My best friend and I walked the
West Highland Way
wearing only a kilt and boots.
We had been up since five in the morning and were now traveling on a bus from Glasgow to Inverness, William
(Will)
Clegg my lifelong friend was asleep with his head on the bus window as we trundled up the A9 passing Perth. I started to think how we ended up being Ushers at his uncle's wedding.
It all started three weeks earlier when Will's Uncle Alexander who Will looks like, both being tall, dark haired and having muscular builds, gave us a free five day holiday. A client had asked him to evaluate his hotel business in Barcelona after he arranged its refinancing.
Alexander was a part time University lecturer in Business Management and working on his doctorate, an astute investor and in partnership with Cyrus Strombact a wealthy Ukrainian. Who wasn't what you would call the stereotype gruff Ukrainian, the very opposite lightly built, soft politely spoken mid-forties, you would never pick him out of a crowd.
What they had in common was they were both astute businessmen and well respected by their many financial investors who queued up to invest in their projects, some who's pedigree was questionable, and that they were both gay and lived openly together.
We arrived at the hotel in Barcelona and were shown to our very plush ground floor suite with a private exit onto the hotel patio and pool. But, we were to share and it only had one double bed which couldn't be split. In our younger days we often shared but that was a long time ago and we are adults now. Neither of us wanted to make an issue or draw attention to it so said nothing.
We hadn't worked out what we would do for sleeping arrangements, but the sun was up it was hot unlike back home where it was raining and cold when we left. We donned shorts, trainers and small shoulder bags, the beach and its promenade was just down the road.
First priority was to get a beer and explore, we walked along enjoying the sun on our bare backs, the beach was crowded so we kept walking towards a quieter beach we could see further round the bay. As we approached the quieter beach a picture sign warned this was a naturalist beach, Will was excited about the prospect of going naked I was not entheaustic, but ok about it.
We had done that before on a French beach, we stripped off, shorts stuffed into our bags with only trainers on we walked along the sand passing a few naked bathers and sun worshipers. A beach volley ball game being played ahead of us so we walked towards it, two guys were playing. On seeing us they invited us to join them, which we did and got absolutely tanked. They were Dutch called Henk and Eric.
Game over and out as we stood there vocally sharing the highlights of the game, we were joined by their three naturalist friends who had been watching and photographing us from a distance as we played. I was a bit uncomfortable about the photographing but it was a public beach, we ended up with a naked group photograph and posing with each other which was copied to all our phones.
Henk invited Will and I to joint their group tonight at a night club called
'Night Barcelona'
never heard of it but was near the University, we accepted. We all dressed before heading back along the promenade to our respective hotels.
Back at our hotel, red skinned all over we met the owners who invited us to join them at a complimentary inaugural hotel barbecue tomorrow night and we could invite guests. Will suggested our five new Dutch friends which was acceptable.
After a meal we headed into town and found the night club, bit boisterous but not overly so, as we walked in Henk and Eric were standing near the door, with large 2 pint steins of Spanish beers in hand, waiting on us. Not to be left out we purchased steins of beer too, we all sat around a large table talking, after two or three of these large beers we were all very relaxed and talkative.
The subject of our naked beach volley ball game came up, Eric said he had a copy of a video of it and I looked really great in it "did I want to see it?" What could I say but "yes" before I knew what was happening Eric had taken it over to the bar and bluetoothed it to the large multi-screen television above the bar.
There I was naked wearing only bright red trainers which looked like fiery beacons cavorting about, as I jumped up to give a high drop shot; it slowed down. Their I was in slow motion bits swinging widely free as I cannoned the ball down into the sand with the club punters cheering on my antics.
It was then that I noticed that their were mainly guys in this bar dressed in colourful tight fitting shorts and cropped tops; it was a gay bar, Will's reassurance to me was.
"Don't worry about it nobody will remember your face only your swinging dick and erotic antics."
Henk added; "Eric pulled that down from Utube today after we got back to our hotel, I will get him to send you a link to it".
The bar replayed it every half hour or so to the boisterous encouragement of the clubbers. I pinged the link so far 2.3k views.
We had a few more beers somewhere in-between my memories vanished until the next morning when I woke with a thumping head, palpitating stomach and a painful thirst in bed naked with Will warmly curled up behind me with his arm round my waist. I was asking myself.
"What the fuck! happened last night."
With difficulty I separated myself from Will's hot grasp and headed unsteadily into the bathroom before any mishaps happened, I reverted to having a warm shower after about twenty minutes I dried myself off, still fragile but recovering. I walked out with a damp towel wrapped around me, Will was now wide awake lying naked on the bed, he look at me and said all knowingly.
"You are a dark horse I never thought you were that way inclined; if only I had known!"
I retorted "known what? Ok what am I supposed to have done".
His reassuring reply was.
"Look at your phone, I filmed it for you."
My head was still pulsating as I looked at my phone, batter dead. Had to rummage through my suitcase to find my charger and plugged it in. Will had now disappeared into the shower, if silent thoughts could kill he would be in deep shit. Fifteen minutes passed before he came out of the shower just as I finished watching what was on my phone. All I could say was.
"Why did you let me do that?"
"We tried to but you wanted to do it."