He was very tall, well over two metres, Sandro reckoned. Sandro himself was about 1 m 95 cm.

It was a relief to Sandro to get under the shower. He was conscious that he smelt of sweat. Jack exuded a faint attractive odour that Sandro recognized as also being worn by Jon. Later, when they were dressing, he discovered that it was an expensive Belgian male fragrance called Storing pour Homme, popular in the late twentieth century among gay men. Further thought reminded him that his brother and Tom must also use it, as he remembered that he had smelt the same scent on them. He realized that unless he pulled back soon, he was heading for some kind of gay sexual contact.

They entered the pool, dived into the water side-by-side, and began to swim rapidly. To his relief, Sandro felt his penile hardness subsiding. They had agreed to swim twenty lengths, 500 m, in the fastest time possible. Sandro had a big advantage, he was younger and lighter in weight, but he did not win easily. His opponent was obviously a very fit and experienced swimmer. It was neck and neck, and in the end, Jack won by about twenty seconds. The pool was quiet, so Sandro challenged Jack to a second round, which this time he won. Breathless, they climbed out of the water and sat for a few minutes at the poolside before re-entering the water for a few leisurely lengths.

When they left the pool there was a short, darkish corridor to the changing room, and Jack took advantage of the gloom to grab Sandro and kiss him. Sandro felt his warm, sensuous lips and a tongue poking between his own lips. He opened his mouth and the tongue entered it. Sandro felt as if an electric shock was passing through him. He had been kissed by men before, but only by members of the family. Tom for instance had never kissed him. The sensation was startling, shocking but extremely pleasant. It was over in perhaps half a minute, but it was quite unforgettable. They got showered and dressed and Jack invited Sandro to come and have dinner with him in his graduate hostel. Sandro refused because he had not signed out of dinner, but they agreed to meet the following week and Sandro would sign out.

Chapter Thirteen: Tom's phone calls

(1). From Sandro Mascagnoli to Tom Appleton (in Italian)

S: "Buon giorno, Tom, è Sandro. I know you're my 'brother-in-law', but I want to talk to someone who is not a blood relative about being gay. Can you spare a few minutes to talk?"

T: "Of course, Sandro, what do you want to ask?"

S: "I think that I'm gay."

T: "What do you mean, think? Sandro, you are old enough now to have some idea of your sexuality. What reaction do you have when you look at a nice woman? Does your cock get stiff?"

S: "No."

T: "What? Never?"

S: "Well, maybe sometimes then. It depends how nubile she looks!"

[Sandro was getting proud of his English vocabulary!]

T: "What about when you look at a nice man?"

S: "I get a hard-on."

T: "There you are then! And porn: what sort of internet porn appeals to you?"

S: "Blow-jobs, anal or anything gay. But I don't use porn very often."

T: "What do you think about when you wank?"

[Clearly, Sandro's vocabulary of English dirty words had progressed rapidly!]

S: "The man that I go swimming with. You might know him, he's a chemistry Ph.D. student."

T: "Well, Sandro, there's your answer. You might be bi, but it's more likely that you're gay. Look, I won't tell anyone, not even Luca, what we've talked about. If you fancy this guy, go for it! But be careful, always have condoms with you. And always keep in mind that however nice sex may be, love is even better. Don't let yourself get fucked just to find out what it's like to have man's cock up your arsehole. If that's what you want, you'll be better off with a dildo! Scusi, non so la parola italiana." (Sorry, I don't know the Italian word). "Maybe dildo IS an Italian word. Only get anal with someone whom you really love. Have you actually had any kind of sex with him yet?"

S: "Only kissing."

T: "If you want him, try a blow-job. If he's a nice guy, he'll help you with anything you need to learn. If he's not a nice guy, get out now before it's too late."

S: "Grazie, Tom, you've been very helpful."

(2). Tom Appleton to David Singleton-Scarborough (in English).

T: "Hi, David, it's Tom. I want to ask you a question about bioassays. I know that it's donkey's years since you were an active scientist, but I want to talk to someone with a biological background. The materials that we synthesize in our lab are tested in laboratory animals. The tests are carried out for us by a specialist laboratory, and take three weeks. Is there any other bioassay system that we might use that we could carry out ourselves and get results more quickly?"

D: "Well, Tom, it's nice to use my mind for something other than memorizing words and music! Are your materials inhibitors of the synthesis of some metabolite?"

T: "Yes."

D: "Is the metabolite easy to measure?"

D: "Yes. There are several methods."

D: "What you need then is a microbiological assay. You need to find a bacterium, probably a mutant, that excretes the metabolite whose synthesis you want to block. If you can measure the concentration of the metabolite, you can use the system to test the inhibitory effect of your synthetic products by measuring metabolite concentration in the presence of various concentrations of your synthetic product by an active bacterial suspension. Ideally you need a colorimetric measuring method, and then you could screen dozens of samples using microtitre plates and an overnight incubation. In that way you can run enough replicates to avoid statistical errors. Do you have a microtitre plate reader?"

T: "No, but I think I can get access to one. Well, thanks very much, David. I'll see what I can do with those ideas. And, by the way, thank you and bless you for giving me Luke. I don't know what my life would have been like without him. He's the light of my life."

D: "I know exactly how you feel, Tom. I've missed my son since you left us. And we won't be seeing you at Christmas, either."

T: "No, Luke has to work between Christmas and New Year."

Chapter Fourteen: Things get hotter between Sandro and Jack

When Sandro and Jack met the following week, events followed essentially the same pattern as the previous week. Sandro had been full of hesitation and nervous about what might happen, but he was in no doubt that he wanted to get to know Jack and find out what being gay was like. This week, Jack won both the two races and the kissing session was much longer. It was clear that both were enjoying it. They went for a drink in the bar before they left, and used the time to find out more about each other. As he sipped a pint of WLB, Sandro told Jack that he was a freshman at Boni's, reading engineering. Jack revealed that he was a first-year Ph.D. student in chemistry, living in the graduate hostel of Islip College and that his surname was Meredith. "You must know my uncle then," Sandro said, "Jon Singleton-Scarborough, first year tutor in chemistry at Boni's." Naming his uncle might serve, he thought, as a sort of warning to Jack not to try to anything that he, Sandro did not want.

"Oh, yes, the gay tutor at Boni's. He's very popular among the freshmen at Boni's because of his post-exam party for his students every year at his house in the country at Ixton. I believe that his partner is a singer."

"I've not been to Ixton yet, I've been in Camford ever since I arrived in England. The college insisted that I do the TOEFL and get top grade in it. Yes, Jon's partner is my Uncle David, who's currently singing in 'Otello' at Covent Garden."

Islip College was in the centre of Camford, but its graduate hostel was on the other side of the river Camwell, too far away for the residents to eat in Hall, so the hostel had its own cafeteria. Those residents who wanted formal dining could sign into Hall dinner a maximum of twice per week. When they arrived Jack said to Sandro, "You can leave your kit in my room while we eat."

They went to the self-service canteen and ate a substantial two-course meal, looking at each other appraisingly across a table for two. Both liked what they saw. Sandro, like his brother, had the Italian taste for stylish clothes. His pocket was not as deep as Luke's, so he did not have a lot of designer items, but he had never bought any clothes in England, except for a St Boniface's college hoody, and it showed. Jack, while admiring the cut of his clothes, thought that Sandro's long black wavy hair and slim brown body were particularly delicious. Sandro weighed, he reckoned, about 65 kilos. He wanted this cute boy to fall in love with him, and determined to do his best to attract him without disturbing or upsetting him. He wanted not just to kiss him but to cradle him in his arms. He had a good idea that the boy was a virgin, at least where men were concerned, and his intentions were not to make any advances that might be upsetting until Sandro had made up his mind what he wanted to do. He felt that they should start going out together to films or concerts, so that they could get to know one another better.

Sandro was thinking how nice it would be to have a man friend of his own age group to go out with. He rather fancied this muscular older but slim and athletic male, weighing perhaps 85 kilos with natural blond hair like his Uncle David. He decided that if he, Sandro, was not gay, he was certainly bi. Just to test out the situation, he said to Jack, "Do you have any girlfriends?"

Jack grinned. "What do you think? If I were into women, would I have kissed you? No, I'm as queer as a nine-pound note!" Sandro needed to think about that expression for a moment before he saw its meaning and then he also grinned. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to rape you, or even seduce you," Jack continued. "If we end up having sex, it will be because you want it! In the meantime, I want us to get better acquainted. Do you like cinema?"

"Yes, currently I go once a week with a girl. But as a relationship, it's not getting anywhere, so I will try and stop going out with her. She's sweet, but because she's oriental, she's rather inscrutable. I don't think she will mind if I end it."

"Just to reassure you, Sandro, I will not try and distract you from your studies. We both have to work hard here if we want to earn our living in interesting jobs later on. But as you've probably found already, in Camford you will never be bored or have time on your hands. What sort of films do you like?"

"I like going to the Rialto. My Uncle Jon introduced me to it. It's the only place in Camford where I can see Italian films."

"Do you ever go to ordinary multiplex cinemas?"

"Well, I did go to see 'Brokeback Mountain'," confessed Sandro.

"There you are then Sandro! You are curious, aren't you? You want to know what being gay is like!"

"Yes, but all the hot scenes in 'Brokeback Mountain' were heterosexual ones."

They went back to Jack's room for Sandro to collect his kit. No sooner was the door shut, than Jack grabbed Sandro and began to kiss him passionately. Sandro responded, kissing him back with equal vigour. He began to stroke Jack's back, moving his hand slowly downwards and began to caress Jack's rounded yet muscular arse. It felt good. It was clear that Sandro wanted sex, so forgetting his previous caution, Jack in turn gently unzipped Sandro's jeans, slipped his hand inside and began to feel around for Sandro's cock, which was hard as nails and oozing precome. Sandro did not find this invasion of his private parts an intrusion; indeed it felt very nice. He did not object when Jack undid his belt and pulled his jeans and briefs down to his ankles. He continued to encircle Jack with his right arm, until Jack suddenly knelt down. "Has anyone ever given you a blow-job, Sandro?" he asked.

"No," replied Sandro. He felt his pulse quicken and he needed to take a deep breath. Jack began to lick the shaft of Sandro's dick and to nuzzle it with his lips. Sandro moaned with pleasure. Jack moved his mouth downwards and began to lick his balls and took one gently into his mouth. Sandro felt as if he was in heaven. A hot man playing with his genitals was an out-of-this-world experience for him. He could feel a tightening in that region that presaged something nice. Jack moved rapidly along his shaft and started nibbling Sandro's foreskin. Sandro giggled in delight. The next moment, Jack had the head of his dick in his mouth and was playing with it with his lips and tongue. He made chewing movements with his jaws which sent a delightful sensation through the whole of Sandro's lower body.

Unable to remain passive, he put his hand behind Jack's head and began to make fucking movements in Jack's mouth. Jack opened his mouth wide and let Sandro push as deeply as he could to the back of his throat. The tension in Sandro's loins became unbearable, and unable to stop himself, he came with a muffled shout and shot two successive loads of man-juice into Jack's welcoming mouth. Sandro, exhausted, watched Jack swallow his spunk avidly and lick his lips before he jumped up and took Sandro in his arms. "Sandro, you're a very sweet boy. Thank you for letting me give you head. You taste wonderful!" and he kissed Sandro and squeezed him before going into the bathroom, returning with a tissue with which he carefully and gently wiped Sandro's tool, trying to avoid setting off another stiffie. He then wrapped another tissue round Sandro's cock to prevent post-ejaculatory oozing messing up his clothes and pulled up Sandro's underpants, which were skimpy low-cut briefs, like his swimming trunks. He then kissed Sandro, who could taste his own come on Jack's delicious lips. "Can I stay here for a short while, please? It's not late, and I just want to recover a bit," Sandro said, as he pulled up and fastened his jeans.

"You can spend the night here, if you like," said Jack, "but the bed is a bit narrow for two!"

"I don't think that I'm ready to sleep with you yet," said Sandro. "I enjoyed being sucked, but I want to get used to the idea of sex with a man, and I want to get to know you better."

"I couldn't agree more!" said Jack, "We need to get to know one another better. Friendship is better first and sex second, we've done things the wrong way round. Let's slow down on the lovemaking." They arranged to see an Italian film at the Rialto the following Tuesday.

The two boys consumed a cup of coffee each, and after half an hour, Sandro left and crossed the river to Boni's. It took him a long time to get to sleep that night. His mind was a turmoil of impressions, sensations and thoughts. Uppermost in his mind was that he was GAY. Second in his mind was Jack Meredith, with his narrow hips, trim arse, broad shoulders and beautiful curly blond hair. Only thirdly did he think about his experience of having his cock sucked. About 1-00 am he fell asleep, conscious that he had a nine-o'clock lecture the next morning.

Chapter Fifteen: The end of Sandro's first term

Early in December, the Martinmas Term at Camford University came to an end. By now, Sandro was going out with Jack twice a week, once to the cinema and once to the Fitness Centre, and was well on the way to being in love. He had not yet got to the stage of aching to see his new boyfriend every day, but he found himself looking forward with great desire to their meetings. He would sign out of dinner on the nights he met Jack and they would eat together, either at the Venezia or in Jack's hostel, where of course Jack always paid.

Jack too, rather against his will, was rapidly developing tender feelings towards this boy. He was so sweet and trusting, so keen to kiss and hold hands, so happy to listen intently to every word that Jack said, that what had begun as a calculated exercise on Jack's part, seemed already to be developing into a serious relationship. Maybe, thought Jack, I've done enough sleeping around and casual fucking, and I ought be thinking of something more permanent. Very few of Jack's previous boyfriends had reacted so deliriously joyously to a blow-job. It had usually been a case of suck and zip up.

At the end of term, Sandro had to move out of college rapidly, as his room was needed for the conference trade, by which Camford colleges try to balance their substantial budgets. Sandro's unwanted items had been locked away in a cupboard in college and he had moved with his essential luggage back to his uncles' flat in Fountain Street. Before he left for home, Jon asked him what he wanted as a Christmas gift from himself and David. Sandro asked for some Storing pour Homme perfume and toiletries. Jon looked startled

"Sandro, I would love to buy them for you, but you do know what signals this will be sending out, don't you?" Sandro nodded firmly. He hesitated to say anything, he just blushed. Jon grinned and kissed him on the top of his head, and whispered in his ear "Someone is a lucky guy. I hope he deserves the attention!"

Just before Sandro left, Jon gave him a gift-wrapped package. "Here's your Christmas present, Sandro. You had better open it before you go to Italy. It might be embarrassing if you opened it in front of your parents and Tom and Luke! Luke would be certain to start giggling. And don't start to use it unless you trust the company that you are in!"

The last time that he met Jack was the night before Sandro was due to leave for home. They had had dinner at the Venezia, and then gone back to Jack's room for coffee. "Next term," said Sandro, "I'll take you back to college for coffee. Jack, please, please suck me off. I want something to remember you by in the next month back home."

Jack's heart melted when he heard this. He took Sandro into his arms and kissed him tenderly before removing his shirt. He then continued kissing the boy's neck and shoulders and administering gentle love bites, before starting to nibble his nipples. Sandro nearly went crazy. He put both arms round Jack's shoulders and wriggled with delight. Jack's lips moved slowly down Sandro's lithe body until they reached his navel. He pulled Sandro's lower garments down to his ankles, after which the nuzzling and nibbling began again, and Jack followed the dark treasure trail down Sandro's belly until he reached the black forest surrounding the boy's manhood. The hair was silky soft, not wiry, and Jack buried his mouth in it, sniffing the fragrance of sweet boy-sweat. Sandro was moaning in delight. Next Jack moved his mouth to Sandro's balls, and began to lick and suck them. A quiver shook the boy. Jack slid his lips along the smooth skin on the shaft of Sandro's tool and began to nibble his foreskin. Sandro's quivering got more intense. "Open your mouth, Jack!" he said, "Unless you want me to come all over your face!" Jack did as he was told, and in an instant Sandro's dick entered and at once began to spurt his white blood into Jack's mouth. Jack savoured the hot ejaculate as if it were nectar before swallowing it greedily. He stood up, grabbed Sandro and embraced him fiercely. Sandro responded equally fiercely, and it was almost as if the two men were fighting.