Together they packed all Leo’s clothes and his more personal things into several suitcases and boxes. It took less time than Max had expected. With everything stacked at the top of the stairs, Leo turned and embraced his lover.
“Want to pick out some gear to play with at home, love? Some special stuff you’d like us to use?”
“Why not all of it?” Max laughed. “Okay, I’ll choose something we can use until we can move it all.” Kissing Leo, he asked, “How do you plan to move all these?”
“I’ve my Mini Estate in a garage nearby.” Returning the kiss, Leo grinned. “It’ll all fit. Pick out what you think we’ll need while I bring it round and we can load everything.” Squeezing Max’s butt he added, “Make sure it’s something really sexy, you gorgeous man.” Releasing his lover, he said, there’s a leather carryall in the studio. Put all the gear you choose in that.”
Max retrieved the holdall, then focussed on selecting several items he fancied, but had not yet tried from the extensive collection of leather harnesses, hoods, restraints, strait jackets, boots and items he’d never seen or encountered before. With his selection in the bag, he added it to the pile at the stairs, collected his own overnight bag and suitbag and added these just as Leo returned.
“Ready?” Leo asked. “There’s no parking round here, so the car’s on the yellow lines just round the corner. If we both grab as much as we can carry, and head down, you can load the car while I fetch the rest.”
“Then let’s go …” Max laughed. “I don’t take traffic offence cases …”
The car was easier to pack than Max expected, Leo having prepared the back for loading before driving round to load it. He reflected that it seemed to have more space than his larger, and much more expensive sports car. They finished loading just as a traffic warden looked round the corner. He wagged a finger at them as they jumped in and shut the doors.
“That was close,” Leo laughed happily as he drove. “I’m always dodging him when I have to load up my camera gear or take paintings to a gallery or a client.” Entering the traffic, he concentrated on driving until they reached the huge roundabout and headed toward the Isle of Dogs. “You’ll have to tell me where to park! I didn’t see anything other than guest parking at your place.”
“I’ll direct you,” Max assured him. “My flat actually has two allocated places in the basement parking.” He laughed. “One of my neighbours sometimes pinches it. Now It’s no longer going to be free.”
Among the surprises on this trip, for Leo, had been his lover's flawless command of German, and knowledge of the landscape. Since moving into Max’s flat he’d learned a great deal about Max and his family, and Max had learned as much about Leo’s side. Max, having pondered the hint given him in his interview with Mr Popham had unearthed a number of ‘family secrets’ which had given him a lot of food for thought. He’d always known, but chosen not to ‘see’ that his aunt lived with another, slightly older, woman. Aunt Berengaria had been an authoress, and rather masculine in her manner and style of dress. His mother, when he’d accompanied her to this private retreat, had more or less left him to make his own amusement. It had been left to his aunt to thrust him into joining other boys of his own age, swimming, climbing and hiking on his visits.
“Aunt Bear as I called her, introduced me to the whole ‘copyright’ thing. It’s actually quite a tricky bit of law.” Max explained, turning off the main road and into a ‘private’ farm road. “Once I qualified, I handled a few challenges for her and her partner, and developed a bit of a reputation in the field. Not really what I set out to do …”
“I wondered what drew you into that field,” Leo replied looking about them as Max pulled the SUV into a parking spot in front of a typically Bavarian farmhouse.
“Welcome to our chalet!” Max laughed shutting off the engine.
The chalet in Walchensee, Bavaria stood in it’s own ground on a hill and had a sweeping view of the lake. Facing south toward the mountains, the view from the chalet was absolutely stunning and Leo stood speechless as he looked, his artists eye drinking it in. A rock outcrop to left of the lawn fronting the house formed a barrier of sorts to a small stream that trickled down the hill, creating a pond which someone had enlarged. Behind this was a stand of beech trees that formed a dense thicket that extended beside the house and round the back.
“This place belongs to you?”
“To us, love.” Max took his hand. “It’s ours now. We’re married remember? Come on, let’s get inside, Frau Soeder will have everything ready for us and be waiting to welcome us once we’ve unloaded the car.”
“Frau Soeder?”
“She was originally my Aunt’s ‘maid’, now she lives in the main house and runs it as a guest lodge. My aunt left it to my mother, and I inherited it when she died.” He grinned. “Aunt was an author, artist and a bluestocking. My father hated her. My mother used to come over here for holidays with her woman friends … to commune with nature, she said.” His laugh echoed. “I begin to think she came here for a different reason.” Locking the hired SUV, he grinned. “I’ve discovered I wasn’t the only ‘deviant’, as my father loved to say, in the family.” Collecting his bag, he continued, “And this place provided a safe way to indulge my taste for leather. Ever worn lederhosen? You’ll love them.”
Looking at the facade, with it’s classic rectangular footprint, and steeply pitched roof, with the shallow balcony stretching from eave to eave at first storey above the entrance, the floral boxes bright against the railing, and the bench and table across the lower storey walls at ground level, Leo loved it.
“This is a chalet? It’s bigger than I expected!” The house stood surrounded by lawn, with flower boxes beneath the windows and along the edge of the verandah at first floor, it looked loved and cared for, and to Leo, a perfect ‘postcard’ image of a Bavarian farmhouse.
“I think it was a farmhouse once.” Max led the way to the door. “It’s been modernised and heavily restored. Frau Soeder knows the history. She keeps it for me and looks after the maintenance. I allow her to let it to selected guests when I’m not here.” He shrugged. “Which is most of the time these days. The Gasthaus has been enlarged and is now quite a popular venue all year round. It’s about three times the size it was in my aunt’s day.” He laughed, suddenly. “It took me a while to figure out that my Aunt and her partner we’re lesbian and probably my mother as well. I used to love to escape here. I could be myself without having to guard my every word and gesture — and wear leather.” Pushing open the door, he stood aside. “After you, husband. Welcome to the place I had my first experience of wearing leather — a gift to me on my first visit with my mother and her ‘friend’. I was fourteen and loved the feel and the smell from the first time I wore lederhosen.”
“How often do you come here?” Leo looked around the entrance in amazement. The small vestibule had a seat on one side, a row of coat hooks and a boot stand opposite. An inner door opened into a short passage from which stairs rose.
“Not as often as I used to …” Max ushered him toward the stairs. “Straight upstairs, love and to the right at the top. There’s two bedrooms, we’re in the larger at the front. Take the bags up and I’ll see if Frau Soeder is aware we’ve arrived.”
Leo had barely disappeared up the stairs when the lady arrived striding through from the rear door and the kitchen. Dressed in a traditional dirndl, she was tall, still shapely, her brunette hair short, and neatly arranged. Her face had a handsome appearance, and her arms suggested she was used to physical work. At least ten years older than Max, she greeted him with a huge smile.
“Herr Max! You look very good.” She greeted him in German, her Bavarian accent strong. “Welcome! But where is your new partner?”
“He’s upstairs, Gretchen,” Max replied, returning her embrace and kiss. “You’ll love him — but warn Bruno that he’s mine, no flirting with him.”
“Spoilsport! He makes you happy, Max? Tante Bahr always worried your Papa had made you too cold to find a man to love.” She turned as Leo descended the stairs. “Welcome! Is everything to your liking?” Her grin flashed. “Herr Max says it is forbidden to try to steal you from him.”
“Thanks,” Leo smiled, glancing at Max as he took in the dirndl and the strong, but attractive figure of their visitor. “You must be Frau Soeder? I’m Leo — Leo Turner.”
“Call me Gretchen, please.” She shot a mischievous look at Max. “It’s not Bruno you should worry about, Liebe Max.” Laughing, she added, “I have put a platter of cold meat and cheese in the refrigerator for your supper — and, of course, beer and wine in the cellar. You will take breakfast with us tomorrow?”
“That will be perfect, Gretchen.” Max smiled as Leo joined him and he put his arm round his lover’s waist. “Thank you. Then I can show Leo round and perhaps show him off locally. I’ve missed the hiking in this beautiful place …”
Alone at the table in front of the house with the remains of a supper of local bread, cold meat, cheese an fresh salad, Max raised his beer mug and grinned as he ran his eye over Leo. Both wore the heavy ‘Lederhosen’, Leo in a pair of Max’s, that reached halfway down their calves. Leo had admired the craftsmanship that went into making these garments, the bib front bearing a stitched and tooled decorative motif.
“Getting used to the lederhosen, love?” Max studied Leo’s relaxed posture. He looked stunning in the leather trousers, his lower leg in the thick wooden stockings and his trainers. The loose white cotton shirt with its full sleeves and the embroidered collar looked really good on him. “I must say the look really suits you!”
Leo smiled, pulling his attention back from the slowly fading light against the mountains to the west. “I never thought they could be this comfortable. The leather is thicker than I expected, and lined …” Laughing, he straightened in his seat. “You’re going to have to prise me out of them.”
“What even for …?”
“Maybe not for that …” Leo poked his tongue at Max. “But for everything else …”
“Want another beer? Or shall we retreat to bed? You’ll be able to enjoy the view from the bed, and we can have coffee on the verandah in the morning …”
“Sounds like heaven.” Leo collected the beer mugs. “I must admit this mountain air and the tranquility … Bed sounds wonderful, especially with you in it, love.” Kissing Max, he whispered, Especially if you intend to make love with me …”
The bed was large, old fashioned, but very comfortable and perfect for their slow and tender lovemaking.
“This is heaven,” Leo whispered as they lay, side by side beneath the duvet, their lovemaking having reached a beautiful climax minutes before. “I must be dreaming.”
“Then it’s a shared dream, my love.” Max kissed his cheek, rolling onto his side so he could put an arm over his lover’s chest. “I’ve just made love with the most beautiful man in the world, I’m in bed with him, I’m going to have him beside me for the next two weeks …” Kissing his lover gently on the mouth, Max savoured the taste of his own cum on Leo’s lips. “Thank you, my love, for showing me how to accept being loved.”
“It wasn’t hard, love.” Leo reached down, gripped Max’s thigh and gently drew it over his own legs so his lover’s flaccid member now pressed against his own thigh. “I knew you were the man I needed in my own life …” Kissing Max’s lips, he teased, “We were made for each other. I only needed to show you what you really wanted and needed …”
“Thank you anyway.” Max kissed him gently, adding, “Husband. And tomorrow I’m going to show you off in lederhosen and take you hiking …”
Leo chuckled. “That’ll cost you!” Pausing he held his lover close. “You know, this is the perfect setting for me to do what I’ve wanted to with you for a long time. Will you pose nude for me? Allow me to do a nude portrait of you?”
Teasing his companion’s nipple, Max asked, “You really need me to pose? I think you’ve explored every centimetre of my body by now …”
“Yes, love, but I need you posed at least for a preliminary sketch …” Laughing, he tweaked his lover’s nipple in return. “I plan a painting that will really do your gorgeous bod justice.”
“Ready, love? Gretchen and her team will be waiting for us for breakfast.” Max smiled as he admired Leo coming down the stairs in his lederhosen, the woollen stockings now showing above a good pair of walking boots, the full-sleeved white shirt with its embroidered collar showing beneath the skirtless Bavarian-style jacket. “That outfit looks absolutely stunning on you.”
“You should see yourself, Mr Sexy!” Leo laughed. “I could get used to wearing these lederhosen. Amazingly comfortable … and gorgeous leather!”
Taking Leo’s hand as they met at the foot of the stairs, Max kissed him. “You say the nicest things, love. Come on, Gretchen and Bruno will have an absolutely fabulous breakfast waiting.”
It being early autumn, the temperature was cool, though the sky was clear, and threatened to be hot later. Hand in hand they walked the hundred metres or so to the stand of trees that hid the larger ‘Gasthaus’, passed through the gate and stopped as Leo gasped. “This was your aunt’s house?”
“About half is original, but it’s been so cleverly extended you wouldn’t know it has been enlarged.” Max waved as Gretchen emerged from the entrance. “Looks like we’re just in time.” He laughed. “She and her husband, Bruno, run the place and they have a couple of younger women who assist. There’s also Frans and Elize … as you’ll discover they’re all, er, ‘different’. I’ve spent a long time trying to ignore the obvious and pretend they aren’t …”
“We eat inside today, Herr Max.” Gretchen smiled as she greeted them. “It is still cold in the garden area.” She admired their outfits, Leo noticing that she wore a plain black skirt, with a beautifully embroidered blouse. “You both suit the lederhosen — Tante Bahr always said you looked happy and comfortable in them.”
Leading them into the house, she ushered them into an alcove off the main dining area, the table already laid with an assortment of cheeses, ‘marmalades’ — as jam is known in German — sliced cold meat, coffee jugs and all the necessary cutlery and crockery. Telling them to sit, she went into the kitchen, and returned a few minutes later with a basket of fresh baked bread rolls in one hand and croissants in the other. Behind her a slim blond man followed with jugs of fresh juice and a wide smile.
“This is Bruno, Herr Leo.” Gretchen Soeder introduced her companion. Bruno was tanned, wore lederhosen that left his legs bare from mid-thigh, and despite his slim appearance, his blouse-shirt hid a well muscled torso.
“Pleased to meet you, Bruno.” Leo understood the niceties of German formalities, and grasped that he was being invited to ‘duts’ — call Bruno and Gretchen by their first names instead of the formal Herr and Frau. Extending his hand he shook hands. “I hope Max intends to bring us here frequently — I’m going to enjoy taking photos and sketching!”
Bruno laughed. “I think you will find much to bring you back often.” Taking a seat as Max and Leo seated themselves, he smiled and teased, “With Herr Max, of course.”
They were joined shortly by Elize and a younger woman introduced as Ute, who laughed when asked where Korrie, her fellow worker was. Saying in a rich Bavarian accent that she’d overslept and would be down soon. Gretchen, Elize and Bruno laughed at this, and Leo caught the comment that Ute had given her a busy night.
Listening to the chat around the table, Leo gathered that there were few guests expected at the moment, but that the restaurant and beer garden would be busy at lunchtime and in the evening and at the weekend they expected to be fully occupied. It became apparent to him that Max owned this property and the land around it — and let Gretchen Soeder run it as entirely her own business, something, it was clear, the lady fully appreciated. Bruno intrigued him. The man was obviously intelligent, witty and evidently enjoyed living in this beautiful place. He professed that he’d had little formal schooling beyond his school ‘Abitur’ or general education, but had done an apprenticeship as a leatherworker — making lederhosen …
With breakfast over, and the tardy Korrie just in time to snatch a croissant and coffee, Max insisted Gretchen show Leo the paintings his aunt had done. Then they set off for a lengthy walk in the surrounding forest, Leo marvelling at how Max looked so completely at ease in his beautifully made lederhosen. Quietly he reached for Max's hand, and his heart skipped as his lover accepted it ...
