"I hope you don't mind having a male secretary, Alex." The man speaking was my new supervisor, Carl Richter, a vice-president of the Wall Street brokerage firm I was now working for. "There has been some pressure from various government agencies about…well, I'm sure you know that we are always under scrutiny. Also various pressure groups keep after us, so…well, you know how it is." I smiled a noncommittal smile.

"I don't understand why I even need a secretary, sir," I responded. "My work is so personal and close held that I cannot see the need for one."

"At the level you're at Alex you need to have a secretary. Believe me. Anyway, I'll let you settle in for now. There is a managerial meeting at 11:30 followed by a welcoming lunch for you." He patted me on the back and left my new, shiny office.

This job was quite a big step up for me. They had brought me from the Minneapolis office to the headquarters in New York City. The company set me up in an incredible loft apartment in the very upscale and desirable Soho District of Manhattan, paid all my expenses and gave me a huge promotion all because of my seeming ability to forecast certain stock market trends. It really was no mystery how I did it - well, it was no mystery for me. For them, however, it remained a darkly shrouded voodoo rite because I would never tell them. My secrets remained my secrets and I never made a big deal about how I did what I did.

And what I did I did because I had every intention of making pots and pots of money and getting out of the whole miserable business before I was forty (that would be fifteen years from now according to my plan). I worked hard and it was solely for the money. I was going to take the money and run - literally! I was going to run back to California and open a winery. I had worked for two summers at a place up in Mendocino County in northern California and I fell in love with the area and the people and the wines.

The office was very large, very comfortable and very beautifully furnished. It had a small kitchenette and a nice bathroom behind one of the doors. I sat down in my chair and swung around to get a great view of the East River. I could see the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and the various landscapes of the roads and the buildings of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was all so luxurious. I loved it.

I opened the various desk drawers and turned on the PC. My desk was equipped with my own computer (complete with a detachable laptop) and five additional screens; there were various trading and reporting terminals used by professionals in the business.

"Good morning, sir, I'm Stephen Chavez, your new secretary - or if you prefer, administrative assistant."

I was sitting at my desk when Stephen came into the office. Of course his being male did not surprise me since I had been informed of that before. What shocked the hell out of me was that he was seated in a wheelchair.

"Good morning, sir," he said with a beautiful smile. He extended his hand that I immediately grasped. He had a rather firm handshake and he looked very presentable; in fact, he was downright handsome. His striking dark looks immediately captivated me. He was dressed in a dark business suit, white shirt and tie. But I must honestly say that I was slightly repulsed by his physical appearance sitting there is that horrid chair - and I immediately plastered a sort of false smile on my face.

"Good morning, Stephen," I said in a rather quiet voice as I continued to look him over. "You are certainly here early this morning. Any reason?"

"You, sir. This is your first morning here at Rheinerson & Company so I felt it would be wise for me to be here in case you needed any help and to get you set before the market opens for the day."

"Very thoughtful, Stephen. Thank you." I smiled at him again and looked him over. He was very darkly handsome - dark brown hair, cut beautifully, worn long on the top and short on the sides, dark brown eyes, clear smooth olive complexion, long lashes and beautiful teeth. His hands were very attractive and his nails had been professionally manicured.

"Of course not." I paused again and looked at him - and his body. He obviously had lost both his legs above the knee from what I could see. What remained of his legs seemed rather small and narrow. "How did you lose your legs, Stephen? Excuse me, but bluntness is one of my traits - for good or ill."

"I don't mind bluntness from anyone - as long as it is honest and sincere. It is a birth defect, sir. I was born with malformed legs and after much surgery parts of both my legs were amputated to facilitate the use of artificial limbs. However, I find the wheelchair preferable in most circumstances to the prostheses, no matter how high tech they are."

"I see," I mumbled quietly. "Thank you, Stephen." I knew I had to get off the topic of Stephen and his legs quickly - I do not handle embarrassing situations in a good way. "Well, it's almost eight and there are many things to set up before the opening this morning. Do you have enough to keep you busy?"

"Yes, sir, I do." He began to wheel himself out of my office. "Excuse me, sir. A few more things that I want to bring to your attention. You know that you will be assembling a staff to maintain the operations of this new group of funds that you will be creating. The offices in this area are empty now in anticipation of those new employees. We will need to work together on that and a few other things that I have detailed. Whenever you have time we can discuss them."

"Excellent. I understand, Stephen. I guess we will be working closely in the next few months." I managed to smile at him and he returned a beautiful smile showing beautiful, pearly white teeth. He excused himself and wheeled out of the office.

"Will I be able to work all day, every day with a crippled person?" I asked myself. I had known a few amputees and paraplegics in my rather sheltered life but never on a real personal basis. I usually tried to avoid people who were disabled. There was a young girl in high school who was missing her right hand. I knew that I was always embarrassed seeing her or when I had to speak to her. I always tried to avoid any contact with her.

Things moved relatively smoothly during the morning and at 11:20 I prepared to go to the meeting. As I walked out of the office I noticed Stephen was not at his desk although his wheelchair was there. I called his name and a disembodied voice came from below the desk. "I'm here sir, trying to get this printer to work."

When the elevator reached the 54^th floor, I could not believe the opulence I encountered. The wood paneling, the works of art, the lighting, the furniture, the carpeting - everything combined to create an aura of taste and luxury and - most of all - money. I was greeted by one of the administrative assistants and shown into the meeting room. It too reeked of wealth and class and taste. The view was a magnificent one of New York harbor and it was fabulous.

Carl Richter and his minions were already there and he came over to greet me. He then introduced me to the half-dozen others already in the room, including Brad Schuster. Brad seemed like a nice enough person but extremely hungry. Brad had dreams of being at the top one day. I too had dreams of being at the top but not in this place, but my own.

Two more arrivals and more introductions and then the meeting began. It was typical of any meeting occurring simultaneously across the industrialized world - boring, too long and totally lacking depth. Then again, I suppose that in some rain forest in South America the tribal chief is gathering the men of the tribe and the young ones are making comments about how the old man goes on too long and how these meetings never accomplish half of what they were supposed to.

There was a lot of backslapping and general conversation as Carl Richter led us all into the dining room for my welcome luncheon. It was a magnificent dining facility - white-gloved waiters, exquisite décor and fabulous food. These New York operations really knew how to operate. Give the upper management everything they want and we can get away with anything.

I was seated next to Brad Schuster. He made some innocuous comments and some off-color remarks and thought himself to be very funny. At the end of the meal, he turned to me, and in a rather loud voice said, "I understand that you got the triple threat secretary." I looked at him quizzically. "You know, triple threat - male, crippled and Hispanic. We covered so many categories with the EEOC when we hired that one." He thought that to be very funny and laughed heartily. A few others did too including Carl. I found it to be in incredibly poor taste. A few minutes later I excused myself and went to the men's room to get away from some of these people.

I know I didn't have to put up with too much crap from these people. Brad Schuster was one I did not have to work with if I did not want to. And I did not want to.

When I returned to my office area I noticed Stephen finishing his lunch at his desk. "How was the meeting?" he asked.

"You were absolutely right about Brad Schuster. The man is a total slime." He smiled at me and I returned it. "Would you come in when you've finished eating, Stephen?"

Stephen and I met for about ninety minutes, formulating plans and specifications for our new operation. It was to be operational in three months and there was so much to do. Stephen returned to his desk to write up what we discussed. We would meet again tomorrow, go over today's output, and build on that. It was very easy working with Stephen - he was extremely intelligent and articulate, and our discussions and the bouncing of ideas off each other were enlightening and even fun.

During our month of working together I found out a good deal about Stephen and grew to like him very much. I became more open with him and my embarrassment at his handicap lessened. He was very personable, efficient and hard working. He was also very bright - and his suggestions were always well thought out and extremely well presented. He was twenty-two, had graduated from college the year before and took this job because it was convenient to his home, it paid well and very suitable to his handicap.

He used his wheelchair on most days and was very good with it; after a while I barely noticed it in the offices. On some days he used his prostheses. He seemed quite adept on them and looked wonderful. He would wear his legs whenever we had important meetings or if we went out to a business lunch or dinner. He always used a cane when he wore the legs. He told me that his stumps were not terribly strong (owing to the birth defect) and he needed to cane for balance and support.

It was a Friday afternoon, after a week of very concentrated and detailed work. I felt that I'd really had it for the week and there was a three day weekend on tap. It was time to quit and to give the brain a few days to rebuild the dead cells and to recharge. Stephen and I had talked casually and quite freely during the weeks while we concentrated on the very important (and sometimes tedious) work at hand.

I opened up a bit to him, telling him of my days on the farm in Minnesota, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and then Stanford for an MBA. How I went to work in Minneapolis and made a name for myself very quickly, before being whisked off to the Big Apple.

I got up to stretch and casually asked Stephen what his plans were for the weekend. It was like a courtesy - I had really not meant anything by it, and I certainly did not know that it would lead to a series of events that would completely change my life.

He looked up at me and smiled. "A family reunion. This is the weekend of our annual family reunion. It's always held at this time of the year - on the Memorial Day weekend."

"Sounds great. My family never had anything like it. You know, some say Scandinavians are not that passionate about family. My father certainly is a loner. Oh, we care, but, well, I don't know, it's just not the same as other ethnic and religious groups I read and heard about, if you know what I mean."

"I understand what you're saying. Our family group gets together at the home of the relative with the largest house, and that is always my Uncle Enrique who lives on Long Island. It's three days of fun and food and picture taking and good company."

"Say Alex, I hope you don't think it forward of me, but why don't you come - come along with me as my guest. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun and there's always absolutely tons of great food. I know my mother has been preparing for over a week. I'd just have to call and tell them that I'm bringing a guest - that's all."

"Why not? It'll be fun, I mean real fun. I think you'll have a great time. And I know you speak Spanish, so nothing will be a secret from you." We both laughed. "Except for my relatives who also speak Portuguese. And one more thing, and you'll excuse me for say so, I think you're rather lonely here in New York. Why not get out for a change and enjoy yourself? I guarantee that you'll have a great time and if you don't I gladly give you a refund. What do you say, Alex?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. Stephen was right. I was quite lonely here in the city and my work seemed to be my entire life. I had no social life, except with a few people from the office. Being with a loving family would certainly do me some good. I smiled at him and he smiled back with that beautiful smile of his. "Okay, Stephen, you have yourself a guest. See if they can rustle up another bed."

I was driving on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island trying to find my way to Stephen's uncle's home. I was in the slow lane since I really didn't know where I was heading. I was scrutinizing every sign. Suddenly a car pulled along side me, the driver tooting the horn something fierce. I looked over and saw that Stephen was driving and he had two other people in the car. He signaled me to follow him, which is exactly what I did.

Twenty minutes later I pulled into the driveway of a magnificent beach house. It was huge and architecturally stunning. "This guy must be loaded!" I thought.

I parked behind Stephen's car, walked up to him, and watched as he pulled out a wheelchair from behind the driver's seat, opened it, and gracefully slid from the seat to the chair. A mob of people suddenly appeared from the house and welcomed him and the others from his car. There were old and very young, men, boys, girls and women. It was a total mob scene - probably about 25 or 30 people total. It was great to see so much loving family all together and enjoying one another's company.

Stephen introduced me to his parents, brothers and sisters and said that I would get to know the rest over the weekend. He introduced me as "his boss", telling them that I was one of the real rising stars on Wall Street. I pooh-poohed his remarks but he continued to press the matter. Everyone spoke Spanish, which I was mostly able to understand; all his relatives called him Esteban.

He was wearing shorts and an athletic shirt, and for the first time I was able to see most of Stephen's body. I could just see the tips of his leg stumps and the scars covering those tips. I noticed something strange and tugging in my crotch. I was stricken when I realized that I was becoming slightly aroused by the sight of Stephen's near naked body. Not only by his leg stumps, but also by his very virile chest and arms. His skin was a dark olive and he was quite hairy; tufts of black hair were peeking through his shirt and his arms were also covered in beautiful black hair. I dawned on me that I found Stephen to be especially beautiful and I was inexorably being drawn to him.

He smiled up at me; I wondered if he had noticed the shit-eating grin I had on my face. He wheeled himself into the house and then into the bedroom assigned to him. He maneuvered very easily since the area surrounding the house was so flat. He told me that we would be sharing the room together - the one king size bed.

"Not at all," I replied. "The bed seems quite big enough for the both of us, even if I am a very restless sleeper."

He gave a warm, pleasant smile and I smiled back. After depositing our bags, Stephen proceeded to give me a tour of the house and the magnificent decks surrounding it. It was truly spectacular - a beach house more fabulous that any I had ever seen, even while I lived in California.

The rest of the morning was spent swimming - in either the ocean or the large pool. Stephen was quite an accomplished swimmer, although he did not venture into the ocean. People pointed to me as I came out onto the deck. I caught some comments about being blonde and fair and freckled and very pale. I applied sunscreen to my body and sat down in one of the many chaises there.

After swimming for about twenty minutes (and he was a very good swimmer, despite his lack of legs), Stephen hoisted himself out of the pool and used his muscular arms to swing his body to the area of chaises. He wore white Speedo briefs and he looked stunning - truly stunning. I tried to prevent myself from looking down at his package, but I couldn't. And it was really quite impressive. Stephen's quite hairy chest and arms and beautifully formed package had a very profound effect on me. I found myself getting aroused again by the sight of him; I was very grateful that I was wearing a very baggie swimsuit.

He lifted himself onto the chaise right next to mine and told me not to worry about all the chatter from his relatives - this is the way they were with all new guests. They always decided that someone was either too thin or too fat or too pale or too tall or to short.

I took a good long look at his leg stumps for the first time. They were quite thin and bore numerous scars; I assumed it was from all the surgery he had previously told me about. They were not muscular like the rest of his body but looked very thin, frail and weak.

As I continued looking at his very appealing stumps, I found myself getting more and more aroused. He wiggled them slightly; I wondered if he did this because he knew I was attracted to them and looking at them, or if he did this totally unconsciously.

We chatted for a few minutes until his Aunt Rose (or Rosita, as she liked to be called) called everyone for the buffet lunch. Stephen asked me if I could lift him into his wheelchair, which I was very happy to do. It was the first time I had ever touched him - his body, that is. And the first time I had ever touched a man in more than just a friendly way. Once again I found myself getting seriously aroused. Jeez! What was happening to me? Why was this happening to me? Was Stephen that appealing to me? Why hadn't I noticed him before today? Maybe I had but didn't realize it since all of our dealings had been in the office or in business situations.

We ate at a table with Stephen's cousin Jorge (a physician) and his wife Felicia (a stock trader). She was as pale as I was and also looked to be of Scandinavian descent. Stephen introduced me as his boss (again!) and the four of us chatted amiably.

"When do you expect to be totally operational in your new position?" Felicia asked.

"We are assembling our staff now. It'll be small, only four more people in addition to Stephen and me. I expect another month and we'll be in total operation," I answered. I paused and looked at Stephen for guidance before I made my next statement. "Tell me, Felicia, are you interested in making a change at this time?

"I may be," Felicia said in slightly seductive tones. One of their kids came running over at this time; she couldn't find anything she wanted to eat. Jorge stood up and walked over with her to the buffet table. "Thanks, sweetheart," she said to Jorge. Then she turned back to me. "Are you offering?"

"I may be." Stephen smiled at us. "I am assembling a top flight staff; I want only the best. I have been given no budgetary restrictions - at least for now. Think about coming over. It's going to be a very autonomous operation and not under the direct control of the company."

Jorge returned and Stephen told me that he was going to take his afternoon siesta - he needed a nap after the activity of the morning and the big lunch. I said that it sounded like a very good idea and if he wouldn't mind I'd like to join him for the nap part of the afternoon.

We removed our swimsuits as soon as we got into the room, and I looked at Stephen with a certain longing in my glances, I suppose. He smiled at me when I dropped my suit and I smiled back at him. "You're very handsome, Alex. Do you know that?"

"Thanks. I've always thought of myself as being very nerdy and not that attractive."

"Nonsense! You are certainly very attractive. You have a beautiful lithe body and you're tall and so wonderfully fair." He paused and gave me a shy smile and a quick glance. "If you'll forgive me saying so, you are very attractive to me."

This just took my breath away, because I knew that he was so very attractive to me. I slowly walked up to his wheelchair, suddenly realizing that we were both naked; I was getting incredibly excited at the sight of his enticing body. I was thrilled to know and to see that he was also attracted to me. When I reached the chair he put his arms up and I lifted him and hugged him tightly to my body. It was absolutely marvelous. His warm, hairy body felt so wonderful against mine. I had never experienced anything so thrilling or satisfying.

We were cuddled in bed together and I realized that I never wanted to let him go. After these months of working together, after all the hours were had spent together, we were finally together - together in the most wonderful way possible. My secret, unrecognized attraction to Stephen was brought into the light and it was so marvelous to know that my desire for him was reciprocated.

Stephen was lying on my body and I held him tightly. The experience was heaven sent. The warmth and tenderness of his expressions of love had taken me on a wild and wonderful voyage of discovery. I had uncovered more about myself in this short afternoon that I had in my twenty-five previous years.

He raised his head and I kissed him again on his beautiful full, rosy lips. I was enraptured with this beautiful guy - this fabulous man. I let my hands roam all over his back and down to those marvelous leg stumps. They were so soft and felt marvelous as my fingers explored their surface and squeezed them lightly and lovingly.

"This has been absolutely marvelous, Alex…but I think we have to rejoin the group soon. They'll be wondering where we've been for so long."

"C'mon, lets get going. We will have plenty of more opportunities to be together…privately."

I got out of bed and put on another swimsuits. I was excited when Stephen asked me to put his on him; he stretched out on the bed and I put his Speedo bikini brief on his beautiful body. To me, to my eyes, he was the most incredibly beautiful and desirable creature I had ever seen. I no longer saw him as a cripple; to me Stephen was the most wonderful person - and my love. I knew that to be true! After two months of working together, I realized that he was my love and important to me in ways that no one had ever been before.

I could not remember when I had a more exciting experience in my life than the hour we spent together in that bedroom on that beautiful late spring day. I also found myself happier than I had ever been. I felt a new lightness in my attitude and genuine contentment with myself.

Everyone was watching us as we came back to the pool deck. I was carrying Stephen. I wanted to carry him and he said it was fine to leave the chair in the room. I walked out with him lovingly cradled in my arms. It felt wonderful to me and I didn't give a damn about what anyone thought or didn't think. I loved carrying Stephen and I thought he loved it when I had him enveloped in my arms.

We smiled at each other as I set him down near the edge of the pool; he dived in. I sat down on a chaise and watched him as he began doing his laps again. He looked magnificent in the water; almost as good as he looked in bed an hour earlier.

While I watched Stephen swim and frolic with his nieces and nephews, his mother, Corina, sat down in a chair next to me. She gave me a big smile and began to talk. "We, Stephen's dad and I, we're so glad to meet you, Mr. Anderson, it's…

"Si, Alex. Alex, I just wanted to thank you for coming and hope you have a wonderful time this weekend."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I'm having a great time. Everyone is so wonderful and friendly." I stopped for a second a rethought what she had said. "Why did you thank me for coming?"

"Oh, because you make Esteban so very, very happy with coming here. He is very happy now. He did not know if to ask you but he is happy he did and he is happy you are here." I smiled at her, not knowing that Stephen had wanted me to come along for such a long time even though he asked only the night before. Did it take him that long to work up his courage? I suppose it did; asking ones "boss" out to a family function takes a lot of courage.

"Thank you, Corina. I'm really glad that I came today, and I'm glad Stephen's so happy."

"He is very happy. I never seen him so happy as when he go to work for you. You know, Esteban is my baby - the youngest of my children. And with his, you know, with his problem, well, he has not had the best of life. But when he go to work for you all he talk about is Alex, Alex, Alex. He seem so very, very happy at home and he love his work. I think you are a wonderful man Alex, and I want to thank you for being so good to my baby." With that said she stood up and kissed me. I could see tears in her eyes and I started to tear up also, holding myself back only with the utmost force of will.

Corina kissed me again and we held hands for a minute until she slowly walked away. I noticed that she was wiping her eyes and blowing her nose.

I returned to watching Stephen swimming and decided I needed a swim also. I dove in (making quite a splash in the process). He was playing with a few of his nephews and nieces and didn't even notice me. I swam up to him and splashed him. He quickly turned, laughed and splashed me back. The kids joined in (on Stephen's side, of course) until I started yelling "I give up…I give up!"

The youngsters swam away leaving the two of us alone, together. I looked into Stephen's deep, brown, lustrous eyes. I moved one of my hands under the water and stroked one of his leg stumps. We swam over to the side of the pool and I lifted him out, then climbing out myself. We went to our chairs and stretched out in the sun.

"Nothing much. Just how pleased she was that I was able to be here this weekend."

"That's all. She is a lovely woman…very intelligent…she also has a very big heart."

"Thanks. She is always trying to fix me up though. Every man she meets, every man I bring around or happen to be with, even if it only the most casual of acquaintances, she's immediately fixing him up with me." Stephen laughed.

"Oh, yes! She says she's known it since I was a young boy. That may be so, but the truth is that both my parents know my sexual inclination and they seem to have no problem with it. They have plenty of grandchildren and they're happy."

I smiled at Stephen and he smiled back at me. I reached out and took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I then place my hand on his leg and leaned back to take in the sun; I needed to get rid of this office pallor. I lovingly squeezed his stump; it thrilled me so much. Stephen thrilled me so much. As I felt myself slipping into a semi-sleep, I pictured Stephen and me together in our own home, filled with pets and plants and beautiful art…and lots and lots of love.

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